There’s just nothing like homemade Orange Rolls fresh from the oven and a hot cup of coffee to kick off the weekend. Growing up in the South, orange rolls were always a bit of a tradition in my house, and they taste so much better when they’re made from scratch. They’re a true labor of love that comes together in just a few hours, or you can prep them the night before (they freeze beautifully, too!). Whether it’s for a holiday brunch or a lazy Sunday morning, these budget-friendly rolls are simply too good to pass up.
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Easy Orange Rolls Recipe
My homemade orange sweet rolls are like cinnamon rolls’ citrusy cousin: soft, pillowy, and bursting with bright orange flavor. I infuse every bite with as much real orange as possible—zest and juice in the dough, more zest in the filling, and more juice in that dreamy cream cheese icing. That triple hit of orange makes these orange rolls feel both nostalgic and fresh, and I honestly can’t think of a better way to brighten up a weekend morning.
They’re just the right balance of sweet and tangy, with a rich, buttery dough that bakes up soft and fluffy, then soaks up every bit of that citrusy icing. These rolls are a little more hands-on than most of our recipes, but I promise they’re more than worth the wait!
Homemade Orange Rolls
Servings 9 servingsIngredients
Dough
- ½ cup (4 oz.) warm water ($0.00)
- 2 tsp (11.8g) dry yeast* ($0.33)
- 2 Tbsp (25g) granulated sugar ($0.05)
- ⅓ cup (2.67 oz.) milk ($0.10)
- 2 Tbsp (25g) salted butter, melted ($0.24)
- 1 orange, juiced and zested** ($0.77)
- 2 ½ cups (300g) all purpose flour (more or less as needed) ($0.30)
- ½ tsp salt ($0.02)
Filling
- 6 Tbsp (3 oz.) salted butter, room temperature ($0.72)
- ½ cup (60g) brown sugar ($0.24)
- zest from a second orange** ($0.38)
- ⅛ tsp salt ($0.01)
Cream Cheese Icing
- 4 oz cream cheese, room temperature ($0.89)
- 2 Tbsp (25g) salted butter, room temperature ($0.24)
- 3 Tbsp (1.5 oz.) freshly squeezed orange juice (juice from the second orange)** ($0.37)
- ½ tsp vanilla extract ($0.32)
- 1 ½ cups (187g) powdered sugar ($0.44)
Instructions
- Stir together the warm water, yeast, and 2 Tbsp granulated sugar until the yeast is mostly dissolved. Let the mixture stand for about 5 minutes or until a thick layer of foam develops on the surface.
- Once the yeast is activated, whisk in the milk, 2 Tbsp melted butter, orange juice, and zest from one orange.
- In a separate bowl, stir together 1 cup of flour and ½ tsp salt. Pour the liquid ingredients into the bowl with the flour and stir until smooth.
- Begin adding more flour, ½ cup at a time, until a sticky ball of dough forms, and it becomes difficult to stir with a spoon. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
- Knead the dough for 3 minutes, adding a small amount of flour as you go to prevent sticking. After kneading for a couple of minutes, the dough should be very soft, fairly smooth, and slightly tacky. Do not over-knead the dough or add too much flour, as this will make the dough stiff. You’ll use about 2.5 cups of flour total for the whole recipe.
- Place the kneaded dough back into the mixing bowl and cover loosely with plastic. Let the dough rise for one hour or until it’s doubled in size.
- Punch the dough down to deflate, then scrape it out onto a floured surface. Roll the dough into a 10×13-inch rectangle, sprinkling with flour as you go to prevent sticking.
- To make the filling, stir together 6 Tbsp room-temperature butter, brown sugar, orange zest from a second orange, and ⅛ tsp salt until it forms a smooth paste. Spread the paste over the dough from edge to edge.
- Roll the dough up (long side toward long side) to create a 13-inch log. Do not roll tightly, or this will make the center of your orange rolls pop up while baking. Slice the roll into 9 pieces, about 1.5 inches wide each.
- Place the rolls into a 10×8-inch greased baking dish. Let rise for 10-15 minutes as you preheat the oven to 350°F/177°C. The rolls will rise quite a bit in the oven, so it is okay if they have yet to rise much more at this point. Once the oven is preheated, bake the orange rolls for 30 minutes or until they are golden brown on top.
- To make the icing, beat the room-temperature cream cheese, 2 Tbsp room-temperature butter, orange juice from the second orange, and vanilla extract together until smooth. Begin stirring in the powdered sugar ½ cup at a time, until it is all incorporated.
- After the orange rolls have baked, let them cool for 5-10 minutes before spreading the cream cheese icing on top. Enjoy warm, or wait until cooled, then dish up!
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Equipment
- Small Bowl
- Large Bowl
- 9×13 Baking Dish
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!how to make Orange Rolls step-by-step photos
Gather all of your ingredients.
Make the dough: Add ½ cup (4 oz.) warm water, 2 tsp (11.8g) dry yeast, and 2 Tbsp (25g) granulated sugar to a mixing bowl or measuring jug, and stir until the yeast is mostly dissolved. Let the yeast mix stand for 5 minutes or so until a thick layer of foam develops on the surface (this means the yeast is activated). Now pour in ⅓ cup (2.67 oz.) milk, 2 Tbsp (25g) melted salted butter, the orange juice, and all the zest from one orange and whisk.
Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, combine 1 cup of flour and ½ tsp salt.
Pour your milk and yeast mixture into the bowl of flour and salt. Stir until smooth and combined.
Now add more flour (½ cup at a time) while stirring until you get a sticky ball of dough and it becomes difficult to stir with a spoon.
Knead the dough: Lightly sprinkle your work surface with flour and knead the dough on the floured surface for 3 minutes. You can add a small amount of flour as needed to prevent sticking (but don’t add too much as this can make your dough stiff—you’ll use about 2.5 cups of flour total from the beginning of the recipe to the end of kneading).
Once kneaded, the dough should be very soft, fairly smooth, and slightly tacky. Be careful not to over-knead the dough.
Let the dough rise: Return the dough back to your mixing bowl and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise for one hour or until it’s doubled in size.
Roll out the dough: Once the dough has doubled in size, punch down the dough to release the air and scrape it out onto a floured surface. Roll out your dough into a 10×13-inch rectangle. I like to sprinkle the dough with a little flour as I do this to prevent sticking.
Make the filling: Combine 6 Tbsp (3 oz.) room-temperature salted butter, ½ cup (60g) brown sugar, all the orange zest from your second orange, and ⅛ tsp salt in a mixing bowl until it forms a smooth paste.
Add the filling: Spread the filling over the dough, covering edge to edge. I use an offset spatula to do this, but a rubber spatula, butter knife, or the back of a spoon works just fine, too.
Roll the dough: Gently roll the dough into a 13-inch long log shape (long side toward long side). Don’t roll it too tightly, or the filling might squeeze out, and the rolls might rise up, rather than expand out, during baking.
Slice the rolls: Use a knife to slice the log shape into 9 slices, about 1.5 inches wide each.
Bake: Grease a 10×8-inch baking dish and gently place the rolls inside. Let them rise for a further 10-15 minutes while you preheat your oven to 350°F/177°C. They’ll continue to rise in the oven, so don’t worry if they don’t rise much more at this point.
Once the oven is preheated, bake your homemade orange rolls for 30 minutes or until they’re golden brown on top.
Make the icing: Add 4 oz. room-temperature cream cheese, 2 Tbsp (25g) room-temperature salted butter, 3 Tbsp (1.5 oz.) orange juice (from your second orange), and ½ tsp vanilla extract to a mixing bowl and beat until smooth. Slowly stir in ½ cup of powdered sugar at a time until you’ve used all 1 ½ cups (187g).
Add the frosting: Once baked, let your rolls cool for 5-10 minutes before spreading them with all the orange cream cheese icing.
Serve: Enjoy them warm or let them cool (I prefer them warm, but it’s your call!) Enjoy!
Recipe Success Tips & Suggestions
- Get the most from your oranges. Room-temperature oranges (or any citrus) often yield more juice than an orange stored in the fridge. Let your oranges sit out at room temperature before juicing for the best results. You can also give them a quick zap in the microwave for about 10 seconds if you forget to set them out. And don’t forget, only zest the orange part of the peel—the white pith underneath is bitter and no fun in sweet rolls!
- Ingredient temps matter. For the dough, make sure the butter is melted but not hot. For the filling and icing, your butter and cream cheese should be nice and soft at room temperature, as this makes everything smooth and mixable.
- Avoid adding too much flour. You’ll use about 2 ½ cups of flour for the whole recipe (including making the dough and during kneading). Too much flour will make the dough stiff and dry and ruin the tender texture I love so much about these orange breakfast rolls!
- Don’t over-knead the dough. It might be tempting to keep going, but too much kneading can make your rolls tough instead of pillowy soft. Only knead for about 3 minutes until the dough is smooth and slightly tacky.
- Want to add some cinnamon? You can easily make this a recipe for orange cinnamon rolls by sprinkling a tablespoon of cinnamon into the filling.
Make Them Ahead!
To get a head start on making these rolls, I’d shape and place the unbaked rolls in your prepared pan, cover them with plastic wrap, and pop them in the fridge overnight. When you’re ready to bake, let them sit at room temperature for about an hour before they hit the oven. You can also freeze the unbaked rolls for up to 3 months. Just thaw them in the fridge, let them come to room temperature, and then bake as usual.
Storage & Reheating
If you have leftovers (lucky you!), the frosted orange rolls will keep well in the fridge for up to 3-4 days in an airtight container. If the cold fridge air has dried them out a bit, you can warm them slightly in the microwave to bring back some of the softness. You can also freeze the baked rolls for up to 3 months. Let them thaw in the fridge before reheating and topping with your homemade orange cream cheese icing.
