Cinnamon Rolls
A proper vegetarian built around active dry yeast and cream cheese, softened — roughly 65 minutes start to finish, and rated medium to make. Scroll down for the ingredient checklist, a serving scaler and unit converter, and the method broken into 7 steps.
You'll mainly reach for oven and large pot. At medium difficulty across 7 steps, it's manageable with a little attention. As written, it's meat-free.
What you'll need
Shopping list (2)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
🔁 Unit converter
How to make it
- Stir the warm milk (about 110 degrees F) with the yeast and a pinch of the sugar, then let it stand for 5 to 10 minutes until foamy.
- Mix in the remaining sugar, egg, softened butter, salt, and flour to form a soft dough, then knead for about 8 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- Cover and let the dough rise in a warm spot for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
- Roll the dough into a roughly 12 by 16-inch rectangle, spread with the filling butter, and sprinkle evenly with the brown sugar and cinnamon.
- Roll up tightly from the long side, slice into 8 to 12 equal rolls, and arrange them cut-side up in a greased baking dish; let rise for 30 minutes.
- Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 22 to 28 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.
- Beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and a splash of milk into a smooth glaze, then spread over the rolls while still warm.
You'll use: Oven · Large pot · Baking dish
Ingredient substitutions
- Milk
- any unsweetened plant milk · ½ cup evaporated milk + ½ cup water
- Butter
- olive oil (¾ the amount) · coconut oil · margarine
- Brown Sugar
- white sugar + 1 tbsp molasses per cup
Tips & common questions
How long does Cinnamon Rolls take to make?
About 65 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 7 steps and 12 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of milk?
Try any unsweetened plant milk. See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
Is Cinnamon Rolls vegetarian?
Its ingredients contain no meat or fish, so it's suitable for vegetarians. Check any cheeses for animal rennet if that matters to you.
Related recipes
Cinnamon Rolls is an original recipe developed in-house by Consomee. Photo: Homemade Cinnamon rolls 01.jpg by Pannet, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure on top — how we source recipes.