I Tried 6 Brands of Frozen Cinnamon Rolls and One Was a Clear Winner

There's nothing quite like filling the house with the smell of fresh cinnamon rolls (by the way, my house smelled awesome after doing the tough job of testing all of these out for you). Of course, cinnamon buns probably shouldn't be an everyday staple, but more like a special treat on occasion for a weekend breakfast to cozy up on the couch, watch the snowfall, and enjoy a warm, sticky cinnamon bun.

With so many options on the market, even just from Pillsbury alone, it can be difficult to decide which is the best to go for in a pinch when you're in the mood for a gooey cinnamon bun that's inexpensive, but still tastes homemade. We tried six different kinds, including 3 from Pillsbury, to help you decide which one is best for you.

Hannaford Brand Original Cinnamon Rolls with Icing

Hannaford has their own brand of cinnamon rolls, with 8 servings in one tube. Just preheat the oven to 400°F and separate into rolls. Put the rolls snugly in a greased 8 inch or 9 inch round cake pan, and bake for 13-17 minutes, until they're golden brown, and drizzle with the icing. Now, let's give them a try!

The Look:

I would say this cinnamon bun is probably the best value if you're trying to feed more people or you want a smaller portion. There's not a super generous amount of cinnamon like some of the other rolls, but enough that it's swirled inside the roll.

They puffed up quite a bit, a good little treat without being too much like some of the other buns. They look a little drier than some of the other cinnamon buns, but let's give them a taste to find out for sure!

The Taste:

The frosting is delicious and doesn't have that kind of artificial taste to it. After letting them cool slightly and drizzling the frosting on top, I took a bite. They kind of just tasted like dry rolls that were a little overcooked covered in sweet frosting. They were just ok, nothing to write home about at all.

Price Point:

• Cost per tin: $2.19
• Cost per serving: About $0.27

Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls Made with Real Cinnamon, Drizzled with Original Icing

This option from Pillsbury includes 8 servings and is a little lighter than some of the other cinnamon buns on the market. Heat the oven to 375°F (350°F for a nonstick pan), then grease the pan, place the rolls inside with the cinnamon side facing up and bake for 13-18 minutes, looking for that golden brown color. Drizzle them with icing and dig in. Let's see how these compare.

The Look:

At first look, these are much cheaper looking and way smaller. It says it serves 8, but they're significantly tinier than some of the other options out there. Plus, the cinnamon sugar on top is kind of chipped and flaked, rather than being evenly spread throughout and rolled into the bun. I thought those cinnamon flakes would've melted into the cinnamon buns, but they maintained that look. I put the frosting on and now it's time to give them a taste.

The Taste:

These weren't my favorite to be frank. They didn't have the contrast of textures that the other rolls have with a nice gooey center and a golden brown, slightly crispy outside glazed with icing. The icing in relation to the bun was way too sweet of a combination. Not to mention the fact that, although this is probably the least important part, they didn't look very appealing. Overall, just not my favorite.

Price Point:

• Cost per tin: $3.29
• Cost per serving: About $0.41

Pillsbury Grands Cinnamon Rolls made with Cinnabon Cinnamon and Cream Cheese Icing

For the sake of consistency, I stuck to the oven directions, preheating the oven to 350°F, greasing the small cake pan and placing the rolls inside. I baked them for 23-27 minutes, until they're golden brown, before putting the icing on top. That said, there are air fryer instructions where they could be ready in 8 to 9 minutes if you're in a hurry!

The Look:

The cinnamon buns came out of the tube, sticky and coated in plenty of delicious cinnamon. They came out of the oven looking crisp and plump, much bigger than I expected them to be. I coated them with frosting and gave them a try!

The Taste:

Right away, I noticed that the frosting was a little bit sweet, but delicious. They're huge and goey, looking perfectly snug in the pan right out of the oven. They had a slightly odd, artificial taste to them and were too soft for my liking. There wasn't a ton of cinnamon and a fair amount of bread was bare.

Price Point:

• Cost per tin: $5.19
• Cost per serving: About $1.04

Immaculate Honestly Delicious Organic Cinnamon Rolls

For an organic option, you can go with the Immaculate Honestly Delicious Organic Cinnamon Rolls. Begin by preheating the oven to 350°F (or 325°F for a nonstick cookie sheet), and grease the pan. Place the rolls 2 inches apart and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until they are golden brown. Remove the rolls and wait until they've slightly cooled before drizzling the icing onto the rolls.

These cinnamon buns are not only organic, but they don't have any preservatives, hydrogenated oils, or artificial flavors. Meaning they're practically healthy, right?

The Look:

It came out of the tube looking sticky, gooey, and full of cinnamon sugar that looked more like a cinnamon paste. Once cooked, they came out a perfect golden brown and got really large in size. There was a slight crisp texture on the outside, and soft on the inside.

The Taste:

The texture of these cinnamon buns were phenomenal, but they left a little bit of an aftertaste, I believe from the frosting. I wasn't the biggest fan of the frosting to be honest, it was just ok and had a little bit of an artificial flavor. Overall, the texture was there, but something was slightly off with the flavor that made it not as good as the option as Annie's in my opinion.

Price Point:

• Cost per tin: $7.99
• Cost per serving: About $1.60

Pillsbury Grands Cinnamon Rolls made with Cinnabon Cinnamon, Drizzled with the Original Icing

Pillsbury is a go-to when it comes to quick biscuits and buns, and the Grands Cinnamon Rolls are one of 3 from Pillsbury on our list. Heat the oven to 350°F and grease the cake pan. Put the rolls in the pan and bake for 23-27 minutes (until golden brown) before spreading the icing on top. I chose to go with the oven directions to keep things consistent, but this Pillsbury tube also has air fryer directions, cooked in 8-9 minutes.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

The Look:

After first looking at the dough, I noticed a nice distribution of all the cinnamon. The aroma filled the house of fresh cinnamon buns, and as I pulled them out of the oven I took note of the big, fluffy size and golden brown with the cinnamon evenly distributed and the frosting melted into a bubbly glaze.

The Taste:

I tasted a bit of the icing while the cinnamon buns were baking in the oven and it's decent. I'm surprised to say that I think I like it better with the original icing than the cream cheese icing. It tastes more toasty, kind of like if a cinnamon bun was made with their crescent dough. There's just a little bit of a frosting glaze that gives the buns a really nice flavor.

Price Point:

• Cost per tin: $5.19
• Cost per serving: About $1.04

Annie's Organic Cinnamon Rolls with Icing

If you tend to shop organic, but don't want to keep things too healthy all the time, sprinkling in little treats occasionally, Annie's has you covered! There's also no artificial flavors or synthetic colors and no high fructose corn syrup. Set the oven to 350°F (325°F for nonstick), and grease the pan. Space the rolls 2 inches apart on a pan and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until they have a golden brown color. Remove the rolls and cool slightly before squeezing the icing onto them.

The Look:

The Annie's cinnamon rolls came out, looking perfectly cooked. They were soft and coated in sticky cinnamon sugar paste, but browned on the outside. The cinnamon was even and the frosting was good and melted into a shiny icing, the middle was gooey. These literally looked like homemade cinnamon buns.

The Taste:

The flavor backs up the look. They taste, smell, and look homemade. The texture is on point, with crispy bits where there should be, soft chewy parts where there should be, and the flavor evenly spread throughout the entire cinnamon roll. The frosting isn't overly sweet, and a perfect compliment to the cinnamon. This is an excellent option if you're looking for a real treat at home. The absolute clear winner, with a really good texture, perfect frosting, and plenty of cinnamon.

Price Point:

• Cost per tin: $7.69
• Cost per serving: About $1.54

When it comes to the world of refrigerated cinnamon roll tubes, the clear winner in my eyes is Annie's Organic Cinnamon Rolls with Icing. If we didn't try your favorite, drop it in the comments!

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