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Homemade Orange Rolls

posted by Liz Berg on March 17, 2026

Homemade Orange Rolls are a twist on sweet rolls filled and glazed with a tasty orange zest-infused frosting! These yeast rolls are guaranteed to please!

One way to treat your family is with a comforting breakfast treat. There’s nothing as enticing as the aroma of yeast bread coming from the oven, especially when it’s made from scratch. Let me walk you through the procedure to make these Orange Sweet Rolls.

Orange Roll on a round white plate with two orange slices and a red handled fork.

Table of Contents hide

1 Why You Must Make

2 Reader Endorsement:

3 Roll Dough Ingredients

4 Frosting and Filling Ingredients

5 Ingredient Notes

6 Expert Tips

7 How to Make

8 Frequently Asked Questions

9 You May Also Like:

10 Homemade Orange Rolls Recipe

Why You Must Make

A freshly baked batch of orange rolls and some hot coffee is the perfect offering for a new neighbor, friends with a new baby, or just a delicious treat for your family. The hubby has been begging me to make these orange rolls for months. These reminded him of Maxson Manor’s rolls he and his family used to enjoy.

They’re a delicious change of pace from cinnamon rolls.
The dough is sweet and tender, and there is just enough orange flavor to make you swoon.
This orange rolls recipe makes TWO pans of breakfast rolls, one for you and one to share. Or bake them all up in a 9 x 13 if feeding a hungry family.

Reader Endorsement:

Jamie via Pinterest: These sure were a labor of love…but worth every bit of it! So fluffy and orangetastic! Really impressive.

Roll Dough Ingredients

Orange Rolls Dough Ingredients with labels on a metal sheetpan.

Frosting and Filling Ingredients

Orange Rolls Filling and Frosting Ingredients with labels on a sheet pan.

Ingredient Notes

Kitchen Staples – Sugar, Room Temperature Butter, Salt, All-Purpose Flour, Egg
Active Dry Yeast (affiliate link) – One packet (2 ¼ teaspoons); I use Red Star Yeast
Warm Water – 105-115º. If your water is too hot, it can kill the yeast.
Scalded Milk – Heat it just below boiling. Cool to lukewarm, no hotter than 115º as that can kill the yeast.
Powdered Sugar – Sift if you have a lot of little lumps and want a very smooth frosting. I didn’t need to with my latest batch.
Orange Zest – Finely grate/zest an orange. This will be used to flavor the filling and frosting. I wouldn’t recommend purchasing jarred orange zest as it’s not nearly as flavorful as fresh zest.
Orange Juice – Freshly squeezed or store-bought, both work well.
Vanilla Extract (affiliate link) – Make sure it’s real vanilla extract, not artificially flavored.

Expert Tips

Working with yeast can be daunting if you don’t have a few basic tips. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll love both the process and the results.

Note that yeast is a living organism and can be killed if not treated properly.
PRO-Tip: This is why you should not add liquid any hotter than 120ºF if you want your bread to rise!
Check the expiration date of your yeast on the packet. Using old yeast could be a disaster!
Kneading is an essential part of the bread-making process, too, as it helps activate the gluten in the flour, which gives bread its structure.
Done by hand or with a bread hook in a stand mixer, the dough will become smooth and springy. Don’t be tempted to add more flour unless necessary, as too much flour can negatively affect the texture of your bread.
When rolling up your yeast rolls, don’t roll them too tightly. This will cause the middle sections to pop up higher than the rest of the rolls. They’ll still be tasty but not as attractive.
Let your dough rise in a warm, moist environment.
PRO-Tip: Do not force your dough to rise by putting it in a hot location. Somewhere around 80ºF (and up to 90º) is perfect. The ideal humidity is 75%.
My new oven has a “proof” setting which sets the oven at 85º F.
I like rolling out the dough on a Silpat AKA a silicone mat. Here is a the LINK (affiliate link) to a less expensive, generic verion. If you have a big budget, I like this Roulpat with marks for rolling out pie crust, etc.
PRO-Tip: Use unflavored dental floss to cut these orange rolls into slices. Lightly score (or mark with a shallow knife) the roll at 1 ½-inch intervals. Slip a 12-inch strand of floss under the roll, bring the ends up and over the roll of dough, and cross over one of the marks. Pull the ends sharply to cut through the dough. It’s a slick way to cut the dough into slices without the top-to-bottom pressure that comes from using a knife.

Sweet Rolls after rising in a 9 x 13 ceramic dish.

How to Make

Yeast and water in small bowl. — Proof the yeast.

Yeast added to mixer bowl. — Proof the yeast.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an Orange Roll?

Made like cinnamon rolls, orange rolls are filled with a sweet orange filling instead of cinnamon and sugar.

Does Orange Juice Kill Yeast?

The low pH of orange juice shouldn’t kill yeast, but even if it did, the orange juice is in the filling and frosting, not the dough.

How Do You Store Frosted Yeast Rolls?

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. After that, move them to the refrigerator for up to 3 more days. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months.