Lemon Sweet Rolls With Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting

If you're looking for a fun twist on a cinnamon roll, you need to try my lemon raspberry sweet rolls! These soft, fluffy breakfast rolls have a sweet, citrusy lemon filling and are topped with a fresh raspberry cream cheese frosting.

If you love lemon as much as I do, you'll also want my fresh lemon crumb bars and my lemon blueberry mascarpone cake for more citrusy treats.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• A fruity twist on cinnamon rolls. Same soft, pull-apart rolls, but bright with lemon and raspberry.
• Fresh raspberry frosting. Real puréed raspberries in the cream cheese frosting, not artificial flavor.
• Soft, fluffy dough. An enriched dough (with a little cardamom, if you like) that bakes up pillowy.
• Perfect for spring. A lovely lemon bake, like my lemon blueberry cookies.
• Make-it-an-occasion. Beautiful for brunch alongside something tart-sweet like my strawberry rhubarb crumb bars.

Ingredients You'll Need

For the dough

• Active dry yeast, warm milk, sugar: Proof the yeast for a soft, reliable rise.
• Unsalted butter + eggs: For a rich, tender enriched dough.
• Bread flour: Gives the rolls a soft, chewy structure (all-purpose works too).
• Salt: Balances the sweetness.
• Milk powder (optional): Adds softness and richness.
• Cardamom (optional): A cozy spice that pairs beautifully with citrus.

For the lemon filling

• Butter, granulated sugar, lemon juice + zest: A bright, citrusy filling spread through the rolls.

For the raspberry cream cheese frosting

• Butter, cream cheese, raspberry purée, and confectioners' sugar: Whipped into a fresh, fruity frosting — the same real-raspberry approach as my sourdough lemon pound cake glaze philosophy (fresh is best).

See the recipe card for quantities.

Easy Substitutions & Variations

• Dairy-free: Use a high-fat non-dairy milk, plant-based butter, and a dairy-free cream cheese.
• Berry frosting: Use any berry in the frosting — just blend, strain, and add the purée a little at a time. Lean into raspberry with my lemon raspberry muffins or lemon raspberry cookies.
• Citrus filling: Swap the lemon for orange, lime, or grapefruit.
• Sourdough version: Swap part of the flour and milk for discard (see the FAQ).

How to Make Lemon Raspberry Sweet Rolls

Step 1: Proof the yeast: Heat the butter and milk until the butter melts, then cool to 120°F or less. Add to the mixer bowl with the sugar and yeast, stir, and rest about 5 minutes until proofed.

Step 2: Make the dough: Mix the flour, salt, milk powder, and cardamom, then add to the wet ingredients. Knead with a dough hook 5–10 minutes until smooth and passing the windowpane test. Cover and rise about 1 hour, until doubled. 

Step 3: Make the raspberry purée: Blend the raspberries until smooth, then push through a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds (you'll get about 3 tablespoons of purée).

Step 4: Make the frosting: Beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth, mix in the raspberry purée, then add the confectioners' sugar 1 cup at a time until you reach your desired consistency (I like mine a little runny).

Step 5: Roll and fill: Roll the dough into an 18x12-inch rectangle (about ¼ inch thick). Mix the butter, sugar, lemon juice, and zest and rub it over the dough with your hands. Roll up from the short (12-inch) side into a log.

Step 6: Cut, rise, and bake: Cut into 12 one-inch rolls with a serrated knife. Place in a lined 18x12 baking dish and rise 30–60 minutes, until puffy. Bake at 350°F for 23–25 minutes, until just barely golden at the edges. Cool 10 minutes, then frost and top with extra lemon zest.

Weigh your ingredients! Using a kitchen scale ensures your measurements are accurate, which is key for consistent results in baking. It takes the guesswork out of measuring and helps your rolls turn out exactly as intended every time.

Expert Tips

1. Keep the milk under 120°F. Too hot and it will kill the yeast.
2. Use a serrated knife. Long, slow cuts give clean rolls without squishing them.
3. Strain the raspberry purée well. Removing the seeds keeps the frosting smooth.
4. Use room-temperature cream cheese and butter. It's the key to a smooth, lump-free frosting.
5. Don't overbake. Pull the rolls when the edges are just barely golden (190–200°F in the center) so they stay soft.

What Makes This Recipe Special?

These rolls take everything cozy about a cinnamon roll and make it bright and fruity instead. A soft enriched dough wraps around a citrusy lemon-sugar filling, and the whole thing gets crowned with a fresh raspberry cream cheese frosting made with real puréed berries. The optional cardamom in the dough is a quiet touch that makes the lemon taste even more special.

If you love a fruity, citrus-forward bake, you're in good company on the blog. My strawberry rhubarb galette is another bright spring favorite, and for more roll recipes, my apple pie cinnamon rolls and fluffy sourdough discard cinnamon rolls are worth a bake.

Lemon Raspberry Sweet Rolls FAQs

Lemon Raspberry Sweet Rolls Troubleshooting Guide

Storage

• Because of the cream cheese frosting, store in the refrigerator for 3–4 days.
• Freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.

More Sweet Rolls to Consider

Lemon Sweet Rolls With Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting

Audrey Grubb

If you are looking for a fun twist on a cinnamon roll recipe, then you need to try my lemon raspberry sweet rolls! These soft and fluffy breakfast rolls have a sweet, citrusy lemon filling and are topped with a fresh raspberry cream cheese frosting.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Resting time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 2 hours hrs 55 minutes mins

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Servings 12 rolls

Calories 507 kcal

Equipment

• ▢
  Stand Mixer - for dough and frosting. (optional but recommended)
• ▢
  Rolling Pin
• ▢
  small bowl - for mixing the filling.
• ▢
  18x12 inch baking dish.
• ▢
  Parchment Paper - for easy cleanup.
• ▢
  small blender or food processor - for blending up the raspberries.
• ▢
  fine mesh strainer - for straining out the raspberry seeds before making the frosting.
• ▢
  zester or grate - for zesting the lemons.

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

For the rolls:

• ▢ ¾ cup warm milk no more than 120F
• ▢ ¼ cup unsalted butter
• ▢ 2 ¼ teaspoon active dry yeast one packet of yeast
• ▢ ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 2 eggs room temperature preferred
• ▢ 4 ¼ cup bread flour 510g - all purpose flour works great too*
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 2 tablespoon milk powder optional
• ▢ ½ teaspoon cardamom optional

For the lemon filling:

• ▢ ¼ cup butter soft
• ▢ ½ cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 2 teaspoon lemon juice
• ▢ 1 tablespoon lemon zest about 2-3 lemons zested

For the raspberry cream cheese frosting:

• ▢ ¼ cup butter room temperature
• ▢ 4 oz cream cheese room temperature
• ▢ 3 tablespoon raspberry puree roughly 3 ounces of raspberries pureed and strained
• ▢ 4 cups of confectioners sugar use your judgement about how much to use, some like thinner frosting and some like thicker**

Instructions

 

• In a small sauce pan, heat ¼ cup of butter and ¾ cup whole milk until the butter melts. Let cool to 120 or less and add to the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the ⅓ cup of sugar and 2 ¼ teaspoon of yeast and stir with a fork. Let rest for roughly 5 minutes until the yeast has proofed (pictured)
• Mix the 4 cups of flour (use a kitchen scale for best results, salt, milk powder (optional) and cardamom (optional). Add the dry ingredients into the bowl with wet ingredients. Use a dough hook to combine the ingredients. Let the dough knead for 5-10 minutes or until in forms a cohesive, soft ball that doesn’t stick to the sides of the bowl. I find I usually need closer to 4 ¼ cups to get my preferred results, so if you notice your dough sticking too much, add flour in 1 tablespoon at a time until you get the results you want. When the dough has finished kneading, place in a separate bowl and cover with a wet tea towel or cling wrap and let rest until doubled (roughly an hour).
• In a small blender or food processor, blend roughly ½ a cup of raspberries until smooth - this is about ½ or a 6oz container of raspberries (seeds are fine). Pour the puree into a fine mesh strainer over a small bowl. Use a small spoon or spatula to push the puree through the strainer so that only the seeds remain. I find that vigorously moving my spoon in circular motions helps move the process along faster. You will get about 3 tablespoon of puree.
• Using your stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth. It is best to use soft/room-temperature ingredients here. Scrape down the sides of the bowling mix in the raspberry puree. Once thoroughly mixed, start adding your powdered sugar in 1 cup at a time until you reach your desired consistency. I personally like my frosting a bit runnier for this type of recipe, but if you like a thicker frosting you can easily add more to the mix.
• Once your dough has sufficiently proofed, roll it out onto a floured surface and use a rolling pin to roll the dough into an 18x12 inch rectangle. The dough will be roughly ¼ inch thick.

  In a small bowl, mix together the butter, sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest until combined. Spoon the mixture out onto your dough and rub it in with your hands (trust me, just use your hands). Then, roll the dough starting at the shorter, 12 inch side into a log.
• Cut the dough with a serrated knife into 12 1-inch thick pieces. Some people prefer to cut off and discard the ends of the log for a more uniform look. I don’t think this is necessary, but do whatever you like! Place in a parchment paper lined 18x12 baking dish and let rise again for 30-60 minutes. Once puffy, bake at 350F for 23-25 minutes or until it just barely starts to get golden on the edges. Let cool for 10 minutes or so before adding the frosting and topping with additional lemon zest. Enjoy!

Notes

1. *start with 4 cups and then gradually add in the final ¼ cup until the desired consistency is reached (soft, smooth, and not sticking to the sides of the bowl). PLEASE use a kitchen scale for the best results!
2. **Start with 2 cups of confectioners sugar and add more until you reach your preferred consistency. I prefer mine a bit runnier than a cake frosting for cinnamon rolls. Use your best judgment!

Nutrition

Calories: 507kcalCarbohydrates: 80gProtein: 8gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 69mgSodium: 307mgPotassium: 95mgFiber: 1gSugar: 47gVitamin A: 534IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 36mgIron: 1mg

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