Easy overnight sticky bun recipe takes just 7 ingredients (including frozen rolls) and 5 minutes of prep to make a delicious sweet roll treat! This recipe makes an easy and delicious breakfast that’s perfect for holiday mornings!
I love make-ahead and overnight breakfast recipes, especially for holiday mornings! With everything else that’s going on, I don’t want to be in the kitchen all morning making breakfast, and I especially don’t want to miss out on any of the family time.
So, I turn to easy overnight recipes like these sticky buns. The sticky buns only need about 5 minutes of hands-on prep. Then, they sit overnight until you’re ready to pop them into the oven in the morning.
And they taste so, so good! The sticky buns have a rich, buttery caramel sauce that’s loaded with pecans, and the bottoms of the rolls get this amazing caramelized crust on them.
How to make overnight sticky buns
Sprinkle the chopped pecans in the bottom of the tube pan. Place the frozen rolls over the pecans in the bottom of the tube pan.
Sprinkle the dry pudding mix over the rolls.
In a separate microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter. Stir in the brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla.
Pour the butter mixture over the rolls. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil.
Let sit at room temperature overnight. Remove the foil, and place the tube pan on a cookie sheet.
Bake until done. Let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.
Run a thin knife around the edge of the pan. Invert onto a plate to serve.
Tips
- Pecans: The pecans can be omitted if you prefer. Simply omit and continue with the recipe as-written.
- Frozen rolls: I use Rhodes Bake-n-serv frozen white dinner rolls in this recipe. The rolls should be frozen, not thawed, when placed in the pan.
- Also, you might be tempted to use more rolls. If you do, the rolls will rise out of the pan overnight (I know from experience).
- Butterscotch pudding mix: You’ll need the cook & serve, not the instant pudding mix. Also, you’re using just the dry mix, not mixing up a batch of pudding to use.
- Butter: I use salted butter in this recipe. The salt helps to offset a little of the sweetness and balance out the rolls. If using unsalted butter, add a couple pinches of salt to the butter mixture.
- Brown sugar: I use light brown in this recipe. You can use dark brown sugar if you prefer.
- Baking: Please don’t skip placing the tube pan on a baking sheet. I’ve made this recipe numerous times, and I’ve had my pan leak about half of the time.
Can I omit the nuts?
You can! There’s no need to add anything else. Simply omit the nuts and continue with the recipe as-written.
Can I use another flavor of pudding?
You can! However, using another flavor of pudding will change the overall taste of the rolls.
I’ve made the rolls using vanilla pudding and omitting the nuts, and the rolls taste like cinnamon rolls.
Serving
Either pull pieces of the sticky buns apart (like monkey bread) or slice the sticky buns into pieces to serve.
Storage
The rolls are best eaten warm. Leftovers can be stored, covered, at room temperature for up to 3 days.
When serving the leftovers, I reheat the sticky buns in the microwave for about 15 seconds to re-warm them.
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Easy Overnight Sticky Buns
Equipment
- Tube pan
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups chopped pecans
- 16 frozen rolls
- 3.4 ounce box cook & serve butterscotch pudding mix
- 1/2 cup butter
- 3/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Grease a 10-inch tube pan with nonstick baking spray.
- Sprinkle the chopped pecans in the bottom of the tube pan.
- Place the frozen rolls over the pecans in the bottom of the tube pan.
- Sprinkle the dry pudding mix over the rolls.
- In a separate microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter.
- Stir in the brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla.
- Pour the butter mixture over the rolls.
- Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil.
- Let sit at room temperature overnight.
- In the morning, preheat oven to 350F.
- Remove the foil, and place the tube pan on a cookie sheet.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until done.
- Let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.
- Run a thin knife around the edge of the pan.
- Invert onto a plate to serve, replacing any topping as necessary.
Notes
- Pecans: The pecans can be omitted if you prefer. Simply omit and continue with the recipe as-written.Â
- Frozen rolls: I use Rhodes Bake-n-serv frozen white dinner rolls in this recipe. The rolls should be frozen, not thawed, when placed in the pan.
- Butterscotch pudding mix: You'll need the cook & serve, not the instant pudding mix. Also, you're using just the dry mix, not mixing up a batch of pudding to use.Â
- Butter: I use salted butter in this recipe. The salt helps to offset a little of the sweetness and balance out the rolls. If using unsalted butter, add a couple pinches of salt to the butter mixture.Â
- Brown sugar: I use light brown in this recipe. You can use dark brown sugar if you prefer.Â
- Baking: Please don't skip placing the tube pan on a baking sheet. I've made this recipe numerous times, and I've had my pan leak about half of the time.Â
- Nutrition values are estimates.Â
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
Diania Bottomley says
Awesome, tender, flavored perfect
Kate says
Thank you!
Karen Leonard says
I made these rolls years ago then lost the recipe. I’m so… glad to have found it again
They are great!
Kate says
Thank you!
Helen says
While these taste good, when I got up in the morning, they had risen way above the top of the pan and dropped down the side. I baked them anyhow and they were good, but I could have doubled the pudding mix and butter and brown sugar. I did count out exactly 21 frozen bread dough balls…what happened?
Kate says
It’s difficult to say without more information, but it may be something as simple as your kitchen is warmer and that helped the rolls to rise more. Since that happened, you could try using fewer rolls next time and see how that works out!
Asher says
These are so good!
Kate says
Thank you!
Helena Shirley says
Help! I’ve just gotten everything for these rolls into my tube pan and I realized I forgot to grease the sides and bottom of the pan. What should I do?
Kate says
I’m not sure that you can do anything once it is already in the pan. Hopefully the topping is gooey enough that it comes out well for you!
Sharon Smith says
Can I use Rhodes thaw, rise and bake YEAST dinner rolls for this recipe? I need to make this recipe tonight. Thanks
Kate says
I’ve used Rhodes frozen dinner rolls in this recipe, and they worked well.
Lynn says
I decided to try this because it was so easy even though I was a little skeptical. Great surprise, they were fantastic!
Tracy Lynn says
Everytime I try to make it seems like the rolls rise to much over night? What should I do?
Kate says
Hi! You could try using a few fewer rolls. That may help!
Amanda says
Why does instant pudding not work? What if it’s all I can find for butterscotch??
Kate says
Instant pudding tends to not incorporate as well. For some reason, it tends to be drier and just not work as well in the recipe.
Kathy MacDonald says
Cook and serve butterscotch is not available in Canada anymore. I order a couple dozen boxes from Amazon.
Mandy says
Love!!! This recipe is wonderful! Making it again for Christmas.
Kate says
Thank you!! Merry Christmas!!
Sandy says
I fooled everyone with this easy recipe. It looked and tasted like I had spent a lot of time in the kitchen and that’s the way I like it. What a great brunch recipe.
Kate says
Thank you! I’m so glad that they worked out well for you!
Retta says
Can you bake these buns in a 9×13 glass dish?
Kate says
I’ve made these buns in a bundt pan and in a tube pan, but I haven’t tried baking them in a 9×13. I would guess that it would work, but you may need to decrease the oven temp by 25F because it’s a glass dish and adjust the baking time.