Raspberry Cream Cheese Sweet Rolls are soft, buttery rolls spread with a sweet cream cheese mixture and stuffed with juicy raspberries.
A fun twist on traditional cinnamon rolls, these delicious sweet rolls are sure to go fast at any brunch this summer.
Raspberry Sweet Rolls
I made this raspberry cream cheese sweet roll recipe the first time several years ago for Easter brunch. You probably aren’t surprised that I didn’t bring a single one home.
Needless to say, they were a favorite with everyone. The tangy cream cheese and raspberry filling complemented the buttery sweet yeast bread beautifully.
What’s not to love about raspberries, cream cheese, and buttery yeast bread? It’s pretty much the perfect food.
This basic dough recipe is a family favorite used in our traditional cinnamon rolls. The raspberry and cream cheese filling in these rolls is a fun variation, making them perfect for a summertime brunch.
I especially like that the cream cheese glaze and raspberry filling aren’t sickly sweet but they actually bring their own essence to the overall flavor of the roll.
These Raspberry Cream Cheese Sweet Rolls taste delicious and look amazing on a pretty plate.
Sweet Roll Recipe
I’m partial to my basic sweet yeast dough recipe. This is a rich dough made with butter and eggs that is very easy to prepare. The resulting rolls are super soft and moist.
If you’re preparing for a big brunch, you can make the dough for these rolls the night before and let it rise in the refrigerator until you need it the next day. In the morning, simply take the dough out of the fridge and roll it out.
For extra tips and tricks and a tutorial on how to make the perfect dough, be sure to check out the basic sweet yeast dough post before you make these! Especially if you’re a little uncomfortable with yeast breads.
If you’re ready to bake, I’ve included the sweet roll dough recipe below so you don’t have to jump around the site in order to make your raspberry cream cheese sweet rolls.
For the raspberry filling, I normally use frozen raspberries that have been allowed to thaw. The cornstarch keeps them from getting too runny.
You can use fresh raspberries in season and the results are excellent. When using frozen berries, it’s important to allow time for them to thaw so that they won’t freeze the dough.
Raspberry Rolls
I love bringing these to potluck dinners or family brunches. They are so easy to make and everyone loves them. That’s reward enough for any home cook!
I have more sweet roll recipes where this one came from, check out my Sweet Roll Archives for more delicious brunch inspiration.
That’s where you can learn how to make the Best Cinnamon Rolls, or another Sunday Brunch favorite, Lemon Blueberry Sweet Rolls among many other fabulous and easy recipes.
Raspberry Sweet Rolls
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 1/2 tablespoon instant yeast
- 1/2 cup warm milk
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1/4 cup butter well softened, but not melted
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 2 cups all purpose flour
For the Cream Cheese Filling
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 2 tablespoons butter softened
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
For the Raspberry Filling
- 1 and ½ cups frozen raspberries
- 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
Cream Cheese Glaze
- 1/4 cup butter softened
- 1 ounce cream cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 2-4 tablespoons of milk.
Instructions
- Proof the yeast in the warm milk for 10-15 minutes or until bubbly. Whisk in the sugar, butter, salt and egg. Stir in the flour until the dough comes together.
- Knead the dough on a floured surface for a few minutes until it is smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl and let rise until double in size.
- To make the cream cheese filling, beat together the cream cheese, butter and sugar until smooth. Stir in the vanilla. Toss the raspberries in the cornstarch right before rolling out the dough.
- Roll the dough into an 10 by 18 inch rectangle. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the dough with a butter knife. Sprinkle with the raspberries and roll up tightly starting on the short edge.
- Using thread or a very sharp knife, cut the log into 8 or 9 rolls. Place them in a greased 12 inch skillet or 11 x 7 baking pan. Let rise in a warm place until double. Bake at 375 F for 15-16 minutes. Double check the center rolls to make sure they are not doughy before removing from the oven.
- Let the rolls cool slightly before drizzling with the glaze. Add more milk if necessary to thin the glaze.
Nutrition
{originally published 4/7/15 – recipe notes and photos updated 2/18/21}
Amy @ A Healthy Life For Me says
Okay these look over the top delicious! I have never made sweet rolls, even though I love them. I can not wait to make these!
Kate says
Hi there! I’m going to make theses for breakfast for thanksgiving this year. Can you make the whole thing the night before and then just throw in the oven the next morning? Is that ok to do? Has anyone tried that??
Thanks!
Marye says
These look so good. I love raspberries and cream cheese. Im pinning them to make soon!
allie @ Through Her Looking Glass says
You’ve won me over in but a moment. Raspberries and cream cheese and buttery yeast dough…a little slice of heaven. Love they’re cooked in a skillet. Cannot wait to try these.
Jocelyn @BruCrew Life says
Ok, I am all about raspberry baked goods right now…these look absolutely amazing!!!
Amber @ Dessert Now, Dinner Later! says
I totally agree with you about the butter and eggs making the dough super soft! These look gorgeous! And I love raspberries!
Mallory says
Thanks so much, Amber!
danielle says
I have regular yeast, is there any way I could use it instead of instant yeast?
Mallory says
Hi Danielle, Regular Yeast would work fine. The dough will just rise slower.
Sally Puskaric says
I love all your recipes. I only have internet access on my phone trying to send them to my email so I can print them out at my work.
Sarah Trenerry says
It’s been 20 minutes and my yeast/milk mixture is still not bubbly. Help!
Deborah Gonzales says
Throw it out and start over. Either your milk was too cool and never activated the yeast or it was too hot and killed it.
Kim says
The milk should be heated to exactly 110 F . If the milk is too hot, it will kill the yeast. If the milk is not hot enough, the yeast will not react.
Kathy says
Do you have to thaw the raspberries?
Miranda says
These rolls are amazing. I used frozen strawberries b cause that is what I had and they were great! I just cut them up so they were about the size of raspberries. I also made a batch for Valentine’s Day and added some semi sweet chocolate chips. There were wonderful and very pretty! Thanks so much for the great recipe!
Miranda
Susan says
I’m glad I found your recipe…thanks for sharing! I’m going to try on one side of the roll by adding chocolate to the cream cheese filling….then add some of my home made raspberry Chambord sauce to the icing and drizzle that on them when finished. I will post with a pic and update to see how it came out.
Megan says
This recipe looks delicious! Do you have an estimate of how long the dough has to rise for at step 2 though? Thanks so much!
Jenny says
Wow! These are perfection. I made them just as the recipe specified and I wouldn’t change a thing! Yum! These are new family favorite. Thank you for this recipe!
Elyse says
I made these for my family and they were a huge hit! Everyone loved them and we could not believe how soft the dough was. Very delicious!
amber says
I had a terrible time with these. I made the dough the night before and let rise for a while before I stuck it in the fridge over night. Everything came together when I assembled them the next morning but the frozen raspberries made the rolls so ice cold that I couldn’t get them to double before I baked them. They sat FOREVER and finally I just gave up and stuck them in the oven. 🙁
Amber M. says
I don’t recommend putting the dough in the fridge to rise, because you are adding cold berries. Also you can take the raspberries out of the freezer while they are rising the first time and then they won’t be ice cold.
Akilah says
These are delicious! My hard-to-please toddler is helping me devour one now before my husband arrives to help us.
The rolls are light, fluffy and tasty. The filling and topping have a beautiful flavour and balance with the tart raspberries without being too sweet.
Keeper recipe!
Chae says
Can I use fresh raspberries, I don’t have any frozen
Lynn Tenold says
Can I use fresh berries
Rhylie says
Did you try fresh raspberries?
Mallory says
I’ve never tried it. It might work, but they might make the rolls too juicy too.
Baelye says
Could I make the dough the night before?
Natalie says
These look delicious and want to make them But you don’t say about how long the rises take. I know time differs depending on yeast, temp, climate etc but it’s 4pm and I don’t know if we have time to make them to be ready for after dinner. Rough estimates of rising times would be super helpful!
Thank you so much.
Donna Smith says
I have tried many recipes for a good easy recipe for my sweet roll creations. THIS is IT!!!! Didn’t have raspberries but did have freshly made mango ginger marmalade to create absolutely wonderful mango cream cheese rolls. The bread is tender and tasty. This is now my go to yeast bread. I do have a question about how many eggs does the buttery dinner rolls call for? Is it 2 + 1 for a total of 3?
Linda says
I have been making these for months. I double the receipe and get raves ! I have tried many, but, these are perfection ! I am making cinnamon rolls right now. Going to roll, season, put on giant cookie sheet, freeze then pop them off and put in ziplock bags. Christmas morning will pop them in baking dish, let rise , and bake. Thank you for the “perfect” basic dough receipe !
Linda says
These are by far the best rolls ever ! Only thing I do different is leave my berries frozen until I roll them out.
Leah Ferguson says
Hey, did you use salted or unsalted butter? Recipe doesn’t say
Mary says
I use salted butter in my recipes, Leah.
Leah Ferguson says
I have now tried this 4 times with no luck. I bought new yeast, I put a thermometer in like to make sure its the right temperature and the 1 time it worked i did everything and made the dough but after 2 hohrs it never doubled in size? What am I doing wrong 4 times
Morgan says
Sooo good! We ate the whole batch in less than an hour and I miss them already!
Hoping I did the glaze right; didn’t see that step above but maybe it was as easy as stirring together. Tasted great either way!
Mary says
I’m so glad you enjoyed the rolls, Morgan!
Rachel Cole says
I’d give it 10 stars if I could! Even before it cooled enough for the topping, I couldn’t resist and it was so DELECTABLE. I’m making these for every future party!
Mary says
I’m glad the sweet rolls have been such a hit, Rachel!
Michelle says
Hi, I would love to make these for Christmas but I’m going to be short on time. Is there a point in which I can freeze them to pick back up and bake them on Christmas Day?
Thank you!
Mary says
Freezing before the final rise should be fine. All it means is they will have to thaw, then proof before they bake. You can do that at room temp for a few hours or you can thaw them overnight before the final proof and bake.