This Cinnamon Biscuits recipe is full of great cinnamon roll flavor in every bite. An easy 30-minute recipe to make hot-out-of-the-oven cinnamon pastries for breakfast.
Even an inexperienced cook can make these biscuits with simple step-by-step photo instructions with pantry ingredients.
Ingredients
Flour
Baking powderโaluminum-free baking powder
Milkโor buttermilk
Egg
Butter
Pantry ingredientsโsalt, cinnamon, sugar, vanilla extract, powdered sugar
Nuts (optional)โchopped pecans or walnuts
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Featured Comment from Jill:
"5 stars. Great recipe, will definitely make these again."
It is easy and quick to have a great cinnamon roll flavor in a biscuit with vanilla, cinnamon, and sugar. They do not crumble like some biscuits due to strengthening with an egg, and they are topped with delicious vanilla frosting. Think of them as the lazy man's cinnamon rolls.
They have a great homemade taste, unlike Pillsburyโข biscuits, and are easy to make into copycats of Hardee'sโข Cinnamon Raisin Biscuits or Bojanglesโข Cinnamon Biscuits.
For other cinnamon sweet treats, check out Small Cinnamon Coffee Cake and Cinnamon Apple Cake.
๐จโ๐ณHow to Make Cinnamon Biscuits
Preheat oven to 425ยฐ.
Mix flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and sugar. Cut butter into the flour with a pastry cutter or fork.
Mix in milk, egg, and vanilla.
Form it into a log and cut it into eight equal slices.
Spread on a baking pan and brush with melted butter.
Bake until golden brownโabout 18-20 minutes.
Mix a frosti of powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla.
Remove from the oven and allow to cook for about 5 minutes before frosting.
For more details, keep reading. See the Recipe Card below for complete instructions and to print.
โ๏ธTips to get it right every time
- Cutting in the butter puts most people off from a recipe like this. It is easier to cut in cold butter, chop the butter into small cubes, or shred it with a box shredder.
- Using buttermilk will make the biscuits slightly lighter.
- The biscuit dough can be adjusted with a bit more flour or milk. IF YOU
- You can make this a "drop biscuit." That will cut out a few steps but not much.
- The frosting is optional, but you want it. Adjust the thickness of the frosting by adding a few drops more milk or extra powdered sugar.
- Make the frosting slightly thin so it will easily spread over the warm biscuits.
- These are a nice size, but you can make them bigger by dividing the dough into 6 equal parts.
- You can use self-rising flour to replace the flour, salt, and baking powder. Use Bisquickยฎ๏ธ , similar to the self-rising flour but also has fats, so it also replaces the butter. I don't recommend either for this recipe. They will work, but the results will be better with the recipe as written.
Variations
Copycat of Hardee'sยฎ๏ธ Cinnamon Raisin Biscuits
- Add ยฝ cup of raisins.
- You can make these as a drop or cut biscuits.
Copycat of Bojanglesยฎ๏ธ Cinnamon Biscuits
- Skip the cinnamon and vanilla in the biscuit dough (I suggest keeping them).
- Mix a cinnamon filling of 2 tablespoons of melted butter, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, and ยผ cup dark brown sugar.
- Press a well into the center top of each biscuit and add 1 teaspoon of the mixture.
Serving
Serve with a bowl of fresh fruit and breakfast meat, like Convection Oven Bacon or Bake Sausage Patties.
Other easy breakfast recipes
Try some other great breakfast recipes like Small Cinnamon Coffee Cake, Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake, Cinnamon Swirl Bread, or our favorite Old Fashion Banana Nut Bread. And for the holidays, try Small French Toast Casserole.
Making ahead of time
You can make your biscuits a day or two ahead. Make out the biscuits, cover them tightly on a pan with plastic wrap, and refrigerate them for 1-2 days. Let set at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before baking.
You can also freeze uncooked biscuits. Make individual biscuits and freeze them on parchment paper. When frozen, move to an airtight container. They can be stored for 2-3 months. Spread on a tray and cover refrigerated overnightโthen bake.
Storing leftovers
Fresh is best but will be good for up to about 2 days at room temperature if sealed airtight.
You can freeze cooked leftovers, but I'm not a fan of freezing the frosting. So freeze for up to 3 months without any frosting. And then make a bit of frosting when needed.
FAQs
Yes, you can replace the flour, baking powder, and salt with an equal volume of Bisquick. Bisquick also has some fat but not enough to replace the butter in this recipe, so use all the suggested butter.
This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.
Have you tried this recipe, or have a question? Join the community discussion in the comments.
๐ Recipe
Cinnamon Biscuits with Vanilla Frosting
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Ingredients
- 2 ยผ cup flour
- 1 tablespoon aluminum free baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ยฝ cup sugar
- ยพ cup milk
- 1 egg
- ยผ cup butter - cut in
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon butter - melted for top
- ยฝ cup chopped pecans or walnuts - Optional
Glaze
- 1 cup powder sugar
- ยผ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425ยฐ.
- Mix dry ingredients of 2 ยผ cups flour, one tablespoon baking powder, one teaspoon salt, one teaspoon cinnamon, and ยฝ cup sugar. Mix well.ย Cut ยผ cup butter into the flour with a pastry cutter or fork.
- Add ยพ cup milk, one egg, and one teaspoon of vanilla extract. Add optional nuts of using.
- Mix until completely combined. Then, roll the dough into a log on a lightly floured surface and cut it into eight equal slices. You may need more flour if it is too sticky, but don't overdo it, or they will not rise well.
- Spray a baking sheet with PAM. Place biscuits on a baking sheet. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter and brush tops.
- Bake until golden brownโabout 18-20 minutes.
- While baking the biscuits, combine 1 cup of powdered sugar, ยผ teaspoon vanilla, and 1-2 tablespoons of milk to make the glaze the thickness you want.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cook for about 5 minutes before frosting.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- The "cutting in" of the butter is what puts most people off from a recipe like this. Use cold butter and cut into small cubes or shred the better before cutting in with a pastry cutter or fork.
- Always use aluminum-free baking powder due to after-taste issues.
- Do not knead or refrigerate the dough. Just cook biscuit style.
- You can make this a "drop biscuit". That will cut out a few steps but not much.
- The frosting is optional, but you really want it.
- You can make them bigger by dividing the dough into 6 equal parts.
- Fresh is best but will be good for up to about 2 days at room temperature if sealed airtight.
- Freezing instructions are in the post.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
ยฉ 101 Cooking for Two, LLC. All content and photographs are copyright protected by us or our vendors. While we appreciate your sharing our recipes, please realize copying, pasting, or duplicating full recipes to any social media, website, or electronic/printed media is strictly prohibited and a violation of our copyrights.
Originally Published May 8, 2016. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Dawn says
It was very sticky and impossible to roll into a log. I ended up using a lot more flour on the board and used a biscuit cutter. Next time I will adjust amount of flour and milk.
WT says
You can freeze the butter and grate it on a cheese grater. Really fast and easy
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Matt,
Welcome to the blog.... puff.. butter suddenly appears on the ingredient list- twice.
Thanks for the proofread. It has been like that for only 4 years. Nutrition adjusted also.
Dan
nina says
we would make these cinnamon biscuits again needed more flour because unable to form log but modification is the key
DrDan says
Hi Nina,
Welcome to the blog.
The flour to fluid ratio can vary some when the flour is measured by volume (like we do in America) vs weight like Europe. If your flour is "fluffy" the you have less wt in a cup. This recipe is based on my drop biscuit recipe. Mostly, right on but sometimes it needs a bit more milk or flour.
Thank for the note and rating.
Dan
Jill G says
Great recipe, will definitely make these again. I also had issues trying to roll the dough into a log, but the drop biscuit method worked fine - thanks for that tip !