The Best Grocery Store Bakery Cinnamon Roll On Shelves Right Now Has Ultra-Creamy Frosting
In an ideal scenario, a cinnamon roll is tall, yeasty, pillowy-soft, and full of its namesake's cinnamon flavor. And while the best cinnamon rolls are homemade or from a bakery, the easiest option is to pick one up at the grocery store. We recently tried nine different cinnamon rolls from different grocery stores to see which supermarket chain makes the best roll in-house and we learned they range from dry and artificial-tasting to luxurious, perfumed, and sweet.
Our absolute favorite store-bought cinnamon roll came from none other than Whole Foods Market, whose oversized pastries nailed everything we want in a cinnamon roll. Unlike many other varieties, these rolls come in individual pieces rather than arriving fused in a pan, and that allows them to gain a crusty exterior while still maintaining a yeasty soft and moist interior. One detail our writer noticed was that the flavoring of the rolls was surprisingly nuanced. They noted, "Instead of cocoa, Whole Foods bakers expertly added molasses and two forms of cinnamon in the filling, which amped up the burst of spice with both bright and earthy notes." The one thing that really caught our attention was the frosting. Our writer said, "It was thick and smooth with a rich cream cheese flavor to cut through the sweetness."
Whole Foods has another type of cinnamon roll that has customers raving
Our review only covered pre-baked cinnamon rolls, but Whole Foods also offers a take-and-bake variety that customers might enjoy even more than the pre-made ones. They come as a four-pack in a disposable baking tray with a tub of icing on the side (our local Whole Foods in Chicago sells them for $10.49).
Customers online rave about them, posting videos on TikTok and Reddit about how much they enjoy these rolls. In one Reddit thread, a user said, "Don't want to believe or say it but these could be dupes of Cinnabons. For as high calorie treat these are, they were soft in the gooey middles w/crispy edges ... BIG FAN." In a recent TikTok video, someone else compared them to Cinnabon, saying, "If you like Cinnabon, you are going to fall in love with these." We're big fans of the Cinnabon menu, so this seems like high praise.
If you're on the lookout for a quick weekend brunch treat for a lazy Sunday morning, both varieties of Whole Foods' cinnamon rolls (pre-baked and take-and-bake) come highly recommended. It just depends on how patient you're willing to be, as the take-and-bake version needs 45 minutes in the oven before you're tearing into them.