Store-bought Pillsbury cinnamon rolls are the key ingredient to making the easiest breakfast Cinnamon Roll casserole ever.
Effortlessly prepped overnight for a busy holiday breakfast like Christmas or Thanksgiving, it only takes 10 minutes to get Cinnamon Roll French Toast Casserole assembled in the oven or ready for the following day.
Delicious, rich, and with the morning flavors of maple syrup and crunchy pecans, there is no doubt that you will find love in this cinnamon roll bake, a truly no-effort breakfast casserole.
If you are looking for another 5-star recipe perfect for the holiday season, try our TikTok Cinnamon Rolls Recipe here!
A Delicious and Easy Recipe for the Whole Family
Call it monkey bread, cinnamon roll bread, casserole, or cinnamon bake; no matter what you call it, this simple, easy, and indulgent morning recipe is a crowd favorite.
Perfect for a Saturday morning or a “wow, it’s Christmas, let’s do something special for breakfast” everyone in your family can agree that this cinnamon roll casserole is the perfect way to wake up.
Make ahead or prep and bake; Pillsbury helps provide this family-style breakfast casserole with the ease you are looking for with simple ingredients.
Ingredients
- Butter – with or without salt, is acceptable.
- Pillsbury Refrigerated Rolls
- Eggs
- Heavy Whipping Cream
- Spices – vanilla extract and Ground Cinnamon.
- Nuts – We used Pecan pieces, but walnut pieces are also delicious.
- Real Maple Syrup
How to make Cinnamon Roll Casserole
- Preheat to 375. Melt butter and pour it into an oven-safe pan. Swirl the butter around until it covers the entire bottom of the dish.
- Slice each refrigerated cinnamon roll into about eight pieces per roll and place in a 13 x 9 baking dish.
- Add eggs, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, and heavy cream to a medium-sized mixing bowl. Mix in a bowl with a wire whisk.
- Pour the egg mixture all over the cinnamon rolls.
- Drizzle on maple syrup and spread pecan pieces around the pan, covering all areas.
- Bake the cinnamon roll casserole in preheated oven until baked, typically around 30-35 minutes.
- Oven time can vary depending on the type of oven, age, and elevation, so be sure to check for extra time (cook time).
- Once the roll pieces are cooked, remove them from the oven and let the casserole cool for about 10 minutes.
Before Serving Cinnamon Roll French Toast Bake
- Remove the metal top that typically comes on the icing container and pop the plastic container only in the microwave to melt it down for about 10 seconds so it can be easily poured.
- Pour premade heated icing over cinnamon French toast, bake in a sweeping motion, and then, if you want, add on powdered sugar.
- Serve the whole thing with extra icing or additional maple syrup on the side so you can efficiently go into a sugar coma.
Store leftovers for busy mornings in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Can you make Cinnamon Roll Casserole ahead?
Yes, overnight breakfast recipes are the BEST.
You can easily make ahead cinnamon roll casserole by prepping, covering the entire dish with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, and placing it in the fridge uncooked.
Only add the maple syrup and pecan topping once you’re ready to bake the dish. Adding the toppings too early will make it soggy.
To prep the next day –
Let the dish sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before putting it in the oven. Putting the items in the fridge makes them even colder, and warming them to room temperature helps with more accurate baking times.
Follow the steps in the recipe to bake the casserole.
You may need extra cooking time if you need more time to bring the recipe up to room temperature. As always, it’s best to monitor the recipe in your oven.
Best At Home Cinnamon Roll Flavors
There are hoards of cinnamon roll french toast flavors, from Cinnabon to Orange Rolls, Strawberry to seasonal; you no longer have to go with traditional French Toast Casserole.
For fall: try pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls; a wonderful fall flavor takes on this recipe and is perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas mornings with a slight pumpkin spice and seasonal flavoring to the recipe.
Tip on premade rolls: Many cinnamon rolls are normal-sized, and several brands produce these vast, dense, fluffy rolls.
The bigger the roll, the longer it may take to bake, so you may have to adjust your timing if you add additional cut-up rolls or flavors with more ounces in the can.
Alternative Cinnamon Roll Flavors for Casseroles
- Orange Rolls
- Hot Cocoa Rolls
- Strawberries and Cream
- Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls
Can I use homemade cinnamon rolls instead of premade?
Absolutely. If you want to take the time to make your special recipe instead of relying on cinnamon roll packaging and cinnamon roll icing, that is fine too!
The beauty of recipes is that you can make a French Toast Casserole recipe and custard mixture any way you want!
Use our recipe as a basis, and then make your own with Italian bread, challah bread, sourdough bread, or even bread chunks from cinnamon rolls.
More Incredible Breakfast Casserole Recipes
Need more perfect breakfast recipe options? We all enjoy eating breakfast recipes that are not just regular cereal.
There are tons of ways to take morning recipes to the next level.
This Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll casserole with only two main ingredients, Krispy Kreme donut bread pudding, this sweet and easy apple breakfast bake, my very favorite lovely morning recipe, blueberry French toast casserole, or this apple cinnamon bread pudding that uses braided brioche all make holiday brunch the best.
If you love the traditional cinnamon flavors of the morning, make sure to try Cinnamon Roll French Toast Roll-Ups as well. These went viral on TikTok too!
Cinnamon Roll Casserole (Overnight Make Ahead Too!)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 stick butter melted
- 2 cans Pillsbury refrigerated cinnamon rolls the cans are typically 12.4 oz a piece, reserve icing
- 6 eggs
- 1/2 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 cup Pecan Pieces or left whole
- 1 cup Maple Pancake Syrup for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Melt butter down in the microwave and pour into an oven-proof glass 9 x13 pan. Swirl the butter around so it covers the bottom of the dish.
- Cut each refrigerated cinnamon roll into eight pieces (2 cans worth).
- Place cut cinnamon roll pieces into the casserole dish on top of the melted butter.
- In a separate mixing bowl, beat together eggs, ground cinnamon, heavy whipping cream, and vanilla extract.
- Pour egg mixture over the pieces of cinnamon rolls in the dish, covering as much as possible.
- Drizzle 1 cup of maple syrup over the entire dish as a topping and sprinkle with pecan pieces.
- Bake French Toast Casserole in the oven for as little as 25 minutes or as much as 40 minutes. The trick here is to make sure your rolls are cooked in the center without burning the tops of the casserole or drying out the rolls. A gas oven and slightly thicker (17 oz) rolls, took 35 minutes total.
- Pull the cinnamon roll breakfast casserole out and let cool for about 10 minutes.
- Melt the container of icing from rolls (make sure you remove the metal lid) in the microwave for 10 seconds.
- Pour the icing onto the top of the cinnamon French toast casserole.
- Serve cinnamon roll breakfast casserole while still warm – it can also be served with additional powdered sugar, extra icing, or maple syrup.
Video
Notes
To prep cinnamon roll casserole the next day –
Let the cold dish sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before putting it in the oven. Putting the items in the fridge makes them even colder, and warming them slightly to room temperature helps with more accurate baking times. Then simple follow the steps in the recipe to bake the casserole and add final toppings before serving. We always like to note based on experience: You may need extra cooking time if dish is extra cold or you use larger cinnamon rolls. As always, it’s best to monitor the recipe in your oven since oven times can often vary.Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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