Mini Cinnamon Rolls
Bite-size cinnamon rolls with a quick bake time — poppable, party-perfect swirls with an extra ratio of gooey filling.
- Total time
- 2 hr 6 min
- Bake
- 13 min
- Yield
- 24 mini rolls
- Level
- easy
The quick answer
Mini cinnamon rolls are cut about 1 inch wide and baked in a mini-muffin tin, so they bake in roughly 12–14 minutes instead of 25. The smaller size means more crisp, caramelized edges and a higher filling-to-dough ratio per bite.
Everything you love about a cinnamon roll, shrunk to two-bite size. By cutting the log into skinny little rolls and baking them in a mini-muffin tin, you get more caramelized edges and more filling per bite — plus a much shorter bake. They're irresistible on a brunch platter, easy for kids, and dangerously snackable. A quick drizzle of vanilla glaze is all they need to shine.
Ingredients
Dough
- ½ cupwarm whole milk (about 110°F) — warm, not hot
- 1½ tspinstant yeast — about two-thirds of a packet
- 2 tbspgranulated sugar
- 3 tbspunsalted butter, melted — cooled slightly
- 1 largelarge egg — room temperature
- 2½ cupsall-purpose flour — plus more to dust
- ½ tspfine salt
Filling
- ¼ cupunsalted butter, very soft
- ½ cuppacked brown sugar
- 1 tbspground cinnamon
- ⅛ tspfine salt
Vanilla glaze
- 1 cuppowdered sugar
- 1½ tbspmilk — as needed to thin
- ½ tspvanilla extract
Instructions
Whisk warm milk, yeast, and a pinch of the sugar. Let it sit until foamy.
Surface looks foamy and smells yeasty.
Stir in the remaining sugar, melted butter, and egg. Add flour and salt and mix into a soft dough, then knead until smooth.
Dough is smooth and slightly tacky.
Cover and let rise in a warm spot until doubled.
Dough has doubled in size.
Roll the dough into a 14x9-inch rectangle. Spread with soft butter, then sprinkle brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt to the edges.
Roll up tightly from the long edge and cut into 24 thin, roughly 1-inch rolls. Set each into a greased mini-muffin cup.
Cover and proof until puffy.
Rolls have risen above the rims of the cups.
Bake at 350°F until golden — check early, they go fast.
Tops and edges are golden and set.
Cool a few minutes, then whisk the glaze and drizzle over the warm minis.
Glaze runs into the swirls and sets to a light shine.
Make ahead, store & reheat
- Make ahead
- Assemble through cutting and placing in the tin, cover tightly, and refrigerate overnight. Let sit at room temperature 30 minutes before baking.
- Storage
- Store covered at room temperature up to 2 days. They dry out faster than full-size rolls because of their size.
- Reheating
- Microwave a few minis for 10 seconds, or warm on a tray at 300°F for about 5 minutes.
- Freezing
- Freeze baked, unglazed minis up to 2 months. Thaw, warm briefly, then glaze.
Substitutions
- Cream cheese frosting for a richer topping instead of vanilla glaze
- Bake in a regular muffin tin for slightly larger 12 rolls (add 3–4 minutes) instead of 24-cup mini-muffin tin
Troubleshooting
- Minis dried out
- They bake fast — pull them at the first sign of golden edges, around 12–14 minutes, and glaze while warm.
- Rolls unraveled in the cups
- Roll the log tightly and set each mini cut-side up so the tail is tucked underneath.
Tools I reach for
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- 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.
- Bench ScraperCuts clean rolls with dental floss-like precision and lifts sticky dough.
- Saigon (Vietnamese) CinnamonThe boldest, sweetest cinnamon for a deep filling flavor.
Frequently asked questions
- How small should I cut them?
- About 1 inch wide. You'll get roughly 24 minis from a standard 14-inch log, one per mini-muffin cup.
- Do I need a mini-muffin tin?
- It gives the tidiest shape and caramelized edges, but you can also nestle the minis close together in a small baking dish.
- How do I keep them from drying out?
- Watch the bake closely, pull them early, and glaze while warm — small rolls lose moisture faster than big ones.
Nutrition (estimate): 1 mini roll (of 24) · ~110 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.
- Cinnamon Roll Icing Without Cream CheeseA buttery, vanilla-forward icing made without cream cheese — smooth, sweet, and perfect when you want the classic look without the tang.
Helpful guides
- How to Reheat Cinnamon RollsThe best ways to reheat cinnamon rolls — microwave, oven, and air fryer — with exact times and temperatures so they taste freshly baked.
- 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.
- 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.
More cinnamon rolls to try
- Small-Batch Cinnamon Rolls for TwoA scaled-down cinnamon roll recipe that makes just four soft, gooey rolls — perfect for two, with no leftovers to go stale.
- Classic Homemade Cinnamon RollsSoft, fluffy, bakery-style cinnamon rolls from scratch with a gooey brown-sugar filling and cream cheese frosting.
- One-Hour Cinnamon RollsWarm, frosted cinnamon rolls from scratch in about an hour using extra yeast and a single warm rise — no overnight wait.
- Muffin-Tin Cinnamon RollsBake cinnamon rolls in a muffin tin for tall, individual rolls with crisp edges, gooey centers, and built-in portion control.
- Sheet-Pan Cinnamon RollsA big-batch cinnamon roll recipe spread across a half-sheet pan — two dozen soft rolls that bake evenly and feed a crowd.