Slow Cooker Sticky Buns
19 Comments Sep 23, 2022
Updated Jun 01, 2024
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Brown sugar, cinnamon, butter, and pecans turn an ordinary can of biscuits into the best Slow Cooker Sticky Buns you’ll ever make and taste. This is truly a dessert cuisine that will seem like it came from a local bakery!
Pair these buns with my Slow Cooker Pumpkin Spice Lattes for an amazing fall-time treat.
Table of Contents
What are sticky buns?
Often confused with cinnamon rolls, what makes sticky buns different is the fact that this sticky buns recipe calls for tasty pecans slow cooked to perfection.
In the traditional way they’re cooked, the nuts and sweetness are cooked on the bottom and then flipped at the end of cooking time. As you’ll see below, the brown sugar mixture is added to both the bottom and top. They are like cinnamon buns but with a twist, and made easy with canned biscuit dough. You may also like my slow cooker caramel apple cinnamon roll casserole.
Recipe Ingredients
- Canned Biscuits: Skip all that comes with making dough from scratch and use Pillsbury’s Grands honey butter canned biscuits instead.
- Cinnamon Sugar Mixture: The sticky topping (and bottom) are made from brown sugar, white sugar cinnamon, salted butter, and pecans. (You can use unsalted butter as well.)
Step-by-Step Directions
Step One – Add the light brown sugar, granulated sugar, and ground cinnamon to melted butter.
Step Two – Stir until thoroughly combined.
Step Three – Pour about 2-3 tablespoons of the mixture into the slow cooker and then place biscuits on top.
Step Four – Pour the remaining butter mixture on top of the biscuits and sprinkle the chopped pecans over top of everything. Cover and cook for 1 hour 45 minutes on high.
How to serve
- Optional: Place them right side up and pour the syrup over them. Some like to flip the buns upside down on a serving platter. Either way, you get an ooey gooey mixture over the buns. Make sure to use a spoon to get all the caramel, and sticky sauce out.
- These buns are excellent to serve warm. Serve as is, with ice cream or powdered sugar.
- When it comes to extra toppings, you can make a caramel sauce, whipped cream, or a cream cheese frosting to drizzle on top as well.
Recipe FAQs
If you have leftovers, store them in an air-tight container on the counter for up to 2 days or in the fridge for up to 4 days.
To rewarm them, you can place them in the microwave or in the air fryer on a manual setting of 330 F for 2 to 3 minutes.
When baking in the slow cooker some like to cover the top of the slow cooker with a towel and then put the cover on. This is a personnel preference. This recipe does not require that, but if you don’t want the moisture to fall back on the buns you can. I did not..
Yes! It’s the same measurements too.
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Slow Cooker Sticky Buns
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup melted butter, – 2 sticks (I used salted butter but you can use unsalted)
- ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 can, 16.3 oz biscuit dough (I used Grands Flaky layers, Honey Butter flavor, but any biscuit dough tube would work.)
- 1 cup pecans, chopped (you can substitute with walnuts as well)
Instructions
- Spray the liner of your slow cooker with non-stick baking spray. Set aside.
- In a microwave-safe bowl melt the butter.
- Add the light brown sugar, granulated sugar, and ground cinnamon. Using a whisk mix until combined.
- Pour about 2-3 tablespoons of the mixture into the slow cooker. (You can definitely pour more but I have noticed it is better when you have more on top)
- Open the can of biscuit dough and place the biscuits on top of the mixture, on layer. It is a little tight, but you can arrange them so they all fit.
- Pour the remaining butter mixture.
- Sprinkle the chopped pecans.
- Cover and cook for 1 hour 45 minutes on HIGH. Depending on your slow cooker, you may want to start checking them 90 minutes into the cooking. Your sticky buns are cooked when the dough is cooked through.
- Take a spatula and carefully remove them from the slow cooker into a serving platter.
- This step is optional. Some like to place them right side up and pour the syrup over them. Some like to flip the buns upside down on a serving platter. Either way, you get an ooey gooey mixture over the buns. Make sure to use a spoon to get all the caramel, and sticky sauce out.
- Serve and Enjoy! These buns are excellent warm. Serve as is, with ice cream or powdered sugar.
How to Video
Sarah’s Notes
- These buns are excellent warm. Serve as is, with ice cream or powdered sugar.
- If you have leftovers, store them in an air-tight container on the counter for up to 2 days or in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- To rewarm them you can place them in the microwave or in the air fryer on a manual setting of 330 F for 2 to 3 minutes.
- You can cook them longer than 1 hour 45 minutes, but you have to pay VERY close attention to not overcook the sides.
- When baking in the slow cooker some like to cover the top of the slow cooker with a towel and then put the cover on. This is a personnel preference. This recipe does not require that, but if you don’t want the moisture to fall back on the buns you can. I did not.
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
Can I put a liner in my slow cooker for these sticky buns?
Yes, a liner will work great for these.
Can you make these in the oven?
Yes, bake them similarly to what the packaging says for the biscuits.
Could you use thawed bread dough from the frozen food section? So many canned biscuit things taste like a canned biscuit.
I have not tested, but I don’t see why not! I love those rolls.
These are delicious! I scooped out the sauce to top before serving and it makes a thick, gooey topping that is so good. I think I’ll try a different biscuit dough next time only because the flakey layers kind separates while you’re eating. And I forgot to check at 90 min, so the edges were a little too cooked. Good advice on your part as I think many slow cookers will only need 90 minutes. So easy and delicious though. Definitely will make again! Thank you for this fabulous recipe!
Good thing I saved the recipe site as when it prints out nowhere did it say to cook on high or low. Going back to view it I finally found the HIGH, it should have been listed at the top…And here I am in FL with the hurricane on our door stop and making these for the dining room friends for supper, yum
Could a person use refrigerated cinnamon roll dough instead of biscuits?
I have not tested it with cinnamon rolls, unsure how it would turn out.
These look fantastic! Is it possible to cut the butter down a bit, say maybe to 3/4 cup?
Yes, that would work fine.
We don’t have canned biscuit dough in New Zealand, do you have a recipe I can use instead
Hi! I do not have a homemade dough recipe for this, I apologize! I’m so sorry you don’t have these in new zealand.
Do you cook the slow cooker sticky buns on low or high in the crockpot?
On high!
These sticky buns sound delicious but could I use less butter?
You can get away with 3/4 cup with this recipe.