Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding

When I’ve got a pack of cinnamon rolls hanging around, I’m not letting them dry out on the counter and disappear into the snack graveyard. I’m turning them into Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding – warm, creamy, cinnamon-loaded, and covered with a tangy cream cheese frosting that melts right into every crack and corner.

Watch How to Make It

This is the kind of bake that works for Sunday breakfast, holiday brunch, or a late-night dessert when you want something sweet without making dough from scratch. You get those soft cinnamon roll centers, a custardy middle, and browned edges that have just enough chew to keep every bite interesting.

I like to bake the cinnamon rolls a day ahead, then let the cubes drink up that rich vanilla custard before they hit the oven. It’s simple comfort food, yall, and it disappears faster than a cold beer in July.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

This one gives you the full cinnamon roll experience without standing around waiting for yeast dough to rise. The rolls are already baked, so all we’re doing is giving them a second life in a creamy, cinnamon-spiced custard that turns tender and gooey in the middle.

The brown sugar, vanilla, nutmeg, and cinnamon bring that warm bakery smell through the whole house. Once that cream cheese frosting goes on top of the warm pudding, it sinks into the cracks and makes a sweet little glaze all over the surface. Trust me, don’t skip that part.

I also love that this works as both breakfast and dessert. Put it out with bacon, sausage, fruit, and coffee for brunch, or serve it after dinner with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Nobody’s arguing with either option.

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Ingredients & Tools You'll Need

You’ll need three tubes of cinnamon rolls, baked according to the package directions the day before you make the pudding. Day-old cinnamon rolls are the move because they hold their shape better while still soaking up plenty of custard. Fresh rolls can get too soft too fast, and we want tender – not mushy.

For the custard, grab brown sugar, sugar, heavy cream, milk, vanilla, a pinch of salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and four beaten eggs. The heavy cream gives the pudding that rich, spoonable texture, while the milk keeps it from getting overly heavy. A little nutmeg in the background makes the cinnamon taste warmer and deeper.

You’ll also need butter for greasing your casserole dish. For the frosting, have milk, softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla ready to go. I use a large mixing bowl for the bread pudding, a separate bowl for whisking the custard, a casserole dish, a mixer for the frosting, and a sharp knife for cubing those cinnamon rolls.

How To Make It

This is an easy bake, but there are a couple spots where slowing down makes a big difference. The big goal is getting the cinnamon roll cubes evenly soaked without smashing them into paste, then baking until the center is set but still soft and creamy.

Don’t rush the soak. That little bit of waiting time is where the custard works its way into the swirls of cinnamon and sugar, and that’s what makes every scoop taste like more than just chopped-up rolls.

Preparation

Start by baking your cinnamon rolls according to the package directions one day ahead of time. Once they’ve cooled, cube them up and toss them into a large bowl. You want bite-sized pieces that will fit easily on a spoon, with enough crusty edges left intact to give the finished pudding some texture.

In a separate bowl, mix together the brown sugar, sugar, heavy cream, milk, vanilla, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and beaten eggs. Whisk until the sugar starts dissolving and the eggs are fully blended in. The mixture should smell like a cinnamon bakery right about now.

Pour the custard over the cubed cinnamon rolls and fold everything together gently. Let it sit for 30 minutes so the rolls can soak up that flavor without falling apart.

This is where most recipes go wrong: they rush straight from cubed rolls to the oven, but I let the custard soak in first so the center turns creamy and flavorful instead of dry in spots and soggy in others.

While the pudding rests, butter your casserole dish well. Get the bottom and the sides, because those buttery browned edges are some of the best bites in the whole pan. Transfer the soaked cinnamon roll mixture into the dish and spread it into an even layer without packing it down too hard.

Cooking

Heat your oven to 350 degrees and bake the pudding uncovered for 40 minutes. By the end, your kitchen should smell like cinnamon toast, vanilla, and warm brown sugar. That smell alone will have folks wandering in asking when it’s ready.

Look for a deep golden top with darker cinnamon-speckled edges. The center should look puffed and set instead of shiny and liquid, and it should give a gentle jiggle when you carefully move the dish. If you hear a quiet custardy sizzle around the edges, you’re in good shape.

The pudding is done when a knife inserted near the center comes out mostly clean with a little soft custard clinging to it. You don’t want it dry, because it keeps setting as it rests. Let it sit just long enough to settle while you make the frosting.

Mix the frosting ingredients in a bowl with a mixer until smooth and creamy. If you want it thinner and more drizzle-friendly, add more milk a little at a time. Pour that frosting over the warm pudding right away so it melts down into the crevices instead of sitting on top like a thick blanket.

Serving & Variations

I like serving this warm, when the frosting is still glossy and the center is soft enough to scoop. A cup of strong coffee cuts through the sweetness real nice, and salty breakfast sides like bacon or sausage make it feel like a full brunch spread. For dessert, vanilla ice cream is hard to beat.

A common consensus among home cooks is: day-old cinnamon rolls make a better bread pudding because they soak up custard without turning to mush. That’s exactly why I bake the rolls ahead of time, and it’s a small step that makes the finished texture way better.

Here’s my pro-tip: after pouring on the frosting, let the pan rest for 10 minutes before serving. That gives the hot custard time to finish setting while the frosting melts into a thin layer through the top instead of running straight to the bottom of the dish. You get cleaner scoops, a gooier center, and icing in every bite.

If you’ve got leftovers, cover them and keep them in the refrigerator. Reheat individual portions gently until warm, then add a splash of milk if the pudding looks a little tight after chilling. You can also serve cold leftovers straight from the fridge, but around here, we usually warm it up because that frosting gets nice and melty again.

Wrapping Up

This is one of those easy comfort bakes that looks like you put in way more effort than you actually did. Cubed cinnamon rolls, a good soak in sweet custard, and that warm cream cheese frosting – that’s the whole game, and it’s a mighty good one.

Make it for a holiday morning, take it to a family get-together, or just make it because you’ve got cinnamon rolls and a craving. Fix yourself a plate while it’s warm, yall – you’ll see why this one becomes a repeat recipe fast.

Recipe created by Big Ks Que for Trust Me Try It.

Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 10

Ingredients

• 3 tubes cinnamon rolls
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 / cup sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 5 cup milk
• 2 tsp vanilla
• pinch salt
• .5 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 4 beaten eggs
• 2 tbsp butter for greasing casserole dish
• Frosting
• 1 / cup milk
• 8 oz soft cream cheese
• 2 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla

Instructions

• For best results, bake the cinnamon rolls according to package directions one day ahead of time.
• Cut the cinnamon rolls into cubes and place them in a large bowl.
• In a separate bowl, mix together all remaining pudding ingredients.
• Pour the mixture over the cinnamon roll pieces and gently mix until well coated.
• Let the mixture soak for 30 minutes.
• Transfer to a greased casserole dish.
• Bake uncovered at 350°F for 40 minutes.
• While the pudding bakes, beat the frosting ingredients together with a mixer until smooth. Add additional milk as needed for a thinner consistency.
• Immediately pour the frosting over the warm cinnamon roll pudding and enjoy!