Brown Butter Cinnamon Rolls

Caramelized, nutty brown butter is the star of these brown butter cinnamon rolls! Infused into the dough, cinnamon sugar filling, and cream cheese frosting–– they’re everything you love about classic cinnamon rolls but with an elevated layer of richness!

As a former pastry chef, I’ve created countless cinnamon rolls, each with its own unique twist. For these brown butter cinnamon rolls, I started with my best cinnamon roll recipe, known for its perfectly gooey and fluffy texture, and then elevated it with liquid gold— aka brown butter!

Inside the brown butter dough is brown butter cinnamon filling, all topped with a luscious brown butter cream cheese icing, so every bite is rich with nutty, caramelized goodness! Like my bacon rolls, cookie butter rolls, and apple pie rolls, this recipe is a cozy, sweet treat perfect for breakfast or dessert!

Tips for Browning Butter

Here are my three top tips for making brown butter. If you’re curious to learn more, I wrote a whole tutorial on how to brown butter that’s packed with tips, tricks, and more recipes!

Use a light-colored pot. Use a light-colored or stainless steel pot (not a pan!) to monitor the butter’s color as it browns. This helps you see the exact moment it turns golden brown to prevent burning.

Cook over medium heat. This gives you more control over the butter to avoid burning it. High heat can cause the butter to brown too quickly!

Watch for visual and aromatic clues. The butter will transition from yellow to amber brown, brown specks will form on the bottom of the pan, and it will smell nutty.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

Butter: Unsalted butter is best since salt content can vary from brand to brand.

Instant yeast: This ingredient gives the rolls a light and fluffy texture, just like in my cinnamon roll cake. I prefer instant over active dry yeast because it gives them a more yeasty flavor, and you can skip the second rise! If you want to use active dry yeast, see my post on how to bake with yeast for tips.

Bread flour: The higher gluten content in bread flour results in a chewier texture. While all-purpose flour works, bread flour will give you the best results!

Heavy cream: Instead of pouring cream over the rolls like other recipes, it gets incorporated into the dough for tenderness, richness, and moisture. If you don’t have any on hand, you can use whole milk instead.

Recipe Instructions

Step 1: Brown the butter. Because you will be browning just over a cup of butter, use a pot and not a pan; otherwise, you risk it boiling over! When ready, it should be a nice amber-brown color, as shown below (Image 1 below).

Step 2: Cool the butter. Chill the butter in the fridge, stirring it well every 30 minutes, until it has a softened, spreadable consistency. (Image 2 below) You can also chill it overnight and then bring it to room temperature before using it.

Step 3: Make the tangzhong. Cook the water and bread flour in a pot over medium-low heat until it resembles a thick paste. (Image 3 below)

Step 4: Combine the wet and dry ingredients. In a stand mixing bowl, add all of the wet and dry ingredients. (Image 4 above)

Step 5: Knead to form a rough dough ball. With the dough hook attachment, knead the dough on low speed until it forms a rough dough ball. (Image 5 below)

Step 6: Knead in the browned butter. Knead in the brown butter a spoonful at a time, then continue kneading until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl and looks smooth and elastic. (Image 6 below)

Step 7: Let the dough rest. Form the dough into a ball and place it back into the mixing bowl, covering the top with plastic wrap. Let it rest; this will relax the gluten and make it easier to roll out. (Image 7 above)

Step 8: Roll out the dough. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a 15×21″ rectangle. You should need to use minimal flour! (Image 8 above)

Step 9: Spread the brown butter filling. Spread the brown butter cinnamon mixture evenly over the top, leaving a 1″ border at the top clean. (Image 9 below)

Step 10: Cut the rolls. Use a pizza wheel to cut twelve 1 3/4-inch strips. Roll each one away from you, securing the clean edge to the roll to seal in the filling. (Image 10 above)

Step 11: Let the rolls rise. Place the cinnamon rolls into the prepared 9×13 baking pan. Cover the top with plastic wrap and let them rise in a warm place until doubled in size. (Image 11 above)

Step 12: Bake, then cover with frosting! Once doubled in size, bake the cinnamon rolls in the preheated oven until the tops are lightly golden brown. Let them cool slightly, then spread the brown butter icing over the tops and allow it to melt into the centers. (Image 12 above)

Baking Tips for Success

Use a kitchen scale. Baking with a scale is my #1 baking tip! If your cinnamon rolls are coming out dry and dense, it’s almost always due to using too much flour!

Cool the butter before use. Unlike other recipes like brown butter rice krispies that use liquid brown butter, this recipe relies on more solidified butter! If the butter is too warm or liquid, the dough will be harder to handle. If this happens, don’t worry; just add a tablespoon of flour to the dough at a time and as needed.

Storage, Freezing, and Make Ahead

Storage: Leftovers can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. I highly recommend warming them in the microwave or oven before serving!

Freezing: Once the cinnamon rolls are assembled, cover the baking pan tightly with plastic wrap and foil and freeze for up to 2 weeks. When ready to bake, let them defrost in the fridge overnight. Then next day, let them come to room temperature and double in size before baking.

Make ahead: Once assembled, wrap the baking pan with plastic wrap and chill it in the fridge overnight. The next day, let them double in size at room temperature before baking.

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