Lemon Sweet Rolls

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

We’ll walk you through how to make, shape, and bake this easy yeast roll dough so that you can have delicious sweet rolls any time you want. And if you’re looking for even more sweet roll recipes, you can try our Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls, Raspberry Sweet Rolls, or these Orange Sweet Rolls.

A baking pan with lemon sweet rolls ready to bake in the oven.

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 lemon sweet rolls?

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These soft and fluffy lemon yeast rolls 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 them for breakfast, brunch, as a snack, or even for dessert. You can serve 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.

A small white plate with a Lemon Sweet Roll covered in frosting and a full pan of sweet rolls in the background.

Key Recipe Ingredients

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.
Lemon Zest – you will need fresh lemons for both the filling and the buttercream. Be sure to zest your lemons before juicing.
Powdered Sugar – I always use powdered sugar for glazes and buttercreams because it adds sweetness without any grittiness.

A close up picture of lemon sweet rolls that have risen and are ready to bake.

How to Make Lemon Sweet Rolls

Step 1 – Mix the Dough

Combine the warm water, sugar and yeast and stir well. Let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes until it gets bubbly.
Add the melted butter, eggs, salt and 3 cups of flour into the yeast mixture and mix on low using the dough hook for 2 minutes.
Add an additional 2.5-3.5 cups of 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

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

Once the dough has doubled, form it into a small rectangle with your hands. Roll the dough into a rectangle that is ½” thick and approximately 24″ x 18.”
Using an offset spatula, or knife, carefully spread the soft or melted butter evenly onto the rolled dough.
Mix together the sugar and lemon zest, then evenly sprinkle it over the top.
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.
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.

A pan of sweet rolls that has just been baked but has not yet been covered in frosting.

Step 4 – Make the Frosting

Beat the room temperature butter until light and fluffy, then add the powdered sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla. Mix on low until combined, then turn the mixer on high again and beat until fluffy.

Step 5 – Bake the Lemon Sweet Rolls

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

Recipe Tips and Tricks

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.

lemon sweet rolls in a baking sheet covered in lemon buttercream frosting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Rapid Rise Yeast instead of Active Dry Yeast?

You can! Either one will work, but Rapid Rise Yeast will rise twice as fast. You also don’t need to “proof” Rapid Rise (or Instant) yeast.

How can I make sweet rolls ahead of time?

Easy peasy – you have a few options:

1. After you have shaped and cut the sweet rolls, wrap the pan in plastic wrap and immediately refrigerate overnight. The next morning, pull the pan out, preheat the oven and bake as directed.

2. Make the dough, cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in a large bowl in the fridge overnight. The next day, remove the bowl from the fridge. Let the dough come up to room temperature, then shape, cut and bake as directed.

3. If you want to get a serious head start you can freeze the shaped and cut Lemon Sweet Rolls right in the baking dish. Wrap well with 2 layers of plastic, then store for up to 1 month. The night before baking them, transfer the dough to the fridge then pull out as you preheat the oven the morning of.

What should I do if my dough is too sticky?

Simple – just add a touch more flour. You’ll find that adding about 1-2 tablespoons at a time works great. Flour is also the answer if you find your dough is sticking to your rolling surface. Just a little dusting will usually do the trick.

Storing and Reheating Instructions

Refrigerator: wrap leftover 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

More Lemon Recipes You’ll Love

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.