This Slow Cooker Caramel Sticky Bun Casserole takes canned cinnamon roll dough to a whole new stratosphere. You will LOVE this gooey, decadent, outrageous treat. Pre-made cinnamon roll dough drenched in gooey sticky bun sauce make this dish the ultimate WOW!
*This is an updated and fully reworked version of a recipe originally posted 6/4/2019*
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To make this easy recipe, you will need these simple ingredients:
- refrigerated cinnamon roll dough the smaller rolls, not Grands size
- butter cut into small pieces
- brown sugar
- ground cinnamon
- caramel sauce
- candied pecans
If you only ever make just one of my crock pot recipes - this should be the one. It is THAT good! Your entire family will thank you.
Why use a slow cooker?
- Best served warm. These gooey, amazing sticky buns are delicious at room temperature - but when served warm they are SPECTACULAR!
- Timing. Whether you are making this as a Sunday morning brunch recipe or a dinner party dessert, time is always short! These crockpot cinnamon rolls are easy to toss and forget. While your slow cooker works it's magic, you have plenty of time to pay attention to other tasks.
- Easy to clean. This whole dish is mixed, cooked, and served right from your crockpot.
🔪Instructions
This great recipe just involves a few simple steps:
Preparing Your Slow Cooker
Prepare your slow cooker by coating it with a non-stick agent. Any nonstick cooking spray or oil will work. Avocado oil is my go-to coating for this dish since is has a very neutral flavor. Melted butter would also be great for this one.
NOTE: some slow cooker inserts come with a nonstick surface. Use of a non-stick agent is still suggested. However, oil is sometimes recommended rather than spray to protect the longevity of the non-stick surface. Check your slow cooker's manual if you have any concerns.
A slow cooker liner can be used too (but they just aren't as pretty when serving to guests). Parchment paper is a stick free better option for lining your crock pot when making this weekend breakfast treat.
Cooking
- 🥮 Start by cutting your butter into small squares. Slice the stick into even sized pats. Then cut each pat into quarters and set aside.
- 🥮 Add uncooked cinnamon buns to your slow cooker. A 6 quart oval slow cooker (or casserole style slow cooker) will allow you to fit all 16 cinnamon rolls. You may have to squeeze in the last few and that is OK.
- 🥮 Place one small square of butter on top of each cinnamon roll (you will not use all the butter)
- 🥮 Sprinkle brown sugar over top of all of the biscuit dough
- 🥮 Drizzle a cup of the caramel sauce over the cinnamon sugar mixture until there is a good, even layer
- 🥮 Finally top casserole with a layer of candied pecans
- 🥮 Cover and cook on high for 1 hour
- 🥮 After cooking time, remove the slow cooker insert from the heating element base. Rotate insert 180° and place back into the heating element. This is an OPTIONAL step. It will help to more evenly distribute heat throughout the cooking process. I have some slow cookers that really need this step and some that don't. They are all just a little different.
- 🥮 Continue cooking crock pot cinnamon rolls for another hour. At the second hour mark, check for doneness. If the middle needs to cook a little longer, continue to check every 5 minutes. Watch carefully to make sure the edges don't start to burn.
- 🥮 Turn slow cooker to warm, serve, and watch your slow cooker cinnamon roll casserole disappear!
Note
the top will look gooey and undercooked, even when finished. You will not get the golden brown top you would in an oven. You can confirm that buns are done by checking under the topmost layer of the center bun. When it looks cakey underneath, you are ready to go.
🔁Substitutions
- To switch up the flavor a bit, substitute caramel sauce for maple syrup. The end result will have a slightly different, but but equally delicious flavor!
- If you prefer monkey bread, cut cinnamon roll dough into quarters before adding to greased slow cooker. This method also works if you can only find larger (Grands) sized cinnamon roll dough.
- If you are a fan of apples, try Slow Cooker Apple and Honey pull-apart.
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Serving ideas
- For all my chocoholics - try sprinkling some chocolate chips on top just before serving (you can thank me later!). Cinnamon and chocolate are two of my favorite flavors!
- To serve this dish for dessert, add a dollop of vanilla ice cream for a heavenly treat.
- This sweet dish is great paired with a savory spinach and feta frittata!
- This is the ultimate Christmas morning slow-cooker breakfast treat!
Storing
In the unlikely event of leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will last for about 3 days.
Reheat gently in the microwave in 10 second intervals. This dish can go from perfect to cardboard very quickly when over-microwaved.
If you love this recipe...
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😉Hints & hacks
- A lot of moisture naturally occurs during the slow cooking process. To help wick some of it away, place a tea towel over your slow cooker's ceramic insert just under the slow-cooker lid.
- Keep in mind that these will be HOT when they first come out of the slow cooker.
- The first time you make this crockpot cinnamon roll casserole, keep a closer eye on the timing. Each slow cooker cooks differently. I have one that makes this dish in 90 minutes and another that takes closer to three hours.
- Many slow cookers don't cook evenly. To compensate, halfway through cooking time, lift the ceramic insert carefully out of the heating element. Rotate it 180º and place it back in. This will allow the contents to have equal access to the hotter side of your slow cooker.
- I do not recommend cooking this on the low heat setting.
- To make clean-up easier, line the slow cooker with a slow cooker liner or parchment paper.
- Don't forget to make sure your slow cooker is plugged in and turned on!! 😉
📖 Recipe
Slow Cooker Caramel Sticky Bun Casserole Recipe
Equipment
- 6 quart slow cooker
- non-stick cooking spray or oil
Ingredients
- 2 12.4 cans refrigerated cinnamon roll dough the smaller rolls, not Grands
- ½ stick butter cut into small pieces*
- 1.5 cups brown sugar
- 1 cup caramel sauce
- 1 -1½ cups candied pecans
Instructions
- Place cinnamon rolls into a greased slow cooker. You will have to squeeze the last few in - that is ok. (see photo above)
- Place 1 small square* of butter on top of each cinnamon roll
- Sprinkle 1.5 cups brown sugar liberally over all cinnamon rolls
- Drizzle 1 cup caramel sauce over the cinnamon sugar mixture
- Top with 1 -1½ cups candied pecans, sprinkled randomly
- Cover and cook on high for one hour.
- To help with even cooking, use potholders to remove the cooking vessel from your slow cooker. Rotate 180° and place in back into the heating element.
- Cook for another hour and check for doneness. If the middle needs to cook a little longer, continue to check every 5 minutes. Note: the top will look gooey and undercooked, even when finished from the caramel sauce. You can confirm that buns are done by checking under the top most layer of the center bun. When it looks cakey underneath, you are ready to go.
- When cooked through, turn slow cooker to the warm setting and serve right from slow cooker!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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RANDY says
Can you use just one can of cinnamon rolls for this?
The Lazy Slow Cooker says
It depends on the size of your slow cooker. In a round one or one that is smaller, you can probably use one can. For the larger (6 quarts or more) ones, you will need more than one can.