Easy Cinnamon Roll Casserole

★ 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. Or use your favorite brand of cinnamon roll dough. You can use homemade dough if you're feeling ambitious! I like using the flaky Pillsbury Grand rolls but any kind works. Just keep in mind, cook time will vary depending on the type of dough you use, so best to keep an eye on these while they bake.
• 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.

★ 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. 🙂

★ 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.

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.