Air Fryer Cinnamon Rolls

These air fryer cinnamon rolls are the easiest breakfast ever! No yeast, no fuss, and they only need 10 minutes or less in the air fryer. Served with a Cinnabon-esque delectable frosting, these cute little pinwheels are not to be missed!

No Yeast Required!

When you think of homemade cinnamon rolls you probably have dreams of warm sweet pastry swirls that are perfectly golden on the outside, tender on the inside, and slathered in melty frosting.

You may also think of all the effort it takes to make cinnamon rolls from scratch. The majority of classic cinnamon roll recipes use a yeasted dough that requires allowing time for the yeast to proof and the dough to rise before being baked. Many cinnamon roll recipes use an overnight process to cut down on the prep time in the morning.

So when testing these air fryer cinnamon rolls, I knew I wanted to try them using a dough that does not use yeast. I assume that most people use air fryers because of their speed and convenience, and having to take the extra steps and time to create a yeasted dough negates the simplicity of using an air fryer.

These rolls use an easy, buttermilk dough that yields a texture that's similar to a biscuit but will fool any cinnamon roll lover into thinking it was made using a more classic yeasted dough. And with how fast that these come together, you'll absolutely love them.

One Weird Quirk About These Rolls

Okay, so there is one strange step that you'll need to take in order to create the best air fryer cinnamon rolls. Unlike rolls baked in a conventional oven, you will need to flip the cinnamon rolls over halfway through to ensure that the bottom and middle of the rolls are cooked thoroughly.

A little unconventional, I admit, but when doing research for this recipe and conducting a test of my own, flipping the rolls really is the best way to make sure you don't end up with dark brown, done tops and raw undersides.

How To Flip Cinnamon Rolls

Space is limited inside of an air fryer fry basket, so I recommend using a fork or butter knife to flip the cinnamon rolls halfway through the cook time.

Use the fork to gently loosen the roll from the fry tray and flip it over. Immediately push the fry basket back into the fryer and resume cooking.

Ingredients For This Recipe

Now let's go over the simple ingredients you'll need to create the dough, filling, and frosting for these cinnamon rolls.

• All-Purpose Flour
• White Sugar
• Baking Powder and Baking Soda
• Salt
• Buttermilk (whole or low fat)
• Melted Butter (unsalted)
• For the topping: brown sugar and ground cinnamon

And now for the frosting, which is a close copycat of the frosting used at Cinnabon. It's my favorite frosting to use on cinnamon rolls! It uses just a small amount of cream cheese to jazz things up, but it's not so cream cheese-y that it tastes like a full-on cream cheese cake frosting. Just trust me, it's delicious!

• Cream Cheese
• Powdered Sugar
• Unsalted Butter
• Salt
• Pure Vanilla Extract
• Lemon Juice

How To Make Cinnamon Rolls

The process for making these air fryer cinnamon rolls is pretty simple. First, let's look at some basic equipment that you'll need:

• An Air Fryer: This goes without saying. The rolls will do best when you can space them out in the fry basket, so I recommend a larger size. But if you only have a smaller fryer, don't worry. Flipping the rolls halfway through will ensure the air and heat reaches all sides of the rolls and they'll come out great.
• Silicone Pastry Mat: You don't have to have one of these to make this recipe, but I use mine ALL the time! It has useful sizing and measurement tools so I know how big my doughs and crusts are when rolling them out. Plus, it's so easy to wipe this down and then roll it up and put it away.
• Mixing Bowls: You probably already have bowls you like to use, but I wanted to recommend this set of sturdy glass bowls (I just bought a set myself) that I absolutely love.
• Kitchenaid Hand Mixer: The dough, filling, and frosting is loose enough to be able to be mixed by hand, but I absolutely love this mixer - I have the red one - and it makes everything easier!

1. Mix The Dry Ingredients: Stir flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar together.
2. Add The Wet Ingredients: Add buttermilk and melted butter.
3. Add More Flour If Needed: Just like making bread or yeasted doughs, the humidity in your kitchen, your specific ingredients, and other factors may affect the exact amount of flour you need to add to the dough. After adding the amount of flour recommended in the recipe, if you find the dough is too wet and sticky to easy manipulate and roll out, carefully incorporate an extra couple of tablespoons of flour. Just be gentle with the dough and don't overwork it, or your rolls will be tough, dense, and won't rise well.
4. Roll It Out: use a well-floured surface to roll out the dough into a big rectangle that's 14-16 inches on the long side.
5. Fill It: Brush the dough with melted butter and cinnamon sugar. Be generous, this is where the flavor resides!
6. Roll It Up: Carefully roll rectangle up into a log, starting on the long end. Once you have the log, you can gently squeeze and shape it so that it is an even thickness from one end to the other.
7. Cut It Up: Use a very sharp serrated edge knife or unflavored dental floss to cut into 8 rolls.
8. Air Fry It: Oil the tray of the fry basket and place the rolls inside, leaving space between each one if you can. Fry for about 5 minutes, then open the basket and use a fork to gently flip the rolls over. Fry for an additional 4-5 minutes (check early).
9. Frost While Warm: Mix the frosting ingredients together and spread onto the cinnamon rolls while still warm.

Storage Instructions

I recommend enjoying these air fryer cinnamon rolls warm and fresh directly from your air fryer. If you have any leftover, cover and refrigerate. Give them a quick zap in the microwave (don't overheat!) when ready to enjoy.

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