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★ Why You’ll Love this Recipe ★
This cinnamon roll casserole made with Pillsbury cinnamon rolls, is essentially super easy, baked cinnamon French toast. This breakfast bake is easy to prep, can be made ahead, and tastes absolutely delicious!
Family-friendly
This cinnamon roll breakfast casserole is family-friendly so it's great for weekend breakfast, holiday mornings, a bridal or baby shower, or Mother's Day brunch.
This recipe makes a 9x12 pan so will feed a large family or a small crowd.
Can be made ahead.
This dish is perfect for overnight guests or holiday mornings. Make it ahead, then just bake it in the morning—easy and festive! We love it for Easter and Christmas breakfast.
French Toast + Cinnamon Rolls
This French-toast style breakfast casserole uses cinnamon roll dough instead of bread, so it stays moist without getting soggy. It’s the best of both worlds—cinnamon rolls meet French toast for a sticky, delicious breakfast treat!
This is basically like the best of both worlds—a cross between cinnamon rolls and cinnamon french toast which results in a perfectly a moist, sticky and deliciously perfect breakfast treat. Nom!
Pairs well with...
Serve this cinnamon roll casserole with my maple-ginger fruit salad or berry salad with honey-lime dressing and Eggs Benedict casserole to create a well-balanced and beautiful brunch spread.
★ Ingredients You'll Need ★
The shortcut to make this French-toast-like casserole, in no time flat, is starting with Pillsbury cinnamon roll dough.
Here's everything you'll need:
- Pillsbury cinnamon roll dough. Use any cinnamon roll dough you like—even homemade if you're feeling ambitious! I prefer Pillsbury Grands, but any kind works. Just watch the bake time, as it may vary.
- Eggs.
- Flour. All purpose flour.
- Milk. Use any milk or cream you like—the higher the fat, the creamier it’ll be. For less fat, choose skim.
- Butter. Real butter or you can substitute with margarine.
- Vanilla extract. Go with the real extract, not the imitation for the best flavor.
- Cinnamon.
- Nutmeg (optional). This adds a nutty flavor.
- Pecans (optional). Pecans add earthy flavor, protein and some crunch.
★ How to Make this Recipe ★
You can get the full recipe and also watch how to make this cinnamon roll casserole, start to finish, by viewing the video and the recipe below.
But here is a look at 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)
★ Why Others Love this 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!
Perfecting a Favorite Recipe
I started with the original Pillsbury recipe but tweaked it by adding more cinnamon, nutmeg, and flour, and cutting back on the eggs and cream to avoid a soggy, eggy texture. The flour helps the egg stick—don’t skip it.
A friend suggested skipping the maple syrup since it’s sweet enough without it, but feel free to add it back or just stir a splash into the egg batter for a hint of maple flavor.
Rave Reviews on Pinterest!
This cinnamon French toast is one of my all-time most popular recipes — it’s been pinned hundreds of thousands of times and gets rave reviews on Pinterest! I’ve tested and tweaked it to make it perfectly delicious, and I’d love to hear what you think. Tried it with a twist? Let me know in the comments!
★ Variations ★
Seasonal Variations
I've seen versions of this cinnamon roll French toast bake with pumpkin, cream cheese, or apples—great for fall! But it’s super versatile, so feel free to get creative. The recipe below is my perfected base after lots of testing. It’s delicious as-is, but once you’ve got it down, have fun with it!
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 ★
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
★ More Cinnamon Recipes ★
Love cinnamon? You'll love these other baked treats:
Want more easy breakfast ideas?
Browse all my easy breakfast recipes
This easy cinnamon roll casserole recipe using Pillsbury cinnamon roll dough is a viral fan-favorite. As seen on TikTok.
Easy Cinnamon Roll Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 17.5 oz Pillsbury Grands cinnamon roll dough (regular 12.4oz cinnamon rolls work too)
- ¼ cup butter melted
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup finely chopped pecans
- Icing from cinnamon rolls
- Powdered sugar or maple syrup if desired
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Instructions
- Prepare baking dish and oven. Melt butter and coat a 9x12 baking dish with the melted butter. Note: there will be a generous amount of butter!Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Make egg coating. In a bowl, beat together eggs, cream, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla.
- Slice dough. Open canned cinnamon rolls, slice each cinnamon roll like a pizza, into eighths.
- Coat dough. Place cinnamon roll pieces into the bowl of egg mixture and toss to thoroughly coat.
- Add dough to pan. Pour dough pieces, coated in egg mixture, into the greased baking dish and spread out evenly. Any remaining egg mixture. Pour or brush egg mxture on top of areas that look like they might get dry.
- Add pecans. (optional) Sprinkle dough with chopped pecans.
- Bake. Place casserole dish on the center rack of the oven and bake for 18-25 minutes or until pieces of dough are light golden brown. (See notes)
- Add icing. When all dough is set, remove casserole from oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes to prevent icing from absorbing into the dough.Warm icing from cinnamon rolls in microwave for 15 seconds; pour evenly over cinnamon roll pieces.
- Add extras. (optional) 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.
- 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.
- Cover with foil and bake for a more moist casserole.
- I add a few dashes of salt in with the heavy cream. This just helps bring balance out the creaminess and brings out the flavors.
yvonne l swanagin says
Can you make it head of time
Angela G. says
Hi Yvonne, Yes, you can make it ahead. Just prepare the casserole as directed but instead of baking it, cover it with foil and refrigerate. Bake when you're ready. Ideally within 24 hours.
Jacqueline M says
Ooooie, this recipe is sooooo good and easy to make. It’s a keeper for sure!
Debra says
I only have a 9x13 or an 8x8 which one would be better to use thanks.
Angela G. says
Hi Debra, The 9x13 would be better, you may just need to take 2-3 minutes off the cook time.
Becky says
I tried this recipe for a brunch at our church and it was a big hit. Now I am preparing it for Christmas morning for the family. This recipe is so delicious and is very easy to make. Thank you for sharing!
Isabelle says
What can I use instead of heavy whipping cream?
Angela G. says
Hi Isabelle, You can use milk, or a non-dairy milk like almond, soy, coconut, oatmilk, etc. instead of the heavy whipping cream if you prefer.
Emily says
I consistently use this for my family. I always use three of the smaller tubes of cinnamon rolls (8 count, 12ish oz tubes). In my oven it takes about 30 minutes. My kiddos love it! It's so easy to throw together. I grab a large cutting board, unroll the cinnamon rolls, stack them up, and then cut them into small squares. Great for a special occasion or just a lazy morning.
Lisa R says
Does anyone know approximately how many people this feeds??
Angela G. says
Hi Lisa, this makes 12 servings. I make it in a 9x12 dish and slice it into 4 rows then turn it and slice it into 3 rows long-ways. You end up with 12 equal pieces.