Lemon Poppyseed Sweet Rolls

Soft, melt-in-your-mouth lemon poppyseed sweet rolls are speckled with pretty poppyseeds in every bite and topped with a sweet and tangy fresh lemon icing.

Pan full of pure sunshine heading your way today! In the form of carbs, of course, because that’s how things should always be.

Lemon and poppyseeds just belong together, I think we can all agree with that, but I’m going to go so far as to say they make the ultimate duo in these lemony sweet rolls.

And guess what, you don’t need to be a pro with yeast bread baking to pull these off! I walk you through each and every step of the dough for these sweet rolls to ensure your success.

These sweet rolls are one of our favorite spring breakfasts for obvious reasons: they absolutely scream spring with all that lemon swirl goodness!

Just between you and me though, I’d volunteer to live in that gorgeous swirl up there forever.

These Sweet Rolls feature…

• A soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture
• Tons of poppyseeds in both the rolls and the icing
• A swirl of sweet lemon sugar
• Creamy lemon icing

Making the Sweet Rolls

(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)

Ingredients You Will Need

• 2% or skim milk
• Active dry yeast
• Honey
• Eggs
• Kosher salt
• Poppyseeds
• All-purpose flour
• Unsalted butter
• Granulated sugar
• Lemon
• Powdered sugar

Do I Need a Stand Mixer?

Both a stand mixer and a mixing bowl + wooden spoon will work for mixing this dough. Of course, by hand requires a little more elbow grease and arm power, but it is definitely doable!

If you choose to go the stand mixer route, make sure you use the dough hook for mixing and let the machine knead the dough on medium speed 5-7 minutes until the dough is stretchy and elastic.

If you are making the dough by hand, use a large bowl and a wooden spoon for mixing the dough. For kneading, turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead about 10 minutes or whenever the dough is stretchy and elastic.

Tips for Perfect Sweet Rolls

1. Heat milk to 110F degrees – we recommend temping the milk to ensure it’s not over 110F. If you use liquids that are too warm, it will kill the yeast and your dough will not rise.
2. Measure flour correctly – we use the spoon-and-level technique for measuring flour as this will prevent over-measuring your flour. Use a spoon to scoop flour into the measuring cup, then level with the back of a knife.
3. Knead dough properly – this step is where we develop the gluten in our dough which is crucial for forming the structure of the rolls. You can knead by hand or use your stand mixer with the dough hook attachment.
4. Allow dough to rise until doubled – turn the dough into a clean greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 1 to 1-1/2 hours.
5. Let dough rise in a warm place – yeast dough loves warm environments for rising. We recommend 75F-80F for a rising environment in your kitchen.
6. Make lemon sugar for filling – this is a combination of granulated sugar and grated lemon zest.
7. Spread filling to within 1/2-inch of dough edges – this will keep the filling from spilling out the edges.
8. Underbake rolls – sweet rolls are best if you underbake them just a bit so they stay soft and gooey.
9. Allow rolls to cool slightly before frosting – allow the rolls to cool 20 minutes before frosting so the frosting doesn’t melt off.

Recipe Variations

Try these ideas for a different twist on these sweet rolls.

• Use a different citrus – try orange, lime, or grapefruit in place of the lemon. You can even use a combination of several.
• Add white chocolate – sprinkle 3/4 cup white chocolate chips over lemon sugar filling.
• Try a different frosting – try a cream cheese frosting in place of the lemon.

Overnight Option

Want to make these sweet rolls ahead of time for an easy breakfast the next day? You can mix up the dough and shape it the night before for the ultimate time-saver!

To prepare the rolls for chilling overnight, cut out rolls per recipe instructions, arrange them in the pan, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to chill in refrigerator 8 hours. The rolls keep well in the refrigerator up to 16 hours but after that I do recommend baking them for best rising results.

The next morning, remove the rolls from the refrigerator 1-1/2 hours before you are ready to bake them to allow them to come to room temperature.

Your next spring brunch is incomplete without these sweet rolls at the centerpiece! Everyone always dies over how light and fluffy the texture is and that luscious lemon sugar swirl in the center is literally EVERYTHING.

Trust me, you want these rolls in your life forever!

Save this recipe using the ‘save to recipe box’ button below. If you make it, please let us know! Leave a comment + star rating below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram with #wholeandheavenlyoven.

Watch these rolls made step-by-step on Google web stories.

More sweet rolls to try next!

• Caramelized Apple Cinnamon Roll Muffins
• Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
• Cream Cheese Morning Buns

This post was updated with new recipe tips and photos on 4/4/24.