Soft, fluffy, gooey, and bursting with blueberry flavor, these Blueberry Cinnamon Rolls are an absolute delight to eat (and look at!). You might never want to go back to classic cinnamon rolls.
Cinnamon rolls, but make it summer. These purple-swirled buns are warm, gooey, indulgent, and perfect for a slow weekend morning alongside a hot cup of coffee. The soft, fluffy rolls are scented with fresh lemon zest, swirled with cinnamon butter and fresh blueberry jam, then finished with blueberry cream cheese icing. YUM.
I’ve made plenty of cinnamon rolls and sticky buns with this base dough over the years, and I’ve worked out all the little details to make it as easy and straightforward as possible. I’ll walk you through the process step-by-step so you can make perfectly soft, fluffy, gooey rolls at home.
👉 If you enjoy this recipe, you might also like my Plum Sticky Buns, Fig & Brie Cinnamon Rolls, Cheesy Nettle Rolls, and Braided Cinnamon Bread.
Recipe highlights
- Super soft & fluffy: Pillowy homemade cinnamon rolls
- Summery flavor: Quick blueberry jam + fresh lemon zest
- Make-ahead friendly: Bake the same day or refrigerate overnight
- Perfect for sharing: Brunch, breakfast, or a lazy weekend
- Pretty as a picture: Gorgeous purple swirls + blueberry icing
Recipe overview
⏱️ Prep: ~30 mins • Rest/Proof: 2-3 hrs • Cook: ~35 mins
🍴 Yield: 9 rolls
💪 Skill level: Intermediate
😋 Flavor notes: Butter, cinnamon, brown sugar, lemon zest, fresh blueberry. Pairs well with: Breakfast & brunch spreads, hot coffee, cold milk.
How to make blueberry cinnamon rolls
For full recipe details and ingredients, scroll down to the recipe card below. Here’s a quick step-by-step overview on how to make these blueberry cinnamon rolls:
- Make the dough: Bloom the yeast with warm milk and sugar, then whisk in the egg and melted butter. Add dry ingredients and knead for 8-10 minutes.
- First rise: Place dough in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 – 1 ½ hours.
- Make the blueberry jam: Cook blueberries, sugar, and lemon juice until berries burst and mixture thickens. Purée mixture and set in the fridge to cool.
- Make the cinnamon butter filling: Beat soft butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon together until thoroughly combined and smooth.
- Roll & fill: Roll the dough into a rectangle, spread with cinnamon butter, then spread with blueberry jam. Slice into 9 even pieces and roll each one into a spiral. (It will be a bit slippery, use your fingers to keep them in line!) Place rolls in a buttered 8×8 pan.
- Second rise: Cover and let the buns rise again until roughly doubled. They’ll be puffy and should mostly fill the pan.
- Bake: Bake at 350°F until golden, bubbling, and baked through.
- Frost: While the rolls are baking, whip the soft cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar together until completely smooth. Stir in some blueberry jam. Frost the rolls while they’re just slightly warm out of the oven.
Pro baking tips for perfect rolls
Warm the milk just enough. When making the sweet roll dough, make sure the milk is 100 – 115° F before you stir the yeast in. If it’s too hot, it can kill the yeast.
Get the right dough texture. You want a sticky, moist dough so your final buns are soft and tender. The dough should feel somewhat tacky without sticking to your fingers. If you need to add extra flour to the dough while it’s mixing, add just one tablespoon at a time until the texture is right.
Tips for jam-filled rolls
Because of the blueberry jam, these rolls are a bit trickier to roll up than your average cinnamon roll, as the jam makes things a bit slippery. This is going to be messy, there’s no way around it!
These are my top tips for working with slippery rolls:
Don’t overfill with the blueberry jam. Use only about ½ cup of the jam to fill the rolls, spreading it in a thin layer. You may end up with some extra blueberry jam, which you can always serve on the side of the rolls or simply use to spread on toast! (And don’t forget to set aside 2 tablespoons for the frosting!)
Roll each bun separately. Instead of rolling the entire thing into a log and then slicing, I find it’s easier to slice the dough into 9 pieces, then roll each piece up individually. Place buns immediately into a prepared 8×8-inch pan.
Bake just right. The best way to know cinnamon rolls or sticky buns are done is to use a digital thermometer. Their internal temperature should be 195 – 200° F.
Variations & substitutions
For the blueberries: Replace with raspberries, strawberries or blackberries for another fun twist. You can use fresh or frozen berries for this recipe.
Love figs? Be sure to check out my recipe for Fig & Brie Cinnamon Rolls! Or for a savory version, check out these Nettle Ricotta Rolls.
For the frosting: If you don’t want to make the blueberry cream cheese frosting, try a vanilla or lemon glaze.
For the yeast: You can use instant yeast instead of active dry. No need to bloom it first, just mix it into the sugar and warm milk and continue with the recipe steps. Note that the dough may rise a bit quicker if you use instant yeast.
For a bigger batch: Feel free to double this recipe and use a 13×9-inch pan.
Serving & storing blueberry cinnamon rolls
Best eaten warm. These rolls are definitely best the day they’re baked, when they’re still warm from the oven.
Store in the fridge: Store tightly wrapped in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
To refresh: Warm in a 350° oven for about 10 minutes. I like to wrap each one loosely in foil before placing in the oven.
Make ahead: For fresh morning rolls, prepare the dough and shape the rolls the day before, then place them in the prepared pan, cover, and refrigerate overnight. The next morning, let the rolls sit in a warm spot for 1–1½ hours, or until puffy, then bake as directed.
If you make these Blueberry Cinnamon Rolls, please leave a star rating and comment below. I’d love to hear what you think or answer any questions. Thank you!
Blueberry Cinnamon Rolls
Equipment
- 8×8-inch pan
Ingredients
Sweet roll dough
- 2 ¼ teaspoons (1 package) active dry yeast
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- ¾ cup warm whole milk, 100° – 115° F
- 1 egg
- 2 ounces (4 Tbsp) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 ½ cups (320 grams) all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- zest of 1 lemon
Blueberry jam
- 2 cups (280 grams) blueberries, fresh or frozen
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, (½ lemon)
Cinnamon butter
- 3 ounces (6 Tbsp) unsalted butter, soft
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
Blueberry frosting
- 4 ounces cream cheese, very soft
- 1 ounce (2 Tbsp) unsalted butter, soft
- ¼ cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 tablespoons blueberry jam, from recipe above
Instructions
- Make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together 2 ¼ tsp yeast with ¾ cup warm milk and 3 Tbsp sugar. Let mixture stand until frothy, about 5 minutes.Whisk in the egg and 2 oz melted butter. Add dry ingredients (320 grams flour, ½ tsp salt, lemon zest) and knead with the dough hook attachment for 8-10 minutes, or until a smooth dough forms.You may need to add just a little more flour if dough looks very sticky. Add one tablespoon at a time and allow mixture to knead for a minute before considering adding more. Dough should be somewhat sticky, but not stick to your fingers or the sides of the bowl.
- First rise: Place dough in an oiled bowl, turning to coat dough in the oil. Cover and allow the dough to rise in a warm spot for 1 – 1 ½ hours, or until doubled.
- Make the blueberry jam: While dough rises, make the fillings. Cook 2 cups blueberries, ¼ cup sugar, and 2 tsp lemon juice over medium heat until berries burst, stirring frequently. Cook until mixture thickens significantly and loses most of its water content, about 10 minutes.Purée mixture using a small food processor or emulsion blender and set in the fridge to cool completely. (You can strain out the skins if you like, but I prefer a little bit of chunkiness.)
- Make the cinnamon butter: Beat 3 oz soft butter, ¼ cup brown sugar, and 1 ½ tsp cinnamon together until thoroughly combined and smooth. Keep at room temperature.
- Roll & fill: Once dough has risen, roll it out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle, roughly 10×14 inches and ½ inch thick. Spread evenly with the cinnamon butter, then spread with ½ cup of the cooled blueberry jam, spreading in a thin layer. Be sure to set aside 2 Tbsp of the blueberry jam for the frosting.Slice dough into 9 even pieces and roll each one into a spiral. (It will be a bit slippery, use your fingers to keep them in line!) Place rolls in a buttered 8×8 pan.
- Second rise: Cover and let the buns rise again until roughly doubled, 1 – 1 ½ hours. They’ll be puffy and should mostly fill the pan.When they're almost ready, preheat the oven to 350° F/ 180° C.
- Bake: Bake until golden, bubbling, and baked through, about 30-40 minutes. Move to a cooling rack and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before frosting.
- Make the frosting: While the rolls are cooling, whip the 4 oz soft cream cheese until smooth and no lumps remain. Add 1 ounce soft butter, creaming again until smooth. Stir in ¼ cup sifted powdered sugar, followed by 2 Tbsp of the blueberry jam. Frost the rolls while they’re just slightly warm out of the oven.
Notes
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