Orange Rolls are a family favorite breakfast! This copycat Pillsbury Orange Sweet Rolls recipe is so sweet, fruity, and delicious. Everyone will love waking up to these on the table. Make homemade orange cinnamon rolls with a creamy glaze for your next family breakfast!
Orange Cinnamon Rolls
These sweet orange rolls just might be the best way to get your kids out of bed in the morning! The sweet and cinnamony smell alone will lure them down to the kitchen table.
This homemade orange cinnamon rolls recipe is definitely a family favorite around here, and for good reason. They’re so tasty! I love serving them on the weekend to bring everyone together, and they’re a fun holiday breakfast for guests too.
Inspired by the well-loved Pillsbury orange sweet rolls, this homemade version is super yummy, topped off with a cream cheese orange glaze frosting!
Why You’ll Love this Orange Sweet Rolls Recipe:
- FRUITY AND ZESTY: These sweet orange cinnamon rolls have the perfect citrusy, fruity flavor, with a hint of cinnamon. They are just so delicious!
- FAMILY FAVORITE: Everyone in the family will be excited when they see these rolls on the breakfast table!
- MAKE AHEAD: You can prepare this orange rolls recipe the night before so that they’re ready to bake in the morning!
You’re going to love these sweet, soft, fluffy sweet rolls! Be sure to try this Cinnamon Roll French Toast Bake and these Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls too!
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How to Make Orange Rolls
You can jump to the recipe card for full ingredients & instructions!
- Combine liquids and activate the yeast.
- Combine ingredients and make the dough in a stand mixer.
- Place dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let it rise in a warm spot.
- Mix ingredients to make the orange filling.
- Roll dough out into a rectangle, spread the filling on top, then roll it up like a jelly roll.
- Slice the dough into individual rolls, and place them on a baking pan.
- Cover and let them rise (check below for make ahead/overnight directions).
- Bake orange rolls until golden brown, then cover with frosting and serve!
Christmas Morning Faves
34+ Christmas Morning Recipes
Nothing better than waking up to an amazing (and easy) breakfast bright and early on Christmas.
Yes. Imagine a fruity, orange-filled version of your favorite cinnamon rolls. That’s what these orange sweet rolls are! There’s a bit of cinnamon in the filling too.
Both the milk and orange juice should be between 105-115°F. If the liquids are warmer than 115°F they will kill the yeast and if they are any cooler, they won’t activate the yeast.
It could be a few different things. Making sure the liquids are at the right temperature (as detailed above) is important. Otherwise, your dough might not rise. You also need to make sure your dough has a warm spot to rise (if rising overnight in the fridge, it needs more time to fully rise).
Active dry yeast needs to be activated/rehydrated in liquid before using (instructions to do this are in the recipe card). Instant yeast is ready to use as is, and can be mixed into dry ingredients. Make sure you use active dry yeast for this recipe.
Can I make orange rolls ahead of time?
The best way to make these orange rolls ahead of time is to prepare them the night before, let the dough rise in the fridge overnight, then bake and finish them in the morning to serve.
- Work up to Step 8 in the recipe card below. You’ll make the dough and the filling, combine them and roll it up to make the rolls, and then place them in the baking pan.
- Cover the pan and place it in the refrigerator. Your dough will rise in the fridge overnight, so it’s ready to go in the morning.
- The next day, pick up where you left off, at Step 9 in the recipe card. Let the rolls sit out and come to room temperature while you preheat the oven.
- Then bake the orange rolls, make the frosting, and serve.
Tips!
- Make sure the milk and orange juice are heated between 105-115°F. The temperature is important!
- The dry yeast needs to be activated, so it needs the full 5 minutes to bloom, as instructed.
- A stand mixer will make the dough-making process much easier, but if you don’t have one, you can knead the dough by hand.
- The dough needs to rise twice, for a total of about 1½ hours.
- Using a string of floss is actually the easiest way to get a clean, quick cut in the dough when slicing the rolls.
- You can make these ahead of time and prep the night before. See instructions above to make overnight orange rolls.
- Leftovers should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for 3-4 days.
Can I use this recipe to make lemon rolls?
Yes, you could easily turn this orange rolls recipe into lemon sweet rolls if you prefer. Just replace the orange ingredients with lemon ones (for example, replace the orange zest with lemon zest).
What frostings go well with orange rolls?
We’re making a delicious cream cheese frosting for these orange cinnamon rolls. It’s creamy, orangey, and just perfect.
More Delicious Citrus Recipes We Love
This homemade orange rolls recipe will make everyone in the family happy to get out of bed! These sweet rolls make a great Christmas breakfast or Easter brunch too, either for guests or just for you and the little ones.
More Holiday Breakfast Recipes to Try:
- Biscuits and Gravy Casserole
- Pecan Sticky Buns
- Blueberry Sheet Pan Pancakes
- Eggs Benedict Casserole
- Sheet Pan Chocolate Croissants
- Crockpot Breakfast Casserole
- Cinnamon Sugar Biscuit Bites
If you make this recipe be sure to upload a photo in the comment section below or leave a rating. Enjoy! You can also jump to recipe.
Orange Rolls Recipe
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Ingredients
For the Dough
- ½ cup milk 114 grams, warm (105-115°F)
- ½ cup orange juice 114 grams, warm (105-115°F), from 2 oranges
- ¼ ounce active dry yeast 7 grams (1 envelope)
- 4 cups all-purpose flour 480 grams, plus more as needed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar 50 grams
- ¼ cup unsalted butter 57 grams, melted and cooled slightly (½ stick)
- 2 large eggs 100 grams, room temperature and lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon orange zest 2 grams
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
For the Filling
- ¾ cup granulated sugar 150 grams
- ½ cup unsalted butter 113 grams, room temperature (1 stick)
- 2 tablespoons orange zest 12 grams, from 1 orange
- ½ tablespoon ground cinnamon 5 grams
For the Frosting
- 2 cups powdered sugar 226 grams
- 4 ounces cream cheese 114 grams, room temperature (½ brick)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 42 grams, room temperature
- 3 tablespoons orange juice 43 grams, from ¾ orange
- 2 teaspoons orange zest 4 grams
Recommended Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
Instructions
- Combine the milk, orange juice, and yeast in a glass measuring cup, stirring to dissolve the yeast. Let bloom for 5 minutes, until foamy.½ cup milk, ½ cup orange juice, ¼ ounce active dry yeast
- Make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, butter, eggs, orange zest, and salt. Mix until just combined.4 cups all-purpose flour, ¼ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup unsalted butter, 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon orange zest, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Add the milk mixture and beat on low for 1-2 minutes, or until blended. Switch to the dough hook attachment, increase speed to medium-low, and beat for 5 minutes, or until the dough is smooth, soft, and slightly sticky.
- Spray the inside of a glass bowl with nonstick spray, then place the dough inside, flipping to coat the ball. Cover the bowl, place it in a warm place, and allow the dough to rise (it should double in size) for 45-60 minutes.
- While the dough rises, make the filling. Mix the sugar, softened butter, orange zest, and cinnamon in a small bowl until smooth.¾ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons orange zest, ½ tablespoon ground cinnamon
- Once doubled in size, punch the dough down. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll it into a 20×14-inch rectangle, about ¼ inch thick.
- Spread the filling in a thin, even layer over the dough, leaving a 1-inch gap at one long edge. Roll up the dough, jelly roll style, starting at the long end.
- Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan. Use a piece of unflavored dental floss to cleanly cut the dough log into 12 large rolls and place side-by-side in the prepared baking pan. Cover the baking pan and allow the rolls to rise for 30-45 minutes, or until doubled in size.
- While the rolls are rising, preheat oven to 350°F.
- Once doubled in size, bake the rolls for 20-25 minutes, or until lightly golden brown and 190°F internally. Remove from the oven, and cool slightly.
- While the rolls bake, make the frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the powdered sugar, cream cheese, softened butter, orange juice, and orange zest together until smooth.2 cups powdered sugar, 4 ounces cream cheese, 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, 3 tablespoons orange juice, 2 teaspoons orange zest
- Spread frosting onto the warm rolls and serve.
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
- You will need 3 fresh oranges for this recipe (2¾ oranges worth of juice, 1½ oranges worth of zest).
- Make sure the milk and orange juice are heated between 105-115°F. The temperature is important!
- The dry yeast needs to be activated, so it needs the full 5 minutes to bloom, as instructed.
- A stand mixer will make the dough-making process much easier, but if you don’t have one, you can knead the dough by hand.
- The dough needs to rise twice, for a total of about 1½ hours.
- Using a string of unflavored dental floss is actually the easiest way to get a clean, quick cut in the dough when slicing the rolls.
- You can make these ahead of time and prep the night before. See instructions above to make overnight orange rolls.
Nutrition Information
These rolls are delicious! However, after 25 minutes they were getting a little dark on the outside but still were not done in the center once we tried them. Just a little warning to check with a cake tester and / or thermometer (should be 190 in the center) before you pull them out!
Cover with foil if you notice the tops are browning too much!
can the dough making part be done in a breadmaker as i dont have a stand mixer?
That should work!