Easy No Yeast Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

This recipe for no yeast cinnamon rolls is perfect for those afraid of yeast. They’re so good! Some links in this post are affiliate links that earn me a commission if you purchase through them.

A little over a week ago, I spent the weekend at Kendall College doing their Advanced Pastry Class. We made so many delicious things, and there are several I can’t wait to recreate at home.

One thing I noted right away was that my two day to make cinnamon rolls were a thing of the past. You know… make the dough the night before because it has to rise – twice – then bake them in the morning.

We made delicious cinnamon rolls with baking soda and baking powder that didn’t need to rise and came together in under an hour. I started out skeptical, but they were absolutely amazing.

That isn’t to say that traditional cinnamon rolls have no place in my life. I love making yeast breads, and cinnamon rolls are no exception.

Some of my favorites (outside these no yeast cinnamon rolls, of course):

• Pumpkin cinnamon rolls
• Chai infused cinnamon rolls
• Cinnamon roll bread pudding (for real!)
• Cinnamon roll pancake bake
• Bite size cinnamon rolls

But back to these no yeast cinnamon rolls…. There were a few things that I wanted to do differently with them, so I’ve adapted the original recipe to meet my own preferences.

Sometimes I make these with a mocha cinnamon glaze, and sometimes with a traditional glaze. Choose your favorite, and go that route.

In the same vein, you can make these in a cast iron skillet like I did most recently or in a round cake pan. The cast iron skillet bakes a little faster, but both work incredibly well.

When my husband digs around in the pan for any last little spare leftover bits, you know you have a hit on your hands. Mister Man even closed his eyes in bliss, which is a rarity.

And my dad is on his way over to my house right now, not the least of which is so that he can try out the cinnamon rolls.

I used to make these no yeast cinnamon rolls vegan for my daughter who couldn’t have dairy. These homemade cinnamon rolls have no eggs already, and you can sub out other ingredients.

Butter subs one for one with coconut oil. In place of buttermilk, use 4 parts rice or coconut milk mixed with one part vegan mayonnaise to approximate buttermilk. It works well for all sorts of recipes!

How to Make No Yeast Cinnamon Rolls

(based on a recipe from Kendall College)

Make the filling first

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.  Use the softened butter to grease the bottom and sides of a round cake pan or cast iron skillet.

Make your filling first. Mix together the sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Add the melted butter and stir until it’s incorporated and about the consistency of wet sand (my favorite comparison from the whole class).

Make the no yeast cinnamon rolls dough second

Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, brown sugar, salt, and salt to a bowl. Whisk to incorporate all the ingredients and ensure that the flour is fluffy and not clumped together.

In a separate bowl (or liquid measuring cup for those of us who prefer to not make more dirty bowls than necessary), add the buttermilk and butter. Whisk to combine, then pour over your dry ingredients.

Using a wooden spoon or spatula, gently stir the wet and dry ingredients together until they’ve combined. It will look fairly loose, but that’s ok.

Turn the dough out to a lightly floured surface and knead for a couple minutes. This ensures the dough is well mixed and has a nice consistency.  

Roll the dough out to a rectangle approximately 9 inches by 11 inches. Think of your brownie pan, and know that this doesn’t have to be exact.

Brush your dough with another tablespoon or so of melted butter to cover the entire rectangle, less a half inch or so on one of the long sides of your rectangle.

Carefully pour your filling the long way in the general semblance of a line in the center of the dough. Spread it out to cover the rectangle, leaving about a half inch without filling on one of the long ends.

This will be your seam where you have your dough hold together. Sprinkle the raisins atop this if you are using them.

Carefully roll the dough up, starting with the long side. Use your thumbs to tuck the dough down into the center when you start.  

After you’ve gotten a few rolls in, it gets easier. Pinch along the seam to seal the long log you’ve just created.

Cut the log into eight equal size piece.  Use a serrated bread knife to make the cleanest cuts when working with dough.

The easiest way to do this is to cut the log in half.  Then cut the half in half and repeat one more time until you have eight equal pieces.  It’s far easier than trying to eyeball it cutting from one end all the way down.

Carefully pick up your rolls and place them into your prepared pan, starting with one roll in the center and the rest forming a circle along the edge of the pan. It’s ok if they touch.  

Make sure you place the end sides down so that you only see the pretty cut sides of your rolls.

Brush the tops of your cinnamon rolls with just a little more butter to give them a nice shine and keep them soft while baking. Place the pan in your preheated 425 degree oven and bake for 25-27 minutes until they are a golden brown.

If you use a cast iron skillet, they cook faster. Check them starting at 20 minutes.

Make the icing while the no yeast cinnamon rolls bake

I love chocolate and cinnamon together, so I make a chocolate cinnamon icing for my cinnamon rolls. It’s my little touch.  

Add the buttermilk to a bowl (shhh, I use the same bowl my filling was in – that whole don’t dirty more bowls than necessary theory), then the powdered sugar, cinnamon and cocoa powder.  

Stir with a fork until combined, and add the vanilla bean paste. Frost your cinnamon rolls after they’ve cooled for several minutes to keep the icing from completely melting.

These are definitely best served and eaten the same day, although they will keep until the next day in a tightly sealed container. Reheat for about 10 seconds in the microwave before eating the next day.

They’re so quick and easy, and they taste like they should be a yeast roll.  Call me lazy, but these are my new cinnamon rolls – made with my own twists.

Have you ever tried making no yeast cinnamon rolls?

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