Pecan Sticky Buns

These Pecan Sticky Buns are so tender, they melt in your mouth, have a sweet cinnamon filling and a gooey, caramel glaze with crunchy pecans. They are wonderful with a glass of cold milk or a warm mug of coffee.

Pecan Sticky Buns with a sweet cinnamon filling a gooey caramel topping and crunchy pecans.

I make these Pecan Sticky Buns all year long and especially during the holidays. There is something so homey and comforting about yeast buns. As they bake, the house is filled with their warm, spicy aroma. It’s better than any scented candles, making your home so inviting.

If you’re a newbie with yeast dough, don’t let it intimidate you; it’s actually not that hard. The dough is really easy to work with and you have the step by step photos and a video to see exactly what each step should look like. The best perk of homemade baking is that you get to enjoy them while they are still fresh and warm out of the oven.

The buns are so soft and tender and the sticky glaze is incredible, especially paired with the crunchy pecans. Reheat the leftovers in the microwave for 10-15 seconds or in the oven for 5-10 minutes and they are returned to their warm, gooey glory.

Watch the Video of How to Make Pecan Sticky Buns

Ingredients:

Yeast Dough

  • yeast (active dry yeast)
  • water and milk (they need to be warmed to 100-110 degrees Fahrenheit)
  • granulated sugar
  • oil (avocado, sunflower, grapeseed, etc)
  • salt
  • all purpose flour

Filling

  • butter (softened to room temperature)
  • brown sugar (or granulated sugar)
  • ground cinnamon

Topping

  • heavy cream
  • brown sugar
  • pecans (use any other nuts that you like, walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, etc.)
Ingredients For Pecan Sticky Buns

How to Make Pecan Sticky Buns

  1. Make the yeast dough.
    • Dissolve the yeast in warm water and allow to stand for about 5 minutes.
    • Pour the foamy yeast, milk, sugar and oil into a large bowl and mix to combine.
    • Add the flour and salt until a thick dough forms. Knead using the dough hook on a stand mixer, or by hand, until an elastic dough comes together.
    • Cover and let rise in a warm place until double, about 1 hour.
  2. Assemble the sticky buns.
    • Roll out the dough on a floured surface into an 18 X 12 inch rectangle.
    • Spread out the softened butter all over the surface, then sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon.
    • Roll up the dough, like a jelly roll. Cut into 12 equal pieces. (Cut the dough in half, then each in half again and lastly each of the 4 pieces into 3 pieces.)
Step by step tutorial of how to make pecan cinnamon sticky buns.

3. Bake the Sticky Buns

  • Use butter or oil to grease a 13 X 9 inch baking dish, then whisk the heavy cream and brown sugar until combined, pour into the baking dish and then sprinkle with chopped pecans.
  • Nestle the sticky buns in the baking dish on top of the nuts. Cover and set aside to rise until double, 40-60 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Bake for about 30 minutes.

4. Serve

Invert the baking dish onto a serving plate or a cutting board. Pull apart the sticky buns and enjoy.

Pecan Cinnamon Sticky Buns before and after rising.

How to Store and Reheat Sticky Buns

If you don’t have a large family or are having company and don’t eat all the Sticky Buns right away, store them at room temperature, covered.

You can reheat them in the microwave for a few seconds or the oven for a few minutes and they will be soft and taste fresh again. 

Pulling apart the Pecan Sticky Buns with a gooey topping.
Print

Caramel and Pecan Cinnamon Sticky Buns

Print Recipe

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5 from 4 reviews

These Sticky Buns are so tender, they melt in your mouth, have a sweet cinnamon filling and a gooey, caramel glaze with crunchy pecans. They are wonderful with a glass of cold milk or a warm mug of coffee.

  • Author: Olga’s Flavor Factory
  • Prep Time: 120 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 150 minutes
  • Yield: 12 cinnamon buns 1x
  • Category: Dessert

Ingredients

Scale

Dough:

  • 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 package)
  • 3/4 cup warm water (100° to 110° F)
  • 3/4 cup warm milk (100° to 110° F)
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 Tablespoons oil (avocado, grape seed, sunflower, etc.)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour

Filling:

  • 1/4 cup butter (softened to room temperature)
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Topping

  • 1/2  cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans (or other nuts – walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, etc.)

Instructions

  1. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and allow to stand for about 5 minutes until foamy.
  2. Pour the foamy yeast, milk, sugar, oil and salt into a large mixing bowl and mix to combine. Add the flour in 3 parts, until all the flour is incorporated and a dough forms. You can easily knead the dough by hand or use a stand mixer. Knead for about 5 minutes until you have a smooth and elastic dough. 
  3. Place in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a towel and allow to rise in a warm place for about an hour, or until the dough doubles.
  4. When the dough is ready, roll it out on a well floured surface into a rectangle, 18×12 inch in size.
  5. Spread the softened butter on top of the dough, to about 1/2 inch of the edges of the dough.
  6. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. 
  7. Roll up the dough tightly, lengthwise, just like a jelly roll. Cut the dough into 12 pieces. A little trick I have to make sure the pieces are equal in size is cutting the rolled up dough in half, then cutting each half in half and dividing each of the 4 pieces into 3 pieces. (You can use a sharp knife or dental floss.)
  8. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  9. Whisk together the heavy cream and the brown sugar. Pour into a greased 13×9 inch baking pan. Sprinkle the nuts over the cream mixture.
  10. Place the cut rolls on top of the cream and pecans.
  11. Let rise, covered, until doubled in size, 40 -60 minutes.
  12. Bake about 30 minutes. Invert onto a serving platter or a wooden cutting board.
  13. Pull apart the sticky buns and serve while warm. Store at room temperature, covered. 

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This is an updated version of the Pecan Cinnamon Sticky Buns recipe that was published originally on June 15, 2012. The recipe is the same with updated pictures, a video and clarified instructions .

Pecan Sticky Buns The topping is so gooey, caramely and delicious, perfectly pairing with the crunchy pecans.

25 Comments

    • Luba

      Thanks Olga for such a delicious recipe this is one of my family favorites! I usually double the recipe and freeze part, then reheat in the oven for when I want something baked but don’t have the time.

      • olgak7

        I’m so glad the you enjoy the sticky buns, Luba. It’s such a great idea to make extra and freeze. I often do that with a lot of my baking – such a great treat with no extra effort later on to be enjoyed:).

  • Julie

    Olga, I have a question my dough is rising in a warm oven, can I leave it overnight and proceed with my buns in the morning?

  • Julia

    Olga, I was wondering if I could leave the ready buns out on the counter to finish rising overnight and bake the buns in the morning? Will my buns still rise or it won’t be the same?
    Please let me know. Thanks!!!

    • olgak7

      I would strongly NOT recommend it, Julia. The dough will rise too much and then probably collapse.
      If the dough is left on the counter, at room temperature, it will develop a slightly sour taste. The texture of the buns will become thicker and may not rise as much during the final baking. The dough will also be a different shape than expected, as over-proofing makes bubbles expand beyond normal and then collapse when they are baked.
      You can put the shaped rolls into the refrigerator overnight, before letting them rise. They will slowly rise and proof during the night, but will not over expand, like they would at room temperature.

  • Oksana

    Looks so delicious. We’ve made cinnamon rolls before, but never with a caramel and pecan glaze. In our house, we LOOOVE pecans. This would be something great to add to our recipe book. Definitely will bake as soon as weather cools down enough to use our oven. We don’t have AC in the house and try not to bake during hot weather.
    I agree with you about baking with yeast. Add cinnamon to that and that takes it to the next level.

    I do have a question on reheating. You noted that 5 minutes in the microwave or 10 minutes in the oven. In my opinion microwave for 5 minutes might be too much. ….. I know a local donut shop recommends to reheat their donuts for about 8 seconds in microwave. I find that about right for muffins, cinnamon rolls and donuts. Just don’t want to think about what would happen after 5 minutes of heating…… ???



    • olgak7

      Hi Oksana.
      I can certainly agree that baking will heat up your house even more in the warmer months:).
      You’re absolutely right about the microwave time. That is a typo – thank you for catching that. I should be only 10-15 seconds, not minutes:).

    • olgak7

      Hi Stacy. You don’t have to mix the yeast and water, but I like to do that because it confirms that the yeast is active and working. (If it foams, I know it will work.) It’s just a habit I have because this will ensure that the bread will rise.

  • DJ Satterfield

    You have a typo in instruction #2. You state ” Place in a greased dough” and I believe you mean “dish”.
    Looking forward to making these tomorrow. All of your other recipes have been awesome so I am sure this will too.

    • olgak7

      Sure, apples would be great here. Just make sure to cut them up pretty small so they cook through all the way, or cook them before adding them into the buns.

  • Anna

    Hi Olga great recipe! But I suggest on your ingredients list you separate the filling ingredients and the sticky sauce into their own categories… I miss read and almost added all that on top of my rolled out dough! Yikes! Haha but I only got as far as the sugars.
    But I just think it will be easier to read. Thanks

  • Sarah

    The dough was too crumbly from 4 cups of flour to that little liquid. I also measured the flour correctly. I’m not sure what went wrong?

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