These red velvet cinnamon rolls are super soft cinnamon rolls with a red velvet dough, cinnamon filling, and cream cheese icing. These would be great for Valentine’s Day or Christmas morning. Let your loved ones know how much you love them from the moment they wake up!

Red hearts on top of red velvet cinnamon rolls.

These delicious red velvet cinnamon rolls have that red velvet chocolate flavor which pairs perfectly with the tangy cream cheese frosting. If you or someone you love are a fan of red velvet then these cinnamon rolls are the best way to start your day.

This red velvet cinnamon roll recipe is also easy to make and can be made in advance so you don’t have to start fresh the next day.

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

Why This Recipe Works

  • Perfect texture- These cinnamon rolls have the most perfect fluffy texture!
  • Red velvet flavor- That red velvet chocolate flavor works perfectly in a cinnamon roll.
  • Prep in advance- You can use the overnight option so these rolls are ready for your special morning and you don’t have to spend your morning making them!
Pulled apart red velvet cinnamon roll in the pan.

Ingredient Notes

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

  • 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 light brown sugar.
  • Powdered sugar- Make sure this is sifted to get a smooth icing.
  • Cream cheese- Pull this out 2 hours before baking to get to room temperature.
  • Red food dye- Cheap red food coloring needs a lot to get a good red color and can affect the taste. Use a gel food coloring. I used Americolor super red.

Step By Step Instructions: Dough and Filling

Here is how to make and bake this red velvet 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: 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 2: Mix dry ingredients and butter. In a large mixing bowl, mix the all purpose flour, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt. 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.

STEP 3: Mix eggs, yeast and red dye. In a separate bowl, lightly beat your eggs. Add the eggs ,yeast mixture, and food coloring to the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed until a dough starts to form and some flour is incorporated.

Wet ingredients added.

STEP 4: Knead dough. Turn to medium speed and knead for 5 minutes. It should be bright red and slightly tacky, but not stick to your hands too much.

STEP 5: 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 200ยฐF, then turn it off with the door cracked and place your bowl inside.

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

Dough in glass bowl before it rises.
Dough in a glass bowl.

STEP 6: Beat filling. In a small bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat the unsalted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon until smooth.

Assembling the Rolls

STEP 1: Roll it out. First, punch down the dough and roll it out on a lightly floured surface using a rolling pin. It should be a large rectangle and 1/4 inch thick.

Save this Recipe!

Just enter your email and get it sent to your inbox! Plus youโ€™ll get new recipes from us every week!

STEP 2: Spread filling. Spread the filling on top of the dough. I used an offset spatula to spread it on. Make sure it is spread to the edges.

Rolling out the dough.
Spreading filling on top of dough.

STEP 3: Roll it up. Roll the dough into a log. Start with the short side, not the long edge, so you get as many swirls as possible. It should be tightly rolled, but not too tight.

STEP 4: Cut. Cut the rolls using a serrated knife or unflavored dental floss. I use a serrated knife to cut rolls, make sure to use light sawing motions to get a clean cut. Also, wash the knife after each cut, because it will be very messy!

Cutting dough with floss.
Cut cinnamon roll dough.

STEP 5: Rise. Place rolls in a 9X14-inch casserole pan (or 9X13 baking pan) sprayed with baking spray. Then cover it with a towel and let rise for 20 minutes.

STEP 6: Cream. Pour the heavy cream in the pan around the rolls.

STEP 6: Bake. Bake for 25-27 minutes until top of the rolls are light golden brown or when they reach 160ยฐF in the center.

Cinnamon rolls in pan with heavy cream on top.
Baked cinnamon rolls in a pan.

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.

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.

Top view of red velvet cinnamon roll dough.

FAQ

Do the rolls have to rise in the oven?

The rolls rise best in a warm area. If your oven is busy, you can let the dough rise at room temperature as long as you don’t have a cold house.

What is the best way to reheat cinnamon rolls?

If you are eating just one, then reheat the rolls on a plate in the microwave for 20-30 seconds until warm. If you are reheating a whole tray, then preheat the oven to 350, and let it sit in the oven for 5 minutes or until hot.

Can I prebake these?

Yes you can! Follow the instructions, but bake for only 10 minutes and chill. Then, you can bake the rest of the way (10-18 minutes) in the morning until hot.

Cinnamon roll on a plate.

Storing and Freezing

Store these red velvet 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 red velvet 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 Valentine’s Recipes To Try

Make sure to leave a STAR REVIEW if you loved this recipe! Make sure to tag me on Instagram @stephaniesweettreats. To get more ideas follow me on Pinterest.

Red hearts on top of red velvet cinnamon rolls.
5 from 10 reviews

Red Velvet Cinnamon Rolls

These red velvet cinnamon rolls are super soft cinnamon rolls with a red velvet dough, cinnamon filling, and cream cheese icing. These would be great for Valentine's Day or Christmas
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Leave a Review

Ingredients
 
 

Red Velvet Dough

  • 1 cup Milk, warmed to 110ยฐF
  • 2 1/4 tsp Active dry yeast, or 1 full packet
  • 2 Large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 tsp Red gel food dye, I used americolor super red.
  • 4 1/4 cup All-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup Unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1/4 cup White granulated sugar
  • 10 TBSP Unsalted butter, room temperature

Cinnamon Filling

  • 1/2 cup Unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup Brown sugar, packed light or dark
  • 1 TBSP Ground cinnamon
  • 1/3 cup Heavy cream

Cream Cheese Icing

  • 4 oz Cream cheese, room temperature
  • 4 TBSP Unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup Powdered sugar, sifted
  • 2 tsp Pure vanilla extract
  • 2 TBSP Milk

Instructions
 

Red Velvet Dough

  • In a small bowl, heat the milk in the microwave until it reaches 110ยฐF. It should be warm, but not too hot or too cold. Pour in the yeast and let it sit for 10 minutes.
    1 cup Milk, 2 1/4 tsp Active dry yeast
  • In a large bowl, mix the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt. Add in the cubed butter into the dry ingredients. Use a pastry blender or your fingers, blend the butter into the dough until the butter is the size of a pea.
    4 1/4 cup All-purpose flour, 1/3 cup Unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 tsp Salt, 1/4 cup White granulated sugar, 10 TBSP Unsalted butter
  • This recipe uses a stand mixer with a dough hook, for mix by hand instructions, see the recipe notes. Add in the milk/yeast mixture, lightly beaten eggs, and red food dye. Mix on low speed until a dough starts to form.
    2 Large eggs, 1 tsp Red gel food dye
  • Then, switch to medium speed and knead the dough for 5 minutes. It should be a bright red dough.
  • Preheat the oven to 200ยฐF, spray a large mixing bowl with nonstick spray. Grab the dough and form it into a ball and place in the bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel.
  • Let it rise for 1 hour until double in size.

Cinnamon Filling

  • In a small bowl using a hand mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Beat until smooth. It will be a thick paste.
    1/2 cup Unsalted butter, 3/4 cup Brown sugar, 1 TBSP Ground cinnamon
  • Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface. Roll into a large rectangle until it is 1/4 inch thick.
  • Use an offset icing spatula to spread the cinnamon filling over the dough. Make sure to get the edges.
  • Roll the dough starting at the short side. Roll into a tight log. Rolling from the short side lets you get more swirls.
  • Use unflavored dental floss or a serrated knife to cut the log. First, cut off the uneven ends. Then, cut evenly into 12 rolls. If using a serrated knife, make sure to make very very gentle sawing motions to not squish the rolls.
  • Spray a large pan (9X14 inch casserole pan is best, you can use a 9X13 inch baking pan) with baking nonstick spray. Place the rolls in the pan. Cover with a towel and rise for 20 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 375โ„‰ Pour the heavy cream around the rolls in the pan. Bake for 25-27 minutes until the tops of the rolls are lightly golden. Or when the middle of the cinnamon rolls reach 160ยฐF.
    1/3 cup Heavy cream

Cream Cheese Icing

  • Start this while the rolls are in the oven. In a small bowl using a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter on high speed until smooth.
    4 oz Cream cheese, 4 TBSP Unsalted butter
  • Add in the powdered sugar and mix on low until smooth. Then, add in the vanilla and milk. It should be a great consistency to use a spoon to spread it on.
    1 cup Powdered sugar, 2 TBSP Milk, 2 tsp Pure vanilla extract
  • As soon as the rolls are out of the oven, top with the icing. This will allow the icing to melt into the cracks of the rolls.

Notes

Flour- Make sure flour is spooned and leveled or use a kitchen scale. Compacted flour can dry out the rolls.
High altitude baking- Add an extra 3 TBSP of flour.
Pull out dairy ingredients 2 hours before baking.
Making by hand:
Mix the wet ingredients into the dry by using a rubber spatula. Switch to using your hands to mix until a dough starts to form.
Place dough on a lightly floured surface. Knead using your hands for 5-8 minutes.
It is done when your spread the dough apart thinly using your fingers. Hold the dough to the light. If you can see light through it, then it is done.
Calories: 519kcal, Carbohydrates: 72g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 28g, Saturated Fat: 17g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 75mg, Sodium: 245mg, Potassium: 196mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 24g, Vitamin A: 910IU, Vitamin C: 0.1mg, Calcium: 87mg, Iron: 3mg
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a star rating and review below!