These No Yeast Apple Cinnamon Rolls go from prep to baked in under an hour. Soft, golden spirals filled with cinnamon sugar and finely diced apple are topped with a thin glossy glaze that sets without hiding the swirls.

No Yeast Apple Cinnamon Rolls

These rolls are a spin on my No Yeast Cinnamon Rolls (No Egg) , same easy base, with a little extra flour so it holds up to the apple filling.

Made without yeast, there’s no kneading or rising time, and even without eggs, the dough bakes up soft and fluffy, never dense.

The steps are straightforward, starting with rubbing cold butter into the dry ingredients until crumbly. This creates the base for a soft, fluffy dough without yeast or eggs.

Make sure your butter is properly cold and your milk chilled, that’s the secret to tender rolls.

If you’re new to baking, you’ll find the step-by-step photos below especially helpful.

How to make No Yeast Apple Cinnamon Rolls

These visual instructions help you see the process. You can also find the full printable recipe with ingredient amounts and instructions at the end of the post.

Mixing flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt, then cutting in cold butter to start the dough for no yeast apple cinnamon rolls

Combine dry ingredients – Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
Mix in butter – Add cold cubed butter and rub in with fingertips until the mixture looks crumbly.

Pouring milk into the flour mixture and stirring until a soft dough forms for quick apple cinnamon rolls

Add milk – Pour in the cold milk.
Form dough – Stir gently until a soft dough is formed (don’t overmix).

Rolled dough into a rectangle, then brushing the surface with melted butter and vanilla for apple cinnamon roll filling

Roll out – On a floured surface, roll the dough into a rectangle about 10 inches wide × 12 inches long (25 × 30 cm). Aim for a thickness of about ½ inch (1 cm).
Brush with butter – Mix melted butter and vanilla, then brush evenly over the dough.

Whisking brown sugar and cinnamon together, then sprinkling over buttered dough and topping with finely diced apple pieces

Make cinnamon sugar – Stir brown sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl.
Sprinkle + apples – Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly over the buttered dough, pressing it in lightly with the back of a spoon so it sticks. Scatter the diced apple on top.

Cutting dough into strips, rolling up each strip into spirals, and arranging apple cinnamon rolls in a baking dish

Starting at the long 12-inch (30 cm) edge of the rectangle, cut the dough into 9 strips, each about 1¼ inches (3 cm) wide
Roll each strip into a spiral and place cut-side up in a greased 8×8 inch (20×20 cm) pan. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 20–25 minutes until golden.

Bake until golden, then prepare the glaze by whisking powdered sugar with hot water.
After 5 minutes out of the oven, brush the warm rolls with glaze and let it set to a glossy finish.

Inside of no yeast apple cinnamon roll with diced apple filling, soft fluffy texture, and light glaze

Recipe Tips

Cold ingredients - Keep the butter and milk cold when making the dough. This helps create a tender, fluffy texture.

Apples - Any type of apple works. Finely dice so they soften as they bake.

Peel for a softer texture or leave the peel on for more color and less prep.
Any type of apple works.
You can toss the chopped apple with a teaspoon of lemon juice to prevent browning if prepping ahead. Just don’t pour in any excess juice that collects at the bottom of the bowl when adding the apples to the dough.

Sugar amount for filling - how it affects the rolls

Using ½ cup (100 g) brown sugar creates a thin caramel layer as it melts with the butter during baking. This keeps the spirals soft and tender, enhances the cinnamon flavor, and gives that classic bakery-style sweetness and golden color.
Using ¼ cup (50–60 g) gives a lighter, less sweet result. The apple and spice stand out more, but the centers will be a bit drier and the spirals paler after baking.
Either option works, it just depends on the texture and sweetness you prefer.

Recipe