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These are the Blueberry Cinnamon Rolls are truly the best. They have a buttery cinnamon sugar filling with a generous layer of homemade blueberry compote and are topped with a luscious mascarpone frosting and even more juicy blueberries! The soft dough melts in your mouth.
For more cinnamon roll recipes, try my banana cinnamon rolls, pumpkin cinnamon rolls with maple glaze and apple pie filled cinnamon rolls!
Ok, there are thousands of cinnamon roll recipes out there, but let me tell you why this one is the best.
This recipe uses a milk bread-style dough, which means it’s enriched with milk, eggs, and butter for an ultra-soft, pillowy texture. It stays tender and moist for days, not just fresh out of the oven!
Now, in addition to that buttery soft dough, these blueberry rolls have your traditional cinnamon filling but with a generous layer of homemade blueberry jam that take the blueberry flavor through the roof!
Lather on that mascarpone icing fresh out of the oven and top with more of that blueberry sauce and it’s a treat you’ll never forget.
Recipe Overview: Blueberry Cinnamon Rolls
- 🥒 Prep Time: 3 hours
- 🍳Cook Time: 30 mins
- 🕛Ready In: 3 hours and 30 mins
- 👥Serves: 12
- 🫐 Method: Milk Bread style cinnamon rolls for a gooey, buttery soft cinnamon roll bursting with blueberry flavor!
- 🫐 Flavor Profile: Fruity, cinnamon-y, buttery, absolutely delicious!
- ⭐Difficulty: Moderate
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Table of contents
Key Ingredients
(See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities)
- Tangzhong (whole milk + flour): Pre-hydrates the flour to create an ultra-soft, pillowy dough that stays moist and tender for days. Instead of a bready or dry roll, you get a soft, delicate crumb that practically melts in your mouth. That softness is perfect for blueberry cinnamon rolls because the dough hugs the filling without tearing or getting tough.
- Active dry yeast: Leavens the dough, giving the rolls a light, fluffy texture while developing flavor during proofing.
- Egg + egg yolk: Add richness, structure, and moisture, resulting in a tender crumb and golden interior.
- Sugar: Feeds the yeast, adds balanced sweetness, and helps the rolls brown beautifully while baking.
- All-purpose flour: Provides structure while keeping the dough soft enough to support the blueberry filling. A lot of cinnamon roll recipes call for bread flour and you can use it here. However, I’ve found that with the milk bread method, all purpose flour yields the softest results. (save the extra trip to the grocery store :))
- Salted butter: Adds rich flavor and moisture, creating a soft, buttery crumb throughout the rolls. Be sure to use softened butter so that it mixes well into the dough!
- Fresh or Frozen Blueberries – both work! They bring that natural sweetness and tartness, forming a juicy, jammy filling that pairs perfectly with cinnamon.
- Cornstarch (blueberry filling): Thickens the blueberry mixture to prevent leaking and soggy rolls.
Substitutions and Variations
- Active dry yeast: Substitute instant yeast 1:1 and mix directly into the dry ingredients instead of warming the milk and dissolving first.
- Frozen wild blueberries: if you can find these in the freezer section of your grocery store, use them! They have an incredibly fruity flavor, ideal for this recipe.
- Mascarpone: use cream cheese instead. I love a classic cream cheese icing, but mascarpone just hits different!
How To Make Blueberry Cinnamon Rolls
(the full recipe and instructions can be found at the bottom of this post)
Step 1: Make the tangzhong: Warm milk in a saucepan, whisk in flour, and cook until a thick paste forms. Transfer to a stand mixer bowl and let cool completely.
Step 2: Bloom the yeast and Mix the dough: Mix warm milk, yeast, and a tablespoon of sugar until frothy, about 5–10 minutes. Add the yeast mixture, egg, egg yolk, sugar, salt, and cooled tangzhong to the mixer bowl. Whisk lightly, then add flour and kosher salt and mix until a shaggy dough forms.
Step 3: Knead with a dough hook attachment for 5 minutes, then add butter gradually and knead until smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky, about 10 minutes. Transfer dough to a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm spot until doubled, about 1½–2 hours.
Step 4: As the dough rises, Make the blueberry filling. Add blueberries to a small saucepan along with sugar and lemon juice. Cook for 15-20 minutes, then add cornstarch slurry to thicken. Set aside to cool completely. Then making the cinnamon filling by mixing together butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar.
Step 5: Fill and shape: Place onto a lightly floured surface. Use a rolling pin to shape into a 14×22-inch rectangle, spread warmed cinnamon sugar evenly, and a generous layer of blueberry filling. Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut into 12 equally sized strips (about 1 1/2- 1 3/4 inches per strip). Roll each strip into a spiral and place into a 9×13 baking dish. Second rise: cover again and allow the rolls to rise again, until puffy, about 30-45 mins.
Step 6: Pour heavy cream on top of the rolls and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the tops of the rolls are golden brown. Fresh out of the oven, top with half of the mascarpone icing, let them cool, then add the remainder of the icing and top with the rest of the blueberry filling.
Pro Baking Tips
- Top tip! Use a kitchen scale to measure out the ingredients! This prevents add too much flour (or too little), which can really throw off the recipe! This is often the difference between a dense dough and a fluffy dough. We want soft cinnamon rolls, but dry and weird – so this step is super important! The gram measurements can be found in the recipe card.
- It’s easier to spread the filling on top of the dough using an offset spatula. This ensures the filling spreads evenly, especially when adding that sweet blueberry filling!
- I like to proof the dough in the oven with the oven light on (don’t actually turn it out, just the light!!). This creates the perfect environment for the dough to rise!
- Let the blueberry filling cool completely! Warm fillings can melt out of the dough and also impede yeast development. Be sure to let it sit until it’s completely cooled before adding to the dough.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Frozen wild blueberries work great. No need to thaw them before cooking, or the filling. It’ll make the filling become too watery.
Yes! Assemble the dough, let it rise. Then assemble the rolls, cover tightly, and refrigerate overnight. Let them come to room temperature and rise before baking.
Pouring heavy cream keeps the rolls moist and gooey, especially important with fruit-filled cinnamon rolls.
The rolls should be lightly golden on top and register about 190°F in the center for doneness.
Store covered at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate for up to 5 days. Warm for a few seconds in the microwave before serving for best texture.
More Cinnamon Roll Recipes You’ll Love
Breakfast
Apple Pie filled Cinnamon Rolls
Breakfast
Maple Bacon Cinnamon Rolls
Breakfast
Strawberry Cinnamon Rolls
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If you make this recipe, please leave a star rating on the recipe card and comment below! You can also tag @BritneyBreaksBread on Instagram and hashtag #britneybreaksbread so I can celebrate your beautiful creations!
While you’re here, check out these yummy Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting and Soft Cinnamon Rolls, too!
Blueberry Cinnamon Rolls with Mascarpone Frosting
Equipment
- Roll Pin
- Pizza Cutter or Sharp Knife (for cutting the rolls)
Ingredients
Tangzhong
- 1 cup (240 g) Whole Milk
- 1/2 cup (63 g) All Purpose Flour
Cinnamon Roll Dough
- 1/2 cup (120 g) Whole Milk
- 2 1/4 tsp Active Dry Yeast
- 1 large (50 g) Egg
- 1 (18 g) Egg Yolk
- 1/2 cup (100 g) Sugar, (+ 1 tbsp for the yeast mixture)
- 4 1/2 cups (563 g) All Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp (5 g) Kosher Salt
- 1/2 cup (113 g) Salted Butter, (room temperature)
Blueberry Filling
- 4 cups (560 g) Fresh Blueberries, (or frozen wild blueberries)
- 1/3 cup (67 g) Sugar
- 2 tbsp (30 g) Lemon Juice
- 2 tbsp Cornstarch
- 2 tbsp (30 g) Water
Cinnamon Sugar Filling
- 1/2 cup (113 g) Salted Butter, (room temperature)
- 1 cup (220 g) Brown Sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp Cinnamon
- 1/2 cup (120 g) Heavy Cream, (for pouring on top of the dough before baking – do not add to the actual filling!)
Mascarpone Frosting
- 8 oz (224 g) Mascarpone, (cold)
- 3 tbsp (42 g) Salted Butter, (room temperature)
- 2 cups (250 g) Powdered Sugar
- 2 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste, (or vanilla extract)
- 2 tbsp (30 g) Whole Milk
Instructions
- Add 1 cup of milk to a saucepan over low heat. Warm for 3 minutes. Whisking constantly, add flour and increase to medium low heat. Continue to whisk until a thick paste forms, about 7-10 minutes. The texture should be akin to a thick porridge. Pour into the bowl of a stand mixer and allow it to cool completely. 1 cup Whole Milk 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour
- Add ½ cup of warm milk and yeast and 1 tbsp of sugar to a small bowl or cup. Allow the yeast to bloom and become frothy, about 5-10 minutes. 1/2 cup Whole Milk 2 1/4 tsp Active Dry Yeast
- Add yeast mixture, egg, egg yolk, sugar, kosher salt, and tangzhong to the bowl of the a stand mixer. Gently whisk together until all ingredients are combined. Then add flour and kosher salt. Gently use your hands or a rubber spatula to mix everything together to form a shaggy dough. 1 large Egg 1 Egg Yolk 1/2 cup Sugar 4 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- Attach the dough hook to the stand mixer and mix on medium speed for 5 minutes. Then add room temperature butter, 2 tbsps at a time. Continue to mix on medium speed for 8-10 minutes. Dough should be smooth elastic. (If it sticks to the sides of the bowl, simply scrape the sides of the bowl and add pieces to the dough). 1/2 cup Salted Butter
- Place dough into a well oiled large mixing bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and allow it to rise until doubled in size, about 1½-2 hours.
- While the dough rises, make the blueberry filling. Add blueberries, sugar, and lemon juice to a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir together and cook for about 15-20 minutes, until bubbling and juicy. In a small bowl, mix together cornstarch and water, then pour into the saucepan. Continue to cook for 5 minutes, until the mixture thickens. Set aside to cool, it'll thicken more as it cools. 4 cups Fresh Blueberries 1/3 cup Sugar 2 tbsp Lemon Juice 2 tbsp Cornstarch 2 tbsp Water
- Then make the cinnamon filling. Combine brown sugar, softened butter, and cinnamon together in a small bowl until well combined and paste-like in texture, about 1-2 minutes. (if not mixing, melt in the microwave for about 10 seconds, this will soften the butter so that it combines nicely) 1 cup Brown Sugar 1/2 cup Salted Butter 1 1/2 tbsp Cinnamon
- Punch dough to deflate it and Roll dough out onto a well floured work surface. Use a rolling pin to roll dough into a 14x22inch rectangle.
- Spread warmed cinnamon sugar filling evenly across the dough, then add a generous layer of blueberry filling (about 1/2). Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut into 12 equally sized strips (about 1 1/2- 1 3/4 inches per strip). Roll each strip into a spiral and place into a 9×13 baking dish.
- Second rise: cover the rolls with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and allow the rolls to rise again, until puffy, about 30-45 mins.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Pour heavy cream on top of the rolls and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the rolls are set and golden brown. 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
- While the rolls are baking, make the mascarpone frosting. Add cold mascarpone to a mixing bowl. Use a hand mixer to beat the mascarpone until smooth, about 30 seconds. Then add the salted butter, powdered sugar, vanilla bean paste. Mix until smooth, about 1 minute, then add in the whole milk and mix until combined. 8 oz Mascarpone 3 tbsp Salted Butter 2 cups Powdered Sugar 2 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste 2 tbsp Whole Milk
- Fresh out of the oven, add a thin layer of the mascarpone frosting on top of the rolls. The first layer will melt into the cinnamon rolls, making them nice and gooey. Let them cool for about 30 minutes, then add the remainder of the frosting and the remainder of the blueberry filling on top.
Notes
- Top tip! Use a kitchen scale to measure out the ingredients! This prevents add too much flour (or too little), which can really throw off the recipe! This is often the difference between a dense dough and a fluffy dough. We want soft cinnamon rolls, but dry and weird – so this step is super important! The gram measurements can be found in the recipe card.
- It’s easier to spread the filling on top of the dough using an offset spatula. This ensures the filling spreads evenly, especially when adding that sweet blueberry filling!
- I like to proof the dough in the oven with the oven light on (don’t actually turn it out, just the light!!). This creates the perfect environment for the dough to rise!
- Let the blueberry filling cool completely! Warm fillings can melt out of the dough and also impede yeast development. Be sure to let it sit until it’s completely cooled before adding to the dough.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
