These Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls are the most tender, soft and decadent cinnamon rolls with a brown sugar cinnamon filling and slathered with a delicious icing. What’s the secret to these rolls? Sweet potatoes!
It’s Sunday morning and my favorite day of the week for big delicious breakfasts. But you know that already. So these sweet potato cinnamon rolls are perfect for a Sunday morning.
My husband usually does the grocery shopping, so I had asked him to get me a couple sweet potatoes. I initially planned to make stuffed sweet potato skins, but he brought home these huge sweet potatoes, they would have looked just ridiculous if I had stuffed them. So I baked them a couple days ago and since then I’ve been thinking how to use them.
Yesterday I got the idea of making cinnamon rolls and using some of the sweet potato in the dough. What a great idea. First of all it gave the rolls this gorgeous yellow orange color and secondly it made the texture of the dough so soft and flaky and melt in your mouth. Truly amazing taste.
Love these sweet potato cinnamon rolls or consider yourself a connoisseur when it comes to cinnamon rolls? Try these:
- Cinnabons Cinnamon Rolls
- Finnish Cardamom Rolls
- Strawberry Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing
- Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls
- Apple and Pecan Cinnamon Rolls
If you try this recipe, please let us know! Leave a comment, rate it and tag a photo #jocooks on Instagram so we can see it. I always love to see what you guys come up with!
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Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls
Prep: 30 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Total: 50 mins
Serves: 12
These Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls are the most tender, soft and decadent cinnamon rolls with a brown sugar cinnamon filling and slathered with a delicious icing. What's the secret to these rolls? Sweet potatoes!
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 lb sweet potato
- 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 8 tbsp butter unsalted, softened
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup water lukewarm
- 1 tbsp active dry yeast
- 2 tbsp sugar
For the cinnamon filling
- 1 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 1/2 tbsp cinnamon
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 8 tbsp butter unsalted, at room temperature
For the icing
- 2 cups powdered sugar same as confectioners sugar or icing sugar
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 tbsp butter unsalted, melted
- 1/8 tsp salt
Instructions
- Wash and scrub the baked potato(es) and bake it in the oven on the middle rack at 400 F degrees for about 1 hour or until soft when pierced with a fork.
- When the potatoes have cooled, peel them and cut them in small pieces then mash them with the 1 stick of butter. Add in the 3 eggs and 1 cup of the flour and continue mashing until smooth.
- In the bowl of your mixer add the water, yeast and sugar, stir and let it sit for about 10 minutes until yeast has dissolved and it becomes foamy.
- Add potato mixture to the yeast mixture and using the paddle attachment mix for a couple minutes. Add 3 more cups of flour, one cup at a time and mix well. If the dough is too dry add a bit more water, but I didn't need too, there was enough moisture from the sweet potatoes. After the 3 cups of flour have been added in the dough should still be sticky.
- Sprinkle about half a cup of flour over your work surface and scrape the dough onto the floured surface. Knead the dough until it's smooth and elastic, I only kneaded for about a minute, but it depends how sticky your dough is. Butter or oil a large bowl and place the dough in there, cover it with foil and let sit in a warm place until it doubles in size, about an hour.
- In the meantime, make the filling by mixing all the ingredients in a bowl using a fork.
- After the dough has doubled in size, preheat the oven to 425 F degrees. You will need a large baking sheet for this.
- Turn the dough onto your floured surface and roll it out so that it's about 24 inches by 16 inches and about 1/2 inch in thickness. Sprinkle or spread the filling evenly over the dough. Working carefully, from the long edge, roll the dough down to the bottom edge.
- Carefully cut the roll into 12 equal size rolls, so the easiest is to cut the roll in half then cut each half in half and then each quarter in 3 so you end up with 12 equal size rolls. Transfer the rolls onto the baking sheet, wrap with plastic wrap and let rise for another 20 minutes.
- Bake the rolls for about 15 to 20 minutes until they are golden brown.
- In the meantime make the icing by whisking all the icing ingredients together. Spread the icing over the warm rolls and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
To speed up the rising process, usually I turn the oven on to 200 F degrees for 1 minute, then turn off the oven, place the bowl in the oven and let it rise in the warm oven. In about half hour, if your yeast is good, the dough should have doubled in size.
Prep time does not include time to let the dough rise.
Always check the expiration date on your yeast and make sure it hasn't expired. All your yeast products whether it’s in a jar or a package should be stamped with a “Best if Used by” date. Always make sure you check this date, even when you purchase the yeast, who knows it could have been on the shelf past its expiry date.
To keep your yeast fresh and longer lasting, unopened yeast packages or jars should be stored in a cool or dry place such as your cupboard. However, you can also store your yeast in the fridge or freezer. If you do store it in the freezer and need to use yeast for your baking, make sure you take out the amount you need and let it sit at room temperature for at least half hour before using.
Once your yeast package or jar has been opened, you must refrigerate the yeast or freeze it in an airtight container.
One thing to remember about your yeast, is that it is a living organism and over time it will lose activity, even if you’ve never opened the jar or package. So if you don’t bake often, buy the smaller yeast packages rather than a big jar of yeast.
Make sure your milk or water is not too hot or it could kill the yeast which will cause your dough not to rise at all. The ideal temperature for the milk or water should be between 105 F degrees and 110 F for proofing. While 95 F degrees is the best temperature for yeast to multiply, that's not warm enough for proofing active dry yeast.
If after dissolving the yeast in the warm milk, the yeast didn't start to froth up, do not continue with the rolls, your dough will not rise.
TIP: To speed up the dough rising process, heat your oven to 200 F degrees. Turn off the oven and place your dough as specified in step 4 in the oven with the door closed. This will ensure a warm environment for your dough and the dough will rise fairly quickly, assuming the yeast was good.
You could prepare this the day before up until step 9. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge overnight. The rolls should continue to rise in the fridge but if by morning they have not doubled in size, turn your oven on to 200 F degrees until it warms up, then turn it off. Place the pan in the oven for about 30 to 45 minutes until the rolls double in size. Then you can bake them as instructed.
To freeze unbaked rolls, complete everything up to and including step 9, then wrap the pan in two layers of plastic wrap. Freeze for 8 hours up to 6 weeks. The night before you want to bake the rolls, thaw them out in the refrigerator, still wrapped. They will thaw overnight. Finish the rest of the steps to bake them.
Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
Nutrition Information:
Serving: 1cinnamon rollCalories: 583kcal (29%)Carbohydrates: 92g (31%)Protein: 7g (14%)Fat: 20g (31%)Saturated Fat: 12g (75%)Cholesterol: 92mg (31%)Sodium: 73mg (3%)Potassium: 245mg (7%)Fiber: 3g (13%)Sugar: 47g (52%)Vitamin A: 6020IU (120%)Vitamin C: 0.9mg (1%)Calcium: 70mg (7%)Iron: 3mg (17%)
Nutrition Facts
Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls
Amount Per Serving (1 cinnamon roll)
Calories 583
Calories from Fat 180
% Daily Value*
Fat 20g31%
Saturated Fat 12g75%
Cholesterol 92mg31%
Sodium 73mg3%
Potassium 245mg7%
Carbohydrates 92g31%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 47g52%
Protein 7g14%
Vitamin A 6020IU120%
Vitamin C 0.9mg1%
Calcium 70mg7%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Kas says
I have leftover baked sweet potato but no idea what weight it started at. Can you give a general measurement of how much baked sweet potato you used? Thanks!
Jo Cooks Team says
The cooked versus raw weight won’t be much different, if you use 1lb of your cooked sweet potato that’ll work just fine.
Joanna says
Question, your ingredients state lukewarm water and in the recipe it’s for the yeast but in your notes you talk about milk temps not being to high or it can kill the yeast? I only see milk needed for icing? Which is it? Or am I misunderstanding? Potatoes in oven now!
jo says
Those are more generic notes, it refers to milk or water (updated the recipe notes). You’re fine. 🙂
Christina Phillips says
I’m rising this recipe as I type. So, far it seems perfect. I can’t wait till the end. Lol. The only difference was I used sweet potatoes I had canned up from last years crop. I’m sure it will be sooo good. Thanks for the recipe.
Dina says
sounds good! great use of sweet potatoes!
Lisa says
I’ve been wanting to bake cinnamon rolls for awhile now and I have sweet potatoes too…this sounds like a winner. I love the color the potatoes gives the rolls too.
jo says
Hi Lisa,
You’ll love these, just had another one for dinner with caramel syrup, yum!
Rosie @ Blueberry Kitchen says
I have never tried baking with sweet potato, but I think I need to give it a go – your rolls look amazing!
jo says
Thanks Rosie, give them a try, I just love the texture of them. 🙂
Brooke Schweers says
Oh yummy! I have been obsessed with sweet potato lately and love the texture it gives to baked goods. Great recipe 🙂
jo says
Thanks Brooke, yeah this is the first time I actually use sweet potato in baked goods and I was pleasantly surprised. 🙂