Nutella Cinnamon Rolls

18 Servings
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Total Time 48 minutes

Nutella Cinnamon Rolls are soft, sweet, warm rolls with a cinnamon and Nutella filling and cream cheese frosting. It’s the perfect holiday breakfast!

When it comes to decadent Breakfast Recipes one favorite that always comes to mind is Cinnamon Rolls. They’re soft, rich, sweet, and filling. With this version, you get the added flavor of melty chocolate and hazelnuts. 

Nutella Cinnamon Rolls in baking pan with fork

Nutella has quickly become a staple in so many homes. The creamy, chocolate spread can seriously take anything to a new level. Serve it up with fruit, spread it over toast, or use it in baked goods like in this Cinnamon Roll recipe. Interested in more ways to use Nutella? Give Nutella Brownies and Pastry Twists a try!

If you’re looking for a yummy recipe to serve for a holiday breakfast or treat to make on a weekend morning, these sweet rolls are the next recipe you have to try! Along with the usual cinnamon swirl that you’d have in cinnamon rolls, this one also has decadent chocolate. The Nutella filling goes great with the cinnamon and is wonderfully melty in the warm rolls. 

Nutella Cinnamon Rolls collage

How to Make Nutella Cinnamon Rolls

  • Prep the Dough: For the best pastry dough, you want to use warm milk. Heat the milk in a saucepan until it’s 110 degrees. This isn’t too hot, just warm to the touch. Once the milk is warm add the dry yeast and milk into your stand mixer. Let the yeast mixture sit for 1 minute before you add in the bread flour, sugar, salt, eggs, and orange zest.
  • Mix the Dough: Use the dough hook attachment on your stand mixer to mix the dough together. Put a dishtowel over the mixer so that the flour doesn’t get everywhere while you mix on a low to medium speed. Continue mixing the soft dough for 5-7 minutes. The dough will form into a ball that doesn’t stick to the walls. However, if it is sticking to the walls add flour until it stops. Take the dough ball out of the mixer, grease the bowl, and then put the dough back in. Cover it in your dish towel again and let it sit for 10 minutes. While the dough is sitting turn your oven to 350 degrees.
Nutella Cinnamon Rolls collage
  • Roll: Add ½ cup of flour to your kitchen counter or another flat work surface, then coat your rolling pin in flour so that the dough doesn’t stick to either. Place the dough on your floured surface and roll it out into a large rectangle that’s about a ½ inch thick. You can separate it into two halves if you don’t have a large enough work surface. Spread butter over the dough. Try using your hands for this part because it’s the easiest way to not tear apart the dough. Sprinkle the cinnamon over the butter and then spread the Nutella over the dough.
  • Shape: Shape your dough by rolling it together into one long log. Then use a piece of floss to slice it into separate rolls. There should be enough for 18 rolls. 
  • Rise: Place the 18 rolls onto the buttered baking dish or jelly rolls. Let them sit in a warm place for 20 minutes while the dough rises.
  • Cream Cheese Frosting: While the dough rises add cream cheese, butter, vanilla, powdered sugar, and milk to your stand mixer. Beat them together until the icing is light and fluffy.  
  • Bake: Put the rolls in your preheated oven and bake for 18-20 minutes until they’re golden brown. Spread the cream cheese glaze over the top and serve them warm. 

More Cinnamon Roll Recipes

Frequently Asked Questions About Nutella Cinnamon Rolls

Why do Cinnamon Rolls need to sit in a warm place?

Cinnamon Roll dough is made with yeast, and yeast is what makes dough rise up into delicious baked goods. Yeast will begin to ferment in warm temperatures so setting the rolls in a warm place will allow the dough to rise up into tender, fluffy Cinnamon Rolls.

Is it important to use rapid rise yeast?

This recipe calls specifically for instant rapid rise yeast. Only use that type because different types of yeast will require different methods to ensure your dough rises properly.

Nutella Cinnamon Rolls collage

Variations on Nutella Cinnamon Rolls

  • Peanut Butter Rolls: Instead of a chocolate, hazelnut spread, try making Peanut Butter Sweet rolls, by spreading creamy peanut butter over the dough instead of Nutella. You might not like the taste of peanut butter and cinnamon together, so take the cinnamon out of the filling and just use the peanut butter. 
  • Mini Rolls: Try making this Nutella Cinnamon Roll recipe into mini, portable cinnamon rolls by baking them in muffin pans. Roll up the dough into smaller sizes that will fit into the muffin pan and spray the pan with cooking spray to prep it. 
  • Brown Sugar Topping: You can replace the cream cheese frosting with a crumbly brown sugar topping. To make the topping combine ½ cup brown sugar, ½ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup flour, 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ⅛ teaspoon salt, and ¼ cup cold butter. Cut them into coarse crumbs with a pastry blender and sprinkle the topping on the rolls before baking. 
  • Nutella and Banana Rolls: You can also add ripe bananas to the recipe. Peel and dice the bananas. Then sprinkle the pieces of the bananas over the Nutella before rolling the cinnamon rolls. 
  • Nuts: Another addition you can make is sprinkling crushed nuts into the filling like hazelnuts, pecans, walnuts, and almonds. 
Nutella Cinnamon Rolls on serving plate with icing

Can Nutella Cinnamon Rolls Be Made Ahead?

For an easy holiday morning, prep the dough a day in advance. Then you can leave them on the baking sheet in the fridge until you bake the rolls in the morning. Be sure. to cover them while they sit overnight. This is an easy way to enjoy a rich, delicious dish. 

More Special Occasion Breakfasts

How to Store Nutella Cinnamon Rolls

  • Serve: You can keep these sweet rolls at room temperature for 1-2 days. Cover them in plastic wrap or aluminum foil to keep them fresh. 
  • Store: Once the rolls have cooled, you can also store them in an airtight container in the fridge. They’ll stay good for up to a week. 
  • Freeze: You can also freeze the Nutella Cinnamon Rolls in the freezer for 2-3 months. Let them thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating them in the oven to enjoy. 
Nutella Cinnamon Rolls on serving plate showing underside

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Nutella Cinnamon Rolls

Nutella Cinnamon Rolls are soft, sweet, warm rolls with a cinnamon and Nutella filling and cream cheese frosting. It’s the perfect holiday breakfast!
Yield 18 Servings
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Total Time 48 minutes
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder

Ingredients
 

Cinnamon Roll Dough:

  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1/2 cup butter , room temperature
  • 6 1/2 cups flour , divided
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 packets instant rapid rise yeast
  • 2 large eggs

For The Filling:

  • 1/2 cup butter , room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 12 ounces Nutella , about 1 ½ cups

Cream Cheese Icing:

  • 12 ounces cream cheese , (1 ½ packages) softened
  • 1/3 cup butter , room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 5 cups powdered sugar
  • 3 tablespoons whole milk

Instructions

Cinnamon Roll Dough:

  • In a small saucepan heat the milk and butter to 110 degrees (warm to the touch).
  • Into your stand mixer add the yeast and milk and whisk, then let sit for one minute.
  • Add 6 cups of the flour, sugar, salt, and eggs to the stand mixer. Attach the dough hook.
  • PRO TIP: COVER YOUR MIXER WITH A CLEAN DISH TOWEL.
  • Turn the mixer on speed 3-4 (low to medium). Let it go for 5-7 minutes, you want the dough to become a ball that doesn’t stick to the walls of the bowl.
  • If the dough is sticking, add flour ¼ cup at a time until it pulls away (no more than 1 additional cup).
  • Take the dough out, grease the stand mixer bowl, and put it back in.
  • Cover the dough with the dish towel you used to keep the flour in the stand mixer.
  • Let sit for 10 minutes while you set the oven to preheat to 350 degrees.
  • Using a large even surface, add ½ cup of flour and roll it out onto the surface to coat the rolling pin and the surface.
  • Roll out the dough into a large rectangle about ½ inch thick (if your space is limited do this in two halves).
  • Spread the butter over the dough (use your hands), sprinkle on the cinnamon, and gently spread on Nutella spread.
  • Roll the dough tightly to form a long log. Using a piece of thread, slice into 18 pieces.
  • Place the rolls into buttered baking pans or jelly roll pans.
  • Place the rolls into a warm place for 20 minutes (with a second oven, heat it to warm when you start the recipe. When you get to this step turn it off, open the door for a couple of seconds, then close the door. The residual warmth is perfect for these rolls).

Cream Cheese Icing:

  • In your stand mixer, beat all the ingredients together until light and fluffy.

To Finish:

  • Bake the rolls for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown.
  • Spread the cream cheese frosting over the rolls and serve warm or at room temperature.

Nutrition

Calories: 604kcal | Carbohydrates: 88g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 334mg | Potassium: 232mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 51g | Vitamin A: 604IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 100mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutella Cinnamon Rolls collage

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. If you enjoyed the recipe and would like to publish it on your own site, please re-write it in your own words, and link back to my site and recipe page. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. I am skeptical of a roll recipe that only requires a total of 30 minutes rest time, but I’ve committed to it. Even made my own hazelnut spread. Did you forget to add rise time?