Maple bacon cinnamon rolls are the ultimate weekend breakfast or holiday brunch. Fluffy homemade sweet dough is rolled up with brown sugar and bacon right inside, then drizzled with a sweet maple frosting and topped with even more bacon.
This post was originally published in November 2020 and has been updated for content.
These maple bacon cinnamon rolls are one of our favorite indulgent treats. These sweet and salty homemade cinnamon rolls are made with bacon in the middle and also topped with even more bacon.
Serve these gooey cinnamon rolls with a lemon dutch baby, pastina with egg and a spicy bloody mary!
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🥓 Ingredients
- Dough - This sweet dough recipe is made from scratch, super soft and fluffy and perfect for filling with tasty ingredients. It's the same dough I use for my overnight cinnamon rolls and my apple cinnamon rolls.
- Filling - The filling for these rolls is butter, brown sugar and crispy bacon pieces. You can use whatever type of bacon you like. I love using a maple flavored bacon.
- Topping - The maple glaze for these rolls are made with pure maple syrup (affiliate link) with the addition of a little bit of bacon grease. Extra crispy bacon pieces are added on top for the perfect balance of both sweet and salty.
📋 Substitutions and variations
- Overnight - Follow the instructions up until you put the cut cinnamon rolls in a greased baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and let them rise slowly in the refrigerator overnight. Take them out about 1 hour prior to baking and then follow the remaining directions.
🥣 Step by step instructions
First, cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crispy. Let it drain on a paper towel, reserving some of the grease for use in the maple frosting.
In a large bowl (affiliate link) or in the bowl of a stand mixer (affiliate link), mix together the warm water, yeast and sugar and let it sit until it foams. Add the egg, salt and 4 cups of the flour to the yeast mixture and mix until everything is combined. Slowly add the remaining flour, if needed, until the dough is tacky, but not sticky.
Knead the dough by hand or in the mixer until the dough is smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a clean, greased bowl and cover it with a light towel (affiliate link) or plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, then punch it down.
Gently roll dough out into a large rectangle. Spread it evenly with the butter, brown sugar and half of the bacon. Tightly roll up the dough, starting on the long side.
Slice into 12 equal pieces using a serrated knife. Place cut rolls in a greased 9x13 inch baking dish (affiliate link). Cover and let the rolls rise for a second time in a warm spot until doubled in size.
Bake the cinnamon rolls in a preheated 350˚ oven for about 25-30 minutes until bubbly and golden brown.
While the cinnamon rolls are cooling, mix together the powdered sugar with the maple syrup, milk and reserved bacon grease in a small bowl.
Spread the maple icing over the slightly cooled rolls and sprinkle with the remaining pieces of crispy bacon.
If you ever don't recognize a tool or skill that is mentioned, be sure to look it up in our Glossary of Cooking Terms and Definitions for more information.
⭐ Expert tips
- Mixing and kneading the dough by hand will give you a better sense of when the dough has enough flour and is done kneading. It should be tacky, not sticky and should be soft and spring back when you push your finger into it.
- Start by adding just 4 cups of flour. Then slowly add the remaining flour until the dough is tacky to the touch, but does not stick to your hands.
- Make sure to let your dough rise in a clean, greased bowl that is covered with a thin kitchen towel (affiliate link) or plastic wrap. This helps to ensure it rises properly and does not dry out.
- Let the rolls cool after baking for 10-15 minutes before adding the frosting. This will make sure it sticks and does not melt right off of them.
⏲️ Make ahead instructions
These maple bacon cinnamon rolls can be made up 1-2 days ahead of time. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature.
They can also be made all the way up to before the second rise, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and stored in the freezer for 6-8 weeks. Frozen unbaked rolls should be defrosted in the refrigerator and then allowed to let rise overnight in the refrigerator or in a warm spot for about 1 hour until doubled in size. Bake risen rolls as directed.
🥡 Storage suggestions
Leftover maple bacon cinnamon rolls can be stored at room temperature for 3 days in an airtight container and can be warmed in the oven or microwave, if desired.
🍳 More breakfast and brunch recipes
If you loved these homemade maple bacon cinnamon rolls recipe, try these other delicious breakfast and brunch recipes that I know you will love too!
- Homemade Blackberry Jam
- Cinnamon Brown Sugar French Toast
- Scrambled Eggs with Spinach and Tomatoes
- Old Fashioned Buttermilk Pancakes
📖 Recipe
Maple Bacon Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Bacon Cinnamon Rolls
- ½ pound bacon, diced in small pieces
- 1 cup warm water
- 2 ¼ teaspoons dry active yeast, or one packet
- ⅓ cup white granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4-5 cups all purpose flour
- ½ stick unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup light brown sugar
Maple Frosting
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 3 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 3 Tablespoons whole milk
- 1 Tablespoon reserved bacon grease
Instructions
- Add diced bacon to a medium skillet (affiliate link)over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is browned and crispy.
- Remove the cooked bacon from the pan with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel to drain. Reserve one tablespoons of the bacon grease from the pan for use in the frosting later.
- In a large bowl (affiliate link) or in the bowl of a stand mixer (affiliate link), mix together the warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let it sit for approximately 5 minutes, until the yeast starts to get foamy.
- To the yeast mixture, add the eggs, salt and 4 cups of the flour and mix until the ingredients are well incorporated.
- Slowly add in the remaining flour until the dough is tacky to the touch, but not sticky. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead until the dough is elastic and springs back when a finger is pressed into the dough.
- Grease a clean large bowl with baking spray or butter and place the kneaded dough into it. Cover with a thin towel or plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place until doubled in size, approximately 1 hour.
- Once the dough has risen to double in size, punch down the dough to deflate it. Turn out on a floured surface and gently roll out into a large rectangle that is approximately ½ to 1 inch thick.
- Spread the surface of the dough evenly with butter and then sprinkle with the brown sugar and half of the crispy bacon pieces.
- Starting on the long side of the cinnamon rolls, tightly roll up the dough. Using a serrated knife, cut the roll into 12 equal pieces.
- Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan (affiliate link) with baking spray or butter and place the rolls, cut side up in the pan. Cover the rolls with a towel or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, approximately one hour.
- When the rolls are almost done rising, preheat the oven to 350°. Bake the rolls uncovered in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until bubbly and lightly browned. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes.
- While the rolls are cooling, mix together the powdered sugar with the maple syrup, milk and reserved bacon grease.
- Drizzle the frosting over the slightly cooled rolls and then sprinkle with the remaining crispy bacon pieces.
Amanda
Can I use 2% milk instead of whole milk?
Amanda Scarlati
Yes, 2% milk will work just fine.
Jen
Your recipe does not list cinnamon in the ingredients, only in the instructions. How much cinnamon do you use??
Amanda
Thank you for bringing that to my attention. This recipe doesn't use cinnamon in the filling, however, if you want to add it then I would use 1 1/2 - 2 teaspoons. I have corrected the instructions.