Cinnamon Roll Muffins
These cinnamon roll muffins give you all the good parts of a cinnamon roll without the fussy yeast dough and long rise times. The muffin base is tender and buttery, with a thick ribbon of cinnamon-brown sugar running through the middle. A quick cream cheese glaze on top makes them feel properly indulgent.
You would love making these when I want something special for breakfast but don’t have hours to spend in the kitchen. They come together in about 30 minutes and work great for weekend brunches or holiday mornings. The best part is how the cinnamon sugar gets a bit caramelized around the edges while baking, creating those crispy bits that everyone fights over in regular cinnamon rolls.
What you need for Cinnamon Roll Muffins
Ingredients You’ll Need For This Recipe
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Ingredients You’ll Need For Cream cheese glaze
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
How to Make Cinnamon Roll Muffins
These muffins combine everything you love about cinnamon rolls with the ease of a muffin.
1. Start by preheating your oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or give them a good coating of cooking spray. I prefer liners since the sugar filling can get sticky.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Give it a good stir to break up any lumps in the baking powder – this ensures your muffins rise evenly.
3. In a large bowl, combine the melted butter (make sure it’s not hot), oil, and granulated sugar. The mixture should look like wet sand. Whisk in eggs one at a time until well blended – you want it nice and smooth. Stir in the vanilla extract.
4. Now comes the alternating part: Add about a third of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, then half the buttermilk. Stir gently until just combined. Add another third of the flour, the remaining buttermilk, and finally the last of the flour. Mix until you no longer see dry flour, but stop as soon as it comes together – overmixing will make tough muffins.
5. For the cinnamon filling, mix brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Pour in the melted butter and stir until it looks like wet sand.
6. Fill each muffin cup about halfway with batter. Add a heaping teaspoon of the cinnamon mixture to each cup, then top with the remaining batter. You want each cup about ¾ full. Take a toothpick or skewer and swirl through each muffin 2-3 times to create that cinnamon roll pattern – don’t overdo it or you’ll lose the distinct swirl.
7. Bake for 18-20 minutes. You’ll know they’re done when the tops spring back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (ignore any cinnamon sugar that sticks to it). The tops should be golden brown.
8. While the muffins cool, make your glaze. Beat the softened cream cheese and butter until smooth and fluffy – about 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of milk, and vanilla. Beat until creamy. If it’s too thick, add the extra tablespoon of milk. You want it thick enough to hold its shape but thin enough to drizzle.
9. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack. When they’re just warm to the touch (about 15 minutes), drizzle with the cream cheese glaze.
🔍 Recipe Notes & Tips
- Room temp ingredients are key – cold eggs make your batter lumpy
- Don’t overmix! Lumpy batter = tender muffins
- No buttermilk? Use regular milk + 1 tbsp vinegar, let sit 5 mins
- Fill cups exactly halfway before adding the cinnamon layer
- The toothpick swirl is crucial – 2-3 swirls max or it’ll all blend together
- Muffins will look slightly underbaked at the center – that’s the gooey cinnamon part!
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
- Perfect with coffee or hot chocolate
- Morning crowd pleaser with fresh fruit on the side
- Make mini versions for brunch buffets
- Drinks: Coffee, milk, or chai tea all work great here
🎯 Make it Work for
- Breakfast Meetings: Bake the night before, glaze in the morning
- Bake Sales: Package individually with glaze on the side
- Brunch: Serve warm, straight from the oven
- Kid’s Parties: Skip cream cheese glaze, use simple vanilla instead
- Holiday Gifts: Add pecans to the filling, package in cute boxes
📦 Storage & Leftovers
- Counter: 2-3 days in an airtight container
- Fridge: Up to 5 days, but they get dense
- Freezer: Up to 2 months unglazed
- Reheat: 10-15 seconds in microwave
- Pro tip: Store unglazed if possible, add fresh glaze when serving
Cinnamon Roll Muffins
Ingredients
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter melted
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
For Cream cheese glaze:
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or spray with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl, combine melted butter (cooled), oil, and sugar. Whisk in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla.
- Add dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with buttermilk. Mix gently until just combined.
- For the filling, combine brown sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter. Stir until it resembles wet sand.
- Fill each muffin cup halfway with batter, add a heaping teaspoon of cinnamon filling, and top with remaining batter. Swirl with a toothpick 2-3 times.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
- For the glaze, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. If too thick, add more milk.
- Cool muffins for 5 minutes, then drizzle with glaze when warm. Enjoy!
