Easy Cinnamon Roll Casserole - Mighty Mrs | Super Easy Recipes (2024)

This cinnamon French toast style breakfast casserole is easy to make using cinnamon roll dough coated in creamy eggs and topping with pecan and icing. It's perfect for holidays and weekend mornings. Everyone always loves this gooey, moist, baked cinnamon roll casserole.

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This cinnamon roll casserole made with Pillsbury cinnamon rolls, is essentially super easy, baked cinnamon French toast.

It's easy to prep, can be made ahead, and tastes absolutely delicious!

★ Why You’ll Love this Recipe ★

A Family-friendly Breakfast or Brunch Recipe

This cinnamon roll breakfast casserole is family-friendly so it's great for weekend breakfast, for holiday mornings, for bridal or baby showers, or Mother's Day brunch.

This recipe makes a 9x12 pan so will feed a large family or a small crowd.

Easy Cinnamon Roll Casserole - Mighty Mrs | Super Easy Recipes (1)

This dish is also great for serving overnight guests without a lot of fuss. It can be made the night before then just popped in the oven to bake in the morning. This is also what makes it a great choice if you're wondering what to make for holidays. We like to make it for Easter and Christmas morning breakfast.

What makes this cinnamon roll casserole recipe so easy?

As I mentioned, this french toast casserole uses cinnamon roll dough instead of bread. Bread tends to get soggy when you add eggs and a creamy-cinnamon topping. The cinnamon roll dough however, holds up like a champ! In fact, think about what happens when you bake cinnamon rolls straight up, they get dry.

So this is basically like the best of both worlds—a cross between cinnamon rolls and cinnamon french toast which results in a perfectly moist, sticky and a deliciously perfect breakfast treat. Nom!

★ Ingredients You'll Need ★

The shortcut to make this French-toast-like casserole is no time flat is starting with Pillsbury cinnamon rolls. I like using the flaky Pillsbury Grand rolls but any kind works, cook time will vary so best to keep an eye on these while they bake.

Here's everything you need:

Easy Cinnamon Roll Casserole - Mighty Mrs | Super Easy Recipes (2)
  • Pillsbury cinnamon roll dough. Or use your favorite brand of cinnamon roll dough. You can use homemade dough if you're feeling ambitious!
  • Eggs. I prefer organic, corn-fed, hen-laid eggs. The corn feed produces a much more flavorful egg with a brighter yellow yolk.
  • Flour. All purpose flour.
  • Milk. You can use any percentage fat milk, half and half or even heavy cream. Your choice. The fattier, the creamier these will be. To reduce fat, go with skim milk.
  • Butter. Real butter or you can substitute with margarine if that's what you prefer.
  • Vanilla extract. Go with the real extract, not the imitation for the best flavor.
  • Cinnamon. Ground cinnamon if what you want. The more fresh, the more flavor you'll get.
  • Nutmeg (optional). This adds a nutty flavor. Feel free to leave it out if it's not your thing.
  • Pecans (optional). Pecans add a nice earth flavor and some crunch. Feel free to leave these out though or do them on just half the casserole if you have picky eaters.

★ How to Make this Cinnamon Roll Casserole ★

You can get the full recipe and also watch how to make this cinnamon roll casserole, start to finish, by viewing the video beneath the recipe below.

But here are the basic steps. It's quick and easy!

  • Mix together eggs, cream, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla.
  • Cut cinnamon roll dough into pieces.
  • Coat cinnamon roll pieces in egg mixture.
  • Pour pieces into greased casserole dish and bake.
  • Let cool then top with icing.
  • Add nuts! (optional)
Easy Cinnamon Roll Casserole - Mighty Mrs | Super Easy Recipes (3)

★ Why Others Love this Recipe ★

Recipe inspired by Pillsbury’s Cinnamon French Toast Bake

This recipe is a variation of Pillsbury's Cinnamon French Toast Bake recipe using canned Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls. I've made my own little tweaks over the years to make it non-soggy yet moist and extra cinnamony!

People always say that they love how easy it is and that their whole family enjoyed it.

Perfecting a Favorite Recipe

I started with the original recipe by Pillsbury at first then experimented from there. The final version I landed on differs in that I added extra cinnamon, nutmeg, and flour; and reduced the eggs and cream so it didn't get too soggy or overly eggy. The flour helps the egg stick to the cinnamon rolls, in case you get to that and you're thinking about leaving it out. Just keep this in mind.

Per a friend's recommendation, I also left off the maple syrup because it's plenty sweet enough without it. In my opinion. If you want to go all out and add it back, by all means, do it. If you just want a little hint of maple flavor, you could add a splash into the egg batter.

Rave Reviews on Pinterest!

This is one of the most popular recipes I've ever made and shared. I've been working on this recipe for a long time to make sure it's absolutely perfectly delicious!

This cinnamon french toast recipe has actually been pinned hundreds of thousands of times and has been "tried" on Pinterest with rave reviews so I'm pretty confident you'll love it, too!

Of course, I'm always open to improving so please let me know what you like best about it and if you changed anything to make it even better. All feedback welcome! You can review the recipe below and/or leave a comment.

Perfect for Christmas morning breakfast!

I get comments from lots of people who make this baked french toast every year for Christmas. I think it's such a big hit because it's quick and easy to prep and is popular with both the kids as well as the grown ups. 🙂

★ Variations ★

I've seen variations of cinnamon roll casserole and other french toast bakes like this one that also include pumpkin (perfect for fall!), cream cheese and apples. So, have fun with this. Add sprinkles and make it into a birthday breakfast if you want. It's really a very versatile and well-loved breakfast casserole.

The recipe below includes my tweaks after making and adjusting the ingredients many times over to get everything just right. It doesn't have any of the extras nor does it need anything extra but once you master this base recipe, you can get as creative as you want.

Choose regular icing or cream cheese icing.

Both options are delicious! Just choose cinnamon roll dough with the kind of icing you prefer — classic icing or cream cheese icing.

★ Tips & FAQs ★

Frequently asked questions and concerns addressed here! Read to be sure you have success on the first try. Skip if you're a pretty confident cook.

Use a pizza cutter. Quickly and evenly cut the cinnamon rolls into eight pieces. You can also cut each roll into six pieces but keep in mind, this may require a longer cook time.

Easy Cinnamon Roll Casserole - Mighty Mrs | Super Easy Recipes (4)

Oven temperatures can vary greatly. For best results make sure your oven is calibrated to the correct temperature. Do this by using an oven thermometer and follow the directions for adjusting your oven temperature in your oven manufacture's user manual.

The size of your baking dish matters. This recipe calls for a 9x12 baking dish. This is important because it allows enough space for the pieces of dough to be spread out and cook evenly. If you are using a very different shape or size baking pan, that will change the amount of time needed to cook and may not cook evenly.

The size of your cinnamon rolls matters. Cinnamon rolls come in varying size packages. If you choose cans larger or smaller than the 12.4oz standard size, then be sure to keep an eye on the dough as it cooks to prevent under or overcooking.

The brand of your cinnamon rolls matters. You can opt for store brand or even choose a frozen cinnamon roll brand like Rhodes, just thaw them first. Pillsbury rolls are not mandatory. Just keep in mind the cook time may vary so check on the pieces of cinnamon roll dough often as they are baking and adjust your cook time as needed.

The material of your baking dish matters. For best results, use a glass baking dish. Ceramic baking dishes can be very thick or thin so the cook time can very greatly. If you don't have a glass baking dish, just check on the cinnamon roll dough piece and if it looks like they are not yet done, give them some additional bake time.

Keep an eye on things. The dough can go from raw to cooked in just minutes and from perfectly golden brown to burned very quickly. If this is your first time making this recipe, it's best to keep an eye on things especially towards the end of the cook time. If the dough starts to brown early, cover with foil to prevent overcooking.

Changing the ingredients may affect cook time and the taste. Using milk instead of half and half for example, may lengthen the cook time and sadly won't taste as good but it's a good way to cut fat if that's what you want to do. If you make adjustments to the recipe, just keep an eye on things when cooking and allow yourself some extra time in case it needs longer to bake.

★ Helpful Tools ★

★ More Recipes You’ll Love ★

Try my cinnamon pull apart bread!

If you love this cinnamon roll casserole, try it as a pull-apart loaf.
Make Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread.

Want more breakfast ideas?

Browse all my breakfast recipes

This is one of my most popular recipes.

Check out my other popular recipes on Pinterest!

Browse my most popular recipes on Pinterest here (be sure to Pin the ones you like for later!)

This easy cinnamon roll casserole recipe using Pillsbury cinnamon rolls was featured on Inspire Me Monday, South Your Mouth, Wow Me Wednesday and Menu Plan Monday and Meal Plan Monday!

Easy Cinnamon Roll Casserole - Mighty Mrs | Super Easy Recipes (5)

Easy Cinnamon Roll Casserole

Author: Angela G.

This cinnamon French toast style breakfast casserole is easy to make using cinnamon roll dough coated in creamy eggs and topping with pecan and icing. It's perfect for holidays and weekend mornings. Everyone always loves this gooey, moist, baked cinnamon roll casserole.

4.1 from 198 reviews

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Print Pin Rate

Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Skill Level: Easy

Recipe Type: Breakfast Casseroles, Camping, Casseroles, Christmas, Easter, Kid-Friendly, Memorial Day, Summer, Thanksgiving, Vegetarian

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 Servings

Yield: 9x12 pan

Ingredients

  • 2 17.5 oz tubes Pillsbury Grands cinnamon rolls (regular 12.4oz cinnamon rolls are ok too)
  • ¼ cup butter melted
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup heavy whipping cream
  • 2 tablespoon flour
  • 3 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup finely chopped pecans
  • Icing from cinnamon rolls
  • Powdered sugar or maple syrup if desired

Shop ingredients at Walmart.comAdd ingredients, then choose Pick Up or Delivery.

Instructions

  • Melt butter and coat a 9x12 baking dish with the melted butter. Note: there will be a generous amount of butter!

  • In a bowl, beat together eggs, cream, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla.

  • Open canned cinnamon rolls, slice each cinnamon roll like a pizza, into eighths. Place cinnamon roll pieces into the bowl of egg mixture and toss to thoroughly coat. Then pour the pieces, coated in egg mixture, into the greased baking dish and spread out evenly. Any remaining egg mixture, you can pour or brush over top of areas that look like they might get dry. Sprinkle with pecans (optional)

  • Bake in the oven at 350˚for 18-25 minutes or until light golden brown. Smaller, deeper pans may require additional bake time. Type of cinnamon rolls used can also vary cook time. Best to keep an eye on things and check one of the middle pieces to be sure dough is set before removing from oven.

  • When all dough is set, remove the french toast bake from oven. Warm icing from cinnamon rolls in microwave for 15 seconds; pour evenly over cinnamon roll pieces. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or top with maple syrup if desired. Serve warm. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Bake time can vary greatly based on the size of your pan as well as the material (metal, glass, ceramic, etc.) Check for doneness by carefully examining a middle piece. If it's doughy, it still needs more time.

Cover with foil and bake for a more moist casserole.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 661kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 102mg | Sodium: 976mg | Potassium: 83mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 615IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 3mg

Follow Mighty Mrs. for more easy recipes!Find @MightyMrs on Pinterest

Related Posts:

  • Easy Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread
  • Nutella Rolls (5 Ingredients)
  • Heart-shaped Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing
  • Eggs Benedict Croissant Casserole
Easy Cinnamon Roll Casserole - Mighty Mrs | Super Easy Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Can you substitute heavy cream for milk in cinnamon rolls? ›

Heavy Cream: Using heavy cream will produce the most deliciously gooey cinnamon rolls (think Cinnabon level gooey) so this is recommended. However, half and half, coffee creamer, whole milk or coconut cream will also work.

How to make premade cinnamon rolls better? ›

13 Ways To Upgrade Store-Bought Cinnamon Rolls
  1. Don't forget the maple bacon. JRJfin/Shutterstock. ...
  2. Make monkey bread instead. ...
  3. Brûlée the top with extra sugar. ...
  4. Add coffee to the frosting. ...
  5. Customize the shape with aluminum foil. ...
  6. Pour in heavy whipping cream. ...
  7. Give cinnamon roll bread pudding a shot. ...
  8. Top with candied nuts.
Oct 4, 2023

What happens if I use milk instead of heavy cream? ›

You can use whole milk or opt for skim milk to help slash the calories and fat content of your recipe. This substitute is especially useful in cooking, but it may alter the texture of baked goods and will not whip as well as heavy cream.

What does pouring heavy cream over cinnamon rolls do? ›

The heavy cream absorbs the cinnamon, sugar, and butter that leaks from the insides of the rolls as they bake to create a glorious cinnamon sugar syrup for the bottom of your rolls.

Why did my homemade cinnamon rolls come out hard? ›

Don't Overbake Cinnamon Rolls

Overbaked cinnamon rolls are tough and chewy instead of light and pillowy. Since it can be a bit tricky to know when rolls are fully baked, use a digital thermometer. Bake cinnamon rolls until golden brown and the internal temperature reaches between 190°and 200°F.

What happens if you let cinnamon rolls rise too long? ›

Can cinnamon rolls rise for too long? Yes definitely! If you let your cinnamon rolls rise for too long you can over-proof them. This can lead to dense rolls or rolls that collapse after baking.

Can I still use my dough for cinnamon rolls if it didn t rise? ›

If you're dough didn't rise, the yeast is probably dead. This could be because the yeast was old, it wasn't refrigerated, or because the water you bloomed it in was too hot (ideally the water should be warm, about 100F). You can still bake the dough but don't expect the same flavor. Sure you can.

Can you use parchment paper to make Pillsbury cinnamon rolls? ›

PLACE cinnamon rolls, with cinnamon topping side down, on parchment paper in air fryer basket. AIR FRY at 320°F. * COOK 6 minutes. Remove basket; Use tongs to turn over rolls.

Can you cook Pillsbury cinnamon rolls on a cookie sheet? ›

Just place the dough on a baking sheet, bake until golden brown and then finish with our original cinnamon roll icing. No mixing. No mess. And no colors from artificial sources, or high fructose corn syrup.

What is the secret ingredient in Cinnabon? ›

Cinnabon's Secret Ingredient

This special Indonesian cinnamon, called Makara, is trademarked by Cinnabon. And because of that trademark, you won't find this product in your local grocery store spice aisle.

What to grease pan with for Pillsbury cinnamon rolls? ›

Take your baking pan and grease it with your oil of choice. You can use either a non-stick spray or olive oil spray, or butter/coconut oil. I prefer a spray because it's easier to get into the nooks and crannies without making a huge mess scooping out a chunk of coconut oil or butter and trying to spread it around.

What does heavy cream do for cinnamon rolls? ›

What does whipping cream do to cinnamon rolls? I can't explain the chemistry but I can tell you that they are exponentially more moist, light and fluffy when you pour a cup of heavy whipping cream over them before baking. This hack truly takes the viral Tik Tok cinnamon rolls to the next level!

Can I use heavy cream instead of milk in a baking recipe? ›

Of course, heavy cream is still in the dairy family, so the cake or other baked good should have the same desired texture. Replace the milk with the diluted heavy cream in a one-to-one substitution.

What is a substitute for heavy cream in cinnamon rolls? ›

Regardless of what you're making, the following are the best heavy cream substitutes for cooking, baking, or whipping into dessert.
  1. Half-and-half + butter. ...
  2. Milk + butter. ...
  3. Coconut cream. ...
  4. Milk + cornstarch. ...
  5. Greek yogurt + milk. ...
  6. Alt milk + oil. ...
  7. Heavy cream powder.
May 25, 2022

How much milk equals heavy cream? ›

Here's how. Melt 1/4 cup unsalted butter (that's 4 tablespoons or half a stick) and let it cool to room temperature. Then, whisk it together with 3/4 cup whole milk. This mixture is equivalent to 1 cup of heavy cream and can be used in almost any recipe that calls for heavy cream.

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