These Lemon Cream Cheese Rolls are a sweet treat for breakfast! Tender dough filled with tangy lemon cream cheese filling and topped with a lemon glaze.

These lemon sweet rolls are AMAZING! The dough is super easy to make yields a super buttery, soft roll. The filling is bright, tangy, and delicious. They are a perfect breakfast for spring. Or anytime, really, because its always the right time for delicious baked goods!
You can definitely tell that Ladybug is a food blogger’s kid. Lately she has been wanting me to take photos of all her meals before she eats, and she wants to be in all the photos I take as well. She’s pretty much super adorable, and I think her enthusiasm is too cute. Except that 3/4 of all the photos I take now have blurry little fingers or a flash or a face in them. Hehe.

Table of Contents
hide
Lemon Sweet Rolls Recipe
These lemon sweet rolls are made for sharing – the recipe makes 2 dozen, and I don’t recommend cutting it.
If you can’t consume that many rolls at a time, you can freeze half unbaked (then thaw on the counter overnight and bake in the morning).
Or you can take some to work, give them to a friend who has had a bad day, or surprise your neighbors with a lovely gift.
Either way, these were made for sharing! For an extra special treat, you can also throw a pint of blueberries or raspberries on top of the cream cheese filling before you roll them up!
Love a good cinnamon roll recipe? Boy do I have the recipe collection for you:
- Easy Cranberry Orange Sweet Rolls – These Cranberry Orange Sweet Rolls are a perfect and easy breakfast – whether you are celebrating a holiday or just looking for a special breakfast, these cinnamon rolls are delicious!
- Chocolate Pecan Sticky Rolls with Bourbon Caramel – These sticky rolls are the ultimate decadent treat. Soft and flaky brioche is swirled with generous amounts of chocolate, toasted pecans, and cinnamon and then baked in a bath of gooey bourbon infused caramel. A treat this amazing deserves to be enjoyed and savored while it is still warm from the oven.
- Blueberry Cream Cheese Rolls – These blueberry sweet rolls have a cream cheese filling and are studded with sliced almonds.
- Foolproof Overnight Cinnamon Rolls – The best overnight cinnamon rolls recipe – and the only one you need! These are fantastic and foolproof – the compliments you will receive after baking these make the time worth it!
- Easy Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls – These sourdough rolls have great sourdough flavor!
- Spiced Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Glaze – These spiced sweet rolls are made with roasted squash, lots of warm spices, chopped walnuts and a lovely maple glaze. The perfect way to welcome fall!
- Caramelized Apple Walnut Cinnamon Rolls with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting – These cinnamon rolls are studded with apples, cinnamon and walnuts and topped with a browned butter cream cheese frosting. They are a true fall delight!
- Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Glaze – These best homemade cinnamon rolls is the last recipe you need! This is seriously the best homemade cinnamon rolls recipe ever and makes a ton to share!
- Billowy Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls – These long fermented Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls are dangerously addicting. Giant, billowy cinnamon rolls topped with a wonderful glaze, these are the bakery quality cinnamon rolls that dreams are made of. They are worth every ounce of work and every calorie.
- Roasted Banana Overnight Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Glaze – These cinnamon rolls are breakfast heaven. Roasted bananas, sweet dough, and a maple glaze combine perfectly into these delicious breakfast treats.
Yield: 24 Servings
Lemon Cream Cheese Rolls

These Lemon Cream Cheese Rolls are a sweet treat for breakfast! Tender dough filled with tangy lemon cream cheese filling and topped with a lemon glaze.
Prep Time
3 hours
Cook Time
30 minutes
Total Time
3 hours 30 minutes
Ingredients
Rolls:
- 1 package (2 1/4 tsp ) active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 2 TBSP white vinegar
- 2 cups + 2 TBSP milk, room temperature
- 2/3 cup cold shortening
- 3 TBSP sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 5 cups flour
- 2 TBSP butter, melted (for after baking)
Filling:
- 16 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 1 stick salted butter, melted
Glaze:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 1/4 cup milk
Instructions
Rolls
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the warm water and yeast and let it sit for 10 minutes, until it was foamy.
- In a measuring cup add the white vinegar and then fill to the 2 cup line with milk.
- In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and baking powder.
- Cut in the shortening until it resembles small peas.
- Stir the yeast mixture and the milk mixture into the dry ingredients and mix well.
- Transfer the dough to a bowl lightly sprayed with cooking oil. Cover and let rise 2 hours or until doubled in size.
- Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray and set aside.
Filling:
- In a medium bowl cream the softened cream cheese until creamy.
- Mix in the zest, juice, sugar, and egg until well combined. Set aside.
Assembly:
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll to a large rectangle about 1/8" thick.
- Spread the melted butter over the surface of the dough and dollop the cream cheese mixture on top, spreading it evenly out.
- Gently roll the dough up into a log and cut into equal sized rolls (about 2") Place the rolls in the pan.
- Cover the rolls and let them rest in the fridge overnight.
To Bake:
- When you are ready to bake, let the rolls come to room temperature while you preheat the oven to 400F.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until lightly baked (do not under bake or they will be doughy in the center).
- Brush with 2 TBSP melted butter and them return to the oven for 1 minute.
- Allow to cool for a few minutes.
Glaze:
- In a medium bowl whisk together the ingredients for the glaze and drizzle on the top of the rolls.
Enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
24Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 302Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 43mgSodium: 273mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 1gSugar: 11gProtein: 4g
(recipe from Willow Bird Baking)
bewitchingkitchen.com
Wednesday 26th of March 2014
Ladybug is stealing the show! Seriously... I could not pay attention to the rolls, and those are some spectacular rolls, so that tells you Ladybug is super cute, super adorable... what a sweet smile!
Ok, I will try to go back now and read the recipe... you are not making it very easy, you know.... ;-)
shelley c.
Tuesday 25th of March 2014
a) definitely going to try that dough - those look outstanding. b) HOLY CUTENESS! Give ladybug a big ol' sqeeze from me!! <3
Julie
Tuesday 25th of March 2014
So glad you enjoyed them, Jenni! What cute photos, too :) They look great!