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Cinnamon Rolls with Orange Cream Cheese Glaze

Published on
October 8, 2026
Fresh cinnamon rolls

Buttermilk keeps these rolls tender, and a glaze of orange and cream cheese makes a bright change from plain icing. They're a good weekend bake, with two rises of about an hour each.

Ingredients

For the dough

  • ¼ cup warm water
  • 2¼ teaspoons yeast
  • 1 tablespoon sugar, plus ½ cup
  • 1¼ cups buttermilk
  • ½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted and still warm
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3 to 4 cups flour, sifted

For the filling

  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1½ tablespoons ground cinnamon
  • ¼ cup butter, melted

For the glaze

  • ¼ cup butter, melted
  • 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup powdered sugar, or more
  • ⅓ cup orange juice, or more
  • 1 packed tablespoon orange zest

Instructions

  1. Stir the warm water, yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar together in a small bowl and leave it until foamy.
  2. In a large bowl, mix the ½ cup sugar and the buttermilk with the warm melted butter. Add the yeast mixture, eggs, vanilla, salt and baking powder and mix well.
  3. Add the flour a little at a time until you have a soft dough. It should stay fairly sticky, which keeps the rolls moist, but it should pull away from the sides of the bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise for 1 hour.
  4. Turn the dough out onto a floured counter and press it with your hands into a rectangle about ¼ inch thick. You don't need a rolling pin.
  5. Brush the dough with the ¼ cup melted butter for the filling, then scatter the brown sugar and cinnamon over it. Starting from the edge nearest you, roll it up snugly.
  6. Slice into 1½-inch rolls with a sharp knife or a length of dental floss. Arrange them in greased baking pans, cover and let rise for 1 hour more.
  7. Heat the oven to 350°F. Bake the rolls for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden.
  8. While they bake, whisk the glaze ingredients together, adding more powdered sugar or juice until it pours the way you like. Spoon it generously over the rolls as soon as they come out of the oven and serve warm.

Adapted from Meredith Leigh.