This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
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 1/2 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.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
{originally published 4/7/15 – recipe notes and photos updated 2/18/21}
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.
Could I make the dough the night before?
Can I use fresh berries
Did you try fresh raspberries?
I’ve never tried it. It might work, but they might make the rolls too juicy too.
Can I use fresh raspberries, I don’t have any frozen
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!
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. 🙁
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.
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!
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!
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!
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.