These easy apple cinnamon rolls are filled with warm and gooey cinnamon apples that taste just like the filling in apple pie! These homemade cinnamon rolls are topped with a creamy, tangy brown butter cream cheese frosting that caramelizes on the still-warm rolls after they come out of the oven.

I’ve been all about fall flavors lately with treats like my apple hand pies, apple pie egg rolls, and now homemade apple cinnamon rolls. These make the perfect breakfast or cozy fall brunch!

An apple cinnamon roll topped with brown butter cream cheese frosting on a plate.

Just like my pumpkin cinnamon rolls recipe, this version, filled with juicy apple pie filling, is perfect for fall baking! Apple cinnamon rolls are fluffy and soft with gooey centers, made from homemade cinnamon roll dough filled with buttery cinnamon sugar and tender bites of apples.

For the icing, I made a version of my brown butter frosting with cream cheese. Brown butter gives the frosting more depth of flavor, while the cream cheese keeps that signature tanginess you get with classic cinnamon roll icing.

All About These Homemade Apple Cinnamon Rolls

Quick to rise. Similar to my 1-hour cinnamon rolls recipe, I make the cinnamon roll dough with instant yeast. This means that the rolls only need one quick rise instead of two.
Juicy apple filling. The filling is easy to make with tender brown sugar and cinnamon apples, caramelized on the stovetop. It packs these classic cinnamon rolls with apple pie flavors!
Perfect for fall entertaining. Make these apple cinnamon rolls for Thanksgiving breakfast or a holiday brunch with the family. They’re very low-effort on a weekend morning.

Close up of apple cinnamon rolls in a baking dish.

Ingredient Notes

Below is a quick look at the key ingredients in this easy apple cinnamon rolls recipe. Scroll down to the recipe card after the post for the full amounts and recipe details.

Apple Pie Filling – I fill these apple cinnamon rolls with my easy apple pie filling, included in the recipe card. All you need to make it are apples tossed with lemon juice, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and a little maple syrup. I used 3 Honeycrisp apples, peeled and diced into ¼” cubes. You can make this recipe with homemade or store-bought pie filling.
Whole Milk – I prefer to use whole milk when making cinnamon rolls, as the fat content makes the rolls extra rich and soft. 2% milk also works.
Instant Yeast – Unlike active dry yeast, instant yeast does not need to be dissolved in warm water to “activate” before you start. You can mix instant yeast right in with the other ingredients, and the dough is quicker to rise. If you’d prefer a cinnamon roll recipe with a longer rise that you can make ahead, try my grandmother’s original overnight cinnamon rolls.
Browned Butter – Brown butter is butter that’s been melted and cooked to bring out a nutty flavor and aroma. It takes minutes, and all you need is a saucepan! I have an in-depth tutorial on how to brown butter that you can refer to if you’ve never done it before.
Cream Cheese – This should be full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature so it’s easier to mix with the brown butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt to make the cinnamon roll frosting.

How to Make Apple Cinnamon Rolls

Follow the steps below to make perfectly golden-baked and fluffy cinnamon rolls loaded with sweet apple pie filling.

Prepare the apples. Toss the diced apples with lemon juice, then combine them with the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a saucepan. Stir in maple syrup, and then cook the apples over medium heat for 15-20 minutes until tender.
Make the cinnamon sugar filling. Meanwhile, cream butter with brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg to make the cinnamon roll filling.

Homemade apple filling in a skillet. — Prepare the apple filling.

Cinnamon brown sugar filling in a mixing bowl. — Prepare the apple filling.

Dissolve the sugar in milk. Combine sugar with warm milk (110-120ºF) and whisk until the sugar dissolves. Set this aside while you mix the other dough ingredients.
Combine the ingredients. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and yeast in your stand mixer’s bowl. Then, add melted butter and a beaten egg, and use the dough hook to mix the ingredients on low speed for 2 minutes. Slowly stream in the milk mixture.
Knead the dough. Switch the mixer to medium speed and work the dough for 5 minutes, just until it starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl to form a ball. At this point, turn the dough out on a floured surface and knead by hand for another 5 minutes. You want to be able to stretch the dough without it tearing.

Cinnamon roll dough ingredients combined in a bowl. — Combine the dough ingredients.

A ball of cinnamon roll dough next to a rolling pin. — Combine the dough ingredients.

Julianne’s Dough Tips

Cut the dough into strips. When I cut cinnamon rolls, I prefer to cut the flat dough with a pizza cutter and then roll up the strips individually to prevent too much squishing. Alternatively, you can roll up the long edge of the filled dough into a single, long log. Then, use a sharp knife or (unflavored) dental floss to cut the log into 12 equal-sized rolls.
If the dough starts to tear when you press it into a rectangle, turn it back out onto your work surface to knead for another minute or two.
If you find your dough is too sticky, you can add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough is only slightly tacky and forms a ball. On the other hand, be careful not to add too much flour, or the dough will be dry.

Shaping and Baking the Cinnamon Rolls

Shape the dough. Next, press the dough out into a rectangle, and use a rolling pin to roll it to about 12×18” in size, and ¼” thick.
Add the filling. Spread the cinnamon filling from earlier in an even layer over the dough, leaving a 1” border along one of the long edges. This way, you can seal the dough closed when you roll it. Then, spoon the apple pie filling evenly over the cinnamon sugar layer.
Roll and cut the dough. I like to use a pizza cutter to cut the dough lengthwise into 12 long strips, 1 ½” wide. Now, roll up each strip around the filling and press the edges to seal.

Cinnamon apple filling spread over rolled out cinnamon roll dough. — Add the cinnamon and apple filling.

Cinnamon roll dough being rolled up around apple filling. — Add the cinnamon and apple filling.

Rise. Place the rolls into a greased 9×13” baking pan and cover them with plastic wrap. The cinnamon rolls need to go somewhere warm to rise for 60-80 minutes, until they double in size.
Bake. Remove the plastic wrap, and bake the apple cinnamon rolls at 375ºF for 22-25 minutes. They should be lightly browned on top and puffed up to fill the pan. Rest the rolls for 10 minutes once they’re out of the oven, before you add the icing.

Overhead view of unbaked apple cinnamon rolls in a baking dish. — Let the rolls rise.

Overhead view of unbaked apple cinnamon rolls in a baking dish after rising. — Let the rolls rise.

Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

While the cinnamon rolls finish baking, prepare the creamy brown butter cream cheese frosting:

Brown the butter. Melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Continue to cook the butter for 2-3 minutes, until it stops sizzling and brown flecks start to appear. Then, take the pan off the heat, pour the butter into a heat-proof bowl, and leave it to cool.
Make the frosting. Mix the cream cheese with vanilla and salt until smooth. Next, beat in the cooled browned butter, and gradually add the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time. Mix until the frosting is thick and creamy.
Frost the cinnamon buns. Spread the icing over the warm cinnamon rolls. Serve these apple cinnamon rolls while they’re still warm, or you can cool them to store in the fridge. See the How to Store section below for tips.

Overhead view of apple cinnamon rolls topped with brown butter cream cheese frosting in a baking dish.

How to Store Cinnamon Rolls

Refrigerate. Because of the cream cheese in the frosting, keep these stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Warm in the microwave or enjoy chilled, or bring to room temperature.
On the counter. Unfrosted apple cinnamon rolls may be stored covered or in an airtight container on the counter for up to 2 days. Do not leave these at room temperature after you add the frosting due to the cream cheese.

Apple Cinnamon Rolls