Copycat Cinnabon Frosting – Learn the secret to recreating the amazing taste of Cinnabon icing in your own kitchen! Hint: there are 2 key things to keep in mind…
When it comes to cinnamon buns it has long been my opinion that Cinnabon’s frosting is to die for.
Every Christmas while I was growing up my family would buy Cinnabons for indulging in (and fighting over) after all the presents had been opened.
With the cinnamon buns would come little containers filled with creamy clouds of frosting. The containers were so small, and growing up in a home with three girls, this was a problem for us all.
After I grew up, left home, and started my own family, I continued the Christmas morning cinnamon bun tradition. Unfortunately we don’t have a local Cinnabon.
After experimenting over a few Christmas seasons, I finally figured out the secret to making amazing Copycat Cinnabon Frosting.
First, take it easy on the sugar. Cinnamon buns are often eaten in the morning, and almost no one wants something too sweet too early.
Second, and most importantly, add a touch of lemon juice.
To the delight of my family, I now make this recipe twice a year. Once when we take a trip with the whole family to the beach, and a second time on Christmas morning.
If they (particularly my adult sisters) had anything to do with it, I’d make it more often, but then it wouldn’t be quite as special!
If you’re looking for the perfect accompaniment to this frosting, my Mini Monkey Breads are hard to beat! Learn the secret to recreating the amazing taste of Cinnabon frosting in your own kitchen! Hint: there are 2 key things to keep in mind... This recipe makes approximately 2 cups of frosting. Store in the refrigerator, but bring to room temperature before serving.
Copycat Cinnabon Frosting
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
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Rachel,
I like special breakfast buns for Christmas–I just don’t like all the prep work that’s typically involved, nor the volume of bunnage (ok, I made that one up) that my recipes usually create. I don’t need to have 4 rolls, you know?
However, I love the idea of whipping up this frosting and making a mini batch of buns. It looks like just enough to delight, not too much to overwhelm.
Thanks!
I’m happy to hear that this has solved your cinnamon bun frosting dilemma! Cinnamon buns (with the frosting) are especially tasty during the holiday season!
Hi! I am about to make some of this frosting and realized that it doesn’t specify if I should use salted or unsalted butter. Does it matter? I have unsalted on hand but don’t want to mess this up as I am really looking forward to this! Lol. Thank u! And thanks for sharing your recipe!
Hi Christina! I normally use salted butter. If you’re using unsalted butter just add a couple of pinches of salt to your frosting.
thanks – making some cinnamon rolls for some missionary kids, they liked them too
Enjoy! Kids can’t get enough cinnamon rolls!
Delicious!
How long can I keep and use the frosting, when refrigerated?
I should stay fresh for 5 days. 🙂
Can it be frozen?
Hi Wendi! I honestly haven’t tried freezing it. I imagine that it will still taste good, but that it might separate a little when thawed. If I were planning on freezing it before using it I’d thaw it in the refrigerator and then beat it for a couple of minutes with an electric mixer before serving.
I will try the recipes i love too cook
Enjoy! Hopefully you can find some more recipe worth trying on Simple Seasonal! 🙂
I accideaccidentally used 8 oz instead of 4 oz cream cheese. Tasted like cream cheese pie. Far from frosting. So going to retry.
Oops! May I suggest putting your mixture into a graham cracker crust? Next top it with some Cool Whip and some of the Shell Chocolate Syrup. Then tada! You have some sore of weird cream cheese pie thing!
Love love loved this. I used a King Arthur recipe for the cinnamon rolls, and used this for the topping. I did add an extra tsp of lemon juice, and that was perfect for us. It would have been fine as written, but we just like to really taste the lemon. Thanks so much for the recipe. It really made our cinnamon rolls taste like the ones from the mall, but totally better.
I followed instructions correclty using not overdoing cream cheese turned out very good. Taste great on sweet potato fries and Rhodes store bought cinnamon rolls.
OooOOooo… Sweet potato fries! I’ll have to give that a try!
You’re cinnamon rolls sounds amazing! Thanks for letting me know that enjoyed topping them with my frosting!
Can you use lemon juice in the bottle?
Sure! I find bottled lemon juice is a touch bitter compared to fresh, but it will still work.
I used bottle lemon juice and found I had to cut it to 1/2 tsp or it is overwhelming.
So good, have made this several times. Thank you for the recipe.
I do the same since it was too much lemon for me with 1 tsp. I also substitute margarine for the butter. Margarine has a higher temp threshold so it can be put on warm rolls without liquifying. That’s what Cinnabon actually uses. 🙂
Better than the frosting on the store bought cinnamon rolls in the tube that you bake.
Thanks! My beef with the frosting that comes with the store bought cinnamon rolls is there’s never enough. If you make your own frosting there’s plenty to completely smoother your cinnamon rolls!
Do you have a weighted measure of powdered sugar? I’m wondering what the difference is between a sifted cup and a cup scooped and leveled right out of the bag.
Hi Cory- I didn’t weigh my sugar in the recipe and it’s not a sifted cup. The rule of thumb is to scoop or pour the powdered sugar into the measuring cup. Next scrape the top off so that it is smooth with the back of a knife. Do not pack the sugar. If you wanted to sift your sugar for a smoother frosting do so after you’ve measured the sugar to get the proportions right. I hope that helps!
Good morning!
I am making this frosting as we speak – cross your fingers it turns out!! Unfortunately, I’m just realizing now that I don’t have any lemons or lemon juice on hand….is there a substitute?? Should I just scrap it all together? Please help!!
Hey Virginia! There’s no substitute, but please!!!! don’t just scrap it. It would be better with the lemon, but you still can’t go wrong with the combination of butter, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla! You’ll still have great frosting, it just won’t have the tang that Cinnabon Frosting has.
I love this recipe, the flavour is killer! The past few time I’ve made it though, my mixture separates, almost clumpy. Maybe I should only beat it for less than a min or so? What an I doing wrong?
Hey Amanda! How frustrating! My guess is that your butter and/or cream cheese is too cold. Next time let them come to room temperature, and I’m fairly confident you’ll have the cream frosting your craving!
I’ve been looking for a spread for a bread recipe I want to try and this looks perfect! Anyway! I’m not supposed to have lemon (or any citrus, curse you reflux!!) so I don’t keep it on hand. I DO have some lemon extr3that I use in a recipe for my dad. Could I substitute that? How much should I use, if so?
Hi Mallory! How frustrating not to be able to have lemon. I myself can only handle citrus in limited quantities so I feel your pain. In the winter I longly watch my family eat large quantities of grapefruits and clementines… It’s just not fair! The lemon extract is a good replacement for the recipe. Extract is more concentrated in flavor then lemon juice. I’d add 1/4 tsp of extract and then taste it. If it tastes like it needs more add another 1/4 tsp. As a rule of thumb, you need half of the extract as the amount of lemon juice a recipe calls for.
Too sweet …
Ferran- I’m sorry this recipe isn’t what you were hoping for! As frosting recipes go, this one has less sugar in it then most, but if you want to cut the sugar some more I recommend starting with 1/2 of powdered sugar next time and then adding 1 Tbsp of powdered sugar at a time until you reach the amount of sweetness you desire.
Amazing recipe !! I sub a lime for the lemon and it gave it the little tang without tasting like lime. Also I used temptee whipped creamed cheese only because that’s what I had on hand. I will be using the extra for pretzels and apples .
I guessing the Temp Tee cream cheese only added to the recipe! I haven’t tried this recipe with pretzels and apples before. I’ll have to make for an after school snack for my kids (and me) sometime!
This definitely does not need to be mixed for 10 minutes- I overmixed the first batch based on what was said- only need to mix for 2-3 minutes tops.
God this tasted awful
Omg, this is so delicious!! I had a pregnancy craving for Cinnabon cream cheese frosting, and we are currently living in Germany. So, no hopes of finding Cinnabon here. This was the perfect replacement!!! Thank you so much for this yummy recipe!
This tastes really yummy. I didn’t have lemon juice so I didn’t add it. I think it tastes just like Cinnabon even without it.
I added the lemon juice and wish I hadn’t. I don’t think cinnabon frosting tastes tangy at all. This was too lemony. Next time I’ll leave it out. Still tasty – just not my preference!
Followed the recipe but didn’t quite turn out like I was hoping, not sweet enough for me, thanks though it was worth a try had fun attempting it, my husband will probably like it he isn’t as big on super sweet like me.
I’ve been using this recipe every year since the year it was posted. I use it with The Pioneer Woman’s cinnamon roll recipe and it’s always perfect
This is the BEST frosting I’ve found for cinnamon rolls! I use the dough recipe from 6 Sisters Cinnamon Rolls, but…follow the pioneer woman’s lead in not measuring my cinnamon or brown sugar. I just pour it all on until it’s adequately covered. SO YUMMY. This frosting is the the perfect accompaniment!
Sorry, not like cinnabon. It was too tart. Could have been the concentrated lemon juice or the Neufchatel, but either way it was good for a single go and no more. On to the next recipe.
Or maybe you can try it as written.
Perhaps if you put the correct ingredients in the recipe you would find that this recipe tastes exactly like cinnabon. However your substitutes of concentrated lemon juice and neufchatel instead of what this recipe called for is definitely where your distaste lies.
Are the butter and cream cheese is weighted oz?
Hi Michelle- yes! In ounces!
Hi, at this time if the night I’m making Cinnabon’s and using your frosting recipe. It’s delish.
Nancy- I’m happy to hear that you enjoyed it!
I made this this delicious cinnabon copycat frosting last night special for my husband and he couldn’t believe it tasted identical to the original Cinnabun icing! I’d never had the Cinnabuns before but I knew once I tasted it I can see now what a delicious treat it was so I’ll be making this more often for my cakes, cookies and doughnuts. It’s so much richer and flavorful than your average icing! Thank you s oi much for this wonderful recipe!
Thank you so much for sharing your secret. I had tried to make this frosting before but did not get the ratios correct. I also didn’t know the lemon juice secret.
I have recently discovered that Cinnabon frosting is great on waffles! I use a lot less frosting than if I drown my waffle in syrup.
I was looking for an alternative to syrup (all sugar/fake syrup) to put on waffles. I had a little tub leftover from a real Cinnabon indulgence buy. It was delicious and less messy than syrup, too.
It may not be a no sugar solution but it is a lower/less sugar indulgence when I am taking a break from my healthy diet lifestyle. It is one more thing to look forward to when on vacation!
This will be my go-to cream cheese/cinnamon roll frosting from now on. I have been trying different cinnamon roll frostings this year and this one (out of 7 or 8 attempts!) is by far the best. Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing this recipe!
Thank you for the recipe! I’ve made it for my family and they are so happy with it. It’s so delicious.I Surely recommend it
I think this turned out how it was supposed to and it does taste good, but it had an almost whipped cream type texture. Any tips to get it to be more of a thicker icing type consistency, like what you get with a tube of premade cinnamon rolls? Maybe beat for less time?
Hi Nicholas! You’re right, it did turn out how it is supposed to. It’s meant to be like the frosting that is served at Cinnabon restaurants. If you are looking for frosting that is similar to that which comes in the pre-made cinnamon rolls, this is not the recipe for you!
This is a great copy recipe. I’ve always noticed a grit to the frosting before it melts on the cinnamon rolls though. So I subbed out to white table sugar. Easier not to make a mess and has the texture I expected. Thanks!
This was perfect. Thank you!!
Thank you! I have not found any other evidence on the internet of anyone else who remembers REAL Cinnabons, when they were GOOD!! I miss those, and the little cup of extra frosting you could buy.. So sad Cinnabons are nothing like they used to be! And some of the “copycat” recipes don’t even use cream cheese!??!? *Swoons* I’m going to make this frosting, and a copycat Cinnabon recipe that uses vanilla pudding mix in the dough.. apparently the secret ingredient!
I’m a home baker is there something other than cream cheese I can use , self stable
People! I.can’t.even begin to express how yummy this is! Perfect in every way. My teen’s sweet tooth has approved!
Perhaps they can charge less than $.75 for each tiny cup of their
signature frosting. I refuse to buy, because truly know the 2 thimblefuls rhat included with my $26.00 purchase isn’t gollnna cut it!
And this frosting? Absolutely perfect! Sad part is, they never made it to my buns. Instead I ate the whole bowl with a spoon. So now the frosting has settled into my rear “buns”.