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2 Ingredient Dough Cinnamon Rolls (& Homemade Cream Cheese Icing) Recipe

Cinnamon Rolls, some with icing and some without, and the words "2 Ingredient Dough Cinnamon Rolls" digitally written on top.

If you’ve been around here a while, you know I’m obsessed with 2 Ingredient Dough. I use it to make a lot of savory recipes, but I figured out a way to adapt it to sweet recipes. And so, I used that to make this 2 Ingredient Dough Cinnamon Rolls recipe.

If you’ve never heard of 2 Ingredient Dough before, let’s chat about it quick.

It’s a dough that, as the name implies, requires two ingredients: self-rising flour and Greek yogurt. That’s it. You don’t need yeast, and you don’t need to sit and let it proof.

So easy.

These cinnamon rolls themselves aren’t two ingredients. They use a few more than that. But the dough itself, which is the base of these cinnamon rolls, is made from 2 Ingredient Dough.

A dough ball with the words "2 Ingredient Dough (only 12 Weight Watchers Freestyle Points)" digitally written on top.

This isn’t a recipe for 2 Ingredient Dough, but rather, a recipe using 2 Ingredient Dough.

If you want to learn more about the dough first, check out our 2 Ingredient Dough recipe.

2 Ingredient Dough Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

These are not 2 Ingredient Cinnamon Rolls. There are more than two ingredients in this recipe.

However, the dough that is used as the base of these cinnamon rolls only requires two ingredients (that’s why it’s called 2 Ingredient Dough).

2 Ingredient Dough Cinnamon Rolls Ingredients:

Cinnamon rolls ingredients:

Icing ingredients:

How To Make 2 Ingredient Dough Cinnamon Rolls:

Pre-heat the oven to 350 F.

Flour, yogurt, and vanilla in a white bowl.

Follow our recipe for 2 Ingredient Dough.

Quick note if you don’t want to click through to that recipe. To make the 2 Ingredient Dough, mix together the self-rising flour and Greek yogurt.

Add in the vanilla.

Dough ball on a floured countertop.

Mix together to combine the ingredients. Form the dough into a ball.

Flour your surface and put your dough ball on it.

Cinnamon roll dough in a rectangle on a countertop.

Flour a rolling pin and roll the dough into a rectangle.

A pastry brush spreading butter on cinnamon roll dough in a rectangle on a countertop.

Melt the butter. Use a pastry brush to spread the butter on the entire surface of the dough.

Cinnamon and sugar in a bowl with a measuring spoon in it.

Combine the sugar and cinnamon.

Cinnamon and sugar spread on a rectangular piece of dough on a counter.

Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon evenly over the butter.

Cinnamon and sugar spread on a rectangular piece of dough on a counter being rolled up from the side.

Start rolling the dough. Start at the longer end and plan to roll across to the other longer end.

Cinnamon rolls in a pan.

Cut the roll into 15 equal pieces.

Put the pieces into an 8×8 non-stick pan.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the cinnamon rolls are light brown around the edges. Let them cool for ten minutes.

While they’re cooling, make your icing.

Sugar and butter in a stand mixer bowl.

In a stand mixer, mix together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and melted butter on medium-high until combined.

Cream cheese icing on a spatula.

Frost the cinnamon buns and serve.

Icing being spread on cinnamon rolls in a pan.

Tips For Making 2 Ingredient Dough Cinnamon Rolls:

If you’ve never made 2 Ingredient Dough before, one of the things you need to know is that a good yogurt is helpful. Some yogurts are really watery and that leaves you with a really sticky dough.

It’s fine. But if your dough is sticky, add more flour to the outside. You can add up to an additional quarter cup of flour without noticeably changing the dough.

Parchment paper or wax paper under the dough helps when you’re rolling it out. You want to flour the parchment or wax paper before putting the dough ball on it, but you should have an easier time rolling that way rather than on a counter.

Cinnamon rolls, some with icing, in a pan.

2 Ingredient Dough Cinnamon Rolls: Frequently Asked Questions

Should you frost hot or cold cinnamon rolls?

You want to frost warm cinnamon rolls. If you frost hot cinnamon rolls, the frosting will melt completely and won’t adhere to the cinnamon rolls. If you frost cold cinnamon rolls, the frosting will be too thick because it won’t incorporate into the cinnamon rolls at all.

So, let the cinnamon rolls cool slightly, about ten minutes, and frost them when they’re still warm. The frosting will melt into the cinnamon rolls, but there will still be a layer on top.

Can you use plain yogurt in these 2 Ingredient Dough Cinnamon Buns?

Plain, also known as regular, yogurt won’t work in this. The dough benefits from the thickness of the Greek yogurt. Regular yogurt is too thin, so the dough won’t come together.

Can you use a different flavor of yogurt?

Vanilla is a really popular flavor when you’re baking. Pure vanilla adds such a delicious taste to baked goods. So vanilla Greek yogurt is the perfect compliment to this.

But, if you prefer a different flavor of Greek yogurt, you can use that.

Can you use all purpose flour in these?

The great thing about 2 Ingredient Dough is you only need two ingredients to make it. You don’t need to worry about yeast or the dough rising or any of that. That’s part of the appeal of homemade cinnamon rolls with self rising flour.

You should be able to find self-rising flour in your local grocery stores and you can order self-rising flour online. But, if you ran out and you’re in a pinch, you can use all purpose flour.

Add 1.5 teaspoons baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt to 1 cup of all purpose flour. Sift it together, then combine the mixture with the yogurt.

Can you add nuts to the 2 Ingredient Dough Cinnamon Buns?

If you want to, you can add nuts to the cinnamon buns. If you’re following our recipe and using honey pecan cream cheese for your frosting, I would go with chopped pecans. You can use walnuts too.

Don’t mix the chopped nuts into the dough itself though. Rather, after you have spread the cinnamon and sugar mixture, spread a layer of chopped nuts.

Roll the dough carefully after that so the nuts don’t poke through the dough and make holes.

Can you use regular cream cheese in the cinnamon bun icing?

I love the sweetness and the nuts in the honey pecan cream cheese. It makes for the most delicious cream cheese icing without needing to do too much.

If you can’t find that icing, you can use a plain cream cheese icing. Just add about a teaspoon of pure vanilla into the stand mixer when you’re making your icing to flavor it a little bit.

If you want, you could choose a different flavored cream cheese (like a strawberry cream cheese or something similar).

How can you reheat 2 Ingredient Dough Cinnamon Rolls?

If you want to reheat these, it’s really easy. If you have an air fryer, lay the cinnamon rolls on top of a piece of parchment paper and heat at 370 for about four minutes.

You can also heat these up in the oven. Just place them in an oven at 350 for about 12 minutes.

Are these Weight Watchers-friendly?

So. Two Ingredient Dough went viral a couple years ago. I got it from a friend who wasn’t on Weight Watchers (and neither was I), but the dough has been forever tied to Weight Watchers because one batch of 2 Ingredient Dough is 12 Weight Watchers points.

But, not every 2 Ingredient Dough recipe is okay if you’re on Weight Watchers. And this is one of those.

There’s a half cup of sugar in this two ingredient dough cinnamon rolls recipe. Plus, it uses vanilla Greek yogurt instead of plain, non-fat Greek yogurt. Those things are not WW-friendly.

Could you make these into Weight Watchers cinnamon rolls? Sure. But it would take a lot of adjustments.

Pizza, topped with sauce, cheese, tomatoes, and basil, on a pizza stone.

Want more Two Ingredient Dough Recipes?

We love using two ingredient dough because of how easy it is. Some of our favorite two ingredient dough recipes are:

Yield: 15 Cinnamon Rolls

2 Ingredient Dough Cinnamon Rolls

It's so easy to make these delicious 2 Ingredient Dough Cinnamon Rolls.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

  • For the cinnamon rolls:
  • 1 cup self-rising flour
  • 1 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • For the icing:
  • 4oz. honey pecan cream cheese
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon melted butter

Instructions

    1. Pre-heat the oven to 350.
    2. Mix together the self-rising flour and Greek yogurt. Add in the vanilla. Mix together to combine the ingredients. Form the dough into a ball.
    3. Flour your surface and put your dough ball on it. Flour a rolling pin and roll the dough into a rectangle.
    4. Melt the butter. Use a pastry brush to spread the butter on the entire surface of the dough.
    5. Combine the sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon evenly over the butter.
    6. Start rolling the dough. Start at the longer end and plan to roll across to the other longer end.
    7. Cut the roll into 15 equal pieces. Put the pieces into an 8×8 non-stick pan.
    8. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the cinnamon rolls are light brown around the edges. Let them cool for ten minutes.
    9. While they’re cooling, make your icing. In a stand mixer, mix together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and melted butter on medium-high until combined. Frost the cinnamon buns and serve.

Nutrition Information

Yield

15

Serving Size

1

Amount Per Serving Calories 107Total Fat 2gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 1gCholesterol 6mgSodium 123mgCarbohydrates 20gFiber 1gSugar 13gProtein 2g

Have you made this 2 Ingredient Dough Cinnamon Rolls recipe yet? Let us know in the comments.

Stephanie 139a

Thursday 4th of February 2021

ah, they do sound good - thanks for sharing

chickenruby

Thursday 4th of February 2021

Looks yummy and easy to make

Rebecca

Thursday 4th of February 2021

Oh my gosh...I need to try these, especially the two ingredient dough! I'm always intimidated by yeast lol. They look scrumptious!

Richella J Parham

Thursday 4th of February 2021

Wow, these look delicious! I've never before heard of two-ingredient dough, so you've really piqued my interest. I'm pinning these!

Thanks so much.

Pam

Thursday 4th of February 2021

Ooh, these look wonderful. Thanks for sharing with us.

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