Apple cinnamon rolls are tender homemade cinnamon rolls with a cinnamon spice apple filling and cinnamon cream cheese frosting. They’re the perfect fall bake for breakfast, brunch, or dessert.
These Apple Cinnamon Rolls take everything you love about classic cinnamon rolls and put a tasty fall twist on them. They have soft, pillowy dough filled with apple cinnamon sugar filling and rich cinnamon cream cheese frosting.
Perfect for weekend baking, fall brunches, or holiday mornings, these rolls are a seasonal treat you’ll want to make again and again.
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Milk: Using whole milk will give you softer, richer dough.
- Butter: You can use salted butter and omit the additional salt.
- Flour: You’ll only need enough flour to get the dough to the point described in the recipe. If you add too much flour, you’ll end up with dry, heavy cinnamon rolls.
- Cinnamon: You can use apple pie spice in place of the cinnamon in the filling.
- Apple: It’s important to use a baking apple, like Honeycrisp or Granny Smith, so that the apple will hold its shape and not bake into mush.
- Cream cheese: It’s important to use either full-fat or 1/3-less fat cream cheese. Fat free cream cheese won’t mix up nice and creamy in the frosting.
How to make apple cinnamon rolls
Here you’ll find instructions and step-by-step photos showing how to make this recipe. The full recipe, including ingredients, is given below.
Step 1: Pour milk into a microwave-safe measuring cup. Microwave in 30-second intervals until it reaches about 110-115 degrees F. (If it gets too hot, let it sit on the counter for a few minutes to come down in temperature.)
Step 2: Add warm milk, ¼ cup granulated sugar, and yeast to the bowl of your stand mixer. Use a fork to lightly stir it all together. Let sit for 5 minutes for yeast to bloom.
Step 3: Add eggs, remaining ¼ cup sugar, ½ cup melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Use the fork again to lightly beat the eggs.
Step 4: Pour in 3 ½ cups flour and ¼ teaspoon salt. Use a paddle attachment on your stand mixer to combine the ingredients, then switch to the dough hook.
Step 5: With the dough hook, knead the flour into the liquid ingredients until combined. Continue to knead with the dough hook for another 8-10 minutes, or until the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If the dough seems too sticky, you can add up to ½ a cup more flour. The dough should feel slightly sticky when pinched but shouldn’t come off on your fingers.
Step 6: Grease a clean bowl lightly with oil. Remove dough from the mixing bowl and place it in the greased bowl, turning to coat in oil on all sides.
Step 7: Cover with a clean kitchen towel and set in a warm place to rise for about 30 minutes.
Step 8: In a medium bowl, add ½ cup granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon.
Step 9: Lightly flour a clean surface and roll the dough out into a rectangle until it’s about ½ an inch thick.
Step 10: Spread the softened butter all over the dough and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture evenly on top.
Step 11: Add diced apples in an even layer on top of the cinnamon sugar.
Step 12: Working from the longer side of the rectangle, cut 12 2-inch strips out of the dough. Roll each strip tightly into itself to create a spiral roll.
Step 13: Place the rolls, swirl-side up, in the greased baking dish.
Step 14: Cover with the same clean dish towel and allow to sit in a warm place for another 30 minutes.
Step 15: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
Step 16: While waiting for the rolls to rest, clean the bowl of your stand mixer.
Step 17: Bake cinnamon rolls for about 40-50 minutes, or until baked in the center and golden brown on top.
Remove from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes.
Step 18: Meanwhile, beat together cream cheese and ¼ cup butter with the paddle attachment.
Step 19: Add in powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, and a pinch or two of salt. Beat again until smooth and creamy.
Step 20: Spread cinnamon frosting on top of warm rolls.
Recipe Tips!
- Dice apples: Dice apples in smaller pieces because they will soften better and stay evenly distributed in the filling.
- Proof until puffy: Rolls should nearly double before baking for the softest texture.
Storage
Store any leftover cinnamon rolls in an airtight container at room temperature. Frosted cinnamon rolls should be stored in the refrigerator.
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Apple Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup granulated sugar divided
- 2 ¼ teaspoons 1 package active dry yeast
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4-4 ½ cups all purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Filling
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter softened but not melted
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ cups peeled and diced Honeycrisp apple about 1 apple
Cinnamon cream cheese frosting
- 8 ounce package cream cheese at room temperature
- ¼ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch or two of salt
Instructions
- Pour milk into a microwave-safe measuring cup. Microwave in 30-second intervals until it reaches about 110-115 degrees F. (If it gets too hot, let it sit on the counter for a few minutes to come down in temperature)1 cup whole milk
- Add warm milk, ¼ cup granulated sugar, and yeast to the bowl of your stand mixer. Use a fork to lightly stir it all together. Let sit for 5 minutes for yeast to bloom.2 ¼ teaspoons 1 package active dry yeast
- Add eggs, remaining ¼ cup sugar, ½ cup melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Use the fork again to lightly beat the eggs.2 large eggs
- Pour in 3 ½ cups flour and ¼ teaspoon salt. Use a paddle attachment on your stand mixer to combine the ingredients, then switch to the dough hook.
- With the dough hook, knead the flour into the liquid ingredients until combined. Continue to knead with the dough hook for another 8-10 minutes, or until the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If the dough seems too sticky, you can add between ½ and 1 cup more flour. The dough should feel slightly sticky when pinched but shouldn't come off on your fingers.
- Grease a clean bowl lightly with oil. Remove dough from the mixing bowl and place it in the greased bowl, turning to coat in oil on all sides.
- Cover with a clean kitchen towel and set in a warm place to rise for about 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
- In a medium bowl, add ½ cup granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon.
- Spread the softened butter all over the dough, and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture evenly on top.
- Add diced apples in an even layer on top of the cinnamon sugar.1 ½ cups peeled and diced Honeycrisp apple
- Working from the longer side of the rectangle, cut 12 2-inch strips out of the dough. Roll each strip tightly into itself to create a spiral roll.
- Place the rolls, swirl-side up, in the greased baking dish.
- Cover with the same clean dish towel and allow to sit in a warm place for another 30 minutes.
- While waiting for the rolls to rest, clean the bowl of your stand mixer.
- Bake cinnamon rolls for about 40-50 minutes, or until baked in the center and golden brown on top.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, beat together cream cheese and ¼ cup butter with the paddle attachment.8 ounce package cream cheese
- Add in powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, and a pinch or two of salt. Beat again until smooth and creamy.2 cups powdered sugar
- Spread cinnamon frosting on top of warm rolls.
Notes
- Milk: Using whole milk will give you softer, richer dough.
- Butter: You can use salted butter and omit the additional salt.
- Flour: You’ll only need enough flour to get the dough to the point described in the recipe. If you add too much flour, you’ll end up with dry, heavy cinnamon rolls.
- Cinnamon: You can use apple pie spice in place of the cinnamon in the filling.
- Apple: It’s important to use a baking apple, like Honeycrisp or Granny Smith, so that the apple will hold its shape and not bake into mush.
- Cream cheese: It’s important to use either full-fat or 1/3-less fat cream cheese. Fat free cream cheese won’t mix up nice and creamy in the frosting.
- Nutrition values are estimates.
Nutrition
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