Buttery and fluffy puff pastry cinnamon rolls, glazed with vanilla icing. Our shortened version uses store bought puff pastries for a quick and easy breakfast idea!
Looking for an easy, delicious breakfast or brunch that will be insanely popular? Look no further than these easy puff pastry cinnamon rolls.
They’re like the traditional favorite, but made so much easier with a sheet of flaky buttery puff pastry. There’s almost nothing that I, Rebecca love more than a good cinnamon roll and iced coffee for brunch.
But these puff pastry cinnamon rolls are definitely winning my heart right now. They are insanely quick and easy to make and bake!
There’s just four ingredients (ok, six if you count the icing). And they come together and bake up so fast. You can have them ready to serve in about 30 minutes.
So move over, traditional cinnamon rolls! There’s a new recipe in town. And we can all sleep in without having to worry about rolling out yeast dough.
Ingredients Needed to Make Puff Pastry Cinnamon Rolls
Puff pastry — You save so much time when substituting store bought puff pastries in lieu of yeast dough.
Melted butter
Brown sugar
Ground cinnamon
Toasted sliced almonds — This is an optional ingredient, but it’s what it sets this apart from your usual cinnamon roll recipes. Plus, the almonds add a crunch to the ooey-gooey goodness!
Working with Puff Pastry
Most grocery stores will have puff pastry dough in their freezer section, and that works great for this recipe!
Make sure to let it thaw according to the directions on the box before making the cinnamon rolls.
To keep the dough from sticking, work on a lightly floured surface. You can also sprinkle sugar or ground cinnamon on the surface or work on parchment paper.
If you want to make it yourself, a quick puff pastry recipe comes together in minutes. It will also freeze for up to a month or stay in the refrigerator for 3-4 days before being used.
This recipe is also incredibly easy to double! Just get out two sheets of puff pastry and double your cinnamon filling.
How to Make Puff Pastry Cinnamon Rolls
First, preheat your oven to 400° and line a baking sheet with parchment lined paper.
Next, remove your store bought puff pastry from the refrigerator and unfold and roll the dough out on a cutting board.
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and spread it over the puff pastry. It may harden a bit when it is on the cold pastry, but that’s ok!
Mix together ¼ cup of brown sugar and 1 ½ tsp. of ground cinnamon. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the melted butter and spread it into an even layer. Gently press it into the pastry to help it stick.
Roll the pastry up starting with the edge farthest from you. You should have a small log with a swirl of cinnamon sugar inside.
With a sharp flat edged knife, trim any unevenness off of the ends of the roll. Cut the rest of the log into sections about 1” thick.
Turn each roll onto it’s side so that the swirl is face up. They will look small, but since it’s puff pastry, they’ll puff up and get bigger when they’ve baked.
Bake the cinnamon rolls for 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. The centers should look flaky and puffed.
Now it is time to make your glaze!
How to Make the Vanilla Icing
While the rolls are baking, combine the powdered sugar with the vanilla extract and milk in a small bowl.
Stir until you have a smooth glaze that runs off the spoon in thick ribbons.
Once the rolls are out of the oven, drizzle it over them.
Optional Ingredient | Adding Almonds
If you want to make your puff pastry cinnamon rolls a little bit fancy, try adding some toasted almonds!
Spread a quarter cup of almonds on the baking sheet and put them in the oven while it while it preheats to 400 F for your cinnamon rolls.
Check on them every few minutes until they’ve become aromatic and developed a slightly toasted, golden brown color.
This should take about 5 to 10 minutes, depending on how hot your oven is. You’ll also know when they are ready when they have a warm almond scent.
Sprinkle the toasted almonds on top of the cinnamon sugar layer, then roll the pastry and cut as usual.
The swirl may look a bit looser with the almonds inside. But it fill in when the cinnamon rolls have baked and puffed up.
Can You Make the Cinnamon Rolls Ahead Of Time?
As with most baked goods, puff pastry is usually best the day it’s baked.
However, you may bake homemade cinnamon runs ahead of time. Just store them unfrosted in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days.
Place them in an oven preheated to 350° degrees for a few minutes to reheat.
What Goes Well With Puff Pastry Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Cinnamon rolls are sweet, delicious confections with a spicy flair.
Although cinnamon rolls are usually served for breakfast, they’re perfectly tasty any time of the day.
Sometimes this dessert is too much to enjoy all by yourself.
Have you ever wanted to share your delicious treats with someone?
Just because these wonderful sweet buns are great for parties doesn’t mean that there isn’t a right and a wrong way to serve them.
Coffee
To get your puff pastry cinnamon rolls recipe to the next level, serve them with a side of flavored coffee or hot cocoa. You can’t go wrong with any sweet beverage, but coffee is especially complimentary to creamy, sugary foods like these. Go ahead and pour yourself a cup while you’re at it!
Milk
Best served with milk? Sounds like this is a tough decision, but it’s actually quite simple. Milk goes well with cinnamon rolls because the milk breaks down the cinnamon flavor of these rolls. Otherwise, they would be too spicy for your liking.
Fruit
Fruit can go very well alongside your puff pastry cinnamon rolls recipe! There are plenty of fruits to choose from; you can’t really mess up here. You might try serving them with sliced strawberries or blueberries, which both bring a delightful, sweet flavor to the table.
Yogurt
Yogurt is another tasty way to top your puff pastry cinnamon rolls recipe. Natural yogurt has tang, something that cinnamon rolls lack. The sweetness of the rolls is perfectly complemented by a dollop of tangy yogurt.
How to Store Leftovers
Now we all know that we might not have enough room in our tummies to eat a whole plate of these tasty rolls, but leaving leftovers will be an immediate temptation.
You want to keep them at room temperature and under a lid to preserve freshness and flavor.
These are best enjoyed within 24 hours.
However, if you must keep them longer, this is how you should store them.
When storing your puff pastry cinnamon rolls recipe for more than 24 hours, place the leftover buns in an airtight container.
The next day when you want to enjoy the leftovers again.
eat up your puff pastry cinnamon rolls in a microwave or oven until they are warm and toasty.
Is this Recipe Healthy?
This recipe is very healthy if you are looking for a low-fat dish.
A serving of these puff pastry cinnamon rolls weighs approximately 260 grams.
There are about 8 servings in each bag of frozen dinner rolls.
These homemade cinnamon rolls contain the equivalent of 5 cups of oatmeal, 12 medium apples, or 2.5 cups of nonfat milk.
These homemade cinnamon rolls are free of trans fat, cholesterol, saturated fat, and sodium.
When you get home to find your puff pastry cinnamon rolls recipe gone, don’t be sad or try to save them!
You can easily whip up more for the family.
This recipe is easy to make with just a little bit of time and effort.
When you have accomplished this simple baking feat, you will be rewarded with some pretty yummy rolls that the whole family can enjoy!
More Quick Breakfast Recipes
Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. Having a household full of kids doesn’t allow me the time (or the energy) to prep and cook an extravagant breakfast. So quick and easy are always my go-to..
For more of our favorite breakfast recipes, check out a few from the archives below —
- Savory Oatmeal Breakfast Bowl: A unique way to spice up your oameal
- Sriracha Bacon & Egg Breakfast Cupcakes: Perfect for making in advance and eating on the go when you only have 15 minutes
- Easy Baked Apples With Spiced Granola & Yogurt: A dessert for breakfast recipe, except it’s quite healthy
- Pumpkin Pie Pop Tarts: Another easy recipe that uses pre-made puff pastries.
- Chocolate Croissants: This recipe literally only requires two ingredients, puff pastry and chocolate
Puff Pastry Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Equipment
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Mixing bowl
- Knife
Ingredients
For the cinnamon rolls:
- 1 puff pastry 9"x9"
- 2 tbsp melted butter
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds optional
For the icing:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Nutrition
Notes
- Lightly flour or sprinkle your work surface with sugar or cinnamon to keep the puff pastry from sticking.
- If you purchase your puff pastry in the freezer section, make sure to thaw it overnight in the refrigerator.
Instructions
To make the cinnamon rolls:
- Preheat your oven to 400° and line a baking sheet with parchment lined paper.
- Remove your store bought puff pastry from the refrigerator. Unfold and roll the dough out on a cutting board.
- Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and spread it over the puff pastry. It may harden a bit when it is on the cold pastry, but that’s ok!
- Mix together ¼ cup of brown sugar and 1 ½ tsp. of ground cinnamon. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the melted butter and spread it into an even layer. Gently press it into the pastry to help it stick.
- Roll the pastry up, starting with the edge farthest from you. You should have a small log with a swirl of cinnamon sugar inside.
- With a sharp flat edged knife, trim any unevenness off of the ends of the roll. Cut the rest of the log into sections about 1” thick.
- Turn each roll onto it’s side so that the swirl is face up. They will look small, but since it’s puff pastry, they’ll puff up and get bigger when they’ve baked.
- Bake the cinnamon rolls for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the centers look flaky and puffed. The pastry should be golden brown.
To make the vanilla icing:
- While the rolls are baking, combine the powdered sugar with the vanilla extract and milk in a small bowl.
- Stir until you have a smooth glaze that runs off the spoon in thick ribbons.
- Once the rolls are out of the oven, drizzle the icing over them.
To add almonds (optional):
- Place the sliced almonds on a baking sheet and put them in the oven while it preheats to 400 F for your cinnamon rolls. Check them every few minutes until they’ve become aromatic and developed a slightly toasted, golden brown color. This should take about 5 to 10 minutes, depending on how hot your oven is.
- Sprinkle the toasted almonds on top of the cinnamon sugar layer, then roll the pastry and cut the log as usual. The roll may be a bit looser with the almonds inside.
Don’t forget to share your puff pastry cinnamon rolls with us on Instagram. Looking for more quick and delicious recipes? Find them all right here with a few bites to go along with them!
Very nice recipe
Mine baked SO FAST, kind of burnt after only 15 mins :( just keep an eye on them
Oh no! Because ovens vary, we made sure to notate to bake until golden brown. Sorry to hear yours baked quickly! Definitely great advice to keep an eye on them. XOXO
Usually, I never comment on blogs but your article is so convincing that I never stop myself to say something about it. You’re doing a great job Man, Keep it up.
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Puff Pastry is my middle name! But I’ve never tried Cinnamon Rolls. Thanks for the inspiration!
You’re welcome, Kim! We love that there are so many things you can make with puff pastry!
The Puff Pastry touch was genius, a huge hit at our house!
So glad to hear, Andrea!
These look so yummy! My daughter is going to love making these with me! So excited!
Thank you, Beth!
Usually I make something like this for the holidays, but this looked so good I decided it didn’t need to be a special occasion! We ate every bite, so tasty!
Definitely sooo good for any day!
My family loves cinnamon rolls so I was excited to find this recipe using puff pastry! I mean, who doesn’t love puff pastry? :) Well these were INCREDIBLE! I am sharing this recipe with everyone!
Yay! We are glad it was a hit! Using puff pastry totally cuts down on the recipe time.
These are absolutely amazing for a quick and delicious dessert! And anyone can make them. So easy!
So glad to hear! XOXO