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Home Baking

No Knead Cinnamon Rolls

By Nagi Maehashi
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Published9 Jun '17 Updated30 Jun '25
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By popular demand, it had to be done – the magic Soft No Knead Dinner Rolls have now been transformed into these No Knead Cinnamon Rolls!!! Soft and fluffy with a cream cheese glaze, these will change your life. No kneading, no stand mixer, no overnight rise. You’re welcome / I’m sorry….

Magic No Knead Cinnamon Rolls - soft and fluffy with a cream cheese glaze! recipetineats.com

I’m apologising for sharing these for a number of reasons. I’m sorry to all those trying to be healthy. (Me, me!) I’m sorry to everyone trying to cut down of their carb intake. (Me, me!)

I’m sorry to everyone who makes these once and are harassed to make them again and again…..

I actually wasn’t sure if I would ever share this. I had quite an astonishing number of messages here and on Facebook asking if the No Knead Dinner Rolls could be used to make cinnamon rolls. The concept sounded quite easy – just use the same dough but add a bit more flour so it was rollable into a large rectangle that could be slathered with butter and cinnamon sugar, then rolled up and cut.

The problem I kept running into – the 2 rolls in the middle of the tray just wouldn’t cook through properly. They looked cooked, but as soon as I bit into it, it was undeniably doughy.

Batches later… the answer was so simple. I ran out of bread flour and used normal flour.

Boom. It worked. Duh! Head smack! No-knead dough is more fragile than kneaded dough and bread flour makes buns slightly lighter and more tender. When you add that heavy butter / sugar slather, it weighs down the dough and adds too much moisture for the dough to rise and cook through properly.

Switch to plain / all purpose flour = slightly sturdier dough = sturdier (but still soft!) buns = fully cooked through.

Phew!

Magic No Knead Cinnamon Rolls - soft and fluffy with a cream cheese glaze! recipetineats.com

Magic No Knead Cinnamon Rolls - soft and fluffy with a cream cheese glaze! recipetineats.com

This No Knead Cinnamon Rolls recipe is also surprisingly forgiving. I’ve been amazed – you’ll see in the video that the dough looks even looser than the photos above. I’ve added flour and water right at the end to adjust the dough when it looked too thin / thick, I forgot sugar once and added that in after the 1st rise. Same result every time – couldn’t tell the difference.

As for kneaded vs no knead dough – here’s the truth. Kneaded dough makes a better bread. If that weren’t a fact, millions of bakeries around the world would be ditching their mixers. The bread is slightly more tender and keeps slightly better.

But the operative word here is slightly. The sheer convenience of this no knead recipe outweighs the small difference, and opens up a new world of possibilities for people who don’t have a stand mixer nor are inclined to knead dough by hand.

And the clincher is that when these No Knead Cinnamon Rolls are warmed slightly – just 15 seconds in the microwave – it makes them so uber soft and fluffy, you’d swear they were from a posh bakery.

Well – your family and friends will think that. You can just sit back and lap up the compliments! – Nagi x

PS You know full well these are not my Baby Hands.↓↓↓ These are my mother’s hands. She came round to be the hand model for the video. And she made these No Knead Cinnamon Rolls for the first time and specifically said that she was surprised how easy it was, even with “all that log rolling and cutting business”. 😉

Magic No Knead Cinnamon Rolls - soft and fluffy with a cream cheese glaze! recipetineats.com

Magic No Knead Cinnamon Rolls - soft and fluffy with a cream cheese glaze! recipetineats.com

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Magic No Knead Cinnamon Rolls - soft and fluffy with a cream cheese glaze! recipetineats.com

No Knead Cinnamon Rolls

Author: Nagi
Prep: 20 minutes mins
Cook: 20 minutes mins
Total: 40 minutes mins
Sweet Baking
4.97 from 117 votes
Servings12
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Soft, fluffy cinnamon rolls made from scratch with a dump-and-mix dough that requires no kneading! Frosted with a sticky cream cheese glaze, these are sweet but nowhere near as sickly sweet as store bought ones. This recipe is quite forgiving – see notes. Instructions are long because I’m providing helpful hints but this recipe is actually quite straight forward! Recipe video below.

Ingredients

Buns:

  • 1 tbsp dry yeast (Note 1)
  • 70 g / 1/3 cup caster sugar (superfine sugar), or sub with normal white sugar
  • 1/2 cup / 125 ml warm water (Note 2)
  • 600 g / 20 oz plain flour / all purpose flour (4 1/2 US Cups, 4 Cups everywhere else exc Japan) (Note 3)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup / 250 ml milk , lukewarm, whole or low fat, (Note 2)
  • 50 g / 3.5 tbsp unsalted butter , melted and slightly cooled
  • 2 large eggs , beaten with fork

EXTRA FLOUR:

  • 1/4 cup / 35g plain flour (all purpose flour), plus more as required

For Rolls:

  • 90 g / 6 tbsp unsalted butter , melted
  • 1 cup / 220 g brown sugar , packed
  • 2 tbsp cinnamon powder

Cream Cheese Glaze:

  • 90 g / 3 oz cream cheese , softened
  • 50 / 3 tbsp unsalted butter , softened
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract (or essence)
  • 1 1/4 cups / 150g soft icing sugar / powdered sugar
  • 2 – 3 tbsp milk , any (or water)
Prevent screen from sleeping

Instructions

Buns:

  • Place the yeast and 2 teaspoons of the sugar in a medium bowl, then pour in water. Leave for 5 minutes until it froths.
  • Place 600g/20oz flour, remaining sugar and salt in a bowl. Mix to combine.
  • Make a well in the centre. Add milk, butter, eggs and pour in the yeast liquid, including all froth.
  • Mix until combined with wooden spoon – it will be like a sticky muffin batter, not kneadable.
  • Rise # 1: Cover with cling wrap and place in a warm place (25C/77F+) to rise for around 1 1/4 – 1 1/2 hrs or until almost tripled in volume. (Note 4) Dough surface should be bubbly (see video or photos in post).

Making Rolls & Rise #2 (video is helpful):

  • Line a 31.5 x 23.5 cm / 9 x 13″ tray with baking paper with overhang.
  • Mix cinnamon and sugar in a bowl.
  • Uncover dough, mix with spoon to deflate.
  • Sprinkle half Extra Flour on work surface, pour dough on, sprinkle over remaining Extra Flour. Use hands to incorporate the flour into the dough – it may not absorb it all (or need more), the dough will stop absorbing flour when it’s no longer sticky, should be soft, pliable.
  • If work surface is now flour free, sprinkle with more flour.
  • Shape dough into log, then roll out into 28 x 48 cm / 11 x 19″ rectangle.
  • Pour over butter, then brush all over, then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
  • Roll up firmly, then shape into an even log.
  • Cut into 12 pieces (4cm / 1.6″), then place on tray (3 x 4).
  • Cover with tea towel then place in warm place for 40 minutes or until almost doubled.

Baking / Frosting:

  • Preheat oven to 180C/350F (standard) or 160C/320F (fan / convection). Place shelf in the middle of the oven.
  • Bake for 20 minutes, rotating the tray at 16 minutes.
  • Buns are ready when the middle rolls are golden and the outer ones are deep golden on the edges. Tap the middle ones – they should sound hollow.
  • Optional: Brush with 1 tbsp / 15g melted butter to remove any residual flour spots.
  • Use paper overhang to lift rolls onto cooling rack (key step – Note 5). Cool for 1 hour (will still be warm).
  • Use a spoon to frost with glaze. Best served warm!

Glaze:

  • Place butter, cream cheese and vanilla in a bowl. Beat until smooth (10 – 15 seconds).
  • Add icing sugar, beat to incorporate. Add enough milk to make it a consistency that can be spooned over the buns and it drips slightly (see video).

Recipe Notes:

1. 1 tbsp dry yeast = 9 grams. I use Lowan Dried Instant Yeast (red tube, sold at Woolies/Coles baking aisle) which technically doesn’t need to be frothed before using but there’s no harm in doing it, and I do it out of habit + also because then the same steps apply to any dried yeast.
If your yeast doesn’t go frothy, sorry to say it’s not active so your buns won’t rise. To use fresh yeast (comes in a block that crumbles, not powder like dry yeast), use 27g/ 0.9 oz. You don’t actually need to dissolve it in liquid like I do with the dry, but there’s no harm in doing it and so for the sake of consistency, crumble it in and let stand until it foams up, same as using dry yeast.
2. Scalding hot milk and hot water kills the yeast. I heat milk for 45 seconds on high in the microwave, and use warm tap water. The test is this: stick your finger in. If it was a bath, would it be pleasant? Good. It’s not too hot or too cold!
3. FLOUR: Do NOT use bread flour! Bread flour makes buns slightly more fluffier and tender, but the addition of the butter slather weighs down the dough (which is more delicate than kneaded dough) and causes the rolls in the centre not to cook through. So this recipe requires a sturdier dough, meaning normal plain / all purpose flour. Bread flour and cake flour do not work – I tried many times!
Measurement: Cups around the world differ in size. If you don’t have scales to weight the flour, please use the relevant cup size. For US/Canada, use 4 1/2 cups (they are slightly different, but close enough). For rest of world other than Japan, use 4 cups of flour. For Japan, please weigh the flour.
4. WARM PLACE for dough: This is what I do all year round – use my dryer. Laugh – but try it! Run the (empty) dryer for 1 – 2 minutes, then place the bowl inside. If you do that, the dough will rise in 1.5 hours. Even if it’s snowing outside!
5. COOLING: Hot fresh bread needs to be cooled otherwise it can seem a bit “doughy”. This is even more important for this no knead dough, especially with the addition of the cinnamon butter glaze. I found that when glazed hot, and if not cooled on a rack, there were patches in the centre that were doughy.
6. MAKE AHEAD: Follow recipe up to rolling balls and cover with cling wrap. Then refrigerate for 4 hours – 24 hours (this is the 2nd rise), take them out 30 minutes before then bake!
7. STORING: All homemade bread – even kneaded – is best served on the day. Things made using this No-Knead version doesn’t keep as well as the kneaded version – dries out a bit faster. For these buns, reheating is key! 12 seconds in the microwave is all you need!
8. DOUBLING: Make double the batter in one large bowl, then divide the batter into 2 bowls for the first rise (if double the dough is in one giant bowl, may struggle to rise). Proceed with recipe and place rolls on a large tray or 2 trays, and bake them all on the same shelf in the oven.
9. HIGH ALTITUDE BAKING: I am fortunate to have some fabulous readers at high altitude who often try my baking recipes quite soon after publishing and leave helpful information for others. Hopefully I will hear from someone soon so I can update this note! For the first tester – the dough is surprisingly forgiving. I have added flour and water/milk by eye at the end to get the consistency per the video/photos, it has been sloppier and firmer, as long as enough flour is added when rolling out the dough so it can be rolled up into a log, it has always worked out. 🙂
UPDATE: A reader at 4000 ft in AZ reported that it worked great with no amendments to the recipe! WHOOT!
10. MORE STUFFING! Try adding 3/4 cup of nuts (chopped pecans, walnuts are especially great), raisins and/or crumbled bacon!
11. This recipe is adapted from these Soft No Knead Dinner Rolls I published a couple of months ago.
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @recipe_tin.

WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT

No Knead Cinnamon Rolls recipe video! Starring my mother – I’m the director/producer/cameraman/editor/screenwriter/runner/recipe developer.

Have you tried the Soft No Knead Dinner Rolls yet? 🙂

These No Knead Dinner Rolls are like magic! Astonishingly easy, no stand mixer, just mix the ingredients in a bowl! recipetineats.com


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355 Comments

  1. Clare says

    November 13, 2017 at 3:19 am

    5 stars
    I don’t usually leave recipe comments but HAD to for these. These were by far the best cinnamon rolls I’ve ever made, and I’ve tried a lot of recipes. My family all agreed 🙂 Light, fluffy, perfect filling, and so darn easy. Thank you! I have the regular dinner rolls rising as I type this. Looking forward to exploring your other recipes.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      November 15, 2017 at 5:50 pm

      I’m so pleased to hear you enjoyed this Clare!! Thanks for letting me know – N x

      Reply
  2. Bianca says

    October 14, 2017 at 5:40 pm

    Hi,

    Has anyone tried this with marg? I quite often only have that it my fridge.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 15, 2017 at 6:49 pm

      I think it will work just fine! 🙂 N x

      Reply
  3. Diana says

    October 11, 2017 at 3:57 am

    I love Dozer. P.S. you don’t have to use your mother’s hands for demo’s. Your hand are lovely and, just fine.

    Diana

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 11, 2017 at 6:00 am

      Awww thank you for the kind words Diana! N xx

      Reply
  4. Teodora Motateanu says

    September 22, 2017 at 9:34 pm

    5 stars
    I’ve just done them: they’re awesome, thanks so much for sharing this recipe! 🙂

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      September 25, 2017 at 7:45 am

      Fantastic to hear Teodora! N x ❤️

      Reply
  5. Katya says

    September 22, 2017 at 3:39 pm

    5 stars
    Jotting this down on my planner because I’m totally trying this! You got me at ‘No Knead.’ Thanks for sharing! 🙂

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      September 22, 2017 at 8:14 pm

      I hope you do! It’s so delish! N x

      Reply
  6. Mg McGrath says

    September 13, 2017 at 7:42 pm

    hey nagi, it’s me again haha!
    i wanted to try and make this for my mummy friends coming over for a play date…but your make ahead note says “follow recipe up to rolling balls”…but can’t seem to find it in your step by step instruction (sorry, maybe it’s my eyes!). please help!
    many thanks x

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      September 15, 2017 at 8:06 am

      Hi Mg! There’s more to that Note 6, try refreshing your page! N x

      Reply
  7. Ramona says

    September 2, 2017 at 9:00 am

    5 stars
    Hello,
    I will try them tomorrow. Do you have any idea of the calories per bun roughly?
    Thanks
    Ramona

    Reply
  8. Shirley Hawkins says

    September 1, 2017 at 8:19 am

    5 stars
    I made these last night and they are wonderful! I had one today warmed in the microwave for 30 seconds and found it to be wonderfulas well. I have already been asked to make more for this holiday weekend. Thank you so much for this awesome recipe.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      September 3, 2017 at 7:00 pm

      Thank you for the review Shirley, it’s so terrific to hear you enjoyed this! N xx

      Reply
  9. Nelle B. Williams says

    August 29, 2017 at 8:32 am

    An easier way to help the rolls rise, is to small mixing bowlof water to boiling in the microwave, put in regular oven, put in the rolls, close the door and let them rise. The moisture also helps the outside fo the rolls..

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      August 30, 2017 at 6:47 pm

      What a wonderful idea Nelle, thank you! N xx

      Reply
  10. Virginia says

    August 9, 2017 at 2:00 am

    5 stars
    Hi Nagi,

    Can you make the dough ahead of time, freeze it, thaw it then let them rise before you bake it.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      August 11, 2017 at 6:14 pm

      Hi Virginia! I find that freezing for longer than a couple of nights, it doesn’t rise as much. But it does still rise and it’s still nice and fluffy, but not as fluffy as baking fresh or refrigerating overnight. 🙂 N xx

      Reply
  11. Kathy says

    August 7, 2017 at 5:48 am

    I’m making the no knead rolls , do u spray the bottom of pan before u put your rolls in to bake ?
    Kathy

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      August 7, 2017 at 9:54 am

      Hi Kathy! I line with paper – please see the video and recipe steps 🙂 N x

      Reply
  12. Rross says

    July 15, 2017 at 2:04 am

    5 stars
    Made these this morning, I think I have finally found my go to cinnamon rolls recipe!!! Was really easy to follow and because I hate kneading I loved the no knead factor. Thanks so much for sharing.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      July 15, 2017 at 8:35 am

      Hi praise!!! Thanks so much for the feedback Rross, so glad you enjoyed it! N xx

      Reply
  13. Meredith's says

    July 13, 2017 at 2:18 am

    4 stars
    That’s fantastic I’m going to try making the bread rolls

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      July 13, 2017 at 3:29 am

      Hope you do Meredith! It is really terrific!! 🙂 N xx

      Reply
  14. Tim says

    June 20, 2017 at 2:01 pm

    5 stars
    Out of the 4 sweets I made for my mates over the weekend, these scrolls encouraged the most involuntary ‘mmmmmmmm’ noises after eating! A lot easier than I imagined they’d be to make and it was a bit chilly in Perth, so the dryer trick was magic!
    Thanks Nagi!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      June 20, 2017 at 7:17 pm

      WOAH! What a compliment!!! Glad to hear it’s chilly over there too, I always think of Perth as being much warmer than over here in winter!

      Reply
  15. Amy P says

    June 19, 2017 at 12:23 am

    5 stars
    Have just made these and they are AMAZING! And your dryer trick- how did you even think of that?! I can not wait to try some savoury options. Would love to know the best way to store them so they last as long as possible?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      June 19, 2017 at 6:28 pm

      I fleetingly saw it on Pinterest and then googled and saw it was a done thing! 🙂 Airtight container is best, but in all honesty, all homemade breads dry out a bit the next day so it’s just best to reheat 🙂 N xx

      Reply
  16. Charlie says

    June 18, 2017 at 11:37 pm

    I made these yesterday. I am at 4100ft elevation in the desert in AZ. I was able to follow the recipe exactly. They were very yummy and delicious. They were so easy to make. Thank you so much.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      June 19, 2017 at 6:27 pm

      Woah! Charlie, thank you for sharing that, I will update the recipe notes to share your experience! N xx

      Reply
      • Charlie says

        June 22, 2017 at 11:56 pm

        I am ashamed to say that the cinamon rolls were gone in 24 hours with only 2 people eating. They were so good.

        I have since made the rolls filled with cream cheese which was a hit too. Those are gone too. What can I say we are gluten addicts here. Lol

        Oh. Because my dryer is located in the bathroom I could not use that trick. I instead put it in the microwave with the surface light on below and it rose to triple in an hour.

        Reply
        • Nagi says

          June 23, 2017 at 7:45 pm

          Ashamed? There is no being ashamed around here! 😂 So fantastic to hear you enjoyed these, thank you for letting me know! N xx

          Reply
  17. Helen says

    June 17, 2017 at 12:56 pm

    5 stars
    Hi Nagi, I made this cinnamon rolls yesterday, so fluffy and tasty, looks a bit ugly but it so good, even today still fluffy and fresh. My husband gave me an idea to put crush apple on top. Or my other idea is to change cinnamon sugar with coffee butter. Will let you know the result.
    Thank you!!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      June 19, 2017 at 6:12 pm

      WOW! I love your ideas Helen, do let me know! N xx

      Reply
  18. Jamieanne says

    June 16, 2017 at 8:44 pm

    5 stars
    I already have my go-to cinnamon roll recipe, but I had to give your no-knead recipe a go, of course! I made your recipe yesterday and had some extra children over after school and they all loved them, even the pickiest ones! Your recipes are always winners, Nagi! How do you do it!!! ☺️

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      June 19, 2017 at 5:54 pm

      I’m so flattered Jamieanne! Thank you for trying my recipe and I’m s glad you enjoyed it! N xx

      Reply
  19. Lani says

    June 15, 2017 at 2:03 pm

    I saw comment about using a dryer. The only dryers i have are hair and clothes. What dryer are you speaking of and how does it help. Can’t wait to try this recipe. They look amazing!!!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      June 15, 2017 at 6:15 pm

      Clothes dryer!! It works every time. Please see the note about rising! N xx

      Reply
  20. Kimberly @ Berly's Kitchen says

    June 13, 2017 at 9:15 am

    5 stars
    I could easily eat the entire batch of these and not think twice. Seriously, who doesn’t love freshly baked cinnamon rolls, especially when they’re no knead? These look so yummy!! Hoping to try them soon, like, over the weekend. 🙂

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      June 13, 2017 at 6:42 pm

      I hear you Kimberly. What is it with Cinnamon Rolls???

      Reply
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