Hawaiian Roll Cinnamon Rolls (Easy Shortcut Recipe)

These Hawaiian Roll Cinnamon Rolls are soft, buttery, sweet, and incredibly easy to make. Using soft Hawaiian rolls as a shortcut yields fluffy cinnamon rolls with warm cinnamon flavor and gooey sweetness, without the time required for traditional yeast dough.

This easy breakfast recipe comes together quickly, making it perfect for holiday breakfast recipes, weekend brunches, family gatherings, or last-minute sweet cravings.

The soft texture of Hawaiian rolls pairs perfectly with cinnamon sugar and icing for a semi-homemade cinnamon roll recipe that tastes comforting and bakery-style with minimal effort.

These Hawaiian Roll Cinnamon Rolls have been a favorite recipe from readers of Call Me PMc since I first published them way back in 2015. Yes, they were here before the TikTok viral videos, which actually brought them to the attention of more readers. I hope you enjoy my recipe!

Why Hawaiian Rolls Make Great Cinnamon Rolls

Using Hawaiian rolls saves time while still giving the rich flavor and texture people expect from cinnamon rolls.

Hawaiian rolls are soft, slightly sweet, and buttery, which makes them perfect for shortcut cinnamon rolls. Because the rolls already have a fluffy texture, they create soft cinnamon rolls without needing homemade yeast dough.

Quick Cinnamon Rolls. Cheater Cinnamon Rolls, 15-Minute Cinnamon Rolls, or King’s Hawaiian Cinnamon Roll Sliders – Whatever it is you want to call these, they are the best cooking hack ever!

Tips for the Best Quick Cinnamon Rolls

Don’t overbake

Hawaiian rolls bake quickly and can dry out if overcooked.

Use softened butter

Soft butter spreads more evenly over the rolls.

Let the rolls absorb the filling

Resting briefly before baking helps the cinnamon flavor soak in.

Add icing while warm

Warm rolls help icing melt into the cinnamon layers.

Can You Make Hawaiian Roll Cinnamon Rolls Ahead?

Yes. You can assemble the rolls ahead of time and refrigerate them before baking.

This makes them especially popular for Christmas morning breakfasts and brunch gatherings.

What Makes These Cinnamon Rolls So Easy?

Traditional cinnamon rolls require yeast dough, rising time, and kneading. Using Hawaiian rolls creates a shortcut version that keeps the soft texture and cinnamon flavor while dramatically reducing prep time.

What to Serve with Cinnamon Hawaiian Rolls

The great thing about these shortcut cinnamon rolls is they go with anything! Try:

• coffee
• fruit salad
• breakfast casserole
• scrambled eggs
• bacon
• brunch cocktails

Frequently Asked Questions

Quick Cinnamon Hawaiian Rolls

I used a 12-count package of Hawaiian rolls, but you can use any premade, precooked roll. However, I like the King’s Hawaiian rolls best because they have a subtly sweet and light texture. In fact, I first bade similar shortcut cinnamon rolls back in 2015, Sister Schubert Pull-Apart Cinnamon Rolls. That’s how this original recipe came to be.

You can easily double or triple this recipe.

I always, always use real butter. No margarine, ever.

For the drizzle!

These easy cinnamon rolls are pretty sweet without the glaze. However, they’re cinnamon rolls and cinnamon rolls have icing.

I mixed powdered sugar and heavy whipping cream for the glaze. For my 12-count rolls, I used 3 cups of sifted powdered sugar and three to four tablespoons of heavy whipping cream. Sifting the powdered sugar is necessary; otherwise, you’ll have lumps that are impossible to whisk out. I much prefer heavy whipping cream over whole milk for a glaze. It’s creamier and, frankly, tastes better in my opinion. However, if you don’t have heavy whipping cream, use whole milk and add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Another option is cream cheese glaze or frosting. Cream cheese glaze has the same ingredients as a cream cheese frosting, but with more milk to make it thinner.