Slow Cooker Cinnamon Rolls are perfect for making gooey, delicious rolls in half the time. Try them on the the weekends or for the Holidays!
This is the best Slow Cooker recipe to help feed a crowd during the Holidays. For more traditional sweet rolls try my Cinnamon Rolls or my Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls (Copycat).
Sabrina’s Slow Cooker Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Christmas morning can be so busy between opening presents, finding batteries for new toys, and pouring over assembly instructions, and sometimes you just need a break from cooking. But you still want to treat your family and guests with an extra special brunch. This Crock Pot Cinnamon Rolls recipe is just what you need this holiday season. Who doesn’t love biting into a fresh from the oven Cinnamon Roll? Just thinking about it, you can probably almost smell the warm, sweet cinnamon and taste the tender pastry coated in melty buttery sugar. But while I love to make (and dream about) cinnamon rolls, they can be a lot of work.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
For the Cinnamon Rolls:
- 1 cups whole milk
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter , room temperature
- 3 cups flour , divided
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 packet instant rapid rise yeast
- 1 large egg yolk
Filling
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter , room temperature
Icing
- 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons milk
Instructions
- In a small saucepan heat the milk and butter to 110 degrees (warm to touch).
- Into your stand mixer add the yeast and milk and whisk and let sit for one minute.
- Add the flour, sugar, salt and egg yolk to the stand mixer.
- Attach the dough hook and 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 you find sticking add flour ¼ cup at a time until it pulls away (no more than another cup).
- Take the dough out, grease the stand mixer bowl and put it back in.
- Cover the dough with your dish towel you used to keep the flour in the stand mixer.
- In a medium sized bowl mix the sugar and cinnamon.
- Using a large even surface, add more 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 a ½ inch thick (if your space is limited do this in two halves).
- Spread the butter over the dough (I use my hands) and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the butter.
- Roll the dough tightly to form a long log and using a piece of thread slice off even pieces.
- Line your slow cooker with parchment paper or spray with baking spray, then place the cinnamon rolls inside.
- Place a paper towel right under the lid of the slow cooker.
- Turn your slow cooker on high speed and cook for 2 hours, or until the rolls are fully cooked through.
- Once done, remove the rolls from the cooker right away by lifting out the parchment paper.
Cinnamon Roll Icing
- Whisk the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and milk together until smooth.
- Add a little more milk if too thick.
- Drizzle over the warm rolls.
Nutrition
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Table of contents
About this Recipe
Most recipes call for rising the dough not once, but twice! This recipe uses instant dry yeast and the steamy moisture from the slow cooker to do all the rising work for you. That’s right, no waiting on any dough to rise at all or risking that they won’t rise because you rushed them. Light and fluffy cinnamon rolls have never been easier. All you have to do is make the dough, assemble and place in the bottom of your crock pot. In about 2 hours cooking time, it will be time for a cup of coffee along with this gourmet treat to wind down from the busy Christmas morning.
Can this be made ahead of time?
- Make these up to 1 day ahead of time by making the dough and assembling. Store in the fridge in a greased pan, covered with plastic wrap. When you are ready make, place in slow cooker and cook as normal. Check them for doneness at at about 90 minutes.
- You can also use pre-made cinnamon roll dough and let it proof in the slow cooker and cook it the same way. I use homemade dough from my classic Cinnamon Roll recipe but the idea here is the cooking method.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Use a paper towel under the lid of the slow cooker. This will help regulate the moisture and keep your rolls from getting soggy.
- Line your crock pot with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. This will make taking the rolls out easily.
- If you want the tops to be browned, remove when done cooking from crock pot and place in oven set at 300 degrees for 5-10 minutes.
- Let cinnamon rolls cool 10 minutes before icing.
How to Store
- Serve: Your rolls are okay uncovered for up to 2 hours at room temperature. Do not keep them in the slow cooker with lid on or they will get soggy.
- Store: Cinnamon Rolls will stay fresh covered tightly in the refrigerator for 5 days
- Freeze These rolls freeze well up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and heat up in the oven for best results.
Instant Pot Cooking Method
- Make dough and assemble cinnamon rolls per recipe instructions. You will need a greased springform pan that fits into your pressure cooker.
- Pour 2 cups water into the bottom of Instant Pot. Place trivet cooker.
- Place cinnamon rolls in pan, cover with a paper towel and foil.
- Set pan on trivet, ensure that paper towel and foil fully cover pan.
- Seal and cook manual high pressure for 15 minutes.
- When done, use natural release for 10 minutes before using quick release.
- Remove your rolls from Instant Pot and drizzle with icing before serving.
Variations
- Caramel Pecan: Instead of icing, top your rolls with Salted Caramel Sauce and pecans. To make them more like a sticky bun, use brown sugar for ½ the granulated sugar in your filling.
- Apple Cinnamon: Add dried apple pieces (chopped finely) to your cinnamon sugar mixture. After the rolls are done cooking, add a tablespoon or two of maple syrup to your icing.
- Cream Cheese: Cinnamon sugar and Cream Cheese are just meant for each other. Add some to your filling or top with a Cream Cheese Frosting to enjoy this classic flavor combo.
- Chocolate: For Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls, add in some mini chocolate chips. Serve with Vanilla Ice Cream and Hot Fudge for a super sweet decadent dessert.
Related Recipes
More Fun Cinnamon Roll Recipes
Photos used in previous posts:
Do you not give the dough time to rise? It doesnt say anything about this
We’re using instant dry yeast for this recipe so no need to wait for the dough to rise. Easy peasy!
This was great! Made the dough the night before, put them in on Christmas morning and by the time we were done waking up and opening presents, breakfast was ready!
Yay!! I love when it works out perfectly. Happy Holidays!
I can practically smell this decadent treat through my computer! So scrumptious!
Haha, technology really needs to catch up! Thanks for the 5 stars.
These are so good!