Our one dish caramel pecan sticky rolls have a gooey, decadent caramel sauce and a hint of cinnamon. They’re made in just 10 minutes hands on time!

You’ll love this easy pecan rolls recipe with a quick and easy shortcut that makes them pretty much effortless!

These sticky caramel rolls are perfect for breakfast or dessert, and great for the holidays! No yeast required – and I just know you’re going to love them.

A close up of a piece of Caramel Pecan Sticky Rolls.
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Caramel pecan sticky rolls, aka sticky buns, have always been a favorite of mine because they’re so easy to make using crescent roll sheets. One bite and you’d never know that they aren’t made from scratch!

They’re a rich, caramelized, sticky, sweet roll filled with pecans, made in just one dish! Not that we need even more reasons to love this traditional breakfast treat.

Pecans have long been used in all types of baking. I’ve got a great variety of pecan recipes you’ll love! Check out Chocolate Chip Pecan SnowballsSalted Caramel Pecan Pie Bars, Pecan Pie CookiesPecan Thumbprints and more!

Just like my Cinnamon Rolls made with Crescent Rolls, these simple sticky buns are just as delicious as your bakery rolls, without the stress of messing with yeast!

Caramel Pecan Sticky Rolls on a white platter.

Caramel Pecan Sticky Rolls

These rolls are so easy to make and the crescent dough makes them super quick and convenient too! They are perfectly sweet and sticky, so they’re just like the ones you would get from your local bakers.

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

  • Minimal Ingredients – You only need a handful of ingredients to make this delicious treat!
  • One Dish – Mix up the sauce inside your baking dish and then roll out and slice the dough… they’re so easy.
  • Perfect for a Crowd – This recipe yields a whopping 24 rolls so they are perfect for entertaining and they look pretty served on a platter! These are great if you have overnight guests over the holiday season.

To see just how easy these caramel pecan sticky rolls are, follow the step-by-step photos or video in this post!

A close up of a piece of Caramel Pecan Sticky Rolls.

Ingredients and Substitutions

  • Butter – Salted or unsalted, your call. We tend to use salted because we like the sweet and salty balance! Your butter should be melted.
  • Brown sugar – Light or dark brown sugar will work in this recipe. It creates that sticky caramel sauce.
  • Pecan bits – Smaller pieces are best for this recipe so they can get into all the little sections of the rolls.
  • Canned Crescent Sheets – These make this simple recipe so incredibly easy!
  • White Granulated Sugar – The combination of brown sugar and white sugar is what takes these rolls over the top.
  • Cinnamon – Use a high quality ground cinnamon for this recipe.

Variations

  • Add toffee bits before or after baking
  • Add more or less pecan pieces, to your preference.

How to Make 

  1. Preheat oven as directed.
  2. In baking dish, combine part of the butter, brown sugar, water and pecans, stirring gently. Bake for approximately 10 minutes to create the sauce as you work on the next part of the rolls. A person sprinkling sugar onto pecan rolls. Brown sugar and pecans and butter in a white baking dish. A white baking dish filled with pecans and caramel sauce. A square baking dish with caramel sauce inside it for pecan sticky rolls.
  3. Meanwhile, roll crescent dough out onto parchment paper. Cover with remaining butter, sugar and cinnamon. Sticky pecan rolls dough on a cutting board. A piece of pecan roll dough topped with powdered sugar.
  4. Roll dough into logs. Slice each section of dough into 12 rolls. A person preparing pecan rolls with cinnamon sugar on a piece of dough. A person cutting pecan rolls.
  5. Remove butter mixture from oven. Arrange rolls in baking dish. Bake as directed. A white baking dish filled with pecan rolls. An oven with caramel pecan sticky rolls baking inside.
  6. Remove from oven and flip onto a platter. Serve.
Pecan rolls in a baking dish on top of a stove.

Tips

  • Be careful when removing the butter mixture from the oven as it will be extremely hot in its liquid form.
  • Serve these sticky rolls warm!

A close up of a plate of pecan rolls.

Serving Suggestions

These sweet rolls are delicious by themselves, and you can enjoy them for breakfast or brunch with some coffee or tea. You can also serve these rolls as a dessert, alongside some homemade ice cream.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make sticky pecan rolls ahead of time?

If you want to get on top of things, the night before, you can fill and roll the rolls and place them covered in the fridge to bake the next morning. Just let them come to room temperature before baking them.
You can also freeze the baked rolls. Let them cool to room temperature and the wrap tightly in plastic wrap or foil. Let them defrost in the fridge overnight before heating through to serve.

What’s the difference between a cinnamon roll and a sticky bun?

While the process and style of ingredients are often very similar, sticky buns generally have a nut topping (such as pecans), and cinnamon rolls do not.
Another difference is that while our sticky buns do have a caramel sauce and a bit of cinnamon, it’s not a requirement. Cinnamon rolls always have cinnamon!

Caramel Pecan Sticky Rolls on a white platter.

How to Store

  • Room Temperature – Store at room temperature in an airtight container up to 2-3 days.
  • Refrigerate – Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
  • Freeze – You can also freeze pecan rolls, storing in an airtight container covered in plastic wrap to avoid any freezer odor up to 3 months.

To Reheat

Reheat these pecan rolls individually in the microwave for approximately 20 seconds each, or in the casserole dish in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 5 minutes.

A close up of a piece of Caramel Pecan Sticky Rolls.

Don’t skip our incredible pumpkin cinnamon rolls or apple cinnamon rolls if you’re in the mood for a taste of fall.

More Brunch Recipes

A close up of pecan rolls.
5 from 3 votes

Caramel Pecan Sticky Rolls

Our one dish caramel pecan sticky rolls have a gooey, decadent caramel sauce and a hint of cinnamon. They’re made in just 10 minutes hands on time!
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Servings: 24
Pin Rate Print

Ingredients  

  • ½ cup butter (one stick) salted, melted
  • ¾ cup brown sugar light or dark, packed
  • ½ cup pecan bits (more if you'd prefer)
  • ¼ cup water
  • 16 ounces crescent sheets (2 cans)
  • ¼ cup white granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350℉.
  • In 9×13 dish, combine 5 Tbsp butter, brown sugar, water and pecans. Bake for 8-10 minutes, as you move onto the next part of the rolls.
  • While the sauce is in the oven, roll crescent rolls out onto parchment paper. Cover with butter, sugar and cinnamon.
  • Roll dough into logs. Slice each into 12 rolls.
  • Remove butter mixture from oven. Arrange rolls in baking dish. Bake 20 minutes (more if needed).
  • Remove from oven and flip onto a platter. Serve.

Julie’s Tips

  • Be careful when removing the butter mixture from the oven as it will be extremely hot in its liquid form.
  • Serve these sticky rolls warm!

How to Store

  • Room Temperature – Store at room temperature in an airtight container up to 2-3 days.
  • Refrigerate – Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
  • Freeze – You can also freeze pecan rolls, storing in an airtight container covered in plastic wrap to avoid any freezer odor up to 3 months.

To Reheat

Reheat these pecan rolls individually in the microwave for approximately 20 seconds each, or in the casserole dish in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 5 minutes.
Calories: 150kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 181mg | Potassium: 20mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 120IU | Vitamin C: 0.03mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 0.4mg

Estimated nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed.

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3 Comments

  1. About how long would I bake the butter and sugar mixture while preparing the dough? Just in case I get distracted with something else while making the dough? These look awesome!