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Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding takes buttery baked cinnamon rolls, soaks them in a creamy eggnog custard, and bakes the whole pan into the coziest Christmas breakfast imaginable, and the first time I made it on a snowy December morning the girls hovered by the oven asking when the icing was going on. If your crew loves a breakfast that eats like dessert, my honey bun bread pudding is the year round cousin of this holiday pan.
Eggnog does double duty here, flavoring both the custard soak and the sweet icing drizzled over every warm serving.
Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 45 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 1 hour
- 🍽️ Serving: 5 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 290kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Warm cinnamon and nutmeg spiced eggnog custard under sweet vanilla icing
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, on par with our overnight Christmas breakfast casserole
Quick Answer
Bake a can of Grands cinnamon rolls, save the icing packet, and let the rolls sit out overnight to dry. Cube the rolls into a buttered 8 inch baking dish, then whisk eggs, 2 cups of eggnog, brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla and pour the custard over the top. Press the pieces down, let them soak for 30 minutes, and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes plus 10 more covered with foil. Whisk the reserved icing with powdered sugar and a splash of eggnog, drizzle it over the warm pan, and serve.
Jump to:
- Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding FAQs
- Other Recommended Holiday Breakfast Recipes
- Eggnog Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Drying the rolls overnight is the secret. Fresh cinnamon rolls are too soft to absorb custard, but slightly stale ones drink it up like classic bread pudding cubes, so every piece is saturated instead of soggy on the outside and dry in the middle.
- Pre baked rolls bring flavor for free. Every cube already carries the cinnamon swirl and buttery crumb, so the pudding gets bakery level flavor without you making a dough or a filling from scratch.
- Eggnog is a ready made custard base. It is already sweetened, spiced with nutmeg, and rich with cream and eggs, so whisking in a few extra eggs turns it into a foolproof custard with zero tempering.
- Brown sugar deepens the caramel notes. Light brown sugar adds a molasses warmth that white sugar cannot, echoing the gooey edges of a proper cinnamon roll.
- The 30 minute soak does the heavy lifting. Pressing the cubes under the custard and letting them sit guarantees the center bakes through creamy instead of leaving dry pockets on top.
- The foil finish sets the middle gently. Covering the dish for the last 10 minutes lets the center finish cooking while the top stays golden instead of over browning.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Only 9 ingredients, and the can of Grands does all the heavy lifting.
- It tastes like Christmas morning in one pan, cinnamon rolls and eggnog together at last.
- It brings the same cozy holiday energy as our eggnog cake, in breakfast form.
Key Ingredients
Nine simple ingredients, and most of them are probably in your holiday fridge already.
- Cinnamon Rolls: The bread. One package of Pillsbury Grands with the extra rich butter cream icing gives you the cubes and the base of the icing in one can. Canned Grands keep it easy, though a batch of my quick and easy cinnamon rolls works beautifully too.
- Eggnog: The custard and the icing. It brings cream, sugar, and nutmeg spice in one carton. Store bought is perfect here, or go all out and use my homemade classic eggnog.
- Eggs: The structure. Four eggs turn the eggnog into a proper custard that sets soft and sliceable.
- Light Brown Sugar: The warmth. It adds a caramel depth that plays perfectly against the cinnamon swirl.
- Butter and the Icing Packet: The finish. Melted butter enriches the soak, and the reserved icing whisked with powdered sugar and eggnog becomes the signature drizzle.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
One cozy pan, plenty of ways to make it yours.
- No eggnog on hand: Use 2 cups of whole milk or half and half plus a pinch of nutmeg, and it becomes a classic cinnamon roll bread pudding you can make all year.
- Casserole style shortcut: Skip the overnight drying and use the rolls the same day for a softer, more custardy bake, closer to a cinnamon roll casserole texture.
- Make it boozy: A tablespoon of spiced rum or bourbon whisked into the custard turns it into a dinner party dessert.
- Boozy apple twist: My Fireball apple bread pudding is the grown up sibling with cinnamon whisky soaked apples.
- Eggnog dessert lane: If you want the flavor in cupcake form, my eggnog cupcakes carry the same nutmeg cream vibe.
- Add ins: A handful of chopped pecans or eggnog soaked raisins scattered between the cubes adds texture in every bite.
How to Make Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding
- Bake the cinnamon rolls according to the package directions and set the icing packet aside for later. Let the baked rolls sit out overnight, uncovered, so they dry out enough to soak up the custard.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, 2 cups of the eggnog, brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla until smooth.
- Cube the cinnamon rolls and place them in a prepared 8 inch baking dish. Pour the melted butter over the rolls, add the custard, and press the pieces down so they are covered in liquid. Let everything soak for 30 minutes.
- Bake for 35 minutes, then cover with foil and bake 10 additional minutes until the center is set. While it bakes, whisk the reserved icing with the powdered sugar and remaining tablespoon of eggnog, then drizzle it over the warm bread pudding and serve.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Do not skip the overnight dry out. Fresh rolls turn to mush in the custard, slightly stale ones hold their shape and soak evenly, it is the single biggest difference maker.
- Press the cubes down twice. Once when the custard goes in and again halfway through the soak, so the top pieces get their share of the eggnog.
- Any canned cinnamon rolls work. Grands give the biggest custard soaked pieces, but even the small cans like the ones in my mini cinnamon rolls will do the job, just watch the bake time.
- Trust the custard ratio. Four eggs to two cups of eggnog is the same egg to dairy logic behind my savory bread pudding, it sets soft but sliceable every time.
- Check the center, not the clock. The pudding is done when the middle barely jiggles and a knife comes out mostly clean, ovens and dish depths vary.
- Thin the icing with eggnog, not milk. That last tablespoon keeps the eggnog flavor going all the way through the drizzle.
- Serve it warm. The custard is creamiest about 15 minutes out of the oven, when the icing melts into every crevice.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
This eggnog cinnamon roll bread pudding was born for Christmas morning, set it in the middle of the table right next to the savory stuff and watch it disappear first. Pour mugs of my Grinch hot cocoa for the kids and glasses of my creamy eggnog Christmas punch for the grown ups and breakfast is handled.
And if this one lands in your rotation, our pumpkin cinnamon rolls deserves a spot right next to it.
It moonlights as dessert too, serve squares warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a dusting of nutmeg. If your family are pudding people, my old fashioned rice pudding and sticky sweet sticky toffee pudding belong on the same holiday dessert table, and my eggnog pudding doubles down on the nog.
Hosting a holiday brunch? Slice it into small squares on a platter so everyone can grab a piece with one hand. For a festive brunch cocktail hour, my cinnamon roll cocktail drinks like dessert and my eggnog pudding shots are always the first thing gone.
Leftovers reheat beautifully for a sneaky December weekday breakfast, 30 seconds in the microwave brings the custard right back. And if you bake a double batch of rolls, my cinnamon roll blondies are the move for the leftovers.
Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding FAQs
Yes, and it is actually better when you plan ahead. Bake the rolls a day early so they can dry overnight, then assemble the dish, cover it, and refrigerate up to 24 hours before baking. Let the dish sit on the counter while the oven preheats and add about 5 extra minutes to the bake time. Hold the icing until serving so the drizzle stays glossy.
Because of the eggnog custard, this cinnamon roll bread pudding belongs in the refrigerator, covered or in an airtight container, for up to 4 days. Reheat individual squares in the microwave for about 30 seconds or warm the whole dish, covered with foil, at 325 degrees until heated through. The icing soaks in as it sits, so save a little extra for serving day two.
Yes, cinnamon roll bread pudding freezes well. Cool it completely, cut it into squares, and wrap them individually before tucking them into a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat gently in the microwave or a low oven. Freeze it without the icing when you can, then whisk up a fresh batch with powdered sugar and a splash of eggnog for serving.
They are close cousins. A cinnamon roll casserole usually bakes raw or refrigerated dough pieces in the custard in one step, while this cinnamon roll bread pudding starts with fully baked, slightly dried rolls, the classic bread pudding method. Starting with baked rolls gives you defined custard soaked pieces with golden edges instead of one soft dough layer, and it is why the overnight dry out matters.
Absolutely. Swap the 2 cups of eggnog for 2 cups of whole milk or half and half and add 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg to keep the warm spice. The custard sets exactly the same way, and the icing works with milk in place of the eggnog splash. It turns this from a holiday special into a cinnamon roll bread pudding you can serve any weekend of the year.
A soggy center almost always means the rolls were too fresh or the bake was rushed. Fresh cinnamon rolls collapse into the custard instead of absorbing it, so give them their overnight dry out. Make sure the full 30 minute soak happens before the dish goes in, and bake until the middle barely jiggles, adding 5 to 10 covered minutes if it still looks wet. Letting the pan rest 15 minutes after baking also lets the custard finish setting.
Made this eggnog cinnamon roll bread pudding for your crew? Leave a comment and a star rating below, and tell me if it beat the cereal boxes on Christmas morning!
Eggnog Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding
Ingredients
- 1 package Pillsbury Grands Cinnamon Rolls with Extra Rich Butter Cream
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups + 1 tablespoon eggnog divided
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- icing from cinnamon rolls
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Bake cinnamon rolls per directions on the back of the container. Save the icing for later. Let the cinnamon rolls sit out over night.1 package Pillsbury Grands Cinnamon Rolls with Extra Rich Butter Cream
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the eggs, 2 cups eggnog, brown sugar, cinnamon and vanilla in a large bowl. Cube cinnamon rolls and place in prepared 8-inch baking dish. Pour melted butter on top of the rolls, add the custard and press down so they are covered in liquid. Let sit 30 minutes. Bake for 35 minutes, cover with foil and bake 10 additional minutes.1 package Pillsbury Grands Cinnamon Rolls with Extra Rich Butter Cream
- While the bread pudding is cooking, make the icing by mixing together the packaged icing, powdered sugar and remaining eggnog.1 package Pillsbury Grands Cinnamon Rolls with Extra Rich Butter Cream
- Serve with warm bread pudding.1 package Pillsbury Grands Cinnamon Rolls with Extra Rich Butter Cream
Nutrition
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