Korean Cream Cheese Garlic Buns balance a sweet cream-cheese filling with savory garlic-butter custard inside 16 Hawaiian rolls. Brief dipping coats the bread without soaking it, while parmesan and collected garlic pieces create a fragrant golden top. This verified Korean-inspired recipe records 25 minutes preparation, 15 minutes baking, and 40 minutes total at 350°F.
Korean Cream Cheese Garlic Buns Ingredients
For the Base: 16 King's Hawaiian Original Hawaiian Sweet Rolls, ideally dried out at room temperature for 2 hours.
For the Cream Cheese Filling: 8 oz (226g) cream cheese, room temperature; 2-3 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk, to taste; Pinch of salt.
For the Garlic Butter Custard: 1/2 cup (113g) butter, melted; 1 large egg; 1/4 cup milk; 2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk; 2-3 tablespoons chopped or minced garlic; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped; 1/2 teaspoon paprika.
For the Topping: 2 tablespoons grated or shredded parmesan cheese.
If you enjoy this recipe, you may also like Red Velvet Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing.
How to Make Korean Cream Cheese Garlic Buns
- Preheat oven and prepare: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut the rolls: Using a sharp serrated knife, make 4 cuts in each roll that go about 75% of the way down, dividing each roll into 8 equal sections that are still connected at the bottom. If this seems too challenging, you can make just 2 cuts, creating 4 sections per roll instead.
- Prepare the cream cheese filling: In a mixing bowl, combine the room temperature cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, and a pinch of salt until smooth and well incorporated. Transfer this mixture to a piping bag and cut a small opening at the tip.
- Fill the rolls: Pipe the cream cheese filling into each opening of the rolls, distributing it evenly among all the cuts you've made.
- Make the garlic butter custard: In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter, egg, milk, sweetened condensed milk, minced garlic, salt, chopped parsley, and paprika until well combined.
- Dip the rolls: Carefully dip each filled roll into the garlic butter mixture for 1-2 seconds per side, ensuring they get coated but don't become soggy. Place the dipped rolls onto the lined baking sheet.
- Add remaining garlic: Scoop up any leftover pieces of garlic from the bottom of the custard bowl and brush them onto the tops of the rolls.
- Add cheese topping: Sprinkle the grated or shredded parmesan cheese evenly over the tops of all the rolls.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 15 minutes, or until the rolls turn golden brown on top.
- Serve: Serve the rolls while they're still warm for the best flavor and texture experience.
For storage details after serving, the USDA leftovers and food safety guidance.
Why the Order Matters
Ideally leave 16 King's Hawaiian Original Sweet Rolls at room temperature for two hours to dry slightly. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment. With a serrated knife, make four cuts about 75% down through each roll so it has eight sections still connected at the bottom; the source permits two cuts and four sections if the detailed cut is too difficult. Mix 8 ounces room-temperature cream cheese with 2–3 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk to taste and a pinch of salt. Transfer to a piping bag and pipe evenly into every opening. Separately whisk 1/2 cup melted butter, 1 large egg, 1/4 cup milk, 2 tablespoons condensed milk, 2–3 tablespoons chopped or minced garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Dip each filled roll for only one to two seconds per side, then set it on parchment. Brush leftover garlic pieces from the bowl onto tops and distribute 2 tablespoons parmesan. Bake approximately 15 minutes until golden and serve warm.
If you enjoy this recipe, you may also like Baklava Babka Buns.
Critical Visual and Timing Cues
A two-hour room-temperature dry helps rolls absorb custard without becoming soggy. Cuts descend only about three quarters of the way, so every roll stays intact at its base. Room-temperature cream cheese should combine smoothly with condensed milk before piping; visible lumps can block the bag. Fill openings evenly across all 16 buns. Whisk the custard until egg is integrated into melted butter, milk, condensed milk, garlic, salt, parsley, and paprika. Each dip lasts just one to two seconds per side. A prolonged soak is specifically avoided. Garlic settles at the bottom, so retrieve those pieces and brush them onto the rolls rather than discarding them. After parmesan, bake about 15 minutes and use a clearly golden top as the endpoint.
Serving and Storage
Serve all 16 buns while warm for the best contrast between soft sweet filling, savory coating, and golden exterior. The recipe makes 16 buns and serves 16. Recorded nutrition per bun is 215 calories, 18 grams carbohydrate, 14 grams fat, and five grams protein. It is vegetarian but contains dairy from cream cheese, butter, milk, condensed milk, and parmesan; it also contains egg and gluten. Therefore it is not dairy-free, vegan, gluten-free, or low-carb. The sweet filling is intentionally contrasted with savory garlic butter, so preserve both condensed-milk measures and do not omit the salt. If holding briefly, keep the warm buns from steaming in a tightly sealed container.
Practical Kitchen Notes
Condensed milk is divided: 2–3 tablespoons, adjusted to taste, goes into the cream-cheese filling, while a fixed 2 tablespoons goes into the garlic custard. The custard also uses exactly 1/2 cup melted butter, one egg, 1/4 cup milk, 2–3 tablespoons garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon paprika. The final parmesan amount is 2 tablespoons. Use exactly 16 rolls. Needed equipment is a sheet, parchment, sharp serrated knife, bowls, whisk, piping bag or corner-cut plastic bag, and optional pastry brush. Do not add sugar, mayonnaise, herbs other than parsley, or extra cheese.
Details Worth Preserving
Arrange the 16 rolls before cutting so the count cannot drift. Drying is ideal but separate from the recorded 25-minute active preparation. Stabilize one bun at a time and stop each serrated cut before the bottom. If four intersecting cuts feel unsafe, use the expressly permitted two-cut alternative rather than slicing through. Mix the filling smooth and cut only a small piping-bag opening for control. Work through every cut systematically and divide the bowl across all buns. Make custard immediately before dipping so butter remains fluid, whisk again when garlic settles, and count only one to two seconds on each side. Transfer straight to parchment. Scrape remaining garlic pieces from the bowl and brush them over tops, then spread the measured parmesan across the whole batch. Bake in a fully preheated oven for about 15 minutes and remove when all crowns are golden.
Recorded Recipe Tips
- These Korean Cream Cheese Garlic Buns blend sweet, salty, and garlicky flavors for a unique taste experience.
- Allowing the rolls to dry out slightly helps them absorb the custard without becoming too soggy.
- The sweet cream cheese filling creates a delightful contrast to the savory garlic butter coating.
Conclusion
Korean Cream Cheese Garlic Buns makes 16 buns in 40 recorded minutes. Preserve every listed quantity, temperature, timing cue, and ordered instruction for the intended result.
Frequently Asked Questions
- → How many servings does Korean Cream Cheese Garlic Buns make?
It makes 16 buns and serves 16.
- → How long does Korean Cream Cheese Garlic Buns take?
The recipe records 25 minutes of preparation, 15 minutes of cooking, and 40 minutes total.
- → How deep should I cut Korean cream cheese garlic buns?
Make four cuts about 75% of the way down so eight sections stay connected at the bottom; two cuts creating four sections are an approved easier option.
- → How long should each filled bun be dipped in garlic custard?
Dip each bun for only one to two seconds per side, enough to coat it without making the bread soggy.