Orange rolls are tender sweet rolls with orange sugar filling. The orange rolls are spread with homemade cream cheese frosting for the ultimate breakfast treat!

Close up photo of an orange roll topped with two partial orange slices and orange zest.

Orange rolls are soft and fluffy sweet rolls filled with a yummy orange sugar filling. To take them to the next level, they’re topped with homemade cream cheese frosting, making them the ultimate breakfast treat.

The orange filling gives the rolls a bit of bright citrus flavor, making these breakfast rolls different than the usual cinnamon rolls. These pillowy sweet yeast rolls can be made and frozen ahead of time, and I’ve included freezer instructions below.

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: Sea salt makes a good substitute for the kosher salt. You’ll need to use half the amount of table salt if using 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 orange rolls

Here you’ll find instructions and step-by-step photos showing how to make this recipe. The full recipe, including inredients, is given below.

Dough

Step 1: To make the dough, pour milk into a microwave-safe measuring cup.

Step 2: 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’s too hot can kill the yeast.

Yeast proofing in a mixing bowl next to orange roll dough in a mixing bowl.

Step 3: 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.

Step 4: Add eggs, ½ cup melted butter, 1 teaspoon orange zest, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Use the fork again to lightly beat the eggs.

Step 5: 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 time until the dough clings to the paddle.

Step 6: 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. You may need to add slightly more flour as the dough kneads, but you’ll only want to add enough for the dough clean the sides of the bowl. The dough should feel soft and slightly sticky but shouldn’t come off on your finger if pinched.

Step 7: 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 8: Cover with a clean kitchen towel and set in a warm place to rise for 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish with nonstick spray.

Filling

Step 9: In a medium bowl, add ½ cup granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon orange zest. Use your hands to rub the orange zest into the sugar to release the oils.

Step 10: In a separate bowl, add 6 tablespoons butter. Microwave for about 10-15 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 orange sugar mixture on top.

Step 13: Working from the longer side of the rectangle, cut 12 2-inch strips out of the dough.

Step 14: Roll each strip tightly into itself to create a “cinnamon” roll.

Step 15: Place the rolls, swirl-side up, in the greased baking dish.

Step 16: Cover with the same clean dish towel and allow to sit in a warm place for another 20-30 minutes.

Cream cheese frosting

Step 17: While waiting for the rolls to rest, clean the bowl of your stand mixer.

Step 18: 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.

Step 19: Bake orange 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.

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 orange zest over top.

Orange rolls in a baking dish topped with fresh orange wedge pieces and orange zest.

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 orange flavor: For even more orange flavor, you can use an additional tablespoon of orange zest in the filling and grate fresh orange zest over the frosted rolls.

Orange rolls in a baking pan with part of the orange rolls removed.

How to freeze

Place the unbaked orange 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 orange 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.

An orange roll on a plate with a fork and an orange wedge next to it.

Storage

Store any leftover orange rolls in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The orange 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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Ingredient notes and substitutions