Red Velvet Cinnamon Rolls

Soft, fluffy red velvet cinnamon rolls made from scratch with rich cocoa flavor and sweet and tangy cream cheese frosting. These beautiful cinnamon rolls are an especially festive treat for Christmas and Valentine's Day, but are perfect for any time of year!

You just can't beat fluffy homemade cinnamon rolls slathered in sweet frosting for breakfast or dessert. Cinnamon rolls are a must-have every year for Christmas breakfast in our home and these red velvet rolls are a family favorite.

For more tasty breakfast recipes, check out our Homemade Biscuits and Sausage Gravy and Creamy Southern Cheese Grits recipes next!

Ingredients You Need To Make This Recipe

Cinnamon Rolls

• Whole milk. To make the cinnamon roll dough. Warm your milk in a microwave-safe bowl or measuring cup until it reaches 110°F. The milk should feel warm enough for a baby to bathe in and not scalding.
• Active dry yeast. Make sure your yeast is not old.
• Granulated sugar. To activate the yeast and slightly sweeten the rolls.
• Bread flour. The extra protein content in bread flour makes these cinnamon rolls extra soft and fluffy. I love Bob's Red Mill Artisan Bread Flour.
• Dutch-processed cocoa powder. I used Hershey's Special Dark. Regular unsweetened cocoa powder also works but I highly recommend Dutch-processed for a deeper color and a rich, less bitter flavor.
• Salt. To enhance the flavors of the other ingredients.
• Melted unsalted butter. To add flavor and fat to the dough.
• Large eggs. To bind the ingredients.
• Red food coloring. To give the cinnamon rolls a deep red color. I used liquid but gel also works. Start with 2-3 drops if using gel.
• Vanilla extract. For added flavor and depth. Use good-quality vanilla.

Filling

• Softened unsalted butter. To slather on the cinnamon roll dough before adding the cinnamon and sugar.
• Dark brown sugar. To create a sweet, rich filling. Light brown sugar also works.
• Ground cinnamon. To create the cinnamon filling.
• Salt. To enhance the flavors of the other ingredients.

Cream Cheese Frosting

• Cream cheese. To make the cream cheese frosting.
• Softened unsalted butter. For a rich, creamy frosting.
• Powdered sugar. For texture and sweetness.
• Heavy cream. To give the frosting the perfect consistency.
• Vanilla extract. For added flavor.

How To Make This Recipe

1. Add the warm milk, yeast, and one tablespoon of sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer.
   Use a small whisk to gently mix the ingredients together. Allow the mixture to sit for about 10 minutes until the yeast bubbles up and becomes foamy.
2. In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. Once the yeast is foamy, add the melted butter, sugar, eggs, food coloring, and vanilla extract to the bowl with the yeast. Fit the stand mixer with the paddle attachment and mix the ingredients on medium for about 1-2 minutes until combined.
4. Add the flour mixture to the stand mixer bowl in two batches and mix on medium until a shaggy dough forms. Replace the paddle attachment with the dough hook and knead the dough for about 7-8 minutes until smooth and elastic. The dough will be slightly tacky.
5. Shape the dough into a ball, drizzle olive oil around the stand mixer bowl, and place the dough ball back into the bowl. Turn the dough over in the bowl so all sides get coated in oil. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap then place a tea towel on top. Allow the dough to rise for at least an hour in a warm place until it has doubled in size. This could take up to an hour and a half or more depending on the temperature in your home.
6. Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set it aside. Beat the softened butter in a small bowl until light and creamy, about 1-2 minutes, and set it aside. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt and set it aside.
7. Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down with your fist and turn it out onto a generously floured surface. Roll the dough out into a 12 x 16-inch rectangle with a floured rolling pin.
8. Spread the butter over the dough all the way to the edge. Sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture over the butter and use your hands to pat it into the butter. Starting with the long edge of the rectangle, gently roll the dough into a tight log, finishing with the seam on the bottom.
9. Use a butter knife to score the top of the dough into 12 sections to make cutting easier. If the ends aren't as full as the rest of the log, you can cut them off and discard them. Use a sharp knife or unflavored dental floss to cut the log into 12 rolls.
10. Place the cinnamon rolls in the prepared baking dish, leaving a little room in between each one, and allow them to rise in a warm spot for an hour until about doubled in size.
11. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Once the cinnamon rolls have risen, bake them in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes until golden brown on top.
12. While the cinnamon rolls are baking, place the cream cheese and butter in a medium mixing bowl and mix with a handheld electric mixer until smooth and creamy, about one minute. Add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Add the heavy cream and vanilla and mix until combined. Slather the frosting all over the warm cinnamon rolls and enjoy!

Variations and Substitutions

• If you do not have bread flour, all-purpose flour works great as well.
• 2% or buttermilk can be substituted for whole milk. I have not tried almond milk or any other plant-based milk, but I have seen several recipes that use almond milk so feel free to give it a try!
• Regular unsweetened cocoa powder can be used instead of Dutch-processed cocoa but keep in mind it is a little more bitter and lighter in color. You will probably need less food coloring.

FAQs

Tips for The Best Cinnamon Rolls

• Measure your flour properly! Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off with a knife. Adding too much flour to the dough will cause your cinnamon rolls to turn out dense and dry.
• Do not kill the yeast. Do not heat the milk past 115°F. Doing so could kill the yeast and prevent it from helping the dough rise.
• Use room temperature ingredients. This helps everything mix together properly and prevents any seizing or separating of ingredients.
• Allow the dough to rise in a warm spot. A sunny window works perfectly on a warm day. If it is cold out, turn your oven to 200°F for a few minutes to warm it up then turn the oven off. Allow the dough to rise inside the warm oven.
• Slice your cinnamon rolls with floss. Slide a piece of unflavored floss underneath the cinnamon roll log and loop it over the top, pulling each end until it slices through the log.

Make-ahead and Storing Instructions

Cut the cinnamon rolls and allow them to rise for the second time overnight in the refrigerator. Allow them to come to room temperature and bake them the following morning for the perfect make-ahead breakfast

Leftover cinnamon rolls can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days and in the refrigerator for up to a week. These cinnamon rolls can also be frozen and stored in a zip-top freezer bag for up to three months.

Red velvet cinnamon roll dough also freezes well. Roll and slice the rolls then place the dough in freezer bags and freeze for up to 6 months.

Recommended Tools for This Recipe

• Mixing bowls
• Measuring cups and spoons
• 9 x 13 baking dish
• Electric handheld mixer
• Rolling pin
• Icing spatula

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Red Velvet Cinnamon Rolls

Ashley

Soft, fluffy red velvet cinnamon rolls made from scratch with rich cocoa flavor and sweet and tangy cream cheese frosting. These beautiful cinnamon rolls are an especially festive treat for Christmas and Valentine's Day, but are perfect for any time of year!

5 from 3 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Rise Time 2 hrs

Total Time 2 hrs 45 mins

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine American

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Servings 12 servings

Calories 544 kcal

Equipment

• ▢
  Stand mixer
• ▢
  Mixing bowls
• ▢
  Measuring cups and spoons
• ▢
  Rolling Pin
• ▢
  9 x 13 baking dish
• ▢
  Icing spatula

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 cup whole milk warmed to 110°F
• ▢ 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast 1 packet
• ▢ ½ cup granulated sugar divided
• ▢ 4 ¼ cups bread flour
• ▢ ¼ cup unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder sifted
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ cup unsalted butter melted
• ▢ 2 large eggs room temperature
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ ½ cup unsalted butter softened
• ▢ 1 ¼ cups dark brown sugar or light brown sugar, packed
• ▢ 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• ▢ ¼ tespoon salt
• ▢ 4 ounces cream cheese softened
• ▢ 1 ½ ups powdered sugar
• ▢ 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
• ▢ ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

 

• Add the warm milk, yeast, and one tablespoon of sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer.
• Use a small whisk to gently mix the ingredients together. Allow the mixture to sit for about 10 minutes until the yeast bubbles up and becomes foamy.
• In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Set aside.
• Once the yeast is foamy, add the melted butter, sugar, eggs, food coloring, and vanilla extract to the bowl with the yeast. Fit the stand mixer with the paddle attachment and mix the ingredients on medium for about 1-2 minutes until combined.
• Add the flour mixture to the stand mixer bowl in two batches and mix on medium until a shaggy dough forms. Replace the paddle attachment with the dough hook and knead the dough for about 7-8 minutes until smooth and elastic. The dough will be slightly tacky.
• Shape the dough into a ball, drizzle olive oil around the stand mixer bowl, and place the dough ball back into the bowl. Turn the dough over in the bowl so all sides get coated in oil. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap then place a tea towel on top. Allow the dough to rise for at least an hour in a warm place until it has doubled in size. This could take up to an hour and a half or more depending on the temperature in your home.
• Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set it aside. Beat the softened butter in a small bowl until light and creamy, about 1-2 minutes, and set it aside. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt and set it aside.
• Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down with your fist and turn it out onto a generously floured surface. Roll the dough out into a 12 x 16-inch rectangle with a floured rolling pin.
• Spread the butter over the dough all the way to the edge. Sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture over the butter and use your hands to pat it into the butter. Starting with the long edge of the rectangle, gently roll the dough into a tight log, finishing with the seam on the bottom.
• Use a butter knife to score the top of the dough into 12 sections to make cutting easier. If the ends aren't as full as the rest of the log, you can cut them off and discard them. Use a sharp knife or unflavored dental floss to cut the log into 12 rolls.
• Place the cinnamon rolls in the prepared baking dish, leaving a little room in between each one, and allow them to rise in a warm spot for an hour until about doubled in size.
• Preheat your oven to 350°F. Once the cinnamon rolls have risen, bake them in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes until golden brown on top.
• While the cinnamon rolls are baking, place the cream cheese and butter in a medium mixing bowl and mix with a handheld electric mixer until smooth and creamy, about one minute. Add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Add the heavy cream and vanilla and mix until combined. Slather the frosting all over the warm cinnamon rolls and enjoy!

Notes

• Measure your flour properly! Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off with a knife. Adding too much flour to the dough will cause your cinnamon rolls to turn out dense and dry.
• Do not kill the yeast. Do not heat the milk past 115°F. Doing so could kill the yeast and prevent it from helping the dough rise.
• Slice your cinnamon rolls with floss. Slide a piece of unflavored floss underneath the cinnamon roll log and loop it over the top, pulling each end until it slices through the log.
• Leftover cinnamon rolls can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days and in the refrigerator for up to a week. These cinnamon rolls can also be frozen and stored in a zip-top freezer bag for up to three months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cinnamon rollCalories: 544kcalCarbohydrates: 75.4gProtein: 7.7gFat: 24.6gSaturated Fat: 15.1gCholesterol: 91mgSodium: 249mgPotassium: 189mgFiber: 2.5gSugar: 39.1gCalcium: 73mgIron: 3mg

Keyword cinnamon rolls, homemade cinnamon rolls, red velvet cinnamon rolls

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