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Easy Overnight Pecan Sticky Buns

4.96 from 24 votes

These easy Overnight Pecan Sticky Buns are an indulgent breakfast treat to offer guests or family. They take just 15 minutes to prep with frozen roll dough, butterscotch pudding mix, pecans, brown sugar, and lots of butter!

Finished overnight pecan sticky rolls on a white serving plate.

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These deliciously indulgent sticky buns are one of our favorites. They are so good. So easy, too, and especially nice if you have a house full of overnight guests because you prepare everything the night before and bake them off the next morning.

I really love the simplicity of this recipe. There’s no yeast to proof, no flour to mix, and no kneading required at all. Instead of making the dough from scratch, you’ll simply use frozen Parker house rolls! It’s such a great shortcut!

But, I’m not going to lie to you. They are jam-packed full of buttery, sugary calories. That’s why we have them only about once a year.

🛒 Ingredient Notes


Photo of all the ingredients needed for the recipe.

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  • Frozen Parker House Rolls – You’ll need 24 frozen Parker House rolls. I recommend the Bridgford brand.
  • Butterscotch Pudding Mix – Regular (Cook & Serve by Jell-o), non-instant pudding mix. Other brands may work, but I always use Jell-o brand for this recipe.
  • Light Brown Sugar – Be sure to pack the sugar into the measuring cup for an accurate amount.
  • Chopped Pecans – We love pecans in the south. I suppose you could substitute walnuts, but it wouldn’t be the same recipe.

You’ll find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the recipe at the bottom of this post.

🔪 How to Make Easy Overnight Sweet Rolls


Prep the Night Before

  1. Generously butter a 9×13 pan or baking dish and spread the chopped nuts over the bottom.
  2. Space the frozen rolls evenly on top of the nuts.
  3. Sprinkle evenly with the dry pudding mix.
  4. In a medium-size bowl, melt the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon in the microwave. Start with one minute and stir. Then continue in 30-second increments, stirring after each, until the mixture is melted. Stir the melted butter, sugar, and cinnamon until well blended.
  5. Drizzle the melted mixture evenly over the top of the rolls.

👉 PRO TIP: Be careful when checking your mixture. Use oven mitts or pot holders to remove the bowl from the microwave as it can get quick hot really quickly. Also, be careful with the melted mixture. It’s hot and you can get a burn if it gets on your hands!

  1. Lastly – Cover the pan loosely with waxed paper and place it in a cold oven overnight.

👉 PRO TIP: Now here’s a little trick: even waxed paper will stick to the thawed, risen rolls. So, to keep that from happening, I lay the waxed paper over the pan, spray the area that will touch the rolls with cooking spray, and then flip it over so that the sprayed side is over the rolls. You can also use the non-stick aluminum foil and you won’t even need to spray it. Works great!

Bake the Next Morning

The next morning you’ll find that your rolls have defrosted and risen beautifully overnight! The lovely topping and chopped nuts are mostly on the bottom with the rolls on top just waiting to be baked up into warm, ooey-gooey sweet goodness.

  1. Remove the waxed paper or non-stick foil and discard it.
  2. Place the pan back into the cold oven and turn it on to 350 F.
  3. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the rolls are a lovely golden brown just like dinner rolls should be.
  4. Remove the pan from the oven. Allow the buns to cool slightly (about 8-10 minutes should do) and then invert them onto a serving plate or board. Cut or pull apart the individual rolls.
Sticky buns turned out onto parchment paper.

🍽️ How to Serve


Serve these delicious buns with all their sticky pecan caramel topping with a lovely warm cup of coffee or glass of milk. They’re excellent for breakfast, an afternoon snack, or dessert.

A fork holding one bite of a pecan sticky bun.

🍚 Storage and Reheating


To store the leftovers, just wrap them in plastic wrap or non-stick aluminum foil. They can be left out at room temperature for up to 24 hours or stored in the refrigerator for 5 to 7 days. Reheat individual buns for a few seconds in the microwave or for about 10 minutes in a 200F degree oven.

❓ Questions About Pecan Sticky Buns


Why can’t I use instant butterscotch pudding mix?

You use regular pudding mix in this recipe because the instant variety has a different thickening agent. That thickener will cause the pudding to more or less “congeal” while it sits on the thawing and rising rolls overnight. It will then separate and form into lumps instead of a smooth sauce-like topping. Not what you really want.

What’s the difference between sticky buns and cinnamon rolls?

Typically sticky buns (also called caramel buns) have the toppings placed on the bottom of the pan. After rising, the buns are baked and inverted to reveal the toppings. Cinnamon rolls don’t often contain nuts and are baked and then topped after cooling.

Lana Stuart.

More Questions? I’m happy to help!

If you have more questions about the recipe, or if you’ve made it and would like to leave a comment, scroll down to leave your thoughts, questions, and/or rating!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

📖 Recipe

Finished overnight pecan sticky rolls on a white serving plate.

Easy Overnight Pecan Sticky Buns

These easy Overnight Pecan Sticky Buns are an indulgent breakfast treat. They take just 15 minute to prep with frozen rolls and butterscotch pudding mix.
4.96 from 24 votes
Print It Rate It Save
Course: Breads
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 227kcal
Author: Lana Stuart

Ingredients

Instructions

The night before:

  • Generously butter a 9×13 pan or baking dish and spread the chopped nuts over the bottom.
  • Space 24 frozen rolls evenly on top of nuts
  • Sprinkle evenly with the dry pudding mix.
  • In a medium-size bowl, melt the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon in the microwave. Start with one minute and stir. Then continue in 30-second increments, stirring after each, until the mixture is melted. Stir the melted butter, sugar, and cinnamon until well blended.
  • Drizzle the melted mixture evenly over the top of the rolls.
  • Cover loosely with waxed paper (or non-stick foil) and place in cold oven overnight.

The next morning:

  • Remove waxed paper (or foil) and discard.
  • Place the pan back in the cold oven and turn on to 350 F.
  • Bake for about 20 minutes.
  • Remove the pan from the oven. Allow the buns to cool briefly (about 8-10 minutes) and then invert them onto a serving plate or board. Cut or pull apart the individual rolls.

Notes

  • For this recipe, be sure to purchase Butterscotch Pudding Mix – Regular* (Cook & Serve by Jell-o), non-instant pudding mix. This is one time when the specific ingredient makes the difference between a recipe working or not.
  • To store the leftovers, just wrap them in plastic wrap or non-stick aluminum foil. They can be left out at room temperature for up to 24 hours or stored in the refrigerator for 5 to 7 days. Reheat individual buns for a few seconds in the microwave or for about 10 minutes in a 200F degree oven.

Nutrition Information

Serving 2rolls | Calories 227kcal | Carbohydrates 25g | Protein 1g | Fat 15g | Saturated Fat 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat 8g | Cholesterol 20mg | Sodium 224mg | Fiber 1g | Sugar 21g

Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.

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— This post was originally published on February 11, 2009 . It has been updated with new photos and additional information.

Overnight Sweet Rolls - an easy breakfast dish for guests or family. Uses frozen roll dough, butterscotch pudding mix, pecans and lots of butter! https://www.lanascooking.com/overnight-sweet-rolls/

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30 Comments

  1. If you can’t let the rolls rise over night how long do they need to rise if done during the day?

    1. “Overnight” is typically considered to be 8 hours, so I’d give them that much time to rise in a cool place.

  2. When these rolls are finished, are the pecans on the bottom of them and the sticky buttery gooey on top?

    1. When you take the pan out of the oven, both the nuts and the topping will be on the bottom. You will invert the entire pan on a large platter, a baking sheet, or just a large piece of parchment paper. The pecans and topping will then be on top.

  3. 5 stars
    Ahmazzzinnnnng– so simple and indulgent. I make these every year at Christmas or New Year’s morning.

  4. 5 stars
    Very yummy delicious Rolls. So easy to make

  5. 5 stars
    These are so easy and taste amazing! Like restaurant quality delicious!

  6. 4 stars
    Some of the rolls were not cooked through and a little doughy. I will make again but maybe try with 18 rolls instead of 24.

    1. I’ve never had that happen with this recipe, Linda. Could be that they just needed to cook a few more minutes. Oven temps can be sometimes be off.

  7. These sound wonderful to me, but I can’t find butter scotch pudding any where. Have you ever subsuited any thing else?

    1. I haven’t substituted the butterscotch pudding with anything else. You can order it from Amazon if you can’t find it in your local stores.

    2. Jessi Peterson says:

      You can also use the cook and serve vanilla pudding by jello and it works super too!

  8. April May Holloway says:

    Rolls are so easy and taste amazing. Thank you for such a wonderful recipe.

  9. made the same recipe for years when my grandchildren were small when everyone stayed overnight Xmas Eve. ( They are now adults with children of their own aka, our great Grandbabies ) I’m in Canada, here the recipe was referred to as “Land of Nod Cinnamon buns” recipe came from a popular Canadian cookbook series. It was made in a Bundt pan which was turned upside down once baked, while everyone waited and watched as the toasted nuts and syrup mixture dripped down to cover the buns. It was everyone for them self after that! I supposed the recipe I always made is quite similar to Monkey bread that’s quite popular in the US. Haven’t made them in years as there’s only two of us both who are on medically recommended diets, but If my memory is correct, the pudding ingredient was either Jello vanilla or butterscotch cook and serve pudding.
    Thanks for bringing back a memory of happier days, Lana. It was great fun to read and to read your readers comments too.
    Stay safe Stay well

    1. One of the reasons I keep blogging is because of comments like yours, Joycelyn. I truly love bringing up good memories of food and family for people. Thank you so much for taking time to leave your thoughts on this recipe!

  10. 5 stars
    I have made these for years!! They are always a hit and quick and so easy to throw together on Christmas Eve. I don’t bother with plastic wrap or wax paper, I just let them sit in the oven and they are ready to go! I couldn’t find the butterscotch pudding this year so I used vanilla and it worked out great!😋

  11. Jackie Malone says:

    I only have instant butterscotch pudding. Can you explain why this cannot be used? It seems during the current global situation the cook and serve butterscotch pudding is not available, at least in Ontario, Canada.
    Can you suggest an alternative to the cook and serve pudding?

    1. Lana Stuart says:

      The instant pudding has a different thickening agent that will “congeal” while sitting on the cold rolls overnight. It will separate and form into lumps instead of a smooth sauce-like topping.

  12. Barbara Stoneback says:

    These rolls are wonderful. I have made a similar recipe for years, I have found that the easiest way to keep them from sticking is to invert them onto a sheet pan covered with Release foil (Reynolds or store brand). It’s a bit pricey so I don’t use it for everything, but for this purpose, it’s definitely worth the extra money. They do NOT stick! Hope this tip is helpful.

  13. Valerie L Archuletta says:

    I made the butterscotch pudding rolls using a dozen frozen cinnamon rolls. That’s the only change, as I had those rolls in the freezer. Delish! I recommend trying that.

  14. If you don’t mind I am going to PIN this, because I have made these and they are so wonderful!

    1. Thank you so much! Please feel free to pin!

  15. Lana, I had to stop back over and tell you that these were a huge hit at our house. I made them over a week ago, and my children have already asked for them again twice.

    While I love your site, my thighs now hate you. :)

    1. I’m so glad your family liked these! Nothing makes me happier than when someone enjoys one of my recipes.

  16. I just found your website from a photo posted on Refrigerator Soup. I’ve not spent more time than I had looking through your sight when I came across these delicious sweet rolls. All I can say is I am making these Sunday morning (beginning them Saturday night) because my mouth is watering for them.

    What a great blog you have. I plan to be back!

    Pam aka: BoredCook

    1. Thanks for visiting, Pam! I’m glad you found the site and hope that you will return for more recipes in the future!