These strawberry cinnamon rolls are full of fresh strawberries in a jam like filling, and are topped with a classic cream cheese frosting. They are beautifully pink and will be the star at any brunch occasion!
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🍓A Fruity Twist on Cinnamon Rolls
I have so many cinnamon roll recipes on my website - like this one (or this one!), but none with fresh berries in it.
Nothing says summer like a freshly baked dessert using berries. I chose to use strawberries for this recipe, but raspberries would work too. I used my basic cinnamon roll recipe as a base, and changed it up for this recipe. The result is, hands down, my most favourite cinnamon roll recipe yet!
The best thing about these strawberry cinnamon rolls, and all the others on my website? They can be made overnight! Prep them the day before, and store them in the refrigerator overnight. Pull them out the next morning so they can get to room temperature and proof. Then bake!
🥘Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Cream cheese - use the block cream cheese, which is for baking and cooking with.
- Lemon juice - use fresh lemons for the best taste.
- Strawberries - I recommend using fresh strawberries for this recipe. Frozen berries are too mushy.
- Whole milk - you can substitute with 2% milk. I don't recommend using any fat lower milk than that.
- Unsalted butter - you can substitute with salted butter. Add only ½ teaspoon salt in the dough recipe, instead of 1 teaspoon.
🔪Instructions
Cinnamon Roll Dough
Add yeast, sugar, and warm milk to a large bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes until yeast starts to froth. Add eggs and melted butter. Mix well, then add in 3 cups of the flour, salt, and food colouring.
Knead together, adding ¼ cup more flour at a time as needed. Dough should clean the sides of the bowl when done. Place dough into a large greased bowl, cover, and let sit at room temperature until doubled, about 1 hour.
Strawberry Filling
While dough is resting, make the filling. In a small bowl add cornstarch and water. Set aside. Add strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, and cinnamon to a medium saucepan over medium heat.
Heat until the mixture starts boiling, then turn the heat to a low simmer. Add in the cornstarch slurry and mix until combined. Continue simmering, stirring occasionally, until mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
Cool filling at room temperature for 20 minutes, then store in the refrigerator to cool completely.
Assembly
Place proofed dough onto a lightly floured surface. Use a rolling pin and roll out the dough into a large rectangle, about 15x20 inches.
Spread softened butter over dough, leaving a 1 inch border around the edges. Spoon strawberry filling evenly over the dough.
Roll the dough starting at the long side of the rectangle. Cut the dough into 12 rolls. They will be a bit messy, but that's okay. Place them into a greased 9x13 inch baking pan, cut side down. Spoon up any spilled out filling on the counter and coax it in between the layers of cinnamon rolls.
Cover the cinnamon rolls and let sit until doubled in size, about 30 - 40 minutes. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Bake the cinnamon rolls for 20 minutes. If the tops of the rolls are browning too quickly, lightly cover them with aluminum foil.
Remove from oven and let cool at room temperature while you make the frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
In a large bowl, mix cream cheese and butter until well combined. Add vanilla and powdered sugar, and mix until frosting is smooth.
Spread frosting over top of the cinnamon rolls and serve. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
✔️Expert Tips
- Want more strawberry flavour!?! Add strawberry extract to the dough, and/or, make a strawberry cream cheese frosting!
- To make a strawberry cream cheese frosting, heat 1 cup diced strawberries, 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, and 1 teaspoon water. Heat until the mixture reduces to ¼ cup. Follow the cream cheese frosting recipe below and add the strawberry sauce after mixing the cream cheese and butter together. Follow the rest of the recipe after that.
- You can make the strawberry filling up to 3 days in advance. Store in the refrigerator.
💭FAQs
Follow the recipe up to the point where the cinnamon rolls are sliced and placed in the baking pan. Do not let them proof then. Cover and store in the refrigerator overnight. The next morning, bring the cinnamon rolls to room temperature, let them rise until doubled, then bake.
Overnight cinnamon rolls are cool when you take them out in the morning. To get them to room temperature and proof quickly, heat the oven to 85°F (30°C), then turn the oven off. Place the cinnamon rolls in the oven, close the door and they will warm up and proof quickly.
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Strawberry Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Cinnamon Roll Dough
- 1 teaspoon yeast
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup whole milk warm
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter melted
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 drops pink food colouring
Strawberry Filling
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
- 3 cups strawberries diced
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup unsalted butter softened (to spread on dough)
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- ¼ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
Cinnamon Roll Dough
- Add yeast, sugar, and warm milk to a large bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes until yeast starts to froth.
- Add eggs and melted butter. Mix well, then add in 3 cups of the flour, salt, and food colouring. Knead together, adding ¼ cup more flour at a time as needed. Dough should clean the sides of the bowl when done.
- Place dough into a large greased bowl, cover, and let sit at room temperature until doubled, about 1 hour.
Strawberry Filling
- While dough is resting, make the filling. In a small bowl add cornstarch and water. Set aside.
- Add strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, and cinnamon to a medium saucepan over medium heat.
- Heat until the mixture starts boiling, then turn the heat to a low simmer. Add in the cornstarch slurry and mix until combined. Continue simmering, stirring occasionally, until mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
- Cool filling at room temperature for 20 minutes, then store in the refrigerator to cool completely.
Assembly
- Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan and set aside.
- Place proofed dough onto a lightly floured surface. Use a rolling pin and roll out the dough into a large rectangle, about 15x20 inches.
- Spread softened butter over dough, leaving a 1 inch border around the edges. Spoon strawberry filling evenly over the dough.
- Roll the dough starting at the long side of the rectangle. Cut the dough into 12 rolls. They will be a bit messy, but that's okay. Place them into the baking pan, cut side down. Spoon up any spilled out filling on the counter and coax it in between the layers of cinnamon rolls.
- If you are baking right away, preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Cover the cinnamon rolls and let sit until doubled in size, about 30 - 40 minutes. For overnight cinnamon rolls, store them in the refrigerator overnight at this point. Bring to room temperature the next day, and then follow the rest of this recipe.
- Bake the cinnamon rolls for 20 minutes. If the tops of the rolls are browning too quickly, lightly cover them with aluminum foil.
- Remove from oven and let cool at room temperature while you make the frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a large bowl, mix cream cheese and butter until well combined. Add vanilla and powdered sugar, and mix until frosting is smooth.
- Spread frosting over top of the cinnamon rolls and serve. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Want more strawberry flavour!?! Add strawberry extract to the dough, and/or, make a strawberry cream cheese frosting!
- To make a strawberry cream cheese frosting, heat 1 cup diced strawberries, 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, and 1 teaspoon water. Heat until the mixture reduces to ¼ cup. Follow the cream cheese frosting recipe below and add the strawberry sauce after mixing the cream cheese and butter together. Follow the rest of the recipe after that.
- You can make the strawberry filling up to 3 days in advance. Store in the refrigerator.
Did you try this recipe? Comment below to let me know ☺️