Can I use leftover or canned cinnamon rolls for bread pudding?

Absolutely — this recipe is designed for day-old homemade rolls, but leftover or baked canned cinnamon rolls work just as well. Slightly stale rolls actually soak up more custard.

How do I know when cinnamon roll bread pudding is done?

The center should be puffed and no longer jiggly, with golden caramelized edges, and read 170–175°F on a thermometer. It firms up further as it cools.

Do I need to refrigerate cinnamon roll bread pudding?

Yes. It's an egg-and-dairy custard, so refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and keep them covered in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Can I make it the night before?

Yes — assemble and soak it overnight in the fridge, then bake in the morning. The longer soak gives an even silkier, more custardy pudding.

Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding

Name: Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 43 min
Total time: 78 min
Yield: 9 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 6 rolls day-old cinnamon rolls, torn into chunks; 4 eggs large eggs; 2 cup whole milk or half-and-half; 0.33 cup granulated sugar; 2 tbsp brown sugar; 2 tsp vanilla extract; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; 0.25 tsp fine salt; 1 tbsp unsalted butter, for the dish; 3 tbsp unsalted butter; 0.75 cup powdered sugar; 3 tbsp heavy cream or milk; 1 tsp vanilla extract

Day-old cinnamon rolls torn into a vanilla custard and baked into a warm, custardy bread pudding with a vanilla sauce.

baked cinnamon roll bread pudding in a white ceramic baking dish (AI-generated editorial image) — Image: CinnamonRollsRecipe.com · AI-generated editorial (Flux)

Total time: 1 hr 18 min
Bake: 43 min
Yield: 9 servings
Level: easy

The quick answer

To make cinnamon roll bread pudding, tear 6 day-old cinnamon rolls into chunks, soak them in a custard of 4 eggs, 2 cups milk or half-and-half, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon for 20 minutes, then bake at 350°F for 40–45 minutes until the center is set at 170–175°F. Stale rolls work best because they drink up more custard.

This is the best possible fate for leftover or slightly stale cinnamon rolls — and reason enough to bake an extra batch. Torn cinnamon rolls soak up a vanilla-cinnamon custard and bake into a soft, spoonable pudding with crisp caramelized edges and a custardy center laced with cinnamon swirl. A quick vanilla sauce poured over the top makes it feel like a restaurant dessert, but it comes together with pantry staples and whatever rolls you have on hand (homemade or canned both work).

a scooped serving of cinnamon roll bread pudding on a plate (AI-generated editorial image) — The soft, pull-apart crumb you're after.

Ingredients

Make

servings

Pudding

6 rollsesday-old cinnamon rolls, torn into chunks — about 1.25 lb; homemade or canned, baked
4 eggseslarge eggs
2 cupswhole milk or half-and-half
⅓ cupgranulated sugar
2 tbspbrown sugar
2 tspvanilla extract
1 tspground cinnamon
¼ tspfine salt
1 tbspunsalted butter, for the dish

Vanilla sauce

3 tbspunsalted butter
¾ cuppowdered sugar
3 tbspheavy cream or milk
1 tspvanilla extract

torn pieces of day-old cinnamon rolls piled in a baking dish with a bowl of whisked egg custard being poured over them (AI-generated editorial image) — A look at the method — follow the steps below.

Instructions

Butter the baking dish. Tear the cinnamon rolls into rough 1½-inch chunks and scatter them in the dish.
Chunks fill the dish loosely with gaps for custard.
Whisk the eggs, milk, both sugars, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt until smooth.
No streaks of egg white remain.
Pour the custard evenly over the rolls, pressing them down so they soak. Let it sit so the bread drinks up the custard.
Chunks look saturated and have softened.
Bake at 350°F until puffed and set with golden edges — the center should no longer jiggle and reads 170–175°F.
Center is set, edges are caramelized; a knife near the middle comes out clean.
While it bakes, melt the butter for the sauce, whisk in the powdered sugar, cream, and vanilla until smooth and pourable.
Sauce is glossy and drips off the whisk.
Cool 15 minutes so the custard finishes setting, then pour the vanilla sauce over the warm pudding and serve.
Sauce soaks into the top and pools in the grooves.

Make ahead, store & reheat

Make ahead: Assemble through soaking, cover, and refrigerate overnight — an overnight soak makes an even silkier pudding. Bake straight from the fridge, adding about 5 minutes.
Storage: Because it's an egg-and-dairy custard, refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours. Keep covered in the fridge up to 4 days; do not leave it at room temperature.
Reheating: Warm individual portions in the microwave 30–40 seconds, or reheat covered at 300°F for about 12 minutes. Add fresh sauce.
Freezing: Freeze baked, cooled portions (without sauce) up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat and sauce.

Substitutions

Canned or leftover store-bought cinnamon rolls instead of day-old cinnamon rolls
Half-and-half or a mix of milk and cream for a richer custard instead of whole milk or half-and-half
A handful of raisins or chopped pecans stirred in instead of plain custard (optional add-in)

Troubleshooting

The pudding is wet or soupy in the middle: It's underbaked — custard needs to reach 170–175°F in the center. Bake longer and tent with foil if the top is browning; it also firms up as it cools.
It turned out dry or eggy: Too much bread for the custard, or overbaked. Keep the ratio around 4 eggs and 2 cups liquid per 6 rolls, and pull it as soon as the center sets.
The rolls didn't soak up the custard: Fresh rolls resist soaking. Use day-old (or dry fresh rolls in a 300°F oven for 10 minutes), and give a full 20-minute soak, pressing the chunks down.
The top browned before the center set: Tent loosely with foil partway through and keep baking to temperature — the foil protects the top while the custard finishes.

Tools I reach for

As an Amazon Associate, CinnamonRollsRecipe.com earns from qualifying purchases. Read our full affiliate disclosure.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use leftover or canned cinnamon rolls for bread pudding?: Absolutely — this recipe is designed for day-old homemade rolls, but leftover or baked canned cinnamon rolls work just as well. Slightly stale rolls actually soak up more custard.
How do I know when cinnamon roll bread pudding is done?: The center should be puffed and no longer jiggly, with golden caramelized edges, and read 170–175°F on a thermometer. It firms up further as it cools.
Do I need to refrigerate cinnamon roll bread pudding?: Yes. It's an egg-and-dairy custard, so refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and keep them covered in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Can I make it the night before?: Yes — assemble and soak it overnight in the fridge, then bake in the morning. The longer soak gives an even silkier, more custardy pudding.

Nutrition (estimate): 1 serving (of 9) · ~380 kcal. Nutrition is an automated estimate and will vary with brands and exact quantities.

Food safety: don't taste dough containing raw flour or raw egg. Refrigerate anything with cream cheese frosting, and reheat leftovers until piping hot.