Greek Yogurt Cinnamon Rolls
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My Greek yogurt cinnamon rolls are light, fluffy, and topped with a creamy vanilla frosting. Ready in 20 minutes, I love that there’s no kneading or proofing required!
Why I love this recipe
If a cinnamon roll recipe calls for yeast, there’s a good chance I’m making something else instead. As much as I love baking, I don’t always have the time (or patience) to knead dough and wait for it to rise.
That’s exactly why I started making these Greek yogurt cinnamon rolls. The Greek yogurt dough gives a surprisingly soft, fluffy texture without any yeast, and I even use it in the frosting. Here’s why I love making them:
- Quick and easy. Like my air fryer cinnamon rolls, these come together in a fraction of the time, yet they taste like they came from a bakery.
- Fuss-free. There’s no kneading, no proofing, and no waiting for the dough to rise.
- Soft and fluffy. Golden around the edges with a tender, fluffy center that’s hard to stop at one.
Table of Contents
Key Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need, along with my kitchen notes. Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
- Self-rising flour. The key ingredient that lets homemade cinnamon rolls rise without yeast. If you don’t have any, you can easily make your own with all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Vanilla Greek yogurt. Any kind works, be it non-fat, reduced-fat, or full-fat. The only yogurt I’d avoid using is “natural” yogurt, which I’ve found makes the dough super sticky and hard to shape. And yes, please use a sweetened one because the dough needs some added sweetness.
- Cinnamon. Use Saigon cinnamon for a bolder, more warming cinnamon flavor.
- Sugar. I used light brown sugar for the filling but white sugar for the dough. You can use dark brown sugar in the dough too, but it will be darker.
- Coconut oil. To lightly brush the dough before adding the cinnamon sugar. Melted butter will also work.
- Glaze. I’m using a mix of confectioners’ sugar, more vanilla Greek yogurt, and a touch of vanilla extract.
How to make Greek yogurt cinnamon rolls
Step 1- Make the dough. In a large bowl, combine the flour, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and yogurt. Stir until a soft dough forms.
Step 2- Shape. Sprinkle flour on the dough ball, then transfer it to a lightly floured surface. Use a rolling pin to roll out into a thin (around ½-inch) rectangular shape.
Step 3- Add cinnamon sugar and slice. Brush the dough with oil or butter. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture in an even layer. Roll dough all the way up from one end. Using a sharp knife, slice into 12 pieces.
Step 4- Bake and glaze. Place each roll into a greased baking dish, letting each piece touch. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the edges turn golden. Once the rolls are cooled, drizzle the glaze over the top.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Avoid overbaking. The cinnamon rolls will continue cooking as they cool, so I take them out as soon as the tops are lightly golden.
- Frost them while they’re still warm. I usually wait about 5-10 minutes, then spread the frosting over the rolls while they’re still warm enough for it to melt into every swirl.
Storage instructions
To store: Let the cinnamon rolls cool completely, then store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
To reheat: Microwave individual rolls for 20-30 seconds, or warm them in the air fryer at 320°F for 2-3 minutes, until heated through. If the frosting has firmed up in the fridge, it’ll become sot and creamy again as the rolls warm.
More cinnamon roll recipes
Greek Yogurt Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups self rising flour
- 1 cup Vanilla Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup sugar divided
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil or butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
For the glaze
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla Greek yogurt
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F and grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and vanilla yogurt and mix well, until combined. Form the dough into a ball.
- Lightly flour a kitchen surface. Add a tablespoon of flour onto the bowl of dough and transfer to the floured surface. Use a rolling pin, and roll out into a thin (around 1/2 an inch) rectangular shape.
- Brush your melted coconut oil or butter over the top of the dough. Sprinkle with remaining sugar and cinnamon, evenly distributed on top. From one end of dough, slowly roll it up until all the dough is used. Using a sharp knife, slice into 12 pieces.
- Place each piece of cinnamon roll dough into the lined dish/tray. If desired, make sure each piece is sticking together. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the edges start to turn golden.
- Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes. While it's cooling down, prepare your glaze by mixing your confectioners' sugar with yogurt and vanilla extract. If you want a thinner glaze, add more yogurt. Drizzle over the top of the cinnamon rolls and enjoy immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published September 2020
Yummmmm
Thank you! So glad you liked the recipe 🙂
This was great! I used whole wheat flour instead of refined and it was great. Using the sweetened yogurt was definitely needed, I have tried something like this before with plain yogurt and that did not work well w the bitterness of the whole wheat flour.
I also used cream cheese icing w this bc a little goes a long way so I didn’t have to add a ton of calories but it elevated it so much in my opinion!
Sounds delicious Molly! And the cream cheese icing is certainly a must whenever we make cinnamon rolls too 😛 So glad you enjoyed the recipe and thanks for taking the time to leave this comment!
These turned out horrible no idea what happened followed everything but they turned into a dry yet sticky mess
Hi Amber- I’m so sorry you didn’t enjoy these cinnamon rolls- did you use the correct flour? If it turned dry and sticky, It’s making me think you perhaps used a flour blend?
Would flavor and texture suffer greatly if I use nonfat Greek yogurt?
Hi Ann, non-fat Greek yogurt will work perfectly fine. If you find that your dough is a little too sticky you can add slightly more flour. Start with just 1 tablespoon. With the reduced fat, that final product might be slightly less tender, but it shouldn’t be a huge difference. Let us know how you go!
Can I use almond milk yogurt?
I don’t see why not- you’ll likely need to add a little more flour to compensate for the thinner yogurt 🙂
Can you prep the night before, keep in fridge and bake the next morning?
Hi Emily, yes that should be fine! For best results, give the rolls a chance to come to room temperature so that they bake evenly in the oven, but otherwise keeping them prepped and sealed in the fridge for a couple of days is perfectly fine.
Omg so good. Favourited this recipe for future as well!!!
YUMMMYUMMMYYYYUMMMYYYUM
Thank you so much, Nina!
These were SO good! My kids (4 and 7 years) tried these and regular, store-bought, unhealthy cinnamon rolls at the same time and liked these much better! This will become a go-to in our house!!
Hi Susan, thanks so much for sharing this and please pass on my thanks to your kids for the comparison! Nothing quite beats fresh cinnamon rolls in my book 🙂
It yummy
Thanks for the feedback, Ben!
What yogurt did you use?
I’ve made this recipe with a few different yogurts. Most recently, I used Chobani’s vanilla Greek. It was delicious!
Hi, these were super good! They were a little dense but were otherwise good! Thanks for the recipe!
These are not only super easy but absolutely delicious!!! I used the high protein vanilla yoghurt which I usually have in the fridge and my sons loved them! Agree with previous comments about them having to touch in the dish, it prevents them from drying out. My craving is wholly satisfied… these will become a regular for our household. Thanks for the wonderful (and easy) recipes!
I cannot find vanilla Greek yoghurt. Can I put vanilla whey protein with greek youghurt?
I added vanilla extract to plain Greek yogurt and pumpkin spice instead of cinnamon with the sugar. Such a quick fix-loved these rolls!
Hi Arman! I made these and they tastes good but we’re a bit dry. The dough itself fell apart when trying to roll (I got creative and rolled in parchment and squished together) – full fat Greek vanilla yogurt and GF flour with xanthan gum in it but I think may have had something in it that made everything heavier and drier? It did have baking soda in it as well? Would that have affected the recipe? I’m not giving up and going to try another GF flour, just wanted to see if what I did use was the problem. Family still loved them, or were being kind to mom. LOL. Thank you!
If it helps to know I used Bob’s Red Mill Self Rising GF flour – but it did have sugar and baking soda in it. I am seeing people online using Bob’s 1:1 and just adding salt and baking soda – is that a better option for a GF flour for this?
Do I need to refrigerate leftovers?
Yes, Jaimee. 🙂 To store: Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator, covered in an airtight container, for up to 3 days.
Hmmm Kim- which GF flour did you use? Let me do some troubleshooting for you 🙂
Best no yeast cinnamon rolls recipe EVER!