Apple Breakfast Casserole

This Apple Breakfast Casserole is the perfect, easy to make breakfast dish for a holiday or brunch. It is absolutely delicious! Packed with tender apples layered between cinnamon rolls and topped off with perfectly sweet glaze, this breakfast recipe is one you will come back to time after time!

Apple Breakfast Casserole Recipe

A few years back I made a recipe for Apple Pie Monkey bread. We really like apples around here, and I was excited to find a way that kind of felt like I got to eat apple pie for breakfast. It was good, but over the years we have changed and adapted that recipe a bit to one we like so much more!

Where the original Apple Pie Monkey Bread recipe used biscuits like regular monkey bread, this one uses cinnamon rolls. I love the change because it just gives it even more of that delicious cinnamon sugar flavor that we love so much. The other recipe I made in a bundt pan, and this one could also be made using a bundt pan, but I tend to make this in just a regular old casserole dish because it is what I have most handy without digging. It also makes it easy to make and serve right into and out of this dish.

What I really love about this recipe most though, is how much everyone else loves it when I bring it to an event. If you have any apple lovers they will just go bananas (or apples?) over it. I have made this for our annual Christmas Eve Brunch for the past couple of years too. The one thing I find is that this is one recipe that is equally popular with kids and adults, which is sometimes tricky to achieve!

This is an excellent sweet breakfast casserole, but if you are looking for a savory one, you have to try my Sausage Egg and Cream Cheese Breakfast Casserole here! At my Christmas Brunch I usually serve one of each for a perfect compliment!

How to Make Apple Breakfast Casserole

This recipe is almost too easy with only a few ingredients and a couple of simple steps. There are a couple of tricks I use to make it come out better that I will walk you through in the step by step directions below. This should answer any questions that might arise, but if you are in a rush and want the quick version, feel free to scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Apple Breakfast Casserole Ingredients

2 cans (12.4 oz) Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls- I use the original Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls here. If you prefer grands you could use those also, but you would need to cut them up in smaller pieces than the original.
1 can (20 oz) apple pie filling- You can use regular or “lite” filling. This is generally found on the baking aisle at the store.
1/2 cup butter, melted- I use regular salted “stick butter” for this recipe. I just stick it in the microwave for a few seconds to melt it down.
1/3 cup brown sugar- I know that some of you may not really want to add more sugar to this recipe, but it really adds to the dish. The brown sugar makes the dish have that great caramelly taste and texture that goes so perfectly with the apple.
2 tsp cinnamon- The extra cinnamon helps to balance out the sweetness of the sugar we added.

Apple Breakfast Casserole Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375˚F.
Chop the cinnamon rolls into 6-8 pieces each. I prefer them to be in smaller pieces in my casserole because it allows the apples to more completely coat and infuse the casserole with the flavor.
Open the can of apples and chop them up into small bite sized pieces. This might sound a bit silly, but I hate making extra messes, so I found that the most efficient way to do this is to just open the can and stick a sharp knife right down it in slice away right in the can. If there are any larger pieces left you missed, you can get them when you pour them out in the next step.
Place the cinnamon rolls, apples, melted butter, sugar and cinnamon in a bowl and mix them until everything in combined and the cinnamon rolls are coated in the apple mixture. This step just really combines all of the flavors. There is no real wrong way to do this, but I find it easier if the cinnamon rolls aren’t too cold because they can reharden the butter before I have a chance to stir it in. The other option is to mix it into the pie filling before mixing the cinnamon rolls in.
Spray a large casserole dish with cooking spray and then pour the cinnamon rolls and apples into the dish and place in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 40-50 minutes or until cooked through. I don’t usually cover mine, but since every oven bakes a bit differently, you can keep an eye on it and if it starts to get more brown than you want, you can loosely cover it with tin foil until it finishes baking.
The most important thing to note here is that the casserole needs to be cooked all the way to the center. Make sure that the center rolls under the surface are done before removing from the oven.
Drizzle the glaze from the cinnamon rolls over the top of the casserole. I generally just use the glaze from one can of cinnamon rolls and feel like it is enough for my tastes, but you can certainly use both if you want. I usually drizzle one on, then leave the other on the side so that each person has the option to add more if they want a little extra!
Serve warm and enjoy!

I hope that you and your family enjoy this easy breakfast recipe as much as we do! If you get a chance to make it, I would love it if you left me a note in the comments and let me know how you liked it and what you served it for or with. It makes my day to hear about others enjoying the recipes I share. Also, if you share a pic in your Instagram story or on your feed, don’t forget to tag me @easyfamilyrecipes!

Apple Breakfast Casserole

Prep 5 mins

Cook 40 mins

Total 45 mins

Author Kimber

Yield 12 servings

This is the perfect sweet breakfast casserole for a holiday or brunch. It is loved by adults, as well as kids, and serves a crowd.

Ingredients

2 cans (12.4 oz) Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls
1 can (20 oz) apples
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375˚F.
Chop the cinnamon rolls into 6-8 pieces each. Open the can of apples and chop them up into small bite sized pieces.
Place the cinnamon rolls, apples, melted butter, sugar and cinnamon in a bowl and mix them until everything in combined and the cinnamon rolls are coated in the apple mixture.
Spray a large casserole dish with cooking spray and then pour the cinnamon rolls and apples into the dish and place in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 40-50 minutes or until cooked through.
Drizzle the glaze from the cinnamon rolls over the top of the casserole. Serve warm and enjoy!

Notes

I usually only drizzle the glaze from one package of the cinnamon rolls. You can use both, or use one, then have the other on the side for anyone one who wants to add extra glaze to their casserole.

Recipe found at: https://www.thepinningmama.com/apple-breakfast-casserole/

Courses Breakfast

Cuisine American