10 Sticky Bun Recipes For Magical Mornings

baking dish of cinnamon rolls topped with pecans and caramel
Photo: foodelicious

There's nothing, and we mean nothing, like a warm sticky bun in the morning. Essentially, the breakfast treat isn't that far off from a cinnamon roll, but there are differences. A sticky bun is denser, heartier, sweeter, and almost always includes nuts. Sticky buns are also baked in their gooey, decadent topping, which doubles as their namesake. Whether you want to commemorate a special event like Christmas or Easter breakfast or just want to turn a weekday morning into something exceptional, these sticky buns will bring a dose of joy to your breakfast.

01 of 11

Sticky Buns

102686317 sticky buns by Meredith
Sticky buns. Photo by Meredith.

These sticky buns have a light, sweet, biscuit-like dough that's incredibly easy to work with, making this recipe a great place to start if you've never made sticky buns from scratch before. If you want to up the sweetness, whip up a homemade icing with cream cheese, butter, confectioner's sugar, and a bit of milk and slowly spread it over the buns after they come out of the oven.

02 of 11

Chef John's Sticky Buns

a pecan roll on a white plate
Chef John

Chef John's sticky bun recipe yields a beautifully tender dough and sweet, crunchy, and, of course, sticky topping. This may not be the easiest dough to work with, but the buns come out so soft and delicate the extra effort is more than worth it.

03 of 11

Bubbling Bread Sticky Buns

Bubbling Bread Sticky Buns
Dedric Walker

These sticky buns taste like they came from a bakery, but they're incredibly easy thanks to a shortcut ingredient: frozen dinner rolls. Assemble these just before you go to bed and the dough will rise overnight. Then, in the morning, all you have to do is bake for 30 minutes.

04 of 11

Ooey-Gooey Cinnamon Buns

baking dish of cinnamon rolls topped with pecans and caramel
foodelicious

"When I made these for a dinner party, I was a little worried, but they turned out well. Too well," says community member dougger. "The buns were so unbelievably and incredibly delicious I got kind of scared. I felt like I had created something so devastating, so powerful, that it would wreak havoc on humanity."

05 of 11

Mom-Mom's Sticky Buns

Mom-Mom's Sticky Buns
Sympathy4onions

This sticky bun recipe is straight-up legendary in creator phalanx0's family, and for good reason. It's easy to follow, yields great results — and there will be no buns left behind. To really embrace the stickiness, add an extra half portion of the topping's ingredients and make a larger batch.

06 of 11

Overnight Caramel Pecan Rolls

Overnight Caramel Pecan Rolls
Photo by MildRed. Mildred

Prep these caramel pecan rolls a day or so in advance (let them rise in the fridge for 12-48 hours) so you can cook them in the morning just before serving. This recipe is distinct enough for a special occasion, like Christmas morning, but the dough is remarkably easy to work with — even accomplished bakers will be impressed.

07 of 11

Sticky Buns I

Sticky Buns I
Candace

"I work in the emergency room at a local hospital and I made the mistake of taking this in for all to eat," says community member RUBYTOO. "There isn't a day that goes by that someone isn't asking me to please make it again. It was a huge success and so simple to make. I can't say enough good things about this recipe."

08 of 11

Ooey Gooey Breakfast Rolls

Ooey Gooey Breakfast Rolls
dnufer

This recipe streamlines the process of making sticky buns by using a supermarket shortcut: frozen bread dough. You can also use frozen bread rolls to bypass the process of rolling the dough into balls. If you don't have a Bundt pan, an 8 or 9-inch nonstick cake pan will work just as well.

09 of 11

Grandmother Stougaard's Caramel Pecan Sweet Rolls

Grandmother Stougaard's Caramel Pecan Sweet Rolls
inthefrey

Get ready for the gooiest and sweetest homemade pecan caramel rolls of your life. This old family recipe is simple but yields incredible results. Go ahead and make a double batch because everyone at the table will gobble them up immediately.

10 of 11

Land of Nod Cinnamon Buns

Land of Nod Cinnamon Buns
BeccasKitchen

Frozen dinner rolls and instant vanilla pudding mix (you can also use butterscotch pudding mix if you prefer it) are the simplest shortcut to wow-worthy cinnamon buns. Simply prep them the night before and bake for 25 minutes in the morning. Get ready, this recipe will become a new holiday tradition.

Was this page helpful?