Maple Frosting
A creamy, buttery frosting sweetened with real maple syrup for a warm, woodsy flavor that loves cinnamon and pecans.
- Sweetness
- high
- Tanginess
- low
- Consistency
- spreadable
- Prep time
- 6 min
- Makes
- ~1 cups
The quick answer
Beat softened butter with pure maple syrup, powdered sugar, and a pinch of salt until creamy and spreadable. Use dark, robust maple syrup — not pancake syrup — for real maple flavor that stands up to cinnamon.
Real maple syrup does something powdered sugar alone never can — it brings a deep, woodsy sweetness with a whisper of caramel that makes cinnamon rolls taste like a crisp autumn morning. This frosting builds on softened butter for body, leans on pure maple syrup for flavor, and uses just enough powdered sugar to hold it together as a soft, spreadable finish. Use the darkest grade you can find for the boldest maple character. It's made for maple-pecan rolls but turns any batch into something special.
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
- unsalted butter, softened0.33 cup (75 g)
- pure maple syrup3 tbsp (60 g)
- powdered sugar1.25 cup (150 g)
- vanilla extract0.5 tsp
- fine saltpinch
Instructions
- 1Beat the softened butter until creamy and pale, about a minute.
- 2Add the maple syrup, vanilla, and a pinch of salt, and beat until smooth — it may look loose at this stage, which is fine.
- 3Add the powdered sugar and beat on low, then medium, until the frosting is thick, creamy, and spreadable.
- 4Taste and add a little more maple syrup for flavor or powdered sugar for body, then spread over warm cinnamon rolls.
Apply, adjust & store
- Best applied when
- rolls are warm but not hot, so the frosting softens into the swirls
- Storage
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge up to 5 days. Bring to room temperature and re-whip briefly before spreading.
- Consistency adjustments
- Maple syrup loosens frosting, so balance flavor and texture with powdered sugar — add it a tablespoon at a time to thicken. For a pourable maple glaze, skip most of the butter and thin with a teaspoon of milk.
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
- Pumpkin Cinnamon RollsPillowy fall cinnamon rolls made with real pumpkin puree, warm spices, and a choice of maple or cream cheese frosting.
- Overnight Cinnamon RollsAssemble the night before, refrigerate, and bake fresh in the morning — a slow cold proof for deeper flavor and effortless mornings.
- Apple Cinnamon RollsSoft cinnamon rolls stuffed with diced, cinnamon-spiced apples that bake down into little pockets of warm apple pie.
- Maple Pecan Cinnamon RollsButtery cinnamon rolls packed with toasted pecans and finished with a glossy maple glaze for cozy, nutty sweetness.
- 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.
- Cinnamon Raisin RollsOld-fashioned cinnamon rolls studded with plump, rum-soaked raisins in a gooey brown-sugar cinnamon filling.
- Egg-Free Cinnamon RollsSoft cinnamon rolls made completely without eggs, using extra milk and butter to keep the crumb tender.
- Cinnamon Roll PancakesFluffy buttermilk pancakes with a swirl of cinnamon-sugar piped right into the batter and a cream cheese glaze on top — all the flavor of a cinnamon roll in 20 minutes.
- Sweet Potato Cinnamon RollsUltra-soft cinnamon rolls enriched with mashed sweet potato, which keeps the crumb tender for days and adds a warm, earthy sweetness under a maple cream cheese frosting.
- Maple Bacon Cinnamon RollsSweet-and-savory cinnamon rolls with crispy bacon baked into the swirl and a maple glaze on top — the breakfast-plate classic of bacon and syrup in one roll.
- Cinnamon Roll French Toast BakeA make-ahead brunch casserole: cut-up cinnamon rolls soaked in a cinnamon-vanilla custard and baked until puffed, custardy inside, and golden on top.
- Apple Pie Filling Cinnamon Rolls (Easy Dump Bake)A two-ingredient shortcut: canned cinnamon rolls baked over canned apple pie filling into a gooey, cobbler-like breakfast bake — ready with about 10 minutes of work.
- Cinnamon Roll WafflesPress cinnamon rolls in a waffle iron for crisp-edged, caramelized cinnamon roll waffles in about 4 minutes — the fastest cinnamon roll trick there is.
- Eggnog Cinnamon RollsHoliday cinnamon rolls made with eggnog in the dough and a spiced eggnog glaze, warm with nutmeg and rum flavor — Christmas morning in a pan.
- Classic Homemade Cinnamon RollsSoft, fluffy, bakery-style cinnamon rolls from scratch with a gooey brown-sugar filling and cream cheese frosting.
- Sourdough Cinnamon RollsNaturally leavened cinnamon rolls raised with active starter and a long overnight ferment for tang and tender crumb.