A single-serving Cinnamon Roll in a Mug that is so simple to make, takes less than 1 minute to cook in the microwave, and is made with just a handful of pantry staples. Perfect for when those sweet cravings hit & you NEED a decadent dessert or sweet breakfast, like now!
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"For such a quick microwave dessert this is amazing! They were supposed to be for the kids but we ended up having to make more for the adults!"
- Christine ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ More reviews →
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Easy desserts don't get better than the OG Cinnamon Roll in a Mug! It's warm, sticky, doughy, perfectly sweet, and cinnamony with drippy sweet frosting. So good while also being ridiculously quick and easy to make.
A whole batch of cinnamon rolls is lovely, but let's be real, they do take a bit of time and effort. A single-serving Cinnamon Roll in a Mug cooked in the microwave is the answer when you're not willing or able to put in the time and effort but still want a delicious sweet treat.
When I published this microwave cinnamon roll recipe many years ago I did not expect it to go viral. It has crashed my website several times because of the sheer volume of visitors, and the video on Facebook and Pinterest has been viewed and shared many millions of times. With a response like that and hundreds of five star reviews you know it's a tried and true recipe!
Ingredients
Here's what you need at a glance along with some important ingredients notes:
- Flour - I did experiment with different flour types while testing this recipe and all purpose white flour (plain flour in the UK) works the best. You will not get great results if you use wholewheat or spelt flour. This recipe has not been tested gluten-free, but many people in the comments have said they have made it with GF 1 to 1 baking flour with good results.
- Sugar - This should be brown sugar or coconut sugar for the best cinnamon roll flavor.
- Powdered sugar - Wholesome Sweeteners is my go-to vegan brand and is easily available in most big grocery stores in North America. If it's not available where you are and you're not sure if the others are vegan just buy an organic one. Organic sugars aren't allowed to use bone char.
Ad as it's a mug dessert you'll also need a microwave-safe mug that's about 11 or 12 oz in volume.
How To Make A Cinnamon Roll In A Mug
This Cinnamon Roll in a Mug is really easy to make. Here's a quick visual summary (also be sure to watch my recipe video):
- Make the frosting by mixing powdered sugar with a drop of water or plant-based milk.
- Mix the 4 dough ingredients together in a bowl.
- Roll the cinnamon roll dough out into a long strip, sprinkle over the cinnamon and sugar then fold the edges inwards to hold it all in.
- Roll up, plop into a greased mug, add a little water (important!)and microwave.
That's it, you're done. You have a perfect single-serving dessert, snack, or breakfast in minutes!
You can either eat it your microwave cinnamon roll from the mug, or turn it out onto a plate and admire its cinnamon roll beauty for a second, before anointing it with a generous dribble of frosting. Then tuck in immediately. Don't keep it hanging around. This cinnamon roll needs to be eaten while hot and freshly cooked for the best texture.
Just look at this inside shot!!! <double drool> Perfect for satisfying that sweet craving!
Please Read Prior To Making
I am adding this section post-publication due to feedback received and to help you get the very best results while keeping expectations in check.
The vast majority of people have been very pleased with the recipe, but some have not, and in almost all cases it is because they have had very unreal expectations of the outcome, or they have nuked the life out of the cinnamon roll in the microwave or tried to eat it once it's cold. Quite a few people have also stuck things in the middle of it before cooking, like a Kit Kat Chunky then complained it burned. I cannot be held responsible for this.
I highly recommend reading the thousands of comments and reviews under the recipe if you want a rollercoaster ride of experiences! 🤣
Regarding the unreal expectations - If you are expecting a Cinnabon type baked, yeasty, fatty, caramelized, cream cheese frosting topped, sickly sweet cinnamon roll you will be disappointed. This recipe is not like that. It is a very simplified, limited ingredient, quick and easy version. It is also microwaved. It will stay pale and it will not caramelize. That is not possible in a microwave. As long as you realize this and aren't expecting a miracle, then we are good. For a simple, very quick, microwaved cinnamon roll it is great and it needs to be enjoyed as such.
Regarding the overcooking issues - Please realize that if you cook this cinnamon roll for too long it will become tough, just as anything does in the microwave if you overcook it. I am only able to tell you how long it takes in my microwave. They are all very different and you need to adjust the cooking time to suit your microwave as per my directions. I can not be held responsible for you cooking it for so long it ends up like a hockey puck. As I explain in the directions it is better to slightly undercook then blast it in 5 second increments to finish it off. Microwaves are very powerful things and this is a very small item to be cooking. Even 10 seconds too long makes a huge difference.
And lastly - Some other recurring issues..Do not forget the baking powder and DO NOT use baking soda instead. If you do not use baking powder it will not work. Also this cinnamon roll must be eaten immediately. If you let it cool first or try to reheat it again it will become very tough.
Please know that all of my recipes are tested rigorously before publishing and if the directions are followed exactly, and cooking time is adjusted to suit your microwave, you will get a good result. Thank you and I will now get off my soap box. 😁
Recipe FAQs
The recipe hasn't been tested with self-raising flour because I can't buy it here. The amount of baking powder self-raising flour contains is very different to the amount in the recipe, so for the best results I recommend using plain flour with no raising agents added and then adding the measured amount of baking powder as per the recipe. This take any guess work out of the equation for the best results.
No. This recipe is prepared and cooked far too quickly for the yeast to be effective. That's why it uses baking powder. If you want to use yeast you will be better off following a traditional cinnamon roll recipe. There is a recipe in my cookbook!
No. This recipe needs to be eaten immediately and does not reheat well.
I have not tested this recipe in an oven.
Recipe
Cinnamon Roll in a Mug
Author:WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Ingredients
For the icing
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar , icing sugar in the UK
- about ¾ teaspoon water or dairy free milk
For the cinnamon roll
- a tiny dab oil , for greasing the mug (such as sunflower, canola, olive, or coconut oil)
- 9 tablespoons (70 grams) all purpose flour (plain flour in the UK)
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 small pinch fine sea salt
- about 4 tablespoons water
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1½ tablespoons brown sugar , or coconut sugar
INSTRUCTIONS
- Make the icing. In a small bowl mix the powdered sugar with either plant-based milk or water. Add the liquid a really tiny bit at a time and mix really well after each addition. The most you will need is about ¾ teaspoon to get a thick, drippy consistency. Stir well until smooth then set aside.
- Grease a normal sized drinking mug (about 11 to 12 oz size) with a tiny dab of oil.
- Add the flour, baking powder, and salt to a small bowl and stir to combine.
- Stir in enough water to form a slightly tacky but not sticky dough (about 4 tablespoons but this will vary depending on the time of year and humidity), then use your hand to bring it together and knead a few times to bring it into a ball. Don't handle it any more than you need to. Overworking will make it tough.
- Dust a clean work surface with a little flour, then roll the dough out into a long strip about 4 inches wide and ⅛ inch (a few millimetres) thick.
- Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon evenly over the dough then fold the edges on the longest sides inwards so they meet each other in the middle. This helps to seal the cinnamon and sugar in and stop it dropping out when you lift it after rolling. See my video below for a full tutorial.
- Roll it up tightly and gently place in the greased mug. Pour over ½ teaspoon of water then place in the microwave. Don't skip this. It's important to create steam.
- Microwave uncovered on full power for about 50 seconds. My microwave is 1200 watts. You will need to adjust the time up or down if the wattage of yours is different but it shouldn't need longer than 1 minute 10 seconds max. It is better to slightly undercook it then blast in 5 second increments to finish it off than risk overcooking. Remember that microwaved food continues cooking once it's removed from the microwave.
- When you open the door it should have puffed up a lot and nearly reached the top of the mug. It will still look pale and a little damp as it's microwaved not baked, so don't think it's underdone and cook longer than you need to or it will overcook. You can check doneness with a toothpick or skewer. Stick into the roll and it should come out clean.
- Either spoon the icing over the cinnamon roll in the mug or turn out onto a plate then ice. Before turning out run a knife around the outside of the mug to loosen it. Eat immediately while warm.
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Sandi B says
I just want to mention that most gluten free flours are not "thirsty", the only one I know of that is is coconut flour and using it takes some practice. This recipe as written works just fine using rice flour for those who are gluten free as I am. Also using straight on milk makes the dough tacky and hard to get baked properly. If you think about it all bread recipes pretty much call for water and not a milk product. Then all the extra additions take the calorie count of this treat way up there. I found this recipe to work best as it is written unless you need to sub out the flour for gluten free. Toughness comes from over cooking in the microwave and not from the lack of fat. You will notice if you are heating rolls in the microwave and you do it for too long you will get hockey pucks instead. I am a baker and restaurant owner and this recipe as written stands the test of time and certainly takes care of the craving we all get at times and want something fast and simple.
Ranjini says
Thanks for the recipe. I replaced sugar with palm sugar and increased the quantity of cinnamon powder. Also added a dash of vanilla to the dough. It turned out to be super yummy!!!
A Virtual Vegan says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Sandi B says
I forgot to mention that for those who are trying this recipe with gluten free flour -- you really want to use a rice flour blend and you need to double the amount of baking soda as gluten free flours do not rise like regular wheat flour. Any conversion recipe you want to double whatever rising agent you are using whether that is baking soda, yeast etc.
Sandi B says
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I made it last night and made only one change to it and that was to add in some Braggs nutritional yeast -- I just dumped in some as it gives it that yeasty flavor. Actually I made two changes because I have Celiac I used a rice flour blend. I have a 1000 watt microwave and the one minute time worked just great, however i can see why some would think it was not cooked, especially if they are new to one minute microwave cooking for quick sweet treats. Anyway, since I am usually cooking for just one -- this is great and I do not have to deal with making a full pan of cinnamon rolls and who cares if it is not browned when all the flavor is there?!
Rai says
Hey! Love the recipe, but I have a question... Could I substitute the all purpose flour with self rising flour?
A Virtual Vegan says
We don't have self-raising flour here so I have never tried the recipe with it. If you use that and the baking powder in the recipe it will probably end up having too much raising agent. If you leave out the baking powder it might be ok though. It would be safer I think to use plain flour or bread flour then you can keep everything else the same and you should get a good result.
Andrea says
Hi! I used self raising flour and left out the baking powder - it works pefectly! I do this in almost all of my recipes
A Virtual Vegan says
So glad it worked out for you!
Kaylee says
Am I able to prep it all the night before and microwave it in the morning?
A Virtual Vegan says
I haven't tried it. It might be ok but there is a chance it won't puff up so much because the baking powder will have been sat around all night.
Tana says
I was pleasantly surprised!
This cinnamon roll definitely took longer than 5 minutes to make. I'd say 10 to 15 minutes (not counting the emergency grocery trip to get powdered sugar!). My microwave is small but powerful. I started with 30 seconds and added another 10 seconds. It might have been just a wee bit too chewy, but I cleaned my plate!
Also, based on previous experience making my own icing, I added a sprinkle of salt and about 1/2 capful of vanilla. I used milk made with powdered milk.
Thanks for sharing!
A Virtual Vegan says
So glad you enjoyed it Tana!
Lori says
I am sitting here enjoying my roll as I type! As I was making it, I was thinking that's seems like a lot of flour, this is going to be huge! I also might have been a little more generous with the cinnamon and sugar. I may try to cut down the recipe and make a mini size one! Thanks for sharing!
A Virtual Vegan says
You're welcome! I'm so glad you are enjoying it. It would be great scaled down and made in smaller tea cups or even espresso cups.
Ari says
This is probably the best cinnamon roll I’ve had it might just be me but it was so delicious & im going to make it more and more. I used butter before putting the cinnamon sugar and when making the dough best choice I’ve made!!
A Virtual Vegan says
That's wonderful! I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for coming back to let me know. I really appreciate it!
Julie Parker says
This recipe is honestly really bad. Don't make this. There isn't enough sweetness in the dough and it turns out really chewy in an unpleasant dense way. This post claims that the bad comments are from to high of expectations. Honestly the recipe is just bad.
A Virtual Vegan says
Sorry you feel that way. It has had thousands and thousands of positive reviews both here and on social media, with only a handful of negative ones. Like all recipes, not everyone is going to enjoy it but the majority do. I hope you manage to find one that you enjoy!
Claudia says
I’m sorry but Julie Parker, that was very rude. I haven’t tried the recipe yet but I’m sure it will be delicious, and it’s not your place to go hating on what other people make.
Maria says
This looks great! Anyone try almond or coconut flour in place of regular flour? Just curious....
A Virtual Vegan says
Coconut flour is never a great sub for regular flour in recipes. It doesn't work like for like and would need lots more liquid. Even then I'm not sure what the texture would be like. I would imagine almond flour would make far too fragile a dough to roll. Some readers have made it with gluten-free blends with success though!
Laurie says
I tried this recipe twice. While easy to follow and quick to make, I did not enjoy the taste. Even though I cooked it longer than suggested, it was still quite doughy.
Lisa says
I tried this today and found it an easy recipe for a quick sweet treat. While it isn’t exactly a cinnamon roll it is a good replacement and there is only a single serving.
Sara says
I have to say this is great. Had to cook a bit longer.
Love it.
A Virtual Vegan says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Marlene says
This was amazing! I am not vegan so I used half butter half water for my dough to have some buttery flavour. I know that my microwave is weak so I started with 55 second and finished with 2 more spurts of 10 seconds. Perfect!! Thank you for sharing.
A Virtual Vegan says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Sue says
Haven't made this yet but your "addituonal" pre directions are hilarious. You should also write commedy, thanks for the recipe and the laugh. : )
A Virtual Vegan says
Ha ha, thank you! I hope you enjoy it when you get to try it!