Lemon Sweet Rolls

This Lemon Sweet Rolls recipe is light, fluffy and slathered in lemon buttercream frosting.  They make the perfect sunshiney breakfast alternative to cinnamon rolls that taste great all year long. 

Jump to:

• Fluffy Lemon Sweet Rolls
• How to Make Lemon Sweet Rolls from Scratch
• Tips and Tricks for Perfect Lemon Cinnamon Rolls
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Storing and Reheating Sweet Rolls
• Lemon Sweet Roll Recipe
• More of our Favorite Sweet Roll Recipes

Fluffy Lemon Sweet Rolls

These cold and dreary winter days have me dreaming of bright and sunny spring mornings.  What better way to fill your kitchen with sunshine than by making a batch of this delicious Lemon Rolls Recipe?  

These soft and fluffy lemon buns are packed full of sweet lemon flavor.  They’re filled with a lemon butter spread, rolled up and baked, then covered in sticky, gooey lemon buttercream straight out of the oven.

Enjoy these citrus lemon rolls for breakfast, brunch, as a snack, or even for dessert.  You can serve them as is, with a dollop of whipped cream, lemon cream cheese frosting, or even topped with lemon curd.  And after all this, if you are still just craving a good old fashioned Cinnamon Roll, don't worry - we’ve got those too. 

Lemon Rolls Dough

• Water - you want your water to be lukewarm to help activate the yeast.  You can also substitute milk, warming it to no more than 115 degrees F.
• Sugar - we use white granulated sugar for the dough, or you could certainly use the same amount of honey instead.
• Yeast - this recipe calls for active dry yeast which must be activated, or “proofed.”  It comes in a few different sized packages - a small envelope, a small jar or a large 1 pound air-sealed package.  You can substitute instant or Rapid Rise yeast, keeping in mind that it won’t take as much time to rise.
• Butter - you want the butter to be either melted, or incredibly soft.  You could also use avocado oil if you’d like.
• Eggs - any kind of large eggs will do.  It helps if they have come to room temperature, but don’t worry if you forget.  You can also run them under warm water while they are still in the shells.  The eggs help with rising and the fats in the yolk help keep the dough tender and light.
• Salt - you can use regular sea salt or table salt, but I like to use pink Himalayan sea salt in my baking.  It has extra vitamins and minerals in it that regular table salt doesn’t have.
• Flour - we like to use all-purpose flour, but bread flour works great, too.

Lemon Filling

• Butter - this should be melted or incredibly soft.
• Sugar - regular white granulated sugar.
• Lemon Zest - be sure and zest your lemons before juicing.  For this filling, you’ll need 3 tablespoons, or the zest from about 3 lemons.

Lemon Buttercream Frosting

• Butter - make sure your butter is at room temperature so that it will mix well with the other ingredients.
• Powdered Sugar - any type will work.
• Lemons - you’ll need the zest and juice from roughly 2-3 fresh lemons for the frosting.
• Vanilla Extract - pure vanilla extract tastes best.

How to Make Lemon Sweet Rolls from Scratch

Step 1 - Mix the Dough

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the warm water, sugar and yeast and stir well. Let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes until it gets bubbly and activates the yeast.
2. Add the melted butter, eggs, salt and 3 cups of flour into the yeast mixture, then mix on low using the dough hook for 2 minutes, or until everything is well-mixed.
3. Add an additional 2.5 cups of flour, then stir on low to combine. Finally, add up to 1 cup more flour slowly, only until the dough pulls away from the edges of the bowl. Once all of the flour has been added, continue to knead the dough on low for 3 minutes more.

Step 2 - Let the Dough Rise

1. Turn off the mixer and cover the bowl with a kitchen towel. Let the dough rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes, or until doubled in size.

Step 3 - Roll and Cut the Sweet Rolls

1. Once the dough has doubled, turn it out onto a floured surface. Form the dough into a small rectangle with your hands. Using a rolling pin, gently roll the dough into a rectangle that is ½" thick and approximately 24" x 18." (Note: depending on the size of your work surface, you may need to divide the dough into 2 portions. If so, you can roll each to about 12" x 18" and still ½" thick.)
2. Using an offset spatula, or knife, carefully spread the soft or melted butter evenly onto the rolled dough.
3. In a medium bowl, mix together the sugar and lemon zest.  Evenly sprinkle the sugar lemon zest mixture over the top, then pat down gently.
4. Starting at either 24" side, roll the dough up evenly making sure to get a nice tight tube, then cut into 1" slices using a very sharp knife or floss. (Note: we recommend using a ruler and pre-marking before you actually make any cuts.)
5. Lay the slices ½"-1" apart in a lightly greased 9 x 13" baking pan and cover loosely with a kitchen towel. Let the cinnamon rolls rise for another 30 minutes, or until doubled and touching in the pan.

Step 4 - Make the Frosting

1. In an electric mixer using the paddle attachment, beat the room temperature butter until light and fluffy.  Turn the mixer down very low and add powdered sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla.  Mix on low until all the ingredients are combined, then turn the mixer on high again and beat until fluffy.

Step 5 - Bake the Lemon Sweet Rolls

1. Bake Lemon Sweet Rolls in a 350 degree preheated oven for about 30 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown.
2. Remove from the oven and spread the Lemon Buttercream Frosting over the tops while they are still warm.
3. Let them cool for about 5 minutes, then serve warm. Enjoy!

Tips and Tricks for Perfect Lemon Cinnamon Rolls

• When rolling out the dough, it's helpful to start in the middle of the dough and roll outwards from the center. If the dough is a little sticky, pull back the dough and add some more flour to your baking surface.
• Try to keep the dough as symmetrical as possible. This will help keep the size and thickness of the cinnamon rolls the same.
• One lemon yields about 1 tablespoon of lemon zest and 2-3 tablespoons of lemon juice.
• If cream cheese frosting is your thing, try substituting our Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting instead of the buttercream.  The ingredients and instructions are located at the bottom of the recipe.

Frequently Asked Questions

Storing and Reheating Sweet Rolls

• Refrigerator: wrap leftover Lemon Sweet Rolls in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
• Freezer: wrap leftover sweet rolls in plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to 1 month.  To thaw, transfer to the fridge overnight.
• To Reheat: for a single serving, you can reheat in the microwave until warm.  Otherwise, add the entire pan of sweet rolls back into the oven at 300 degrees for about 10-15 minutes, or until warmed through.  Adding an extra dollop of frosting when reheating makes them extra delicious!

More of our Favorite Sweet Roll Recipes

• Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
• Raspberry Sweet Rolls
• Orange Sweet Rolls
• Einkorn Cinnamon Rolls
• Triple Berry Sweet Rolls with Lemon Frosting
• Caramel Cinnamon Rolls
• The Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
• Christmas Tree Cinnamon Rolls
• More Breakfast Recipes
• More Dessert Recipes

More Lemon Recipes You'll Love

• Lemon Cheesecake Dip
• Best Lemon Bars
• Lemon Bundt Cake
• Lemon Orzo Soup
• Lemon Poppyseed Bundt Cake
• Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars
• Lemon Curd

Frosting Recipes

• Best Cream Cheese Frosting
• Buttercream frosting
• Chocolate Frosting
• Cinnamon Frosting
• Buttercream Frosting

These Lemon Sweet Rolls are filled with a lemon butter spread, rolled up and baked, then covered in sticky, gooey lemon frosting straight out of the oven. They're soft, fluffy and packed full of lemon flavor.

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