These air fryer cinnamon rolls are made with puff pastry, so their cooking time is only 7 minutes! Enjoy these easy cinnamon rolls for breakfast or as a last-minute dessert.
Making cinnamon rolls in an air fryer can be done in 17 minutes from start to finish!
Air fryer cinnamon rolls made with puff pastry are best enjoyed right away.
If you have any leftovers, store them in an air-tight container and reheat them in the microwave. They will only need a few seconds, but like I’ve mentioned, they are best eaten right away.
Tools/utensils/appliances needed to make these air fryer cinnamon rolls:
- Air-fryer.
- Two Small bowls (soup bowls are perfect) – one for filling and one for icing.
- Fork – for mixing the filling.
- Teaspoon – for mixing the icing.
- Spatula – for spreading the filling.
- Rolling pin (if your puff pastry is not ready-rolled).
- Flavor-free dental floss or knife – for cutting cinnamon rolls.
How to make cinnamon rolls in air fryer using puff pastry
The whole process is simple. In a small bowl, mix together softened butter, sugar and cinnamon. This is your filling.
Next, spread this in a thin layer over puff pastry, roll very loosely and cut into portions.
Bake in an air fryer until puffed and nicely golden brown!
How long do you air fry cinnamon rolls?
These air fryer cinnamon rolls made with puff pastry are ready-cooked in about 7 minutes!
Puff pastry
You can use either frozen puff pastry (let it thaw according to package instructions first) or ready-rolled pastry.
Make sure that the pastry is defrosted but don’t let it sit on your counter for ages. It should be cold to work with. The warmer the pastry, the higher the chance that it will not rise (puff) properly – which means it will not cook properly on the inside.
Icing for cinnamon rolls
I combined milk, powdered sugar, and freshly squeezed lemon juice. It was not overly sweet as the lemon brings the sweetness down and adds a citrus flavor to the mixture.
If you have a different recipe you would like to try, then go ahead. You might also combine the sugar with water only, or half and half, or cream cheese.
Add a splash of vanilla, if you like. Just experiment and see what you like.
Tips for making cinnamon rolls in air fryer
- Make sure you preheat your air fryer for this recipe. It helps the puff pastry to puff up.
- Follow the package instructions for defrosting puff pastry (or rolling it out). Every brand may have different instructions.
- There is no need to spray the airfryer cinnamon rolls with oil or spray the bottom of your air fryer with oil. There is enough butter that will melt away so they should not stick to the bottom.
- Make sure to roll the pastry very loosely. Don’t be tempted to roll it tight or press down. The air and space in between the layers will help these cinnamon rolls to puff. If you squeeze them, the layer will not have enough space to expand and they might not cook through.
- Note that the cooking time may vary. This will depend on the brand of your air fryer as well as the thickness of the rolls. It is very easy to add more or check these air fryer cinnamon rolls while they are cooking so if not sure, check at 5-6 minutes.
More air fryer recipes:
Quick Air Fryer Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Cinnamon rolls:
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ stick unsalted butter , softened (80 grams)
- 6 tablespoons brown Sugar
- 1 sheet puff pastry , thawed (see note 1)
Icing:
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
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Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine cinnamon, softened butter and sugar. Mix well.
- Preheat the air fryer to 400° Fahrenheit (200° Celsius) for 4 minutes.
- Gently roll out (or unroll, if using ready-rolled pastry) the pastry and spread the cinnamon mixture across the whole sheet – in a thin layer.
- Roll it very gently and loosely (without applying any pressure), starting from the shorter end. This way you will achieve a good amount of swirls. If you start from the wider end, you might not have enough swirls and the cinnamon rolls will kind of unroll when cooking so they will not look so pretty. If you don’t mind this, then go ahead and roll them from the wider end.
- With a serrated knife or flavor-free dental floss, cut the pastry into about 1-inch (2.5 centimeters) pieces.
- Transfer them to a preheated air fryer and cook at 400° Fahrenheit (200° Celsius) for 7 minutes or until the rolls are puffed and golden brown (see note 6).
- When ready, take them out, let them cool slightly before topping them with icing made by combining powdered sugar, milk and lemon juice.
- Enjoy while warm!
Notes
- Puff pastry – I used a 9-ounce frozen puff pastry sheet that I thawed and gently rolled out to about 8×14 inch (21×36 cm) rectangle. You can also use ready-rolled fresh puff pastry, just make sure it’s well chilled. If not, this can cause the pastry to stay soggy and not puff in the middle. The same goes for the thawed pastry – make sure it’s chilled.
- Powdered sugar (US) = Icing Sugar (UK).
- Feel free to use any icing you like. For a thicker version, add more sugar, and for a thinner, add more milk.
- This amount of filling was plenty for the pastry I used. If you have a large sheet, you will need more.
- If your pastry is larger than this, you might need more filling.
- The cooking time may slightly vary. This will depend on the brand of your air fryer as well as the size of your cinnamon rolls. If not sure, check after 5 or 6 minutes for doneness. They are ready when the pastry is nicely puffed and turned golden brown.
- These are best enjoyed warm. If you have any leftovers, you can store them in an air-tight container for a day and heat them up in the microwave for a few seconds before eating.
- For more tips and FAQ, I recommend reading the full post above this recipe card.
Alison says
These are such a special treat for a weekend breakfast. I never thought of making cinnamon rolls in the air fryer but it was so easy I’m going to make it a regular thing!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Thanks, Alison!
Beth says
It’s settled then, I need an air fryer. Delicious Cinnamon rolls in just 7 min – I always need that in my life!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
:) Yes, you do!
Sonal says
Oh thank you thank you so much for sharing air fryer cinnamon rolls. So much more efficient way to bake these. Looks sooo good.
Caroline says
These sound dangerously quick and easy to make! They look and sound almost like a cross between cinnamon rolls and palmiers – either way all good!
David says
wow, these came out perfectly moist! and with the clearly written instructions we can duplicate the process easily.
Andy says
I made these and it tasted really good! Maybe try using a pan to not let all the filling fall out into the basket.
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Thanks so much for your feedback, Andy!