Updated on Dec. 09, 2024
Don't fret if you don't have time to make cinnamon buns from scratch. Our Test Kitchen pros sampled the most popular brands and found the best store-bought cinnamon rolls for your weekend breakfast.
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We all know that there’s no beating a batch of homemade cinnamon rolls or even a warm, gooey Cinnabon bun at the food court. But when you don’t have the time, the best store-bought cinnamon rolls will do the trick.
Before you dash to the supermarket, make sure that pop-open tube or frozen pack of rolls is really the most delicious. To help you out, our Test Kitchen conducted a blind taste test.
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If you want to treat your overnight guests, slumber partiers or friends at brunch, have a fresh batch of cinnamon rolls waiting for them in the morning. With Rhodes Bake N Serve Cinnamon Rolls, you can give your pals the flavor of a homemade bun without all the effort.
“You can definitely pass these off as homemade,” says Maggie Knoebel in the Test Kitchen. Our Test Kitchen pros don’t say that lightly!
So what makes these the best store-bought cinnamon rolls? The method. These aren’t your classic freezer- or fridge-to-oven cinnamon buns; instead, you need to proof these rolls like you would with homemade bread. It does take some time, but this step is simple and pays dividends in flavor.
These were the universal favorite in our Test Kitchen. “They’re soft and cushiony with a nice cinnamon flavor,” says the Test Kitchen’s Mark Neufang. “And the glaze on top is light and sweet—just right.”
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Want to just pop open a can and bake? Skip over the bigger names in store-bought cinnamon rolls and add Immaculate Baking Organic Canned Cinnamon Rolls to your shopping cart.
Once you bake these buns, you’ll notice they’re not your average store-bought cinnamon roll. These Immaculate Baking buns are big! They also have a deep cinnamon swirl going throughout and even spilling over the top; you can see the flavor through the translucent vanilla icing.
When you take a bite, you’ll get “tons of cinnamon flavor,” according to Ellie Crowley in the Test Kitchen. As for the texture, you’ll get a bit of flay crunch on the outside as if the dough has been laminated with butter like croissants of puff pastry. Inside, though, these giant cinnamon buns are soft and pillowy.
While these cinnamon buns are big, they are tasty enough that you’ll want seconds.
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