Home · Recipes · Desserts & Baking · Breads & Rolls · Yeast Breads Carrot Cake Cinnamon Rolls Author: Maryanne CabreraPublished: Apr 16, 2019Updated: Oct 16, 2023 View Recipe12 ReviewsThis post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy. Carrot cake cinnamon rolls frosted with whipped cream cheese and topped with toasted walnuts. It’s the iconic flavors of carrot cake injected into sweet rolls! Table of Contents Carrot Cake RollsMore Carrot Cake RecipesCarrot Cake Cinnamon RollsView moreView less Spring has sprung and it’s officially carrot cake season! With Easter less than a week away, now is the time to take advantage of this root vegetable. One can only eat so much carrot cake before the palette craves something new. Rather than make carrot bread or carrot muffins, I opted to infused the flavors of carrot cake into my favorite baked good, the cinnamon roll. Carrot Cake Rolls With the recent success of this banana bread doughnuts recipe, I have been on the hunt for new ways to blend together classic dishes. These carrot cake cinnamon rolls prove that I’m onto a delicious and worthwhile venture. I foresee more fruit and veggie collaborations. Perhaps carrot cake rice pudding, carrot cake New York style cheesecake, or zucchini bread pretzels?! The possibilities are endless! Whether you call them cinnamon rolls, cinnamon buns, or cinnamon scrolls, these swirly baked yeasted breads are a tasty treat that can be enjoyed all year long. Cinnamon rolls are among some of the most versatile baked goods, adapting to all sorts of added flavors. From sweet variations that include dried fruits like raisins (rum raisin cinnamon twisted buns) or a different spices like cardamom (Swedish cardamom buns) to savory applications like baked ham and Swiss rolls, is there anything you CAN’T swirl into a bread roll?! The dough is studded with visible specks of carrots throughout. Use a coarse grater to shred the carrots. For the sake of ease, I highly recommend using the “shredder” attachment on a food processor. I’ve also heard good things about this KitchenAid slicer attachment, however, I have yet to personally use it. A note on portions This recipe can make 12 large and fluffy cinnamon rolls or 24 smaller sized rolls. The images in this post show the “smaller” version. I used two 9-inch round skillets to bake up 24 smaller cinnamon rolls. A dozen larger cinnamon rolls can also fit into a 9-inch skillet. The baked rolls will simply rise beyond the lip of the pan. When serving these carrot cake cinnamon rolls as part of a larger buffet of foods, I suggest serving the smaller portions, as to not overwhelm eaters. Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting Obviously, it’s not carrot cake without cream cheese frosting! This frosting is sweetened with powdered sugar and touch of brown sugar. The frosting is rather thin. Cut back on the amount of powdered sugar for a thicker, dense icing. Alternative Toppings These carrot cake cinnamon rolls are topped with toasted walnuts. Other nuts also work. Chopped almonds or pistachios are great substitutes! In addition, toasted shredded coconuts or chopped macadamia nuts make for a delicious tropical twist! More Carrot Cake Recipes Carrot Nut Cake Tropical Carrot Cake Pistachio-Macadamia Nut Carrot Cake Carrot Cake Cinnamon Rolls 5 from 6 votes The iconic flavors of carrot cake injected into cinnamon rolls! Baked rolls are frosted with whipped cream cheese and topped with toasted walnuts. Prep Time: 15 minutes minutesCook Time: 35 minutes minutesDough Resting: 2 hours hoursTotal Time: 2 hours hours 50 minutes minutes Servings: 12 rolls Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe IngredientsDough:▢ ½ cup warm water about 105°F▢ 2 ¼ teaspoon dry active yeast▢ ¼ cup + 1 teaspoon granulated sugar▢ ½ cup whole milk room temp▢ 1 large egg room temp▢ 1 large egg yolk▢ 3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour▢ 1 teaspoon kosher salt▢ 1 ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon▢ 1 ½ cups (180 g) shredded carrots▢ 5 Tablespoon unsalted butter softenedFilling:▢ ¼ cup unsalted butter softened▢ ¼ cup granulated sugar▢ 3 Tablespoon light brown sugar packed▢ 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon▢ pinch kosher saltFrosting:▢ 4 oz cream cheese softened▢ ¼ cup unsalted butter▢ 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract▢ 1 cup confectioners’ sugar▢ 2 Tablespoon light brown sugar▢ toasted walnuts chopped Instructions DOUGH: In the bowl of a stand mixer, sprinkle yeast over warm water. Add teaspoon of sugar and stir to combine. Let sit for 5-7 minutes to allow mixture to bubble and activate.Whisk in remaining sugar, milk, egg, and egg yolk. Attach dough hook to stand mixer.In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and cinnamon. Add 2 cups of flour mixture to stand mixing bowl. Mix on low speed until dough starts to come together. Add another 1 cup of flour mixture followed with shredded carrots. Mix on low speed until carrots are distributed. With the mixing running on low speed, add softened butter one tablespoon at a time. Add remaining ½ cup of flour and knead until the dough is smooth and cleans the sides of the bowl.*Transfer dough to a lightly greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let dough rest at room temperature for about an hour, until it has doubled in volume.Punch down risen dough. Transfer to a lightly floured work surface. Roll dough into a 20 x 14 inch rectangle.Filling: Spread softened butter over rolled out dough. In a small bowl, whisk together sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Distribute cinnamon sugar filling over buttered dough. Assembly: Starting at the longer end, roll dough into a log. Slice log into 12 equal parts (or 24 equal parts). Place rolls in a greased 9×12-inch baking pan or 9-inch round cast iron skillet. Cover with plastic wrap and let rolls rest for 30-45 minutes at room temperature to allow rolls to rise.Preheat oven to 350° F. Remove plastic wrap. Bake rolls for 30-35 minutes until golden brown on top and the internal temperature of rolls registers at least 185 degrees F. Allow rolls to rest for 5 minutes to cool slightly.Frosting: Beat together cream cheese and butter Add vanilla, powdered sugar, brown sugar, and salt. Beat until smooth. Spread over warm carrot cake cinnamon rolls. Top with toasted walnuts, as desired. Serve cinnamon rolls warm. NotesThis recipe can be used to make 12 large cinnamon rolls or 24 smaller cinnamon rolls. 12 cinnamon rolls can be baked in a 9×12-inch baking pan, 9-inch round cast iron skillet (or cake pan), or in an 9-inch square baking pan. Use two pans for 24 rolls. Reduce baking time to 20-25 minutes when baking the smaller cinnamon rolls. *If dough is too sticky during mixing, add additional flour one tablespoon at a time, up to 4 tablespoons. REHEATING NOTES: To keep the rolls moist, place a glass of water in the microwave along with the bread roll. Microwave for 30 seconds, or until bread is warm. The glass of water helps prevent the bread from drying out. All images and text ©The Little Epicurean NutritionCalories: 378kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 66mg | Sodium: 286mg | Potassium: 157mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 2955IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 74mg | Iron: 2mg Author: Maryanne Cabrera Course: Breakfast, DessertCuisine: American Did you make this recipe?Show us on Instagram! Tag @littleepicurean and hashtag #littleepicurean.
Sanna says: April 16, 2019 This is the perfect Easter Brunch! I love the texture from those nuts! Reply
Nova @ The High Strung says: April 18, 2019 I like my carrot cake fully loaded, so please lay all the raisins and walnuts right on me! And I totally agree about the pirañas and jelly fish risk. Give me all the gooey middle cinnamon roll power instead. Reply
Kristi says: April 14, 2020 If I want to make half as many rolls, can I simply cut all the measurements in half? Or does ratio of yeast to other ingredients need to change? Reply
Maryanne Cabrera says: April 15, 2020 To make a half batch- cut all the ingredients in half except the eggs. Omit the egg yolk and simply use one egg for the half batch. Depending on how many rolls you cut, you may have to slightly adjust baking time.
Nehal says: April 30, 2020 I made this today and loved it! It’s really yummy and healthy really… I and my friends enjoyed this. Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe with us. Looking forward to more recipes. Regards xoxo Reply
Maryanne Cabrera says: March 28, 2023 Yes! Cover and refrigerate the shaped dough overnight. The following morning, remove rolls from the fridge. Keep covered. Let sit at room temperature for 45-80 minutes until dough is no longer cold. Then, bake as directed.
Sandra says: April 5, 2023 I cannot wait to try this!! Can this be made with gluten free flour? Reply
Maryanne Cabrera says: April 6, 2023 Yes! This recipe works with multipurpose gluten-free flours like Cup4Cup or King Arthur measure for measure flour.
jessica says: March 7, 2024 Loved it! Topped ours with a ton of raisins. Have you tried this recipe with zucchini? Reply
Maryanne Cabrera says: March 13, 2024 Raisins are a nice touch! No, I have no tried it with zucchini. Please let me know if you give it a try!