Fill your kitchen with the irresistible aroma of homemade apple cinnamon rolls. These tender, sweet rolls are filled with a brown sugar and cinnamon apple filling and finished with a smooth cream cheese icing. Make them the night before and let them rise overnight so you can bake fresh rolls in the morning.
Combining the comforts of cinnamon rolls and apple pie creates a warm, cozy breakfast perfect for crisp fall mornings. Soft dough, gooey brown sugar filling and lightly spiced apples come together for a treat that’s as fragrant as it is delicious.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Seasonal flavors. Fresh apples tossed in cinnamon sugar give a comforting fall flavor—think apple pie wrapped in a pillowy roll.
- Soft and fluffy. The dough bakes up tender and easy to pull apart, with a gooey brown sugar center.
- Make-ahead friendly. Prepare the rolls the night before and refrigerate to bake fresh in the morning.
- Tested technique. This version builds on a well-tested cinnamon roll method for reliable results.
Ingredient Notes
- Yeast: Instant yeast or active dry yeast can be used. Check the expiration date and proof active yeast if needed.
- Milk: Whole milk makes the dough richer and more tender; warm to about 100° F before adding.
- Flour: Unbleached all-purpose flour is preferred; bread flour yields a chewier result.
- Butter: Use unsalted butter and add salt separately for consistent seasoning.
- Apples: Choose a firm, tart apple like Granny Smith or a crisp Honeycrisp so pieces hold up in the oven.
- Brown sugar: Light or dark brown sugar both work well in the filling.
- Spices: Fresh spices make a noticeable difference—replace stale cinnamon or nutmeg as needed.
- Cream cheese: Use block-style cream cheese at room temperature for a smooth, rich icing.
See the recipe card below for exact measurements.
Recipe Variations
Maple or caramel icing: Swap some milk for pure maple syrup for a maple glaze, or stir a few tablespoons of caramel into the icing and thin as needed with milk.
Mini rolls: Divide the dough and make smaller logs to yield about 18 mini rolls; bake 18–24 minutes.
How to Make Apple Cinnamon Rolls
- In a stand mixer bowl combine warm water, yeast, brown sugar, whole egg and yolks. Mix to combine, then add warm milk and melted butter.
- Add 2 cups of flour and salt and mix until blended. Add 2 more cups of flour and switch to the dough hook; knead on medium speed about 8–10 minutes. Add flour a tablespoon at a time if dough is overly sticky. The dough should be soft and only slightly tacky.
- Shape the dough into a ball, place in a greased bowl, cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled, about 1½–2 hours.
- Punch down the dough, transfer to a lightly floured surface and roll into a roughly 16″ x 12″ rectangle.
- Make the filling by whisking brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and a pinch of salt. Brush the dough with melted butter leaving a ½-inch border, then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly.
- Scatter diced apples over the sugar, then tightly roll the dough into a log, sealing the far edge with a little water.
- Cut the log into 12 equal rolls using unflavored dental floss or a sharp knife for clean edges. Place them in a greased 9×13 baking pan.
- Cover and let the rolls rise until nearly doubled, about 1–1½ hours. Preheat the oven to 350° F and bake 25–30 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool slightly before icing.
- Beat room-temperature cream cheese until smooth. Add confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and milk, mixing until the icing is creamy and spreadable.
- Spread the icing over warm rolls and serve.
Expert Tips
Weigh ingredients: Using a kitchen scale yields the most consistent results. If you don’t have one, spoon and level flour rather than packing it.
Adjust flour while kneading: If dough remains sticky after several minutes, add flour one tablespoon at a time. The dough should be soft and slightly tacky.
Rest the dough: If it keeps springing back while rolling, let it rest 5–10 minutes to relax the gluten, then continue rolling.
Cut with dental floss: Unflavored dental floss produces neat, round slices and preserves the swirl better than a knife.
Make Ahead and Storage Tips
Overnight: Assemble the rolls, cover and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, let them rest at room temperature about 30 minutes to finish rising, then bake.
Par-bake and freeze: Bake only 10 minutes, cool, wrap and freeze up to a month. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and finish baking 15–20 minutes.
Store: Keep unfrosted rolls in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days; they’re freshest the first day.
Freeze baked rolls: Freeze unfrosted rolls wrapped tightly up to 2 months. Reheat from frozen at 350° F for 10–15 minutes, covering with foil to prevent over-browning.
Recipe FAQ
Aim for a warm environment around 75–85° F. A warm spot in the kitchen or an oven turned off (but warmed slightly beforehand) works well.
Common causes are expired yeast or liquids that were too hot or too cold. Ensure yeast is fresh and use warm liquids around 100° F.
Firm, crisp apples like Granny Smith, Honeycrisp or Braeburn hold up well and balance sweetness with acidity.
This recipe uses whole eggs and yolks, so halving can be awkward. Instead, consider making the full batch and freezing half of the rolls for later.
Related Recipes
Looking for more fall baking inspiration? Try these recipes next!
Apple Dutch Baby
Apple Coffee Cake with Streusel Topping
Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls (with Overnight Option)
Bananas Foster French Toast in 30 minutes!
Did you love this recipe? Please leave a rating in the recipe card below and consider leaving a comment to share your results.
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Equipment
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1 Kitchen scale
-
1 Stand mixer with dough hook
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1 Rolling pin
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1 9×13 baking pan (or two 9″ rounds)
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Unflavored dental floss (for slicing)
Ingredients
Rolls
- ½ cup warm water (about 100° F)
- 2¼ tsp instant yeast (one envelope)
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 egg yolks, room temperature
- ½ cup warm whole milk (about 100° F)
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and warm
- 1½ tsp salt
- 4 to 4½ cups all-purpose flour
Cinnamon Apple Filling
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1½ cups diced Granny Smith apples
Cream Cheese Icing
- 1 cup cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Rolls
- Combine water, yeast, brown sugar, egg and yolks in the stand mixer bowl and mix on low to combine. Add milk and melted butter.
- Add 2 cups flour and salt, mix. Switch to dough hook, add remaining 2 cups flour and knead on medium for 8–10 minutes until dough pulls away from bowl and is slightly tacky. Add small amounts of flour if needed.
- Shape into a ball, place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and let rise in a warm spot until doubled, about 1½–2 hours.
- Punch down, roll into a 16″ x 12″ rectangle on a floured surface.
Filling
- Whisk brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Brush dough with melted butter, leaving a ½” border, then sprinkle the sugar mixture and arrange diced apples evenly.
- Roll tightly from the long edge, seal the edge with a little water and press the ends to form a uniform log. Use dental floss to slice into 12 equal rolls and place in a greased 9×13 pan.
- Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 1–1½ hours. Preheat oven to 350° F and bake 25–30 minutes until golden. Cool slightly on a rack.
Cream Cheese Icing
- Beat cream cheese until smooth, add confectioners’ sugar, milk and vanilla and mix until combined. Spread over warm rolls and serve.
Notes
Overnight option: Assemble and refrigerate the rolls overnight. Let them sit at room temperature 30 minutes in the morning to finish rising, then bake.
Storage: Store covered at room temperature up to 3 days or freeze cooled rolls wrapped tightly for up to 3 months.