Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
Classic tangy cream cheese frosting laced with warm ground cinnamon for a spiced, bakery-style finish on every roll.
- Sweetness
- medium
- Tanginess
- high
- Consistency
- spreadable
- Prep time
- 5 min
- Makes
- ~1.25 cups
The quick answer
Beat softened cream cheese and butter smooth, then mix in powdered sugar, ground cinnamon, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Spread on rolls that are warm but not hot so it melts gently into the swirls.
This is cream cheese frosting that leans all the way into the cinnamon roll. A generous measure of ground cinnamon, plus a whisper of vanilla, turns the familiar tangy base into something warmer and spicier — the flavor of the swirl echoed right on top. The cream cheese keeps that essential tang to balance the sweetness, and a little butter makes it silky and spreadable. It takes five minutes and a hand mixer, and it makes an already-good pan of rolls taste like it came from a proper bakery.
Not sure which icing to use? See the complete cinnamon roll icing guide — the simple base recipe, the sugar-to-liquid ratio, and how to choose between glaze, cream cheese, maple, and dairy-free.
Ingredients
- cream cheese, softened4 oz (113 g)
- unsalted butter, softened0.25 cup (57 g)
- powdered sugar1 cup (120 g)
- ground cinnamon1 tsp
- vanilla extract1 tsp
- fine saltpinch
Instructions
- 1Let the cream cheese and butter come fully to room temperature so the frosting whips up smooth instead of lumpy.
- 2Beat the cream cheese and butter together until completely smooth, scraping the bowl once.
- 3Add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Beat on low to combine, then on medium until fluffy and spreadable.
- 4Spread over cinnamon rolls that are warm but not hot so the frosting softens into the swirls without sliding off.
Apply, adjust & store
- Best applied when
- rolls are warm but not hot — about 10 minutes out of the oven
- Storage
- Keeps in an airtight container in the fridge up to 5 days. Bring to room temperature and re-whip before spreading. Frosted rolls should be refrigerated after a few hours at room temperature.
- Consistency adjustments
- For a pourable cinnamon glaze, thin with milk 1 teaspoon at a time. For a stiffer, pipeable frosting, add powdered sugar 2 tablespoons at a time.
Food safety: this frosting contains dairy. Refrigerate leftover frosting, and refrigerate frosted rolls after a couple of hours at room temperature. Bring back to room temperature before serving.
Cinnamon rolls to pair
- Cinnamon Roll CakeA soft buttermilk sheet cake with ribbons of cinnamon-sugar swirled through the batter and a vanilla glaze poured over the top — all the flavor of cinnamon rolls, none of the rolling.
- Keto Cinnamon Rolls (Low-Carb, Grain-Free)Grain-free cinnamon rolls built on fathead dough — almond flour and melted mozzarella — with a sugar-free cinnamon filling and cream cheese frosting, at a few net carbs each.
- Christmas Tree Cinnamon RollsA festive pull-apart centerpiece: cinnamon rolls arranged in the shape of a Christmas tree, glazed and decorated for a show-stopping holiday breakfast.
- Sourdough Discard Cinnamon RollsSoft cinnamon rolls that use up unfed sourdough discard for tangy flavor, with a little instant yeast doing the lifting — same-day rolls, no active starter required.
- Cheesecake Cinnamon RollsCinnamon rolls with a sweet cheesecake filling swirled in alongside the cinnamon sugar, so every roll bakes up with pockets of rich, tangy cheesecake.
- Red Velvet Cinnamon RollsStriking red cocoa-kissed cinnamon rolls with a soft, tender crumb and tangy cream cheese frosting — red velvet cake in pull-apart roll form.
- Classic Homemade Cinnamon RollsSoft, fluffy, bakery-style cinnamon rolls from scratch with a gooey brown-sugar filling and cream cheese frosting.
- Apple Cinnamon RollsSoft cinnamon rolls stuffed with diced, cinnamon-spiced apples that bake down into little pockets of warm apple pie.
- Chai Cinnamon RollsWarmly spiced cinnamon rolls with a homemade chai blend of cardamom, ginger, clove, and black pepper in the filling.
- Gingerbread Cinnamon RollsDark, spiced holiday cinnamon rolls with molasses, ginger, and cloves for deep gingerbread flavor and color.
- Pumpkin Cinnamon RollsPillowy fall cinnamon rolls made with real pumpkin puree, warm spices, and a choice of maple or cream cheese frosting.