Soft homemade yeast dough filled with brown sugar and cinnamon and baked in the air fryer. This easy cinnamon rolls recipe makes a perfect small batch and they bake up in only 8 minutes!
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There is absolutely nothing better than the aroma of freshly baked cinnamon rolls.
Usually this treat is reserved for Christmas morning and I make a large batch of extra large rolls that rise overnight.
But I wanted to find a way to make a small batch so we could have them without waiting an entire year.
Most of the air fryer cinnamon roll recipes I’ve found call for refrigerated dough or biscuits. But I wanted homemade, from scratch rolls. So I played with my regular recipe to scale it down for the air fryer.
The result is 6 mini rolls. A perfect small batch that tastes just as good as the ones we normally wait all night for.
Why We Love This Recipe
Simple ingredients – You don’t need any fancy ingredients to make these rolls. You probably already have everything you need in the pantry.
Easy – Even if you’ve never made yeast breads before, these rolls are easy to make.
Quick – This recipe uses rapid rise (instant yeast). The rise time in total will be about an hour, depending on how warm your house is. The bake time is only 8 minutes!
Small batch – This is a nice, small batch. You don’t need to worry about storing leftovers for days.
Ingredients
For a full list of ingredients and measurements, see the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Flour – Just regular all-purpose flour will do. You can use bread flour if you like as well.
Instant yeast – I used instant, or rapid rise, yeast for this recipe. You can replace that with traditional yeast if you like, however it will increase the rise time slightly.
Step by Step Instructions
Make the dough
One – Mix all of the ingredients for the dough in a medium-sized bowl until it comes together in a shaggy ball. Turn it out onto the counter and knead it a few times until it is a smooth ball,
Two – Place the dough ball in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and allow to rise in a warm place 40 minutes until slightly risen.
Make the rolls
In a small bowl, mix the ingredients for the filling until you have a buttery paste.
Three – Turn the risen dough out onto a floured counter or pastry mat. Gently roll it out to an 8×8 square. Spread the cinnamon mixture over the dough leaving about 1 inch at the top end.
Four – Roll the dough up starting from the side closest to you then cut into 6 equal portions.
Bake
Five – Place the rolls in a 7 inch springform pan leaving approximately an inch of space around them. Cover and let rise 20 minutes.
Six – Uncover the rolls, place the pan in the air fryer basket. Set the temperature to 320°F and set the timer for 8 minutes. After 8 minutes the rolls should be puffed up and golden brown.
Remove the pan from the air fryer, let the rolls cool for about 5 minutes, then drizzle with icing and serve.
FAQS
If you have any leftovers, these cinnamon rolls will keep for about 2 days in an airtight container. You can refresh them before eating by popping them back in the air fryer for a few minutes or about 20 seconds in the microwave.
You can freeze these cinnamon rolls if you like. However I recommend freezing these without the icing and ice them just before serving.
Yes, you can use any pan that will fit in your air fryer. Or you can line the bottom of your basket with parchment paper and cook them directly in the basket.
More Easy Air Fryer Treats
Printable Recipe
Air Fryer Cinnamon Rolls (from scratch)
Equipment
- 7 Inch Non-stick Springform Pan
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 Cup all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsps granulated sugar
- 1 package (2 ¼ tsp) instant yeast
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 Tbsps butter melted
- ⅓ Cup milk warmed to 115°F
For the Filling
- 2 Tbsps butter softened
- 3 Tbsps brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the icing
- ⅓ Cup powdered sugar
- 2 tsps milk or cream
Instructions
- Mix all of the ingredients for the dough in a medium size bowl until it comes together in a shaggy ball. Turn it out onto the counter and knead it a few times until it is a smooth ball,
- Place the dough ball in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and allow to rise in a warm place 40 minutes until slightly risen.
- While the dough is rising, combine the filling ingredients in a small bowl and stir until well mixed.
- Turn the risen dough out onto a floured counter or pastry mat. Gently roll it out to an 8×8 square. Spread the cinnamon mixture over the dough leaving about 1 inch at the top end.
- Roll the dough up starting from the side closest to you then cut into 6 equal portions.
- Place the rolls in a 7 inch springform pan leaving approximately an inch of space around them. Cover and let rise 20 minutes.
- Uncover the rolls, place the pan in the air fryer basket. Set the temperature to 320°F and set the timer for 8 minutes. After 8 minutes the rolls should be puffed up and golden brown.
- While the rolls are cooking you can make the icing. Mix the powdered sugar and milk in a small bowl until you have a smooth icing. You can add more milk if you prefer it thinner.
- Remove the pan from the air fryer, let the rolls cool for about 5 minutes, then drizzle with icing and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.