Slow Cooker Apple Cinnamon Rolls
Warm spices, crisp apples, and a sweet icing combine to transform store-bought cinnamon roll dough into a truly decadent breakfast perfect for winter and fall. Serve these Slow Cooker Apple Cinnamon Rolls warm for holiday brunches, cozy morning breakfasts, and everything in between.
Why You’ll Love These Apple Cinnamon Rolls
Cinnamon roll recipes are served on repeat in our homes and hold a special place in our hearts, reminding us of snow days spent at home and holidays gathered around the breakfast table with the family. Growing up, our mom always made classic cinnamon rolls from a can. Although we now prefer to make out own recipes like baklava cinnamon rolls and biscoff cinnamon rolls, we still love (and utilize) the simplicity of pre-made dough. We just spruce it up a bit as we did with these apple cinnamon rolls! They’re:
- Elevated with sweet, crisp apples.
- Prepared in the slow cooker for a crowd-pleasing breakfast.
- Fragrant enough to make your entire home smell amazing.
- Perfect for holiday breakfasts, brunch parties, and weekend treats!
Simple Ingredients You’ll Need
With just a few additions to the standard recipe, the ingredients needed for these slow cooker apple cinnamon rolls are few and simple. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Storebought Cinnamon Roll Dough – We love Grands cinnamon rolls, but any brand you have on hand will work.
- Apples – We recommend using baking apples that are just a little tart and perfectly crisp. Sweeter apples such as Gala or Fuji which are meant for snacking are likely to turn to mush as they cook. Our favorites are Honeycrisp and Granny Smith!
- Heavy Cream – This is used to form the base of the custard topping that truly transforms the cinnamon rolls into a decadent recipe.
- Eggs – These are necessary to thicken the custard mixture, helping it solidify as it cooks, clinging to the baked cinnamon rolls so that every bite is loaded with a creamy flavor.
- Cinnamon – Our favorite warm spice, cinnamon just screams fall and makes every bite taste like a freshly baked apple crisp.
- Vanilla – An essential baking ingredient, vanilla is added to the custard to enhance the rest of the ingredients.
- Condensed Milk – This is poured on top just before cooking for the most ooey gooey succulent cinnamon rolls you’ll ever make.
How to Make the Best Slow Cooker Cinnamon Rolls
Unlike traditional cinnamon roll recipes that require hours in the kitchen and complicated instructions in order to roll out the dough, this version comes together in minutes. It’s cooked in the slow cooker so you can set it and forget it!
- Cut the cinnamon rolls into quarters.
- Butter or grease the slow cooker, and arrange half of the cinnamon roll pieces in the bottom.
- Sprinkle the apple pieces on top followed by the remaining cinnamon rolls.
- Prepare the custard, whisking the ingredients together. Then, pour it over the cinnamon rolls followed by the condensed milk.
- Cover, and cook until fluffy and slightly golden-brown on top.
- Drizzle with icing on top, and serve warm.
Baking Tips
Just when you think these slow cooker apple cinnamon rolls couldn’t get any better, we’ve got a few tips to guarantee they’re failproof and perfect for you!
Cut the Recipe in Half. If you have a smaller slow cooker, you can easily cut the recipe in half in order not to overcrowd it. You want to make sure the pieces are arranged in single layers and not crowded on top of each other. Otherwise, they won’t cook. Just be sure to check on your apple cinnamon rolls for doneness after 3 hours, as the cooking time will likely vary!
Prevent Burning the Bottom of the Rolls. Due to the fact that all slow cookers are different, baking times and temperatures will vary. So, in order to prevent the bottom of your rolls from burning, we recommend placing a piece of aluminum foil or
Create Dairy-Free Apple Cinnamon Rolls. To make this recipe dairy free, just substitute the heavy cream for full-fat coconut milk, and swap out the sweetened condensed milk for coconut-sweetened condensed milk. They’ll have all the flavor with none of the dairy!
Flavor Variations
If you want to create an absolutely showstopping recipe that looks and tastes like you spend all day in the kitchen, try some of our favorite variations!
Ice Cream. Serve these apple cinnamon rolls warm alongside a cold, creamy scoop of vanilla ice cream to turn this scrumptious breakfast into an irresistible dessert!
Carmel Sauce. Nothing says fall like the classic combination of apples and caramel sauce. Drizzle it on top for an out-of-this-world combination.
Chopped Nuts. These will add a bit of crunch and flavor to the rolls, making them even more unforgettable! Pecans or walnuts make some of the best additions, but feel free to experiment with what you like best.
Should I Peel My Apples Before Baking?
Technically, you don’t have to. However, the skin can be a bit difficult to chew. Therefore, removing it allows for soft, decadent bites!
How Do I Know When My Cinnamon Rolls Are Done?
You’ll know your slow cooker cinnamon rolls are done when they’re fluffy and have a slightly dark golden brown appearance on their tops. Be sure to keep an eye on them to ensure they don’t burn!
Can I Make These Apple Cinnamon Rolls Ahead of Time?
Yes, you can absolutely make this recipe ahead of time! Store leftovers for up to 3 days at room temperature or up to 5 days in the refrigerator. Baked rolls can also be frozen for up to 2-3 months. Then, let them thaw in the fridge overnight, and warm them in the slow cooker, microwave, or oven when you’re ready to eat.
More Cinnamon Roll Recipes
Need more easy cinnamon roll recipes in your life? We’ve got you covered with these great recipes!
- Combining two of breakfast’s best dishes, this Cinnamon Roll French Toast will surely delight everyone in the household!
- If you love coffee and you love cinnamon rolls, this Caramel Macchiato Cinnamon Roll recipe is for you!
- S’mores Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread takes the best parts of several desserts and mixes them together to make an unforgettable dish.
- Using simple ingredients, these Dulce de Leche Cinnamon Rolls are elevated with a sweet topping for unbelievable flavor.
Slow Cooker Apple Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
- 3 cans grand cinnamon rolls
- 2 cups peeled apples (chopped small (honey crisp or granny smith))
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- reserved icing
Instructions
- Slice the cinnamon rolls into quarters, reserving the pre-made icing.
- Butter the bottom and sides of the slow cooker or use non-stick cooking spray (*See note below). Arrange half the cinnamon rolls at the bottom.
- Add the apples, and top with remaining cinnamon roll pieces.
- In a large measuring cup, whisk the eggs, heavy cream, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Pour the custard over the cinnamon rolls.
- Add condensed milk. Cover, and cook on high for 3-4 hours.
- Once cooked, drizzle with the icing. Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream, if desired!
These came out very dry. If you are going to serve this it needed either a munch more icing or another suce
I just finished making these and am literally eating it as I type. SO GOOD! I did not read the comments before making it and I didn’t even think about the can size of the cinnamon rolls. Mine were 13 oz. each and I used 3 cans, as per the recipe. Honestly, I am glad I didn’t see the comments prior because I think having another 12 oz. of “bread” in there would have been too much. The only things I will change next time is to use less egg so that these will be more gooey and not quite so firm/dense and will probably go with 3 cups of the apple instead of 2. Great recipe!
Made this recipe for after church social hour this morning early, it is DELICIOUS to say the least the only thing that is not correct is the “prep time” , there is no way you can prep this in 5 minutes, I bake a lot and it took me 30 minutes. All in all it is delicious, did serve hot with vanilla ice cream. If the prep time would have been more accurate I would have given it 5 stars.
So glad to hear it was a hit! Sorry for the confusion with the prep time. We have adjusted to reflect the correct time. Thanks for your feedback! xo, Alia & Radwa
I did the oven recommendation and it definitely needs to go longer than 30-40 minutes. It was still dough when I took it out but the top was cooked
Oh no! You can loosely cover it and continue to bake it until the center is cooked!
What size cinnamon rolls? I could only find the 12 oz rolls not the grands
Hi, they are 17.5 cans. You can do 4 cans of the 12 oz rolls!
How did you come up with the nutrition? Is it per bite? There’s no way a serving has 70 calories and 3g of sugar….haha
lol, oops! Just adjusted the nutrition facts!
I’ve made this recipe multiple times and it is amazing!! So simple and easy and delicious!
Glad you love this recipe! xo, Alia & Radwa
can we just bake in oven? if so , what times would we use?
Yes, you can, however, this is a 7-qt slow cooker, so a 13×9 will be a little too small. You have 2 options. Either you reduce the recipe and use 2 cans of cinnamon rolls, or the batch will make one 13×9 and an 9×9. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-40 minutes!
You mention icing but I don’t see anything in the ingredient list or the instructions for making the icing. Am I missing something somewhere?
We use the icing that comes with the cinnamon rolls. You can make your own by mixing 1 cup powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons milk, and 1 tsp vanilla extract!
I had a really hard time with this recipe. I had my slow cooker on high for 4 hours and put foil at the bottom like I was told and my rolls were highly undercooked. any help ono this would be welcomed.
Oh no! Sorry to hear that happened! What size slow cooker did you use?
I used an insta pot that had a slower cooker option. What should I do for an insta pot with this recipe?
You can cook on high pressure for 28-30 minutes!
I used an insta pot. But I’m wondering how I can adjust this recipe for an insta pot.
Could you sub the short time on High, for maybe Lower overnight?
Excellent recipe, however the cook time was to long. I cooked just less than 3 hours and it was slightly over cooked. However I added a Carmel sauce that made it wonderful. Not into the icing.
Followed directions exactly. Dry, doughy, tasteless. Will not make again
I prefer frozen cinnamon rolls to refrigerator cans. any suggestion how to adapt for those?
Yes, you’d probably have to thaw them according to package instructions first!
Do the left overs need to be refrigerated?
Yes, and reheat back in the oven or in the microwave!
Hello I have an insta pot how long and what temp should I use for this recipe?
Any help with adjusting recipe for a 2qt. slow cooker? Thanks!
You can reduce the measurements by 1/3rd!
What could you use instead of the sweetened condensed milk
are you looking for a dairy free option? You can use sweetened and condensed coconut milk!
Can you cook it on low for 6-8 hours/overnight?
We personally have not tried, if you decide to give it a try, we don’t recommend doing it overnight just so you can keep an eye on it!
What’s the best way to make this in an instant pot?
If you want to make this in an instant pot – Assemble the ingredients in a bundt pan (you will have to reduce to 2 cans cinnamon rolls), cover with aluminum foil. Add 1/2 cups water to a 6qt instant pot. Lower the bundt pan inside. Seal the valve and cook on high for 25 minutes.
Can you make this with milk instead of heavy whipping cream? I don’t have heavy whipping cream and everything is closed but to it being Christmas.
Yes, milk works if that is all you have on hand. Otherwise, evaporated milk, canned full-fat coconut milk, and half and half are great options too!
One of my first few recipes and I absolutely loved it! super simple and through, I do think that it was too many eggs used for the sauce! but other than that it was amazing