Take cinnamon rolls to the next level with this ooey, gooey Cinnamon Roll French Toast Casserole!
It's easy to make ahead, ready in just 30 minutes, and has a flavor combination that no one can resist.
One of my all time favorite breakfast foods? Definitely French Toast. And this Baked French Toast with cream cheese icing is the BEST way to do it.
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Not only is it incredibly easy to make, and has a healthy dose of cinnamon (which I love), but it's the perfect breakfast recipe for special brunches, holidays, and get togethers.
We've made it for several holiday brunches and it's a guaranteed win.
Every single time.
📋 Ingredients
Most ingredients here are usually found in my fridge, except for the pre-made cinnamon rolls. This makes it an easy dish to put together, needing to just pick up one single ingredient.
- Refrigerated cinnamon rolls
- Eggs
- Milk
- Butter
- Cinnamon
- Vanilla extract
- Cinnamon roll icing
- Powdered sugar
- Cream cheese
With all the different types of cream cheese out there, you can even play with the flavors a little. I'd suggest trying a Brown Sugar Cinnamon or Honey Pecan flavor for a twist on the icing.
If you're looking for a dairy-alternative to the milk, I would use coconut milk. It has a creamy consistency and a flavor that would naturally complement the other ingredients.
⏲️ Baking
One thing I LOVE about this recipe is that it's incredibly easy, from start to finish. Start by brushing the bottom and sides of a 9x13 inch pan with melted butter, then spread the cinnamon roll pieces in the pan.
- Cut refrigerated cinnamon rolls into pieces; spread out in a buttered pan.
- Combine eggs, milk, cinnamon, and vanilla. Whisk well and pour over cinnamon roll pieces.
- Bake until golden brown.
- Prepare icing and drizzle evenly over baked casserole.
- Serve immediately.
I usually use 2% milk or whatever I have on hand, but you can also substitute half & half for a richer flavor.
You'll know the casserole is done when it's dark golden brown and crispy on top. If you still see any doughiness in the cinnamon rolls, you'll want to pop it back in for a few more minutes.
The cinnamon rolls come with their own icing container, but for this recipe I added to the prepared icing by combining it with cream cheese, powdered sugar, and milk and whisking it until smooth. To me, cinnamon rolls just aren't the same without cream cheese icing... and I even have a recipe for extra icing just in case you love it as much as I do.
Can you make it in advance?
Yes! You can do this in one of two ways:
1. Prep the cinnamon rolls and spread them into a pan. Cover with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate. Then prep the egg mixture and store it separately. Combine the two just before baking.
2. Prep the entire casserole in advance and refrigerate overnight, then bake according to instructions.
🌡️ Storing
Leftovers should be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
To reheat, I would recommend 20-30 minutes at 350° in the oven. You can also reheat individual pieces in the microwave.
🍮 Side dishes
This recipe makes an amazing centerpiece for any special brunch. If you're looking for additional dishes to add to your menu, here are some I'd recommend.
- Egg Muffins
- Caprese Quiche
- Quiche Lorraine
- Winter Fruit Salad
- Cranberry Mimosas
- Pineapple Upside Down Mimosas
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📖 Recipe
Cinnamon Roll French Toast Casserole
Ingredients
Casserole
- 2 17.5 oz. cans refrigerated cinnamon rolls, icing reserved
- 2 Tbsp. melted butter
- 4 eggs
- ⅓ c. milk
- 1 Tbsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. vanilla
Icing
- ½ c. powdered sugar
- 2 containers reserved icing
- 2 Tbsp. cream cheese softened
- 1 Tbsp. milk
- For extra icing, combine ¾ c. powdered sugar + 3 oz. cream cheese (softened + 1½ Tbsp. milk)
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-
Remove cinnamon rolls from packages and cut each roll into sixths.
-
Drizzle melted butter in 9x13 inch pan.
-
Spread cinnamon roll pieces evenly in pan.
-
In a separate bowl, combine eggs, milk, cinnamon, and vanilla. Whisk until combined.
-
Pour egg mixture over cinnamon rolls.
-
Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until top of casserole is golden brown and center is set.
-
Prepare icing by combining reserved cinnamon roll icing with ½ c. powdered sugar, 2 Tbsp. softened cream cheese, and 1 Tbsp. milk. Whisk until smooth.
-
Pour icing evenly over casserole.
Megan
Family loved it
Molly
I always have high hopes for this dish, but the egg mixture always settles to the bottom. I would love to know how to fix it...
David
I have not made this one YET. But from over the years of of cooking may just need to let it set and absorb everything.
Like one other post they put it in the fridge overnight and baked it the next morning.
Hope this helps. I will be buying ingredients next shopping trip.
Sheri
Oh that’s actually a really great idea! This was excellent but would like the egg to absorb into the rolls better as well. I was afraid it would make them too soggy but I’m going to try it. Thanks
Sharon
I made this for Christmas brunch. Everyone loved it. I baked the rolls the day before and then cut them up and poured egg mixture and pecans over them and put in the fridge overnight. Baked the next morning. I had planned to put rum or bourbon in the icing but decided not to since my grandson was here. It would have been more like bread pudding! I am going to try it another time with just adults.
Julie
This is an amazing semi-homemade recipe! We all loved it!
Heather
I saw and bought 2 cans of the Pillsbery hot cocoa cinnamon rolls and it has a type of marshmallow icing. Would all the step be the same if I used this recipe? I’ve made your recipe twice before and they both came out amazing. But with a different flavor of cinnamon roll and different flavor of icing it comes with, I wonder if it could stay the same or be changed. Primarily with the icing bit.
David
Super Delicious Casserole!!! Will make again and again!!
Elaine Beard
I live in Australia.We don’t have the cinnamon rolls in our supermarkets.Would love to make these.Any recipe for me to make the rolls in advance.Looks so good.
Randy
I just love a recipe without measurements ... make for a fun filled guessing game... NOT! Can we get some measurements. Some of us don’t do well eyeballing
Cathy Trochelman
The measurements are all there in the recipe card!
Kelsey
Hmmm not quite sure how mine went wrong. The casserole baked up beautifully in the oven, but when we cut slices, there was a sizeable amount of egg mixture that had pooled at the bottom, resulting in cooked scrambled eggs at the bottom of the casserole, which was unpleasant and left a terrible aftertaste. Did anyone else have this problem? Any suggestions to prevent pooling?
Carrie
This happened to me too. Not sure what I did wrong. Any suggestions?
Victor
That's a tasty casserole. I will try it with my kids, we love to cook together.
Linda Estep
Can skim milk be used in place of "milk," as I'm assuming milk refers to whole milk? We only have skim in our home and I don't want to get a gallon or a half gallon of whole milk for a couple of tsps or Tbs.
Kamra Christie
Milk means milk! Any type of milk can be used it not specified.
Nancy Williams
The recipe is great. On the Santa question: When my son was small and kept asking "Was Santa Claus real?" I replied, "When you quit believing, he quits coming!" He figured it out and never asked again.
Sarah W
Thank you for sharing this great breakfast recipe! I made it yesterday for the family, it was heavenly!!
Vanessa
Thanks for sharing! Can I make it very far ahead of time?
Samarea Hines
This was so great, a few bits and pieces of cooked egg but I guess I just didnt stir it well enough.
Julie
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I had my sisters over for a sister slumber party over the weekend. This was the perfect breakfast casserole for a Sunday morning before everyone traveled back to their homes. I also made some bacon to go along with this casserole. My sister said having the bacon help cut the sweetness of the casserole. She then suggested that I had bacon to the casserole the next time I make it for another sister slumber party. LOL
Cathy Trochelman
I'm so glad you ladies enjoy it and I LOVE the idea of adding bacon! 😉
Tracey
Can you add another can of cinnamon rolls? If yes do I need to adjust anything? I arm making this for work and would like just a little more.
Dawn
Everyone loves when I make this, and when I do it at Christmas time, I use eggnog instead of milk. I also prefer to use a little extra cream cheese in the icing because we prefer it less sweet and more cream-cheesy. Yummy!!!
Cheryl
A friend posted this on Facebook back in 2017 and I have made this the past two Christmas mornings. It's become a new tradition to have it every Christmas morning. Easy to make, and oh so yummy - better than just the cinnamon rolls themselves.
Lindsey G.
This is my second year making this and its SO good. My family loves it. I tell everyone about this recipe. I've made it in advance and the day of and you cant go wrong either way. We make the extra icing and it's perfect.
Patty
I've been been making this since I found the recipe in 2018 and my family and friends love it!! So now it's a requested food I make at Christmas!
Emily
Thanks for this recipe, made a delicious Christmas morning breakfast. Did not add more sugar to the frosting and added walnuts & a little cooked bacon to the baking pan. It’s going to be hard not to nibble on leftovers the rest of the day!
Lisa
I absolutely LOVE this recipe, even though I'm not that big of a fan of cinnamon. It was such a hit with everyone on Christmas morning that they all needed the recipe. It's not only giving the delicious cinnamon roll flavor, but has the added protein in the eggs besides. Excellent choice - even picky people will love it!!
Rachel
After reading all of the reviews, I was worried about the egg not soaking into the cinnamon rolls, so after cutting them up, I baked them for about 5 minutes before adding the egg mixture and baking the rest of the way. It turned out fine, no scrambled eggs, but the overall texture was disappointing and heavy. We all agreed we'd rather just have the cinnamon rolls next time.
Alexandria
I would love to make this recipe, but I don't know the quantities. How many eggs, how much milk, etc? Are the specific quantities of each ingredient listed somewhere??
Thanks for helping me find this info.
Cathy Trochelman
Yes... the quantities and instructions are all in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Julia
Mine came out the same. Then I looked at package of rolls. Regular can of Pillsbury is 12.4 oz. Buy 3 cans instead if two.
Sherrelle
I only used 2 eggs and put a little bit more milk, I also only could get 3 12.4 oz cinnamon rolls so I used all of them. Came out amazing!
Tarsha
Can I add raisins to this recipe.
Cathy Trochelman
Yes, absolutely!