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These ooey gooey Nutella cinnamon rolls are the most decadent delicious breakfast treat! Topped with a smooth cream cheese frosting, you’ll love these Nutella rolls!
*Please note* this post was originally published in 2021. I’ve since updated the text and added a video; however, the recipe remains the same.
Fall is coming and my oven has been on more and more these days. As soon as you can feel that little crisp in the air, its time to bake! And what better thing to bake than the always favorite CINNAMON ROLLS.
Soft, gooey and super rich. Not usually what I go for on this site, but I just can’t help myself when it comes to cinnamon rolls! My family loves, loves cinnamon rolls!! It’s such a special treat we like to have on weekends, especially when the weather gets chillier.
My usual go-to with baking is to make things either full or half whole-wheat, use less refined sugars, sneak in some veggies. You know what I mean! BUT I have to make an exception with these rolls. Sometimes you just want a decadent, gooey cinnamon bun. With thick cream cheese frosting and a buttery, soft dough. Breakfast decadence at its best!! Enter these Nutella cinnamon rolls!
Ingredients Needed for Nutella Cinnamon Rolls
- whole milk
- granulated sugar
- active dry yeast
- unsalted butter
- eggs
- salt
- all-purpose flour
- cinnamon
- Nutella
Whole Milk: While you could certainly get away with using a lower fat or non-dairy milk, you’ll get the best results with whole milk. It ensures the dough is rich tasting, which is what we’re going for here! You could also use buttermilk with no other recipe changes, but do not use skim milk!
Nutella: I have definitely tried AND LOVED this recipe with my homemade Nutella, but it is certainly not as decadent as the one with the regular store-bought Nutella! I’ve actually been loving this chocolate hazelnut spread from Kraft as well, since it contains no palm oil!
You can also make this recipe with any nut butter spread, including peanut butter (or peanut butter AND NUTELLA for an amazing Reese’s type of treat).
Cream Cheese Frosting
- full-fat cream cheese
- powdered sugar
- whole milk or heavy cream
- pinch of salt
While the cream cheese frosting is what I recommend and it is terrific, you could also try topping this recipe with something other than cream cheese icing, like a simple vanilla glaze. Feel free to play around!
Instructions for Easy Nutella Rolls
If you’ve never baked with yeast before, there’s no need to fear! It’s simple. I’ll walk you through this process step-by-step. Plus once you try it, if you’re a newbie, you’re going to want to make all of the yeasty breads and rolls!
1. Start the recipe by mixing the yeast with warm (whole) milk and a bit of sugar. Whisk it together and allow it to sit for a couple of minutes to activate and get a little foamy. If it isn’t foaming up after a few minutes, you will want to try again with fresh yeast!
2. Next, add in the rest of the sugar and softened butter until the butter is slightly broken up. I always use the dough hook attachment for my mixer! You’ll need the eggs next, one at a time, mixing as you go. Add in one cup of flour and the salt and then mix until things start to shape up.
3. Add in the remaining flour, one cup at a time until fully incorporated. Turn the mixer up and mix until the dough easily pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If it is still sticking after a couple of minutes, add a bit more flour, one tablespoon at a time. Once you’ve kneaded the dough with the mixer for about 3 minutes, place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a towel, allowing it to rise for 1-2 hours or until doubled in size.
Note: If your kitchen is not that warm, turn the oven to keep warm and then turn it off after a few minutes, then use that warm space to allow the dough to rise.
4. Once doubled in size, get a baking pan ready by lining it with parchment paper. You can use a 9 x 13″ pan, or my favorite, a 11 x 17″ baking sheet to avoid squishing the buns too much.
Punch down the dough (so therapeutic), then, on a floured surface, roll out the dough to a 12 x 18″ rectangle (I actually use a measuring tape). Smear a bit of softened butter all over the dough, then sprinkle cinnamon on top.
Now for the FUN part: NUTELLA!
5. We will need 1 whole cup of Nutella for this recipe. Add the Nutella to the buttery dough, placing a spoonful of it in various places all over the dough, then use the back of a spoon to smear it all over as evenly as possible, leaving about an inch border around the sides.
Now, roll up the dough from the long edge, creating an 18″ roll. Then you’ll slice the roll into 12 even rolls. I usually cut the roll in half, then half again to create 4 equal pieces, then into 3rds.
Place the rolls face up on the prepared baking pan. Then cover the rolls again tightly with aluminum foil sprayed with some cooking spray, or with plastic wrap, or a clean dishcloth. Let the rolls rise again until doubled in size, about 1-1.5 hours.
6. After the Nutella cinnamon rolls are puffed up and fully risen, preheat the oven to 350 F, then bake the rolls, uncovered, for about 25 minutes. If after 15 minutes the rolls are starting to brown too quickly, cover them loosely with some aluminum foil.
Remove from the oven and let them cool for about 5 minutes before smothering them with cream cheese frosting and enjoying (or enjoy them as is).
Overnight Nutella Rolls
I almost always make my cinnamon rolls in the evening so they can rise overnight and we can enjoy them in the morning, but you can also have the recipe done and baked in about 3 hours if you prefer to just do it all at once. I’ll leave you options for both in the recipe instructions!
To make the rolls overnight, prepare the rolls up until you’ve sliced them and placed them on the baking sheet for the second rise. Cover the rolls tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, then place them in the fridge overnight.
The next morning, about 1.5/2 hours before baking, remove the rolls from the fridge and allow them to rise on the counter on the pan as is. Then continue with the recipe as usual.
I usually take them out the minute I wake up, so we know breakfast is ready in 2 hours!
Enjoy!
Other Breads and Loaves From The Blog:
- chocolate coconut banana bread
- star lemon lavender bread
- raspberry chocolate banana bread
- 30 minute dinner rolls
And some of my other favourite Nutella recipes from the blog:
Print
Nutella Cinnamon Rolls
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 12 rolls 1x
Description
These ooey gooey Nutella cinnamon rolls are the most decadent delicious breakfast treat! Topped with a smooth cream cheese frosting, you’ll love these Nutella rolls!
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 tbsp + 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp active dry yeast
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, divided, softened to room temperature
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 cup creamy Nutella
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 2 oz full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2–3 tbsp whole milk or heavy cream
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Start by warming the milk in the microwave for about 30 seconds until just hot but not boiling. Alternatively, use a saucepan on the stove. Add the milk to the bowl of a stand mixer, along with 1 tbsp of granulated sugar and all of the yeast. Whisk to combine, then cover with a clean cloth and let it rest for 5 minutes or until foamed up. If it does not foam up, toss the mixture and start again with fresh yeast.
- Add in the remaining sugar along with 1/2 cup of softened butter and mix in the bowl until the butter is slightly broken up. I always use the dough hook attachment for this part. With the mixer running on low, add the eggs, one at a time. Then add in the salt plus 1 cup of flour and mix on low until things start to come together.
- With the mixer continuing to run on low, add in the remaining flour, one cup at a time, until fully incorporated. Turn the mixer up to medium speed and mix until the dough easily pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If it is still sticking after a couple of minutes, add a bit more flour, one tablespoon at a time until it no longer sticks to the sides. Turn the mixer up to medium-high and knead the dough for another 3 minutes. Spray a large mixing bowl or the stand mixer bowl with nonstick spray and place the dough inside, turning it around a few times to lightly grease it. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap or a towel, allowing it to rise for 1-2 hours or until doubled in size.*
- Once doubled in size, prepare a baking pan by lining it with parchment paper. You can use a 9 x 13″ pan, or my favorite, a 11 x 17″ baking sheet to avoid squishing the buns too much. On a floured surface, roll out the dough to a 12 x 18″ rectangle. Smear the remaining 1/4 cup of softened butter all over the dough, leaving an inch of border on the sides, then sprinkle the cinnamon on top.
- Drop the Nutella by a spoonful at a time on top of the buttery dough, then use the back of the spoon to spread the Nutella all around the dough, leaving about an inch border on the sides. Roll up the dough tightly using the long edge, to create an 18″ roll. Next, slice the roll into 12 even rolls using a sharp knife. I like to cut the roll in half, then half again to create 4 equal pieces. Then I slice each 1/4 of dough into even thirds.
- Place the rolls on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them apart evenly. Cover the rolls tightly again with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, or a clean towel. Allow the rolls to rise again for about 1 hour and a half, or until puffy and doubled in size. For overnight rise instructions, see notes below**
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Place the rolls in the oven for about 25 minutes, or until browned and baked through in the center. Loosely place a piece of aluminum foil over the rolls at the 15 minute mark to avoid them browning too much. Remove the rolls from the oven and let them cool for about 5 minutes before frosting (or enjoy them plain)!
- Prepare the cream cheese frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened cream cheese until smooth. Add in the powdered sugar, along with 2 tbsp of milk or cream and a pinch of salt and slowly mix again until combined. If the frosting isn’t whipping up nicely, add another tablespoon of liquid until the right consistency is reached. Use a spatula to smear the frosting all over the rolls before serving!
Notes
*If your kitchen is not that warm, turn the oven to “keep warm” and then turn it off after a few minutes, then use that warm space to allow the dough to rise
**To make these overnight, cover the rolls as in step 6 but then store them overnight in the fridge. About 2 hours before you’re wanting to eat the rolls, remove the rolls from the fridge and proceed with letting the rolls rise until soft and puffy, continuing with step 7.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: rolls
- Method: oven bake
- Cuisine: american
A sign me up! These look insane!!
They’re so gooey good! Thanks Kim!
I bet the kids just love when you make these Katherine! What a treat! I’m a huge Nutella fan, so I know we’d enjoy them too!
Thanks Mary Ann!! Nutella is one of those things that I just have to have every now and then!!
Ooo it looks like a cinnamon rolls week – this is the fourth or even fifth recipe I’ve seen over the last few days in my feed lol. I’m not complaining though, especially when Nutella is involved (Who can resist?) I also must note the great light – I guess your windows in your new house work really well!
No way! It is cinnamon roll season I suppose, everyone is in their kitchens baking up a storm!! Thank you for the comments on the lighting, Ben! Those South-facing windows are my absolute favorite!!
These look so delicious and decadent! My boys are fans of nutella so they’d definitely want these for breakfast!
Nutella is a staple around here for sure. Thanks Michelle!
These look sensational Katherine! So ooey, gooey and delicious, I would be hard pressed not to eat that whole batch!
Haha it is very hard to stop, I usually end up eating 2!!
I can absolutely relate with wanting to make breakfast healthier, but sometimes we just have to make an exception! Nutella cinnamon rolls are perfect for a splurge and I kind of just want to face plant into the frosted pan of them.;-)
Yes I totally agree!! We all need treats in our life right!? Hahah I think you should definitely faceplant into these!
So true ! We all are trying to make healthy meals but sometimes, really, it’s time to make a break; this is perfect one to lose control !!!
Thanks Davorka!! It absolutely is.
The recipe sounded amazing. The dough came out perfect, but somehow it was lacking in flavor. I followed the recipe to the letter. Well, my son and I felt the same way. I was going to give two stars but the head of the family…. loved it!!! He isn’t into sweets, but loved the recipe.