These Sticky Buns are an easy, overnight recipe, and they’re a delightful choice for a weekend breakfast or brunch.
What are Sticky Buns?
Sticky buns are a sweet breakfast treat. They’re sweet rolls that are baked in a sugary/buttery/pecan mixture. They’re referred to as “sticky” because of all of the sticky juices that are poured on top as they are popped out onto a platter.
This Sticky Buns recipe is an easy, overnight recipe. Simply make the night before and bake in the morning. They’re perfect for feeding family over the holidays or as a surprise weekend breakfast treat for your family!
How to make Sticky Buns with frozen bread dough:
This recipe is so easy because you don’t have to roll anything out, and there is no kneading involved. In fact, you don’t have to make the dough at all! Use frozen bread dough. The frozen rolls are placed into a pan and drizzled with a buttery/sugary mixture. Then you get to let them sit overnight to rise.. That’s all the work you have to do- it’s so easy!!
The next morning, you’ll pop the Sticky Buns into the oven to bake. When they come out of the oven, you’ll invert the pan onto a platter and then scrape all of the sugary juices on top. Place the platter on your breakfast table, and let all of the hungry people tear apart the sticky buns to sample. They’re so delicious!!
Are Sticky Buns and Cinnamon Rolls the same thing?
Sticky buns and cinnamon rolls are not the same thing. Sticky buns are made with dough (sometimes frozen dough) and the balls of dough are placed into a pan with a butter/sugar mixture drizzled over the top (sometimes the syrupy mixture is placed into the bottom of the pan). You’ll also see recipes for Sticky Buns where the dough is rolled out, sprinkled with cinnamon/sugar and cut like cinnamon rolls. They’re left to rise, just like cinnamon rolls.. In the end, they’re dumped upside down onto a platter with the sticky syrup drizzled over.
When you make cinnamon rolls, you’re rolling out the dough, brushing with butter and sprinkling with cinnamon/sugar. The dough is then rolled up and sliced into rolls. The rolls are set side-by-side in a pan and left to rise. After baking, cinnamon rolls are usually iced or drizzled with glaze. If you’re more interested in making cinnamon rolls, be sure to check out my recipes for Old Fashioned Cinnamon Rolls and Make-Ahead Cinnamon Rolls.
Look at all of that decadent, gooey stuff! That’s what you’ll get in every bite of a sticky bun!
Can Sticky Buns be frozen?
I’m gonna say that you technically could freeze the sticky buns after they’ve already risen… and then just seal them well with plastic wrap and foil. Then you’d have to let them come to room temperature again before baking. But there isn’t any real reason to freeze them, and it’s just going to take a lot of extra effort to do so.
This recipe is extremely easy, so just make them the night before and bake them in the morning. I recommend you avoid the freezer!
If you’re looking for more decadent breakfast recipes, you might like to try my Cinnamon Roll Pancakes or these No Yeast Apple Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Icing. Crockpot Cinnamon Roll Cassserole, Caramel Apple Monkey Bread and Fruit and Cream Cheese Breakfast Pastries are great breakfast recipes too!
Here are a few more breakfast recipes that can be made the night before. These are the best Overnight Breakfast Recipes!
- Overnight Oats with Toasted Coconut and Blueberries
- Overnight Caramel French Toast
- Overnight Blueberry French Toast
- Overnight Ham and Cheese Bake
- Overnight Eggnog Coffee Cake with Nog Glaze
- Overnight Coffee Cake
- Cinnamon Raisin Overnight French Toast with Apple Filling
Sticky Buns
Ingredients
- 20 frozen dough rolls (such as Bridgeford)
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- One 3-ounce box Cook & Serve Vanilla Pudding (don't use instant pudding)
- 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, melted
Instructions
- Spray a 9x13-inch pan with nonstick spray. Place the frozen rolls in the pan.
- Mix the dry ingredients together (sugar, pecans, pudding and cinnamon) and sprinkle over the rolls. Drizzle the melted butter over the rolls. Cover it with plastic wrap and let it sit on the counter overnight (or place it in a cool oven).
- In the morning, remove the plastic wrap and bake the rolls in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.
- When the rolls are done, dump them onto a large platter upside down and drizzle the extra gooey juices on top. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can you use lemon pudding instead of vanilla
You could try!
Hiya! Can’t wait to try this but wondering if they can hold for 20 mins? Planning to serve with a savory casserole that requires a higher oven temp. Thanks for the help!
That should be fine- I’d probably just cover them with foil.
DO NOT USE INSTANT PUDDING. It honestly does make a difference.
I have been making these for years. I cover bottom of pan with chopped walnuts and then lay bread dough on top. After mixing rest of ingredients together, pour over bread dough. I also put parchment paper on the bottom so after baking, flip pan over and baking pan comes out clean.
Where exactly has this recipe been all my life?!?! Thank you, thank you!
what is the gooey juices made of to pour over the sticky buns after you flip them?
The butter, pudding and sugar…
I make this recipe with cooked type butterscotch pudding mix . So yummy!
Great tip, thank you!
On the sticky buns it reads 13 oz pudding should it read 1 -3oz pudding?
yes, it reads as 1 3-ounce pudding
Hi Lori, this recipe sounds simple and delicious! Just a question, have you tried using instant vanilla pudding instead? Would the result be the same?
Thank you.
I haven’t tried instant, so I’m not sure!
Oh my gosh, so perfect for Christmas morning!