The Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Roll Recipe: Your Guide to Perfect Sweet Rolls

These Pioneer Woman Cinnamon Rolls are more than just a breakfast treat; they’re a baking experience. Tender, flaky, buttery, and wonderfully sweet, each bite is packed with comforting cinnamon flavor and topped with a luscious maple frosting. If you’re searching for a cinnamon roll recipe that’s both easy to follow and guaranteed to impress, look no further. Inspired by Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman herself, this recipe has been refined to ensure perfect results every time, even for novice bakers.

A close up a a pan of frosted cinnamon rolls

A pan of perfectly frosted Pioneer Woman cinnamon rolls, showcasing their golden brown tops and generous maple frosting.

Why This Pioneer Woman Cinnamon Roll Recipe is a Must-Try

Have you ever been let down by a cinnamon roll recipe that promised perfection but delivered dense, dry rolls instead? Or perhaps struggled with finicky yeast doughs that refuse to rise? This Pioneer Woman cinnamon roll recipe addresses those common baking woes head-on. It’s designed to be remarkably easy and forgiving, ensuring that every roll emerges from your oven soft, fluffy, and bursting with flavor.

What makes these cinnamon rolls stand out? Several key factors contribute to their irresistible appeal:

Foolproof Yeast Dough

This isn’t your grandmother’s temperamental yeast dough. The recipe is carefully crafted to be straightforward, minimizing the chances of common pitfalls like improper rising or over-proofing. Even if you’re new to baking with yeast, you’ll find this recipe approachable and successful.

The Ideal Filling Ratio

The magic of a truly great cinnamon roll lies in the balance between dough and filling. This recipe gets it just right. The dough is rolled thinly, creating beautiful spirals that are generously filled with a melted butter, sugar, and cinnamon mixture. Every bite delivers the perfect amount of gooey, cinnamon-spiced goodness.

Close up of a pan of fresh from the oven cinnamon rolls

Freshly baked Pioneer Woman cinnamon rolls, hot from the oven and golden brown, displaying their soft texture and appealing cinnamon swirls.

Unique Maple Frosting

While the cinnamon filling is undeniably delicious, the maple frosting truly elevates these rolls to another level. This isn’t your standard sugar glaze. Infused with maple extract and a hint of strong brewed coffee, the frosting offers a depth of flavor that perfectly complements the warm cinnamon spice. The coffee might sound like an unusual addition, but it works wonders, enhancing the maple and adding a subtle richness that’s simply divine.

Secret Leavening Combination

What’s truly unique about this Pioneer Woman cinnamon roll recipe is the use of not just yeast, but also baking powder and baking soda in the dough. This unconventional combination of leavening agents is the secret to achieving that signature soft, sweet-bread texture that is characteristic of exceptional cinnamon rolls. It also significantly reduces the rising time after shaping, making this recipe surprisingly efficient for a yeast-based dough. Furthermore, baking these rolls at a slightly lower temperature ensures they rise fully in the oven before the tops become overly browned, resulting in incredibly tender and puffy rolls that practically melt in your mouth.

Perfect for Sharing (or Keeping!)

This recipe, adapted from the original Pioneer Woman recipe, is designed to yield three 9-inch pans of cinnamon rolls, totaling 30 rolls. While this might seem like a lot, be warned: these rolls are incredibly addictive! You’ll want to have plenty of friends, family, or neighbors ready to share them with, as resisting the urge to devour an entire pan yourself is a serious challenge.

For gifting, you can bake these in four disposable 7-inch foil pans. Alternatively, use four 8-inch cake pans or three 9-inch cake pans as shown in the photos.

A pan of cinnamon rolls being drizzled with a maple frosting

Generously drizzling warm maple frosting over a pan of freshly baked Pioneer Woman cinnamon rolls, highlighting the glossy texture and inviting aroma.

Make-Ahead and Freezing Tips

Want to get ahead on your baking? The cinnamon roll dough can be prepared up to 3 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator. Just ensure it’s well-covered and punch it down if it gets too big. The short 30-minute rise time after shaping makes these rolls ideal for baking fresh whenever you need them.

While freezing the unbaked dough isn’t recommended, you can freeze baked, unfrosted rolls with great success. Simply bake them according to the instructions, let them cool completely, and then wrap them tightly before freezing. When ready to serve, thaw and then frost them while slightly warm for the best results.

Need to make even more rolls? This recipe is easily doubled. If doubling, use a large pot or Dutch oven for the overnight rise in the refrigerator to accommodate the dough’s expansion.

A cake pan filled with warm cinnamon rolls topped with maple frosting

A 9-inch cake pan overflowing with warm, maple-frosted Pioneer Woman cinnamon rolls, emphasizing their soft, pillowy texture and irresistible sweetness.

Pioneer Woman’s Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 day 2 hours 15 minutes
Yield: 30 rolls
Course: Bread, Breakfast or Brunch
Author: Tricia

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Tender, flaky, buttery, sweet and loaded with cinnamon.

Equipment

Instant read thermometer
Rolling pin
3 (9-inch) cake pans

Ingredients

For the cinnamon rolls:

2 cups whole milk (16oz)
½ cup vegetable oil (4oz)
½ cup granulated sugar (110g)
1 (.25 ounce) package Active Dry Yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
4 ½ cups all-purpose flour separated (586g)
½ teaspoon baking powder heaping
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

For the filling:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted for greasing pans
12 tablespoons unsalted butter melted (6oz)
⅔ cup granulated sugar (135g)
3 tablespoons ground cinnamon

For the maple frosting:

4 ounces powdered sugar sifted (1 cup or 115g)
½ teaspoon maple flavoring
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
1 tablespoon strong brewed coffee
pinch of salt

Instructions

To make the dough:

Mix the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a small sauce pan. Warm over medium heat just until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture reaches 95-100°F (lukewarm) on an instant read thermometer. Remove from the heat and pour into a large mixing bowl. Cool, if needed, until the milk reaches 95° to 100°F on an instant read thermometer.
Sprinkle the yeast over the lukewarm milk mixture and set aside for 5-10 minutes. Add 4 cups of the flour and stir until combined (you can do this by hand with a wooden spoon or use the dough hook of a stand mixer). Cover and let rise for one hour in a warm location. The mixture should be bubbly and puffed.
In a small bowl or 1 cup measure, combine the remaining ½ cup of flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir together until blended. Add the flour mixture to the dough and mix until all flour is incorporated. Loosely cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, or for a day or two, if desired. If rising for more than a day, watch the dough and punch down if needed to prevent overflowing.

To make the cinnamon rolls:

Grease 3 (9-inch) cake pans with melted butter, set aside.
Heavily flour a large, clean work surface. Lightly punch down the dough and scrape out onto the countertop. Using floured hands, and a floured rolling pin, press and roll the dough into a rectangle at least 30-inches wide and about 18 to 20-inches deep. The dough will be very thin.
Brush 12 tablespoons of melted butter over the surface of the dough, leaving a 1-inch border along the 30-inch side farthest away from you.
Sprinkle ⅔ cup of sugar over the butter layer, followed by the ground cinnamon.
Roll the dough into a log starting at the 30-inch side closest to you. Gently pull the dough toward you, then tuck and roll, and repeat, keeping it pretty tight as you go. Next, pinch the seams to seal.
Using a ruler as a guide, cut the rolls into (30) 1-inch slices. You can use a large, thin, sharp knife to cut the rolls, or a long piece of dental floss works very well, too. Place the rolls, cut side down, into the prepared pans.
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Let the rolls rise in a warm location for 30 to 40 minutes. Once risen, the unbaked rolls should be puffed and smooth. To ensure the rolls have risen properly, gently press the edge of a roll with a knuckle. If the dough does not quickly and completely fill back into the depression, the rolls are ready. Bake at 375°F until light golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Transfer the pans to a rack to cool while preparing the frosting.

To make the frosting:

Using an electric mixer or whisk, combine the frosting ingredients and blend until smooth. The frosting should be thick, but pourable. Generously drizzle over the warm rolls. Feel free to go little crazy and don’t skimp on the frosting. Serve immediately.

Recipe Notes

Recipe adapted from Pioneer Woman.

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. For best results bring the chilled rolls to room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.
Unfrosted rolls may be kept at room temperature.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. When multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

Nutrition

Pioneer Woman’s Cinnamon Rolls were originally published on Saving Room for Dessert in January 2011, and updated December 2019

Here are a few more swirly bread recipes you might also enjoy:

Chocolate Babka

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Lion House Rolls being brushed with butter, showcasing the buttery richness and golden crust of these swirled rolls.

The Pioneer Woman’s Cinnamon Roll Recipe: Your Guide to Perfect Sweet Rolls