Mashed Potato Cinnamon Rolls

Perfectly fluffy rolls swirled with cinnamon, syrup, and sugar are the basic make-up of this mashed potato cinnamon rolls recipe. What you wouldn’t guess is that mashed potatoes are what keeps these rolls light and airy. Then, when you top these cinnamon rolls with our sweet buttercream icing, it’s literally heaven!

This mashed potato cinnamon rolls recipe was handed down from my mother, who I am sure got it from her amazing mother. These cinnamon rolls are a family heirloom! We LOVE them and have fought over these rolls! Once, my mom gave away a pan of these cinnamon rolls every month for a year in a Christmas gift exchange. It was the gift that everyone wanted that year! They are that good! Sadly, I didn’t win, but lucky for you guys, I then vowed to conquer this recipe.

How to Make Mashed Potato Cinnamon Rolls

Who knew, right? You can use mashed potatoes to make cinnamon rolls, and they turn out divine! Leftover mashed potatoes are more than fine, but they shouldn’t be loaded with too many extra ingredients, such as cheese and sour cream. I tend to use potatoes that are nearing their expiration date. Then boil and mash my potatoes right before adding them to the recipe. Now that you have found an excellent recipe for cinnamon rolls, you can think ahead, like I do, and save back a cup of mashed potatoes specifically for rolls when you are making mashed potatoes for dinner. Then I can add all the extras to my dinner side that I wouldn’t want in my rolls!

Instructions for Cinnamon Rolls made with Mashed Potatoes

The trick to making all rolls is the timeline of rising, rolling, and rising again. I always think I am going to mess it up, but have learned that if you just keep an eye on your dough, you really can’t go wrong. However, here’s what works for me. I used regular yeast here but you can use rapid-rise yeast. Make sure to adjust your timeline accordingly. I like to mix my dough up around 7:30-8 AM and then let it rise until right after lunch which is 12:30/1 PM. Then I roll it out and do the second proof until about 3:30 PM. Then it’s bake, cool, and devour!! Also, I like to rise my dough in the oven since we tend to keep a cooler house and have granite countertops. You can do it on a counter warmed by the sun if your house is warmer. Plus, our oven has a bread-proof button that makes it really easy. It just keeps the oven at a yeast-friendly 100°F.

Making the Dough to Cinnamon Rolls

1. Pour the package of yeast into a 1/2 cup of warm water, mix, and set aside. Allow the yeast a few minutes to activate.
2. Then, in a large bowl, combine mashed potatoes, Crisco, salt, and hot water and mix well. Make sure your mashed potatoes are not clumpy, but well-mashed. The mashed potatoes also need to be at room temperature or warm, not cold! For this to work, the Crisco needs to melt. If you’re having trouble with this, place the mixture in the microwave and heat it for 20 seconds at a time until the Crisco has melted. Once it’s all thoroughly mixed, add sugar and eggs and blend well. Finally, add the yeast to the mixture.
3. Stir in half or more of the flour until the mixture is elastic-like. Scrape the bowl and add the rest of the flour. Stir until everything is just combined. Now, put the dough in a large, lightly greased bowl that has been sprayed with cooking spray, and cover it with a thin towel.
4. Next, put the dough in the oven on bread proof or a slightly warmed oven. You can achieve this by simply turning on your oven light or preheating your oven to 100°F. Let the dough rise until it has doubled in size. As a guide, rapid rise yeast can take 2-4 hours, and regular active dry yeast can take 5-7 hours to rise.

As we are getting close to rolling out our dough, combine the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl. Have the softened butter ready.

Rolling Out Cinnamon Rolls

1. After the dough has doubled in size or risen, sprinkle a bit of flour on a 9-inch circle on the counter and dump the dough onto it. Roll it out into a large rectangle, where the dough is about 1/ inch thick.
2. Spread the softened butter all over the rolled-out cinnamon roll dough, edge to edge. Then evenly sprinkle the entire cinnamon-sugar mixture on top.
3. Next, roll the dough up starting with the longest side and working from the bottom up. Try to keep the roll tight without squeezing the butter and sugar out. You may need to lift, pull, and roll the dough simultaneously.
4. Using a pizza cutter or a large knife, cut the roll into slices approximately one inch thick. Put each cinnamon roll into a lightly greased baking dish or pan, keeping the rolls close together. I used one pie plate and one 9×13-inch baking dish.
5. Let the rolls rise for the final proof of 2-4 hours. The cinnamon rolls should double in size before they are ready to bake.

Baking Cinnamon Rolls

Remove the rolls from the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F. Bake each pan of rolls for 15-20 minutes. The tops of your cinnamon rolls should be a nice golden brown color. Cool completely and ice with a simple buttercream icing or a glaze. Enjoy!

Icing your Cinnamon Rolls

We LOVE a sweet and creamy buttercream to top off these cinnamon rolls. This Buttercream icing recipe is really the only option for us, but there are other options available as well. You can use a simple glaze. I would recommend one of the powdered sugar and milk options. These mashed potato cinnamon rolls are also great when eaten plain, warmed slightly, and accompanied by a bit of butter on the side. As always, you can’t go wrong, so sit back, relax, and enjoy these amazing rolls you just created!