7 Ways to Make a Can of Cinnamon Rolls Taste Homemade

Time doesn't always allow for idyllic mornings that begin with homemade cinnamon rolls and leisurely cups of coffee. Sometimes you wish you had a shortcut. Luckily there are ways you can tweak that can of store-bought cinnamon roll dough to make them taste like you made them from scratch.

1. Add Heavy Cream

This hack has gained a lot of traction on TikTok and is so simple: Just pour heavy cream in a baking dish to cover the bottom of the pan. Arrange the premade buns in the pan, cover with foil and bake according to package directions. The cream adds moisture to the rolls for extra tender and pillowy pastries.

2. Increase the Cinnamon-Sugar Filling

The viral TikTok cinnamon rolls don't stop with adding cream the pan — most versions also include the addition of drizzle a butter, brown sugar and cinnamon mixture over top the buns before baking. Just melt 4 tablespoons butter and stir in 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon. Drizzle the mixture over the rolls, cover with foil and bake according to package directions.

3. Make Your Own Icing

Toss the pre-made stuff that comes in the can and instead mix together 2 tablespoons softened butter with 2 tablespoons cream cheese, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, a pinch of salt and 1 cup powdered sugar. Add milk, 1 tablespoon at a time to thin to desired consistency. Slather over warm rolls and enjoy for that homemade taste with just a fraction of the effort.

4. Layer On Some Caramel

Spread a layer of caramel sauce in the bottom of your baking pan. Place the rolls on top of the caramel and bake according to package directions. Flip the cinnamon rolls upside down when they are finished baking for gooey caramel sauce-topped buns.

5. Add Nuts

Store-bought cinnamon rolls don't usually have nuts, so this one simple edition goes a long way in adding that homemade flair. There are two ways to go about it. The easiest method is to simply toast and chop your favorite nuts (think: pecans, walnuts or almonds) and sprinkle them atop the frosted rolls. Or, for a more sticky bun-style cinnamon roll, add caramel sauce to the bottom of the pan (see above), then a layer of chopped toasted nuts. Place your rolls on top of the caramel-nut combo and bake according to package directions. Flip before serving.

6. Add a Fruit Filling

Canned cinnamon rolls can be unrolled pretty easily. Once you have a flat strip of dough, cover it with some fresh fruit like berries or sliced peaches or spoon on your favorite pie filling. Roll the dough back up in that classic cinnamon roll shape, place in a baking dish and bake according to package instructions.

7. Brûlée the Tops

Before baking, set one oven rack to the top position. With five minutes left of cooking, remove the rolls from the oven and dust the tops with sugar. Return rolls to the top rack in the oven and set it to broil. Broil just until the sugar is golden.