Cake Mix Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

Name: Cake Mix Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Prep time: 70 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 95 min
Ingredients: 1 box white or yellow cake mix; 2 packages active dry yeast; 2½ cups warm water; 1 teaspoon vanilla; 1 teaspoon salt; 5 cups flour; 2 cups brown sugar; cinnamon; ½ cup butter (softened); 1 can cream cheese frosting

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Our Cake Mix Cinnamon Rolls are my new go to cinnamon roll recipe. They are foolproof and delicious, and the bread has a hint of sweetness to it, from the cake mix. You are going to love how easy and delicious these cinnamon rolls are.

I am ashamed to admit that I have never attempted to make homemade cinnamon rolls. I don’t know what it is about “rolls” in general, but I tend to get a little hesitant to make them.

I always worry that they won’t rise or something will go terribly wrong. I gave this recipe a whirl and my whole family loved them, including my Mom and sisters who stopped by for a visit.

Maybe it is the little hint of sweetness the cake mix gives? Or that they are smothered in cream cheese frosting? I don’t know, but I know that I can’t wait to make them again.

Make them tonight and eat them for breakfast. Trust me, your family will thank you.

why isn’t my dough rising?

If your dough is having a hard time rising, it may be from the temperature of water you used, when you were adding it to the yeast.

Yeast is a difficult ingredient, because if the water is too hot, it could easily burn and kill your yeast. Just make sure it is a little warmer than Luke warm, but you do not want your water to be hot.

how to make homemade cream cheese frosting:

I love cream cheese frosting on cinnamon rolls. It adds the perfect amount of sweet and tangy to the bread.

We have a lot of cream cheese frosting recipes on our site, but my favorite to go with cinnamon rolls, is our frosting we put on our Pumpkin Cupcakes.

Click, HERE, for the recipe.

what could I serve with my cinnamon rolls?

Cinnamon rolls can be a snack, breakfast, dessert, or even a side dish if you are doing breakfast for dinner.

Here is what I like to serve each one with:

As a snack, I love to serve it with a giant glass of milk.
When serving this for breakfast, I usually serve mine with some fruit. I love our Winter Fruit Salad. It goes so perfectly with this recipe.
If you are serving these S’mores Cinnamon Rolls as a dessert, I would highly recommend making our White Hot Chocolate to serve with it. I love dipping my cinnamon roll in hot cocoa.
If you are having breakfast for dinner, and making these cinnamon rolls a side dish, I highly recommend making our Bacon and Egg Breakfast Casserole, for your main dish.

The best homemade cinnamon roll recipe

If you want to try an easy cinnamon roll recipe from scratch, try our BEST Homemade Cinnamon Rolls! Get the recipe HERE!

watch how to make another one of our favorite breakfasts:

Did you know we have a Youtube Channel? We have hundreds of simple and delicious recipes, your family is going to love.

We take you through each recipe, step by step, and show you exactly how to make it.

Watch how to make our other favorite breakfast dish, Nutella Stuffed Pancakes, here:

Looking for more cinnamon roll recipes? Here are a few of our favoriteS:

Be sure to not miss another recipe!
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Questions & Reviews

Jessica@AKitchenAddiction says:

Ooo, I need to try these! Especially smothered in cream cheese frosting!
monsterscircus says:

Yummy recepie!! It's bookmarked :-) wow that nail art are amazing, really fancy, Thanks for the tip, and have a great weekend :-)
Mickeedee says:

Oh my!! I think I will be making these this weekend!! They look amazing and super easy!!
Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust says:

WOW! Those are absolutely gorgeous. I must try them!
Megan says:

These are amazing! My hubby;s favorite cake mix is the funfetti cake mix and these would be fun to make that flavor. My husband will be a lucky man when I make these!
Averie (Love Veggies and Yoga) says:

I've had my eye on Christi's recipe for ages and you made me crave these babies even more! averiecooks.com
Betsy Eves - JavaCupcake.com says:

Serious amounts of YUM!
Heath and Jessica says:

I am with you in that I am scared to make rolls for fear they won't turn out. I am going to try these!
Jocelyn says:

I love that these start from a cake mix...easy and delicious!!! Going on my list to bake:-)
Wynter says:

Did you use a white or a yellow cake mix?
The Daily Smash says:

Looks so good what a great idea do you think that it would work to cut in half and just do one 9x13 pan.. There is only 4 in my little family we dont need 2 whole pans lol
Christi @ Love From The Oven says:

These are great in chocolate as well... http://www.lovefromtheoven.com/2012/05/08/chocolate-cinnamon-rolls-using-chocolate-cake-mix/
Erin says:

Genius! I can't wait to make these. They look heavenly!
Six Sisters says:

I think that is a great idea! :) That would have saved me a lot of extra calories. Hope you like them!
Six Sisters says:

I used a white cake mix. Thanks!
ipinnedit says:

I whipped up a batch of these with my sister! The entire family LOVED them. I even blogged about them! Thanks for sharing.
DM says:

Do you proof the yeast and let it sit or just mix directly with everything else? Can't wait to try!
Demi Kellman Schorr says:

Do u use eggs? Do u follow cake mix instructions first please advise
Six Sisters says:

Hi Demi,

I don't use eggs. Also, don't follow the cake mix instructions. Just use the dry cake mix. Thanks!
Debra Kapellakis says:

I make my cakes and cinnamon rolls from scratch. I am going to try these with my white cake that I make. How fun. :)
Six Sisters says:

Hi,

You proof the yeast first. The directions should explain it! Thanks!
Bina says:

What a great idea! I'm definitely going to make these! Our families favorite cake is spice cake so I'll try using that as well. I'm getting hungry just thinking about them :-)
Bina says:

What a great idea! I'm definitely going to make these! Our families favorite cake is spice cake so I'll try using that as well. I'm getting hungry just thinking about them :-)
Jane says:

How about packing the extra rolls in pretty containers and share them with a neighbor, mailman, a friend....the list is endless. The recipient will be pleased and you will feel great for sharing a little kindness.
The Reader says:

I have one box of white cake mix that has been sitting around forever! Can't wait to try it out in this! I pinned it, too: http://pinterest.com/pin/152911349819254215/
erflower says:

what is the amount for the yeast, i have a jar?
Marie says:

I believe it's 2 1/4 teaspoons.
anissachikowski says:

Could you freeze some of the rolls before baking for another morning?
Six Sisters says:

Hi!

I have never tried freezing them, but I am sure you could freeze the dough and thaw it out before baking. Let us know if you try it!
Amber says:

This comment has been removed by the author.
Jill Parrott says:

These look great! I'm going to try them for a family Christmas get together this weekend. Do you use plain flour or self rising?
Six Sisters says:

Just your regular all purpose flour!
Dayna says:

These are really amazing!! I have NEVER made anything with yeast turn-out good. But these totally rock! And I love that they are egg-free (my son has a rare disease EoE and is allergic to many things - eggs being one of them). Love it! THANKS!!!
Sarah says:

IS it OK to prepare the dough the night before and then cook it in the morning? Recipe sounds great, but not sure I have 3 hours to dedicate to making breakfast in the morning. What are your suggestions? Thanks!
Six Sisters says:

I haven't tried preparing the night before so I am not sure how it would work. You may be able to store the dough in the fridge covered with plastic wrap. I have also made them the night before and stored them on my counter in an airtight container and they are still fresh and delicious by morning!
The Jensen Family says:

I am wondering have you ever had to add flour to mixture because it was too sticky?
Six Sisters says:

I just add the 5 cups of flour listed in the ingredients, but if it is still too sticky you can definitely add more! It can vary a lot depending on humidity, altitude, etc.
Susan Crayne says:

I made these for Christmas and they were incredibly good! The dough was really sticky and a bit difficult to work with so I only made 12 and then I froze the other roll of dough for another time. I baked them this morning and they turned out okay, but not as great as the fresh made. I didn't let them thaw complete because a) I didn't want to deal with the sticky dough again, and b) because all the filling started running out. So I thaw them just enough to get a knife through them and then baked them for 30 minutes or so. They are a little crunchier as the filling was leaking out and baking up crisp, but again still edible.
Kendra says:

When making cinnamon rolls with cake mix, does the cake mix mean just the dry? Or the whole cake mix...eggs, oil and dry?? I'm confused =\
Cyd says:

Just add the cake mix in dry. Hope this helps. :)
Stacey says:

EXCELLENT!!!! The cake mix gives it the perfect flavor and texture!!! I have been trying cinnamon bun recipes for a while they are never quit right but these are TERRIFIC!!!!! Thank you so much for posting!!!!!!!!!!!
Leah says:

I'm new to baking. So this may be a dumb question..do I prepare the cake mix as i would the cake. Adding the ingredients required on the box? Or am I just using the dry cake mix?
Cyd says:

Just add in the dry cake mix. Don't make it according to the box directions. :)
Liz says:

how much cinnamon do you use for the filling?
Cyd says:

It says use as little or as much as you like. I just sprinkled it over the top. Not too thick though because I didn't' want it to overpower the recipe.
Teri says:

I have been making these for 30+ years. Started making them in high school for family & friends. I have used both the white & yellow cake mixes and they are equally good. The best one to use, however, is FRENCH VANILLA!!
Shanda says:

This sounds amazing! I will have to experiment with a gluten free cake mix.
Maureen V says:

I have been looking for this recipe for ever!! My mom had it and lost it many years ago. Can not WAIT to try these again. If its anything like my old recipe, they are amazing!!
Mavis says:

I have made these a number of times and everyone says they are the best rolls. Have given the recipe away to many ladies who have asked for it. I also make a carmel sauce and put it in the bottom of the pan before I let them rise. It is just l cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup marg. or butter and 4 Tbsp water-- Boil for l minute on stove and pour into pan. Rolls on top and rise and bake. Very good
Sarah says:

Oh my do those sound delicious! Can you freeze them?
LoAnne Nemeth says:

Thank you for letting us know how much flour because I seen the flour in the directions but not the amount or that you use it in the ingredient list. I looked a number of times because I could not figure out how you would be able to roll out the dough.
Kristina says:

This is a yeast dough so the only difference between it and traditional cinnamon rolls would be the flavor you get from the cake mix. Everything else is pretty much the same, although there's no added oil or shortening to the dough itself. I guess there's bit of that in the cake mix? Just the addition of vanilla sounds interesting. I may add some next time I make cinnamon rolls. Anyway, if you can make these, you'd probably do just as well with the old-fashioned ones. But if you like the extra pop of flavor from the cake mix, you don't need to even try. You've proven your cinnamon roll expertise.
Cyd says:

They should freeze fine. They don't last that long at our house! :)
Lamar says:

One of my favorites? We have tried many variations with flavors i.e. chocolate fudge cake mix or my favorite, white cake mix with a teaspoon of orange extract and then put semi sweet chocolate chips in when adding the brown sugar and butter. The chips make it sweet enough no icing required! Sounds like the basic recipe is good and you can use your imagination!
Barb says:

What part does the 5 cups of flour play in this recipe?
Shhirley Rosser says:

I just made these cinnamon rolls and ate two already. I've made this recipe several times and they always turn out great! Thank you for the recipe! They are going to my son's college buddies IFthere's any left! Hehe!
Kim says:

These look delish, but unfortunately I CAN mess them up. I have horrible luck with Cinnamon rolls. After an hour they hardly rose. I covered with seran wrap and a towel. Maybe that isn't tight enough of a cover? I put a cover on it and I'm leaving it be longer. Keeping my fingers crossed.
Mercedes says:

How did the FunFetti ones turn out?
Sarah says:

I also had this problem, but I realized the water I used was TOO hot and I killed the yeast so they didn't rise....
janet says:

I'm hoping these will be light in texture. Didn't see any comments to help me out with that hope? Also, since I do not care for anything from a bakery as it has a 'bakery taste'. Will someone answer that concern for me? Thank you.
Jaclyn Sinkewicz says:

I made these a few weeks ago. Before rolling out dough to add filling I split the dough and froze half. (I plastic wrapped it then zip locked it). Then completed the first 1/2 of the batch. I honestly didn’t really like the first batch. I thought the cake mix leaveners gave it an odd consistency. Flavor was good and I found them to be dry. (I made scratch whipped cream cheese buttercream) I also took some of the frosting and covered them as soon as they came out of the oven. Still dry and seemingly flat flavor compared to other recipes I’ve tried. The second half of the dough I made this week. I added vanilla to the softened butter, and a pinch of salt to the filling, I made a full filling mix for the 1/2 batch, I used 90% of it inside. Then I spread a coat of extra topping on the bottom of my buttered pan and sides. Rolled my dough up (more difficult with the extra dry filling, but doable) sliced and panned. I warmed the oven letting them rise a bit in the warm kitchen air. Then I poured 1/2 and 1/2 over the tops of the buns seeping down into the folds.. out of the oven I covered in foil, 15-20min the. When cooler flipped the whole tray. Okey gooey beautiful tasty moist tight bakery rolls.. The second batch was increadable! After the first batch I didn’t think I would ever make this recipe again(it was good but not make again yum, the second back is heavenly.. I’m gonna make the dough and portion and freeze a few batches so I can do the final steps whenever for a amazingly easy wow factor! It only took a few hours to thaw on the counter. 1/2 batch dough I made 8 slices, makes a 9x13 full, and the size is about 3”highx3-4” around once baked.
Audrey says:

Is there a way to cut this recipe in half without having to measure half the cake mix...i really only need a dozen rolls ?
Joy says:

I.have made these and cook them 5 minutes less than the recipe calls for. Then let cool and froze. and then brought them out and put them in the oven just to heat and iced the that morning. Works wonderfully.
Cyd says:

Hi Joy. Good to know that your oven lets you cook these Cake Mix Cinnamon Rolls for 5 minutes less. Every oven is slightly different. This is helpful for others to know. Thank you!