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These ultra-soft red velvet cinnamon rolls are made completely from scratch with a rich brioche dough, buttery cinnamon brown sugar filling, and smooth cream cheese frosting. Whether you call them red velvet cinnamon rolls or red velvet cinnamon buns, they’re the best version you’ll find, no cake mix, no shortcuts, just soft, pillowy, bakery-style rolls.
I’ve been testing dozens of homemade cinnamon roll recipes this year, and this red velvet version uses the same tangzhong brioche base as my brioche cinnamon rolls because it consistently gives the softest texture and best rise. The tangzhong method (a cooked flour paste mixed into the dough) is the secret to that melt-in-your-mouth crumb that stays soft even the next day.
These are perfect for Valentine’s Day, Christmas morning, Easter brunch, or honestly any weekend when you want to make something special. They’re one of the most popular flavors in my monthly cinnamon roll series — explore every flavor I’ve developed, plus compare dough types, frostings, and techniques in my ultimate cinnamon roll guide.
I’m a teen and I wanted to make smth for my mum for Valentine’s Day and I saw this when I was scrolling on YouTube and it did take 5 and a half hours cus I’m a noob but i looovee baking and it was sooo day yummmyyyy
If you’ve searched for a red velvet cinnamon rolls recipe, you’ve probably noticed that most versions use boxed red velvet cake mix as the dough base. Those are fine for a quick shortcut, but the texture just isn’t the same. Cake mix dough tends to be denser and dries out faster.
This recipe is completely from scratch. I use a tangzhong brioche method, which means we cook a small portion of the flour with milk before adding it to the dough. That cooked paste traps moisture, so these red velvet cinnamon buns from scratch come out incredibly soft and stay that way for days. It’s the same technique used in Japanese milk bread, and once you try it, you’ll never go back.
The red velvet flavor comes from a combination of unsweetened cocoa powder and red gel food coloring. The cocoa gives that subtle chocolate depth (just like a proper red velvet cake), while the food coloring handles the color. A few notes on that:
- Gel food coloring gives a much deeper, more vibrant red than liquid food coloring. I recommend it over liquid every time.
- Natural alternatives like beet powder won’t work as well here — the color bakes out and turns a little more brown than red in the oven. If you don’t mind that then go for it.
- If you skip the food coloring entirely, you’ll end up with slightly more of a chocolate cinnamon rolls instead, still delicious, just not red velvet.
If you love red velvet as much as I do, you might also want to check out my red velvet brownies, cake mix red velvet chocolate chip cookies, or small batch red velvet cupcakes.
I’ve made these for Valentine’s Day, for weekend brunches, and just because. They’re impressive enough for a holiday table but honestly not that hard once you get comfortable working with enriched dough. If this is your first time learning how to make red velvet cinnamon rolls, don’t worry, I’ll walk you through every step.
Key Ingredients
A few simple ingredients create the signature color, flavor, and soft texture:
- Active dry yeast (or instant yeast)
- Warm whole milk – For the best rise, make sure the milk is warm but not hot (about 100–110°F), otherwise the yeast may not activate properly.
- Butter
- Eggs (room temperature)
- All-purpose flour and bread flour
- Cocoa powder and red food coloring
- Brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt
- Cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla
How to Make Red Velvet Cinnamon Rolls From Scratch
- Activate yeast In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine warm milk, sugar, and active dry yeast. Let sit until foamy.
- Make the dough Add tangzhong, melted butter, eggs, vanilla, cocoa powder, red food coloring, salt, and flour. Mix on medium speed until a soft dough forms and knead until smooth.
- First rise Place dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled.
- Fill and shape Roll dough on a lightly floured surface, spread softened butter, sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon, then roll and slice. Arrange in a greased baking pan.
- Bake Let rolls rise until puffy, then bake in a preheated oven at 325°F until soft and cooked through.
- Frost Beat cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth and spread over warm rolls for the best melt-in finish.
Tested and developed by Chahinez from Lifestyle of a Foodie. Since you’re here you might also like my almond croissant cinnamon rolls, my black forest cinnamon rolls, or these brioche style cinnamon rolls.
Quick Tips
- Store leftovers in an airtight container and warm slightly in the microwave before serving.
- Chill the dough in the refrigerator, it makes shaping easier.
- Use gel red food coloring for a deeper color and better consistency.
FAQs About These red velvet cinnamon rolls
Yes, use the same amount of instant yeast and mix it directly into the dry ingredients.
Store baked rolls in an airtight container at room temperature or refrigerate for a longer shelf life, then warm before serving.
After shaping, cover the baking pan and refrigerate. Let rolls sit at room temperature for about 30–45 minutes before baking.
Shape the rolls and place them in the pan, then cover and refrigerate overnight (before the second rise). Let them sit at room temperature for 45–60 minutes until puffy, then bake as directed. For longer storage, freeze the shaped rolls for up to 1 month, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, let rise, and bake.
Red velvet cinnamon rolls have unsweetened cocoa powder and red food coloring added to the dough, giving them a subtle chocolate flavor and that signature deep red color. The filling and frosting are similar to classic cinnamon rolls, but the dough itself has that distinctive red velvet taste, slightly tangy, lightly chocolate-y, and pairs perfectly with cream cheese frosting.
Unfortunately, natural red dyes and beet powder tend to bake out and turn brown in the oven. They work well in unbaked applications like frosting or no-bake desserts, but for baked goods like these cinnamon rolls, red gel food coloring is the most reliable way to get that vibrant color. If you’d rather skip it, the rolls will taste just as good, they’ll just look more like chocolate cinnamon rolls.
I don’t recommend kneading the dough by hand because this is an enriched dough and it ends up being SUPER sticky. A stand mixer if your best bet for this recipe.
This is a rich, enriched dough with butter and eggs, so stickiness is normal and expected. The most important step is chilling the dough for at least 2–4 hours (or overnight) before rolling it out. The cold firms up the butter in the dough and makes it so much easier to handle. Don’t be tempted to add extra flour to compensate, that will make the rolls dense instead of soft.
Yes! You can freeze them at two stages.
To freeze before baking: shape the rolls, place them in the pan, cover tightly with plastic wrap and foil, and freeze for up to 1 month. When ready, thaw overnight in the fridge, let them come to room temperature and puff up (about 45–60 minutes or longer if your kitchen is cooler), then bake as directed.
To freeze after baking: let rolls cool completely without frosting, wrap individually, and freeze up to 1 month. Thaw and warm in the oven at 300°F for 10 minutes, then frost.
Cake mix versions use boxed red velvet cake mix as the dough base, which speeds things up but produces a denser roll that dries out faster. This from-scratch recipe uses a tangzhong brioche dough, the texture is noticeably softer, more pillowy, and stays fresh longer. If you’ve been disappointed by cake mix cinnamon rolls that felt too dry or cakey, this method solves that.
Red Velvet Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting From Scratch
Equipment
Ingredients
Tangzhong
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup whole milk
Red Velvet Dough
- 3/4 cup whole milk warm (100–110°F)
- 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp red gel food coloring
- 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup bread flour
- 5 tbsp unsalted butter softened (added after kneading)
Cinnamon Filling
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 6 oz cream cheese softened
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch salt
- 1-2 tsp milk if needed for spreading
Instructions
Make tangzhong
- Whisk flour and milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until thickened into a paste (2–4 minutes). Cool to room temperature.2 tbsp all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup whole milk
Make dough
- In a bowl, mix warm milk and sugar, sprinkle yeast, and let sit 5 minutes until foamy.3/4 cup whole milk, 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast, 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- In a stand mixer combine: tangzhong, yeast mixture, melted butter, eggs, vanilla, cocoa powder, food coloring, salt, both flours.1/4 cup unsalted butter, 2 large eggs, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tbsp red gel food coloring, 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 1/4 tsp salt, 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup bread flour
- Mix until a soft dough forms. Knead 5–8 minutes until smooth, then gradually add softened butter 1 tbsp at a time until incorporated.5 tbsp unsalted butter
- Place dough in a greased bowl, cover, and rise 1–2 hours until doubled. Chill 1–4 hours (this isn't optional since the dough is pretty sticky, chilling will help make it more manageable).
Fill and shape
- In a medium bowl mix the cinnamon, softened butter, salt, and brown sugar until smooth.1/2 cup unsalted butter, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1 tbsp cinnamon, Pinch of salt
- Roll dough into a 16×12-inch rectangle.
- Spread softened sugar butter filling evenly, sprinkle brown sugar mixture. Cut into 12 strips and roll each strip into a spiral then place into a greased 9×13 pan.
- Cover and let rise 45–60 minutes until puffy.
Bake
- Bake at 325°F (165°C) for 25–30 minutes until centers reach about 190°F. Cool 10 minutes.
Frost
- Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. Thin slightly with milk if needed. Spread over warm rolls and top with heart sprinkles.6 oz cream cheese, 1/4 cup unsalted butter, 1 cups powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract, Pinch salt, 1-2 tsp milk
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These are so pretty! Delicious like all her recipes but so sweet and festive for Valentines day!
So glad to hear that Libby!
This was my first time making cinnamon rolls and the directions you have were so easy to follow! The roles turned out amazing and they were a big hit with my family! Will be trying more cinnamon roll recipes from you!
Thank you for this nice review I really appreciate it! 🙂
I am so glad I overcame my hesitation to make these. I’ve never made cinnamon rolls from scratch. Aside from not rolling them tight enough, they came out great. 5 stars!!