Potato Cinnamon Rolls

A potato cinnamon roll resting on a knife on parchment paper.

Soft, fluffy, and perfectly sweet, these Potato Cinnamon Rolls are the best way to use up leftover mashed potatoes!

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 20

Rising 2

Total Time 2 45

Servings servings

Calories 365kcal

Author Kate @ I Heart Eating

Equipment

9x13 pan

Ingredients

Dough

2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
½ cup granulated sugar divided
¼ cup warm water about 105 F
1 teaspoon cornstarch
½ cup plain mashed potatoes at room temperature, about 70F
1 cup warm milk about 105 F
⅓ cup butter melted
1 large egg
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4-5 cups all-purpose flour

Filling

3 tablespoons butter melted
½ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Icing

1 cup powdered sugar
2-3 tablespoons milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl if mixing by hand), dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in warm water. Let yeast mixture stand 5-10 minutes, or until foamy.
2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast, ¼ cup warm water
Add remaining sugar, cornstarch, mashed potatoes, milk, butter, egg, salt, vanilla; stir to combine.
½ cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, ½ cup plain mashed potatoes, 1 cup warm milk, ⅓ cup butter, 1 large egg, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Stir in 2 cups flour until incorporated.
Add enough of the remaining flour to form a soft dough.
If mixing with the stand mixer, switch to the dough hook and knead for 4-5 minutes. If mixing by hand, knead until smooth and elastic on a lightly floured surface for about 6-8 minutes.
Place in a greased bowl, and cover.
Let rise until double, about 1-1 ½ hours.
On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 13x9-inch rectangle.
Brush dough with melted butter.
3 tablespoons butter
For the filling, stir together sugars and cinnamon, and sprinkle cinnamon-sugar mixture over melted butter.
½ cup packed brown sugar, ¼ cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Roll dough up, starting with a long side.
Cut into 12 pieces.
Place cinnamon roll slices, cut side down, in prepared pan.
Cover, and let cinnamon rolls rise for 45 minutes – 1 hour.
Toward the end of the second rising time, preheat oven to 350 F.
Bake cinnamon rolls for about 20-30 minutes, or until light golden brown.
Remove the cinnamon rolls from the oven, and let them cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 10 minutes.
While the cinnamon rolls are cooling, prepare the icing, if using.
In a medium bowl, stir together icing ingredients.
1 cup powdered sugar, 2-3 tablespoons milk, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Drizzle over cinnamon rolls, and serve warm.

Notes

Milk: You can use anything from skim to whole milk. Using whole milk will give you a dough that’s a little softer and a little richer.
Yeast: You can use either instant yeast or active dry yeast. Just make sure that if you use active dry yeast that the yeast foams. If the yeast doesn’t foam, start over as the rolls won’t rise if it doesn’t foam.
Butter: I use salted butter in this recipe. You can use unsalted butter if you prefer. To use unsalted butter, increase the salt in the dough by 1/4 teaspoon and add a pinch or two of salt to the filling.
Mashed potato: 1 medium baking potato will yield about 8 ounces of mashed potato. You can also reconstitute mashed potato flakes and use 1 cup of the prepared mashed potatoes.
Brown sugar: Light brown sugar or dark brown sugar will work.
Nutrition values are estimates.

Nutrition