Strawberry Cinnamon Rolls

Strawberry cinnamon rolls are soft, buttery, and swirled with fresh strawberry jam. Lemon-bright frosting and jam give these rolls balance, sweetness, and real berry flavor!

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I use the same dough in these strawberry cinnamon rolls as my hot cross cinnamon rolls! It is my absolute favorite, and, trust me, I’ve tried a lot! It has a lightly sweet, buttery flavor and a tender, delicate texture. Both the jam and frosting are homemade with fresh lemon for added brightness. These pink-tinted rolls are perfect for Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, or any day you want to feel like Spring!

What sets these strawberry rolls apart is the not-too-sweet, homemade strawberry jam. Sugar is part of what helps thicken quick jams, so it is a delicate balance. This jam is based on my easy strawberry jam recipe but thickened with cornstarch, and is the same one I use to flavor my strawberry cake, strawberry pound cake, and strawberry cupcakes. 

Ingredients & Substitutions

For the cinnamon rolls:

• Large Eggs
• Granulated Sugar
• Unsalted Butter
• Milk: I love using whole milk in enriched doughs because of the flavor and added fat, but you can use any dairy or non-dairy milk that you have on hand. You can even use water.
• All-Purpose Flour: All-purpose flour has just enough gluten (protein) to make soft, tender cinnamon rolls and a dough with enough structure to roll and shape. You can use bread flour but I don’t recommend it. I find it can make chewier and more dense cinnamon rolls. 
• Instant Yeast: For speed and the ease of mixing I use instant rapid-rise yeast in this strawberry cinnamon roll recipe. If you would like to proof them overnight and bake the following morning, I recommend using active dry yeast instead. You will need to take the additional step of blooming the yeast like in my raspberry cinnamon rolls. 
• Kosher Salt

For the filling & assembly: 

• Fresh Strawberries: You can use fresh or frozen strawberries for this quick strawberry jam filling, but I prefer the flavor of fresh, in-season berries (or at least those grown in a greenhouse!), plus they typically have less liquid than frozen. 
• Sugar
• Lemon Juice
• Cornstarch & Water: Cornstarch is the thickener in this quick jam. It doesn’t hold as hard or as long as tapioca starch, but we don’t really need it to in this recipe! If you only have tapioca powder, you can use that instead. The water is needed to make a cornstarch slurry. This allows you to add the cornstarch to the boiling jam without it clumping. 
• Ground Cinnamon: I sprinkle ground cinnamon right on the dough but you could also add it to the jam or omit it. I did find that it’s slightly sweet, earthy flavors balanced the jam’s sweetness and evoked that cinnamon roll vibe. 

For the strawberry cream cheese icing:

• Cream Cheese: Softened brick-style cream cheese works best but you could use any variety you have on hand. Just know that whipped will require less jam to make a spreadable frosting. I always use full-fat Philadelphia cream cheese because I prefer the flavor, but you could use reduced fat as well.  
• Strawberry Filling: I reserve about 2 tablespoons of the strawberry filling for the frosting. If you forget, just use crushed, dehydrated strawberries or store-bought jam. 
• Powdered Sugar: I really wanted to ride the edge of tangy with this strawberry cream cheese frosting to temper the sweetness of the filling, but you could add more powdered sugar to your taste. 
• Lemon Juice: The jam and lemon juice provide all the liquid needed for this strawberry cream cheese frosting, but I like to add the lemon juice last, just in case the frosting gets too thin.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Variations

• Use a different frosting or topping. You could use a regular cinnamon roll cream cheese frosting like the one in my sourdough cinnamon rolls recipe or even just a dusting of powdered sugar. Don’t be afraid to get creative like in these cereal milk cinnamon rolls! That frosting and crunchy topping might be just the ticket!
• Proof overnight for a freshly baked morning treat: If you want to make these overnight cinnamon rolls, I recommend using active dry yeast instead of instant. You’ll need to bloom the yeast first, but using instant yeast will result in over proofed rolls by morning. 
• Think farther outside the traditional roll! Yes, even beyond adding strawberry jam. Maybe add a crunch with roasted nuts or use a different flour in the dough like my hazelnut rolls or transform them into sticky buns! Maybe top them with freeze-dried strawberries or add some strawberry powder to the dough!

Professional Tips

• Consider making the easy strawberry jam the day before. Focused on flavor, texture, unique attributes or techniques that influence results. 
• The jam continues to cook and thicken in the oven. More cornstarch would make a tighter jam, which would be easier to roll, but the final baked texture was worth the tradeoff for me. 
• Before you begin assembling, have everything you need and work quickly! The process for making strawberry rolls is easy but messy, so I like to have my pan buttered, knife ready and a tool to spread the filling right next to me. This way you can spread, roll, seal, cut and place the rolls in the pan without having to wash your hands to get a knife! 
• Give the filling space. This is the opposite of cinnamon swirl bread and cinnamon rolls where you want to roll them tightly to get the best spiral. Think about rolling around the filling. Our goal is to keep as much filling inside each roll as possible, which is actually more difficult than it sounds!

How to Make Strawberry Cinnamon Rolls

Use these instructions to make soft, fluffy strawberry cinnamon rolls with a quick strawberry jam and strawberry cream cheese frosting! Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.

Prepare the cinnamon roll dough: 

Step 1: In a large mixing bowl or bowl of stand mixer fitted with dough attachment, add all the ingredients and mix on low speed to combine. After 1 minute, increase to medium speed and continue to knead in a stand mixer 5 minutes (8-10 minutes by hand) until dough pulls up with the dough hook or you can see the dough pulling when you stretch it apart. It will still stick but that’s ok.

Step 2: Lightly spray a large bowl with cooking spray or lightly oil with vegetable oil. Shape dough into a ball and place in a bowl; turn to coat with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place 1 ½ – 2 hours, or until doubled. 

Prepare the strawberry filling:

Step 3: Wash, dry and dice strawberries. In a medium saucepan combine strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium heat and then reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes. The strawberries should release their juices and break down. 

If you didn’t cut your strawberries small enough or your jam is still chunky, mash it using a potato masher or give a couple pulses using a hand blender. I like to keep some texture for the rolls, so some bites will get pieces of strawberries. 

Step 4: In a small bowl whisk together the cornstarch and water until smooth. Slowly pour into the cooking jam while whisking constantly. Continue boiling for 1 minute, pour into a shallow dish to cool. Refrigerate 1 hour to overnight. 

The more surface area, the faster the jam will cool. I usually pour it out into a baking dish, pop it in the fridge or freezer, then stir occasionally. 

Assemble, proof & bake strawberry rolls: 

Step 5: Generously butter a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. I used a whole tablespoon of butter, but you do you. 

Step 6: Punch down dough (degas); turn out onto lightly floured surface and gently shape into rectangle, long side facing you. Use rolling pin to roll into approximately 18×13-inch rectangle.

Step 7: Sprinkle the cinnamon over the dough. 

Adding 1-2 tablespoons of granulated sugar to the cinnamon will help it spread more evenly over the dough, but it is your choice. I found the sweetness of the frosting and the jam to be plenty for me. The cinnamon adds a lovely savory, earthy note. 

Step 8: Reserve 2 tablespoons of the jam for the frosting. Set aside in a small bowl. Spread the remaining jam over the cinnamon sprinkled dough, leaving about ½ inch gap at one of the long ends. 

It’s a lot of jam, but I don’t want sad, empty cinnamon rolls. Have everything you need to finish the rolls nearby. You will need your buttered pan, serrated knife, something to spread the jam and a strong will to keep going even when your hands are dirty! 

Step 9: Starting at the long end without the gap, roll the dough around the filling. Unlike with cinnamon rolls, you will need to make room for the filling. Rolling too tightly will only squish the filling out the sides and bottom. Instead, imagine rolling around the filling. It is inevitable that the jam will come out the rolled up sides. Just keep going. Stop rolling about 2 inches from the end of the dough. 

Step 10: Take the edge of the dough where you kept the dough clear of jam, and pull it up and over the top of the log you just rolled. Pinch to seal the dough. 

This is a little different than how you roll typical cinnamon rolls. This is for maximum filling retention! 

Step 11: Slice the log into 9 pieces using a serrated or very sharp knife, working quickly because the weight of the roll will force the jam out the sides. This makes 9 large cinnamon rolls. I initially wanted to cut 12, but that just isn’t feasible with the jam. 

Step 12: Stagger the cinnamon rolls cut side up in the buttered dish. Scoop any jam that squished onto the work surface (a bench scraper works nicely here) and pour over any rolls that look a little light on filling or in between the rolls. 

Step 13: Cover with plastic wrap and final proof for 30 minutes at room temperature. The yeast is kicking now, so you don’t have to wait long. While your rolls are proofing, preheat the oven to 350°F (no fan). 

Step 14: Bake 30-35 minutes until the tops are golden brown or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center roll comes out clean. You can also take the temperature of the center-most roll. It should read 185°F.

Step 15: Let the rolls cool 90% before frosting, or as much as your family will allow. Mine allowed less than 1 minute. 

Prepare strawberry icing & frost:

Step 16: In a small bowl using a silicone spatula, stir together softened cream cheese, reserved jam, powdered sugar and lemon juice. 

Step 17: Spread the frosting over the tops of the cooled rolls. Serve and enjoy!

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Before You Go

I hope you enjoyed this delightful strawberry brunch recipe. Check out our other delicious, breakfast & brunch recipes or stay in the strawberry lane with strawberry crumble muffins!