Cinnamon Sugar Buns (4-Ingredients)
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Sep 17, 2024 
These irresistible Cinnamon Sugar Buns make any breakfast special! With only 4-ingredients you can make cinnamon buns, with all the allure of old-school cinnamon toast, yet with more carby goodness!
Old Fashioned Cinnamon Toast… In Sugar Buns
When I was a kid, cinnamon toast was my very favorite breakfast. I would often wake up on weekend mornings to the tantalizing aroma of cinnamon sugar and butter wafting from the kitchen.
Mom would slather large sheet pans of bread with cinnamon butter. Then pop them in the oven to feed all five kids, and any stragglers we had brought home for the weekend.
It’s amazing how such a simple breakfast item can leave a warm memorable mark on my heart.
A few weeks ago we were out at the lake with friends. We had used up most of our groceries for the weekend so I pulled whatever I could find out of the fridge and pantry to make one last breakfast before we headed home.
We had a package of bakery yeast rolls leftover, along with some butter, sugar, and cinnamon. I thought of mom and quickly melted the butter, then whisked in brown sugar and cinnamon.
Then I proceeded to dunk each roll in the cinnamon butter mixture, coating it on all sides. After a few minutes in the oven, the sticky-sweet buns were hot, slightly crusty, and dripping with liquid gold.
Cinnamon Sugar Buns For The Win!
Our friends could not get over how delicious they found these impromptu 4-Ingredient Cinnamon Toast Buns.
We all decided we liked Cinnamon Sugar Buns even better than classic cinnamon toast, because they are thoroughly coated with sweet cinnamon butter on six sides (instead of just two) and the interior is soft and pillowy.
One package of rolls proved not to be enough!
Cinnamon Toast Buns are really just that… Cinnamon toast, made with four simple ingredients, including soft yeasty buns.
By the way, if you are confused about the difference between rolls and buns, don’t be. Really, there is no difference. Buns just sound fancier in my opinion.
These Sugar Buns are a must-make this weekend. Surprise your family with a pan of hot cinnamon bliss.
This may be the beginning of a new family tradition for you!
Ingredients You Need
- Soft bakery buns (I like to use King’s Hawaiian Savory Butter Rolls)
- Salted butter
- Light brown sugar, packed
- Ground cinnamon
How To Make Sugar Buns
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter. Stir in the brown sugar and cinnamon.
- Quickly dunk each bun in the butter mixture. Wipe the excess off into the bowl and place them on the baking sheet. If you run low on butter mixture, roll the last few buns around in the pan drippings.
- Bake the buns for 8 minutes. Leave them in the oven. Turn the oven to broil, and broil for 1-2 minutes—just long enough for the tops to get a little crusty. (Watch closely so they don’t burn.) Serve warm.
More Breakfast Recipe Favorites
- Protein Pudding Recipe (Protein Yogurt)
- Cheese Grits Recipe
- Breakfast Fruit Pizza
- Tropical Breakfast Muffins
- Chocolate Wreath
- Kouign Amann Recipe
- Easy Egg Bite Recipe
- Spelt Flour Waffles
- Best French Toast Recipe (Pain Perdu)
- Better Than Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls
- Award-Winning Oatmeal Banana Bread (+ Vegan Substitutions)
- Starbucks Cheese Danish
- Breakfast Tostadas (Tostados)
Cinnamon Sugar Buns Recipe
Ingredients
- 24 soft yeasty bakery buns (I like to use King’s Hawaiian Savory Butter Rolls)
- 1 cup salted butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter. Stir in the brown sugar and cinnamon.
- Quickly dunk each bun in the butter mixture. Wipe the excess off into the bowl and place them on the baking sheet. If you run low on butter mixture, roll the last few buns around in the pan drippings.
- Bake the buns for 8 minutes. Leave the buns in the oven. Turn the oven to broil, and broil for 1-2 minutes. Just long enough for the tops to get a little crusty. (Watch closely so they don’t burn.) Serve warm.
Had some leftover yeast rolls from Thanksgiving and decided to try this recipe out for a post holiday breakfast. They were a hit! Super easy and a great way to use up my leftovers.