Cinnamon rolls are one of our favorite treats on the weekends. They’re a quick breakfast solution and easy to bake.
There are hundreds of recipes on the internet for cinnamon rolls including traditional, oreo, orange zest, and many more.
If you don’t have a ton of time on your hands, the grocery store always has a variety of canned cinnamon rolls that require almost no effort on your part.
Whether you make them from scratch or purchase them from the store, there’s going to be an expiration timeline.
Canned cinnamon rolls are good for up to two weeks after their expiration date when in the refrigerator, 2 days on the counter, and up to 6-weeks in the freezer. Homemade and bakery cinnamon rolls are good for one to 2 days on the counter, 4-5 days in the fridge, and over one month in the freezer.
Each type of cinnamon roll has its own quality and expiration, even if you make them from scratch.
Some cinnamons rolls are better when frozen and others aren’t allowed to be frozen. We’ll explain in depth how long each type of cinnamon roll lasts when frozen, thawed, and cooked.
How Long Do Cinnamon Rolls Last?
If you used canned cinnamon rolls, they’re good up for two weeks after they’ve expired when in the refrigerator or between 4 to 5 days when cooked and refrigerated.
Homemade cinnamon rolls are good for one to two days on the counter and 4 to 5 days in the fridge. If you choose to freeze them, they’ll last over a month.
With that being said, there are several methods that will allow you to preserve your cinnamon rolls without losing the quality of taste and texture.
Preserving Your Baked Cinnamon Rolls
Once you’ve cooked your cinnamon rolls, they’re only good for a couple of days. A tight seal is a must if you refrigerate your leftover cinnamon rolls.
If you don’t, they’re going to dry out and go stale quicker than if you tightly seal them. Not only that, but it can begin to emit a strange odor that’s going to ruin your eating experience.
If you’re going to let your cinnamon rolls sit out on the counter, ensure they’re covered. We like to use a cake platform with the top on it.
Not only can we see our delicious rolls, but we can easily get to them and they’re still delicious. If you don’t have a cake platform, you can simply put them in a paper bag and roll the top well enough for air to stay out.
If you choose to refrigerate your cinnamon rolls, the same method applies. Store them in a container or on a paper plate covered with plastic wrap.
They’re good for 4-5 days after this. If you are making cream cheese frosting, we actually recommend putting them in an airtight container at room temperature for two days or in the fridge for up to a week.
If your cinnamon rolls have a vanilla glaze, they can sit at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Even though you may think your cinnamon rolls are properly preserved, they can start to harden, but there are ways around this.
Keeping Cinnamon Rolls Moist
As soon as the cinnamon rolls are exposed to air, they’ll begin to lose moisture and won’t have that same ooey-gooey texture that everybody loves so much.
You can also use a storage bag, making sure all the air is released from the bag before you seal it. Any air left in the bag will make the bread dry quicker.
There’s one other method that we should cover, which is freezing your cinnamon rolls.
Freezing Your Cinnamon Rolls
Freezing cinnamon rolls is a two-step process and can last over a month if done properly. You must first divide the portions and then wrap and freeze them individually.
The first thing you have to do is decide what portions you’re going to use. Each portion is going to be frozen individually and then defrosted one at a time.
If you don’t know how many you’re going to need at a time, you can treat each one as its own.
Otherwise, we suggest 2-3 rolls per portion or whatever works best for the size of your family or group you’re feeding.
Next, you’ll wrap each portion individually. If you’re only going to freeze them for a limited time, such as a few weeks, placing them in an air-tight freezer bad should be sufficient.
Otherwise, we like to wrap them in food wrap and then put them in the freezer bad. The double wrap keeps them better quality for longer.
The only concern we have when freezing the rolls is the frosting going all over the place after putting them in the bag.
However, you can solve this by simply waiting to frost them until you’re ready.
Never freeze canned cinnamon rolls in the can. If you want to freeze them, remove them from the can first then wrap each one separately.
They’ll stay fresh for 8 hours or up to 6 weeks. When you’re ready, simply remove it from the freezer and placed them in the refrigerator, remaining wrapped.
If you haven’t cooked your dough yet, you can still refrigerate it before you bake them.
Storing Uncooked Cinnamon Roll Dough
If you like to make your cinnamon rolls by hand and not use canned types, you can still store the dough if you aren’t quite ready to bake them yet.
Your cinnamon roll dough can be covered and refrigerated for up to 24-hours. You have to make sure the dough is properly covered.
To do this properly, the dough should be stored after it has been kneaded and before the first rise or after the dough has risen and is shaped.
To refrigerate after kneading, put the dough in a tightly covered container or resealable plastic bag and refrigerate it.
If you plan to freeze your unbaked cinnamon rolls, make sure you remember to add 50% more yeast to the recipe.
This is because the yeast will go into hibernation once it goes into the freezer. Once it’s thawed, the yeast will awaken again, but not all of it survives. You may not get a good rise from the rolls if some of the yeast dies.
This is why you should add that extra 50% yeast. This method is good for about a week or two. Wrap each roll individually in plastic to properly freeze.
We actually suggest partially baking them before freezing. Stop baking after it’s gone through the second rising stage.
This is the absolute best time to freeze cinnamon rolls. Once they’ve risen for the second time, let them cool down, and then wrap the baking dish in two layers of plastic. This method keeps them fresh for up to 2-weeks in the freezer.
Whether you store cooked or uncooked cinnamon roll dough, there is still the risk of spoilage after a certain amount of time.
| Type | Counter | Fridge | Freezer |
| Homemade | 1-2 days | 4-5 days | 1+ month |
| Canned | 0 days (can will explode when warm) | 4-5 days cooked, 2 months past expiry uncooked | 8 days to 6-weeks |
| Bakery | 2 days | 4-5 days | Up to 2 months |
| Dough | 4 hours | 24 hours | 1-2 weeks |
Identifying Spoiled Cinnamon Rolls
There are a couple of ways you can spot expired cinnamon rolls, the main one being mold.
Mold contains mycotoxins, which are dangerous to inhale or ingest. If ingested, it can cause a variety of digestive issues such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Less threatening signs of expired cinnamon rolls include a hardened texture, odd taste, and a bad odor.
Your cinnamon rolls may smell sour if they’ve expired after cooking them and may be difficult to chew.
We suggest taking just a small piece of the cinnamon roll to check for quality. If it doesn’t taste right, throw it away.
When it comes to uncooked cinnamon rolls, a common sign that your dough has expired is a strong fermenting smell.
It’s going to smell sour and maybe even like yeast. Additionally, the uncooked dough can also have mold on it.
Once the bacteria has grown enough to cause patches of mold, it’s not safe to consume any more and will make you sick if you eat it.
You can’t cut the mold off and use the rest either because it’s most likely spread, but you just can’t see it yet.
How Long Are Cinnamon Rolls Good For After Expiration Date
Uncooked canned cinnamon rolls are good for 2 months or so past the expiration date and bakery/homemade cinnamon rolls are good for 4-5 days after the expiration date if they haven’t been frozen.
If they have been frozen, they are good for over a month. Remember, never freeze cinnamon rolls in the can.
How Long Are Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls Good For?
Pillsbury cinnamon rolls are good for 2 months past their expiration date if in the refrigerator. If they’re removed from the can and frozen, they are good for up to 6 weeks.
If they have been baked, they’re only good for 4-5 days if properly stored.
The Takeaway
It’s our opinion that cinnamon rolls are best when served straight from the oven. Once they’re cooled down and sit for a while, they tend to lose their quality.
They may harden and the taste just won’t be the same, especially if it has cream cheese frosting on it.
To preserve their taste, it’s best to find ways to maintain their ideal conditions. Keep them wrapped in cling wrap if you want to save them for later for ideal quality.
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