Danish cinnamon rolls (also Kanelsnegle, Wednesday snails, and Cinnamon snails) are a staple of Danish pastry. They have been adopted globally and have become a popular comfort food served on dark and cold autumn or winter days.

I'd say that Danish cinnamon rolls are part of a wider "cinnamon roll movement" involving cinnamon brioche rolls and different variations like apple cinnamon rolls. You can't really make it through the winter without watching Home Alone and scrolling through the feed of endless cinnamon roll recipe videos.
With a ton of cinnamon roll recipes circulating on the web, you'll want to have one fail-proof recipe that always works and can be tailored to your needs. This recipe will make you stop scrolling.

Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It contains variations with or without refined sugar, making it a perfect choice for those avoiding sugar or preferring honey instead of refined sugar.
- It's really easy to make and requires no special skills or equipment (well, except for a rolling pin and an oven). You don't even need a food processor, but a hand mixer, if you have one, will make the cooking a breeze.
- It can be tuned by adding different or additional fillings (for instance, to make apple cinnamon rolls). It doesn't always have to be plain cinnamon rolls! You can use the same recipe to make Cinnamon Brioche Rolls!
Ingredients

- Wheat Flour: Use regular all-purpose wheat flour, not the self-raising type, since we'll be adding yeast. Note: Save a bit of extra flour to sprinkle on top of the surface on which you'll be rolling the dough.
- Milk: Whole milk is best for the recipe, but don't let it stop you if you prefer low-fat options. It won't make that much difference, and you can still enjoy delicious cinnamon rolls with low-fat milk. Note that milk needs to be warm - slightly warmer than lukewarm. Heat it if necessary.
- Eggs: you'll need two raw, medium-sized eggs. When using yeast-based dough recipes, it's always best to take eggs out of the fridge an hour earlier so they are at room temperature.
- Honey OR Sugar: Since we always look for sugar-free alternatives and avoid refined sugar whenever possible, this recipe contains no refined sugar. However, if you don't like honey, don't have any at home, or want to make regular Danish cinnamon rolls regardless of the sugar count, feel free to substitute honey with white sugar (1:1). The same applies to the sweetener; see notes below.
- Dry Yeast: We used regular instant yeast. If you prefer fresh yeast, use it instead (you'll need 34g or approx. ⅓ of a block).
- Butter: You'll need regular unsalted butter.
- Salt: A pinch of salt will balance the taste; don't miss out on it!
- Brown Sukrin Sweetener OR Brown Sugar: In this recipe, we used Sukrin Gold brown natural sweetener—this is the most popular brown sugar alternative available in our region. Basically, any stevia—or erythritol-based brown sweetener should serve just as well. If you don't mind using sugar, feel free to add regular brown sugar instead.
- Cinnamon: This is the key ingredient of these rolls. There's a LOT of cinnamon in these tempting rolls, and you have to be a fan of it if you're reading this recipe!
- Cream Cheese for the cream cheese glaze: We suggest using Mascarpone instead of Philadelphia cream cheese because Philadelphia tends to leave a salty aftertaste. Not everyone likes it.
- Erythritol OR Monk Fruit Sweetener OR Sugar to make powdered sugar for the cream cheese glaze. The glaze is essential. If you miss out on it, you'll never know how soft and moist these cinnamon rolls can be!
Directions
1. Add the instant yeast to a mug or a little bowl with warm (not hot!) milk. Stir using a spoon and leave in a warm place for 10-15 mins. If the yeast is fresh, it will become bubbly. If not, check the "best before" date and repeat with a fresh portion of yeast, if needed.

2. Meanwhile, beat the eggs with honey (or sugar), then add melted butter and a pinch of salt, and continue mixing until combined.

3. Once the yeast has become bubbly after 10-15 mins, add it to the egg mixture and stir to combine.

4. Start adding sieved flour to the egg mixture. You'll want to add it in 2-3 batches to ensure it incorporates well.
There's no need to use a stand mixer or a bread machine. Simply combine all the ingredients using your hands until uniform and shape a ball. The dough won't be rollable just yet, but it doesn't have to be too sticky, either.

5. Cover the dough ball with a towel and set aside to rise in a warm place. The rising time will depend on the type of yeast, the sweetener used, and the temperature.
We've noticed that a honey-based dough tends to rise much slower than a sugar-based dough. Check occasionally to see if the volume is rising (it needs to double in size).
For a sugar-based dough, proof for 1-1.5 hours, and increase the proofing time to 2.5-3 hours for a honey-based dough.

6. Transfer the dough to a clean, floured surface once the dough has risen. Roll the dough into an approximately ¼-inch-thick rectangular shape.

7. Spread the soft butter all over the dough, leaving 1 inch along the longest rectangular edges. This will allow you to close the roll once it's ready and ensure it doesn't open up while baking.
In a separate bowl, combine the brown sweetener (or brown sugar) with cinnamon, then spread the cinnamon sugar on top of the dough greased with butter. Leave the same 1 inch along the long edges untouched.

8. Roll dough starting from one of the longer edges. Keep it tight, but don't press it. Once you've reached the other long edge, pinch it to close.

9. Cut the long roll into even pieces, approximately ¾-1 inch thick. You'll end up with approx. 18 -20 pieces.
Transfer all the roll pieces onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, cover with a towel, and let it proof for another hour.

10. Approx. 15 minutes before the estimated end of proofing, switch on the oven and preheat it, setting the oven temperature to 390 °F (200 °C).
Bake the rolls for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Your kitchen will soon be filled with a delicious cinnamon aroma.
Once ready, take them out of the oven and let them cool for 5-10 minutes.

11. Meanwhile, prepare the glaze by combining cream cheese, powdered sweetener, and butter (room temperature). Beat until airy and uniform.

12. Spread the glaze over the cinnamon rolls and enjoy while still warm!


Variations
- This recipe can easily be tweaked by adding chopped apples, rhubarb, plums, blueberries, or raisins to the cinnamon filling.
- As mentioned above, honey and/or brown sweeteners can be replaced with refined sugar for a more traditional iteration.
- Use the same dough recipe for jam, coconut, raisin, or pastry cream rolls.
- Add a few drops of vanilla extract for extra flavor.
- Try adding ground cardamom for a contrasting flavor.
- Apricot jam is an excellent alternative to the cream cheese glaze. Its fruity, soft flavor and sweet and spicy cinnamon filling are a match made in heaven!
- Put the rolls into a casserole dish and make cinnamon brioche rolls instead.

Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can easily freeze the cinnamon rolls for up to 1.5-2 months.
It depends on the type of sweetener you choose. Sugar substitutes, like erythritol or monk fruit sweetener, tend to become grainy after a few days. Therefore, we would suggest preparing these cinnamon rolls the day they are served. If regular sugar is used, the rolls can stay fresh for up to 3 days until they start drying out and are no longer as moist and fluffy as before.
We usually freeze any leftovers the next day to have sweet treats ready whenever we want them. Also, remember to keep your cinnamon rolls in an airtight container so they remain soft.

How To Make Danish Cinnamon Rolls (Easy Recipe)
Ingredients
Dough:
- 1 tablespoon (10g) instant yeast
- 5 cups (600g) all-purpose flour
- 7 oz (200ml) fresh milk (warm)
- 2 eggs
- 5 tablespoon (100g) honey (or sugar)
- 1 teaspoon salt
Cinnamon Filling:
- 3.5 tablespoon (50g) butter
- 1 cup (180g) Sukrin Gold Brown natural sweetener (or brown sugar)
- 3 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Cream Cheese Frosting (Optional):
- 4 tablespoon Mascarpone cream cheese
- 4 tablespoon powdered white sweetener (Monk Fruit, erythritol, or white powdered sugar)
- 3 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon milk (optional, depending on the desired thickness of the glaze)
Instructions
Making the Dough:
- Add the instant yeast to a mug or a little bowl with warm (not hot!) milk. Stir using a spoon and leave in a warm place for 10-15 mins until the yeast becomes bubbly.
- Meanwhile, beat the eggs with honey (or sugar), then add melted butter and a pinch of salt, and continue mixing until combined.
- Add the yeast to the egg mixture and stir to combine.
- Start adding sieved flour to the egg mixture. Add it in 2-3 batches to ensure it incorporates well. Combine all the ingredients using your hands until uniform and shape a ball. The dough won't be rollable just yet, but it doesn't have to be too sticky, either.
- Cover the dough ball with a towel and set aside to rise in a warm place. For a sugar-based dough, proof for 1-1.5 hours, and increase the proofing time to 2.5-3 hours for a honey-based dough.
- Once the dough has rised, transfer it to a clean, floured surface. Roll the dough into an approximately ¼-inch-thick rectangular shape.
Filling and Shaping the Roll:
- Spread the soft butter all over the dough, leaving 1 inch along the longest edges of the rectangular. It will allow to close the roll once it's ready and will ensure it doesn't open up while baking.
- In a separate bowl, combine the brown sweetener (or brown sugar) with cinnamon, then spread the "cinnamon sugar" on top of the dough greased with butter. Leave the same 1 inch along the edges untouched.
- Roll dough starting from one of the longer edges. Keep it tight, but don't press it. Once you've reached the other long edge, pinch it to close.
- Cut the long roll into even pieces, approximately ¾-1 inch thick. You'll end up with approx. 18-20 pieces.
- Transfer all the roll pieces onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, cover with a towel, and let it proof for another hour.
Baking and Glazing:
- About 15-20 minutes before the estimated end of proofing, switch on the oven and preheat it, setting the oven temperature to 390 °F (200 °C).
- Bake the rolls for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
- Once ready, take them out of the oven and let them cool for 5-10 minutes before glazing.
- Meanwhile, prepare the glaze by combining cream cheese, powdered sweetener, and butter (room temperature). Beat until airy and uniform. Add a little bit of milk if you want a more runny texture.
- Spread the glaze over the cinnamon rolls and enjoy while still warm!
Nutrition Value (with glazing)

Disclaimer: This nutritional value label has been created using an online analyzer and might not be 100% accurate
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