These Lemon Blueberry Sweet Rolls are the softest, fluffiest sweet rolls with a delicious lemon blueberry jam filling. They’re topped with a sweet and creamy lemon cream cheese frosting that adds the perfect finishing touch!

Your New Favorite Sweet Rolls

Lemon. Blueberry. Cream Cheese Frosting? These sweet rolls have literally all my favorite things.

Y’all know I love a good cinnamon roll (my banana bread cinnamon rolls are the BEST). But, in the spring and summer, I tend to switch things up, and go with a fruit based sweet roll instead. These Lemon Blueberry Sweet Rolls are based on my raspberry lemon sweet roll recipe and they are SO GOOD.

These are my new go-to for celebratory brunches, special occasions, or just because I want one. They have a homemade blueberry jam, a creamy lemon cream cheese frosting, and they’re packed with so much of that classic lemon blueberry flavor. These are such a fun way to make any ordinary day just a little special, and they’re easier to make than you might think!

— xo, Ashlea

Recipe Ingredients

Blueberry Jam: I use my homemade blueberry jam, which uses a simple combination of blueberries, maple syrup, and lemon juice. You can substitute your favorite store-bought brand, if preferred.
Whole Milk: we’re using plain whole milk for these sweet rolls. If you would like to use another type of milk, I’ve included some options below.
Active Dry Yeast: this helps the sweet rolls to rise and become fluffy. For this batch, we’re using two packets of yeast.
Sugar: you’ll need a little granulated sugar to sweeten the dough and help activate the yeast.
Butter: I prefer to use unsalted butter for the dough.
Eggs: for the perfect chewy texture, I like to use one egg yolk and one whole egg.
Lemon: I use lemon zest in both the dough and the blueberry jam filling to add a plenty of that delicious citrus flavor.
Salt: this is a must and helps to give your sweet roll dough flavor!
Bread Flour: I prefer using this over all-purpose flour for softer, fluffier, more chewy blueberry sweet rolls.
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting: we’re making a homemade frosting made with cream cheese, butter, confectioner’s sugar, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and lemon zest.

Ingredient Substitutions

Whole Milk – I’ve used buttermilk, full-fat coconut milk, and almond milk for these rolls, and they all work great!
Dairy-Free – need to keep these rolls dairy-free? Use a plant-based milk, plant-based butter, and a vegan cream cheese for the frosting.
Flour – no bread flour? Use all-purpose flour instead.

A Quick Overview of How to Make These Lemon Blueberry Sweet Rolls

Make a batch of the blueberry jam. Boil the ingredients over medium heat, allowing them to thicken. Then, cool the mixture in the fridge.
Make the dough. Combine the ingredients for the dough, and knead it into a smooth ball. Then, transfer it to a grasped bowl, and let it rise in a warm area until it doubles in size. Next, punch the dough down and roll it out into a large rectangle.
Assemble the rolls. Spread softened butter evenly over the dough. Then, mix the blueberry jam with lemon zest, and spread it over the butter in an even layer. Tightly roll the dough, and slice it into pieces.
Rest. Arrange the rolls in a baking dish, cover them with a tea towel, and let them rise until they double in size.
Bake. Transfer the blueberry sweet rolls to the oven, and bake until they’re lightly golden brown. Set aside to cool slightly.
Make the cream cheese frosting. In the meantime, mix the frosting ingredients until light and fluffy. Then, spread it over the cold rolls, and enjoy!

blueberry jam being spread over sweet roll dough

My Favorite Sweet Roll Tips and Tricks

Make sure your yeast is not expired – check the label on your packets of yeast to make sure that it hasn’t expired, so that you get a good rise on your lemon blueberry sweet rolls.
Don’t overheat or underheat your milk – in order for your yeast to activate properly, you want to be sure that your milk is heated to 110-115 degrees Fahrenheit. I like to heat my milk in a small pot on the stovetop, but you can also heat it in the microwave in increments of 15-20 seconds until warm. Use a candy thermometer to ensure the milk is not too hot or too cold.
Make sure your eggs are room temperature – this helps to keep the milk the right temperature and not negatively impact your yeast activation.
Measure the flour correctly – be sure to measure your flour by spooning it into the measuring cup and then using a knife to level it out. Measuring it correctly will ensure that you don’t add too much flour to the dough.
Use measuring tape – I used to really struggle with getting evenly sized sweet rolls until I started to use a measuring tape. Now, I keep one in the kitchen and it helps me to cut evenly sized rolls every single time.
Line your pan with parchment paper – if you want to make clean up a breeze and keep your rolls from sticking to the pan, don’t forget to line your baking dish with parchment paper before adding the rolls.
Don’t over-bake – your sweet rolls should be a nice light golden brown on the top, but not too dark. If you tap the top of a roll and it sounds hollow, then you know they are done.
Practice makes perfect – here’s the thing with any type of sweet or cinnamon roll, you get better at making them the more you make them. I’ve made dozens of batches of both my homemade cinnamon rolls and these blueberry sweet rolls at this point, and I still feel like I learn a new little trick or find something I want to tweak every time I make them. Just know your rolls will be delicious and you’ll feel even more confident making them with more practice.

sweet rolls in baking dish for first rise

Make-Ahead Option

You can easily make these rolls the night before and bake them the next morning.

To make overnight: Roll, cut, and place the lemon blueberry sweet rolls in a parchment-lined baking dish after they have finished their first rise. Then, cover the rolls tightly with plastic wrap and place them in the fridge overnight. The next morning, remove the baking dish from the fridge and let the rolls finish their second rise in a warm area for about 45 minutes to 1 hour before baking.

More Delicious Sweet Bread Recipes

I hope you love these Lemon Blueberry Sweet Rolls as much as we do! They’re soft, sweet, and full of fruity flavor! If you do give this recipe a try, I want to know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo & tag @allthehealthythings on INSTAGRAM. Your reviews help support All the Healthy Things and make it possible for me to continue to create the recipes you know and love.

Lemon Blueberry Sweet Rolls

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Author: Ashlea Carver
Prep Time: 3 hours
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours 25 minutes
Yield: 12
Category: Dessert
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegetarian

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Description

Ingredients

Units Scale

Dough

1 cup whole milk
2 – 1/4 oz packets active-dry yeast
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter, melted
1 egg + 1 egg yolk, room temperature
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups bread flour
avocado oil or avocado oil non-stick spray

Filling

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup blueberry jam
1/2 tablespoon lemon zest

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest

Instructions

Make the Dough: Warm the milk to 110-115 degrees Fahrenheit and then transfer to a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle the yeast on top of the warm milk and then sprinkle the granulated sugar over the yeast. The yeast should begin to foam and become frothy. If after 5 minutes the yeast does still not start to foam or become frothy, throw out the milk mixture and start again with new yeast. Next, add the melted butter, egg, and egg yolk to the mixture and whisk together until well combined.
Add the lemon zest, salt, and bread flour to the wet ingredients and use a wooden spoon or silicone spatula to stir in the flour until it is well combined and a dough forms, being sure to incorporate all of the flour from the sides of the bowl. You’ll know it’s time to move on to the next step once it becomes hard to stir. It will be a thick, shaggy dough that’s still quite a bit sticky and that’s ok!
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and then use your hands to knead the dough for 8-10 minutes until it becomes elastic and can easily form into a smooth ball. The dough should feel slightly tacky but it should not stick to your hands or the kneading surface. If the dough is still too sticky, add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time and continue to knead the dough until it becomes a smooth, elastic ball.
Grease a clean, large bowl with one teaspoon of avocado oil and then transfer the ball of dough to the greased bowl. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and let the dough rise in a warm area (like the top of your oven/stovetop) for 1 – 1 1/2 hours or until the dough has doubled in size.
Once the dough has risen, punch it down to release the extra air and then transfer to a lightly floured surface. Shape the dough into the shape of a rough rectangle and then use a rolling pin to roll the dough out into a 20×16 rectangle that is roughly 1/4 inch thick.
Assemble the Rolls: Use a spatula or knife to spread the softened butter evenly over the dough. Then add the blueberry jam and lemon zest to small bowl and stir together. Spread the blueberry jam mixture over the dough in an even layer.
Tightly roll up the dough, on the long side, and place seam side down. Pinch the seal a bit so the rolls don’t unravel. Use a sharp serrated knife or unflavored dental floss to cut the rolls into 12 equally sized pieces. Place the rolls in a 9×13 casserole dish, lined with parchment paper, evenly spaced a part. You should have 3 rows with 4 rolls per row.
Cover the casserole dish with a tea towel and let the rolls rise for another 45 minutes until they have almost doubled in size.
Bake the Rolls: Bake the rolls on the center rack at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until they are a light golden brown. Remove them from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before icing. Finish with lemon zest for garnish.
Make the Lemon Cream Cheese Icing: Add the cream cheese, butter, and confectioner’s sugar to a mixing bowl. Use a hand mixer to mix the frosting until it is fluffy and the confectioners sugar is well incorporated without any lumps. Next, add in the vanilla extract, lemon juice and zest and mix on high again until fluffy and well combined. Set aside.