Where to find Houston’s most popular cinnamon rolls right now

Niayah Hicks, 19, serves up cinnamon rolls for a long line of customers at her Starr Bakery popup in the Houston Farmer’s Market.

Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle

On Saturdays and Sundays, hundreds of people line up at the Houston Farmers Market to get their hands on a cinnamon roll from Starr Bakery. 

It’s one of at least three Houston cinnamon roll popups buzzing with business in the past few months. Each is adding its own spin on the timeless pastry, taking on peach cobbler, biscoff and carrot cake flavors. And they’re selling out in a couple of hours. 

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The Dough Haus owners believe nostalgia is a big driver: Cinnamon rolls entered American households in an accessible way with the Pillsbury pop-open tube in the 1950s, and Cinnabon opened a fast food chain serving gooey cinnamon rolls in the mid ’80s. They could be on to something: Nostalgia has been a theme for snacks this year. For instance, dot cakes went viral this year for reimagining a classic cake with sprinkles. 

“I think everybody grew up getting those giant cinnamon rolls from Cinnabon at the mall, and now that we’re all older, it’s like, I still want that cinnamon roll, but better quality,” said Nicholas Harris of the Dough Haus.

Here is a closer look at the three businesses leading the cinnamon roll craze in Houston.

Niayah Hicks, a 19-year-old entrepreneur, started selling baked goods at 14-years-old in school. For the past four years, she popped up at various farmers market, but would actually lose money from not selling enough. It wasn’t until October 2025 that she had a video of her cinnamon rolls go viral. Now, dozens of people line up each weekend in the hopes of getting one of her cinnamon rolls before she sells out.

Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle

Starr Bakery

Niayah Hicks, 19, runs Starr Bakery in the Houston Farmer’s Market. Since a video of her cinnamon rolls went viral in October 2025, people have been lining up every weekend to get a cinnamon roll.

Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle

At 14, 19-year-old Niayah Hicks started selling baked goods at school. For the past four years, she has popped up at various farmers’ markets, but would actually lose money from not selling enough. It wasn’t until October 2025 that her video of her cinnamon rolls went viral.

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Now, hundreds of people line up each weekend in the hopes of getting one of Hicks’ cinnamon rolls before she sells out. She always has three staples: original, Biscoff and caramel pecan, and rotates two other flavors like strawberry crunch and apple fritter. The rotating flavors are created from customer suggestions. She also sells cookies.

Hicks, with the help of her family members, rotates markets, mostly between the Houston Farmers Market and the Pearland Town Center. She’ll only be at the markets a few more months, as she’s working on opening a cinnamon roll storefront in the fall.

Her dad, a wealth manager, has helped her with the business side from the beginning. “From a parent’s perspective, we believed in her and wanted her to follow her passion; we told her she doesn’t have to go to college if she can find a proof of concept, and this has been a tremendous proof of concept, so we’re very proud of her as parents,” Anthony Hicks said. “We just really appreciate the community putting their arms around my daughter.”

Starr Bakery has since catered for the Astros, which was a big deal to Niayah, who is a huge fan.

Brown Sugar Co.

Anna and Toni Perry opened Brown Sugar Co. this year and had early success after going viral for the peach cobbler cinnamon roll.

Brown Sugar Co.

Brown Sugar Co. was created amidst the grief of two sisters, Anna and Toni Perry. Their mom died in September 2025, and to pay tribute to her, they started a cinnamon roll business earlier this year.

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Their first market was in March, and they quickly identified a demand for cinnamon rolls over their other baked goods. Simultaneously, a video of a peach cobbler cinnamon roll went viral, garnering over 7 million views on Instagram. They’ve met customers who have traveled across state lines just to try the peach cobbler roll. Other flavors they offer are blueberry, banana pudding and the highly popular red velvet. 

Since going viral, Brown Sugar Co.’s cinnamon rolls can be found in an increasing number of coffee shops around Houston, such as Papa Joe’s. Their launch at First Cup Coffee in Pearland led to a long line out the door into the parking lot in June. 

“The whole purpose behind the business is to kind of give people a piece of the type of love that we’ve received from our mom and the type of hosting she would do for others,” Anna said. “I just feel like we’re definitely doing our purpose.”

The Dough Haus

Nicolas and Helen Harris started The Dough Haus in 2023, selling cinnamon rolls and cookies.

Matthew Daniel

Cinnamon rolls from the Dough Haus are available at the Heights Mercantile Farmers Market on the second and fourth Sundays of the month. 

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Husband and wife Nicholas and Helen Harris started selling cinnamon rolls to friends and family in 2020 after posting their creations on social media. The two grew up baking and did it for fun together when they were dating. 

In 2023, they were invited to their first market, and the Dough Haus brand was formed. They appeared at various markets over the years until signing a contract with the Heights Mercantile Farmers Market late last year, which put them on a set pop-up schedule. 

They saw more consistent clientele with their more unique creations, like an ube cinnamon roll, or more recently, a dot cake cinnamon roll. But their classic remains their top seller, with carrot cake following closely behind. They also sell cookies. 

“We use local milk and eggs, we make our own brown sugar, we grind our cinnamon fresh every time, and we also use fresh vanilla beans on our icing, so everything tastes homemade, and I think from the beginning that was always the goal,” Helen said. “I think once people learn that about us, it’s something that continues to bring them back.”

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Nicholas and Helen have full-time jobs in videography and graphic design, so the market is how they will continue to reach people for now. The Harrises have since appeared on local TV and were featured in a video by local influencer Shawn the Food Sheep.