These Blueberry Lemon Sweet Rolls are an amazing homemade breakfast or brunch recipe perfect for a holiday and warm weather. Inspired by our classic cinnamon rolls, these homemade sweet rolls are worth the time and effort for something truly special.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
Making homemade breakfast rolls are a tradition in our family.
These flavors are a classic combination and a great way to make new memories with the family.
Every holiday, I make a variety for everyone to start the day off on a positive and exciting note. Blueberry Lemon Sweet Rolls are one of my favorites to make at breakfast and brunch because of the tart flavors.
You might also love some of our other homemade sweet rolls and cinnamon roll recipes. Find them below the recipe card!
Ingredients
These are the ingredients you need to make this recipe:
- Flour
- Butter
- Active Yeast
- Milk
- Sugar
- Blueberry Jam
- Lemon
- Cream Cheese
- Egg
- Powdered Sugar
- Water
- Salt
Instruction Overview
To make the Blueberry Lemon Sweet Rolls, get the dough mixed, kneaded, and let it rise. Then it is time to assemble!
Roll out the dough until it is approximately 15 x 9 inches. Make your filling by mixing the cream cheese, butter, and lemon zest. Mix to combine. Spread it out over the dough.
Then take the jam and spread it across the cream cheese mixture. You can use more to taste if you wish.
Then roll up the dough from the longer edge to make a long log.
Cut it in half, then each piece in half again, so you have four log pieces. Each piece can then be cut into three rolls, for a total of twelve. Line your baking dish with some melted butter and sprinkle with some sugar.
Then line up your rolls, 3×4. Cover with plastic wrap and let them rise until doubled in size, approximately 45 minutes.
This is the point where you can stop and leave them overnight for a fast breakfast! Just pop them in the refrigerator after the rolls have risen the second time.
When you are ready to bake the rolls, preheat the oven to 350F and bake the rolls for approximately 30 minutes or until they are starting to brown.
While the rolls are baking, make your cream cheese glaze by whipping the cream cheese and then adding the milk, lemon juice, and powdered sugar.
After the rolls are done, top them with the glaze, some additional lemon zest, and a drizzle of jam or even fresh berries.
Serve and enjoy!
These Blueberry Lemon Sweet Rolls are perfect because they have a balance of sweet and tartness from the fruit spread and lemon. A great way to start the morning!
Kim’s Tips
I love to make these rolls because they can be made the day before for an easy morning!
Blueberry Lemon Sweet Rolls
Equipment
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring spoons
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 package active dry yeast (1/4 oz, not instant yeast)
- 1/2 cup warm water (as per yeast package directions, typically 100-110F)
- ½ cup milk
- 1/4 cup sugar (plus more for pan)
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter melted (plus 1 Tablespoon, separated, for pan)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 4 cups flour
Filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter melted
- 1 large lemon zested
- 1/4 cup blueberry jam or our blueberry compote, link in notes
Glaze
- 2 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 2 Tablespoons milk room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice from zested lemon above
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water as per package directions for the correct temperature to ensure that you keep your yeast alive (typically between 100-110F).1 package active dry yeast, 1/2 cup warm water
- In a large bowl, mix the milk, sugar, melted butter, salt, and egg. Let it sit if the temperature of this mixture is over 110F otherwise it will kill the yeast. Once at 110F or below, add the yeast mixture and mix to combine.½ cup milk, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/3 cup unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 large egg
- Add in 2 cups of flour and mix until smooth. Add additional flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough is easy to handle (the amount of flour that you need will vary).4 cups flour
- Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 to 10 minutes. Place the dough into a greased bowl (you can use 1-2 tsp of vegetable oil to coat the bowl you mixed everything in). Cover bowl with saran wrap and then a kitchen towel. Let sit until the dough has doubled in size, approximately 60-90 minutes.
- When dough has doubled in size, punch it down. Then put it back on a floured surface and using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 15×9 inches.
- Mix the filling of cream cheese, butter, and lemon zest together in a medium bowl. Spread the mixture over the dough in a thin layer. Depending on the exact size of your dough, you may need a little more to coat it all.8 ounces cream cheese, 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, 1 large lemon
- Spread the blueberry jam across the cream cheese mixture. Add more if desired.1/4 cup blueberry jam
- From the long edge, tightly roll the dough all the way to the other long edge and pinch dough together to seal.
- Using a serrated knife, cut the log in half. Then cut each half into half again so that you have four equal pieces. Lining up two pieces at a time, cut each into three rolls so that you have a total of 12 rolls.
- Coat the bottom of your 9×13″ baking dish with some additional melted butter (approximately 1 Tbsp) and sugar to coat. Place the cinnamon roll slices close together (four rows of three) in the dish and let them rise until the dough has doubled again, approximately 45 minutes. (If you are making these the night before, once the rolls have doubled in size, cover them in plastic wrap and place them in the refrigerator. In the morning, pull them out to warm to room temperature before baking).
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Once the rolls have doubled in size, place them in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until they are starting to brown.
- While the rolls are baking, prepare the icing. Whisk the cream cheese in a medium bowl until creamy. Add the milk and lemon juice, and whisk in until combined. Add in the powdered sugar and whisk until smooth. If the cream cheese is lumpy, you can heat this mixture at any point in a microwave safe bowl for 10 seconds at a time until smooth again.2 ounces cream cheese, 2 Tablespoons milk, 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- When the rolls are done, let them cool slightly and then top with the icing. Garnish with additional jam, fresh berries, and lemon zest as desired. Serve warm.
The first picture I saw, I said WOW. Then I just kept drooling as I scrolled down! This looks amazing!
🙂
Thank you so much, Cindy!
These rolls look amazing! I just made my own homemade jam last week – (guava) I’m so excited. I bet it would work in this recipe.
What a delicious way to start the day. My kids love sweet rolls but I don’t thinks they’ve ever had both blueberry and lemon together. This would also be a great way to celebrate the holidays. Yum!
I’ve come across Smuckers when on holiday, wish we could find them here, these fruit and honey spreads look really delicious. Love your sweet rolls!
Holding myself back from chomping on one of these. They are so tender and delicious looking, especially with lemon and bluberry!
I think Thanksgiving breakfast is just as important as the rest of the day. Get the day started right! These look delicious! (client)
Can these be frozen? Before or after baking? Thank you!
Hi Susie,
I have not tried it yet, but I would think it could work either way. If you freeze them before baking, I would let them thaw at least part way before putting in the oven so that they do not get too dark before they are cooked through. If you freeze after baking, nuking them in the microwave or a quick trip to the oven on a low temp (like 250 maybe?) should work. If you try it out, let me know how it goes!
You can bring them to a bake-able temperature by putting the cold dish into the oven with a shallow pan full of boiling water. Let them sit in the closed oven for 30 minutes, then remove both pans, preheat the oven, and they’re ready to bake.
Thanks, Penny! Great tip!
I made these this morning with the Smucker’s Fruit & Honey – Triple Berry flavor. Very good!
I’m so glad, Julie!