Raspberry Sweet Rolls

In these raspberry sweet rolls, a lemon-zested raspberry filling is rolled up in buttery yeast dough and spread with the yummiest icing to finish!

Move over cinnamon rolls, raspberry sweet rolls are here, and they are AMAZING!

White 9X13-inch pan of baked raspberry sweet rolls spread with sweet cream cheese icing.

Why These Sweet Rolls Are So Special

It’s been a while since I’ve spent so much time testing a recipe. Don’t get me wrong, I test all my recipes. But for these raspberry sweet rolls, I went a bit overboard to get them just right!

And my whole family can vouch that these sweet rolls are more than “just right” – they are incredible!

Here’s a bit of what makes these sweet rolls so good:

The sweet yeasted dough recipe is perfection. Soft and fluffy once baked, it is buttery soft and so easy to work with. It should look familiar if you’ve made this popular cinnamon roll recipe.
The raspberry filling has fresh, bright raspberry flavor with just a hint of lemon and while baking, the raspberry mixture firms up into a jam-like texture creating the most gorgeous raspberry swirls throughout the rolls.
The sweet roll icing is creamy, buttery, sweet and absolutely perfect for these raspberry sweet rolls.

These raspberry sweet rolls are phenomenally tasty served just a bit warm or at room temperature.

Baked raspberry sweet roll on metal spatula.

A Few Important Ingredients Notes

All in all, this recipe is pretty straight forward. But it is important to make note of a few ingredients and specifically follow the recommendations in the recipe for the best results.

Most of the notes center around the filling. It’s the most critical part to get right so that these raspberry sweet rolls turn out just right.

Raspberries: Frozen raspberries are used in the filling. You might think fresh raspberries are superior. I thought the same thing, and I promise I tried fresh raspberries in the filling (I also tried raspberry jam and every possible combo of the three options mentioned). But frozen raspberries definitely work best in order to create that glazey, jammy filling as the rolls bake. Additionally, more frozen raspberries aren’t necessarily better. I tested this recipe using anywhere from one cup to three cups of frozen raspberries. One cup wasn’t enough to get raspberry flavor in every bite. Three cups added more raspberry flavor but also added much more liquid and made the bottoms of the rolls soggy (even with extra cornstarch).
Cornstarch: The cornstarch is necessary to thicken the raspberries while the rolls bake. In my testing, two teaspoons cornstarch was just right for two cups of frozen raspberries.
Lemon Zest: Fresh lemon zest might be the real heroine of this recipe. It adds a mild but necessary brightness to the filling. Additionally, adding a bit of fresh lemon zest to the icing is optional but delicious (especially if you love the raspberry + lemon combo!).
Butter: I tested these sweet rolls with and without spreading butter on the dough before adding the raspberries, and just a small amount of butter adds a much-needed luxuriousness to the bright and fruity filling.

Glass bowl with frozen raspberries, sugar, and lemon zest.

How to Shape and Cut the Sweet Rolls

Press or roll the dough into a 16X12-inch rectangle.
Spread the butter over the dough.
Sprinkle the cold raspberry filling over the butter.
Roll up tightly (without stretching the dough). It will be a bit lumpy because of the raspberries. All will be well, I promise.
Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the dough into 12 equal pieces. A sharp knife is important here to slice through the frozen raspberries.
Place the rolls evenly in a 9X13-inch pan. Let rise until puffy.
Bake. Let cool until warm. Frost.

Important note about rising time: The rising time in the pan will be longer than a traditional cinnamon roll because of the cold filling, and the rolls may not fully double. Let the rolls rise until they are noticeably puffy. As the rolls rise, the liquid from the thawing raspberries will spread across the bottom of the pan – that’s normal – as they bake, the filling and liquid thickens to form a jammy glaze.

Rolling up log of raspberry sweet rolls with sugary raspberry filling.

Raspberry sweet roll log cut into 12 pieces.

To Sum It All Up

You really should make these raspberry sweet rolls sooner than later. They are such a fun change-up from beloved cinnamon rolls and perfect for Valentine’s Day or Easter…or really any time.

Here are a three quick notes to end on:

It is crucial not to over flour the dough for this recipe. Admittedly, that is important all the time, but especially here. Why? As explained in the recipe, these rolls will take longer to rise due to the cold filling. If the dough is soft and pliable, they’ll rise better than if the dough is too stiff or over floured.
Don’t let the raspberry filling sit and thaw before rolling up in the dough. It is much, much less messy to roll and cut the rolls while the raspberries are frozen/semi-frozen.
I have a feeling the frozen raspberries can be subbed with frozen blueberries, frozen blackberries, frozen huckleberries (be still my heart!), and maybe even a frozen triple berry blend. The only caution I’d add is that I think frozen strawberries might be the one berry that may not work as well as they are much more watery than other berries.

These raspberry sweet rolls are so delicious that my family is already asking when we can make them again even though they ate their body weight in them for a week straight as they helped me taste test and get the recipe perfect.

I truly hope you love them just as much as we do! 💗

Fork taking piece of raspberry sweet roll on white plate.

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Course Bread, Breakfast

Cuisine American

Method Bake

Prep Time 40

Cook Time 30

Rising Time: 3

Total Time 4 10

Servings sweet rolls

Calories 346kcal

Author Mel

Equipment

Bosch Universal Stand Mixer
Serrated Bread Knife
Small Offset Spatula

Ingredients

Dough:

¼ cup salted butter
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 cup 2% or whole milk
3 ½ cups all-purpose flour (see note)
2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast
1 large egg
½ teaspoon salt

Filling:

2 tablespoons salted butter, softened
2 to 2 ¼ cups frozen raspberries (see note)
⅓ cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest

Frosting:

2 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
6 tablespoons salted butter, softened to room temperature
1 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk or heavy cream (optional)

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

For the dough, place the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.
Heat the milk on the stove or in the microwave until the milk is scalded (small bubbles will form around the edges and the milk will be steaming). Pour the milk over the butter and sugar.
Let the mixture sit for 5 to 6 minutes until the butter is melted and the mixture is warm to the touch (an instant-read thermometer should register between 105 and 110 degrees F.).
Add 2 cups of the flour, yeast, egg, and salt. Mix until combined.
With the mixer on medium speed, gradually add the flour until the dough clears the sides of the bowl. The dough should be soft and just slightly sticky without leaving a lot of residue on your fingers. Add additional flour only if the dough is overly sticky. Knead the dough for 2 to 3 minutes.
Cover the bowl and let the dough rise until doubled, 45 to 60 minutes.
Lightly grease the countertop with cooking spray. Gently deflate the dough and turn out onto the countertup. Roll the dough into a 16X12-inch rectangle. Spread the softened butter evenly across the top.
For the filling, in a medium bowl, add the frozen raspberries, sugar, cornstarch and lemon zest. Toss until evenly combined.
Sprinkle the raspberry filling evenly over the dough.
Starting with one long end, roll the dough into a tight log pinching the seam to seal.
Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the large roll in half. Then cut each half into six pieces.
Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking dish. Place the rolls in the pan (3 across, 4 down). Cover the pan with lightly greased plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let the rolls rise until nearly, about 2 to 3 hours. Note: the rising time will be longer than a traditional cinnamon roll because of the cold filling, and the rolls may not fully double. As the rolls rise, the liquid from the thawing raspberries will spread across the bottom of the pan – that's normal – as they bake, the filling and liquid thickens to form a jammy glaze.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the rolls for 25 to 30 minutes until baked through and lightly golden on top.
For the icing, in a medium bowl with a handheld electric mixer (or in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), mix the softened cream cheese and butter (and lemon zest, if using) together until thick and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the vanilla and mix again. Add half of the powdered sugar and mix until light and creamy. Add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until well-combined and very creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add milk or cream to thin, if desired (the frosting should be thick, creamy, and spreadable).
Let the rolls cool for about 15 minutes until still warm but not hot. Spread evenly with icing. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

Yeast: If using active dry yeast, it’s likely you can do so without any modifications to the recipe (it used to be that active dry yeast needed to be dissolved and proofed in warm water before using, but more recently, active dry yeast has been formulated with smaller granules and it can be used much like instant yeast). However, if you’d like to be sure the yeast is active and working, dissolve the active dry yeast in about 1/4 cup warm water with a pinch of sugar and let it foam and bubble before using in the recipe (if doing so, decrease the milk in the recipe by 1/4 cup).

Raspberries: This recipe works best with frozen raspberries. Fresh raspberries will result in a slightly less “jammy” filling, but they can be used if that’s what you have on hand or prefer. If using fresh raspberries, reduce the cornstarch to 1 teaspoon.

Don’t let the raspberry filling sit and thaw before rolling up in the dough. It is much, much less messy to roll and cut the rolls while the raspberries are frozen/semi-frozen.

Nutrition

Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe (dough from this popular recipe, icing adapted slightly from the same recipe – just added a bit more cream cheese and balanced out with lemon zest and more powdered sugar, filling inspired by many recipes online and tweaked through my own recipe testing – such as this recipe and this recipe and this recipe)

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