Coffee Cinnamon Rolls Recipe With Coffee Cream Cheese Icing
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Coffee cinnamon rolls put coffee in all three layers of the classic bun: a little brewed coffee in the dough, instant coffee stirred into the brown sugar filling, and a coffee cream cheese icing on top. The result tastes like a cinnamon roll and a cup of coffee in one bite, with a mocha-ish depth that cuts the sweetness. This coffee cinnamon rolls recipe makes 12 soft, pull-apart rolls in a 9×13-inch pan, and you can shape them the night before and bake in the morning.
Plan on about 3 hours from start to finish, most of it rising time.
In this article
Coffee cinnamon rolls recipe: ingredients
Dough
| Ingredient | US | Metric |
|---|---|---|
| All-purpose flour (plus extra for rolling) | 4 cups | 500 g |
| Granulated sugar | ¼ cup | 50 g |
| Instant or rapid-rise yeast | 2¼ teaspoons (1 packet) | 7 g |
| Fine salt | 1 teaspoon | 6 g |
| Milk, warm | ¾ cup | 180 ml |
| Strong brewed coffee, warm | ¼ cup | 60 ml |
| Unsalted butter, melted | ⅓ cup | 75 g |
| Large eggs, room temperature | 2 | 2 |
Coffee cinnamon filling
| Ingredient | US | Metric |
|---|---|---|
| Brown sugar, packed | ⅔ cup | 135 g |
| Ground cinnamon | 2 tablespoons | 15 g |
| Instant coffee or espresso powder, finely ground | 1 tablespoon | about 5 g |
| Unsalted butter, very soft | ⅓ cup | 75 g |
| Salt | a pinch | a pinch |
Coffee cream cheese icing
| Ingredient | US | Metric |
|---|---|---|
| Cream cheese, softened | 4 oz | 115 g |
| Unsalted butter, softened | 2 tablespoons | 30 g |
| Powdered sugar | 1½ cups | 180 g |
| Instant coffee dissolved in hot milk or coffee | 1–2 tsp in 1 tbsp | 1–2 tsp in 15 ml |
| Vanilla extract | ½ teaspoon | 2.5 ml |
Step-by-step method
1. Make the dough
- Warm the milk and coffee together to about 105–110°F (40–43°C): warm to the touch, not hot. Hotter liquid can kill yeast.
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine the flour, sugar, yeast and salt.
- Add the warm milk-coffee mixture, melted butter and eggs. Mix until a shaggy dough forms.
- Knead 8–10 minutes by hand (5–7 minutes with a dough hook) until smooth, soft and slightly tacky. Add flour a tablespoon at a time only if it’s truly sticky.
- Cover and let rise in a warm spot for 1–1½ hours, until doubled.
2. Fill and shape
- Mix the brown sugar, cinnamon, instant coffee and salt for the filling. Make sure the coffee is a fine powder, or it’ll leave bitter specks.
- Grease a 9×13-inch (23×33 cm) pan.
- On a floured surface, roll the dough into a rectangle about 16×12 inches (40×30 cm).
- Spread the soft butter evenly, leaving a ½-inch (1 cm) border on one long edge. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the butter and press it in lightly.
- Roll up tightly from the long side without the border, and pinch the seam closed.
- Cut into 12 equal rolls with unflavored dental floss or a sharp serrated knife. Floss gives the cleanest spirals: slide it under the log, cross the ends over the top and pull.
- Arrange the rolls cut side up in the pan.
3. Second rise and bake
- Cover and let the rolls rise 30–45 minutes, until puffy and touching each other.
- Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Bake 22–28 minutes, until golden. If you have a thermometer, the center roll should read about 190°F (88°C).
- Cool 10–15 minutes before icing so it melts slightly into the swirls without sliding off.
4. Ice
Beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth, then beat in the powdered sugar, dissolved coffee and vanilla. Spread over the warm rolls. Prefer a thinner drizzle? Use the glaze from our coffee glaze recipe instead.
Overnight make-ahead
- Shape the rolls and put them in the pan, then cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 16 hours.
- In the morning, take the pan out and leave it in a warm spot for about 1 hour, until the rolls look puffy.
- Bake as above, adding a few minutes if the center is still cool.
Baked rolls also freeze well without icing. Wrap them tightly, freeze for up to a month, then reheat at 300°F (150°C) for about 10 minutes and ice.
How strong is the coffee flavor?
| Coffee level | What to change | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Subtle | Dough coffee only; skip coffee in filling and icing | A deeper, less sweet cinnamon roll |
| Balanced (this recipe) | Coffee in dough, filling and icing | Clear coffee note alongside cinnamon |
| Bold mocha | Add 2 tbsp cocoa to the filling and use 2 tsp coffee in the icing | Coffee-chocolate swirl, like a mocha |
Instant coffee and espresso powder give the most concentrated flavor without adding liquid. For more on the difference, see our guide to espresso powder.
Variations
- Dairy-free: use oat milk and a plant-based butter in the dough and filling; finish with a powdered sugar and coffee glaze.
- Nutty: scatter ½ cup (55 g) chopped toasted pecans or walnuts over the filling.
- Orange-coffee: add the zest of one orange to the filling.
- Decaf: use decaf brewed and instant coffee if you’re serving kids or late-night guests.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Dough didn’t rise | Liquid too hot, old yeast or a cold kitchen | Check the liquid temperature; proof in a turned-off oven with the light on |
| Filling leaked and burned | Butter melted instead of soft; loose roll | Use very soft, not melted, butter; roll tightly and seal the seam |
| Dry, bready rolls | Too much flour or overbaked | Keep the dough slightly tacky; bake to 190°F |
| Bitter specks | Coarse instant coffee in the filling | Grind it to a powder first |
| Rolls unraveled | Seam not pinched; rolled loosely | Pinch the seam firmly and place seam side down in the log before cutting |
What to serve them with
A warm roll wants a hot cup next to it. Our Cinnabun coffee doubles down on the theme with sweet cinnamon, buttery pastry and vanilla icing notes and no added sugar. If you’d rather balance the sweetness, a bold French Roast with bittersweet chocolate notes does the job. For the dough, filling and icing, a pouch of Instant Coffee covers all three. The swirled bun itself has deep roots: according to Wikipedia, the earliest recorded cinnamon roll recipes come from 16th-century Germany, and Sweden even celebrates a Cinnamon Roll Day every October 4.
Coffee cinnamon rolls FAQ
Can I use leftover coffee in the dough?
Yes. Warm it with the milk to 105–110°F (40–43°C). Avoid flavored or heavily sweetened coffee drinks.
Can I make them without instant coffee?
Yes. Use ¼ cup brewed coffee in the dough as written, skip the coffee in the filling, and flavor the icing with 1–2 tablespoons of very strong brewed coffee instead of milk.
Do coffee cinnamon rolls contain caffeine?
A little. The total coffee is spread over 12 rolls, so each one contains far less than a cup of coffee. Use decaf if that matters to you.
How do I keep them soft the next day?
Store covered at room temperature for up to 2 days (refrigerate if iced with cream cheese icing), and warm each roll for 15–20 seconds in the microwave before eating.
Sources
- Cinnamon roll, Wikipedia
Facts checked in October 2026.
Keep reading: Coffee with cinnamon · Coffee cake history · Flavored coffee