An overnight friendly orange sweet roll recipe that makes 12 rolls with orange cream cheese glaze. These rolls are soft, fluffy, and perfect!
These orange rolls have been a reader favorite since it was published in 2019. It has been updated with new photos and more streamlined step-by-step instructions in April 2024.
The Best is right! I entered these Orange Rolls in my local county fair this summer and I WON a BLUE RIBBON FIRST PLACE for BEST SWEET ROLL! And they are THE BEST! Thank you for such delicious recipes!....⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Pamela
If you've never had homemade orange rolls before, let me introduce you to these lovely, bakery worthy orange buns. These are tied as favorites of our family with Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls, and we've alternated between these and Cranberry Orange Almond Cake for Christmas breakfast.
This recipe is special because I use fresh orange juice and zest in the dough and filling. I also use a secret ingredient that really makes the orange flavor POP. Any guesses on what it is?? It's GINGER. Ground ginger makes these the absolute best orange rolls I have ever made, and they wrecked my husbands life. These rolls are soft, fluffy, and perfect.
Jump to:
Why They Are The Best
- Orange zest filling stays inside! I'll tell you my trade secrets in the tip section of the post below.
- Homemade orange cream cheese glaze! It is QUITE nice.
- Using yeast in orange rolls makes them soft, tender, and fluffy.
- This recipe uses orange juice AND orange zest in the dough and filling to maximize orange flavor.
- The secret ingredient in the filling (spoiler, it's ginger) is just enough to be amazing, not overpowering.
- Dozens of 5 star reviews from readers!
🛒 Key Ingredients
- Oranges - I use regular navel oranges for this recipe, you'll need at least 2, but 3 if you want extra zest on top. I like to slice the extras up after using the zest to serve with the orange rolls once they're baked!
- Ginger - This is my secret ingredient for the filling! It's not too strong, just enough to enhance the orange flavor.
- Orange Juice Concentrate - This is just for the orange glaze, it is fantastic.
- Active Dry Yeast - Or instant yeast can be used for a slightly faster rise time.
- Butter - Salted butter tastes the best in this recipe, unsalted can be used to reduce sodium.
- Egg - Used as a binder in the dough.
- Milk - Used to enrich the dough to make it soft and fluffy.
✏️ Substitutions
- Ginger - You can replace the ginger with cinnamon if you wish, it will change the flavor profile to a cinnamon orange roll.
- White granulated sugar - can be replaced with coconut sugar.
- Milk - can be replaced with an unsweetened nut milk.
🆒 Variations
- Lemons in place of the orange zest and orange juice would be amazing!
- Put in 1 cup chopped dried cranberries for a cranberry orange version!
- Add 1 cup chopped walnuts to the filling if you want a little added texture.
- Add ½ teaspoon almond extract to the icing for a slightly different flavor profile.
🧑🍳 Instructions
Dough - Step 1 (above). In a small bowl combine warm (not hot) milk (between 100-110 ℉), sugar, and active dry yeast and let sit 5 minutes or until foamy. Milk that is too warm can kill the yeast, and it won't activate and the dough won't rise.
TIP: If using instant yeast, simply combine all dough ingredients. Just keep the yeast away from direct contact with the salt when combining ingredients (salt slows yeast growth).
Dough Step 2. (above) In a stand mixer with a dough hook (or large bowl if mixing by hand) combine salt, butter, egg, orange zest, orange juice, and 4 cups of flour. Pour foamy yeast mixture in and mix with dough hook on low speed for 5-8 minutes until smooth and elastic (if mixing by hand, simply mix with a wooden spoon until you can’t mix anymore and then begin kneading by hand 8-10 minutes).
Dough Step 3. (above) Add up to another ½ cup of flour to make dough consistency only slightly sticky. Dough should pull away from sides of bowl in an electric mixer. Oil a large bowl, place dough inside and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature for one hour or until doubled in size.
The Filling - Step 1 (above). In a medium bowl combine sugar, orange zest and ground ginger. Mix in the orange zest for a minute or two so that the sugar turns orange from the orange zest oils, then mix in the flour. Set aside.
Filling Step 2. (above)On a floured work surface, roll dough into roughly a 24 inch by 12 inch rectangle. I stop occasionally and shape it with my hands to keep a rectangular shape. Spread softened butter over dough, then sprinkle and spread sugar mixture evenly over butter.
Step 3. (above) Carefully roll dough lengthwise into a long roll.
Step 4. (above) Use a piece of clean string or dental floss and slide the string underneath the roll. Pick up both ends of the string, cross them, and pull tight to cut the dough into 12 equal pieces. Place rolls cut side down into an oiled 9x13 inch pan or large 18 x 11 inch baking sheet. (In the smaller pan they are a bit closer together and take a little longer to bake but are a little more moist.)
Step 5. Cover with a dish towel, and let rise for 45 minutes to one hour until almost doubled in size. Preheat oven to 350 ℉ and Bake for 25-30 minutes, until light golden brown on top. Using a glass or thick ceramic pan takes a little longer, using a dark pan or large baking sheet takes less time.
For the Icing - In a medium bowl combine cream cheese, butter and mix until most of the lumps are gone. I microwave them for 10-20 seconds to soften them enough to mix. Mix in powdered sugar, vanilla, and orange juice concentrate until smooth. I like my icing thicker like frosting. Add another 1-2 Tablespoons orange juice concentrate if you prefer a thinner glaze.
Once the orange buns are out of the oven and have cooled for 10-15 minutes, generously drizzle or spread icing over rolls. Serve warm for maximum deliciousness. Overnight orange roll recipe instructions are in the Frequently Asked Question section below!
📌 Top Tips
- Use 2% or whole milk in the dough. It enriches the dough with the egg and butter and makes the rolls soft, even the next morning.
- Use ginger (my secret ingredient) in the filling. This spice seriously lifts these rolls to a whole new level.
- Don't skimp on rising time! I cannot stress this enough. It really does make a difference.
- My bakery style tip: the flour in the orange zest/sugar filling keeps all of that lovely filling inside the rolls instead of oozing out into the pan as they bake. The flour acts as a thickener as the butter and sugar melt and caramelize.
- For an extra orangey kick, use frozen orange juice concentrate in the frosting. Trust me.
- Use an orange juicer to make quick work of getting the orange juice you need for the dough. 1 Orange makes about ¼ cup of juice.
❓Frequently Asked Questions
Yes!
- Follow recipe to make dough, fill, roll, and cut dough into 12 rolls and place cut side down onto a baking sheet or 9×13 inch pan.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate immediately. Do not let rise first or they will deflate in the refrigerator. Cooling the dough simply slows yeast growth, it does not kill it.
- Place in fridge overnight.
- Remove from refrigerator and let rise for 30-40 minutes in warm place before baking. I like to turn on the oven to 200 F for 2 minutes, then turn off the oven and set the rolls inside to rise with the door cracked open.
- Bake at 350 F for 25-30 min. Glass pans will take a few more minutes to bake than dark pans.
If baked: cool them completely on a rack, wrap well, and store in the freezer.
If unbaked: as soon as the rolls are assembled and sliced, place them in a pan, cover, and freeze immediately. Do not let rise first or they will deflate in the freezer.
- Once frozen, You can transfer to a freezer bag or smaller freezer safe container.
- Freeze until ready to use up to 3 months. Do NOT microwave dough to thaw. It will kill the yeast, and the rolls won't rise.
• Regular rise method: Remove from freezer, thaw in warm place (covered) for 3-5 hours or until almost doubled in size.
• Quicker rise method: Turn ON oven to 200 degrees for 2 minutes then turn OFF oven. Place rolls in oven, let thaw and rise 2-3 hours until almost doubled in size.
- Bake at 350 F for 25-30 minutes. Glass pans will take a few more minutes to bake than dark pans.
This recipe does NOT, it does not need it! It has both an orange filling and orange frosting. Orange cinnamon rolls usually have a cinnamon filling and an orange frosting.
Oven: Cover with foil and place rolls in a 350 ℉ oven. Heat for 10-15 minutes.
Microwave: for about 30-45 seconds.
If the rolls have been frozen, let them thaw at room temperature overnight and then reheat as stated above.
For the best results, yes. It will have a better texture, be fluffier, and have a finer crumb. Also, the longer the yeast grows and ferments the more flavorful the dough will be.
I don’t recommend it. It impacts the flavor and rise time of the orange rolls (salt slows yeast growth slightly), so the dough rises slightly more rapidly if you leave salt out.
More Delicious Sweet Treats
📝 Printable Recipe
Best Orange Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk
- ¼ cup granulated white sugar
- 1 Tablespoon active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons orange zest (of one orange)
- ¼ cup fresh orange juice (of one orange)
- 4 cups all purpose flour (plus extra for rolling out)
Filling:
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons zest (of one orange)
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ cup butter
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
Frosting:
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 4 oz (½ stick) butter, softened
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 2 Tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- In a small bowl combine warm milk (between 100-110 F) sugar, and active dry yeast and let sit 5 minutes or until foamy. If using instant yeast, simply combine all dough ingredients. Just keep the yeast away from direct contact with the salt when combining ingredients (salt slows yeast growth).
- In a stand mixer (or large bowl if mixing by hand) combine salt, butter, egg, orange zest, orange juice, and 4 cups of flour. Pour foamy yeast mixture in and mix with dough hook on low speed for 5-8 minutes until smooth and elastic (if mixing without a mixer, simply mix with a wooden spoon until you can’t mix anymore and then begin kneading by hand 8-10 minutes).
- Add up to another ½ cup of flour to make dough consistency only slightly sticky. Dough should pull away from sides of bowl. Oil a large bowl, place dough inside and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature for one hour or until doubled in size.
For Filling:
- In a medium bowl combine sugar, orange zest and ground ginger. Mix in the orange zest for a minute or two so that the sugar turns orange, then mix in the flour. Set aside.
- On a floured work surface, roll dough into roughly a 24 inch by 10-12 inch rectangle. I stop occasionally and shape it with my hands to keep a rectangular shape. Spread softened butter over dough. Sprinkle and spread sugar mixture evenly over butter.
- Carefully roll dough lengthwise into a long roll.
- Use a piece of clean string or dental floss and slide the string underneath the roll. Pick up both ends of the string, cross them, and pull tight to cut the dough into 12 equal pieces. Place rolls cut side down into an oiled 9x13 inch pan or large baking sheet, being careful not to crowd the rolls so they have room to rise.
- Cover with a dish towel, and let rise for 45 minutes to one hour until almost doubled in size.Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until light golden brown on top. Using a glass or dark pan may take more or less time. Cool 15-20 minute before icing.
For the Icing:
- In a medium bowl combine cream cheese, butter and mix until most of the lumps are gone. I microwave them for 10-20 seconds to soften them enough to mix. Mix in powdered sugar, vanilla, and orange juice concentrate until smooth. I like my icing thicker like frosting. Add another 1-2 Tablespoons orange juice concentrate if you prefer a thinner glaze. Generously spoon icing over rolls to coat evenly. Serve warm for maximum deliciousness.
Notes
Nutrition
Hi, I'm Sara!
Registered Nurse by day, food blogger by weekend. Perfect dip tester & snack quester. I love short walks on the beach and long naps. Sharing my love for food, one bite at a time.
Pamela says
The Best is right! I entered these Orange Rolls in my local county fair this summer and I WON a BLUE RIBBON FIRST PLACE for BEST SWEET ROLL! And they are THE BEST! Thank you for such delicious recipes!
Sara says
Yay! That is so awesome I’m happy to hear that other people love them as much as we do!
Annie B. says
Sprinkling flour over the filling before rolling makes so much sense!
Husband says
My favorite breakfast I request these all the time. I tend to eat more than my share but I don’t regret it. If you haven’t tried these they are a must. Highly recommend I would say my number 1 or 2 of everything on this blog.
Janet Wise says
I made these last night and put in frig overnight. They were absolutely delicious.
Jenny says
This is my second time making these and they are SO good! I was wondering if they should only stay in the fridge overnight or if they would okay for a day or two in the fridge too?
Sara says
Good question! It depends on how cold your fridge is. If it is opened often it raises the temp inside and may cause the rolls to rise faster than you’d like. If they stay in a cold unopened fridge or ice chest they would probably be fine for two days and not over rise.
Lisa says
This recipe sounds great, I just have one question: why do you sprinkle flour over the filling before rolling? I have made many kinds of yeast rolls, but never heard about flour on top of a filling.
Sara says
In the tip section of the post, it explains that the flour helps to keep the filling inside the rolls, meaning it acts as a thickener. The sugar and butter mixture can liquefy as it cooks and leak out of the rolls and the flour thickens it slightly, similar to a gravy or sauce.