Carrot Cake Cinnamon Rolls

These carrot cake cinnamon rolls have a super carrot-filled dough full of cinnamon carrot filling. They are topped with a cream cheese icing. Some honey in the dough and on top helps sweeten them. They are the perfect breakfast for Easter morning or any spring celebration.

This post is sponsored by Wholesome and all thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Stephanie’s Sweet Treats possible!

I have been compensated by Wholesome Sweeteners, Inc., maker of, Wholesome™ sweeteners for my participation in this campaign

These carrot cake cinnamon rolls have the spices and flavors of carrot cake combined with the gooey textures of homemade cinnamon rolls. They can even be prepared the night before so you can enjoy your morning with your family the next day! Any morning that starts with these rolls is certain to be a great day!

These cinnamon rolls are made using Wholesome Organic Fair Trade Raw and Unfiltered Honey. Wholesome has high quality honey and other sweeteners that I feel good about using in my bakes. It is Fair Trade certified and the Fair Trade premiums go directly to the beekeeping community that harvest the honey!

For other cinnamon roll recipes try, Red Velvet Cinnamon Rolls, Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls, and Apple Cinnamon Rolls.

Jump to:

• Why This Recipe Works
• Ingredient Notes
• Step By Step Instructions: Dough
• Step By Step Instructions: Carrot Cinnamon Filling and Bake
• Icing the Rolls
• Overnight Rolls
• FAQ
• Storing and Freezing
• 📖 Recipe

Why This Recipe Works

• Carrot cake flavor- Carrot cake is a favorite cake flavor for a reason, and this carrot cake cinnamon rolls recipe delivers! They make for a perfect Easter brunch.
• Perfect texture- These cinnamon rolls have the most perfect fluffy texture!
• Prep in advance- You can use the overnight option so these carrot cake rolls are ready for your special morning and you don't have to spend your morning making them!

Ingredient Notes

Here are some notes on the ingredients. For a full list of ingredients, check out the recipe card below.

• Wholesome organic fair trade raw unfiltered honey- This is a raw and unfiltered honey which means it retains most of its naturally occurring pollen.
• Unsalted butter- Pull the butter out 2 hours before using so it is softened.
• Milk- Use any milk and warm it to 110F. If too hot, it will kill the yeast, if too cool then it will dramatically slow the yeast down.
• Active dry yeast- I used 1 packet of yeast.
• Eggs- Pull the large eggs out 2 hours before baking. They also need to be lightly beaten before adding to the flour.
• Brown sugar- I used Wholesome Organic Fair Trade Light Brown Sugar.
• Powdered sugar- I used Wholesome Organic Fair Trade Powdered Confectioners Sugar. Make sure this is sifted to ensure a smooth icing.
• Cream cheese- Pull this out 2 hours before baking to get to room temperature.
• Carrots- Pre-shredded carrots come coarse grated and dry out quickly at the store. I do not recommend using store shredded carrots.

Step By Step Instructions: Dough

Here is how to make and this carrot cake cinnamon roll dough.

The dough is made with a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. If you don't have an electric mixer with dough hook see the making by hand instruction in the recipe notes.

STEP 1: Grate carrots. Grate your carrots using the fine side of the grater until you have 2 cups tightly packed. Press paper towels on top of the carrots a few times to absorb the excess moisture.

STEP 2: Mix milk and yeast. First, warm the milk in the microwave to 110F. Use a kitchen thermometer. Then, sprinkle yeast over the warm milk and let it sit for 10 minutes.

It will be foamy at the end of the 10 minutes.

STEP 3: Mix dry ingredients and butter. In a large mixing bowl, mix the all purpose flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and ginger. Then, add in the room temperature butter. Use either a pastry cutter or your hands to cut the butter into the flour mixture.

The butter should be the size of a pea when done.

STEP 4: Add wet ingredients. Add the yeast mixture, lightly beaten eggs, blotted carrots and honey. Mix them on low speed until a dough begins to form.

STEP 5: Knead dough. Turn the mixer to medium speed and knead for 5 minutes. The dough will be soft and a little tacky.

STEP 6: Rise. Spray a large bowl with nonstick spray and place the dough in. Cover with a dish towel and let rise in a warm place. I recommend heating your oven to 200°F, then turn it off with the door cracked and place your bowl inside.

Rise for 1 hour. It will be double in size.

Step By Step Instructions: Carrot Cinnamon Filling and Bake

Here is how to make the carrot cinnamon filling and bake the rolls.

STEP 1: Mix filling. Use a small bowl and hand mixer to beat the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg on high speed until it becomes a smooth paste.

STEP 2: Roll dough. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface. Roll it into a large rectangle ¼ inch thick.

STEP 3: Spread filling. Use an offset spatula to spread the filling in an even layer over the dough. Then, sprinkle the carrots on top spread evenly.

STEP 4: Roll log. Starting from the short side of the rectangle, roll the dough tightly into a log. Use a serrated knife to cut the uneven edges off.

STEP 5: Cut rolls. Cut the log into 12 equal pieces using gentle sawing motions to avoid squishing the rolls.

Tip: If you do not have a sharp serrated knife you can cut it with unflavored dental floss instead.

STEP 6: Second Rise. Spray a 9 X 13-inch baking pan with baking nonstick spray. Then, place the rolls evenly spaced in the prepared pan. Cover it with a kitchen towel and let it rise for 25 minutes.

STEP 7: Bake. Preheat the oven to 350°F and bake the rolls for 25-30 minutes until the tops of the rolls are a light golden brown.

Icing the Rolls

I have tried both icing the rolls when they are piping hot or when they cooled slightly. I found that when the rolls are hot, it melts the icing into the cracks of the roll. Which also helps with the gooeyness!

Start by beating the cream cheese and butter on high speed for until it is smooth. Add in the powdered sugar and mix on low speed until it is smooth. Then add the vanilla extract, and milk and mix on low until smooth and pourable.

Immediately after pulling the rolls out of the oven, spread the cream cheese frosting on top of the cinnamon buns with a spoon. Then, drizzle some Wholesome organic fair trade raw unfiltered honey to complete them!

Let the rolls sit for 10 minutes before eating them.

Overnight Rolls

Once you are done kneading the dough. Place in a large bowl sprayed with nonstick spray. Then, cover with plastic wrap. Store in the fridge overnight. It needs to chill for a max of 16 hours.

Then in the next morning, you can pull it out and roll up the cinnamon rolls. Then, let it rise for 1 hour instead of the 20 minutes.

FAQ

Storing and Freezing

Store these carrot cake cinnamon rolls in an airtight container in the fridge. Store up to 5 days. They are best when heated in the microwave until warm

Freezing

These carrot cake cinnamon rolls can be frozen in 2 ways.

1. Freeze the rolled rolls. Freeze these up to 30 days. Let them thaw before baking. They won't rise as much, but will still work.
2. Freeze the already baked rolls. Freeze these up to 30 days. Thaw for 1 hour before eating.

Other Spring Recipes To Try

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📖 Recipe