Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls

Giant fluffy cinnamon rolls with the added flavor of creamy eggnog, these bakery-style rolls bring a unique twist to the traditional cinnamon roll.

If you prefer traditional cinnamon rolls, our Extra Large Cinnamon Rolls are a fan favorite, and if you don’t need a whole batch, our made-from-scratch Air Fryer Cinnamon Rolls make a perfect tiny batch.

A favorite tradition in my house is waking up Christmas morning, popping fresh cinnamon rolls in the oven, then eat the warm, gooey rolls while sitting around the tree, drinking coffee and opening gifts.

These soft and squishy eggnog cinnamon rolls bring a fun and unique twist to the traditional variety.

The eggnog in the dough makes them super soft and fluffy and adds a slight vanilla flavor, while the blend of brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves used for the filling gives them that familiar spicy eggnog flavor. If you don’t love the flavor of nutmeg or cloves, you can simply use cinnamon.

This recipe makes eight large bakery-style rolls and comes together with little effort using a stand mixer.

For fresh cinnamon rolls in the morning, I like to make my rolls a week or so ahead when I have more time, and freeze them before the second rise. Then I pull them out of the freezer the night before to allow them to rise overnight and pop them in the oven in the morning.

You can also make them the night before and leave them in the refrigerator overnight for the second rise, baking them in the morning.

They make a great start to the morning, but they are also a nice addition to the breakfast table with other favorites such as crispy air-fried bacon and naan breakfast pizzas.

If you have leftover eggnog you can use it to add to the breakfast with some tasty Eggnog Pancakes, or try some creamy Eggnog Espresso Martinis or a light and fluffy Eggnog Dip.

Ingredients & Substitutions

Eggnog – This recipe uses eggnog as its liquid ingredient.  The rich, creamy eggnog adds a unique flavour to the dough. The high fat content in the eggnog produces a super soft and fluffy dough. I recommend using full-fat eggnog for this recipe for the best results. A small amount of eggnog is also used in the cream cheese icing.

Yeast – You will need traditional, active dry yeast for this recipe.  Instant yeast may be used instead and will produce great results.  But as they rise quicker, watch during the proofing stage to ensure they don’t over-proof.

Butter – This recipe uses butter in the dough, the filling, and the frosting.  We use salted butter, but unsalted can be used if you prefer.   The butter in the dough adds additional fat, helping to produce super soft and fluffy dough, while the butter in the filling melds with the brown sugar and cinnamon to provide that gooey cinnamon roll texture.

All-purpose flour – This recipe uses all-purpose flour, but bread flour can be used with great results.  Whole wheat flour may be substituted, but you will likely need to add more liquid, and the rise may take longer.

Brown sugar – Brown sugar creates a sweet, decadent filling.  We like dark brown sugar for its rich flavor, but you can use light brown sugar if that’s what you have.

Spices – Like all cinnamon roll recipes, the filling for this one has a good amount of cinnamon, but to give that Christmassy eggnog flavor it also has ground nutmeg and a small number of ground cloves. If you don’t like nutmeg or cloves or want to stick with traditional cinnamon roll flavors, you can just use ground cinnamon.

You will also need:

• Granulated sugar
• Cream cheese
• Salt

Pro-Tip: For the best results, we highly recommend weighing your ingredients. A kitchen scale with a tare feature will make the process quick and easy.

Overnight Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls

This recipe can be made the night before to be baked in the morning.

Follow the steps through to the second rise, then cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight.

Remove the dish of cinnamon rolls from the refrigerator about thirty minutes before putting them in the oven, then bake as usual.

How to Freeze Unbaked Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon rolls can easily be frozen before they are baked. This little trick allows you to make a batch of rolls when you have the time to mix and wait through the first rise, then you fill them, and cut them and put them in the freezer before the second rise.

When you want fresh cinnamon rolls you simply need to pull them out of the freezer, let them rise, then bake.

This is a great method when you want fresh cinnamon rolls in the morning, but don’t want to get up at the crack of dawn to make them.

If the dish you will be baking them in is freezer-safe, you can freeze them right in the dish. Just cover it with plastic wrap or tinfoil.

If you want to freeze them individually to bake a few at a time, place the rolls on a parchment-lined baking sheet and stick them in the freezer for a few hours. Once they feel solid, remove them from the freezer and move to an airtight container, or wrap them individually in plastic wrap.

To bake frozen cinnamon rolls, I suggest removing them from the freezer the night before and letting them rise on the counter overnight.

In the morning, set the oven and bake as usual.

Storing Cinnamon Rolls

Unfrosted cinnamon rolls can be stored covered at room temperature for about three days.

If the rolls are frosted, they should be stored in the refrigerator due to the milk products in the icing.

Cinnamon rolls can also be frozen in an airtight container for several months.