Nutella Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
These Nutella cinnamon rolls keep the classic cinnamon swirl you love but swap the butter for Nutella in the filling and load up on it again in the frosting. Fluffy, chocolatey, and irresistibly gooey, they’re a must-bake for any Nutella fan.
Servings: 6 rolls
Ingredients
ROLL DOUGH
- ¼ cup (60mL) warm water
- 1 and ⅛ teaspoons (4g) dry active yeast or half of one packet
- ¼ cup (60mL) warm milk
- 2 and ½ Tablespoons (32g) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 2 and ¼ cups (270g) all purpose flour be sure to measure properly
- 3 Tablespoons (43g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature and cut into 4-6 pieces
NUTELLA CINNAMON FILLING
- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (50g) firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1 and ½ Tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 6 Tablespoons (111g) Nutella
NUTELLA BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
- ¼ cup (57g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- ¼ cup (74g) Nutella
- 1 cup (120g) powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 to 2 Tablespoons (15-30mL) milk or cream if needed
Need to keep track of your ingredients?Check out my Printable Ingredient List!
Instructions
ROLL DOUGH
- Spray a baking dish1 with non-stick spray. Set aside.
- Place warm water in a large bowl. Sprinkle the yeast on top of the water. Whisk with a fork, wooden spoon, or spatula and allow to rest and activate for 10 minutes.¼ cup (60mL) warm water, 1 and ⅛ teaspoons (4g) dry active yeast
- Once the yeast mixture is active and bubbly, add the milk, sugar, salt, vanilla extract, and egg. Whisk to combine.¼ cup (60mL) warm milk, 2 and ½ Tablespoons (32g) granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 large egg
- Gradually stir in the flour. If using a stand mixer, use your dough hook. If mixing by hand, continue to use a wooden spoon. Add about 1 cup of the flour, allow dough to come together, then add the softened butter and continue to blend. When butter is mostly incorporated, add the remaining 1 and ¼ cup of the flour and blend until dough has mostly come together. It may still be shaggy, but it should pull away from the sides of the bowl fairly easily.3 Tablespoons (43g) unsalted butter, 2 and ¼ cups (270g) all purpose flour
- Turn out dough on a floured surface and knead for about 8-10 minutes, adding flour about 1 Tablespoon at a time if the dough is too sticky, until smooth and elastic. Your dough should resemble the surface texture of PlayDoh when it is done. Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes while you prepare the filling.
NUTELLA CINNAMON FILLING
- In a medium size bowl, combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Whisk or stir until well-blended. Set aside.¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar, ¼ cup (50g) firmly packed light brown sugar, 1 and ½ Tablespoons ground cinnamon
- Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a rectangle approximately 9" x 12" in size. Dough will be very elastic, so be patient and keep rolling. There is no need to rush this step.
- When you have your rectangle, spread the Nutella evenly over the dough, leaving about ½" border around the edges. You can warm it gently in the microwave to make it easier to spread. Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar evenly over the Nutella.
ASSEMBLE AND BAKE THE DOUGH
- Starting with one of the long sides, roll the dough up into a tight 12" log. Use your fingers or palms on either end of the log to gently squeeze the log to "contain" the uneven ends. Using a sharp serrated knife and taking care to keep the seam side down, cut the log into 6 even slices. Don't worry if filling squishes out.
- Place the slices cut side down in the prepared pan, gather any cinnamon-sugar that fell out, sprinkle over the rolls, then press down gently to flatten slightly. Cover loosely with foil or a kitchen towel. Allow rolls to rise for 1 and ½ hours.
- When roll dough has risen, preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºC). Bake the rolls for 28-32 minutes or until rolls just start to brown on top. You can cover the rolls with foil to prevent browning, if desired. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes while you prepare the meringue topping.
NUTELLA BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
- In a large bowl with a handheld mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and Nutella on medium-high speed until smooth.¼ cup (57g) unsalted butter
- Turn the mixer speed down to low and add the powdered sugar. Add the vanilla extract and the salt and continue mixing until smooth. Utilize the liquid if you prefer a thinner consistency for your buttercream.1 cup (120g) powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, ⅛ teaspoon salt
- Spread the buttercream frosting2 onto slightly cooled rolls and serve rolls immediately. Leftover rolls stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days or in the refrigerator up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave for 8-10 seconds before serving. See notes section below for other storage and preparation suggestions.
Video
Notes
- Baking dish: I like to use either an 8″ square baking pan or an 8″ or 9″ round cake pan or pie plate. If using a square dish, arrange them in 2 rows of 3. If using a round pan, place one in the center and the other 5 evenly spaced around it.
- Frosting: if you'd prefer a more traditional cream cheese frosting for these rolls, add 2 ounces of full fat block cream cheese to the butter and Nutella in step #1 under the frosting instructions. You will likely not need any additional liquid if you go this route.
- Make ahead: this dough can be made the ahead of time through step 1 of the "assemble and bake dough" instructions. Cover rolls with plastic wrap and allow to rest in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, remove from the refrigerator and allow to rise in a warm environment, about 1 hour. Continue with step 2 in the "assemble and bake dough" instructions.
- To freeze: baked rolls freeze well, up to 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and warm before enjoying.
- To freeze unbaked rolls: bake the rolls in step 2 in "assemble and bake dough" instructions for 10 minutes at 350°F (177ºC). Allow to cool completely, cover tightly, then freeze. Remove the rolls from the freezer and allow to thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Finish baking for the remaining 20-25 minutes before frosting and serving.
- Working with yeast: for a comprehensive look at working with yeast in a recipe, see my post about how to bake with yeast.
Nutrition Disclosure
All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
Serving: 1roll | Calories: 589kcal | Carbohydrates: 100g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 325mg | Potassium: 211mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 54g | Vitamin A: 352IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 74mg | Iron: 3mg
