Recipe
🍰 DESSERT
Kanelbullar
Cardamom-scented cinnamon buns crowned with pearl sugar, the heart of the Swedish coffee ritual of fika.
Swedish · medium · serves 16
prep 40 min · cook 15 min
~249 cal · 5g protein · 35g carbs · 10g fat · 1g fiber · 10g sugars · 6g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Kanelbullar, cinnamon buns, are so central to Swedish life that they have their own national day, on October 4th. They are the star of fika, the twice-daily ritual of coffee and something sweet that is less a habit than a cornerstone of Swedish culture.
What sets them apart from other cinnamon rolls is , ground into the soft yeasted dough, and pearl sugar scattered on top instead of icing. Twisted or knotted rather than simply spiralled, and never too sweet, they are meant to partner strong coffee, not overwhelm it.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian and nut- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 16
4 cups flour
1 cup milk
3/4 cup butter, softened
2 eggs (one in the dough, one for glazing)
2 tsp instant yeast
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp ground
2 tbsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup pearl sugar, to top
Hard to find? coarsely crushed sugar cubes - crush them in a bag with a rolling pin to pea-sized nibs; the same crunch, slightly less even
Instructions
1
Warm the milk, mix it with the yeast, half the sugar, one egg, the cardamom, most of the butter, the salt and the flour, knead it 10 minutes to a soft dough, and let it rise 30 minutes.
2
Roll the dough out thin, about 3mm, spread it with the remaining butter creamed with the cinnamon and sugar, roll it up along the long side and cut it into 25 slices, setting each one cut-side up in a paper case.
✎ Chef’s note
The cardamom in the dough is non-negotiable for a real kanelbulle. It is what makes them taste Swedish rather than generically sweet. The classic shape is the spiral slice cut from a rolled log; the twisted knot (kanelknut) is the other Swedish form and either is correct, but roll the dough genuinely thin or the spiral comes out doughy.
3
Let the shaped buns rise under a cloth for about an hour, until doubled, then brush with the second egg beaten with a little water and scatter with pearl sugar.
4
Bake at 425F (220C) until golden, 6 to 10 minutes depending on size.
✎ Chef’s note
Watch them. At 220C small buns colour in as little as five or six minutes, and a kanelbulle a couple of minutes past its best is dry rather than soft.
Swedish fika tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Skåne. Two Scanian set pieces. Aggakaka is a thick baked egg cake eaten with fried pork and lingonberry, and spettekaka is a hollow cone built up by trickling egg and sugar batter onto a spit turning over a fire; it came north from Denmark and is mentioned in writing as early as 1642.
🗺️
Sweden. Do not call kottbullar ancient. In 2018 Sweden's own official account announced that the meatballs came from a recipe Charles the Twelfth brought back from Turkey in the early eighteenth century, which started a public row and is disputed by food historians, so the story is worth telling only as a story.
🌍
Europe. European cooking is built on the land and the seasons, wheat, butter, and cured pork in the north; olive oil, tomatoes, and seafood around the Mediterranean; preserved vegetables and hearty stews through long winters. Centuries of peasant tradition, guild craft, and royal courts refined techniques from French mother sauces to Italian fresh pasta and Central European baking. Regional identity runs remarkably deep, with a single dish often changing from one valley to the next.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Sweden
Köttbullar (Swedish Meatballs)Small allspice-scented meatballs in cream gravy with potatoes and lingonberries, Sweden’s definitive comfort plate.
HavregrötWarm oat porridge topped with lingonberry or blueberry and a splash of cold milk.
RäksmörgåsA lavish open sandwich piled high with cold peeled shrimp, egg, and dill mayonnaise, a Swedish lunch indulgence.
Browse all Sweden recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Oven.
Storing it: Store in an airtight container. Most keep 2 to 3 days at room temperature, and longer refrigerated.
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Frequently asked questions
What is Kanelbullar?
Cardamom-scented cinnamon buns crowned with pearl sugar, the heart of the Swedish coffee ritual of fika.
Where does Kanelbullar come from?
Kanelbullar is a Swedish dish from Skåne, Sweden.
Can Kanelbullar be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Kanelbullar recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Kanelbullar safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Kanelbullar take to make?
About 55 minutes total (40 minutes prep, 15 minutes cooking), serving 16.
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