This fluffy Nutella Cinnamon Rolls recipe makes some pillowy and gooey rolls, filled with fudgy Nutella and cinnamon, and topped with a soft cream cheese frosting.

Be warned! they’re highly addictive!

Ingredients you’ll need to make these Nutella Rolls

Here’s a full list of ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe:

• Instant Active yeast. Instant active yeast ramps up quicker than active dry yeast, so it makes for a shorter process.
• Warm milk. It’s used to activate the yeast, making it rise more swiftly
• Flour. All-purpose flour is used, measured using a spoon, scooping the flour into your measuring cup without compacting it, then using the back of a knife to level it
• Brown sugar. I used brown sugar instead of white sugar to sweeten the buns because I’ve found it gives a better taste to the rolls.
• Salt. To enhance the flavors.
• Unsalted butter. It’s used either melted or softened.
• Egg. At room temperature for a better mixing process
• Ground cinnamon. To spice up the rolls
• Nutella. You can use Nutella or any other hazelnut spread of your choice similar to Nutella
• Powdered sugar. To sweeten the cream cheese frosting
• Cream cheese. Needs to be at room temperature to avoid lumps in your frosting
• Vanilla extract. Good quality vanilla extract goes a long way!

Take a look at the recipe card at the end of this post for the exact measurements and full recipe.

How to make this fluffy Nutella Cinnamon Rolls recipe

Start by mixing the yeast and the milk in a small bowl, and let it sit for 10 minutes. It should be frothy after the yeast is activated. Make sure milk is warm and not hot! (About 105 F) If it’s too hot, let it cool before adding it to the flour mixture.

In a separate bowl mix 2 cups of flour, sugar, salt, melted butter and egg and yolk. Add the yeast mixture and mix with the dough hook attachment in a bowl of a stand mixer on medium speed until well combined, about 2 minutes. Use a spatula to scrape the bottom of the bowl and mix

Start adding the remaining flour, first 1 cup, then mixing, then adding the second and last cup. Mix in medium speed for around 10 minutes, until dough is sticky and starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. It will start to form a ball.

*By hand: transfer to a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Form it into a ball

Make the “windowpane test”: take a small piece of dough and stretch it between your fingers; if the dough stretches out and gets translucent without breaking, it’s elastic enough and ready. 

Place in a well greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover with a kitchen towel. Pre heat your oven to 200 F. Turn off and place the covered dough and let rise until doubled. About 1 hour

Punch down the dough to let the air bubbles out. Place in a lightly floured surface and roll out into a 12 x 18” large rectangle using a rolling pin. Make sure you don’t add too much flour to your dough when rolling it, or you could end up with tough, dry cinnamon rolls

Spread the butter for the filling, leaving an inch of border on the sides. Sprinkle cinnamon on top, then spread the Nutella, leaving an inch of border as well.

Starting on the long edge, start rolling your dough very tightly. Pinch seam with your fingers to seal the bottom edge

Slice dough into 12 even rolls using unflavored dental floss, a very sharp knife or a serrated knife. I like cutting it in the middle, then cut in half each log, then into 3, until 12 equal pieces are formed.

Line a 9×13 inch pan with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray, then place the sliced rolls in your pan, making sure they’re not touching each other and the tails of the rolls are placed one in front of the other. Cover with a cloth loosely and let rise a second time for one hour, until doubled in size.

Pre heat your oven to 350 F. Bake your cinnamon rolls for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Let cool.

In the meantime, make the frosting. Mix all of the ingredients using the whisk attachment until fluffy. Spread on top of your rolls and enjoy!

Expert Tips

• Make sure to use fresh yeast, and not an expired one.
• If you don’t own a thermometer to measure the milk temperature, you can warm it until it’s warm but should not burn your fingers when touching it. If you heated the milk more than necessary, let it cool before adding the yeast
• Let the dough rise in a warm place. I pre-heat my oven to 200 F and turn it off, then place the dough inside for better results
• Make sure you don’t add too much flour to your dough when rolling it, or you could end up with tough, dry cinnamon rolls
• Try adding some chocolate chips along with the Nutella for extra indulgent rolls!
• Warm rolls taste infinitely better than cold ones! so dig in as soon as you can

How to store leftover Cinnamon rolls

The best option to store homemade cinnamon rolls depends on the type of frosting they have (if they have any at all!).

These rolls have a cream cheese frosting, which means they have dairy products in them. Dairy lasts at room temperature for a short period of time, which means that these rolls, when frosted, should be refrigerated. When they’re not frosted, these have a longer shelf life.

Wrap them individually with plastic wrap (or saran wrap) and store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Before serving, remove the plastic, place it on a microwave-safe plate, and warm each one for a few seconds for a warm cinnamon roll.

If you prefer storing them at room temperature, place them unfrosted in an airtight container in a dry place away from any heat sources. They will last for up to 2 days. Add cream cheese icing right before serving.

Can I freeze homemade Cinnamon rolls?

Yes, you can freeze homemade cinnamon rolls, wrapped individually to avoid any freezer burn and stored in an airtight container, freezer bag (making sure to remove any excess air), ziplock bag, or any resealable bag, for up to 30 days.

Thaw and warm before serving!

Can I prepare the dough the night before and bake them the morning after?

Although the second rise will take longer, you can make these and store to bake the next day.

First, make your rolls as directed. When the rolls are already in your pan and ready for the second rise, cover them tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

The next morning take them out of the fridge, partially unwrap them and let them rise until they double their size; it will take longer than normal, since the dough is cold.

Lastly, bake as directed and enjoy warm!

Here’s a video of these Fluffy Nutella Cinnamon rolls, so you can see up-close how fluffy and decadent these are.

Take a look at the links below for more Nutella recipes, or click here for more Breakfast recipes.

If you make this recipe, please be sure to give it a star rating and leave a comment