You'll love every bite of these easy-to-make cinnamon roll muffins! With no yeast or stand mixer, they feature everything you love about a classic cinnamon roll in muffin form.
When a cinnamon roll craving hits and I don't have time to make my strawberry rolls or coffee rolls, these easy cinnamon roll muffins are my go-to. With the same base as my bakery-style Nutella muffins, they are big in size, flavor, and texture.
They're deliciously soft and moist with a tender crumb and cinnamon swirls throughout. Did I mention they're ready in half the time?! And if you love these flavors together, try my coffee cake cookies!
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Why We Love Cinnamon Roll Muffins
- No mixer is required- you can make cinnamon roll muffins in one bowl with simple ingredients!
- They make perfect substitutions for traditional cinnamon rolls.
- Every bite is sweet, gooey, and filled with cinnamony goodness.
- A super simple breakfast muffin that's perfect for a weekend brunch, Christmas breakfast, or dessert. They're freezer-friendly so you can prep them for any occasion!
- Homemade cinnamon buns in muffin form! When you don't have time for maple cinnamon rolls, this is the perfect recipe.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Sour cream: The acidity and moisture give the muffins a tender and moist texture. Like in my lemon raspberry muffins, it also contributes a rich and creamy flavor! Substitute with plain full-fat Greek yogurt instead.
Dark brown sugar: The extra molasses complement the cinnamon and keep the cinnamon sugar soft and gooey. You can use light brown sugar, but the cinnamon swirl won't be as noticeable.
Buttermilk: Don't fall for the "homemade buttermilk" trick! Real buttermilk naturally is higher in fat which is needed to make cinnamon roll muffins that are super moist and fluffy.
Butter: For the best, bakery-worthy flavor, use a high-fat European butter like Kerry Gold. This butter has a richer, buttery flavor which in turn makes your muffins rich and buttery! Almost every bakery I've ever worked at uses this kind of butter.
Cream cheese: Like in my peach cinnamon rolls, it's the base of the classic cream cheese glaze! If you want to try something different, try a cinnamon glaze, coffee glaze, or plain vanilla glaze.
Find the full list of ingredients, measurements, and instructions in the recipe card below!
Recipe Instructions
Step 1: Make the cinnamon sugar mixture. Combine the melted butter, dark brown sugar, and ground cinnamon until crumbly. Spread the crumbs out onto a lined baking tray. Chill in the freezer for at least 20 minutes before using.
Step 2: Whisk together the wet ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, melted butter, granulated sugar, eggs, sour cream, oil, and vanilla extract.
Step 3: Whisk in the dry ingredients. Whisk the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the bowl of wet ingredients until almost combined (with some flour streaks remaining.)
Step 4: Fold in the cinnamon crumb. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold in all but ¼ cup of the cinnamon mixture into the muffin batter. Stop mixing when there are no more pockets of dry flour.
Step 5: Scoop and bake! Alternate 6 muffin liners in a muffin pan. Fill each liner with about X cup of the cinnamon muffin batter. Sprinkle reserved cinnamon topping on top of the muffins. Bake the first tray. Let them cool for X minutes on a wire rack before removing, then repeat with the remaining batter.
Step 6: Drizzle with cream cheese icing. Drizzle the top of the muffins with the sweet glaze. Enjoy your cinnamon roll muffins!
Expert Tips for Homemade Muffins
Use a kitchen scale. Baking with a scale is much more accurate than cup measurements. To convert this recipe, click the "metric" button next to the ingredients title on the recipe card. If you do not have a scale, use a spoon to fluff the flour first, then spoon it into your measuring cup.
Use room temperature ingredients. This creates a smooth, fully blended batter that will result in a uniform texture and even baking.
For tall muffin tops, make sure to overfill the liners. The muffin batter should sit taller than the liner when you look at it from the side. This is the secret to bakery-style muffins!
Don't over-mix the batter! The key to tender baked goods like sour cream biscuits and cinnamon roll muffins is to mix the batter until everything is just combined.
Use a cookie scoop to portion the batter; it's a game changer (way easier than a measuring cup)!
FAQs
Pop the muffin in the microwave for 10-15 second intervals until warmed through. Alternately, they can be warmed through on a baking sheet at 350°F for 5-10 minutes.
Sure! Feel free to add chocolate chips or chopped nuts.
The best way to store them is in an airtight container with a slice of bread in the container to keep the muffins moist. If stored at room temperature, enjoy within 1-2 days. If stored in the fridge, enjoy within 4-5 days!
Yes, store the batter in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Absolutely! I prefer to wrap each muffin individually in plastic wrap, then store them in a freezer bag or airtight container. They can be frozen for up to 2-3. months!
More Delicious Breakfast Ideas
If you tried this or any other recipe on my website, please let me know how it went in the comments below, I love hearing from you! Also, please leave a star rating while you're there! You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can check it out!
Recipe 📖
Cinnamon Roll Muffins
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Cinnamon Crumb
- 1 cup dark brown sugar packed
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 3 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
For the Batter
- 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk room temperature
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large whole eggs room temperature
- ¼ cup sour cream room temperature
- ¼ cup canola oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
For the Cream Cheese Glaze
- 3 ounces cream cheese softened
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-3 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- Line a 12 cup muffin tray with muffin liners and set it aside. Preheat the oven to 425 F/220 C.
- In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter until combined and crumbs form. Chill in the freezer until ready to use.1 cup dark brown sugar, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, 3 tablespoon unsalted butter
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, 2 ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, melted butter, sugar, egg, sour cream, oil, and vanilla.1 ½ cups buttermilk, ½ cup unsalted butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, 2 large whole eggs, ¼ cup sour cream, ¼ cup canola oil, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until almost combined, with some flour streaks still remaining.
- Reserve ½ cup of the cinnamon crumb for the tops of the muffins. Fold the rest of the crumbs into the batter until just combined.
- Scoop about ⅓ cup (110 g) of the batter into each cup of the lined muffin tray. The batter should fill higher than the muffin liner. (see photo in the post for reference)
- Evenly sprinkle the rest of the crumb topping on the tops of each muffin.
- Bake at 425 for 8 minutes, then decrease the heat to 350F /180 C and continue baking for another 14-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Once cool, combine the powdered sugar and softened cream cheese until smooth.⅓ cup powdered sugar, 3 ounces cream cheese
- Whisk in the milk and vanilla extract until the glaze is thick but pourable.¾ teaspoon vanilla extract, 2-3 tablespoon milk
- Drizzle the cream cheese glaze over the tops of the muffins and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
The calorie information provided for the recipe is an estimate. The accuracy of the calories listed is not guaranteed.
michelle says
I made these today, pretty easy. They're super tasty warm, so we'll see how they are after they sit awhile. Not sure if the brown sugar crumb is enough for the batter, I'm thinking the whole half a cup should go in the batter, but I"ll decide after their gone and how everyone responds to them. It was fun making them.
Erin R says
These muffins are huge! So beautiful! Happy with the outcome! We make our own butter so we love when a recipe calls for buttermilk! We’re always looking for different ways to use it! Crumble is perfectly noticeable within muffins. Will be making again!!
Cambrea Gordon says
Yay!! I'm so glad to hear it, I wish I could taste them with your fresh buttermilk!
Mollie says
These were so freaking good. I took them to my family and everyone was huge fans of them! Devoured immediately.
Christa says
These were delicious and look so impressive! The cinnamon crumble was amazing and the texture was absolutely perfect. They came so soft and fluffy, will definitely be making again 🙂
Cambrea Gordon says
Thank you so much Christa! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed them 🙂
Kazuha says
OMG IT’s SO SOFT and Yummy! I added 150g of sugar instead of 200g and it was the perfect amount of sweetness! I don’t have buttermilk so i decided to add milk and vinegar. As for the sour cream, i added no sugar yogurt in instead as sour cream in my country is very expensive. Super happy with texture ugh i wish i could eat the whole tray!
Cheryl says
Would it be okay to use coconut oil instead of canola oil?
Cambrea Gordon says
I'm not sure, I haven't tested it before, but it should be okay to use. If you try it let me know how it turns out!
Cheryl says
I used coconut oil instead of canola oil, and the muffins came out perfect and tasted delicious! Will definitely be making them again. Thank you!
Emma says
Sooooo delicious, I devoured them immediately! They had the perfect cinnamon roll flavor and were so soft and moist!
Anne says
Great recipe. So easy to follow and with lots of helpful hints/tips. Muffins are soft and fluffy and oh so delicious ♥️
MrsJMc says
Hi! Can you confirm the type of salt you use? Table, fine sea salt, kosher? Thanks!
Cambrea Gordon says
I typically use fine sea salt or kosher salt!
Bekkah says
These are amazing! I like them better than cinnamon rolls actually…. not too difficult at all. And they taste amazing. Thank you!
Shay says
I made these over the weekend for a sweet breakfast treat and they came out so good!