Cast Iron Cinnamon rolls are baked in a whatever size cast iron skillet you prefer. These classic, home-style cinnamon rolls are fluffy and soft and drizzled with simple glaze.
Skillet Cinnamon Rolls are the perfect homemade cinnamon roll recipe for the holidays or any occasion.
This is the BEST cinnamon roll recipe! Gooey cinnamon rolls topped with a simple icing. They are easy to make and can be made ahead of the day before and the dough left to rise overnight in the refrigerator.
Be sure and also try my Cast Iron Pizza, Glazed Donuts Recipe and homemade Apple Fritters Recipe.
This is one of my most popular and most requested recipes! I mean, who doesn’t love homemade cinnamon rolls?! They do take some time, as the dough needs to properly rise. But, oh how they are SO worth the effort! And you can make the dough ahead of time, then simply bake the cinnamon rolls in the morning.
How to make Homemade Cinnamon Rolls:
Step 1: In a large mixing bowl of a stand mixer dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Add the warm milk, sugar, honey and eggs. Add the dough hook attachment, and stir in the flour and salt. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl occasionally with a rubber spatula. Cut the butter into small pieces and incorporate into the dough. Scrape the bowl a few times. Beat the dough until it becomes smooth, about 5-7 minutes.
Step 2: Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead for 5-6 minutes, making a smooth dough. This dough is going to be sticky when you turn it out. After kneading, shape into a round ball and place back into the greased mixing bowl. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and drape with a clean kitchen towel.
Step 3: Place in a warm area and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead the dough for a few minutes. Turn back into the greased bowl (spray with cooking spray again if needed) and let rise again until doubled, about 1 hour.
Step 4: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and roll out with a rolling pin. Making it into a rectangle shape, about ½-3/4-inch thick. Spread the melted butter evenly with a pastry brush. Sprinkle the brown sugar and granulated sugar evenly over the melted butter. Sprinkle generously with ground cinnamon.
How to Make Cinnamon Rolls Icing:
Combine powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk with a whisk. Adjust as you desire. I tend to like a thicker icing so it spreads and doesn’t melt too quickly down the cinnamon rolls.
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Step 5: Place the cinnamon rolls evenly into greased cast iron pans or a half sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap and a clean kitchen cloth and let rise until doubled, about 1 to 1 ½ hours.
Step 6: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Once the cinnamon rolls have doubled in size, brush gently with an egg wash. Place the cast iron pan in the preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes. Let cool on a baking rack for 15 minutes before spooning the icing over top the cinnamon rolls.
If you love these cinnamon rolls, use the same dough to create Easy Apple Fritters. Those are always a huge hit in our household!
This 17-inch two-handle cast iron pan is perfect for making homemade cinnamon rolls or even pizza. We absolutely love it for Cast Iron Pizza! The 10-inch and 12-inch ones work so well for all of my pie recipes! Easy Blackberry Pie, Homemade Apple Pie, Easy Blueberry Pie.
For more Cast Iron Recipes be sure and try Cast Iron Chicken, Easy Chicken Fajitas, Cast Iron Pork Chops, and Cast Iron Pork Tenderloin.
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Cast Iron Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Cinnamon Roll Dough:
- 2 ¼ teaspoons (1 packet) active dry yeast
- ¼ cup lukewarm water
- 1 ½ cups milk warm (scalded and cooled to warm)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 5 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter softened
Cinnamon Roll Filling
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter melted
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ground cinnamon
Cinnamon Roll Icing:
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2-4 tablespoons whole milk
Instructions
Cinnamon Roll Dough
- In a large mixing bowl of a stand mixer dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Add the warm milk, sugar, and eggs. Add the dough hook attachment, and stir in the flour and salt. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl occasionally with a rubber spatula. Cut the butter into small pieces and incorporate into the dough. Scrape the bowl a few times. Beat the dough until it becomes smooth, about 5-7 minutes.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead for 5-6 minutes, making a smooth dough. This dough is going to be sticky when you turn it out. After kneading, shape into a round ball and place back into the greased mixing bowl. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and drape with a clean kitchen towel. Place in a warm area and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead the dough for a few minutes. Turn back into the greased bowl (spray with cooking spray again if needed) and let rise again until doubled, about 1 hour.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and roll out with a rolling pin. Making it into a rectangle shape, about ¼ to ½-inch thick. Spread the melted butter evenly with a pastry brush. Sprinkle the brown sugar and granulated sugar evenly over the melted butter. Sprinkle generously with ground cinnamon.
- Roll up, starting at the long end fairly tight. Brush the edge of the dough with melted butter and press to seal. Cut the dough into 2 inch rolls.
- Place the cinnamon rolls evenly into greased cast iron pans or a half sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap and a clean kitchen cloth and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- While they are rising, whisk together your icing. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside. You want it to be fairly thick.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Once the cinnamon rolls have doubled in size, brush gently with an egg wash. Place the cast iron pan in the preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes. Let cool on a baking rack for 15 minutes before spooning the icing over top the cinnamon rolls.
Cinnamon Roll Icing
- Mix the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk in a bowl with a whisk. Adjust the milk amount as needed based on how thick or thin you prefer your icing.
Recipe Notes
Cast Iron Cinnamon Rolls:
To make the dough easier to work with. Often times, I will use a sharp serrated knife to cut the dough into half and work with half the dough at a time. This is a sticky dough. Use plenty of flour on your work surface as needed so the dough doesn’t stick to your work area. Make the rolls as big or as small as you prefer.Make ahead Cinnamon Rolls:
Make the dough the day before. After the second rise, place the entire bowl in the fridge. Cover the top of the bowl loosely with plastic wrap. Spray the plastic wrap with cooking spray so the dough doesn’t stick to it! In the morning, simply roll out the dough and shape into cinnamon rolls. Let rise or warm up for about 30 minutes to 1 hour. Bake as directedNutrition
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Danielle says
can you do this without a stand mixer? if so, how? thanks
Jessica Robinson says
You certainly can mix the dough by hand. It just takes a little longer to get a smooth dough.
Lisa Haines says
Absolutely delicious!
I’ve made cinnamon buns before from other recipes but tried yours as I love cast iron cooking. My husband said better than his fathers and that’s high praise.
I wish I could eat them but being diabetic I steer clear. Wonderful job and thanks again!
Jessica Robinson says
Thank you so much Lisa!!! So glad to hear you enjoyed them!
teresa helbren says
I see I a new place for cooking…thanks
teresa in canada
Jessica Robinson says
Thanks so much for stopping by Teresa!
Liz says
Even though the dough did not rise, I need to find out why (room temperature, high altitude, old yeast) it’s a lovely recipe. It has given me usage ideas for my cast iron pots. Thank you so much for sharing it. I will try to make it again hopefully with better results.
Jessica Robinson says
Hi Liz,
Sorry to hear your dough did not rise. I’m not sure about high altitude, but just be sure to check that your yeast is fresh, etc. Sometimes you can kill yeast if you use water that is too hot. Double check that too. And if you are somewhere that it is cold weather, you can warm up the kitchen with the kitchen stove preheating and place your pan of cinnamon buns to rise near the stove. Cover the cinnamon buns with a clean kitchen cloth to give them even more insultation and warmth to rise properly. Let me know if I can help you further with some more tips! Glad to hear you loved them though.
[email protected] says
2hat would the difference be in baking in a Dutch oven pan? I’m currently 15 min away from the pan is to come out of the oven. I am looking forward to these cinnamon rolls. Picture will follow
Jessica Robinson says
You can definitely make these in a Dutch oven. Or even a regular baking pan. Hope you enjoy them!
Lisa says
This turned out awesome. I am sure you can imagine what they looked like. . I would not change a thing. Thank you
Jessica Robinson says
Lisa,
Thanks so much!! Thrilled to hear you loved them!
Alex says
First time doing cinnamon rolls and these came out amazing. Only difference I had to change was we only had instant dry yeast. Our dough got super puffy. I don’t know what the standard yield is but I got about a 20×24″ rectangle at 1/4″ thick. And I did skinnier cuts after I rolled, about 1.25″ each and only fit 6 rolls (5 large and one smaller end piece) in a 12″ cast iron. I had enough dough for 10 rolls, relatively even in diameter. This recipe is a keeper for sure, definitely a worthwhile quarantine dessert. Thank you and God bless!
Jessica Robinson says
Hi Alex!
Thanks for letting me know you loved these. With instant dry yeast, you typically need one less rise. Because the yeast is meant for fast acting….
Glad you enjoyed them!
Logan Alexander says
I LOVE this recipe. I have been looking for a long time of things to cook in my 17 inch cast iron Lodge pan, and this recipe is going in the recipe book. Just cooked these this morning at our hunting cabin and it was a real hit!! 10/10 would recommend. Tasted almost store bought!! But wayyyy better. Thank you!
Logan Alexander says
Oh by the way I did it all by hand and turned out FANTASTIC!! Don’t need a heavy mixer
Jessica Robinson says
Also good to know that you don’t need fancy equipment to make this recipe!
Jessica Robinson says
Thank you SO much Logan!!! So thrilled to hear that you loved this cinnamon roll recipe! You can use your 17-inch cast iron skillet for homemade pizza too! (see my website for the recipe!)
Kelly says
This recipe was amazing!!! My entire family loved it. We ended up doing a cream cheese icing instead but the cinnamon rolls were delicious!
Jessica Robinson says
Hi Kelly,
Thanks so much for letting me know you loved these! I love doing a cream cheese frosting on these too!
Chelsie Straus says
We love this recipe! I cheat a little and use a bread machine but follow everything after! How do you recommend storing this so they don’t get hard? We save the extra icing for your pumpkins waffles the next day!
Jessica Robinson says
Hi Chelsie!
So glad to hear you love the cinnamon rolls! I’m happy to hear they work in a bread machine. I usually put parchment paper over the cinnamon rolls (so the icing doesn’t stick to the plastic wrap) and than a good layer of plastic wrap to stay fresh. Warm up in them individually on a plate in the microwave the next day for about 30 seconds.
Kyle says
Tried the recipe and it was spot on worked great thanks for the great recipe
Jessica Robinson says
Hi Kyle,
Thanks so much!! Glad you enjoyed them!