Fluffy and Soft Ube Cinnamon Rolls from Scratch

These easy fluffy and soft ube cinnamon rolls from scratch are perfect for bringing to parties and get-togethers. Each cinnamon roll is extra soft and fluffy with the most delicious ube cinnamon swirl! What’s great is this eye-popping purple-colored-cinnamon roll is great for making ahead for holidays and last-minute invites to parties.

Every time I walked past a Cinnabon at the mall or the train station where I get off to head into the office I would smell the delicious cinnamon aroma that would just fill up

Why make this?

Gooey cream cheese frosting. The cream cheese frosting will add the gooey-ness to the buns so this recipe makes extra cream cheese frosting.

Taste better-than-Cinnabon. Sorry Cinnabon but these homemade ube cinnamon rolls are fresh and so fluffy and soft. You also don’t need to head out or drive out if you want to make some freshly baked cinnamon rolls.

Less sweet. This recipe uses less sugar than your typical cinnamon rolls recipe. Its versatile because the cream cheese frosting is quite sweet but you can spread as much or as little fo the frosting as your heart desires.

Why we love this recipe

Delicious and from scratch. If you love Cinnabons these will satisfy any cravings and they are made from scratch! They are so delicious and tasty.

Soft and Fluffy. These rolls with melt in your mouth. The extra cream that is added to absorb into the rolsl before baking is a game-changer. It will add extra fuffliness to them.

Freezer friendly rolls. These rolls can be made in advance and flash frozen so when you are ready to bake you can take them out and baked them when you want fresh ube cinnamon rolls.

What is ube?

Ube is a tuber and is commonly used in Filipino desserts. It is known as a purple yam and can be easily mistaken for a purple sweet potato or taro. The color of the yam is a deep purple and is used to bring out a bright purple color in many dishes. I’ve used ube in many of my desserts like ube brownies, ube mochi donuts, ube horchata, ube mochi waffles, ube crinkle cookies and ube milk bread.

Ingredients, variations, adjustments

milk. I use whole milk and slight warmed. The warm milk is used to activate the yeast. So don’t overheat or else it may kill off the yeast and it would rise. You can use alternative milks like almond or oat milk. I have not tried it but it will work.

egg. 1 large room-temperature egg creates a nice fluffy cake-like dough.

ube extract. I’ve used ube extract in many of my recipes. This will add that bright  purple color to the cinnamon rolls. I use McCORMICK Ube Flavor Extract or the Ube Extract by Butterfly.

unsalted butter. I prefer unsalted butter but you can also use salted. Make sure to soften the butter before adding to the stand mixer.

all-purpose flour. I know there are other types of flour that can be used to make this recipe which may yield a different result but I only buy all-purpose flour since it is so versatile for me. If measured properly either by scooping and levelling into a measuring cup or using a kitchen scale the results of the cinnamon rolls come out so good. 

granulated sugar. I use granulated sugar and I prefer my baked goods less sweet so I use less sugar in my recipe. It still yields a great taste since the frosting and cinnamon filling is sweetened.

salt. Elevates all the flavors from the other ingredients. It also helps control the yeast so don’t skip it.

instant dry yeast. Instant dry yeast is important for this recipe. You will get the dough to rise faster and there is less guesswork. I use Fleischmann’s Quick-RISE instant yeast. I could not find the Quick-Rise one but this RapidRise by Fleischmann’s will work as well. These come in 8-gram packages which is perfect for those who don’t bake often. If you have a large jar of Instant Yeast measure out 2 ¼ teaspoons for this recipe.

ube halaya jam. The jam is sweetened and used to mix in with the cinnamon filling. I use 1/3 cup for this recipe and it is not too super sweet. The cinnamon still comes out yet you will get a subtle flavor of ube. Look for this jam in Asian Supermarkets in the aisle where all the Filipino jarred products are. If you are not near an Asian supermarket you can find it here for the brand I use.

brown sugar.  The brown sugar will add a nice deep robust molasses sweetness to the cinnamon filling.

ground cinnamon. I use ground cinnamon. If you would like to add more cinnamon flavor I would suggest adding ½ tbsp of cinnamon.

heavy cream. The heavy cream is added once the rolls have proofed a second time in the baking pan. This is the secret to getting soft and fluffy rolls. Allow time for the cream to be absorbed into the dough. I have used half and half cream and it works as well. 

cream cheese. Let is soften before mixing. I use full-fat cream cheese to get that nice texture.

unsalted butter. For the cream cheese frosting mix when the unsalted butter is softened. 

vanilla extract. Enhances all the flavors in the frosting. 

salt. Enhances the flavors of all the ingredients in the frosting. Only a little bit needed.

confection sugar. This is what adds sweetness to the cream cheese frosting.

Kitchen Equipment for this Recipe

Oven. This Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro has been a life changer small appliance in my household. It has many features and one of them I love is the proof option. This makes rising my dough so easy as I live in a country where it gets very cold during the winter months. 

Stand Mixer. A stand mixer will speed up the mixing and kneading of the dough. I use my KitchenAid Stand Mixer and it makes baking easier and quicker. 

9-inch oven pan. A 9-inch pan is a right size to fit all 9 of the rolls. After it proofs up it will fill in all the gaps. 

Kitchen scale. Any baker will know that weighing dry ingredients will ensure your baked goodies will come out perfectly. Using a kitchen scale and measuring the in grams will yield a fluffy and soft cinnamon roll. It takes away the guesswork and having to spoon and level in the measuring cup

How to make Ube Cinnamon Rolls

Prepare the dough. Warm the milk and add to your stand mixer bowl and add the yeast. Stir and let it sit for a few minutes. Add eggs, butter and sugar and mix with the flat beater paddle attachment until well combined. Add in salt and 3 ¼ cup (406 grams) of all-purpose flour and mix using the beater paddle for 1 minute. Scrape the dough off the attachment and switch to the dough hook. Knead the dough for 5-7 minutes.  *The dough should be slightly sticking to the side of the mixing bowl*

Proof the dough. Lightly spray oil in a large bowl. Use a spatula to transfer the dough from the mixing bowl to the greased bowl. Place the dough in a warm corner or I use the proofing setting on my oven and let it proof for 30 minutes. *The dough is ready when it has doubled in size. The time will vary depending on how warm the corner is. Avoid letting it rise too much otherwise, the rolls will be airy*

Prepare Ube Cinnamon Filling. In a small mixing bowl, combine the soft butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and ube halaya jam mixing until well combined. Set aside.

Roll the dough out. Sprinkle a clean surface with flour. Turn out the dough onto the surface. Punch the air out of the dough. Flour a rolling pin and roll the dough to about a 15×12″ rectangle. You may need to stretch it so the corners are even.

Spread ube cinnamon filling. Use a spatula and evenly spread out the ube cinnamon filling over the whole dough rectangle.

Roll the dough. On the long end of the dough using both hands and start rolling the edge up and tightly tuck it in and roll it all the way until you get a nice long log.

Mark and cut into rolls. Mark the top of the log into equal third portions. Within those 1/3 portions mark equal third portions. There should be 9 equal markings. Use a sharp serrated knife or dental floss to cut the rolls.

Place in pan and let it rise. Grease the 9-inch pan and place the rolls 3 x 3. Let it rise for 30 minutes. I proof in my oven at 100 degrees. Let the rolls expand so its fills the empty space between the rolls.

Pour heavy cream over rolls. Once the rolls have proof more pour the heavy cream all over the top and let it absorb. 

Bake. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the rolls for 21-23 minutes. The top of the buns should be lightly browned.

Prepare cream cheese frosting. While the ube cinnamon rolls are baking prepare the cream cheese frosting. Using the KitchenAid stand mixer or hand mixer whip the soft butter, and cream cheese until it’s well blended. Add the vanilla extract, salt and confection sugar and blend until creamy texture.

Spread the frosting. Spread the cream cheese frosting over the cooled ube cinnamon rolls.

Success Tips for making the best Ube Cinnamon Rolls

Use a scale to measure flour. When I first started baking I would use a measuring cup and scoop straight from the flour bag. The finished product was always a bit lacklustre and dense. Not until I started using a scale to measure. It is much more precise than measuring cups. If you want a fluffy and soft cinnamon roll using a scale is a must to get the perfect texture rolls.

Use dental floss to cut rolls. Using dental floss will guarantee each cut will be perfect and won’t squish those rolls flat with a dull knife. Any beginner can easily cut the rolls. 

Allow time to proof the dough. Patience is important to get a perfect textured roll. Depending on where you are located the time will vary. Look for the dough to double in size. If time is tight turn on the oven to 150 degrees and turn it off. Place the dough in the oven for 20-30 minutes to rise.

Use softened butter. Soften butter is used for all three parts of the ube cinnamon roll recipe. Be prepared and set the butter out so it softens to room temperature.

Warm milk. Slightly warming the milk will activate the yeast and get the dough to rise. Pop it in the microwave for 10 seconds. I use my baby bottle warmer since it’s handy. You can always duck the milk in a bowl of hot water for 5 minutes.

How to Serve

Eat this freshly baked with a nice cup of pandan milk or for coffee lovers Pumpkin Spice Latte with Vietnamese Coffee.

How to store

These can be stored in an air-tight container for up to 3 days in the fridge. If you do not plan to consume them all on the same day leave the cream cheese frosting off until you are ready to eat. Spread on the rolls when you are ready to eat and warm the whole roll in the microwave for 10-15 seconds.

How to freeze

This recipe is great for making is ahead and freezing. Freeze the rolls after you have cut them. Flash freeze for 2 hours and place them in freezer bags and store them for up to 3 months.  

If you make this recipe, and like it, please give it a rating in the recipe card below and let us know in the comments at the end of the post.

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