If you love cinnamon rolls, these sourdough blueberry rolls are a delicious fruity variation of classic fluffy cinnamon rolls (also check out our sourdough orange cinnamon rolls and sourdough strawberry cinnamon roll recipe). These blueberry sourdough sweet rolls are filled with a sweet blueberry filling and topped with a blueberry cream cheese frosting that is sure to please your friends and family.

sourdough blueberry cinnamon roll on a plate.

The secret to these sourdough discard cinnamon rolls is that they are leavened with dry active yeast. These rolls are great if you are just starting out with sourdough baking and are intimidated by the process of naturally leavened cinnamon rolls. They are quick and easy and will be finished in 3 hours.

These rolls are great in the summer but can be enjoyed even when blueberries are not in season because you can use frozen blueberries (see also my recipe for sourdough blueberry scones).

Ingredients and Substitutions

Dough

Butter: I recommend unsalted butter but you can also substitute salted butter if desired. If using salted butter, reduce the salt in the recipe by 1/4 teaspoon. You can also use your favorite vegan butter if dairy free.
Milk: You can use cow’s milk or substitute for your favorite non-dairy milk if you are dairy free or vegan.
Brown Sugar: If you don’t have any brown sugar, you can substitute white sugar. The flavor will be slightly less rich but will overall taste very similar.
Dry Active Yeast
Salt
Vanilla
Sourdough Starter: You can use sourdough starter in any state for this recipe. This is technically a sourdough discard recipe but if your starter is active you can use it. The main leavening will come from the active yeast resulting in the flavor will be less tangy than traditional sourdough recipes.
All Purpose Flour: You can also substitute bread flour in this recipe if desired.

Filling

Butter: Feel free to use salted or unsalted butter in this recipe.
Blueberries: You can use fresh or frozen blueberries for this recipe.
Sugar
Lemon juice: If you do not have lemon juice, you can substitute water or milk.
Corn Starch: Mix this with 1 tablespoon of cold water to make a slurry before adding it to the blueberry mixture.
Brown Sugar
Cinnamon

Blueberry Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream Cheese: I have made these with vegan cream cheese as well with excellent results. Feel free to substitute if you dairy free.
Butter
Blueberry sauce: You will reserve about 1-1/2 tablespoon of the filling mixture to add to the cream cheese frosting.
Vanilla Extract
Powdered Sugar

How To Make Sourdough Blueberry Cinnamon Rolls

Make the Dough

Step 1: Melt the butter on the stove in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the milk and stir for about 15 seconds to slightly warm it. The mixture should be about 110F.

Step 2: Stir in the salt, yeast, vanilla and brown sugar until combined.

wet ingredients for sourdough blueberry cinnamon rolls in a saucepan.

Step 3: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, mix the flour, sourdough discard, and butter mixture on low speed. Continue to knead for 8-10 minutes.

Step 4: Cover the bowl and allow to rise for one hour.

sourdough cinnamon blueberry roll dough in a bowl of stand mixer with dough hook.

Make the Blueberry Filling

Step 1: Cook the blueberries, white sugar, and lemon juice over medium heat until they come to a boil. Reduce the heat and continue to cook until slightly thickened.

Step 2: Add the cornstarch and water mixture to the berries. Stir until just combined and thickened. Let the berries cool while the dough finishes proofing. You want the berries close to room temperature by the time the dough is ready to fill.

saucepan containing blueberry filling for sourdough blueberry sweet rolls.

Roll and Fill the Dough

Step 1: Roll the dough into a large rectangle measuring about 13×21 inches.

Step 2: Melt the butter in the microwave for 15-20 seconds or until mostly melted. Use a pastry brush to brush the melted butter over the dough.

Step 3: Stir together the cinnamon and brown sugar. Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar mixture over the melted butter.

Step 4: Spread the blueberries over the top, reserving 1-1/2 tablespoons for the frosting.

Step 5: Gently roll the dough into a loose cylinder by rolling the long edge toward you. You don’t want the rolls to be too tightly rolled or the filling will squeeze out and become misshapen when baking.

hands rolling the filled sourdough blueberry cinnamon rolls into a long cylinder.

Step 6: Cut the dough into 12 equal sized pieces. You can do this with a sharp knife or a piece of unflavored dental floss.

Step 7: Place the cut sourdough blueberry rolls into a 9×13 inch baking pan. Cover with plastic wrap.

Step 8: Allow the rolls to rise for another 1 hour. They should be puffy and touching each other when ready to bake.

cut sourdough blueberry rolls in a 9x13 inch pan after final proofing.

Bake

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350F.

Step 2: Bake for 30-35 minutes. To ensure these rolls are done, I recommend using a temperature probe to check the internal temperature. The rolls are done when they reach 195F.

Step 3: While the blueberry rolls are baking, make the blueberry cream cheese frosting. Use a stand mixer or a hand mixer to cream together the softened butter and cream cheese. Then, add the blueberry jam, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Continue to beat until the frosting is light and fluffy.

blueberry cream cheese frosting in bowl with hand mixer.

Step 4: Allow the sweet rolls to cool in the pan for 20 minutes before spreading the frosting over the surfaces. These rolls are best served warm.

a wooden spoon spreading blueberry frosting on baked blueberry sourdough cinnamon rolls.

How to Store

To store these sourdough blueberry rolls, store them in the pan, covered. These sweet rolls need to be stored in the refrigerator due to the cream cheese frosting. They will taste best when consumed in 3-4 days.

To reheat, microwave individual rolls for 15-20 seconds. To heat several rolls at a time, warm in a preheated oven set to 350F for about 5-10 minutes.

How to Make Vegan Blueberry Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

The only adjustments you need to make in this recipe for a fully vegan sourdough sweet roll is to substitute the butter, milk and cream cheese. I have tried vegan substitutions in this recipe and in my classic sourdough vegan cinnamon rolls recipe and it worked amazing. I recommend Earth Balance or your other favorite butter substitute, as well as a vegan cream cheese such as Myokos. Feel free to use any non-dairy milk. My personal favorite vegan milk substitutes are oat milk or Ripple.