Sticky Lemon Rolls with Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze

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Gooey, soft and delicious Sticky Lemon Rolls have perfect lemon flavor, and the lemon cream cheese glaze tops them off to perfection. Trust me, you don’t want to miss out on these amazing citrusrolls!

Sticky Lemon Rolls with Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze - Life In The Lofthouse (1)

I love baking bread, and any type of bread for that matter. White bread, wheat bread, banana bread and my favorite would be sweet buns or rolls of any kind. I don’t know what it is, but to me, there is just something so fun and therapeutic about making them.

These Sticky Lemon Rolls are my favorite roll to bake AND eat. 🙂 They’re soft, sticky and absolutely perfect with their lemon flavor. The lemon cream cheese glaze only finishes them off to utter perfection and will have you craving more than just one!

When I first made these lemon rolls I actually made the dough the night before then set them out on the counter the next morning to rise for a few hours. They baked up beautifully and were so delicious. Ooey gooey and worth every single calorie. 😉 If you are a true lemon lover, these rolls may just become your favorite too.

Sticky Lemon Rolls with Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze - Life In The Lofthouse (2)

Trust me, these are one citrus roll you don’t want to miss out on. I hope you make them soon!

MORE DELICIOUS ROLL RECIPES YOU MAY WANT TO TRY:

Perfect Cinnamon Rolls

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Orange Rolls

Raspberry Orange Rolls

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4.41 from 5 votes

Sticky Lemon Rolls with Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze

Prep Time 2 hours hours

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Ingredients

Dough

2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
3/4 cup milk warmed to about 100°F
1/2 cup salted butter, softened at room temperature
2 large eggs
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 small lemon zested
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Sticky Lemon Filling

1 cup granulated sugar
1 lemon zested
4 tablespoons salted butter, softened to room temperature
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze

1 small lemon zested and juiced
4 ounces cream cheese softened
1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons milk

Instructions

FOR DOUGH: In the bowl of a stand mixer, sprinkle yeast over warmed milk and let it sit for a few minutes or until foamy. Using the mixer paddle and with the mixer on low speed, stir softened butter, eggs, sugar, vanilla, lemon zest, and 1 cup of the flour into the milk and yeast mixture. Stir in the salt and nutmeg. Stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a soft yet sticky dough.
Switch to the dough hook and knead at low speed for about 5 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and stretchy.
Lightly grease a large bowl and set dough inside. Cover and let rest until dough is doubled in size.
FOR STICKY LEMON FILLING: While the dough is rising, stir together sugar and lemon zest in a medium bowl. Add butter then beat together with a hand mixer until it is creamy and combined. Slowly add the lemon juice and whip. Refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour or until you are ready to assemble the rolls.
ASSEMBLE ROLLS: Lightly grease a 13×9-inch baking dish with baking spray. On a lightly floured surface, pat the risen dough into a large yet still thick rectangle — about 10 x 15 inches.
Spread the dough evenly with the sticky lemon filling. Roll the dough up tightly, starting from the top long end. Stretch and pull the dough taut as you roll, to keep the lemon filling inside. Cut the long dough roll into 12 even rolls and place each in the prepared baking dish.
Cover the rolls with a towel and let them rise for 1 hour or until puffy and doubled. Heat oven to 350°F. Place rolls in oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes.
While the rolls are baking, prepare the glaze. In a small bowl, beat lemon juice and cream cheese until light and fluffy. (Reserve the lemon zest.) Add the powdered sugar and milk; blend until smooth and creamy.
Glaze the rolls: When the rolls are done, drizzle them with the cream cheese glaze, and sprinkle the reserved lemon zest over top to garnish. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm and enjoy!

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Join the Conversation

These look amazing! I have never had a lemon roll before- I will have to try it. There are few things as tempting to me as any kind of sweet roll!
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1. I made these be they are delicious!! the dough texture is on point!!
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Can I use store bought dough? If so what should I get? Thanks!
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1. You could definitely use a Pillsbury or store-bough dough for the rolls, and just add the lemon- cream cheese topping once baked. Let me know if you try it!
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I made these today , they are so good. Moist , so much flavor. Good with coffee or with just a glass of milk. I’ll be making these quite often.
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I’ve been making cinnamon rolls with my bread machine on the DOUGH cycle. I can’t wait to make these the same way. They look delicious and I love all things lemony.
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I’ve been thinking of making these but using lemon pie filling instead…
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You start out mixing in 1 cup flour. Then it says to gradually add the rest until a soft dough forms. (You may not need to use all 4 cups of flour but you’ll definitely use most of it)
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Made these yesterday morning and served them right out of the oven. They were better than I expected, light, sweet and lemony!! Great recipe!!!
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Just made these today. Delicious!! I doubled the frosting. Glad i did.
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Do you need to adjuST the recipe for high altitude. If so, how?
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1. With higher altitude you may need to extend the baking time by about 5 to 8 minutes or so. I would watch them carefully and check for doneness after 30 minutes though. Hope this helps!
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Tried this recipe for a sunday get together and they were a hit!!
everyone raved about them, then complained why weren’t there more of them…lol!
i mean who doesn’t like lemon?!!
i happen to love lemon, lemon anything, especially sweets!
this recipe will be made quite often in my kitchen.
thank you for sharing holly!
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Thank for this recipe, I think it’s going to be LOVELY . I want to make it as mini rolls to be part of an afternoon tea that i am doing for 34 people for my mum’s 80th birthday party and I am thinking of putting lemon curd in the middle as i have some. Do yo think this would work Or do you think i might lose the lemon curd?
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1. Hi Nicky! I think lemon curd would be amazing in these rolls! I would use about one cup of lemon curd to replace the filling, and then continue the recipe as instructed. Please note that I have not tried it this way with lemon curd, but this is how I would do it if I wanted to try these rolls with lemon curd instead of the filling. 🙂
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Did you add food coloring to your rolls? Mine didn’t look that yellow. Mine turned out real good and lemony. Thank you for sharing.
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1. No I didn’t add any food coloring. I do add some saturation (color) when I edit my photos, so that is why they probably seem more yellow than yours. Glad you enjoyed them!
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