Homemade Honey Buns

Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 15 minutes
Rise Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 45 minutes
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Sweet, sticky, and oh-so-soft, these Homemade Honey Buns are a delightful fusion of a cinnamon roll and a donut. Baked or fried, they melt-in-your-mouth and are impossible to resist!

What You Need To Know About These Homemade Honey Buns

  • Soft and Fluffy: The perfect pillowy texture.
  • Skill Level: Intermediateโ€”follow the simple steps and you’ll be fine!
  • Sticky Sweet: Swirled with cinnamon-sugar and coated in a honey glaze.
  • Baked or Fried: Depending on your preference!
  • No Fancy Tools: You only need basic baking equipment.
Jessica's Notes

If youโ€™re a fan of store-bought honey buns (looking at you, Little Debbie!) then you will go crazy for these homemade honey bunsโ€”theyโ€™re even better! However, be prepared to spend some time in the kitchen. Like filled donuts or any yeast recipe, they are a labor of love. If you are in a time pinch, whip up a quick batch of my homemade donut holes or these easy air fryer donuts instead.

This recipe was originally posted using active dry yeast, but some readers were having issues with the dough rising. So I re-tested this recipe with a friend of mine who is a master at all things yeast and we changed the recipe to use instant dry yeast instead. It’s a little easier to work with (no need to bloom the yeast!) and should resolve those issues!

Ingredients for homemade honey buns recipe are arranged on a marble surface, each labeled: vanilla, egg, yeast, granulated sugar, shortening, powdered sugar, all-purpose flour, butter, cinnamon, salt, water, and honey.

Key Ingredient Notes

Made with pantry baking staples, you may already have everything you need on hand. See recipe card below for all ingredients and measurements!

  • Water: Warm water (or you can also use warm milk) heated to between 105ยฐF-115ยฐF. It’s important to ensure it’s at the right temperature so the dough rises correctly!
  • Sugar: A little granulated sugar feeds the yeast and sweetens the dough.
  • All-Purpose Flour: Fluff the flour and then spoon it into your measuring cup, leveling it with the back of a butter knife. This will ensure you get the proper amount of flour for light and fluffy honey buns.
  • Honey: For that classic honey bun taste, do not substitute honey for anything else.
  • Shortening: Using melted shortening in the dough will give these honey buns the best bakery-style texture, but if you want to use butter instead, that will also work. 
  • Oil: It is best to use a mild flavored oil like vegetable oil or peanut oil as it will not add any flavors to what you are frying.

Active vs Instant Yeast

Instant yeast does not need to be bloomed and can be added with the other dry ingredients to create your dough. Active yeast needs to be โ€œactivatedโ€ by blooming it (adding it to warm water and letting it sit for about 5 to 10 minutes). This will wake up the yeast and it will bubble and make the water look cloudy. Originally this recipe used active yeast, but after some readers had issues, we updated the recipe to use instant yeast instead.

If you prefer to use active yeast, it will need to be bloomed first.ย Add the yeast to 1/4 cup warm water (105ยฐF-115ยฐF) and let sit for 5 minutes. Then add the bloomed yeast into the other wet ingredients and combine it with the dry ingredients to create the dough.

Frosted honeybuns on a wire serving platter lined with parchment.

How to Make Homemade Honey Buns

This process is similar to making other yeast buns or soft dinner rolls, but with a few special quirks. Flattening the freshly risen honey buns may seem odd, but it helps to create that classic, dense-yet-melt-in-your-mouth feel, rather than the fluffy, bread-y texture of a cinnamon roll. Below is a quick recipe overview, but please scroll down to the recipe card for full instructions.

A ball of dough in a white mixing bowl.
Prepare and knead the dough. Let rise in a greased glass bowl until doubled in size.
A rectangle of thinly-rolled yeast dough on a work surface.
Once risen, roll the dough out on a well-floured surface into a rectangle.
A log of rolled-up honey bun dough.
Top dough with the cinnamon-sugar mixture and then roll it up into a log.
A log of dough cut on the bias into slices.
Slice the log, with a sharp serrated knife, into 1-inch oblong pieces.
Raw honeybun dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Arrange the buns on a lined baking sheet and let rise until puffy, but not doubled in size.
Risen honeybuns on a baking sheet.
Once risen, gently press them down again with your fingers to flatten right before frying.
A golden-brown fried bun is held above a pot of yellow oil using a wire skimmer with a wooden handle.
Bake or fry until golden brown.
A hand holding a frosted honeybun close to the camera, with a bowl of icing blurred in the background.
Dunk warm honey buns into the glaze.
A cooling rack holds six frosted honey buns labeled โ€œFriedโ€ on the left and โ€œBakedโ€ on the right, with cinnamon sticks and honey nearby on a white background.

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Bake vs Fried Honey Buns

These honey buns can be made either by deep frying or baking in the oven. I personally prefer them best when fried! Here’s what to expect from each method:

  • Baking: Cooking the honey buns in the oven will create a softer, fluffier texture that is more similar to a cinnamon roll.
  • Frying: Deep frying will create a golden crisp outer texture that will soften over time once coated with the glaze. While they are delicious fresh and warm, I personally think they are the best after they have sat in an airtight container on the counter overnight. This gives them that classic softness you expect from a store bought honey bun.

Tips For Success

  • Rising Time: Depending on the temperature of your home, the rise time for the dough will vary. In cooler spaces, it may take longer and not double fully, but should still have a noticeable rise. You can always let your dough rise in a slightly warm (but off) oven to speed up proofing.
  • Don’t Over-Knead:ย Knead the dough just until it’s smooth and elastic, but avoid overworking it. If dough is kneaded for too long, it can make the final texture tough and also affect how the dough rises.
  • Oil Temperature: If frying, it’s important to keep your oil between 350ยฐF to 365ยฐF, I highly recommend using a clip-on pot thermometer. Oil thatโ€™s too hot will cook the outside too quickly and leave the insides raw. Oil thatโ€™s too cool will take longer to cook, making them greasy. You can see in my photos above the honey buns are a little too dark, so my oil was a little too hot!
A iced honey bun with a bite taken out of it on a plate.

Make Ahead Overnight Dough Options

  • 1st Rise: Make the dough the night before and refrigerate it covered tightly in the greased glass bowl. Remove dough from the fridge the next morning and let rise and then continue with recipe as directed.
  • 2nd Rise: Place sliced honey buns on baking sheet, cover tightly, and refrigerate overnight. Remove from the fridge the next morning and let rise and then continue with recipe as directed.
Glazed honey buns on a wire serving platter lined with parchment.
4.6 from 20 votes
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Yield: 10 Honey Buns

Homemade Honey Buns

These soft, sweet Homemade Honey Buns have the same melt-in-your-mouth texture that you love from store-bought honey buns! Sticky and sweet with a cinnamon sugar filling, and creamy homemade glaze.
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time15 minutes
Rise Time2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time3 hours 45 minutes

Ingredients

For the Dough:

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon instant yeast
  • ยฝ teaspoon salt
  • ยฝ cup warm water, between 105ยฐF-115ยฐF
  • โ…“ cup honey
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ยผ cup shortening, melted
  • Vegetable or peanut oil, for frying

For the Cinnamon Sugar:

  • ยผ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 ยฝ teaspoon cinnamon

For the Glaze:

  • 4 โ…” cup powdered sugar
  • 2 ยฝ tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon melted butter
  • ยฝ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ยผ teaspoon salt
  • Warm water, as needed

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Instructions 

  • Whisk together the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Set aside.
  • In a medium sized bowl, whisk to combine the warm water, honey (you can heat the honey for a few seconds in the microwave if it is not pourable), egg, and vanilla extract.ย Beating just until the egg is well combined.ย Melt the shortening and add it to the wet ingredients, mixing until well combined.
  • With a dough hook on your stand mixer, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.ย With the stand mixer on low, mix the dough on low until the wet and dry ingredients are well combined. ย 
  • Once combined, knead the dough on medium speed for 8 minutes. The dough will still be somewhat sticky but workable.ย Using a bowl scrapper or your hand, shape the dough into a nice ball and place it into a lightly oiled glass bowl, flipping the dough to coat the top of the dough with oil as well.
  • Cover the dough with plastic wrap (or a clean kitchen towel) and place in a draft-free slightly warm spot. Let rise for 1 to 2 hours, until it has almost doubled in size. Depending on the temperature of your home, the rise time for the dough will vary.ย In cooler climates, the dough may not double but should still have a noticeable rise.
  • While the dough is rising, whisk to combine the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl. Set aside.
  • Once the dough has risen, turn it out onto a lightly floured, clean surface. Roll the dough out to a 12โ€ long and 8โ€ wide rectangle. Dust with the cinnamon sugar mixture leaving a clean edge (you can cover the edge with parchment if needed) and gently press into the dough.
  • Roll the dough up from the long side toward the clean edge. Using a pastry brush (or even your finger), brush the clean edge with a little water. Then push the clean edge into the roll and smooth with your finger to adhere the dough together.ย 
  • Using a sharp serrated knife, cut off the pinched ends from the roll, about 1 1โ„2 inches per end. Then cut it equally into 1-inch pieces and place each piece onto a parchment-lined baking sheet with at least 2โ€ space between them. The pieces should be oblong in shape. Press down lightly on each slice and lightly shape each one with your fingers, then let rise for about 45 minutes – until puffy, but not doubled in size.

Frying The Honey Buns

  • Part of the way through the rise time, pour oil into a large pan or stockpot until the oil is about 3-inches deep. Heat over medium heat, until the oil reaches 365ยฐF. I highly recommend using a clip-on pot thermometer to ensure your oil is at the correct frying temperature!
  • Right before frying the buns, whisk together the glaze. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk to combine the powdered sugar, honey, melted butter, vanilla, and salt. Then add in about 1/3 cup (or up to 1/2 cup) of warm water, whisking until the desired consistency is achieved. If your glaze starts to develop a crust before youโ€™ve glazed your honey buns, stir it and add a little water if needed to make it smooth again.
  • Once the rolls have risen, gently press them down again with your fingers, then place a few honey buns into the hot oil, making sure not to crowd the pan. Fry for 90 seconds on one side, then flip and fry for an additional 90 seconds on the other side, until golden brown on both sides.
  • Once honey buns are golden brown, remove them from the oil and place them onto a wire cooling rack over a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Immediately dip each bun into the glaze and return to the cooling rack. This will give it that crisp texture once set. Repeat the frying and glazing process with any remaining honey buns.

Baking the Honey Buns

  • Preheat your oven to 350ยฐF with the rack placed in the lower third of the oven. Once the rolls have risen, bake for 18 minutes or until the honey buns are lightly golden brown.
  • Let them rest for 5 minutes after baking and then dip each bun into the glaze (or brush the glaze on) and place on a wire cooling rack.

Notes

Storage: Honey buns may be stored in an airtight container or baggie for up to 5 days. I like to microwave a leftover honey bun for about 5 to 10 seconds, just until warmed, before serving. They can also be frozen for up to three months.
Best The Next Day: These honey buns are delicious warm, but I personally think they are the best after they have sat in an airtight container on the counter for a day or two. This gives them that classic softness you expect from a store bought honey bun.
Yeast Tips: When working with yeast-based recipes such as this one, it is important to have the water at the correct temperature. If the water is too hot it will kill the yeast. Too cold and the yeast wonโ€™t activate, preventing the dough from rising properly. The ideal temperature is between 105ยฐF-115ยฐF. Read my notes in the post above if you prefer to use active yeast instead.
A review of honey buns with a five-star rating, a quote praising their taste and texture, and a photo of a half-eaten honey bun topped with white icing on a black plate.
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Nutrition

Serving: 1 honey bun, Calories: 504kcal, Carbohydrates: 107g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 22mg, Sodium: 194mg, Potassium: 63mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 77g, Vitamin A: 64IU, Vitamin C: 0.1mg, Calcium: 14mg, Iron: 2mg

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I canโ€™t wait to try this! Is there anything we can substitute the shortening for or is that what makes it delicious? ๐Ÿ™‚

5 stars
Yum!!

On day 2 of making this dough… still not rising. Following the recipe to the letter. Kinda disappointed. What can I do to make it rise?

Awesome recipe!!!

Thank you! It just would not rise. Warm in the house around 74 so I could not figure it out. I finally took another teaspoon of yeast, warm cup of water and 1 tablespoon of sugar and mixed in back in the dough with more flour. It finally rose… I don’t know if the yeast is just getting old because it is a new jar but after all that I finally got it to rise. I might just add 2 tablespoons of yeast next time to experiment but I am getting ready to roll out the dough now! So excited for these honeybuns ๐Ÿ™‚

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Jessica
For the past 15 years, Jorge & Jessica have loved getting to share their families' favorite recipes with all of you. They live in Florida with their 3 kids.