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Lemon Sugar Rolls with Vanilla Cream Cheese Icing…the perfect brunch rolls for the spring and summer months ahead. Soft buttery dough swirled with sweet lemon sugar then generously topped with creamy vanilla cream cheese icing. There’s nothing not to love about these lemony rolls, every bite is melt in your mouth delicious. These lemon sweet rolls are a great make-ahead breakfast or a special brunch item for any upcoming occasions. Eat these warm…with plenty of that icing smeared on top – trust me.
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Happy Good Friday guys! Whether you celebrate Easter or not, the holiday always gives me the feeling that spring has really arrived. After spending the last week in California, I am so ready for warmer days and sunshine. Of course, it’s not exactly eighty degrees (but it is sunny) back home in Colorado, but the quick trip has definitely inspired some fresh spring recipes.
And possibly a vacation to Florida. I’m really dreaming of that right now, which you all might have guessed from my recent stories about my Nonnie. She just always makes me think of Easter and vacations spent in Florida. I miss them so much!
Anyway, as I write this I am in the airport headed home (Wednesday night). But come Friday (when you see this) I’ll be home. I’m sure it will feel nice…even if it is cold. And we still have spring and Easter to think about this weekend, so that’s nice. And that kind of brings me to these sweet rolls with delicious lemon flavor.
Ingredients
- Active dry yeast
- Warm whole milk
- Honey
- All-purpose flour
- Cardamom
- Kosher salt
- Large eggs
- Salted butter
- Lemon zest and lemon juice
- Granulated sugar
- Salted butter
Vanilla Cream Cheese Icing
- Cream cheese
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract
More times than not, when it comes to breakfast recipes, I sway towards something with cinnamon-sugar. Usually something like cinnamon rolls or a Dutch baby, which we all know I love. But I’ve never created a sweet roll that didn’t have cinnamon…or chocolate.
However, I love using lemon as a key flavor in sweet recipes. So I thought these sweet lemon rolls with a yummy frosting glaze would be perfect for this weekend!!
And while my Nonnie didn’t bake many sweet rolls, she loved brunch just as much as my mom and I. She would order a stack of waffles with maple on top or pancakes. Guess we know where I got my love of sweets from!!
Here are the details.
While these rolls seem a little fancy, I promise you they are the easiest to make. You can even make them the night before, so they’re great for entertaining!
To make the dough, simply mix flour with a bit of yeast, warm milk, and honey. You’ll want to let this mix proof until it’s foamy on top and smells like bread. And then the remaining ingredients go into the mixing bowl. I love to use a pinch of cardamom in the dough, which helps to highlight the lemony, vanilla flavors throughout the rolls.
While the rolls rise, mix up the filling. It’s simply granulated sugar and lemon…yes, lemon sugar! If you have any vanilla beans lying around, the vanilla beans mixed with the sugar will make these rolls just that much more delicious!
Once the dough has doubled in size, roll the dough out, spread with butter, then top with the lemon sugar. Roll the dough up into a log, cut it into rolls, and place them onto a baking dish. Now you can either let the rolls rest, get puffy, and then bake. Or you can keep the rolls in the fridge overnight to rise and bake in the morning. Either option works, it just depends when you’d like to enjoy your rolls.
While the rolls bake…
Mix up the cream cheese icing, which is reason enough to make these rolls. If you grew up eating classic cinnamon rolls, this icing is going to be your favorite. You’ll want to beat the cream cheese together with the powdered sugar and a splash of vanilla.
As the rolls bake, the kitchen will fill with the sweet lemony smells, it’s like spring, but in a very sweet way.
When you pull the rolls out of the oven, slather on that icing while they are still warm. The icing melts over the rolls and everything becomes the gooiest mess, which is exactly what you want!
The rolls kind of just melt in your mouth. The bread is soft and buttery, but the swirl of lemon sugar is the real special touch. And of course, the icing is just the finishing touch these rolls need to make them over the top delicious. Even little Asher, who is a hard-core cinnamon roll purist loves these! She said, “please make them on Sunday”!!
Looking for other spring brunch recipes? Here are some of my favorites:
Buttery Raspberry Crumble Bars
Berry and Cream Cheese Croissant French Toast Bake
Blackberry Lavender White Chocolate Scones
Baked Blackberry Ricotta French Toast
Lastly, if you make these Lemon Sugar Rolls with Vanilla Cream Cheese Icing be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Lemon Sugar Rolls with Vanilla Cream Cheese Icing
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 3/4 cup warm whole milk
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 3 1/2 – 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, melted
- 2-3 tablespoons lemon zest
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons salted butter at room temperature, plus more for greasing
Cream Cheese Icing
- 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 4 tablespoons softened butter, at room temperature
- 1/2-1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- 1. To make the dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the milk, yeast, and honey. Let sit 5-10 minutes, until bubbly on top. Add 3 ½ cups flour, the cardamom, salt, eggs, melted butter, and 1 tablespoon lemon zest. Using the dough hook, mix until the flour is completely incorporated, about 4-5 minutes. If the dough seems sticky, add the remaining ½ cup of flour.2. Cover the bowl and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.3. To make the filling. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and the remaining 1-2 tablespoons lemon zest. Line a 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment. 4. Lightly dust your work surface with flour. Turn out the dough, punch it down, and roll it into a rectangle about 10 x 16 inches. Spread 6 tablespoons softened butter evenly over the dough. Sprinkle the lemon sugar evenly over the butter and lightly push into the butter. Starting with the long edge closest to you, carefully roll the dough into a log, keeping it fairly tight as you go. When you reach the edge, pinch along the edge to seal. Using a sharp knife, cut the log into 12-16 rolls. Place the rolls in the prepared baking dish. Cover and let rise 20-30 minutes or transfer to the fridge to rise overnight (see notes).5. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Bake the rolls for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown.6. Meanwhile, make the icing. Beat together the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla until light and creamy.7. Spread the icing over the warm rolls. Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Super easy to put together, and came out perfectly! I only used 2T of lemon zest and next time I will use more. I also don’t love a strong butter flavor in my frostings, so I only did 2T of butter in the frosting, along with the whole cup of powdered sugar. The flavors were so well balanced. The bread was soft and fluffy and the frosting wasn’t too heavy either. Will definitely make these again!
Hey Madeline,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! Happy Easter ?Tieghan
Is the butter in the icing supposed to be salted or unsalted?
I see that the butter used in the dough recipe is salted, but I want to make sure for the icing. Looking forward to making these! TY!
Hey Alexandra,
Sorry for any confusion, I always use salted butter:) I hope you enjoy the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
These look amazing! Do you think you could split the dough in half and make 24 mini ones instead of 12 large?
Hey Sydney,
Sure, that would be a fun idea! I would probably keep the same amount of dough though if you want 24 mini rolls. You will also want to reduce your baking time. I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
Hello! Happy Easter Weekend! ? I made these last night because I couldn’t wait for Easter Sunday. They came out absolutely flawless and were so fun to make. The smell of them alone was heavenly. They actually came out almost as beautiful and perfect as yours. ALMOST. ? Thank you for sharing these. What a lovely twist on traditional rolls. Delicious too!
Hey Aline,
Happy Weekend! Thanks for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Excited for these! Is there a way to make them without a stand mixer?
Hey Mary Ann,
Yes, you can mix with a wooden spoon and knead by hand. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Can I also make the icing in advance and store in the fridge?
Hey Suzanne,
Yes, that will work just fine! I hope you enjoy this recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Planning on making these ahead tomorrow for Easter brunch. I have some yummy lemon curd, would it work to add in some how? I made your egg nog cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning, they were amazing!
Hey Lauren,
Sorry I’ve not added lemon curd to this recipe, but you could give it a try! I hope you love them:) xTieghan
I will be making this tomorrow night for Easter morning breakfast!!!!!
I hope you love the recipe, let me know how it turns out! xTieghan
I haven’t tried this one yet, but I absolutely adore your sweet roll dough! Best thing is that they are an overnight roll. I’ll be back to share what I’m sure will be a stellar review! My family loved the Gingerbread Sweet Roll recipe from last fall.
Thank you! I hope you love these ones as well:) xTieghan
Could we use sugar instead of honey in the rolls? If so, how much? Would it change anything about the taste or texture?
Hey Liz,
The recipe calls for 3/4 cup of granulated sugar. I hope you love recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Would almond milk work okay?
Hey Jaclyn,
Yes, that will work just fine. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Can I make this with rapid rise yeast? If so, how do I need to adjust the rising times?
Hey Sarah,
You can just add the yeast in with the flour and follow the recipe as is:) I hope you love these roll, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Is there any premade dough you would recommend if we are in a time crunch and cant make our own dough?
Hey Jessica,
If you can find pre-made brioche dough, that will work best! I hope you enjoy this recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Is it possible to make the dough ahead of time, wrap it tightly and keep it in the fridge for a day before baking it? It is Good Friday, and I would love to make this today, and then bake on Sunday for our Brunch. Your website is fantastic and beautiful at the same time. Than you for your response.
Hey Cary,
Yes, that will work just fine! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know how it turns out! xTieghan
Would almond flour work just as well?
Hey Mary,
I would recommend using Cup4cup GF flour. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know how it turns out! xTieghan