Craving a cinnamon roll without all the work? Cue these cinnamon roll muffins! Everything you love about a cinnamon roll is packed into these fluffy, tender muffins that are ready in under one hour.
I recently had a craving for cinnamon rolls but didn't want to go through all the work to make them, which is why I came up with a little twist: these easy cinnamon roll muffins!
This super simple cinnamon roll muffin recipe makes 12 perfectly light, fluffy, and cinnamony muffins that taste just like homemade cinnamon rolls.
They come together faster than cinnamon rolls, require no yeast, and have cinnamon sugar bits in every bite.
Glazed with a super creamy cream cheese icing right after baking, they are an indulgent snack or dessert that takes minutes instead of hours, which means you'll be enjoying one in no time!!
For more muffin recipes, try Coconut Lemon Raspberry Muffins and Chocolate Chip Cardamom Muffins.
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why you'll love this recipe
- Large muffins: These jumbo muffins are bakery-style with tall tops.
- Fluffy muffins: They have a light and fluffy texture that isn't overly sweet.
- Classic cinnamon rolls: The best part of these muffins is that they have all of the same flavors of cinnamon rolls without all of the work!
- Cream cheese frosting: After baking, they get drizzled with the creamiest cream cheese icing to really bring the cinnamon roll flavor!
ingredient notes
Find the full ingredient measurements and instructions in the recipe card below!
- Brown sugar: This recipe uses dark brown sugar but could be substituted with light brown sugar in a pinch!
- Oil: A flavorless oil like canola or vegetable oil is best for these muffins.
- Sour cream: The sour cream gives these muffins a super moist and fluffy texture. If you don't have any on hand you can also use non-flavored full-fat greek yogurt instead.
- Buttermilk: It's best to use full-fat buttermilk for this recipe. If you don't have any on hand you can make your own.
- Butter: This recipe uses both oil and butter to give them their light and fluffy texture. I recommend unsalted butter but if you only have salted butter on hand, decrease the salt in the recipe to ¼ teaspoon.
recipe instructions
Here's how to make these cinnamon muffins! You will need two mixing bowls and a whisk to make the batter. Before you start, line a 12-cup muffin pan with muffin liners and preheat the oven to 425 F/220 C.
STEP ONE: Make the cinnamon sugar filling. In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, dark brown sugar, and cinnamon until well combined and crumbs form. Place the bowl in the freezer to chill while you make the batter.
STEP TWO: Whisk the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined. Set aside.
STEP THREE: Whisk the wet ingredients. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the sugar, buttermilk, melted butter, egg, sour cream, oil, and vanilla extract until combined.
STEP FOUR: Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Pour the flour mixture into the bowl of wet ingredients and whisk until almost combined and there are some dry flour streaks remaining.
STEP FIVE: Fold in the cinnamon crumb. Add about ⅔ of the cinnamon sugar mixture to the mixing bowl and reserve the rest of it for the tops of the muffins. Gently fold the crumb into the batter until just combined.
STEP SIX: Fill the muffin cups and bake! Fill the liners with about ⅓ of the batter. It should sit higher than the muffin liner. Sprinkle the tops with the rest of the cinnamon crumbs. Bake the muffins in the preheated oven for 8 minutes, then decrease the heat to 350 F/180 C and continue baking for another 15-18 minutes, or until the tops are slightly golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
Let the pan cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then carefully take the muffins out of the pan and allow them to cool completely on the wire rack. Once cooled, whisk together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth, and drizzle it over the muffins. Enjoy!
expert baking tips
- Use a kitchen scale. Baking with a scale is recommended for the best results. It is much more accurate than cup measurements. To convert this recipe, click the "metric" button next to the ingredients title on the recipe card.
- Use room temperature ingredients. Using room temperature ingredients creates a smooth, fully blended batter that will result in a uniform texture and even baking.
- Don't over mix the batter. Over mixing the batter will result in dense, tough muffins.
- Chill the crumb before using. Leave the crumb to chill in the freezer before using it. This will allow it to firm up and stay together when you fold it into the batter.
- Overfill the liners. I know it seems like a lot, but filling the muffin liners higher than the top of the cup will give you tall, bakery-style muffins with the best muffin tops!
- Baking times may vary. All ovens are different, and your muffins may bake quicker or take longer than the indicated baking time!
storage & freezing
- Room temperature: The muffins are fine to leave out at room temperature. I recommend keeping them in an airtight container and storing them in the fridge overnight if they are frosted with the cream cheese icing.
- Freezer: Once baked and glazed, let the glaze harden. Then individually wrap the muffins in plastic wrap and place them in a freezer bag. They will stay fresh for up to one month! When you want a muffin, you can grab one of them from the bag and you don't have to take out all of them.
faq's
You can warm them in the microwave for 30 seconds or so until they feel warm. You can also warm them in the oven at a low temperature for 10-15 minutes until they feel warmed through.
Sure! Feel free to add chocolate chips or chopped nuts to the batter when you add the cinnamon crumb.
I have not tested this recipe with gluten-free flour but I hear Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour has great results when used as a substitute!
I haven't tried it yet, but I'm sure it would be fine in the fridge overnight!
Muffins that are dry and crumbly are likely due to over-baking them. Pull them out of the oven when the tops are slightly golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs on it!
related recipes to try
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
- 12 Muffin liners
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
- Use a kitchen scale. Baking with a scale is recommended for the best results. It is much more accurate than cup measurements. To convert this recipe, click the "metric" button next to the ingredients title on the recipe card.
- Use room temperature ingredients. Using room temperature ingredients creates a smooth, fully blended batter that will result in a uniform texture and even baking.
- Don't over mix the batter. Over mixing the batter will result in dense, tough muffins.
- Chill the crumb before using. Leave the crumb to chill in the freezer before using it. This will allow it to firm up and stay together when you fold it into the batter.
- Overfill the liners. I know it seems like a lot, but filling the muffin liners higher than the top of the cup will give you tall, bakery-style muffins with the best muffin tops!
- Baking times may vary. All ovens are different, and your muffins may bake quicker or take longer than the indicated baking time!
- Room temperature: The muffins are fine to leave out at room temperature. I recommend keeping them in an airtight container and storing them in the fridge overnight if they are frosted with the cream cheese icing.
- Freezer: Once baked and glazed, let the glaze harden. Then individually wrap the muffins in plastic wrap and place them in a freezer bag. They will stay fresh for up to one month! When you want a muffin, you can grab one of them from the bag and you don't have to take out all of them.
Nutrition
The calorie information provided for the recipe is an estimate. The accuracy of the calories listed is not guaranteed.
Shay says
I made these over the weekend for a sweet breakfast treat and they came out so good!