Cinnamon Roll Donuts are soft, fluffy baked donuts swirled with brown sugar–cinnamon filling and finished with a creamy vanilla cream cheese icing, so you get all the cozy flavor of a cinnamon roll in a quick, donut‑pan format. You mix the batter in two simple bowls, swirl in the cinnamon sugar, and bake for about 10–12 minutes, which is very similar to other baked cinnamon roll donut recipes that promise big cinnamon‑roll payoff with minimal effort.
Why I Like These Cinnamon Roll Donuts
I like these cinnamon roll donuts because they bring together three things people love: a tender baked donut texture, that classic cinnamon roll brown sugar–cinnamon swirl, and a tangy cream cheese icing on top. The batter follows the same structure as popular baked donut recipes—whisk the dry ingredients in one bowl, the wet in another, then gently combine—so it feels familiar and beginner‑friendly.
Instead of rolling and proofing dough like traditional cinnamon rolls, you simply pipe batter into donut molds and layer in the cinnamon filling, which is the exact shortcut approach used in other cinnamon roll donut recipes. The cream cheese icing is a classic cinnamon‑roll‑style frosting with cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and a splash of milk, very similar to icing formulas used on both cinnamon rolls and baked donuts.