Hawaiian Roll Cinnamon Rolls

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OMG! These Hawaiian Roll Cinnamon Rolls are one of the BEST dessert recipes I have ever made in my entire life!

These easy Hawaiian Roll Cinnamon Rolls are soft, ooey-gooey, perfectly sweet, and have the most incredible caramelized edges thanks to a simple brown-sugar-butter mixture.

They taste like bakery-style cinnamon rolls, but are secretly one of the easiest desserts you will ever make.

A hand holding a frosted cinnamon roll piece with creamy icing, with more cinnamon rolls in a baking pan in the background.

One of the Best Dessert Recipes!

Hands down, these Hawaiian roll cinnamon rolls are one of the BEST recipes I have ever made annnnnd one of the best dessert recipes you are going to find on my blog…

And that’s the ultimate compliment because I’ve worked at 3 different bakeries and have been posting easy recipes over here for the past 15 years!

These cinnamon rolls are easy, delicious, indulgent, and feel just a little bit like a shortcut hack while still tasting completely homemade.

A woman with long, wavy blonde hair and a bright smile stands in a kitchen. She is wearing a yellow floral dress with puffed sleeves and white buttons. The background shows white subway tiles and cabinets.

I thought my viral Tiktok cinnamon rolls with heavy whipping cream were some of the best cinnamon rolls I’ve ever had, but these Hawaiian roll cinnamon rolls MIGHT be my absolute favorite cinnamon roll recipe of all time.

I’m not even kidding… I feel like I need to do a side-by-side test just to officially decide… but at this point, I am leaning towards these!

But in the meantime, holy smokes. These Hawaiian roll cinnamon rolls are next level!!!

A woman in a yellow dress holds up a gooey cinnamon roll topped with icing, smiling in a kitchen setting. The focus is on the cinnamon roll, showing its swirled layers and creamy frosting. — LOOK at that ooey-gooey center

A woman in a yellow floral dress holds up a cinnamon roll with cream cheese icing, showing a large bite taken out of it. The soft, gooey interior and cinnamon filling are visible. — LOOK at that ooey-gooey center

I made these while the kids were at school, and my husband Andy and I could NOT stop eating them. I fully planned to eat “better” that day, and then boom… that plan went right out the window. 😂

But when the kids came home, they were both lucky enough to get a cinnamon roll too, and they both LOVED my Hawaiian roll version.

I literally just asked my 10-year-old daughter, Claire, which version of my cinnamon rolls she liked better, and she said my Hawaiian Roll Cinnamon Rolls! Andy agrees with Claire… But Charlie votes on my Heavy Whipping Cream Cinnamon Rolls (which are also in my cookbook)!

If you try these cinnamon rolls, I would LOVE to hear what you think. I have a feeling these might become your new favorite, too!

Why You’ll Love These Hawaiian Roll Cinnamon Rolls

Easy cinnamon rolls that feel like a total shortcut hack
Made with store-bought rolls but taste like easy homemade cinnamon rolls
Soft, fluffy, and ooey gooey in the center
Perfect for holidays, brunch, or an easy dessert
Topped with a rich cream cheese frosting just like the kind used on Cinnabon cinnamon rolls

A package of Kings Hawaiian sweet rolls on a wooden board surrounded by small bowls of ingredients, including butter, cream cheese, milk, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar.

When to Make These

These easy homemade cinnamon rolls are perfect for:

Christmas morning
Easter brunch
Thanksgiving
Christmas Eve
Weekend brunch
Or honestly just a random Tuesday when you need something AMAZING

Easy Holiday Brunch of Dessert Idea

If you’re looking for an easy, crowd-pleasing recipe for the holidays, these Hawaiian Roll Cinnamon Rolls are perfect.

There is just something about warm, ooey gooey cinnamon rolls baking in the oven that just feels like the holidays.

How to Make Hawaiian Roll Cinnamon Rolls

This is where the magic happens… and trust me, it could not be easier.

You start with a 12-pack of Hawaiian rolls and slice them in half, just like you would for sliders…. I used King’s Hawaiian Rolls!

A glass bowl with milk and brown sugar sits on a striped cloth atop a wooden tray. A spoon rests nearby, and a person wearing yellow is adding an ingredient with one hand. Other small bowls are around the tray.

A person stands by a bowl containing butter, cinnamon, and cream on a striped towel. A spoon, measuring cup, and other ingredients are nearby on a wooden board.

Then you mix together brown sugar, cinnamon, butter, salt, vanilla extract, and heavy cream.

I licked the spatula, and it tasted soooo good! I knew right then and there, this cinnamon roll recipe was going to be an absolute hit!

A person spreads a brown, crumbly mixture onto a rectangular layer of cake in a metal baking pan using a spatula. The persons hands are visible, and the cake is on a wooden board.

A person in a yellow patterned apron places a layer of connected slider buns over shredded meat in a baking pan, surrounded by small bowls on a kitchen counter.

You spread that mixture right in the center, place the tops back on, and then add another layer right on top.

A person pours powdered sugar from a white bowl into a glass mixing bowl containing a creamy mixture, on a wooden tray with a striped cloth underneath.

A person uses a yellow hand mixer to blend ingredients, including flour, in a glass bowl on a blue-striped cloth and wooden tray.

Bake until warm, golden, and caramelized… and then finish with the most dreamy cream cheese frosting. It’s seriously that good!

The Secret to That Ooey Gooey Texture

Here’s my little trick that takes these to the next level…

When the Hawaiian bread cinnamon rolls come out of the oven, the sugar mixture melts and caramelizes around the edges.

Use a spatula to push that caramelized mixture back into the rolls.

This creates that slightly crisp, candy-like edge around your cinnamon rolls. Pair that with an ooey gooey center that is seriously unreal. SOOOO good!

A rectangular baked cake in a gray pan, topped with a smooth layer of white icing. The pan sits on a wooden surface.

Cream Cheese Frosting (Trust Me on This)

The frosting is everything. I mean, they don’t call me Best Friend for Frosting for nothing…. half kidding, half serious!

This cream cheese frosting is rich, creamy, slightly sweet, and melts perfectly on top of the warm cinnamon rolls.

Honestly… it’s the same kind of frosting used on Cinnabon cinnamon rolls, which makes these even more irresistible.

Just make sure to spread the cream cheese frosting on while the cinnamon rolls are still warm, so it melts just enough to coat every bite perfectly.

Plus, eating those cinnamon rolls while slightly warm is the very best way to eat/serve them.

How to Store Hawaiian Roll Cinnamon Rolls

If you happen to have leftovers (which honestly might be rare 😅), these Hawaiian Roll Cinnamon Rolls store really well.

You can keep them covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Just make sure they are in an airtight container or tightly covered in your baking dish to keep them soft.

Can You Freeze Hawaiian Roll Cinnamon Rolls?

Yes, you can absolutely freeze these cinnamon rolls!

Let them cool completely, then store them in an airtight container. You can freeze them for up to 2 months.

For best results, freeze your Hawaiian Roll Cinnamon Rolls without the frosting and add fresh frosting after reheating.

How to Reheat Cinnamon Rolls So They Stay Soft

To bring back that soft, ooey gooey texture, reheat your cinnamon rolls before serving.

Microwave: Heat individual rolls for 15–20 seconds

Oven: Cover with foil and warm at 300°F for about 10 minutes

Watch me Make Hawaiin Roll Cinnamon Rolls

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HAWAIIAN ROLL CINNAMON ROLLS

By Melissa Johnson

Prep: 7

Cook: 20

Resting Time: 10

Total: 37

Servings: rolls

A hand holding a piece of cinnamon roll topped with creamy white icing, showing the swirled layers of cinnamon and sugar inside.

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Soft, gooey Hawaiian roll cinnamon rolls with caramelized brown sugar filling and creamy frosting. Easy, bakery-style rolls made in minutes.

Ingredients

▢ 3/4 cup brown sugar
▢ 2 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
▢ 9 tbsp softened butter, divided
▢ 1/4 tsp salt
▢ 1 cup heavy whipping cream
▢ one 12 count package Hawaiian rolls
▢ 4 oz cream cheese, softened for cream cheese frosting
▢ 2 tsp vanilla extract, for cream cheese frosting
▢ 1 cup powdered sugar, for cream cheese frosting

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Slice the rolls in half horizontally, keeping the tops and bottoms intact, then place the bottom half in a greased 9×13 baking dish.
In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer to combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, 8 tablespoons butter, 1/8 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and heavy cream (It's ok if the mixture is a little lumpy as all the ingredients will melt together when baked). Be carful not to overmix as the whipping cream can curdle and become grainy.
Spread 3/4 of the butter mixture on top of the bottom half of the Hawaiian rolls.
Replace the top half and spread the remaining mixture on top.
Bake for 18-20 minutes.
Make your cream cheese frosting.
While the rolls are baking, beat the remaining tablespoon of butter, cream cheese, and teaspoon of vanilla with a hand mixer until combined.
Gradually add the powdered sugar and beat until the mixture is uniform and smooth.
Let the Hawaiian Roll Cinnamon Rolls cool slightly for about 10 minutes, before icing.
Spread the cream cheese icing over the cinnamon rolls.
Best if served while still warm.