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Home / Recipes
2 hours 40 minutes
4.63 from 35 votes
17 Comments

Red Velvet Cinnamon Rolls

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by: Joanna Cismaru
12.29.19
Updated: 02.28.20

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Learn how to make these gorgeous Red Velvet Cinnamon Rolls! Made with red velvet cake mix, these rolls couldn’t get any easier. They’re pillowy soft and topped with everyone’s favorite cream cheese icing.

a red velvet cinnamon roll on a white plate with a bite taken out of it

Who doesn’t love a good slice of red velvet cake? Or a big cinnamon roll slathered in cream cheese icing? This recipe is truly one of the greatest cross-overs in food history. The homemade vibrant red dough is so soft, paired with that buttery cinnamon filling and a dollop of icing on each roll, you won’t be able to help yourself.

My Cinnabon copycat cinnamon roll recipe has always been a huge hit. There really is nothing like a homemade cinnamon roll! Especially right out of the oven. Red velvet cake is another classic that I jump all over to make whenever I have the opportunity. Mix the two together? Well now I’m hooked.

Ingredient Notes

overhead shots of ingredients needed to make red velvet cinnamon rolls
  • Red velvet cake mix – I found this at my local grocery store. Check below for a recipe to make your own cake mix from scratch.
  • Flour – All purpose flour is perfect for this recipe.
  • Instant yeast – If you use active dry yeast instead of instant, you will have to proof it first before using it in this recipe.
  • Water – Make sure your water is lukewarm.
  • Brown sugar – I used light brown sugar, but dark will also work. It’ll give you more molasses-y flavor.
  • Cinnamon – You can adjust the amount of cinnamon to make your perfect ratio.
  • Butter – I always use unsalted butter.
  • Powered sugar – This is also called icing sugar or confectioners sugar.
  • Cream cheese – Make sure to take the cream cheese out of your fridge about 20-30 minutes before you use it so it can soften.
  • Vanilla extract – Of course, fresh vanilla bean can be used instead.
  • Salt – We use just a little bit of salt to help bring out the flavors.
process shots showing how to make dough for red velvet cinnamon rolls and how to roll it

How to Make Red Velvet Cinnamon Rolls

  1. Make the dough: Add the cake mix, 1 cup of flour, yeast, and water to the bowl of your mixer. Mix with the dough hook and add the remaining flour until you have a nice, soft, sticky dough. Place in a greased bowl and allow the dough to rise in a warm place for about 2 hours, or until doubled in size.
  2. Create the rolls: Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll out to about 16 x 12 inches. Brush the melted butter evenly over the dough. Whisk the brown sugar and cinnamon together, then sprinkle it over the butter. Working carefully from the long edge, roll the dough into a log. Cut the log into 12 equal sized rolls.
  3. Finish the rolls: Add the rolls to a greased 9×13 baking pan, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and let hem rise for 30 minutes. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes or until the rolls begin to brown.
  4. Make the icing: While the rolls bake, beat the icing ingredients together until smooth. Let the rolls cool for about 10-15 minutes until spreading the icing over them. You can ice the whole pan, or ice them individually as you enjoy the rolls.
red velvet cinnamon rolls in a baking sheet before and after baking

How to Make Red Velvet Cake Mix From Scratch

This will give you exactly as much cake mix as you’ll need for the cinnamon rolls. The difference here is that the red coloring is not powdered like it is in the boxed version. Mix all the dry ingredients for the cake mix together first, and add your food coloring to the lukewarm water.

  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp cocoa powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp red gel food coloring (add more if needed)
overhead shot of red velvet cinnamon rolls in a baking pan iced with cream cheese icing

Tips and Tricks

  1. Test your yeast! Even if the jar of yeast isn’t expired, yeast is still a living organism. If it dies then your rolls will not turn out. Test it out by letting it proof in warm water with a bit of sugar, especially if using active dry yeast. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes until it foams up. If it doesn’t foam up, get yourself a new jar. Store yeast, active or instant, in the freezer to help it last longer.
  2. Every environment is different. Levels of humidity can make a difference for yeast doughs like this. Add the flour slowly to ensure you get the right consistency for your dough. Don’t fret if you need a little bit more or less than what the recipe calls for. At the end, your dough should be soft, elastic, and a bit sticky.
  3. Don’t overheat the water. 110F/40C is perfect. If it’s too hot, it will kill the yeast.
  4. Let the dough rise in a warm spot. I like to let my dough rise in the oven! I’ll preheat it to the lowest possible setting, then turn it off. This will help your dough rise faster. Make sure to keep an eye on your dough.
overhead shot of red velvet cinnamon rolls in a baking pan iced with cream cheese icing with 2 rolls missing

Freezing

After placing the rolls in the baking pan, wrap them well with two layers of plastic. Place them in the freezer and they’ll last up to 6 weeks. When you’re ready to bake, take them out of the freezer the night before and let them thaw in the fridge. Remove the plastic, bake as instructed, and enjoy!

Leftovers

Cream cheese icing is okay to sit at room temperature up to 8 hours. Beyond that, it’ll have to be refrigerated and will last in the fridge for 3 days. Your rolls will last 2 days at room temperature or a week in the fridge. Make sure to store the rolls in an airtight container so they don’t dry out.

Reheat by giving the roll a quick zap in the microwave. I like to do 15 second intervals- they heat up really quick! One second you have a cold cinnamon roll, the next second it’s bubbling volcano with molten cream cheese icing.

a red velvet cinnamon roll on a white plate

Did You Love This Recipe? Try These!

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  • Strawberry Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing
  • Best Ever Pumpkin Roll
  • Red Velour Cake
  • Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake

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side view shot of a red velvet cinnamon roll on a plate

Red Velvet Cinnamon Rolls

4.63 from 35 votes
Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Rising Time: 2 hrs
Total: 2 hrs 40 mins
Author: Joanna Cismaru
Serves: 12
Print Pin Rate
Learn how to make these gorgeous Red Velvet Cinnamon Rolls! Made with red velvet cake mix, these rolls couldn't get any easier. They're pillowy soft and topped with everyone's favorite cream cheese icing.

Equipment

  • KitchenAid Classic 4.5 Quart Stand Mixer
  • Glass Mixing Bowl Set (3 piece)
  • Keep Calm And Bake On Spatula
  • 9×13-inch Baking Pan (set of 2)

Ingredients

Dough

  • 1 box red velvet cake mix
  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp instant yeast
  • 1 ¼ cups warm water

Filling

  • 1 cup brown sugar packed
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon ground
  • ⅓ cup butter melted

Cream Cheese Icing

  • 6 tbsp butter unsalted, softened
  • 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
  • ¼ cup cream cheese at room temperature
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • ⅛ tsp salt
US Customary – Metric

Instructions

  • Combine cake mix, 1 cup of the flour and yeast. Add water; beat on medium speed 2 minutes. Change to dough hook attachment and stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky). Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.
  • Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.
  • Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish with cooking spray or butter.
  • Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface, until it is approximately 16 inches long by 12 inches wide. It should be approximately 1/4 inch in thickness.
  • Spread the 1/3 cup of butter evenly over the dough, then sprinkle with the sugar evenly over the surface of the dough.
  • Working carefully, from the long edge, roll the dough down to the bottom edge.
  • Cut the dough into 1 1/2 inch slices, and place in a lightly greased baking pan. You can also use floss to cut into slices, as seen in the video. Place the cut rolls in the prepared pan. Cover with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let them rise for another 30 minutes, or until doubled in size.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
  • Place the baking pan in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cooking time can vary greatly!
  • While the rolls are baking make the icing by mixing all the icing ingredients and beat well with an electric mixer until fluffy and smooth.
  • When the rolls are done, spread generously with icing.

Video

Recipe Notes

  1. Cream cheese icing is okay to sit at room temperature up to 8 hours. Beyond that, it’ll have to be refrigerated and will last in the fridge for 3 days. Your rolls will last 2 days at room temperature or a week in the fridge. Make sure to store the rolls in an airtight container so they don’t dry out.
  2. Reheat by giving the roll a quick zap in the microwave. I like to do 15 second intervals- they heat up really quick! One second you have a cold cinnamon roll, the next second it’s bubbling volcano with molten cream cheese icing.

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1rollCalories: 491kcal (25%)Carbohydrates: 81g (27%)Protein: 6g (12%)Fat: 18g (28%)Saturated Fat: 9g (56%)Cholesterol: 31mg (10%)Sodium: 355mg (15%)Potassium: 203mg (6%)Fiber: 2g (8%)Sugar: 47g (52%)Vitamin A: 360IU (7%)Calcium: 90mg (9%)Iron: 3mg (17%)
Course:Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine:American
Keyword:cinnamon rolls, red velvet cinnamon rolls
Tried this recipe? Rate it belowtag @jocooks on instagram and hashtag it #jocooks!

Meet Joanna Cismaru

I’m Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

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Comments

  1. Julie says

    December 20, 2020 at 9:25 pm

    If I wanted to split the rolls into (2) batches, could I bake them in 8×8 pans instead?

    Reply
    • Jo Cooks Team says

      December 21, 2020 at 9:24 am

      If they have enough room, for sure!

      Reply
    • Julie says

      December 24, 2020 at 9:06 am

      5 stars
      Thanks Jo!! I divided these into (2) smaller rectangle pans and they fit well. Had some this morning and we will have fresh ones for Christmas Day now, too! I added an extra tablespoon of cinnamon to the filling per another favorite roll recipe of mine pans loved it. Will be keeping this recipe!

      Reply
  2. Tootie says

    December 9, 2020 at 11:36 pm

    Which way do you like best, cake mix or the other?

    Reply
    • Jo Cooks Team says

      December 10, 2020 at 8:32 am

      The cake mix is definitely faster, but I like to use both. Depends on how I’m feeling that day!

      Reply
  3. Nani H. says

    December 7, 2020 at 8:28 pm

    Will this work if I knead the dough as well? I don’t have a stand mixer 🙁

    Reply
    • Joanna Cismaru says

      December 8, 2020 at 9:16 am

      For sure.

      Reply
  4. Tippi says

    October 7, 2020 at 11:55 am

    Your ingredient list shows cocoa powder but it is not listed in the instructions.

    Reply
    • jo says

      October 7, 2020 at 12:44 pm

      Oh no, that’s if you’re making your own red velvet cake mix from scratch, if you’re using a store bought cake mix you don’t need it.

      Reply
  5. Maya Kharel says

    May 28, 2020 at 6:03 am

    Hey how many cups is in the cake mix flour? I bought a bulk of red velvet cake mix instead of a box

    Reply
    • Jo Cooks Team says

      May 29, 2020 at 9:23 am

      There is 15.25oz (432g) of cake mix in a box.

      Reply
  6. Diane says

    May 20, 2020 at 11:01 am

    I tried your Cinnabon recipe and it was AMAZING! Can’t wait to try this one. I have just one question: This dough recipe doesn’t use any eggs or butter? (I don’t have the red velvet cake mix, so I’ll use your homemade mix recipe)

    Reply
    • Jo Cooks Team says

      May 20, 2020 at 1:48 pm

      That’s right! It’s a very simple dough but it was incredibly soft and delicious. Enjoy!

      Reply
      • Katie Veltman says

        December 22, 2020 at 5:18 pm

        If I made these the night before I planned to bake them, could they just sit in the fridge?

      • Joanna Cismaru says

        December 23, 2020 at 10:44 am

        Yes, absolutely, just cover them with plastic wrap.

  7. MK says

    May 13, 2020 at 12:20 pm

    5 stars
    This looks so good! Can’t wait to try it but I just have a little hiccup. If I don’t have a kitchen aid mixer or any stand mixer can I still make this?

    Reply
    • Jo Cooks Team says

      May 13, 2020 at 1:04 pm

      Yes you’ll just have to knead by hand!

      Reply

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