Maple cinnamon rolls are easy homemade cinnamon rolls topped with buttery maple glaze. This simple recipe makes the best maple cinnamon rolls!
Cinnamon rolls are always a hit at my house. Whether it’s in cinnamon twist bread or cinnamon sugar knots, we love the combination of bread and buttery cinnamon sugar!
These maple cinnamon rolls are a variation on my 1 hour cinnamon rolls. The great thing about this recipe (beyond the taste!) is how quick and easy it is.
The cinnamon rolls can be made from scratch in about an hour, so they’re an easy holiday or weekend breakfast recipe.
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Milk: Anything from skim to whole milk will work. Whole milk will make the dough richer, and skim milk will give you a leaner dough.
- Butter: I use salted butter in this recipe.
- Yeast: If you’re using active dry yeast, let the yeast sit for 5-10 minutes, or until foamy, after step 4. Then, continue with the recipe as-written.
- Flour: I recommend either weighing the flour or aerating, spooning, and leveling the flour. Too much flour will give you a dry, heavy dough.
- Maple flavor: Using maple flavor will give you stronger maple flavor to the frosting. You can also use half vanilla, half maple flavor.
How to make maple cinnamon rolls
Here you’ll find step-by-step photos showing how to make this recipe. The full recipe, including ingredients, is given below.
Step 1: Begin by warming the butter, milk, and sugar together.
Step 2: Add the butter mixture, yeast, and warm water to a mixing bowl.
Tip >> If you’re using instant yeast, continue with the recipe as-written. If you’re using active dry yeast, let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes, or until the yeast foams. If the yeast doesn’t foam, start over! Otherwise, your cinnamon rolls won’t rise.
Step 3: Mix in the flour and salt to form a soft dough. The dough should feel soft and slightly sticky but shouldn’t stick to your finger if you press on it.
Step 4: Cover the dough and let it rest in a warm, draft-free spot.
Step 5: Roll out the dough.
Step 6: Stir filling ingredients together in a medium bowl.
Step 7: Spread the filling over the dough.
Step 8: Roll the dough up lengthwise to form a long roll. Pinch the edge to seal in the filling.
Step 9: Cut the dough.
Step 10: Place the cinnamon rolls in the greased pan.
Step 11: Bake.
Step 12: While the rolls are baking, mix together the frosting.
Step 13: To prepare the frosting, whisk powdered sugar, butter, maple syrup, and vanilla or maple flavor together in a medium bowl.
Step 14: Whisk in enough milk to make desired consistency. I leave the frosting on the thicker side because it melts when it’s spread on the warm rolls.
Step 15: Let the rolls sit for about 5 minutes, and then spread the frosting over the rolls.
Tip >> If you have a hard time spreading the frosting, place a dollop on each roll and let it sit for a minute or two to soften up. Then spread.
Recipe Tips!
- Mixing by hand: You can mix the dough by hand if you don’t have a stand mixer. Simply make the recipe as-directed except add an additional 2 minutes to the kneading time.
- Freezing cinnamon rolls: You can freeze the cinnamon rolls. I recommend baking and cooling the cinnamon rolls but waiting to frost them until you’re ready to serve them. The frosting tends to melt into the rolls when frozen and thawed.
Storage
Store the maple cinnamon rolls in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
More sweet roll recipes!
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Maple Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
DOUGH
- 1/3 cup milk¹
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup butter
- 3 ½ teaspoons instant yeast²
- 3/4 cup warm water 105F – 115F
- 3 cups all-purpose flour³
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
FILLING
- 3/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon maple flavor
- 1/4 cup butter softened
FROSTING
- 1 ½ cups sifted powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup butter melted
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract or maple flavor⁴
- 1-4 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan; set aside.
- In a small saucepan, stir milk, sugar, and butter together. Heat over low heat just until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Cool to about 100-105 F.
- Pour the milk mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Add the yeast and warm water.
- 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.
- Turn the dough onto a floured surface, and roll into a 12×16-inch rectangle.
- Stir filling ingredients together, and spread over dough. Since the filling is a little crumbly, I gently press it into the dough to help it stick.
- Roll 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 20-25 minutes, or until the rolls are golden brown.
- While the rolls are baking, prepare the frosting.
- To prepare the frosting, whisk powdered sugar, butter, maple syrup, and vanilla or maple flavor together in a medium bowl.
- Whisk in enough milk to make desired consistency. I leave the frosting on the thicker side because it melts when it’s spread on the warm rolls.
- Let rolls cool in pan for 5 minutes.
- Spread rolls with frosting while warm.
Notes
- Milk: Anything from skim milk to whole milk will work. Whole milk will make the dough richer, and skim milk will give you a leaner dough.
- Yeast: If you’re using active dry yeast, let the yeast sit for 5-10 minutes, or until foamy, after step 4. Then, continue with the recipe as-written.
- Flour: I recommend either weighing the flour or aerating, spooning, and leveling the flour. Too much flour will give you a dry, heavy dough.
- Maple flavor: Using maple flavor will give you a stronger maple flavor to the frosting. You can also use half vanilla, half maple flavor.
- Nutrition values are estimates.
Nutrition
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Recipe originally published 12/5/18.
Reader Interactions
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Comments & Reviews
Rose says
I want to make this but I don’t have a stand mixer to make them
Kate says
You can make the dough by hand if you don’t have a stand mixer. You’ll just need to add additional time on to the kneading time.
Emily Frasier says
This is so easy to make and it came out DELICIOUS!!! Definitely will make it again. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Kate says
Thank you! I’m so glad that you liked them! =)
Caroline Nguyen says
Delicious!
I made these rolls with my kids. The detailed instructions were easy to follow. We loved that it did not take long to make. The results were delicious! Thank you very much for the recipe and instructions!
Kate says
Yay!! I’m so glad! Thank you! I always hope that the directions will be clear, and I’m glad to hear that they were. Thank you for coming back to comment!
Kelsey says
Soooo goooood!!!!
Kate says
Thank you! I’m glad that you liked them. Thank you for commenting! =)
Linda says
Very good cinnamon buns. We enjoyed the maple icing and will make them again.