Air Fryer Cinnamon Rolls (from frozen or fresh)

Angela Morris

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You can make air fryer cinnamon rolls from frozen or fresh, store bought or with you own recipe. They turn out even better than they would in the oven. The fluffy dough and crispy exterior make this recipe a total hit.

» Check out these Air Fryer Baked Apples or these easy Air Fryer Hash Browns.

If you’ve ever wondered if you could make cinnamon rolls in the air fryer – well, you can! We make both store-bought cinnamon rolls and our own homemade cinnamon rolls in the air fryer.

The best part about this recipe is that the cinnamon rolls cook very quickly in the air fryer and you don’t have to turn on the oven for an extended period of time. You can also cook just one or two cinnamon rolls at a time, so you don’t have to make more than you need. Baking corn bread muffins or biscuits is easy in the air fryer.

Using Store-Bought Cinnamon Rolls

It’s incredibly easy to make store-bought cinnamon rolls in the air fryer. You can even keep them in the freezer and just pull out how many you want to make each time.

They are a great option when you are in a hurry or just don’t want to make your own dough. Mixing up, rising, and rolling cinnamon rolls from scratch can be very time consuming.

They turn out great when cooked in the air fryer, and a whole lot faster than in the oven. The brands we use most often are Grands cinnamon rolls in a tube, and Rhodes Cinnamon Rolls in a bag.

A tube of cinnamon rolls usually contains 5 large cinnamon rolls. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you usually can’t make more than 3 at a time in the air fryer. They need space to expand. So you’ll have to make multiple batches. Since they are fresh rolls, they have to be made right away. The Rhodes rolls can be frozen and used whenever you want.

How to Air Fryer Cinnamon Rolls

Use a parchment paper round or cut a piece of parchment paper so that it fits inside the air fryer. This prevents the cinnamon rolls from sticking to the tray.

Set three cinnamon rolls on the paper and cook at 350 degrees F for 4-6 minutes.

Flip them over and cook for another 4 minutes. If you want them to turn out crispier, remove the parchment paper when you flip them over.

For smaller cinnamon rolls, you can reduce the cook time to 3 minutes per side.

When you take them out, pour on any frosting or icing you want so that it melts into the warm cinnamon roll. If your cinnamon rolls didn’t come with frosting, you can mix some up easily with the recipe included here.

How to Make Cinnamon Roll Frosting

To make the cinnamon roll frosting, combine the softened butter, vanilla and confectioners’ sugar in a mixing bowl. Beat until the frosting is smooth. This leads to a pretty thick frosting.

If you’d like it to be more like a glaze, you can add a small drizzle of milk at a time until you reach the desired consistency.

When the cinnamon rolls come out of the air fryer, you can spread the frosting on and allow it to melt over the roll. It’s the perfect combination.

Why Use an Air Fryer

An air fryer is an incredibly easy way to cook just about anything. You place the food in a fryer-style basket and hot air rapidly circulates all around the food, making the food crisp – much like deep-frying, but without the oil. You can cook anything you’d make in the oven.

• I use a Ninja MaxXL air fryer (pictured left). If you don’t have an air fryer yet, check out these options to find one that fits your needs.
• See reviews and prices for air fryers on Amazon.
• Here’s a printable Air Fryer Cooking Times Cheat Sheet to get you started.
• Click to find more recipes to make in your Air Fryer.
• Learn how to make fun things in the air fryer, like potato wedges, pork belly bites, and chicken wings.

How to Make Your Own Cinnamon Rolls

Here’s a great homemade cinnamon roll recipe:

• 1 3/4 cup warm water
• 1 1/2 cup sugar divided
• 1/4 cup oil
• 2 tbsp yeast approx. 3 packets
• 1/2 tbsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 5 cups flour
• 1/2 cup butter softened
• 1 tbsp cinnamon

I recommend using a stand mixer with the dough hook for this, because it requires a lot of mixing.

In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the warm water, 1/2 cup of sugar, oil and yeast. Yes, it’s a lot of yeast. It makes the dough very active. Let it sit for fifteen minutes until it’s frothy.

Add in the salt, eggs, and flour. Mix for ten minutes on a low speed. After mixing, let it sit for ten minutes. Now flour the surface. Turn the dough out on the surface. With a rolling pin, begin to shape the dough into a large rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick. Spread the melted butter over the surface of the rectangle.

Mix together the remaining 1 cup of sugar and the cinnamon in a bowl. Then sprinkle the mixture evenly over the dough. Roll the dough lengthwise into a long tube shape.

Cut the roll into twelve pieces. Let them rise for a bit on the counter. It doesn’t take much time to rise. Maybe 15 minutes at most. Just watch out that it doesn’t rise too much while you’re making other batches in the air fryer.

If the rolls overrise, they can deflate, so don’t allow them to rise too long on the counter. They can be kept in the refrigerator until ready to bake.

The easiest way to cook the cinnamon rolls is in the air fryer, so follow the instructions above to cook them.

How to Cook Cinnamon Rolls in the Oven

If you don’t have an Air Fryer, that’s okay! You can still cook these cinnamon rolls in the oven.

Place the cinnamon rolls into an oven-safe baking dish. I recommend a 9″x13″ pan. Place them in four rows of three, spaced out.

Bake in the oven at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes. They are done when they’re golden on top and spring back to the touch.

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Air Fryer Cinnamon Rolls

These air fryer cinnamon rolls are super easy and totally delicious. Make them with fresh or frozen store-bought (or homemade) cinnamon rolls.

5 from 20 votes

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Cook Time 12 minutes mins

Total Time 12 minutes mins

Course Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine American

Servings 4 rolls

Calories 172 kcal

Equipment

• Air Fryer

Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

• 4 cinnamon rolls

For The Frosting

• 2 tablespoons butter melted
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• milk for desired consistency

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

 

• Place a piece of parchment paper in the air fryer and lightly spray it with cooking spray. Place the cinnamon rolls on the paper.
• Cook at 350 degrees F for 6 minutes. Flip the rolls over. Remove the parchment paper and cook for 6 more minutes.
• To make the frosting, mix the melted butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar together in a bowl until smooth. Add a tiny bit of milk to smooth it out, if necessary.
• Top with frosting and enjoy.

All air fryers have different wattage and may cook at different rates. You may need to adjust the time or temp for the best results.

Nutrition

Calories: 172kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 1gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gSodium: 74mgPotassium: 4mgSugar: 30gVitamin A: 250IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 2mgIron: 1mg

Keyword Air Fryer

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Angela Morris

Angela is a talented home cook and passionate advocate for healthy, flavorful cooking in the air fryer. She shares her favorite air fryer recipes and helpful tips for using this versatile kitchen appliance to create delicious, nutritious meals.