A delicious sweet treat filled with fresh blueberries and a burst of lemon. These blueberry lemon sweet rolls are perfect for breakfast or brunch.
Every bite is filled with swirls of juicy blueberries.
Why make these sweet rolls
Sometimes a delicious homemade cinnamon roll just can't be beat. But sometimes I want to mix things up a bit and take my basic cinnamon roll recipe and change up the filling.
These blueberry sweet rolls are filled with blueberries and lemon zest and topped with a lemon glaze. They are perfect for spring and summertime (or really anytime of the year!)
When baking, the juices from the blueberries drip down to the bottom of the rolls, creating a delicious base.
Sweet rolls are a favorite in our household. Some more favorites are apricot sweet rolls, cranberry sweet rolls and raspberry sweet rolls.
Key ingredients
- Blueberries - I used fresh, but frozen can be used
- Lemon - Need the zest for the sweet rolls and the juice for the glaze
- Butter - Salted butter
- Active dry yeast
Step by step directions
- Heat milk to 110° If you don't have a thermometer test a drop of the milk on the inside of your wrist. It should feel warm, not hot.
- Add sugar and stir until dissolved
- Sprinkle on yeast and stir
- Let mixture set for about 5 minutes until bubbly
- Place yeast mixture in bowl for a stand mixer
- Add eggs, melted butter and one cup of flour. Mix to combine
- Add one cup of flour and salt. Mix to combine.
- Continue adding flour ¼ cup at a time until dough forms a ball and dough is tacky, but not sticky. The dough should just stick to your fingers, but then release quickly.
Sticky Dough Tacky Dough
- Knead dough on low speed in mixer for 10 minutes
- Form dough into a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl
- Cover with plastic wrap and let dough sit until doubled (1 ½ - 2 hours)
- Gently deflate dough
- Form dough into a rectangle
- Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar
- Add blueberries and lemon zest
- Begin rolling up jelly roll style
- Pinch ends together to seal seam
- Slice into 12 equal sized pieces. Each piece should be about 1 inch.
- Place in a greased 12 x 13 inch baking dish
- Cover with plastic wrap and let rise
- Bake in a preheated 375° oven for 20-25 minutes
- Allow rolls to cool for 5 minutes and then drizzle with half the lemon glaze
- Once rolls have fully cooled, drizzle remaining glaze on top
Variations
- Use orange zest or lime zest in place of the lemon zest and use orange or lime juice in the glaze
- If you have access to wild huckleberries, use in place of the blueberries
- Use frozen blueberries. Do not thaw blueberries before. Just roll up the berries while still frozen. The second rise time may take a bit longer. Bake as usual.
Baking tips
- The amount of flour used varies from batch to batch. This varies depending on your flour, the method of measuring, humidity and the size of your eggs which can can create more of less liquid.
- Always start by adding up to two cups of flour. Then slowly add ¼ cup of flour until dough reaches the right consistency.
- Dough should begin to form a ball and should just be slightly tacky, not sticky
- Rising time will vary depending on the temperature in your kitchen
- Always fully preheat oven before baking
Recipe faqs
Just place rolls in an airtight container and store at room temperature. The rolls are best eaten within 2-3 days.
Yes, these rolls can be frozen. It's best to freeze without the glaze.
To freeze, allow rolls to fully cool. Freeze in an airtight container for up to 30 days.
To use, pull from freezer and thaw at room temperature. Once fully thawed, add glaze in one application.
If freezing with glaze already added, the glaze may become weepy when thawed.
More delicious blueberry recipes
If you love blueberries, you might also want to try these recipes:
- Blueberry lemon bundt cake
- Blueberry lemon bars
- Blueberry lemon bread
- Blueberry crumb bars
- Blueberry muffins
- Blueberry pancakes
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below and snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @beyondthechickencoop
Be sure to check out my collection of breakfast breads!
Blueberry Lemon Sweet Rolls
Ingredients
Dough
- ½ cup milk (warmed)
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (1 package)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup butter (melted)
- 2 ½ cups flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
Filling
- 2 tablespoons butter (melted)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1 zest of lemon
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon half and half (or milk)
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
Dough
- Dissolve sugar into warmed milk. Add yeast and stir to combine.½ cup milk, 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- Let yeast mixture sit for 5 minutes until bubbly
- Pour yeast mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer. Use a dough hook and combine with melted butter, eggs and one cup of flour.2 eggs, ¼ cup butter, 2 ½ cups flour
- Add another cup of flour and salt. Stir until combined.½ teaspoon salt
- Continue adding flour ¼ cup at a time until dough comes together and is tacky, yet not sticky. You may need a total of 2 ¼ cups to 2 ½ cups of flour.
- Knead dough on a low speed for 10 minutes
- Remove from mixing bowl and form into a ball. Place in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow dough to sit until doubled (1 ½ - 2 hours)
- Gently deflate dough and reform into a ball
- Place dough on a surface and roll into a 14" x 10" rectangle
Filling
- Spread melted butter on top of rolled dough2 tablespoons butter
- Sprinkle sugar on top2 tablespoons sugar
- Add blueberries and lemon zest1 cup blueberries, 1 zest of lemon
- Roll dough up jelly roll style and pinch ends to seal
- Slice into 1 inch rounds and place in a greased baking dish
- Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 30-45 minutes
- Bake in a preheated 375° oven for 20-25 minutes
- Remove from oven and let cool in pan for 5 minutes before adding glaze
Glaze
- Combine powdered sugar, lemon juice, half and half and vanilla together in a bowl until smooth1 cup powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 tablespoon half and half, ¼ teaspoon vanilla
- Pour half the glaze mixture over the top of the rolls
- Allow rolls to fully cool and add remaining glaze
Notes
- Use orange zest or lime zest in place of the lemon zest and use orange or lime juice in the glaze
- If you have access to wild huckleberries, use in place of the blueberries
- Use frozen blueberries. Do not thaw blueberries before. Just roll up the berries while still frozen. The second rise time may take a bit longer. Bake as usual.
- The amount of flour used varies from batch to batch. This varies depending on your flour, the method of measuring, humidity and the size of your eggs which can can create more of less liquid.
- Always start by adding up to two cups of flour. Then slowly add ¼ cup of flour until dough reaches the right consistency.
- Dough should begin to form a ball and should just be slightly tacky, not sticky
- Rising time will vary depending on the temperature in your kitchen
- Always fully preheat oven before baking
Nutritional Disclaimer:
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. To obtain the most precise nutritional information in a provided recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the exact ingredients you are using when preparing the recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Connie Neel says
Can you put the blueberries or other berries into the dough...
Kathy says
Hi Connie,
I have not tried adding the berries directly to the dough.
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
I bet this smells as good as it looks and tastes! Blueberry and lemon is one of my all-time fave combos so I'm totally loving these sweet rolls. Bet they'd be amazing part of weekend brunch with plenty of coffee. 🙂
David @ Spiced says
What a fun recipe, Kathy! I love (!!) cinnamon rolls, and I've made all sorts of variations over the years. However, I don't think I've ever gone with the fruit route like these. I'm in! These would be perfect for a spring or summer brunch.