The Best Store-Bought Cinnamon Rolls, As Picked By Our Pros
Updated: Apr. 18, 2023
Don't fret if you don't have time to make cinnamon buns from scratch. Our Test Kitchen pros sampled the most popular brands and found the best store-bought cinnamon rolls for your weekend breakfast.
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Who Makes the Best Store-Bought Cinnamon Rolls?
We all know that there’s no beating a batch of homemade cinnamon rolls or even a warm, gooey Cinnabon bun at the food court. But when you don’t have the time, the best store-bought cinnamon rolls will do the trick.
Before you dash to the supermarket, make sure that pop-open tube or frozen pack of rolls is really the most delicious. To help you out, our Test Kitchen conducted a blind taste test.
How We Found the Best-Ever Cinnamon Rolls (from the Store)
For this delicious test, our Test Kitchen team snagged ten kinds of cinnamon rolls at the grocery store. Their shopping list included frozen and refrigerated versions.
After filling Taste of Home HQ with a downright heavenly smell, our pros put these cinnamon rolls head-to-head in a blind taste test. Each bun was judged in these categories:
- Appearance: The best store-bought cinnamon rolls should be hard to resist! A pretty swirl and visible filling are musts.
- Texture: Cinnamon rolls, whether store-bought or homemade, should be tender and soft.
- Frosting: Yes, cinnamon rolls are all about the cinnamon, but we’d argue that they’re also all about the frosting! The included icing should complement these spiced buns.
- Overall flavor: Cinnamon rolls should have the right balance of yeasty, sweet dough, spicy cinnamon and sweet frosting.
So how did these ten brands fair? Well, just four got our team’s stamp of approval. Check out the very best store-bought cinnamon rolls.
Best Store-Bought Cinnamon Rolls That Can Pass as Homemade
Rhodes Bake N Serve Cinnamon Rolls
If you want to treat your overnight guests, slumber partiers or friends at brunch, have a fresh batch of cinnamon rolls waiting for them in the morning. With Rhodes Bake N Serve Cinnamon Rolls, you can give your pals the flavor of a homemade bun without all the effort.
“You can definitely pass these off as homemade,” says Maggie Knoebel in the Test Kitchen. Our Test Kitchen pros don’t say that lightly!
So what makes these the best store-bought cinnamon rolls? The method. These aren’t your classic freezer- or fridge-to-oven cinnamon buns; instead, you need to proof these rolls like you would with homemade bread. It does take some time, but this step is simple and pays dividends in flavor.
These were the universal favorite in our Test Kitchen. “They’re soft and cushiony with a nice cinnamon flavor,” says the Test Kitchen’s Mark Neufang. “And the glaze on top is light and sweet—just right.”
Best Refrigerated Cinnamon Rolls
Immaculate Baking Organic Canned Cinnamon Rolls with Icing
Want to just pop open a can and bake? Skip over the bigger names in store-bought cinnamon rolls and add Immaculate Baking Organic Canned Cinnamon Rolls to your shopping cart.
Once you bake these buns, you’ll notice they’re not your average store-bought cinnamon roll. These Immaculate Baking buns are big! They also have a deep cinnamon swirl going throughout and even spilling over the top; you can see the flavor through the translucent vanilla icing.
When you take a bite, you’ll get “tons of cinnamon flavor,” according to Ellie Crowley in the Test Kitchen. As for the texture, you’ll get a bit of flay crunch on the outside as if the dough has been laminated with butter like croissants of puff pastry. Inside, though, these giant cinnamon buns are soft and pillowy.
While these cinnamon buns are big, they are tasty enough that you’ll want seconds.
Best Microwaveable Cinnamon Rolls
Cinnabon Frosted CinnaSweet Swirls
In the words of Maggie, “these are dangerous!” That’s because in just 30 seconds, these Cinnabon Frosted CinnaSweet Swirls go from frozen to snack. Yep, just pop one of these Cinnabon cinnamon rolls into the microwave for 30 seconds (two minutes for a full tray) and you’ve got a really tasty treat.
Now, these aren’t exactly the traditional cinnamon roll shape (they’re a bit more like a cloverleaf), but they have all the same flavors and textures. These mini rolls are tender and slightly chewy with plenty of cinnamon flavor.
The best part of these microwaveable buns, though, is the cream cheese frosting. Many store-bought cinnamon rolls are topped with a basic sweet glaze, but these have that tangy Cinnabon icing that we all expect from the brand.
When you’re craving a midnight snack or something a little indulgent before jetting off to work, this is the cinnamon roll for you.
Best Frozen Cinnamon Rolls
Rhodes Bake N Serve Anytime! Cinnamon Rolls
You read that right: Rhodes makes two of the best store-bought cinnamon rolls according to our Test Kitchen. These Rhodes Bake N Serve Anytime! Cinnamon Rolls are different than the other kind we tried, but still delicious.
Unlike classic Rhodes cinnamon buns, these require no prep at all; just open the box and pop the buns into the oven right from the freezer. After 30 minutes, you’ll have picture-perfect rolls packed with spicy cinnamon filling. Our Test Kitchen suspects this is Vietnamese or Saigon cinnamon, the type of cinnamon with the most kick.
When you bite into these perfectly swirled buns, you’ll find that the outside is tender and the inside is irresistibly gooey. After all, everyone knows the center spiral of the cinnamon roll is the best part!
Our Test Kitchen says that the glaze here doesn’t add a lot of flavor, but these store-bought cinnamon rolls deliver a lot in terms of flavor and texture without it. You can always whip up homemade cream cheese frosting while the pan is in the oven.
Check Out More Test Kitchen-Preferred Products
Our Test Kitchen is constantly testing food, kitchen gadgets and cleaning gear looking for brands that deserve the right to be called Test Kitchen-Preferred.
If you want to fill your pantry and fridge with the best products, check out these tests:
Originally Published: November 10, 2022
