Weekend Breakfast Magic (in Under 10 Minutes)
This cozy pull-apart cinnamon bake is everything you want in a breakfast treat—gooey, golden, and packed with warm spice. Best part? It starts with canned cinnamon rolls and comes together in no time. Perfect for lazy Sundays, holiday mornings, or anytime you want to make breakfast feel special.
Why You’ll Love It
- Fast & fuss-free – Just 10 minutes of prep and no fancy steps.
- Kid-approved – Sticky, sweet, and fun to eat—what’s not to love?
- Great for holidays – Perfect for Christmas or Easter brunch.
- No overnight prep – Just mix and bake!
- Made with pantry staples – You probably have everything you need already.
Want to serve this alongside something savory? Pair with these Mini Quiche Bites or Southwest Breakfast Quesadillas for a balanced brunch spread.
After you preview the recipe card, be sure to look below for ingredient substitutions, recipe and storage tips, and suggestions for pairings and tasty variations!
Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread Bake
Prepared cinnamon roll dough makes this sweet breakfast casserole quick and easy to put together.
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Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 115kcal
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 17.5 oz. cans Pillsbury Grands cinnamon rolls
- 1/4 cup butter melted
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan.
- In a large zip-top bag, mix together granulated sugar and cinnamon.
- Cut cinnamon rolls into quarters and place the pieces in the bag with the cinnamon and sugar mixture. Toss to coat well. Arrange the cinnamon roll pieces in the prepared pan.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the melted butter, brown sugar and maple syrup. Pour evenly over the cinnamon roll pieces.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly. Remove from oven and drizzle with the frosting from the cinnamon roll packages. Serve warm.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 115kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 77mg | Sugar: 16g
Keep scrolling for tips, ingredient substitutions, answers to frequently asked questions and more!
From making this many (many) times:
Recipe Tips
- Cut the rolls small – Quartering helps the glaze coat more surface area and gives that pull-apart feel.
- Shake in a bag – Coating the dough in cinnamon sugar is easier and way less messy when done in a zip-top bag.
- Don’t overbake – Look for bubbling edges and a golden top. Overbaking can dry it out.
- Double the glaze? – Some folks like it extra gooey. You can double the butter/sugar/syrup mixture if that’s your style.
How to Store & Reheat
- Store leftovers tightly covered at room temp for 1 day, or in the fridge up to 3 days.
- Reheat individual portions in the microwave for about 20–30 seconds.
- Freeze? Not ideal. The texture gets a bit soggy when thawed.
Fun Variations to Try
Let’s make it your own:
- Citrus twist – Add orange zest to the sugar coating or frosting for a bakery-style vibe.
- Nutty crunch – Sprinkle in some chopped pecans or walnuts before baking.
- Fall flavors – Swap maple syrup for a touch of apple butter or pumpkin butter.
- Mini version – Use muffin tins to create personal-sized pull-aparts (great for brunch parties).
Be sure to save this recipe to your favorite Pinterest board for later.
18 comments
JungleJourneyer
Have you ever tried cooking traditional baked goods in an air fryer, like this Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread Bake? What are your thoughts on the results compared to using a conventional oven?”,
“refusal
Danelle
I have made molten chocolate cake in my air fryer, and I also have a similar recipe to this on the site for “Air Fryer Cinnamon Roll Bites, so I definitely think it would work. You would probably need to half the recipe, and experiment with cooking time and temperature. Those 2 recipe are my only experience with baked goods in the air fryer, so it’s not something I’ve done a lot, but the results I’ve had have been good. Essentially an air fryer is a convection oven, so it should work well for baking.
Lorie
I doubled the sauce ingredients the 2nd time making it, it was too dry the 1st time and let it sit and soak it up about 15 mins. I didn’t have the grand cinnamon rolls so used 2 cans of the regular ones cut into 1/4s. Better with more goo.
Carrie
I like citrus flavors, so I halved recipe (had only 1 can of classic cinnamon rolls), added 1/8 tsp of ground ginger, 1/8 tsp of orange zest to the shaking bag.
I baked in an 8x6x2 pyrex dish for about 20 mins. Heated the icing in a glass cup for a few seconds then stirred in more zest. Drizzled icing over top. OMG.