The first time I made this apple cinnamon roll bake, we were supposed to bring breakfast to a family thing and I forgot until the night before. Canned cinnamon rolls, a can of apple pie filling, and some brown sugar went into a dish.
The next morning I slid it in the oven and showed up looking like I had a plan the whole time. Nobody cared that it took five minutes. They just asked for the recipe.
This recipe is one of the most popular recipes on Mama Needs Cake, loved by readers and made often.
Why This Apple Cinnamon Roll Bake Works
- It's five ingredients - Canned cinnamon rolls, apple pie filling, brown sugar, butter, and ground cinnamon. You probably have most of them in the pantry right now, and the rest is a quick grocery grab.
- You make it the night before - Assemble it, cover it, stick it in the fridge. In the morning all you do is preheat and slide it in. That makes it the breakfast you bring when someone else is hosting and you want to look like you helped without waking up early.
- It feeds a crowd - One baking dish, nine cinnamon rolls, and everyone gets a scoop of something warm, gooey, and cinnamon-scented. Double it for a holiday brunch and you still barely did any work.
This recipe was inspired by my Apple Cider Cinnamon Rolls, a homemade cinnamon roll recipe.
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What You Need
Canned cinnamon rolls - Any brand works - Pillsbury, Annie's, store label. Grab the ones with icing included because you'll use it later. Nothing fancy here.
Apple pie filling - A 21-ounce can gets the job done. If you have homemade apple pie filling sitting in the freezer, use that. Otherwise, open the can and move on with your life.
Brown sugar - Light or dark, whatever is in the pantry. Dark gives you a little more molasses depth. Light keeps it sweeter and simpler. Both work, don't overthink it.
Butter - Melted and drizzled over the top. Salted or unsalted - whatever you have on the counter.
Ground cinnamon- Because apple and cinnamon belong together and skipping it would be a crime.
That's it. Five ingredients, maybe five minutes of effort, and your kitchen smells like a bakery in the morning.
How to Make Overnight Apple Cinnamon Roll Bake
Prepare the dish- Grease the dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
Cut the cinnamon rolls- Cut each canned cinnamon roll into 6 equal pieces. Repeat with the remaining five rolls.
Fill the dish- Add the cut cinnamon rolls into the prepared dish. Melt the butter and drizzle evenly over the cinnamon roll dough. Sprinkle the cinnamon on top of the butter.
Add ⅓ of the brown sugar to the top and spread it evenly.
Measure half of the apple pie filling to the dish and stir to combine the cinnamon roll dough with the apples.
Press the dough down into the dish.
Sprinkle ⅓ of the brown sugar on top of the mixture.
Spread the remaining apple filling on top of the mixed dough.
Sprinkle on the remaining brown sugar.
Bake the cinnamon roll apple bake- Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes. Check the center once the time is up to see if the center is done. If not, bake for a few minutes longer.
When serving, warm up the icing that came with the cinnamon rolls and spread evenly over top of the cinnamon roll bake and serve warm.
Pro tip
Make it Overnight
To make it overnight, prepare the dish according to directions, and before baking, wrap tightly with saran wrap and place it in the refrigerator. Cook the next morning and drizzle the icing on top of the warm apple cinnamon roll bake when serving.
When making this cinnamon rolls apple bake overnight, place it on the counter while preheating the oven to allow it to come to room temperature before baking.
RELATED: Homemade Apple Fritters
Variations in Cinnamon Roll Apple Bake
You can get creative and change up the flavors any way you would like. Blueberry, peach, and even strawberry pie filling would take great in this breakfast casserole.
During the Fall and Winter seasons, just a pumpkin pie filling would certainly create a warm and cozy breakfast.
Need more easy breakfast ideas? Browse all my breakfast recipes here.
Related
📖 Recipe
Apple Cinnamon Roll Bake
Equipment
- 1.5-Quart Round Baker
Ingredients
- 5 count Cinnamon Rolls - save icing
- 21 oz canned apple pie filling
- 2 tablespoon butter - melted
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- Butter Flavor Cooking Spray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F
- Cut each cinnamon roll into 6 pieces.
- Lightly grease the bottom of a 1.5-quart baking dish
- Add the chopped cinnamon rolls to the dish.
- Drizzle the melted butter over the cinnamon rolls.
- Sprinkle the cinnamon over the rolls.
- Add ⅓ of the brown sugar.
- Add half of the apple pie filling and stir to combine.
- Press the cinnamon roll pieces down into the baking dish.
- Sprinkle ⅓ of the brown sugar on top of the mixture.
- Evenly spread the remaining apple pie filling.
- Sprinkle the remaining brown sugar.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes.
- Check the center of the dish for doneness.
- Warm up the provided icing from the cinnamon rolls and drizzle onto the apple cinnamon roll bake.
- Serve warm.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate based on third-party calculations. Actual values may vary due to ingredients, measurements, and serving sizes.
© Mama Needs Cake
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Dana is an experienced recipe creator who crafts easy and delicious recipes for all levels of home cooks.
Her recipes range from classic comfort foods to healthy and nutritious meals, and she is always on the lookout for new and exciting ways to bring flavor and variety to the table.
Oh my this everything I love about Fall! And I love how easy it is. Can't wait to try.
Would this do well made the night before, refrigerated, then baked the next a.m.?
Yes! You can definitely do that.
Can this be put together and frozen to be baked later?
Yes, it can!
This looks scrumptious! I love the idea of making cinnamon rolls in to a bake! Sounds like a great breakfast treat!
A lot of apple recipes this fall season and I can't wait to try this.
Thank you!
This bake was so delicious! I intended it to be for dessert, but it ended up getting eaten for breakfast!
Anyone try this with some nuts on top?
Wow this was great. I backed off the brown sugar a bit and topped it with chopped pecans. Definitely going to be making this often. Love you can freeze and bake later!!!
How to make this with fresh apples?
When you say 5 CT cinnamon roll do you mean 5 whole cans of cinnamon rolls with each roll in each can cut into 6 peices? Sorry I don't cook much.
Hi Elizabeth, no need to be sorry! It is a 5 count package 🙂
Which size of 5 count cinnamon rolls? Since the recipe didn't specify Grands size, I bought the regular. Halfway through the bake, they are a soupy mess.
Hi! Am sure it tastes as good as it looks & most definitely going to make this one & will let ya know how it comes out Dana.
My question is..can you make it with fresh apples?? And if so, how many would you suggest to use & can you also use the smaller cans of Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls?
Look forward to your reply..
Thank You..
Hi Carol! If you make it with fresh apples then I would definitely cook the apples on the stovetop with 1/2 cup of sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon first so allow them to soften before using them. Also, I would suggest 4-5 apples. You can use the smaller cans of the cinnamon rolls, just chop them up like in the recipe and you're all set. I hope that helps!