Strawberries and Cream Sweet Rolls are soft, pillowy rolls filled with cream cheese and strawberry preserves, then topped with a whipped cream cheese frosting. They’re perfect with a cup of coffee in the morning or as a sweet treat anytime! If you love the combination of berries and cream, you have to try my Raspberry Cream Cheese Sweet Rolls, too! If you want to stick with strawberries, I do have Strawberries and Cream Cruffins you will want to try–an easy-to-make breakfast (or anytime) treat!

Pan of Strawberries and Cream Sweet Rolls with one missing and on a plate from overhead.

Ingredients & Substitutions

Flour: I used two types of flour in the dough— all-purpose and bread flour. The all-purpose flour makes the rolls soft and light. Bread flour has more protein, which makes the rolls a little chewier. Together, these flours create the perfect dough that’s soft but strong enough to hold the filling. I used this combination in my Maple Cinnamon Rolls, too (which I love, and you will also have to try)!
Butter: In the dough, filling, and whipped cream cheese frosting, I used unsalted butter. If using salted butter, you may want to lessen the amount of salt in the recipe.
Cream Cheese Mixture: Room temperature cream cheese is mixed with butter, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract. This step makes sure the sugar mixes in evenly, and the cream cheese and butter blend together smoothly. By mixing these ingredients before adding the strawberry jam, you get a fluffy texture that goes well with the sweet jam. It also keeps the filling from being too runny and helps it spread nicely inside the rolls.
Strawberry Preserves: If you don’t have preserves, strawberry jam would also work, but you wouldn’t get the larger chunks of fruit like in preserves. On the other hand, strawberry jelly would also be fine, but smoother. If you are having trouble spreading the preserves, warm it up a bit first.
Frosting: To finish off the rolls, I like to spread a whipped cream cheese frosting over the warm rolls. It adds even more cream cheese flavor to each bite!

Unfrosted Strawberries and Cream Sweet Rolls on a white table from overhead.

Can I Make These Sweet Rolls Without Bread Flour?

Sure! You can make cinnamon rolls without bread flour. (Many of my sweet roll recipes like my perfect Cinnamon Rolls and Lemon Sweet Rolls, just to name a couple, use only all-purpose flour, and they turn out great!) I used bread flour in this recipe because it helps give the rolls a bit more structure to hold the filling. If you don’t have bread flour, you can use 3 cups of all-purpose flour instead. They will still be delicious, but maybe a little less chewy.

Can I Substitute Different Fruit Preserves In These Sweet Rolls?

Absolutely! It could be a fun and tasty experiment to try the sweet rolls with your favorite kind of preserves (or jam)! Blueberry, Apricot, Raspberry, or Peach would all be delicious, I think! What is your favorite to try?

Strawberries and Cream Sweet Roll on a white plate with fresh strawberries.

Can I Make Strawberries and Cream Sweet Rolls Without A Stand Mixer?

Yes, you can make these sweet rolls without a stand mixer, but it will take a little extra effort. But, hey, it’s a decent arm workout, right? It will take about 25 minutes of gentle kneading (and some arm strength) to equal the 5 minutes using the dough hook. It can still be done, but it gets a little messy, and sometimes there is too much extra flour added to the recipe in the kneading process. Or, give my Amish Cinnamon Rolls a try, which can easily be made by hand–no electric mixer required (unless you want to)!

Make Ahead Sweet Rolls

You can do most of the work ahead of time when making these rolls, depending on when you want to serve the rolls. (I love that!) The sweet rolls are yeast bread, which means they will take some time to allow for rising. Here is how to get a head start in making the rolls:

Refrigerator Method: Prepare the dough. Then, roll it out, fill it with the filling mixture, roll, and cut. Place the unbaked rolls into a greased baking dish. Cover the rolls with plastic wrap and store them in the refrigerator for 24 hours. When ready to bake, remove the rolls from the refrigerator and let them come to room temperature (about an hour). Then, bake the rolls.
Freezer Method: Prepare the dough. Then, roll it out, fill it with the filling mixture, roll, and cut. Place the unbaked rolls into a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, place the rolls into a greased baking dish and let them thaw in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, let the rolls come to room temperature for about an hour before baking.

One Strawberry Sweet Roll on a white plate with half of roll removed showing inside texture.

Storing & Reheating Strawberries and Cream Sweet Rolls

Once cooled, store the strawberries and cream sweet rolls in an airtight container at room temperature for a day or two. Or, for longer storage, keep the rolls in the refrigerator for up to five days or so. Refrigerating the rolls can dry them out faster, but it’s easy to reheat them in the microwave or oven until heated through. If you want to save some for a few months, freeze the rolls!

Freezing Baked Sweet Rolls

If freezing the baked rolls, freeze them without the frosting for best results. Once the rolls have cooled completely, wrap each roll in plastic. Next, place the wrapped rolls in a freezer-safe bag or container. They can be frozen for up to 2-3 months. When ready to enjoy, let the rolls thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Then, add the whipped cream cheese frosting, if using!