Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls are a no brainer for holiday breakfast for me. Gingerbread is one of my favorite holiday flavors! So it only makes sense to use it in one of my favorite breakfasts!

one gingerbread cinnamon roll on a plate being dusted with powdered sugar

My Gingerbread Cinnamon Roll recipe is very similar to my Ooey Gooey Cinnamon Rolls with a couple spice additions and molasses. They still have that “ooey gooey-ness” to them that’s the best!

There’s nothing worse than a dry cinnamon roll. These are made to be light, fluffy and gooey. What all cinnamon roll dreams are made of!

Since gingerbread and eggnog go so well together, I decided to top them with eggnog cream cheese frosting. It’s an explosion of holiday flavor in one pan! Something the whole family will love!

Can I make Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls ahead of time?

Yes and no. You can make the dough and roll them out up to 24 hours ahead of time then store them in the refrigerator. Take the Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls out of the fridge for 45 minutes to let them come to room temp then let them rise in a warm spot for 1 hour while covered.

After than you can bake them as directed. If you leave them in the fridge any longer than 24 hours, I find that the quality tends to drop quickly.

Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls and any other cinnamon roll should be enjoyed fresh out of the oven for the best experience. I keep my cinnamon rolls up to 2 days and warm them slightly in the microwave before eating them. Usually about 10 seconds per roll.

a pan of gingerbread cinnamon rolls topped with eggnog frosting

I’m kind of picky about cinnamon rolls. I don’t believe they should be eaten cold and I don’t care for them after they’re several days old. Call me crazy!

Ingredients you’ll need

Yeast – This is what makes the dough rise and get fluffy
Brown Sugar – Brown sugar adds that extra molasses flavor for the “gingerbread” effect
Water – You’ll need to let the yeast activate in water before mixing it with flour to get those nice fluffy cinnamon rolls. Make sure your water is 110°F-115°F, use a thermometer
Whole Milk – This goes into the dough, I prefer whole milk for basically anything I use milk for
White Vinegar – I mix this with the milk to make a homemade buttermilk because I rarely have buttermilk on hand. If you have buttermilk feel free to omit the whole milk and vinegar and just use 1/4 cup buttermilk
Olive Oil – Vegetable oil would work here as well
Egg – To help make the dough
Kosher Salt – Salt brings out the flavor in the dough and the sweetness
All Purpose Flour – Flour is the base of the dough
Butter – For that delicious filling
Cinnamon – You can’t have gingerbread flavor without cinnamon
Vanilla Extract – To give a little extra flavor to the dough
Molasses- What is gingerbread without molasses?
Ground Ginger – The star of the show in gingerbread cinnamon rolls
Nutmeg – This goes well with the other spices and I especially like it with the eggnog frosting
Cloves – One of my favorite holiday spices
Allspice – A little extra bump in flavor that works really well with the gingerbread
Cream Cheese – The base of the frosting
Powdered Sugar – Used to sweeten the frosting
Eggnog – Just a touch of eggnog for a light flavor

Equipment you’ll need

Thermometer – It’s best to temp your water to make sure it falls in between the 110°F-115°F range. If it’s too high it will kill the yeast, if it’s too low the yeast won’t activate. This is what I use
Rolling Pin – You’ll need to roll out the dough! You can use a classic or marble
Oven – To bake the cinnamon rolls
Baking Pan – I prefer to use a rectangular ceramic pan or an oval ceramic pan for my cinnamon rolls
Electric Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer – This is to make your frosting. Here are the two types I use, hand mixer and stand mixer (although my stand mixer is pink!)

the top of one of the gingerbread cinnamon rolls in the pan

Tips for Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls

Do not over mix them! Mix just until the dough comes together in a ball
Make sure to use a thermometer to check the temp of the water otherwise your yeast will not activate then the dough will not rise
Do not over work the dough when rolling it out
If you have buttermilk you can substitute 1/4 cup buttermilk for the whole milk and vinegar mixture. I hardly ever have buttermilk at my house so I usually mix vinegar and milk
Make sure you’re letting your dough rise in a warm place. I like to turn the oven on to 150°F then shut it off and set the dough inside the oven covered with the door shut
Cover the dough while it’s rising
Make the Gingerbread Cinnamon Roll dough the night before if you don’t want to wake up early. You can just pull them out for 45 minutes to come to room temp then let them rise 1 hour in a warm spot and bake as directed
Make the eggnog frosting up to 5 days in advance. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days

eggnog frosting being dripped down the side of a roll

How to make Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls

Warm your water to 110°F-115°F and whisk brown sugar in until dissolved. Sprinkle the yeast over the top, cover the bowl with a kitchen towel then set in a warm place for 10 minutes until yeast is frothy.

Meanwhile, stir together the milk and vinegar until thickened slightly then add the oil, egg and salt to the bowl with the milk. Whisk these ingredients together.

Once the yeast is frothy then add in the milk mixture and whisk to combine. Add about 3/4 of the flour to the yeast mixture and begin mixing. I like to use my hands to do this.

Once the flour is about 75% mixed in then add the remaining flour and mix until dough just starts to form a ball.

Place dough ball in a lightly greased bowl, cover it with a kitchen towel then let it rise for 60 minutes in a warm place.

While the dough is rising, mix the brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, allspice and salt together in a small bowl and set aside. Then you can make the frosting while the dough continues to rise.

Beat the cream cheese and butter together in a bowl with an electric hand mixer or alternatively in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment on medium speed for 2 minutes. The mixture should become light and airy.

Add the vanilla and sifted powdered sugar. Mix together on low until combined then on high for 2 more minutes. Slowly mix in the eggnog until fully combined. Add nutmeg if desired.

After the dough has risen turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough 3-4 times then roll it out into a rectangle that is about 1/8-1/4 inch thick.

Smear the room temp butter all over the dough, sprinkle with the brown sugar spice mix then drizzle with molasses. Starting on a long end, roll the dough tightly into a log.

Cut the dough in half then cut each half into halves. You should have 4 sections of dough at this point. Then cut each section into thirds. This will give you 12 Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls.

after cutting the log of dough into 12 equal rolls

Set the rolls in a lightly sprayed dish, cover with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place for 45-60 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350°F then bake for 20-25 minutes.

Top the Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls with Eggnog Frosting and serve warm. Enjoy!

a pan of gingerbread cinnamon rolls topped with eggnog frosted being dusted with powdered sugar

If you make this Gingerbread Cinnamon Roll Recipe please leave a rating and/or review!