Best homemade honey buns! This easy homemade honey bun recipe makes soft sweet rolls topped with honey butter icing in about an hour.
Homemade honey buns are dangerous! These unassuming little sweet rolls are crazy delicious.
They are are also easy to make. It looks like there are quite a few steps, but that’s just because everything is really broken down.
The dough is soft, and they have a brown sugar cinnamon filling. The buns are topped with a sweet honey butter icing.
All of which makes for a delicious breakfast or dessert!
Ingredient notes
- Milk: Any milk, from skim to whole milk, can be used. Whole milk will give you richer dough.
- Butter: I use salted butter in this recipe.
- Yeast: A packet of yeast is 2 and 1/4 teaspoons, so you will need two packets of yeast to measure out enough yeast for this recipe. Also, you can use active dry yeast and let it proof for 5-10 minutes until foamy before continuing with the recipe.
- Water: It’s important that the water is warm enough but not too hot. If the water is too hot, it will kill the yeast.
- All-purpose flour: You may need to use a little more or less flour. It’s important that the dough be soft and just a little sticky. The dough should feel a little sticky but shouldn’t come off on your fingers if you pinch it.
- Brown sugar: I use light brown sugar in this recipe.
How to make homemade honey buns
Here you’ll find step-by-step photos showing the process for making honey buns. The full recipe with measurements is below.
Step 1: Begin by melting the butter and milk together. Let the mixture cool to about 100 F.
Step 2: Add to a large mixing bowl, and stir in the warm water, honey, and yeast.
Step 3: Gradually mix in the flour and salt until it forms a smooth elastic dough.
Step 4: Cover, and let the dough sit for about 10 minutes to rest.
Step 5: Meanwhile, mix the filling ingredients together until combined.
Step 6: Roll the dough out into a rectangle and spread the filling over the dough.
Step 7: Roll the dough up lengthwise and pinch the seam to seal.
Step 8: Cut the dough into 12 rolls and place in the prepared baking pan. I use a serrated knife to help to cut the dough.
Step 9: Cover, and let the dough rest for 15 minutes.
Step 10: Toward the end of the baking time, whisk the icing ingredients together until combined.
Step 11: Remove the honey buns from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes.
Step 12: Spread the icing over the warm rolls, and let it sit for about 5 minutes before serving.
Recipe Tips!
To help the dough rise, place the dough in a warm spot.
If you don’t have a warm spot in your kitchen, you can create one. Turn your oven to preheat 350F and let it preheat for exactly 60 seconds. Then, turn off the oven. This will give you a warm place for the dough to rise.
It’s important to frost the honey buns while warm. Frosting the warm honey buns helps the icing to really get into the buns and makes them extra delicious.
Storage
I store the honey buns, covered, at room temperature for up to 3 days.
I reheat the honey buns, uncovered, for about 10-15 seconds in the microwave.
More easy sweet roll recipes!
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Honey Buns
Equipment
- 9×13-inch pan
Ingredients
DOUGH
- 1/3 cup milk¹
- 1/3 cup butter
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 3 ½ teaspoons instant yeast²
- 3/4 cup warm water 105F – 115F
- 3 cups all-purpose flour³
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
FILLING
- 1/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 cup butter at room temperature
ICING
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Pinch salt
Instructions
- Grease a 9×13-inch metal baking pan; set aside.
- In a small saucepan, stir milk and butter together. Heat over low heat just until butter melts. Cool to about 100-105 F.
- Pour the milk mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Add the honey, yeast, and warm water. Stir to combine.
- Add 2 cups flour and salt to yeast mixture. Using a dough hook, mix on low speed for about 1 minute.
- With the mixer still going, add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time. Mix about 1 ½ minutes, or until dough starts to clean the sides of the bowl.
- Knead on low speed for about 2 more minutes, or until dough is smooth and elastic – the dough will still be slightly sticky to the touch.
- Place dough in a greased bowl, turning it to grease the top. Cover the dough with a clean, dry dish towel.
- Let it rise in a warm place, free from draft, for about 10 minutes.
- While dough is rising, prepare the filling.
- Stir the filling ingredients together until combined. Set aside.
- Turn the dough onto a floured surface, and roll into a 12×16-inch rectangle.
- Spread filling over dough.
- Roll dough up lengthwise, pinching seam to seal.
- Cut into 12 pieces, and place in prepared baking dish. I use a serrated knife to cut the dough.
- Cover the baking dish with the dish towel, and let the dough rise for about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 F.
- Bake at 20-30 minutes, or until the rolls are golden brown and baked through.
- Let the honey buns cool in pan for 5 minutes.
- While buns are cooling, whisk icing ingredients together. Icing will be thick.
- Spread icing over warm buns.
- Let buns sit 10-15 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
- Anything from skim to whole milk will work. However, a milk with more fat will give you a more tender roll.
- A packet of yeast has 2 and 1/4 teaspoons of yeast, so you will need 2 packets to get 3 and 1/2 teaspoons worth of yeast.
If you would like to use active dry yeast, after step 4, let the yeast mixture sit for 5-10 minutes, or until foamy.
If your yeast doesn’t foam, start over or your dough won’t rise. - You may need to use a little more or a little less flour. Go by the look and feel of the dough. You want the dough to be smooth and elastic.
- Nutrition values are estimates.
Nutrition
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Reader Interactions
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Comments & Reviews
Wayne James says
Am certenly going to try this recipe.
Kate says
Great! I hope you like it!
Brown Sugar says
If I don’t have a stand mixer can I just work with my hands to knead the dough?
Maggie says
I would think so. Just because that is what people used to do when they didn’t have mixers. I harly ever use a stand mixer anyway. When I try to make these I am going to knead it and I can let you know! Have you tried it yet??
Wanda says
I’ve made these honey buns several times! I Love them! And my picky husband loves the, too, as long as I add raisins to them. I usually add them with the filling. Thank you for this amazing recipe. Who knew you could have such delicious honey buns within an hour?
Kate says
Thank you so much!
John says
These rolls are simply amazing and so easy to make.
I will be making these again real soon, this time I am going to experiment by adding some cinnamon to the dough and to double the recipe.
Kate says
Thank you so much! I’d love to hear how that turns out!
Denise D. says
Great, easy-to-follow recipe with Delicious results! The Honey buns are a crowd Pleaser for sure!!
Kate says
Thank you!
Diane Skudlarek says
My husband and I were in the mood this morning for honey buns. This recipe was PERFECT! It was fast, easy and soooo delicious. Soft warm sweet buns with Sunday coffee. Thank you!
Kate says
Thank you so much!!
Louise says
These were a real crowd pleaser and didn’t take too long to make. Scrumptious!
Helen Davies says
Easy to follow recipe and the end result was a plate of yummy indulgence! I am not the best baker but these turned out so well and my family now drop hints all the time about how good ‘my’ cinnamon rolls are!
Kate says
Yay!! I’m so glad that they worked out well for you!
Sam M says
These taste absolutely amazing, the recipe was really clear and easy to follow. Will definitely be making these again!
Kate says
Thank you! I’m so glad to hear that!
Stephanie says
I never leave reviews for recipes but these were just so good that I had to! They were very easy to make and are DELICIOUS! I will definitely make this recipe again! :)
Kate says
Thank you so much! I’m so glad to hear that! =)
Krista says
So delicious! I have chronic medical issues and probably because of that I did find this recipe fairly labor intensive. I usually look for quick easy recipes. This took me about 3hrs start to finish and now my kitchen is quite a mess haha but my family’s happy taste buds are worth it! This will be a special occasion treat for sure ;).
Kate says
Thank you! =) Do you have any questions, or is there anything I can help with to make it easier the next time around?
Delphine Lopez says
Could I make these with non-dairy milk and vegan butter?
Kate says
Hi! I haven’t tried that to say for certain.
Shon says
I would say yes. I never have actual dairy products and my baking dishes always turn out perfect.
Sabina says
These were my first attempt at any kind of bun and it’s seriously so easy and delicious. I used creamed honey for the icing and it was so nice. I can’t get over it!
Kate says
Yay!! I’m so happy to hear that they turned out well for you. Thanks for commenting!
JUDY WELLS says
I want to make a large amount of honey buns for my festival. What is the best way to keep them fresh and make a large amount? Will they freeze?
Kate says
I haven’t tried freezing these buns, but sweet rolls should freeze well. I would just wait to add any icing until after freezing.
Beverly J Whitaker says
I was surprised, no eggs. Most bread uses eggs.
Kate says
Hi! I have several bread recipes that don’t use eggs. Were you looking for a bread dough that used eggs?
Yolanda Smith says
Very delicious I used almond milk instead of whole milk and for the icing I used a tiny bit of water.
Kate says
Thank you! I’m so glad that you liked them! Thanks for commenting! =)
Kelsey says
These buns are unreal! I love, love, love them!
Kate says
Yay! I’m so glad! Thanks for commenting! =)
Chelsea says
Uh-mazing!! The recipe was easy to follow and the buns were fantastic.
Kate says
Thanks! I’m so glad that you liked the honey buns. =) Thank you for coming back to comment!
Heidi Van Brocklin says
Should the butter in the dough be salted or unsalted?
Kate says
I use salted butter. You could also use unsalted butter and add an additional 1/4 teaspoon salt to the dough.