Lemon rolls are homemade lemon sweet rolls with lemon sugar filling. These pillowy lemon rolls are topped with a simple but delicious homemade cream cheese frosting.
If you’re looking for a sweet treat with a bright, citrusy twist, these homemade lemon rolls are a must-try.
These rolls start with a soft and fluffy homemade lemon dough. They have a lovely lemon sugar filling that brings just the right balance of sweetness and tangy lemon zest. The lemon rolls are frosted with a rich and creamy homemade cream cheese frosting and sprinkled with a touch of fresh lemon zest.
There are quite a few steps to make this recipe, but the rolls are easy to make and come together quickly. They’re perfect for breakfast, brunch, or whenever you’re craving something a little different from the usual cinnamon rolls.
I’ve included step-by-step photos and plenty of tips to help you along the way. Let’s dive into how to make them!
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Whole milk: Whole milk helps to make the dough rich and soft. You can use 2% milk for a leaner dough.
- Yeast: To use active dry yeast, substitute an equal amount of yeast.
- Butter: If you’re using unsalted butter, you will need to adjust the salt in the dough and add a pinch or two of salt to the filling and to the frosting.
- Kosher salt: Or 1/8 teaspoon of table salt.
- Cream cheese: I recommend using full-fat or 1/3-less fat cream cheese for the frosting. Fat-free cream cheese doesn’t blend well and won’t give you rich, creamy frosting.
How to make lemon rolls
Here you’ll find step-by-step photos showing how to make this recipe. The full recipe, including instructions, 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. Otherwise, milk that is too hot can kill the yeast.
Step 2: Add warm milk, 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. If the yeast doesn’t get foamy, start over. Otherwise, your dough won’t rise.
Step 3: Add eggs, ½ cup melted butter, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Use the fork again to lightly beat the eggs.
Step 4: Pour in 3 cups flour and ½ teaspoon salt. Use a paddle attachment on your stand mixer to combine the ingredients.
Continue to add flour 1/4 cup at a time until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl.
Step 5: Switch to the dough hook and knead for 8-10 minutes, or until the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
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 15 minutes.
Step 8: Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Set aside.
Step 9: In a medium bowl, add ½ cup granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon lemon zest. Use your hands to rub the lemon zest into the sugar to release the oils.
Step 10: In a separate bowl, add 6 tablespoons butter. Microwave for about 15 seconds to soften the butter without melting it. Set aside.
Step 11: Lightly flour a clean surface and roll the dough out into a rectangle until it’s about ½ an inch thick.
Step 12: Spread the softened butter all over the dough and sprinkle the lemon sugar mixture on top.
Step 13: 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 “cinnamon” roll.
Step 14: Place the rolls, swirl-side up, in the greased baking dish.
Step 15: Cover with the same clean dish towel and allow to sit in a warm place for 30 minutes.
Step 16: While waiting for the rolls to rest, clean the bowl of your stand mixer.
Step 17: Beat together cream cheese and ¼ cup butter with the paddle attachment.
Step 18: Add in powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Beat again until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
Step 19: Bake lemon rolls for 40-50 minutes, or until baked in the center and golden brown on top.
Step 20: Remove from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes.
Step 21: Spread frosting on top of warm rolls. For decoration, add additional lemon zest over top.
Recipe Tips!
- Mixing by hand: You can mix by hand if you prefer. Just add an additional 2 or so minutes to the kneading time.
- Rising: If your kitchen is cool, your rolls will rise slowly. To create a warm spot for the rolls to rise, preheat oven to 350F for exactly 60 seconds. Press cancel. This creates a nice warm spot for the dough to rise.
- Cutting: A pizza cutter works well for cutting the dough into strips.
- Frosting: Don’t chill the frosting after you make it. The frosting needs to be at room temperature to spread over the warm rolls.
- More lemon flavor: For even more lemon flavor, you can swirl lemon curd into the cream cheese icing just before serving.
How to freeze
Place the unbaked lemon rolls in the prepared baking pan. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and then with aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 1 month.
To bake, remove the lemon rolls from the freezer the night before you’d like to bake them and place them in the refrigerator. In the morning, place the pan out at room temperature for about 30-40 minutes before baking.
Uncover, and bake according to the baking directions.
Storage
Store any leftover lemon rolls in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The lemon rolls will keep for up to 3 days when properly stored.
To rewarm, simply heat up the roll in the microwave to 10-15 seconds or until warmed through.
More sweet roll recipes!
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Lemon Rolls
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon instant rise yeast
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1/2 cup salted butter melted
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4-4 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Filling
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
Cream cheese frosting
- 8 ounce package cream cheese at room temperature
- 1/4 cup salted butter at room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
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)
- Add warm milk, 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.1 cup whole milk, 1 tablespoon instant rise yeast, 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- Add eggs, ½ cup melted butter, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Use the fork again to lightly beat the eggs.2 large eggs
- Pour in 3 cups flour and ½ teaspoon salt. Use a paddle attachment on your stand mixer to combine the ingredients.
- Continue to add flour 1/4 cup at a time until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl. You may not need to use all of the flour.
- Switch to the dough hook and knead for 8-10 minutes, or until the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
- 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 45 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, add ½ cup granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon lemon zest. Use your hands to rub the lemon zest into the sugar to release the oils.
- In a separate bowl, add 6 tablespoons butter. Microwave for about 15 seconds to soften the butter without melting it. Set aside.
- Lightly flour a clean surface and roll the dough out into a rectangle until it’s about ½ an inch thick.
- Spread the softened butter all over the dough and sprinkle the lemon sugar mixture on top.
- 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 “cinnamon” 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 30 minutes.
- While waiting for the rolls to rest, clean the bowl of your stand mixer.
- Beat together cream cheese and ¼ cup butter with the paddle attachment.
- Add in powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Beat again until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
- Bake lemon rolls for 40-50 minutes, or until baked in the center and golden brown on top. If the rolls are browning too quickly, tent with foil.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes.
- Spread frosting on top of warm rolls.
- For decoration, add additional lemon zest over top.
Notes
- Whole milk: Whole milk helps to make the dough rich and soft. You can use 2% milk for a leaner dough.
- Yeast: To use active dry yeast, substitute an equal amount of yeast.
- Butter: If you’re using unsalted butter, you will need to adjust the salt in the dough and add a pinch or two of salt to the filling and to the frosting.
- Kosher salt: Or 1/8 teaspoon of table salt.
- Cream cheese: I recommend using full-fat or 1/3-less fat cream cheese for the frosting. Fat-free cream cheese doesn’t blend well and won’t give you rich, creamy frosting.
- Nutrition values are estimates.
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
K says
You might want to edit the instructions to say that the butter (to spread on the dough) should be microwaved for 15 SECONDS .. rather than the 15 “minutes” that is written in steps 10 & 13.
Kate says
Thank you! I appreciate you letting me know so that I could fix that.