Easy Overnight Caramel Rolls Recipe

Short and sweet

Prepare these the night before and bake in the morning. They couldn’t be easier! This recipe is great for beginners and anyone who wants a special treat in the morning.

If you’re like me, this will become one of your go-to’s.

What’s a tube pan?

Short version, a tube pan is a circular pan that has a hole in the middle. This allows heat and air to circulate up through the middle, helping for a more even bake.

The pan I like to use for this recipe is actually and Angel Food Cake pan. For purposes of this recipe if you want to use a Bundt pan, Angel Food Cake pan, or even a disposable aluminum pan, you can still have tasty caramel rolls. ☺

The pudding mix

The magic to this recipe is to use cook and serve pudding mix, NOT instant.

Due to shrinkflation, the size of a 4-serving pudding box has changed over the past few years. When I first started making these caramel rolls I used a 3 5/8 oz box. Now the box I use is down to 3 oz.

Good news is, for this recipe it seems the 3 oz box still works without making adjustments to brown sugar and butter.

If the pudding mix you find is somewhere between 3 oz and 3 5/8 oz you should be fine. Just be sure to get cook & serve.

Let the rolls rise

This is an overnight recipe, but if you’d like to make during the day simply allow around 8 hours for the rolls to rise.

What is a cold oven?

A cold oven is simply not turned on. For this recipe the rolls are set in a cold oven to rise. This keeps the rolls in a space that’s away from any drafts and the air temperature is more constant.

A kitchen counter rise

You can certainly set the rolls on a countertop to rise. I’m more successful with this during the warmer months. When I use the countertop-method, I normally cover the pan with plastic wrap and then cover with a kitchen towel .

Ah nuts

Want to add nuts? After you pour on the butter and sugar mixture, sprinkle on 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans.

Step-by-step

Grease the inside of a tube pan with butter or shortening.

Place dinner rolls evenly in the pan.

Sprinkle pudding mix over the dinner rolls.

Combine melted butter and brown sugar in a small bowl, stir well. Pour mixture over dinner rolls.

Cover the pan with aluminum foil and place in a cold oven to let rolls rise overnight. Pan can also be left on countertop overnight, covered with aluminum foil and a kitchen towel.

After rolls have risen, remove from cold oven and remove aluminum foil.

Bake rolls at 350°F for 20-25 minutes until the tops of the rolls are brown.

Run a knife between the rolls and the inside of the pan to loosen.

Flip rolls onto a plate.

😊