Cinnamon Raisin Rolls
Old-fashioned cinnamon rolls studded with plump, rum-soaked raisins in a gooey brown-sugar cinnamon filling.
- Total time
- 2 hr 40 min
- Bake
- 25 min
- Yield
- 12 rolls
- Level
- intermediate
The quick answer
Cinnamon raisin rolls fold plump, pre-soaked raisins into the brown-sugar cinnamon filling. Soaking the raisins first keeps them juicy and chewy instead of dry and hard after baking.
This is the cinnamon roll that tastes like your grandmother's kitchen. Plump raisins — softened in warm water or a splash of rum until they're juicy — get scattered across the buttery cinnamon-sugar filling so every swirl has little bursts of sweet, chewy fruit. The dough stays soft and pull-apart tender, and a classic vanilla glaze or cream cheese frosting sends them over the top.
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 cupwarm whole milk (about 110°F) — warm, not hot
- 2¼ tspinstant yeast — one packet
- ¼ cupgranulated sugar
- ⅓ cupunsalted butter, melted — cooled slightly
- 1 egglarge egg + 1 yolk — room temperature
- 4 cupsall-purpose flour — plus more to dust
- 1 tspfine salt
Cinnamon raisin filling
- 1 cupraisins — soaked in warm water or rum, then drained
- ½ cupunsalted butter, very soft
- 1 cuppacked brown sugar
- 2 tbspground cinnamon
- ¼ tspfine salt
Vanilla glaze
- 1½ cupspowdered sugar
- 3 tbspwhole milk — plus more to thin
- 1 tspvanilla extract
- pinch of salt
Instructions
Soak the raisins in warm water (or warm rum) until plump, then drain well and pat dry.
Raisins look swollen and feel soft.
Whisk warm milk, yeast, and 1 tsp of the sugar. Let it sit until foamy.
Surface looks foamy and smells yeasty.
Add remaining sugar, melted butter, egg and yolk. Mix in flour and salt until a shaggy dough forms.
Knead until smooth and elastic — by stand mixer with a dough hook or by hand on a lightly floured counter.
Dough is smooth, tacky but not sticky, and springs back when poked.
Cover and let rise in a warm spot until doubled.
Dough has doubled in size.
Roll the dough into a 16x12-inch rectangle. Spread with soft butter, then sprinkle the brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt evenly to the edges. Scatter the drained raisins over the top.
Roll up tightly from the long edge. Cut into 12 even rolls and arrange in a buttered 9x13 dish. Cover and proof until puffy and touching.
Rolls look pillowy and have filled the pan.
Bake at 350°F until golden and set in the center.
Tops are golden; center roll reads about 190°F.
Whisk the glaze until smooth and drizzle generously over the warm rolls.
Glaze settles into the swirls around the raisins.
Make ahead, store & reheat
- Make ahead
- Assemble through cutting and arranging in the pan, cover tightly, and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, let them sit at room temperature for 45–60 minutes, then bake and glaze.
- Storage
- Store covered at room temperature up to 2 days, or refrigerate up to 5 days.
- Reheating
- Microwave a single roll 15–20 seconds, or warm the pan covered with foil at 300°F for about 10 minutes.
- Freezing
- Freeze baked, unglazed rolls up to 2 months. Thaw, warm, then glaze.
Substitutions
- Golden raisins, dried cranberries, or chopped dates instead of raisins
- Cream cheese frosting for a tangier finish instead of vanilla glaze
Troubleshooting
- Raisins turned hard and dry
- Always soak raisins first — dry raisins pull moisture from the dough and turn tough in the oven.
- Raisins fell out when slicing
- Press them lightly into the filling before rolling, and use a sharp serrated knife or floss for clean cuts.
Tools I reach for
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- Stand Mixer with Dough HookKneads enriched dough hands-free until smooth and elastic.
- Digital Kitchen ScaleWeighing flour is the single biggest fix for dry or dense rolls.
- Rolling PinRolls the dough into an even rectangle for tidy spirals.
- 9x13 Baking DishThe classic pan for a soft-sided pull-apart batch of rolls.
- Saigon (Vietnamese) CinnamonThe boldest, sweetest cinnamon for a deep filling flavor.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I have to soak the raisins?
- It's the key step. Soaking plumps them so they stay juicy and chewy instead of drying out and going hard during baking.
- Can I use rum to soak them?
- Yes — warm rum adds a lovely depth. The alcohol mostly bakes off, leaving a subtle boozy warmth.
- Can I add nuts too?
- Absolutely. A handful of chopped walnuts or pecans pairs beautifully with the raisins.
Nutrition (estimate): 1 roll (of 12) · ~435 kcal. Nutrition is an automated estimate and will vary with brands and exact quantities.
Food safety: don't taste dough containing raw flour or raw egg. Refrigerate anything with cream cheese frosting, and reheat leftovers until piping hot.
Frostings & glazes to pair
- Vanilla Bean GlazeA glossy, pourable vanilla bean glaze that sets into a thin sweet shell over cinnamon rolls, sweet buns, and scones.
- Classic Cream Cheese FrostingThe tangy, silky-smooth cream cheese frosting that melts into warm cinnamon rolls and defines the bakery-style classic.
- Maple FrostingA creamy, buttery frosting sweetened with real maple syrup for a warm, woodsy flavor that loves cinnamon and pecans.
Helpful guides
- The Best Cinnamon for Cinnamon Rolls (Saigon vs Ceylon)Which cinnamon makes the best cinnamon rolls — Saigon vs Ceylon vs Cassia, how strong each tastes, how much to use, and which to buy for a bold, warm swirl.
- Why Are My Cinnamon Rolls Dry? (And How to Fix It)The real reasons cinnamon rolls turn out dry — over-baking, too much flour, and over-proofing — plus exactly how to fix each one.
- How to Store & Freeze Cinnamon RollsHow to keep cinnamon rolls fresh at room temperature, in the fridge, and in the freezer — including baked and unbaked rolls.
More cinnamon rolls to try
- 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.
- Maple Pecan Cinnamon RollsButtery cinnamon rolls packed with toasted pecans and finished with a glossy maple glaze for cozy, nutty sweetness.
- Banana Bread Cinnamon RollsSoft cinnamon rolls that taste like banana bread — ripe mashed banana in the dough, a brown-sugar-walnut filling, and a tangy cream cheese frosting.