I make these hot cross buns using an easy dough, filled with cinnamon, sweet raisins, and finished with a creamy icing. There’s no yeast, no boiling, no fancy mixer. You can bake them in the oven or in the air fryer!
Hot Cross Buns
Confession: Until I made homemade hot cross buns, I’d never had a hot cross bun before (although I did play it on my recorder in grade school!). While researching this recipe, I noticed the dough was very similar to my homemade Bagel Recipe, with the addition of raisins, cinnamon spice, and a glaze on top. I made my hot cross buns with the sugar on the lighter side, leaving the sweetness to the glaze, and we loved them.
Why You’ll Love This Hot Cross Buns Recipe
Serve these homemade hot cross buns on Easter morning with hard-boiled eggs and fruit! More sweet brunch additions I love are No-bake Strawberries and Cream Crepe Cake, Honey Lemon Bars, and Chocolate Drizzled Coconut Macaroons.
- Easy dough: The no-yeast dough is quick to make without fancy equipment. Even beginner bakers are going to ace this recipe.
- Lightened-up: I kept the buns themselves low in sugar, subbing in ingredients like egg whites and Greek yogurt for a lighter version of a classic.
- Iconic Easter food: Hot cross buns are a favorite Easter recipe. Their signature “cross” was originally made from light-colored dough, but I keep it easy and draw the cross with icing instead!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are all the ingredients for this easy hot cross buns recipe. See the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- All-purpose flour, measured using the spoon and level method. Spoon the flour into the measuring cup, and level off the top with the back of a knife to avoid overmeasuring. You can also make this recipe with whole wheat flour or a gluten-free flour blend.
- Baking powder that’s fresh and not expired, otherwise the buns won’t rise.
- Raw sugar or granulated sugar.
- Cinnamon for a hint of cozy spice next to the raisins. You can swap cinnamon with nutmeg, cardamom, or another warm spice if you’d like.
- Kosher salt, or, if you’re using table salt, you’ll need slightly less.
- Greek yogurt, not regular yogurt, as it makes the dough too sticky.
- Raisins, currants, or dried cranberries. Leave these out if you’d prefer.
- Egg white, or a whole egg for an egg wash.
- Powdered sugar and milk (or water) to make the icing. Add a drop of vanilla extract for more flavor.
How To Make Hot Cross Buns
Make perfectly soft, spiced hot cross buns in three easy steps.
- Mix the dough. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon, and salt until well combined. Then, cut in the yogurt and raisins using a fork. The dough will be crumbly. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it 10-15 turns, until it’s tacky but no longer sticky.
- Divide and bake the buns. Now, divide the dough into 8 same-sized balls. Place these on a lined baking sheet and brush the tops with the egg white. Bake the buns on the top oven rack at 375ºF for 25 minutes. They’ll need to cool for at least 30 minutes before you ice them.
- Add the icing. Whisk powdered sugar with milk (or water) in a bowl. Once smooth, fill a small ziplock bag with the icing and snip off one of the corners. Use the bag to pipe icing on top of the buns in a cross pattern.
Air Fryer Method
You can make hot cross buns in the air fryer! Preheat the air fryer to 325ºF. Prepare the buns as directed and bake them in batches, 11-12 minutes per batch, until baked through and golden. Cool and then ice the buns as usual.
Watch How to Make It
Tips for Perfect Hot Cross Buns
- Line the baking sheet. Use a Silpat or parchment paper sprayed with oil to prevent them from sticking to the baking sheet.
- Bake on the top rack. This way, the buns won’t brown too much on the bottom.
- Greek yogurt instead of plain is essential. If there’s any liquid in the yogurt, be sure to drain it. I tested with Fage and Stonyfield Greek, both worked great. Chobani has been giving people sticky dough, so I would avoid that brand for this recipe.
- If your dough is sticky, add more flour or use less yogurt.
- Scale as needed. You can easily double or triple this recipe to make more. You can also half or quarter it to make less.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. To make these hot cross buns with self-rising flour, omit the salt and baking powder.
Yes! I tested this dairy-free a few different ways with success. Use a thick dairy-free Greek yogurt; Kite Hill (blue label) was the brand I found and tested. This yogurt is not 0 Freestyle Points. Use water instead of milk for the glaze.
What to Serve With Hot Cross Buns
Ever since I perfected this recipe, these lightened-up hot cross buns have become a staple at Easter brunch right along with our annual Baked Ham.
Brunch Dishes
Try these savory recipes at this year’s family brunch.
Small Bites
Hot cross buns are the perfect sweet treat next to these easy appetizers.
How to Store
- Store at room temperature. These hot cross buns are fine to store at room temperature for a day or two if you’ve used milk in the icing, and slightly longer if you used water. Move them to the fridge for longer-term storage.
- Freeze. You can freeze the unglazed buns for up to 2 months. Thaw the buns at room temperature before you ice them.
More Easter Recipes
Hot Cross Buns
Ingredients
- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, whole wheat, or gluten-free mix (5 ounces)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder, make sure it’s not expired or it won’t rise
- 2 tablespoons raw sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, use less if using table salt
- 1 cup 0% Greek yogurt, not regular yogurt, it will be too sticky
- 3 tablespoon raisins
- 1 egg white, beaten (whole egg works fine too)
Icing (only half will get used)*:
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon milk or water
Instructions
Oven Method:
- Preheat oven to 375ºF.
- Place parchment paper or a silpat on a baking sheet. If using parchment paper, spray with oil to avoid sticking.
- In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon and salt and whisk well.
- Add the yogurt and raisins, mix with a fork or spatula until well combined, it will look like small crumbles.
- Lightly dust flour on a work surface and remove dough from the bowl, knead the dough a few times until dough is tacky, but not sticky, about 10 to 15 turns (it should not leave dough on your hand when you pull away).
- Divide into 8 equal balls. Place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Top with egg wash. Bake on the top rack of the oven for 25 minutes. Let cool at least 30 minutes before icing.
For the icing:
- In a small bowl, whisk the powdered sugar with milk until smooth. Transfer to a small ziplock bag and cut the tip. Ice the tops of the rolls in a cross pattern.
Air Fryer Method:
- Preheat the air fryer to 325ºF and set for 11 to 12 minutes.
- Transfer in batches without overcrowding and bake 11 to 12 minutes, or until golden. No need to turn.
- Let cool at least 30 minutes before icing.
This looks and sounds like my favorite hot cross bun recipe, but the author’s English grammar needs refinement.
These were easy & fun to make. My husband & both enjoyed them. I liked that they do not use yeast; therefore, quicker that the yeast ones. Since I like bagels- I enjoyed the bagel-like texture. Thank you whoever posted this recipe!
Made every year since 2018 with gluten free flour. Yum!
great!!
I think these are a very easy, very good tribute to a hot cross bun. They are not traditional hot cross buns, but I like what they are. I used Kirkland organic greek yogurt 0% because that’s all I had on hand, and it was a bit too sticky. The things I changed in the recipe include: currants instead of raisins because that’s what I had on hand; added the zest of one orange; used orange juice for previously zested orange for the liquid needed in the icing. I used much less greek yogurt than 1 cup. This might’ve had to do with the Kirkland greek yogurt, or the zest addition, or both. I wish I would have crowded my buns on the baking pan a bit more to get the tear and share look. It is important to make double the icing, as the recipe calls for, because it would be impossible to pipe the crosses on with half the amount. Will make again!
I made these for Easter brunch. They were really easy to make and tasted delicious. The taste and texture was more like cinnamon raisin bagels versus (what I interpret as) buns, but they were still very good. I used Fage 0% greek yogurt and had no issues with the dough.
I make these every year and I’m making them again! They turn out great and are a big hit every year.
are you kidding with the hot cross buns 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of yogurt makes a sticky mess – this does not crumbles. Not sure why everyone likes this – needs more flour
I make this all the time, with no sticky mess, did you use Stonyfield Greek yogurt?
I never realized how much yogurt makes a difference until I got fage (stony field is hard to find near me) and it’s like night and day. I see why Gina always makes it a point to get a think Greek yogurt.
When I’ve used other yogurt it turns out super sticky and doesn’t bake well.
I made this for Easter this year and they were yummy! I would agree with others that the density is closer to a bagel than a traditional bun (which is more of a roll) but the flavor was nice enough and they were so easy that I would definitely make them again! Thank you!
**and
Good recipe! Dairy-free eaters don’t skip over her recommendation for the Kite Hill greek yogurt. I ended up using SO delicious unsweetened coconut yogurt. It was sticky in the kneading process (I just used more flour while kneading) anf a little chewy in the center after baking, but it still tasted good! Thanks.
Hi Gina,
This recipe sounds AMAZING! I just have one question for you…we are still sheltering at home so I don’t have access to any yogurt or any other fresh dairy & I want to make these for Easter dinner. Do you have any suggestions for any substitutes that you think would work such as shelf-stable silken tofu, almond milk &/or almond “buttermilk”, canned evaporated milk, or applesauce? I have coconut oil & Crisco butter flavored shortening, too. Please let me know if possible & thank you so much for sharing this yummy sounding recipe!! Happy Easter!!
Recipe was easy to make and tasted fine, but not one I would make again. I think the bagel dough a bit chewy/tough to turn into hot cross buns.
So Sad! I tried to make with 2% yogurt and followed another comment to add additional flower and baking powder and completely fell apart. I would recommend not deviating from the recipe.
Do you know what song is used in the video? I need to play that on repeat to pretend I’m on a beach, eating these, while in quarantine!
I tried to make this recipe today. I followed it exactly but found the dough to be a bit dry to try and knead. Could I use a little less flour? It is truly 1 cup + 5 ounces for the mix? Just wondering
Sorry Brandi, it is 1 cup which equals 5 ounces in weight. Sorry for the confusion!
I was wondering, does it have to be yogurt or could I substitute it with milk?
pretty sure it has to be yogurt, too much extra liquid is not right for the dough recipe and milk is all liquid.
Baking powder, like baking soda, works best with something slightly acidic to start the reaction that makes baked goods rise. Yogurt culture also help leaven the dough. I guess you could try buttermilk at half the amount of yogurt and see what happens.
These were really good! Even though the texture is different than a yeast bun, they tasted exactly the same!
The recipe says 1 cup 5 oz flour. Is it 1 cup plus 5 ounces?
1 cup.
Question: would sour cream work as a substitute for the Greek yogurt?
Hi! Can you make the dough and shape it the night before you cook them?
-Sarah
Has anyone tried this with whole milk Greek yogurt? The recipe call for 0%fat Greek yogurt.
I used whole Greek yogurt. It came out super sticky and I had to add about another cup of flour and another teaspoon of baking powder. They’re in the oven now and are rising nicely.
Hi, I used all the ingredients required but my patch came out sticky, why could this be? and how can I fix it?
*batch
Add more flour.
Loved them, family enjoyed the treat. I substituted with some other dried fruit I had. So easy to make. Thank you.
I really want to make this. We have no Greek yogurt because of quarantine— is there anything I can substitute??
Thank you for the yummy recipe. My family and I all love it!
When making in an air fryer, is there anything special to keep the buns from sticking to the air fryer screen? I am assuming you don’t put parchment etc down like on a cookie sheet in oven. I would like to try it in air fryer but am hesitant to make a mess. Do you just use a little spray?
Decided to line my air fryer screen with parchment to be on the safe side. Made them yesterday and they were fabulous!
I have no yogurt. Because of the “Virus” don’t want to go to the store. What if anything can I use instead of the yogurt?
Maybe sour cream? But you probably be would have to add more flour.
Hi – Just to confirm – is the flour measurement 1 cup + 5 oz or is it 1 cup (or 5 oz)? Thank you!
1 cup weighs 5 oz
Thank you! That is EXACTLY the question I had too–about the amount of flour. I am about to make these today in time for Good Friday tomorrow. I always have hot cross buns at Easter from a local bakery or good quality store, so I am missing them this year. Hope mine turn out nearly as good as the ones pictured.
Hi, I’m sorry but I thought that one cup is 8 oz?
1 cup is 8 liquid oz. But 1 cup of rocks and 1 cup of feathers dont weigh the same, that is why flour is weighed.
What could I substitute for the Greek yogurt? Would love to try this but trying to avoid going to the store too frequently right now
How do you store them? Thank you!
I’m planning to half this recipe. It that 1 cup plus 5 oz of flour which is basically 2 cups or is that one cup or 5 oz of flour? It throws me to see volume and weight together. Thanks!
Jo….it’s only 1 cup or 5 oz of flour…the () was left off….I checked her bagel recipe….which is this also…
For an egg allergy what could I do on top instead of the egg wash? A very small amount of butter? Or just water maybe? Thanks so much!
I think a little butter might be nice
Thank you! Excited to try these. We love your bagel recipe.
Hi Gina,
My family ( Celiac disease) loves your incredible gluten free bagels. Do I need to add an egg white to this batter also?
Would the temperature and time be different with gluten free flour (difference with the bagels) in air fryer?
Thanks for listing the weight of the flour, I find gluten free baking works much better by weight.
The local gluten free bakery just sent an email about the arrival of hot cross buns. I cannot wait to try your much healthy and cost effective recipe later today.
Thanks so much for having healthy gluten free options with your recipes
I think it will take a little longer to cook same bake time, not sure about the egg
Planning on making these with my kids tomorrow for Good Friday. Has anyone used GF flour? That’s what we’ll use.
They worked! We used King Arthur 1-1 GF flour with 1/4 tsp xanthin gum added. I used Fage non fat greek yogurt & a couple tbsps of TJ’s vanilla greek yogurt since it was already open in the fridge. They were so good they felt a little too indulgent for Good Friday!
I just made these, with tweaked spices (a dash each of nutmeg and ground cloves), and substituted candies mixed peel for the raisins, brown sugar for the raw sugar. OMG, YUMMM. 😍. These are definitely going into the baking rotation in my house! Thanks for the Easter gift, Gina!!
what kind of candy did you use?
Thank you so much for this delicious recipe! Hot cross buns are a staple for our families Easter brunch. Delighted to be able to make this easy and healthier twist on a classic!
I really liked them. Mine didn’t look as pretty as yours, but they tssted great and I was skeptical even after they were baking as to if they would taste good. Yum!
Can you use 2 percent Greek yogurt in this recipe. Haven’t tried this recipe yet to rate it but plan to
Just made these and they came out perfect and delicious!
adding a half teaspoon of mixed spice as well improves the taste more like hot x bun taste
Anyone from Australia made these recipes and can recommend a Greek yoghurt? The only one you mentioned that I know of is Chobani and apparently that isn’t too helpful in this recipe! Maybe I shall have to do trial and error but that might be a bit frustrating and expensive, so…..help! ???
As long as it’s thick enough that it doesn’t spill if you invert it, it should work!
HI Cath!
Just wondering if you had any success with finding an appropriate yoghurt here in Australia?
I’ve just found this recipe and would like to try it, so any help would be greatly appreciated!
Cheers,
Megs.
Yopro should work as it is much thicker than Chobani! I’m going to try this weekend 🙂
Just put your yogurt in a fine sieve and drain some whey out.
What about Jalna?
These are fantastic! I altered the recipe a bit to add in some light brown sugar, and they were still yummy. I only made 1/2 the recipe since some said they are not the best as left overs. I put cream cheese on one and the icing on the other and both tasted great! I can see using this recipe for cinnamon raisin bagels. Thanks for another hit Gina!
great!
I tweaked the bagel recipe also for a traditional Easter treat, Italian rolls. Instead of plain yogurt I used vanilla flavored, and added fresh orange zest to the dough. Rolled out long lengths, wound into a “nest” and baked. When they came out of the oven I nested an egg on them, then glazed and put a few sprinkles on them, they were delicious!
I’m going to buy an air fryer to try this recipe. Can you recommend any air fryer products?
I like Nuwave Brio
Hi – these and the bagels are a must try for me. 2 questions though:
– to make cinnamon raisin bagels what quantities of each would I need? and
– can I make the dough for the HCB and freeze the dough then defrost in fridge overnight , bring to room temp and bake in morning or is it better to bake first then freeze rest to bring 1-2 out to room temp. Will the flavor be same if frozen ?
Never having had a hot cross bun I have nothing to compare it to. But the flavor was delicious, not overly sweet and perfect for breakfast. Yum! Thank you
These are super easy and very tasty. Love these!
I put in recipe builder and only had 4 freestyle points per bun. I used regular white sugar. Flour yogurt baking powder and 3 tablespoons raisins and the icing recipe. They are delicious. How did I miss calculate to b 4 points? I made 8
My mom always made these for Easter growing up, as a WW LT member I was so excited to see this recipe. . I made them for Easter Breakfast and they were delicious. I won’t be waiting until Easter to make them again, Thank you so much!
I made these last night but the 8 little balls came out exactly as I put them in …..tgey did not spread…..i did use the kite hill yogurt you recommended…. I don’t know what went wrong! ??
Amazing!
I think this is the 4th recipe of yours I have used and they have all been great.
Thank you so much for sharing!
It had become a habit to make canned cinnamon rolls on Sunday morning before church, but in my quest to make healthier decisions for my boys, I cut that out several months ago. So when I saw this recipe I was excited to try it. I tried it as soon as the recipe was posted and it got RAVE reviews from my boys. Both asked for more and I’m thrilled that I now have a healthier version of their Sunday morning cinnamon rolls. Thank you, Gina, for all the effort you put into your recipes. My family has loved every single one we have tried!!
I am thrilled!!
Big hit in my house! Even with the non-raisin lovers! A note on yogurt brands – I used Aldi’s “Friendly Farms” plain greek yogurt and got great results. Thanks for all you do Gina!
Great!
Every last one was gone…in minutes! Thanks, Gina!
These are soooooo good. Thank you. Family loved it and ate them all.
I have tried many of your recipes and have loved them all. This for me was not a hit. My buns were too dense and I had to extend the baking time. As a result the outside was too crusty (over baked) and inside was too doughy. Someday I shall try again. I loved the cinnamon taste and the raisins but the texture was off.
Made your bagel recipe quite a few times now and my whole family loves them! So I decided to try these today & they are super delicious! I doubled the batch and followed the recipe exactly & they came out perfect! Thank you!
By the way…I used 0 %. Has to be the brand..
I was excited to see this recipe and made the buns right away. Hmmm…I bet the brand of yogurt makes a difference! All I had in the fridge was a store brand of organic Greek yogurt. Talk about sticky! They just came out of the oven looking like craggy biscuits 🙂
Hoping they taste better than they look!
Yes I recommend Fage or Stonyfield.
Gina, I want to make sure i’m doing this right, for the icing i’m using half of the recipe, so it’s basically 2 Tbs Powdered sugar & 1/2 tsp milk, is that right?
Make the whole thing as it’s easier to work with, just don’t use it all.
I have made both the bagels and hot cross buns. Love both. Can they be frozen?
Sure
I make a dozen bagels each weekend then freeze them for my husband and I to eat during the week. They are excellent!
Hi, would this work with a non dairy yogurt?
Yes, I mentioned above it has to be Greek non dairy
would the recipe work if made with baking splenda mix or baking stevia mix???? That would lessen the calories and sugar content a bit.
yes
Why does it say •Freestyle Points: 7,
•Points +: 5
is it 7 points plus another 5 more I noticed a lot of her recipes have this where there will be an addition sign and nother number next to the WW points. Can someone clarify?
its the old points plus
“Points Plus” is a precious Weight Watchers Program, the “points” were calculated much differently than Smart Points ?
Made these for Palm Sunday breakfast. I used half AP flour and half whole wheat flour…. I used currents instead of raisins . Also, in keeping with the Greek yogurt theme, I made the icing using Greek yogurt cream cheese, powdered sugar and a splash of milk. Best part is two buns is one serving!
Best when enjoyed same day as baking, not quite as good next day.
Agree!
I am such a big fan of cinnamon buns, I made these instantly after reading your recipe and was really impressed with the results. I had them fresh from the oven with a cup of hot coffee and loved the combination. Cinnamon gave it a really nice flavor which I loved.
Thank you!
I might try to make these, as from experience HCB’s are very time consuming with needing & proving, but if I do I cannot pass them offf to my family as hot cross buns, as they will absolutely know they are not. Besides the batter not being correct the cross at the top is not a sugar icing glaze, but made out of flour and water.
I don’t believe you read the recipe correctly. The cross on top is made using a sugar glaze made of powdered sugar and milk or water; those ingredients are listed at the bottom of the ingredients list. These definitely won’t be traditional hot cross buns; instead, they are a healthier version. I’ve used the dough for several Skinnytaste recipes including bagels and buns and pizza dough. It’s very good and a great low-point and low-calorie substitute to traditional bread.
Thank you for the recipe! Can these be prepared the night before, refrigerated, and baked in the morning??
I bet you could. I did this with the pizza dough, rolled them out and refrigerated. They baked fine after sitting out to get closer to room temperature.
Easter Morning is fast paced for us. Have you tested how they are if cooked the day before and re-warmed? I was thinking I might try that, but hold off on the glaze until Easter morning.
they are best fresh but you can make the dough the day before and keep it wrapped and refrigerated.
Can the dough be made ahead of time?
yes
Any high altitude tips for these? Thanks!
Sorry I don’t know much about that but I bet you can google it!
Would I be able to swap out he flour for almond flour?
No it doesn’t work
We make the bagels all the time with almond flour-and love them! But for this recipe I plan to use 1/2 almond flour -1/2 whole wheat- This combo is working great in several recipes I’ve tried-😉
Do you think it would work with sour cream instead of yogurt?
Yum!!! What do you recommend instead of raisins? Nuts? Or just nothing?
It usually has some type of dried fruit but this would be good without
I have made your delicious bagels. I am interested in the hot cross bun recipe. I didn’t see the proportions for the added ingredients. Can you help me?
Check again
What could I use in place of the raw sugar that wouldn’t affect the WW points too much? I don’t keep raw sugar stocked.
Granulated would work fine.
Thank you! I have been wanting to add raisins to the bagel recipe and looking at low pt Hot Cross Bun recipes. You just solved both issues with one recipe!
🙂
Where is the recipe? I realize the bagel recipe is the base but what else is added and how much? Raisins? Cinnamon? Glaze?
Nevermind, wasn’t loading properly
Look again… it’s there.
Thank you! I will try these – my traditional Hot Cross Buns never seem to turn out like my Mums, so I need to try a new recipe! We have Hot Cross Buns on Good Friday, warm, spread with butter inside (although adding the butter, will of course add points!)