Homemade Caramel Pecan Cinnamon Rolls

These caramel pecan cinnamon rolls are the perfect treat! Fluffy from-scratch cinnamon rolls topped with pecans, cream cheese icing, and a drizzle of sweet caramel. The perfect show-stopping breakfast or brunch recipe!

Hi friends! Who loves moist and fluffy cinnamon rolls as much as I do?! Well, apparently a lot of y’all because when I posted a picture of my caramel pecan cinnamon roll from Cinnabon, y’all went feral in the comments demanding a copycat recipe! So, here I am with my homemade version. 

Now, you might think homemade cinnamon rolls sounds intimidating. Using yeast, letting the dough rise, all the time and effort? It’s WELL worth it for this recipe, fam. Even with the extra time, this from-scratch cinnamon roll recipe is quite easy. 

The base is classic cinnamon rolls filled with a gooey cinnamon sugar filling. Once baked, everything is topped off with crushed pecans, a thin cream cheese frosting, and a nice, hefty drizzle of caramel sauce. How amazing does that sound?! You can make these from-scratch caramel pecan rolls for breakfast or brunch, around the holidays, or just to treat yo’self! 

Ingredients for Caramel Pecan Cinnamon Rolls 

So, what exactly do you need to make homemade cinnamon rolls? You’ll probably be surprised at how easy it is! Using yeast at home might sound like a challenge to most beginner bakers, but I promise this recipe is almost fool-proof. So, if you want the complete ingredient measurements, scroll on down to the recipe card below. Here’s your shopping list! 

Cinnamon Roll Dough: 

• Cake Flour or All Purpose Flour: I personally use cake flour because I think it gives the cinnamon rolls a more doughy, fluffy consistency. But AP flour is perfectly fine to use.
• Active Dry Yeast: you can find yeast in convenient little packets at just about every grocery store in the baking aisle. Be sure to grab fast acting!
• Sugar, Salt, & Vanilla Extract: to flavor the dough. 
• Vegetable Oil: for a soft, moist dough. 
• Evaporated Milk: adds creaminess to your cinnamon roll dough. You can also substitute warm milk. 
• Warm Water: along with the warm milk, this activates the yeast to help the dough rise. 
• Egg: one large egg, lightly beaten, to give structure to the dough. 

Cinnamon Sugar Filling: 

• Butter: the base of the filling. You can use salted or unsalted butter here, it doesn’t matter!
• White & Brown Sugar: a mixture of both gives you the perfect sweetness. 
• Cinnamon & Nutmeg: classic flavors for cinnamon rolls.

Cream Cheese Icing:

• Powdered Sugar: the base of the icing; perfectly sweet!
• Butter: use unsalted butter here. 
• Cream Cheese: adds a nice tang to the sweet icing. 
• Vanilla Extract & Milk: these liquid ingredients thin the icing down to the perfect drizzle consistency. 

Last, but certainly not least, you’ll also need chopped or crushed pecans and caramel sauce for topping! Now, I have to admit I cheated a little bit here and used a store-bought caramel sauce, but gimme a break because everything else is homemade!!! If y’all want to be overachievers, you can use my recipe for homemade salted caramel sauce that would go perfectly with these cinnamon rolls.

Ingredients Tip: Make sure your ingredients are room-temperature! 

Aside from the warm water and evaporated milk, which should be warmed in the microwave, be sure to work with room temperature ingredients! Let your eggs sit out for 15 minutes to warm up. For the cream cheese icing and cinnamon sugar filling, the butter and cream cheese should be softened. Using warm/room temp ingredients means everything will mix evenly and smoothly together, giving you the perfect dough consistency.

How to Make From-Scratch Caramel Pecan Cinnamon Rolls

Now, like I said earlier, making homemade cinnamon rolls is definitely a labor of love – but totally worth it! You’ll need about 2 to 2.5 hours to complete this recipe, so if you’re making them for breakfast, get an early start! However, most of the prep time is hands-off as the dough rises… all you gotta do is be patient! 

Caramel Pecan Cinnamon Rolls Video Tutorial 

You can watch exactly how I make these to-die-for caramel pecan rolls in the video below! Pop on over to I Heart Recipes on YouTube to subscribe and catch all my other easy-to-follow recipe videos. You can even find a breakfast and brunch playlist with a collection of tasty recipe ideas.

Step 1: Mix the Cinnamon Roll Dough

The first step is making the soft and fluffy cinnamon roll dough. I use my handy-dandy stand mixer with the whisk and dough hook attachments. If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can do it the old fashioned way and mix everything by hand.

• In a large bowl, combine the warm water, active dry yeast, and sugar. Mix using the whisk attachment until well combined, then let it sit until the mixture begins to foam. This should take 5-7 minutes. 
• Next, add the rest of your wet ingredients: warm milk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and a lightly beaten egg. Mix on medium speed until well combined. 
• Replace the whisk attachment with the dough hook. Then, add flour, sugar, and salt. Mix on low, adding the flour mixture 1/4^th cup at a time, until the dough forms.
• Remove the dough ball from the bowl; then lightly oil the bowl, replace the dough, and cover it with a clean towel. Let the bowl sit out in a warm place to rest for 1.5 hours, or until the dough doubles in size.
• Once the dough has doubled, gently punch the center of the dough to release the air. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out on a flat, lightly floured surface. Now we’re ready to add the filling! 

Step 2: Filling & Baking the Cinnamon Rolls

• In a small bowl, combine the room temperature butter, sugars, cinnamon, and nutmeg together until well combined. 
• Spread the cinnamon sugar butter all over the rolled out dough, leaving about half an inch of space around the edge. 
• Roll the dough up along the long side to create one long log.
• Use a knife or – if you have it – butcher’s string to cut cinnamon rolls into 1-inch to 1.5-inch rolls.
• Place the cinnamon rolls into a greased baking dish and let them rest at room temperature for 15-20 minutes, or until they double in size. 
• Bake the cinnamon rolls at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until they’re just golden brown. Remove them from the oven and let them rest while you prepare the toppings.

Step 3: Top with Pecans, Cream Cheese Icing, and Caramel Drizzle

• In another bowl, combine the powdered sugar, melted butter, softened cream cheese, vanilla, and milk and whisk until combined. You can add more milk to make the icing thinner if you prefer.
• Drizzle the still-warm cinnamon rolls with a healthy dose of cream cheese icing.
• Next, sprinkle pecans on top of the rolls. 
• Finally, drizzle your caramel sauce over top of the pecans.
• Serve with a big ‘ol glass of cold milk, and enjoy!

Recipe Variations, Tips, and Tricks for Making Delicious Caramel Pecan Rolls

Well, friends – there you have it! Now you know how to make the most delicious, sweet and gooey cinnamon roll recipe! These really are a treat to have anytime you decide to make them. Maybe not every weekend, but honey, I ain’t judging! 😉 

I want to share some tips and tricks for making this recipe even MORE delicious, without adding any more work! Here are a few ways to kick this caramel pecan cinnamon rolls recipe up a notch. 

• Add pecans and caramel drizzle to the filling. After spreading the dough with the cinnamon sugar mixture, sprinkle a layer of pecans and a drizzle of caramel sauce right over the filling before rolling and cutting the rolls. You’ll have even more sweet and gooey filling in every bite! 
• Turn these into caramel pecan sticky buns by spreading the caramel and pecans along the bottom of the pan or baking dish. Place your rolls in the dish and bake as instructed. When they’re done, flip the cinnamon rolls out onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. The sweet caramelized topping soaks into the cinnamon rolls while they bake – out-of-this-world delicious!
• Making your own caramel sauce is pretty easy – it’s just butter, white and brown sugar, and a little bit of cream combined together over medium-low heat on the stovetop. Add a little bit of salt for that iconic salted caramel flavor and you’ve got one more homemade element that knock these cinnamon rolls out of the part!

Can I use instant yeast instead of active dry yeast in this recipe? 

Yes, you can! Instant yeast doesn’t need any time to activate, so you can just toss it into the stand mixer with all the other ingredients. Active yeast needs just a few minutes to get all foamy and workin’.

Can I make these pecan caramel rolls ahead of time? 

Yes, you definitely can prep this recipe ahead of time if needed. Simply follow the recipe right up until it’s time to bake. Cover your baking dish with plastic wrap and keep the prepared cinnamon rolls in the fridge overnight. The next morning, let them sit out at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before baking. Prep your icing and caramel sauce while they bake, then serve ‘em hot!

More Homemade Cinnamon Roll Recipes from I Heart Recipes

If you tried this recipe, let me know in the comments below! One thing we don’t have? A shortage of delicious cinnamon roll recipes! If you loved these from-scratch caramel pecan cinnamon rolls, you’ll love any of these delicious options too. 

• Red Velvet Cake Mix Cinnamon Rolls
• Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
• Sweet Potato Pie Cinnamon Rolls
• Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls
• Easy Classic Cinnamon Rolls
• Homemade Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
• Cinnamon French Toast Roll Ups

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