What’s better than cinnamon rolls? Cinnamon rolls with apples and caramel sauce, of course. I love cinnamon rolls and the moister, softer, and gooier they are, the better. This cinnamon roll casserole with apples delivers big time. It’s one of the best things I’ve made in ages. Seriously. The gooey factor of a Cinnabon plus apples and caramel sauce. The recipe is easy, ready in 30 minutes, and you don’t even have to make scratch cinnamon roll dough. I used two tubes of refrigerated Pillsbury cinnamon roll dough, chopped it into pieces, poured a milky egg mixture over the top, before adding apples, frosting, and caramel sauce. As the dough rises around the apples, the apples become trapped in the dough, and every bite is filled with tender, juicy apples that retain a tiny bit of crunch. A perfect contrast to the chewy, buttery dough. After baking I added frosting and drizzled salted caramel over the top for an added boost of caramel flavor. Use homemade or storebought. During baking the apples release juice and there’s a saucy, juicy, caramel mixture at the bottom of the pan that’s so incredibly delicious. The recipe is perfect for lazy weekend breakfasts, impromptu company, or a special holiday brunch or event. It tastes like you slaved over it but no one has to know you didn’t.
Apple Cinnamon Roll Bake Ingredients
This recipe is essentially doctored up Pillsbury cinnamon rolls with apples. I love it when store-bought shortcuts wind up tasting this good! Here’s everything you’ll need to make the apple cinnamon rolls with Pillsbury dough:
Refrigerated cinnamon roll dough Eggs Milk Ground cinnamon Vanilla extract Salt Butter Granny Smith apples Brown sugar Confectioners’ sugar Salted caramel sauce (optional)
How to Make Apple Cinnamon Roll Bake
To prepare the cinnamon roll casserole with apples, follow these basic steps (full instructions given in the recipe card below):
Can This Recipe Be Doubled?
Of course! Double the ingredients and bake in a 9×13-inch pan.
What Kind of Cinnamon Roll Dough Should I Buy?
Any kind you’d like! There are so many varieties on the market now. I made the apple cinnamon rolls with Pillsbury Cinnabon Reduced Fat dough, but you may use any brand, variety, or flavor you’d like. You can easily make this recipe gluten-free by using your favorite gluten-free store-bought cinnamon roll rough!
Tips for Making Cinnamon Roll Casserole with Apples
This is a fairly easy recipe to tailor to specific dietary restrictions. For vegan, use non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened cashew milk) and check that your cinnamon roll dough is vegan. For gluten-free, use gluten-free cinnamon roll dough. You can serve this recipe as a decadent breakfast or dessert. If serving for breakfast, I like to pair it with savory sides like eggs, bacon, or breakfast sausage. You can always add ice cream or whipped topping if you’re feeling extra decadent, but this is a decadent recipe already and we didn’t need ice cream.
More Easy Cinnamon Roll Recipes:
Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Bake — Every bite tastes like the super SOFT, gooey CENTER of a cinnamon roll!! Spiked with pumpkin and flooded with icing, this EASY recipe is an automatic WINNER!! Tried this recipe? Leave a review! Consider leaving a 5 star rating if you’ve made and loved one of my recipes!
Overnight Buttermilk Cinnamon Rolls – For soft, fluffy, pillowy, perfect cinnamon rolls when you need a larger batch, it’s my go-to. Readers who’ve tried it write with high praise and success!
Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls Recipe — Super soft, fluffy, and topped with a cream cheese glaze! Move over Cinnabon, these are better!!
Nutella Cinnamon Rolls with Vanilla Glaze (Shortcut Recipe) – A can of crescent rolls never tasted so good as when they’re stuffed with Nutella and rolled up. Ready from start to finish in 15 minutes!
1-Hour Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting – Make soft, light, fluffy cinnamon rolls from scratch in 1 hour!
Overnight Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls — The SOFTEST and FLUFFIEST cinnamon rolls with an overnight MAKE-AHEAD option and eggnog frosting adds the perfect touch!! These would be a great make ahead Christmas breakfast option!
Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls — This ultra chocolaty twist on classic cinnamon rolls is made with doctored up chocolate cake mix and oodles of chocolate frosting!! Soft, tender, fluffy, and EASY!! Calling all chocaholics, these are for YOU!!
