Cinnamon Rolls Without Eggs
These soft and fluffy cinnamon rolls without eggs only use everyday ingredients and a little time. The richness of sour cream adds wonderful tenderness to the dough. Perfect for weekend baking or any morning when you’re craving a sweet, cozy breakfast treat.
Egg-Free Cinnamon Rolls
Egg-free cinnamon rolls can be just as soft, fluffy, and delicious as traditional rolls. Sour cream is the key here. It adds moisture and tenderness without needing any eggs. The result is a dough that’s sturdy enough to roll and fill with cinnamon-sugar, yet light and pillowy once baked. Sour cream works as an egg replacer because it contains both fat and protein. This helps bind the dough while keeping it soft.
Why you’ll love these egg-free cinnamon rolls
- Fluffy & soft: Two rises guarantee airy, pillowy rolls every time.
- No need for eggs: Sour cream steps in to enrich the dough.
- Sweet and tender: The acidity in the sour cream creates a wonderfully tender dough.
- Make-ahead friendly: The dough can rest overnight in the refrigerator, so you can finish and bake it the next day.
These sour cream cinnamon rolls are wonderfully plush and flavorful. Just the thing to share for a weekend brunch or a sweet afternoon snack.
Here’s what you need
Here’s a rundown of what you need, you can find the amounts in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Extra mixing time for gluten development. Because sour cream brings extra fat into the dough, it can slow gluten formation. A stand mixer fitted with a dough hook is especially helpful here, ensuring your dough develops the necessary elasticity and structure before the first rise. You can test for gluten development by gently stretching out a piece of dough and seeing if it can become almost see-through without immediately tearing.
How to Make
- Start by mixing yeast and sugar into warm milk.
- Add flour, salt and sour cream and mix with a dough hook until a thick dough forms.
- Add in the butter a few cubes at a time and keep mixing until it’s incorporated.
- Keep mixing for around 15 minutes for optimal gluten development.
- Let the dough rest for a couple of minutes then see if you can carefully stretch a piece out until almost see-through.
- Let the dough rise until doubled in size.
- Roll into a rectangle and spread with filling.
- Roll the dough into a log, from the long side.
- Cut it into 12 equal rolls. I use dental floss to cut them evenly.
- Arrange the rolls in a 9×13-inch baking pan.
- Let them rise until they double in size, then bake until golden.
- Beat the frosting until light and creamy.
- Spread over the baked rolls while they are still warm.
Tips for success
- Check your milk temperature: Aim for that sweet spot of 100–110°F. Too hot, and it could kill the yeast while too cool the dough may rise more slowly.
- Don’t add too much flour: The dough should remain pretty soft so don’t be tempted to add extra flour.
- Mix for long enough: The sour cream will inhibit gluten formation a bit, so you’ve got to give it ample mixing time.
- Overnight option: If you prefer fresh rolls in the morning, let the dough do its first rise in the fridge. Then shape, fill, and continue with the second rise.
- Oven environment: If your kitchen is cold, place the covered dough in a slightly warmed (but then turned off!) oven with the door cracked. This creates a cozy spot to help the dough rise faster.
Storage & freezing
Enjoy these rolls fresh from the oven for the softest texture. If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Warm them gently to soften them. You can also freeze baked rolls for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat.
More recipes
Cinnamon Rolls Without Eggs
Ingredients
- 240 g milk
- 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast or active dry yeast
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 125 g sour cream full-fat
- 530 g all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 85 g unsalted butter softened to room temperature
Filling
- 55 g unsalted butter
- 100 g soft brown sugar
- 2 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- Pinch salt
Frosting
- 113 g cream cheese block-style, full-fat
- 30 g unsalted butter
- 120 g powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, warm the milk to around 95-104°F / 35-40°C and pour it into the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle yeast and sugar over the warm milk. If using active dry yeast, let this sit for around 5-10 minutes until it becomes foamy; if using instant yeast, this step can be skipped.
- Add the flour, sour cream and salt to the yeast mixture. Fit the stand mixer with a dough hook attachment and mix until a thick dough forms.
- Add the softened butter, a few cubes at a time.
- Mix at medium speed for around 15 minutes until the dough is soft and strong. To see if it’s been developed enough, let it sit for 5 minutes, then check if it passes the windowpane test. Take a small piece of dough and see if you can stretch it slowly between your fingers so it becomes almost see-through and doesn’t tear immediately.
First rise
- Once kneaded, form the soft dough into a ball. Transfer the ball of dough to a large, lightly greased bowl and cover it with plastic wrap or a damp dish towel.
- Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, around 1 to 1 ½ hours. The total time will depend on your room temperature. The dough can also be covered tightly and refrigerated for up to 16 hours.
Filling
- With an electric mixer, beat softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl into a creamy paste.
Shaping
- Grease or line a 9×13-inch baking dish with parchment paper.
- Punch down the risen dough, then pull it from the bowl onto a lightly floured work surface. Dust the top of the dough with some flour. If the dough has come from the fridge, it will be very stiff.
- Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a large 12×16-inch rectangle (30cm x 40 cm). Add the cinnamon mixture and use an offset spatula to spread it out.
- Roll the dough up, starting from the longest side up the top, into a jelly-roll style log.
- Cut the log into 12 equal pieces using unflavored dental floss for extra clean cuts or a serrated knife. Place the rolls into the prepared pan.
- Cover the pan and let the rolls have their second rise in a warm spot until doubled in size.
Baking
- Preheat the oven to 350°F /180°C.
- Bake the rolls in the oven for 25-28 minutes until golden brown. If they are browning too fast, you can cover the top of the rolls loosely with aluminum foil.
Frosting
- While the rolls are baking, make the frosting. In a large bowl, using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on high speed until smooth and creamy.
- Add the confectioners' sugar. Beat on low speed to incorporate the sugar, then switch to high and beat until creamy. Let the baked buns cool for 20 minutes, then spread on the frosting.