These sourdough apple cinnamon rolls take everything wonderful about classic cinnamon rolls and elevates them with tender brioche dough, sweet apples, cozy spice, and the most decadent browned butter vanilla bean cream cheese frosting.

They’re pillowy, perfectly spiced, and delicious paired with a hot cup of coffee for crisp autumn mornings.

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There’s something extra special about baking with sourdough in the fall. The slow fermentation, the warm spices, the smell of butter and cinnamon drifting through the kitchen — it all feels like home.

These rolls begin with a rich, brioche-style sourdough dough — enriched with butter, milk, and eggs for that ultra-soft, fluffy texture. The filling is where the magic of fall really shines: tender Granny Smith apples, brown sugar (or coconut sugar), cinnamon, and just a touch of nutmeg.

Once baked to golden perfection, they’re topped with a silky browned butter vanilla bean cream cheese frosting that melts into every swirl.

Perfect for:

• Slow weekend mornings
• Holiday brunch
• Sharing with friends
• Or savoring quietly with a hot cup of coffee

Sourdough Apple Cinnamon Rolls Recipe Card

Benefits of Sourdough

Sourdough has great health benefits — and the flavor simply can’t be beat.

The slow fermentation process:

• Encourages beneficial bacteria for gut health
• Breaks down phytic acid in the grains, making them more digestible
• May make baked goods easier to tolerate for some people sensitive to gluten

Many who follow lower inflammatory or low FODMAP diets find long-fermented sourdough more manageable.

Another benefit? The natural wild yeasts in an active starter act as the leavening agent, giving these rolls their beautiful rise without commercial yeast.

The overnight fermentation ensures the flour grains are well fermented, flavorful, and ready to bake into something truly special the next morning.

Apple Cinnamon Filling

The only difference from my sourdough brioche cinnamon rolls is the filling — and it might be my favorite version yet.

Best Apples for Baking

For the perfect balance of tart and sweet with structure that holds up while baking:

• Granny Smith – Crisp and tart, ideal for balancing the sweetness
• Honeycrisp – Slightly sweeter but still firm

Granny Smith apples truly shine here. Their bright tartness keeps the rolls from becoming overly sweet and pairs beautifully with warm spice.

Sugar & Spice

• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg
• Brown sugar or coconut sugar
• Granulated sugar

That touch of nutmeg deepens the flavor and adds warmth without overpowering the cinnamon.

Browned Butter Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting

Browning the butter transforms the topping of a regular cinnamon roll into something nutty, caramel-like, and rich.

• Cream cheese
• Browned butter
• Sifted powdered sugar
• Vanilla bean
• A splash of milk
• A pinch of salt

…it creates a frosting that is creamy, smooth, and deeply flavorful.

Spread the frosting over the rolls while they’re still warm so it melts into every swirl.

Pro tip: Always sift your powdered sugar for the smoothest frosting possible.

Tips & Tricks for Perfect Rolls

Crumple your parchment paper before lining your pan — it lays flatter and is easier to work with.

Prevent dry tops:
Cover your rolls with a damp tea towel during the final rise. This keeps the dough soft and prevents a crust from forming before baking.

Rolling out the dough:
Generously flour your surface. If you prefer fully fermented grains or gluten free dusting flour, use rice flour or a gluten free blend for rolling.

Pausing the process:
Need to step away? Place the unbaked dough or shaped rolls in the refrigerator and resume when ready.

Clean slices:
Use unflavored dental floss instead of a knife for beautifully shaped rolls. Alternatively, slice the dough into strips and roll individually like I demonstrate in my sourdough orange cinnamon rolls recipe here.

Cut 8 rolls for large bakery-style cinnamon rolls, 12 for standard-sized cinnamon rolls.

FAQs

Equipment You’ll Need

• 5-quart mixing bowl (I prefer using glass or stainless steel when working with sourdough)
• Stand mixer (this is nice but not necessary)
• Dough whisk (or dough hook attachment for the stand mixer)
• Bowl scraper
• Bench scraper
• Parchment paper
• 9 x 13 baking dish or large cast iron pan
• Pastry wheel or pizza slicer (if slicing individually to roll)
• Apple peeler and corer
• Sifter
• Tea towels, plastic wrap or beeswax wrap
• Spatula
• Measuring cups and measuring spoons
• Kitchen scale
• Measuring tape or ruler (I like to use a silicone baking mat with measurements along the side)
• Water Filtration (I always use filtered water in my sourdough starter. This one is our favorite.)

Recipe Makes

8 large rolls
or
12 standard-sized rolls

Ingredients

Sourdough Apple Cinnamon Roll Dough

• 1 cup active sourdough starter (220g)
• 1 cup softened butter (220g)
• 3 cups bread flour (435g)
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour (73g)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar (50g)
• 4 large eggs
• salt (10g)
• 1/2 cup whole milk (120g or 4oz.)

Apple Filling

• 3 tablespoons softened butter (42g)
• 2 medium Granny Smith or Honeycrisp apples, peeled & finely chopped (300–340g) (about 150–170g each after peeling)
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon (8g)
• ½ cup brown sugar, packed (100g)
• ¼ cup granulated sugar (50g)
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract (~1g)

Egg Wash

• 1 egg (any size)
• 1 teaspoon water

Browned Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

• 4 oz cream cheese, softened (113g)
• 4 tablespoons browned butter (melted) (56g)
• 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted (24g)
• ¼ cup maple syrup (80g)
• 1 vanilla bean, scraped or 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (5g)
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg (0.5g)

Step-by-Step Recipe Instructions

Step 1: Feeding your Sourdough Starter

The day before baking sourdough brioche cinnamon rolls, feed your sourdough starter in the morning. The time it takes for your starter to reach a bubbly status will depend on the warmth of your kitchen.

Don’t have a starter? Check out How to Make a Sourdough Starter from Scratch: Easy Guide here

Step 2: Mix up the Cinnamon Roll Dough

That night or when your sourdough starter is nice and bubbly (active), mix up your dough by adding all dough ingredients to a stand mixer or large 5 quart mixing bowl. 

For best results, use a bubbly active sourdough starter. If your starter passes the float test, it’s the perfect state to use. To perform a float test, take a spoonful of starter and place in a bowl of water. If the starter floats on the surface, it is active and passes the float test.

Using a dough hook, turn the mixer to medium low speed and knead until the dough comes together looking smooth and glossy. This should take about 5-7 minutes. 

Step 3: Rest the Dough

Once the sourdough brioche cinnamon roll dough is nice and smooth looking, cover with plastic wrap or an air tight lid and allow to rest. The dough will look and feel very wet. This is normal and good so do not add more flour.

Step 4: Stretch and Fold

After 30 minutes, use a bowl scraper to help stretch and fold the dough around all four sides. Getting the scraper a little wet can help the dough not stick as much.

Allow the dough to rest another 30 minutes and then repeat.

Step 5: Cover and Proof Overnight

Once you have completed the two sets of stretch and folds, cover again with plastic wrap, beeswax wrap, a wet towel or an air tight lid to prevent the top of the dough from drying out.

Place the bowl in the refrigerator to proof overnight for the benefits of longer fermentation of the dough. 

(If you are beginning the morning with an active starter and want to bake your rolls the same day, allow the dough to double in size on the counter and continue with the instructions below.)

Step 6: Roll Out and Fill

The next morning, remove the dough from the refrigerator. 

Next mix up your apple cinnamon filling ingredients so your filling is ready to go. I like to use softened butter so that my sourdough apple cinnamon roll filling spreads easier.

Then, lay out a silicone pastry mat or use a cool marble counter top. Dust generously with flour. If you are concerned about the flour grains being less fermented you can use rice flour or gluten free flour for this step.

Place the sourdough apple cinnamon roll dough on the well floured surface. 

Using a well floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangle about 14″ X 18″ and 1/4″ thick.

Then, taking a spatula, spreading the butter evenly across the dough.

On top of the butter, evenly distribute the apple filling.

Step 7: Slicing the Sourdough Apple Cinnamon Rolls

Once the filling is evenly distributed, begin using a bench scraper or the pastry mat to gently roll the rectangle into a log from long edge to long edge. Take your time at this step to ensure the dough does not stick to the surface.

After you have a rolled log in uniform size across lengthwise, use your bench scraper or a knife to lightly mark where to cut your sourdough apple cinnamon rolls. For large, fluffy, bakery style rolls, I divided my dough into 8 equal rolls. For more of a standard sized cinnamon roll, divide the log into 12 equal rolls.

• Make a mark at the halfway point on your log.
• Make another mark splitting each of those sections in half.
• From the halfway mark make 2 marks evenly splitting those halves into thirds.
• This will leave you with 12 sourdough brioche cinnamon rolls.

Next, use an unflavored dental floss to pinch off rolls or a very sharp knife to cleanly slice.

Another way to slice the rolls which I have come to love, is slicing the dough rectangle into individual strips to roll up one by one instead of a log. Let me know your favorite method in the comments!

Then, place the cut rolls into a 9 x 13 parchment lined baking dish or large cast iron pan.

Step 8: Final Rise

Cover the rolls with a wet tea towel and allow to rise for 1-2 hours in a warm spot of the kitchen.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. 

While the oven is preheating, mix up the brown butter cream cheese frosting.

Step 9: Browned Butter Cream Cheese Vanilla Bean Frosting

Browning Butter

Add the unsalted butter for the frosting to a small sauce pan on the stove top.

On medium heat, melt the butter and stir until the milk solids separate from the liquid and start to brown. The butter will smell slightly toasty and darkens in color a bit. This should take 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat to cool.

Mix up the Frosting

After the butter has cooled for a few minutes, mix up the cream cheese frosting ingredients.

I like to begin by sifting the powdered sugar to ensure that no clumps are formed and my frosting is smooth. Then you can add in the browned butter, vanilla bean scrapings, whole milk and salt (omit the salt if using salted butter).

How to scrape out a vanilla bean pod: using a very sharp paring knife, cut the vanilla bean pod in half lengthwise. Then, using the tip of the knife, scrape out the inside of the vanilla bean pod to remove the seeds.

If the frosting feels too thick to be able to spread nicely over the rolls, add in 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of whole milk at a time to thin slightly until you reach your desired consistency. It’s always easier to start with less and add more later.

After the frosting is well combined and smooth, set aside. 

Step 10: Baking Sourdough Apple Cinnamon Rolls

When ready to bake the sourdough apple cinnamon rolls, mix up one egg and brush a light egg wash over the rolls.

Bake the rolls on the middle oven rack for 35 minutes or until slightly golden on the top and risen a bit. 

Remove from the oven.

Step 11: Frost & Enjoy

While the sourdough brioche cinnamon rolls are still warm, spread the cream cheese frosting evenly over the top.

Enjoy!

How to Store Sourdough Apple Cinnamon Rolls

Room Temperature (Best for 1–2 Days)

• Allow rolls to cool completely.
• Store in an airtight container or tightly wrap the baking dish with plastic wrap.
• Keep at room temperature for up to 2 days.
• Reheat individual rolls in the microwave for 15–25 seconds to soften before serving or heat in the oven at 300°F for 8-10 minutes.

Refrigerator Storage (Up to 5 Days)

• Because of the cream cheese frosting, refrigerating after 24 hours is recommended.
• Store in an airtight container to prevent drying out.
• Warm in the microwave for 20–30 seconds or in a 300°F oven for 8–10 minutes until soft and fluffy again.

Freezing (Up to 3 Months)

Freezing Baked Rolls:

• Let rolls cool completely.
• For best texture, freeze unfrosted rolls wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and placed in a freezer-safe bag or container.
• Freeze up to 3 months.
• Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then warm at 300°F for 10–15 minutes and frost before serving.

Freezing Frosted Rolls:

• Freeze individually on a baking sheet until solid, then transfer to an airtight container.
• Thaw in the refrigerator and warm gently before serving.

Pro Tip for Freshness:
To keep sourdough cinnamon rolls soft and moist, avoid storing uncovered. Proper airtight storage prevents them from drying out and preserves their tender brioche texture.

More Sourdough Cinnamon Roll Varieties:

• Sourdough Brioche Cinnamon Rolls
• Pumpkin Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
• Sourdough Orange Sweet Rolls