• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Food Meanderings
  • Start HERE
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Recipes
    • Courses
      • Breakfast and Brunch
        • Pancakes, Waffles & French Toast
        • Breakfast Potluck Ideas
      • Lunch
        • Sandwiches and Burgers
        • Salads
        • Soups, Stew & Chili Recipes
      • Dinner
        • Main dish
        • Pork Recipes
        • Pasta & Pizza Recipes
        • Casseroles
        • Chicken Recipes
        • Beef
        • Beef Recipes
        • Fish & Seafood
      • Desserts
        • Baked Goods
        • Bars and Squares
        • Cake
        • Cookies
        • Cupcakes
        • Frosting and Icing Recipes
        • Frozen Dessert Recipes
        • Healthy Dessert Recipes
        • No Bake Desserts
        • Pie and Pastry Recipes
        • Sweets
    • Cuisine
      • Asian Recipes
      • Italian Recipes
      • Mediterranean Recipes
      • Mexican Recipes
      • Southern Recipes
    • Dish Type
      • Appetizers
        • Dip Recipes
      • Breads
        • Bread Machine Recipes
        • Muffins
      • Side Dishes
        • Vegetables
      • Snacks
      • Sauces, Spreads and Condiments
      • Drinks
        • Smoothies
        • Mocktails
      • One-Pot and One-Pan meals
    • Cooking Style
      • Dinner Party Recipes
      • BBQ & Grilling
      • Healthy Recipes
      • Seasonal Cooking
      • Slow Cooker Recipes
      • Vegetarian
    • Special Diet
      • Gluten-free Recipes
      • Vegan Recipes
      • Vegetarian
      • Weight Watchers Friendly Recipes
    • Holidays
      • Canada Day
      • Christmas Recipes
      • Easter Recipes
      • Earth Day Recipes
      • Father's Day Recipes
      • Cinco de Mayo Recipes
      • 4th of July Recipes
      • Halloween Recipes
      • Mother's Day Recipes
      • New Year's Eve Recipes
      • St. Patrick's Day Recipes
      • Stampede Recipes
      • Thanksgiving Recipes
      • Birthday Recipes
      • Valentine's Day Recipes
      • Game Day Recipes
    • Ingredient
      • Meat
        • Pork
        • Poultry
      • Pasta
      • Beans
      • Potatoes
      • Fruit
      • Rice
      • Egg Recipes
      • Chocolate
  • Meanderings
    • Articles
      • My Weight Watchers (WW) Journey
      • Weight Watchers Tips & Tricks
      • Comfort & Baked Expectations
      • Gingerbread: The Art of Food
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Start HERE
  • Recipes
  • About Me
  • Contact Me
×

Home » Recipes » Courses » Breakfast and Brunch Recipes

Cinnamon Overnight Sticky Buns

Published: Dec 15, 2019 by Terri Gilson · Modified: Nov 30, 2022 · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links · 19 Comments

Sharing is caring!

195 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Reddit
  • Yummly
  • Mix
Jump to Recipe
collage of 2 photos of land of nod cinnamon buns
These Overnight Cinnamon Sticky Buns use frozen dinner rolls and are prepped the night before, then baked in the morning, making them a quick and easy breakfast the next day. They are perfect for bringing along to a holiday breakfast/brunch or breakfast potluck!

When I set out to make these Cinnamon buns, butter tart flavor was what I was after. And although I used all the same ingredients that I use in my other butter tart recipes, for some reason, they didn't turn out that way. And in the end, I really didn't even know how to describe what they actually tasted like or what to even call them, except DELICIOUS! So, I am calling them Cinnamon Overnight Sticky Buns because they are part sticky bun and part cinnamon roll, with a gooey caramel flavor.

Overnight Cinnamon Sticky Buns on a white cake platter with bun on white plate in front

Either way, they are really easy, yummy, and perfect for bringing along to a breakfast potluck or holiday brunch! They are great any time of the year, but are the ideal delicious breakfast for Christmas morning, a special breakfast, or other special occasions!

Jump to:
  • 💭Difference Between Sticky Buns and Cinnamon Rolls
  • 🥘 Ingredients
  • 📖 Variations & Substitutions
  • 🌡️Storing 
  • 🍽 Equipment
  • 👪 Serving size
  • ⭐ Reviews
  • 📋 Cinnamon Overnight Sticky Buns Recipe

💭Difference Between Sticky Buns and Cinnamon Rolls

This recipe is a hybrid because it's not really a cinnamon roll, nor is it a sticky bun! Typically, a sticky bun has a caramel glaze and nuts and after baking, the pan is inverted so the glaze is on top (like it is in this recipe). The big difference is that cinnamon buns/rolls are generally placed directly into a baking dish, and a cream cheese glaze is drizzled on top after baking. If you're looking for the best cinnamon roll recipe, give my Gruyère Apple Pie Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls a try! You can also make them without a bread machine.

Typically, cinnamon rolls do not contain nuts and sticky buns don't have raisins. So there you have it - a true hybrid! You can read more about the differences between cinnamon rolls and sticky buns HERE.

Overnight Cinnamon Sticky Buns on a white cake platter

🥘 Ingredients

If you've heard of Best of Bridge's "Land of Nod Buns" then you will be familiar with this method, as this is a similar recipe and was adapted from it. Frozen dough, bought from the grocery store, in the form of frozen dinner rolls (unbaked), are topped with yummy stuff, left to rise overnight, then baked in a bundt pan the following morning. It's an easy and convenient way to get delicious, fresh-tasting cinnamon sticky buns without very much effort!

In addition to frozen rolls, for these sweet rolls, you'll also need:

  • butterscotch instant pudding powder (affiliate link)
  • brown sugar
  • lemon zest
  • cinnamon
  • unsalted butter
  • vinegar
  • whipping cream
  • raisins
  • maple extract (affiliate link)
  • butter extract (affiliate link)
Overnight Cinnamon Sticky Buns in white dish with writing "cinnamon is how I roll)

📖 Variations & Substitutions

  • Raisins- you can substitute almonds or pecans
  • Maple extract- you can substitute 1.5 tablespoon of maple syrup, but be sure to reduce whipping cream by 1.5 tablespoon and reduce brown sugar by 1 tbsp
  • Butter extract- I do not recommend you substitute for this, but if you absolutely have to, you can use a rum extract or in a pinch, use vanilla extract

🌡️Storing 

Although I'm a morning person, sometimes it's nice to just sit, drink coffee and not worry about putting together breakfast. This is especially helpful if you have to go to a breakfast or brunch.

Make- ahead: We have a lot of breakfast potlucks at work and that's why I love make-ahead breakfasts like these Overnight Cinnamon Rolls!! When I have to be out the door by 7 am, there isn't much time for prepping and cooking, so doing most of it the night before is ideal. I have also made these a day in advance, but you can make them up to 3 days in advance if you store them in the fridge (in an airtight container). They do reheat quite nicely. If you are just storing them in the fridge overnight, you can cover them with plastic wrap. This is also great recipe for overnight guests, since they are easy to throw together the night before and pop in the morning.

Freezing: You can freeze these sticky buns for up to 3 months in a sealed container.

🍽 Equipment

You will need a bundt pan (affiliate link) for these frozen bread dough sticky buns, but you could also use an angel food cake pan if you don't have a bundt pan (it will just look a little different). You will also need mixing bowls and a small saucepan.

These Overnight Cinnamon Sticky Buns use frozen dinner rolls and are prepped the night before, then baked in the morning, making them a quick and easy breakfast the next day. They are perfect for bringing along to a holiday breakfast/brunch or breakfast potluck!

👪 Serving size

This Best of Bridge monkey bread recipe makes 20 buns, but they are small so you are going to want more than one! Just keep that in mind when you are planning to serve this recipe. You can double this recipe, but you'll need 2 bundt pans.

All my recipes have adjustable serving sizes, so you can click on the blue serving size and select the number of servings you'd like, and the quantities will adjust accordingly.

I wasn't successful in making these guys butter tart flavored, but I have had other butter tart successes, including this Butter Tart Bundt Cake, Butter Tart Waffles, and these Butter Tart Thumbprint Cookies.  So be sure to check them out if you also LOVE butter tarts!

And I still have some other butter tart ideas up my sleeve (stay tuned)... But if I don't succeed, hopefully, the result will be as delicious as this Sticky Bun recipe! So, if you are looking for an easy cinnamon rolls recipe, using frozen bread dough, you'll love this one!

And if you're looking for additional holiday brunch recipes, check out my Christmas Brunch Menu!

collage of 4 photos of Christmas brunch recipes with a white circle in the middle with red text

Happy Brunching!

⭐ Reviews

Did you make these sticky buns with butterscotch pudding? Please RATE THE RECIPE below!

cinnamon sticky buns on a white cake stand in background, with a single bun on a white plate in front
Food Meandering Logo

📋 Cinnamon Overnight Sticky Buns Recipe

These Cinnamon Overnight Sticky Buns, adapted from the The Land of Nod Cinnamon Buns, use frozen dinner rolls and are prepped the night before. They are baked in the morning so they are a quick and easy breakfast the next day. They are perfect for bringing along to a holiday breakfast/brunch or breakfast potluck!
5 from 8 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Breakfast, brunch, Snack
Cuisine: American, Canadian
Keyword: cinnamon buns, land of nod, sticky buns
Special Diet: Vegetarian
Servings: 20 buns
Calories: 210kcal
Author: Terri Gilson
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Resting/Rising: 8 hours
Total Time: 8 hours 35 minutes
Prevent your screen from going dark

Equipment

bundt pan

Ingredients

  • 20 frozen (unbaked) dinner rolls
  • 1 ½ teaspoon lemon zest
  • ¼ cup butterscotch instant pudding powder (butterscotch pudding mix) (dry mix) - do NOT add milk
  • ¾ cup brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • ½ cup unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon vinegar
  • ¼ cup whipping cream (heavy cream ) - 33-35%
  • ¼ teaspoon maple extract
  • ½ teaspoon butter extract
  • ¾ cup raisins * or substitute almonds or pecans
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Spray a 10-inch bundt pan generously with non-stick cooking spray and add frozen rolls to the bottom of the pan.
  • Sprinkle lemon zest over rolls.
  • Then sprinkle on the butterscotch pudding powder, cinnamon and brown sugar.
  • In a small saucepan, melt butter, then mix melted butter, vinegar, extracts and whipping cream together. and pour butter mixture over buns.
  • Then sprinkle on raisins, almonds or pecans.
  • Cover with a damp cloth and let sit at room temperature (in a warm place) overnight.
  • The next morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 degrees C), place the whole thing in the oven and bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
  • Let sit for 5 minutes, then turn warm sticky buns onto a plate or platter to remove buns from bundt pan.

Garnish (optional)

  • Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.

Notes

*See post contents for important recipe information and tips!
Please SUBSCRIBE  (get my FREE E-cookbook) and be sure to FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST!
Nutrition Facts
📋 Cinnamon Overnight Sticky Buns Recipe
Amount Per Serving (1 bun)
Calories 210 Calories from Fat 72
% Daily Value*
Fat 8g12%
Saturated Fat 4g25%
Cholesterol 13mg4%
Sodium 272mg12%
Potassium 105mg3%
Carbohydrates 33g11%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 9g10%
Protein 4g8%
Vitamin A 147IU3%
Vitamin C 1mg1%
Calcium 90mg9%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bun | Calories: 210kcal (11%) | Carbohydrates: 33g (11%) | Protein: 4g (8%) | Fat: 8g (12%) | Saturated Fat: 4g (25%) | Cholesterol: 13mg (4%) | Sodium: 272mg (12%) | Potassium: 105mg (3%) | Fiber: 2g (8%) | Sugar: 9g (10%) | Vitamin A: 147IU (3%) | Vitamin C: 1mg (1%) | Calcium: 90mg (9%) | Iron: 2mg (11%)
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating and review below!
Rate this Recipe

More 45 Best Breakfast and Brunch recipe ideas

  • Sheet Pan Chocolate Chip Pancakes
  • Air Fryer Turkey Sausage
  • Saskatoon Berry Muffins (Dairy-free)
  • Healthy Morning Glory Muffins

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Colleen

    December 17, 2019 at 8:53 pm

    Sticky bun, or cinnamon bun, who cares when they look this delicious! Sometimes a hybrid is the best, and this looks like one of them. They look amazing, Terri!!

    Reply
    • Terri Gilson

      December 18, 2019 at 7:10 am

      Thank you, Colleen! Yes, sometimes mistakes are meant to be! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Isabelle @ Crumb

    December 17, 2019 at 10:31 pm

    This is such a clever shortcut recipe. I love the idea of using butterscotch pudding in the base, even if it didn't achieve the buttertart flavour you were hoping for. Pinning these to try out over the holiday break!

    Reply
    • Terri Gilson

      December 18, 2019 at 7:09 am

      Thanks, Isabelle! I hope you like thm!

      Reply
  3. Andrea

    December 19, 2019 at 9:27 am

    I love how convenient this recipe is. Whether they're sticky buns or cinnamon rolls, they're sure to be a hit!

    Reply
    • Terri Gilson

      December 19, 2019 at 11:45 am

      Thanks, Andrea!

      Reply
  4. Pam Greer

    December 19, 2019 at 10:03 am

    Oh my, I know what I'm making for Christmas breakfast!! I love how delicious these look and that they are make ahead!

    Reply
    • Terri Gilson

      December 19, 2019 at 11:46 am

      Thanks- I hope you enjoy them! They are so easy 🙂

      Reply
  5. Erika

    December 19, 2019 at 10:22 am

    I love sticky buns and your recipe is so good!

    Reply
    • Terri Gilson

      December 19, 2019 at 11:46 am

      Thanks, Erica!

      Reply
  6. Amy

    December 19, 2019 at 10:24 am

    This is such a great recipe, I love the sound of this!

    Reply
  7. Michelle

    December 19, 2019 at 10:42 am

    These are so good! Just like my grandma used to make!

    Reply
  8. Sabrina

    December 19, 2019 at 10:54 pm

    Wow, these really are easy! I have never thought of using premade dough but with the yummy, luscious flavourings, these are the bomb! Great recipe 🙂

    Reply
    • Terri Gilson

      December 20, 2019 at 6:30 am

      Thanks, Sabrina!

      Reply
    • Denise@urbnspice

      December 20, 2019 at 9:37 pm

      You had me at sticky buns, Terri! They look so good!! The fragrance of these overnight sticky buns baking must be Wonderful! I will try them over the holiday season. Thanks so much for sharing.

      Reply
  9. Trish Cowper

    December 21, 2019 at 8:16 am

    Well, this will work 🙂 My family always asks for cinnamon rolls for Christmas breakfast. And I appreciate that this recipe uses frozen dough. Saves me so much time.

    Reply
  10. Oregon Life

    June 08, 2020 at 3:29 pm

    I and my friends were going through the nice, helpful tips from the blog then the sudden came up with an awful suspicion I never expressed respect to the website owner for those secrets.

    Reply
    • Terri Gilson

      June 09, 2020 at 6:18 am

      I hope you enjoy it!

      Reply
    • Terri Gilson

      June 09, 2020 at 6:19 am

      I hope you try some recipes!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

I'm Terri, a passionate home cook and baker, an award-winning recipe developer and a busy working mom that is trying to eat healthy and fit everything into not enough hours in a day! My mission is to share not only my recipes, cooking hacks and tips with you, but also my secrets to successful weight maintenance.

More about me →

Comfort Food Recipes

  • Easy Turkey Pot Pie (with cream of chicken soup)
  • 31 Healthy Fall Soup Recipes
  • Reuben Soup
  • Lentil and Sausage Stew (with spinach)

More Comfort Food Recipes->

Footer

Featured On:

Taste Of Home Logo Parade Logo MSN Logo Master Chef Canada Logo Huffpost Logo Good Housekeeping Logo

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
  • Accessibility Policy

Subscribe

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact
  • Work with me

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2023 Foodmeanderings.com

195 shares