I compared store-bought cinnamon rolls and the best one was huge, flaky, and easy to make
Erin McDowell
- I tried cinnamon rolls from Pillsbury, Immaculate Baking Company, Annie's, and Amazon's Happy Belly.
- The Pillsbury Grands! flaky cinnamon rolls blew me away with their fluffy, doughnut-like texture.
For many people, there's nothing better than the smell of cinnamon rolls straight out of the oven wafting through the house — especially around the holidays.
I decided to try five different kinds of store-bought, canned cinnamon rolls to see which one had the best taste, texture, and value.
I tried two different kinds of cinnamon rolls from Pillsbury, plus cinnamon rolls from Immaculate Baking Company, Annie's Organic, and Amazon's Happy Belly food brand.
Here's how the cinnamon rolls ranked, from worst to best.
I tried cinnamon rolls from four different brands.
I tried cinnamon rolls from Pillsbury, Immaculate Baking Company, Annie's, and Amazon's Happy Belly.
To make the cinnamon rolls, I greased a baking sheet and baked the cinnamon rolls according to the instructions on each can. They all took around 20 minutes to bake in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Each can also came with icing, which I allowed to come to room temperature while the rolls were baking.
My least favorite brand was Amazon's Happy Belly cinnamon rolls.
The can came with eight rolls, plus a bag of icing, and cost $2.79. This was the least expensive brand I tried and also came with the most rolls.
Even though the can contained more rolls than the other brands, each cinnamon roll was smaller.
The icing, which came in a small plastic bag, melted nicely onto the rolls when they were fresh out of the oven.
I thought the texture of the cinnamon roll was a little bread-like.
I didn't love the texture of this cinnamon roll. I thought it was a little stodgy and thick, rather than flaky.
It also lacked the spiced flavor I expect from a cinnamon roll. It was a touch bland, and all I could taste was the sweet, sticky icing. It wasn't bad, per se, but it wasn't my favorite out of all of the rolls I tried.
My fourth-favorite brand of cinnamon roll was from Immaculate Baking Company.
The can came with five cinnamon rolls and icing. It cost $8.49, making it the most expensive brand I tried.
The cinnamon rolls were medium-sized, making them easy to hold and bite into.
I could see a rich layer of cinnamon swirled inside the bun.
The texture was on the thicker side, but fluffier than the Amazon-brand cinnamon rolls.
The cinnamon roll was sweet, spicy, and buttery, and the icing wasn't too sweet — it was just right. However, for such a high price tag, I expected to be more impressed with these rolls than I was.
The Pillsbury Grands! cinnamon rolls landed square in the middle of my ranking.
A can of five rolls, including Cinnabon icing, cost $5.
The cinnamon roll was among the largest of the rolls and puffed up a significant amount while baking.
The icing, which came in a small plastic tub, did require a knife to spread over the top of the roll, which added an extra step. However, I thought it was worth it.
The cinnamon roll was light and flaky, with a balanced amount of sweetness.
The roll was slightly crispy on the outside but fluffy in the center. The Cinnabon icing was also very decadent, without being sickly sweet or toothache-inducing.
The second-best brand I tried was Annie's organic cinnamon rolls.
The can came with five cinnamon rolls and cost $8.29.
These cinnamon rolls were packed with cinnamon flavor.
The icing settled into a creamy coating over the top of the rolls.
The texture was also very flaky, almost like a croissant.
I thought these cinnamon rolls had the perfect balance between buttery and flaky texture, without being too sweet.
But my favorite brand that I tried was the Pillsbury Flaky Grands! cinnamon rolls.
A can of five rolls, including Cinnabon icing, cost $5.
The cinnamon roll was the largest of all the ones I tried, and its texture was super flaky — just as the packaging promised.
The texture on the outside of the roll was very similar to a croissant.
However, when I bit in, it reminded me of a buttery, flakey doughnut.
The roll had just the right amount of cinnamon and butter flavor, but it was the texture that blew me away. It practically melted in my mouth.
I enjoyed all of the rolls, but the flakiest one was the winner in my book.
Not only did the Pillsbury Flaky Grands! cinnamon rolls have the best flavor and texture, but I thought it was also well-priced at $5.
The next time I'm looking to make a cozy, decadent breakfast, I know which brand I'll be reaching for at the grocery store.
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