Fluffy, decadent, and slathered in a simple brown sugar cream cheese frosting, these Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls are the perfect way to wake up.
I grew up in a family where “making cinnamon rolls” entailed cracking open a can of cinnamon rolls and popping them in the oven. Truly homemade cinnamon rolls were reserved for Christmas and birthdays, but on no other occasions.
It wasn’t until I moved to the Netherlands, where there are no canned cinnamon rolls to be found, that I learned just how easy it is to make these from scratch. While the ingredients list may seem a bit long, I promise it’s almost all stuff you already have in your pantry! Ready to get cooking?
Tips for making sweet potato cinnamon rolls
Use dental floss to slice without a mess! Check out the simple tutorial for how to slice cinnamon rolls with floss here.
Make them ahead! After you roll up and slice your cinnamon rolls, you can cover them and refrigerate them overnight, so all you have to do in the morning is bake!
How thick should you roll them out? The exact size you roll your dough out to won’t really affect how delicious your cinnamon rolls turn out. Rule of thumb: Roll your dough thinner = more surface area for brown sugar/cinnamon filling, more layers. Roll your dough thicker = more fluffy and doughy.
More cinnamon rolls you’ll love
- Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
- Special Day Cinnamon Rolls (super decadent)
- Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls
- Cranberry Orange Sweet Rolls
Ingredients
Dough
- ¾ cup milk 180 mL
- ¼ cup unsalted butter 56 g
- 1 7g package instant yeast
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ cup mashed sweet potato about 1 potato
- 2 large eggs
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour divided, 300 g
- ¼ tsp each baking soda and baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
Filling
- 2 Tbsp butter melted, 28 g
- ½ cup brown sugar 50 g
- ¼ cup white sugar 25 g
- 1 Tbsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- Pinch of salt
Icing
- ½ cup cream cheese 120 g
- ¼ cup brown sugar 25 g
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Start the dough: Set a medium/large saucepan over medium heat and add milk. Heat until steaming but not boiling. Add the butter, stir, and let the mixture cool to lukewarm. Once lukewarm, stir in yeast, sugar, cinnamon, sweet potato, and eggs. Add 2 cups of the flour, stirring to combine, then cover with a warm damp cloth. Set in a warm place to rise for 1 hour.
- Form the dough: After an hour, add remaining ½ cup of flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Transfer to a well-floured surface and knead until smooth and no longer sticky (you can add up to ½ cup more flour if needed). Roll dough out into a large, ¼ inch-thick rectangle.
- Fill: Combine all filling ingredients and sprinkle evenly over dough, leaving 1 inch on one of the long sides free.
- Roll: Starting at the long side opposite to the free border, roll the dough tightly, gently pinching to seal. Use dental floss or a sharp knife to cut the dough into 8 to 12 even segments.
- Bake: Place rolls in a well-greased baking pan, leaving some wiggle room between rolls. Let rolls rise a bit more while oven preheats to 375 degrees F (190 C). Bake 15 to 18 minutes, until tops are golden brown.
- Serve: Combine all icing ingredients and drizzle over warm rolls.
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