If you’ve ever wanted to make a King Cake at home but felt intimidated by yeast, rising times, or complicated braiding, this Easy King Cake Recipe was developed for you.

While you can start from scratch and use the yeast dinner rolls recipe to make a king cake, I wanted to create a shortcut that made this tradition more approachable to a wider audience.

I lived in South Louisiana for a few years, and King Cake wasn’t just served on Fat Tuesday. As soon as the Christmas holiday season was winding down, everyone would start talking about which bakery or secret corner shop had the best variation.

The traditional New Orleans King Cake recipe is made with a yeasted sweet dough, often filled with cinnamon and sugar, a cream cheese filling, chopped nuts, or other variations. It’s then topped with icing and the signature purple, green, and gold sugar.

This cinnamon-swirled version keeps the spirit of the classic, but starts with frozen bread dough. That means it’s easy to jump into Mardi Gras without spending too much time in the kitchen and missing the festivities.

Why This Recipe Works

• No yeast mixing required
• No complicated braiding
• Minimal hands-on time
• Soft, sweet, cinnamon-sugar center

This cinnamon roll-style recipe still feels fully homemade and turns out a bit rustic. That’s exactly the goal. Using frozen dough is a shortcut meant to save time and make this easy king cake recipe approachable for last-minute celebrating.

Ingredients You’ll Need

For the King Cake

• 1 loaf frozen white bread dough, thawed
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• ⅓ cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Recipe note: This Easy King Cake recipe was developed and tested with Rhodes Frozen White Bread Dough.

For the Glaze & Decoration

• 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk
• ½ teaspoon almond extract
• Purple, green, and gold sanding sugar
• Plastic baby, optional, for serving

How to Make This Easy King Cake Recipe

Thaw the dough: Allow frozen bread dough to thaw completely according to package directions. This will result in an initial rise. You can start this overnight in the refrigerator or complete in 4 to 7 hours at room temperature.

Roll out and fill: On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a rectangle about 10 inches by 16 inches. Brush with melted butter. Mix brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt, then sprinkle evenly over the dough, leaving about 1 inch around all of the edges.

Roll up and shape: Roll tightly into a log from the long side, just as you would do if you were making cinnamon rolls. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and shape into a ring, pinching the ends together to seal.

Final rise: Cover loosely with a clean tea towel and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes, until it puffs up. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake: Place the pan on the middle rack and bake at 350 degrees F for 22 to 24 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool completely.

Glaze and decorate: Whisk together glaze ingredients until smooth. Spoon over cooled cake. Let the icing set for about 1 minute, then sprinkle alternating sections with purple, green, and gold sugar.

The King Cake Baby Tradition

It is tradition to tuck a small plastic baby into the bottom of the king cake before serving. The baby represents Baby Jesus and getting the slice with the baby is said to bring that person good luck. But beware, as finding the baby also carries with it the responsibility of bringing the king cake to the next celebration.

While it might seem obvious, it’s important to note that you tuck the baby into the finished and cooled king cake. Do not place the plastic baby in the oven during baking.

Speaking of tradition, the purple, green, and gold that decorate a king cake each carry special meaning. Purple represents justice, green symbolizes faith, and gold signifies power. These vibrant colors appear throughout Mardi Gras season and make king cake instantly recognizable as part of the celebration.

More New Orleans-Inspired Recipes To Try

Keep the Mardi Gras celebration going by pairing this Easy King Cake recipe with other festive favorites. My Hurricane Cocktail recipe is a classic New Orleans drink with bold citrus flavor and vibrant color.

For something savory, Cajun Crawfish Étouffée offers rich, comforting flavor with tender crawfish in a deeply seasoned sauce, while a hearty bowl of Seafood Gumbo brings together layers of spice, seafood, and tradition. Together, these recipes create a festive spread that captures the spirit and flavor of Mardi Gras right at home.