Carrot Cake Cinnamon Rolls
Carrot cake cinnamon rolls combine all the flavors of cinnamon buns with the light sweetness of carrot cake. This homemade sweet roll recipe is the perfect treat for Easter breakfast or Mother’s Day morning.
Cinnamon rolls are a favorite breakfast around here. I love to make (and eat!) all sorts of homemade sweet rolls.
I also love carrot cake, especially in the spring. The flavors just sing for me.
So carrot cake cinnamon rolls seemed like a natural breakfast combination to whip up for my family, especially for a special occasion.
Cinnamon rolls are already fairly labor intensive, and can be heavy on the prep work.
Considering I love to keep things easy, I decided to let some boxed carrot cake mix do the heavy lifting for me.
Using the boxed mix to form the base of the batter will yield perfect carrot cake flavor, making it a delicious short cut that cuts your time in half with this semi homemade recipe.
Seriously, make these semi homemade carrot cake cinnamon rolls and enjoy a gourmet dessert that requires half the work!
Ingredients Needed
While we do take a shortcut with cake mix, there are still plenty of other ingredients needed to make this recipe a success.
To make it you’ll need:
- Water – Warm water to help the yeast bloom, but not too hot or it will kill it
- Yeast – Active dry yeast
- Cake Mix – 1 15.25 oz box carrot cake mix
- Flour – All purpose flour
- Sugar – Brown sugar, light or dark both work and powdered sugar- for the glaze frosting.
- Carrots – Freshly grated carrot
- Cinnamon – Ground cinnamon
- Butter – I recommend salted butter because it subtly enhances the sweetness, but you can use unsalted if sodium content is a concern.
- Cream Cheese – Real cream cheese, softened, but Neufchatel can be substituted.
- Nuts – Chopped pecans
- Orange – Zest of one orange, freshly zested
Once you’ve gathered all your ingredients you ready to begin!
How to Make Carrot Cake Cinnamon Rolls
Let’s break down the process of making this variation on homemade cinnamon rolls.
To start, activate your yeast by adding it to warm, but not hot water. Mix it well and let it rest for 5 minutes.
You’ll know your yeast is good if it gets foamy. If it doesn’t foam, the yeast is dead and you should use new yeast.
Once you’ve got your yeast activated, you can start to make your dough by adding the carrot cake mix and 2 cups of flour to then add the remaining 1/4 cup of flour- mixing just until combined.
Cover the bowl and let it rest until the dough has double in size, roughly 2 hours.
Now you want to turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface (to prevent sticking) and, using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out into a roughly 16×12 inch rectangle.
Spread 1/4 cup of softened butter evenly out over the top of the dough rectangle being careful to cover the entire surface.
In a small mixing bowl combine the brown sugar, grated carrots, and cinnamon until evenly mixed then sprinkle the mixture evenly out overtop of the buttered dough.
Slice the dough into 8 equally sized strips, then roll them up tightly into pinwheels. Transfer them to a greased 9×13 inch baking dish. Cover the dish with a clean dish towel and let them rise for 1 hour.
Uncover the risen rolls and bake them at 350F for 18-20 minutes, until nicely puffed and baked through. Set the rolls aside to cool some while you prepare the frosting.
Add the cream cheese, the remaining 1/4 cup of softened butter, and powdered sugar to a large mixing bowl. Using an electric mixture whip together until evenly combined and smooth.
Spread the mixture thickly and evenly out overtop of the semi-cooled cinnamon rolls. Sprinkle the chopped pecans and orange zest evenly out overtop.
Serve them warm and enjoy!
Storing
Completely cooled leftover cinnamon rolls can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Alternatively they can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Can These Be Made Ahead Of Time?
Yes! To make them ahead of time, prepare them as instructed up to transferring them to the baking dish.
Cover the dish well, I recommend a layer of cling wrap followed by tinfoil to prevent freezer burn. Freeze for up to a month.
When ready to bake allow them to thaw to room temperature and follow the steps from the second rise time on.
Tips and Tricks for Carrot Cake Cinnamon Rolls
Baking cinnamon rolls can be a little intimidating, especially if you’ve never baked with yeast before. Follow my tips and tricks to make sure your rolls turn out perfectly each time.
- Make sure you proof the yeast first to see if it is active. If the yeast doesn’t foam it isn’t active and your rolls won’t rise. You’ll need to get new yeast.
- Use warm but not hot water. Yeast multiplies the best between 105 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit.
- To help your cinnamon rolls rise, you can preheat your oven to warm. Once it preheats, turn the oven off and crack the door. Put the covered tray of rolls inside and you’ve got the perfect warm, dry environment to promote a good rise.
Other Flavored Cinnamon Roll Recipes
These carrot cake cinnamon rolls are the perfect springtime breakfast sweet. Make them for your next special occasion brunch and enjoy!
Looking for other flavored cinnamon rolls to enjoy?
Try these:
- Strawberry Rolls with Powdered Sugar Icing
- Sweet Orange Cinnamon Rolls
- Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls
- Cinnamon Roll Waffles With Cream Cheese Glaze
If you’ve tried these CARROT CAKE CINNAMON ROLLS, or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Carrot Cake Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
- 1-1/4 cups warm water
- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast equivalent to a single packet
- 1 15.25 oz box carrot cake mix
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup grated carrots
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup butter softened
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/4 cup butter softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- Zest of one orange
Instructions
- In a large bowl add the warm water and yeast and let sit for five minutes to bloom.1-1/4 cups warm water, 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
- To the yeast water add your cake mix and 2 cups flour.1 15.25 oz box carrot cake mix, 2 1/2 cups flour
- Using an electric mixer beat for 2 minutes and add another ¼ of the flour.
- Cover the mix and set aside in a warm area to rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
- Once the dough has doubled in size roll it out to about 16x12 rectangle give or take.
- Mix together the brown sugar, grated carrots and cinnamon.1/2 cup brown sugar, ½ cup grated carrots, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- Spread ¼ cup softened butter evenly out all over the dough.1/4 cup butter
- Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture all over the dough.
- Slice the dough into 8 long strips and roll each strip up and place in a greased 9x13 baking dish.
- Cover and set aside for 1 hour to rise.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Bake rolls for 18-20 minutes until baked through.
- Set aside to cool slightly while you make the frosting.
- Using an electric hand mixer beat together the cream cheese, ¼ cup butter and powdered sugar until well combined.4 ounces cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, 2 cups powdered sugar
- Spread evenly out over the entirety of the cinnamon rolls.
- Sprinkle with pecans and orange zest evenly out overtop.½ cup chopped pecans, Zest of one orange
- Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes
- Make sure you proof the yeast first to see if it is active. If the yeast doesn't foam it isn't active and your rolls won't rise. You'll need to get new yeast.
- Use warm but not hot water. Yeast multiplies the best between 105 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit.
- To help your cinnamon rolls rise, you can preheat your oven to warm. Once it preheats, turn the oven off and crack the door. Put the covered tray of rolls inside and you've got the perfect warm, dry environment to promote a good rise.
Nutrition
Love that this recipe perfectly combined the flavors from two of my favorite desserts into something I can enjoy for either breakfast or an after dinner treat!