These Overnight Caramel Rolls are assembled the night before with homemade dough, cinnamon filling and a rich brown sugar caramel sauce, then finished with warm cream before baking for extra-soft, gooey centers. They're made for Christmas morning, holiday brunch or weekend guests when you want a homemade breakfast without starting from scratch first thing in the morning.
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Why This One Works
Most of the work happens the night before. Make, shape and refrigerate the rolls overnight, then let them finish rising before baking in the morning.
The first rise happens right in the 9x13 pan. This helps the dough take on a rectangular shape, so it's easier to roll out evenly for filling and slicing.
The caramel is cooked before it goes into the pan. Brown sugar, butter, corn syrup and cream make a smooth sauce that coats the rolls when the pan is flipped.
Warm cream keeps the rolls especially soft. Pouring it over the risen rolls right before baking adds richness and helps keep the dough tender and gooey.
★★★★★
"I made these yesterday afternoon then finished baking them this morning. So good! The perfect amount of caramel and the rolls were soft and moist. Will definitely be saving this recipe to make again!"
Monica
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Ingredients
- Instant Yeast: It goes directly into the flour, so there's no separate proofing step. One standard packet is 2¼ teaspoons.
- Milk: Use 2% or whole milk for the best flavor and a soft, tender texture. Warm it to about 110°F before adding it to the dough; it should feel pleasantly warm, not hot.
- Butter: I use unsalted butter in the dough, cinnamon filling and caramel sauce so the salt level stays consistent.
- Brown Sugar: Either light or dark brown sugar works. Dark brown sugar will give the filling and caramel a slightly deeper molasses flavor.
- Corn Syrup: This helps keep the brown sugar caramel smooth and prevents the sugar from crystallizing. I recommend using corn syrup rather than swapping in maple syrup or honey, which will change both the flavor and consistency of the sauce.
How To Make Overnight Caramel Rolls
Make the dough
Mix the wet and dry ingredients, let the dough rest for 5 minutes, then knead until smooth and tacky.
Let It Rise
Press the dough into a greased 9x13 pan and let rise until doubled. Starting it in a rectangular pan makes it easier to roll into shape later.
Make Cinnamon Filling
Stir together melted butter, brown sugar and cinnamon.
Cook the Caramel Sauce
Bring the brown sugar, butter, corn syrup and salt to a low boil, then finish it with vanilla and cream. Pour into the bottom of a 9x13 pan.
Assemble
Roll the risen dough into a rectangle, spread with the cinnamon filling and roll it up from the long side.
Slice & Refrigerate
Slice the rolls and put in pan with the caramel sauce. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Rise and Bake
In the morning, let the rolls rise until puffy and nearly doubled, pour warm cream over the top and bake until golden.
Before You Make This
A few details make a big difference when you're working with a soft yeast dough.
Use a kitchen scale for the flour if you have one. Flour is easy to overmeasure by volume, and too much can leave you with a heavier, drier dough. If you're using cups, spoon the flour into the measuring cup instead of scooping directly from the bag.
Don't skip the 5-minute rest before kneading. Once the wet and dry ingredients are mixed, giving the dough a few minutes to sit allows the flour to absorb the liquid before the mixer does the rest of the work.
Watch the dough more than the clock. Yeast dough doesn't run on an exact schedule. During the first rise, look for the dough to double in size. After the rolls come out of the refrigerator in the morning, let them rise at room temperature until they're noticeably puffy and nearly doubled before baking.
Don't worry if they don't look much bigger straight from the fridge. The refrigerator slows the yeast way down, so the rolls may look almost unchanged after their overnight rest. That's normal. Most of the visible rise happens as they warm up at room temperature before baking.
Use unflavored dental floss for clean slices. Slide the floss underneath the rolled dough, cross the ends over the top and pull. It cuts through the soft dough without squishing the spiral.
Keep an eye on the tops as they bake. Check the rolls after about 15 minutes. If they're already nicely golden, loosely tent the pan with foil so the centers can finish baking without the tops getting too dark.
Serving Suggestions
These caramel rolls are rich and sweet, so something savory alongside them makes a great holiday breakfast or brunch.
Our Tuscan-inspired strata is an especially good match because it's also make-ahead, which means neither dish needs much last-minute attention. You can also keep things simple with scrambled eggs, a frittata with spinach and goat cheese and our favorite fruit salad recipe.
FAQs
Yes. Instead of refrigerating the shaped rolls overnight, let them rise in the pan until they're puffy and nearly doubled, about 60-90 minutes depending on the temperature of your kitchen. Pour the warm cream over the top and bake as directed.
Use the appearance of the rolls rather than relying only on the clock. After their overnight rest, let them sit at room temperature until they look noticeably puffy and nearly doubled in size. Depending on the temperature of your kitchen, this usually takes about 1½ to 2 hours.
Both start with a soft yeast dough rolled around a cinnamon-sugar filling. Caramel rolls bake over a caramel sauce and are flipped after baking so the sauce coats the tops. Cinnamon rolls are typically baked without that caramel layer and finished with icing or glaze instead.
Light corn syrup helps prevent the brown sugar caramel from crystallizing and keeps the sauce smooth. Maple syrup and honey behave differently and will also change the flavor, so I recommend using light corn syrup for the most reliable result with this recipe.
Freezing and Storage
- These caramel rolls can be frozen before baking. Slice the rolls and freeze them before adding them to the caramel sauce. When you're ready to make them, thaw the rolls overnight in the refrigerator. Prepare the caramel sauce, arrange the thawed rolls in the pan and let them rise at room temperature until puffy and nearly doubled. Pour the warm cream over the top and bake as directed.
- Store leftovers covered at room temperature for 1-2 days. Reheat individual rolls gently in the microwave before serving (but these really are best the day they're baked, when the dough is especially soft and the caramel is warm and gooey).
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Recipe
Make-Ahead Overnight Caramel Rolls
Ingredients
Dough:
- 4 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 packet instant yeast (2 ¼ teaspoons)
- 1 cup warm milk (110℉)
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Cinnamon Filling:
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Caramel Sauce:
- 1 ½ cups brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup light corn syrup
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
For Baking:
- ¼ cup heavy cream
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Instructions
To make the dough:
- Whisk together the flour, sugar, salt and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, and melted butter. Pour milk mixture into flour mixture and stir until just combined. Let rest for 5 minutes.4 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting , ½ cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 packet instant yeast (2 ¼ teaspoons), 1 cup warm milk (110℉), 2 large eggs, , ½ cup unsalted butter,
- Attach a dough hook to the stand mixer and knead on medium speed for 5-7 minutes or until the dough is smooth and tacky.
- Spray a 9x13" pan with cooking spray. Transfer dough into pan and gently use your fingers to stretch the dough to mostly cover the bottom (don't worry, it won't be perfect). Cover loosely with a towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled. While the dough is rising, make the cinnamon filling and caramel sauce. Note: My oven has a "proofing" setting, but you can also turn the oven on for a minute or so to let it just barely heat up. Turn it off and then pop the dough inside to rise. It usually takes my dough about 60 minutes to double in size.
To make the cinnamon filling:
- In a medium bowl, combine the melted butter, brown sugar and cinnamon, mixing until well combined. Set aside.¼ cup unsalted butter, , ½ cup brown sugar, , 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
To make the caramel sauce:
- Add brown sugar, butter, corn syrup and salt to a saucepan. Heat over medium heat until butter is melted, stirring occasionally.1 ½ cups brown sugar, , ½ cup unsalted butter, ⅓ cup light corn syrup, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Bring the sauce to a low boil. Once it's reach a boil, stir constantly for 2-3 minutes or until sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla and cream. Allow to cool slightly.1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 3 tablespoons heavy cream
To make the rolls:
- Sprinkle a pastry mat or work surface generously with flour. Turn out the dough onto the surface.
- Respray the pan with cooking spray and pour the caramel sauce into the bottom of the pan. Gently smooth to level.
- Sprinkle the top of the dough with additional flour. Roll the dough to about a 12x16" rectangle (the size of the rectangle can vary, it does not have to be exact!). Use an offset spatula or the back of a spoon to evenly spread the cinnamon filling over the whole dough rectangle. It will be a thin coating.
- Starting on the long side, roll the dough up tightly jelly roll style. Cut into 12 slices (unflavored dental floss works very well or you can also use a serrated knife) and place in the pan with the caramel sauce. Cover the pan with foil or plastic wrap and seal tightly. Refrigerate overnight.
- In the morning, remove the rolls from the fridge. They usually rise a bit overnight, but don't worry if they don't. Allow the rolls to come to room temperature (about an hour to an hour and a half). They should almost double in size. If you don't have that time, preheat the oven for 1-2 minutes, turn it off, and pop them in there for at least 30 minutes.
To bake the rolls:
- Preheat the oven to 375℉.
- Warm the heavy cream in the microwave for 30 seconds. Once the rolls have risen, pour the warm cream over the top of the rolls. Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes. Check the rolls after 15 minutes. If they are browning too quickly, tent the pan loosely with foil.¼ cup heavy cream
- Remove the rolls from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Carefully invert the pan onto a sheet pan or other large serving dish. Scrape any remaining caramel sauce from the pan and drizzle over the rolls. Serve warm.
Notes
Ingredients Notes:
- Butter: Unsalted is best for balance, but you can use salted. Just reduce added salt slightly.
- Brown sugar: Light or dark both work. Dark gives a deeper, more molasses-rich caramel flavor.
- Milk: Whole or 2% milk is ideal for a tender dough with great flavor.
- Corn syrup: Prevents the caramel from crystallizing.
- Add-ins: Want to jazz it up? Add chopped pecans to the caramel layer for crunch, or a pinch of nutmeg to the cinnamon filling.
Top Tips:
- Measure your ingredients correctly: You're going to get the best results if you use a kitchen scale to measure your dry ingredients. No scale? Follow Sally's guide for how to properly measure baking ingredients.
- Instant yeast: No need to activate first. Just mix it right in with the dry ingredients.
- Warm milk: Should feel like a warm bath, not hot. Too hot will kill the yeast.
- Cutting the rolls: Unflavored dental floss makes super clean cuts without squishing the dough.
- Overnight rise: Rolls will puff slightly in the fridge, but they'll do most of their rising at room temp before baking.
- Why the cream? Pouring warm cream over the rolls before baking makes them extra soft, rich, and gooey.
- Make-ahead tip: You can prep both the caramel sauce and the cinnamon filling a day in advance and refrigerate separately.
- Storage: These rolls are best they day they are made. Store any leftovers covered at room temp for 1-2 days. Rewarm gently in the microwave for soft, sticky results.
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Nutrition
Nutrition info not guaranteed to be accurate.
Monica says
I made these yesterday afternoon then finished baking them this morning. So good! The perfect amount of caramel and the rolls were soft and moist. Will definitely be saving this recipe to make again!
Hi Monica, thanks for your review! I'm so glad you enjoyed them. They are one of our favorites, too. It's hard to beat a soft, gooey caramel roll!
ingrid alajoki says
can i make them the same day or do they need to rest overnight
Hi Ingrid, If you're making these the same day, allow about 20-30 minutes for a second rise after you've shaped them and put them in the pan (but before you've poured cream on top). Hope that helps!