Homemade Sticky Buns Recipe

This sticky buns recipe makes 16 big, fluffy rolls baked right on top of a gooey caramel pecan glaze, then flipped out of the pan so all that caramel drips down over the top. It's the exact same soft dough as my soft cinnamon rolls, so if you've made those, you already know how to make these!

Sticky buns and cinnamon rolls start out exactly the same. The difference is what's waiting in the bottom of the pan. Instead of frosting at the end, these pecan sticky buns bake on a layer of butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and pecans that turns into the stickiest caramel topping when you flip the pan. The dough is my master sweet dough, the same one I use for my soft and buttery dinner rolls. You can bake them the same day, or assemble the whole pan the night before and bake them fresh in the morning.

Recipe update (October 2026): I updated this recipe so it uses the exact same dough as my soft cinnamon rolls. It now makes 16 sticky buns in two 9" round pans instead of 8 in one pan, with more caramel glaze and filling to match. If you've made the old version, check the recipe card for the new amounts and bake time.

Sticky Buns Ingredients

You probably already have everything for these in your pantry. I always recommend weighing your ingredients with a digital kitchen scale for the most accurate results, especially the flour.

• Bread flour: Gives you taller, fluffier buns with nice defined swirls. All purpose flour works too and makes a slightly softer bun.
• Instant yeast: Goes right into the mixer with the flour, no proofing needed. Check the date on your yeast before you start.
• Milk: Warm, so it gets the yeast going.
• Butter: Softened. It goes in the dough, the cinnamon filling, and the caramel glaze. For the filling, soften it until it's almost melted so it spreads easily.
• Eggs: Large, at room temperature. They make this a rich, tender dough.
• Granulated sugar: Sweetens the dough, the filling, and the glaze.
• Brown sugar: Gives the caramel glaze its deep molasses flavor. Light or dark both work.
• Corn syrup: Optional in the dough, where it keeps the buns soft for days, and a must in the glaze, where it makes the caramel gooey and keeps it from crystallizing. Honey or maple syrup work as a swap.
• Cinnamon: For the filling, plus a little in the glaze so the whole bun tastes like it goes together.
• Salt and vanilla extract: Balance all the sweetness.
• Pecans: Chopped, for the glaze and the filling. Toast them first for the best flavor and crunch. Walnuts work too.

How To Make Sticky Buns Step-By-Step

Bring your eggs and butter to room temperature and warm your milk to about 90º F. You'll need two 9" round cake pans, plus a sheet pan for the rack below them. Preheat the oven to 350º F while the buns are on their second rise.

1. Mix your warm milk, yeast, and half the flour in the bowl of your stand mixer with the dough hook attached.

2. Add the butter, sugar, salt, eggs, and the rest of the flour and mix on low until combined.

3. Add the corn syrup if you're using it and mix until it's fully combined.

4. Knead on medium for 10 to 20 minutes until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl and forms a smooth ball.

PRO TIP: This is a very soft dough, so it's going to look like a sticky mess at first. That's normal! It just isn't kneaded enough yet. Don't add more flour, just keep mixing until it turns smooth.

5. Do the windowpane test. A small piece of dough should stretch thin enough to see light through it without tearing.

6. Let the dough rise for 90 minutes in a warm spot until it doubles in size. My trick: preheat your oven to 170º F for 5 minutes, turn it off, put a bowl of warm water in the back, and set the covered dough inside.

7. Make the caramel glaze. Cream the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt until light and fluffy, then mix in the corn syrup and vanilla.

8. Divide the glaze between your two pans, spreading it over the bottoms and sides, and sprinkle the pecans over it. This whole layer flips over after baking and becomes the sticky top.

9. Divide the dough in half and roll each half out into a rectangle about 15" wide, 12" tall, and ½" thick on a lightly floured surface with a rolling pin.

10. Spread half of the cinnamon filling over each rectangle and sprinkle on the pecans, leaving about 1" bare along one long edge.

11. Roll each rectangle up from the long side into a snug log and brush a little water on the bare edge to seal it. Snug, not tight, or the centers pop up into cones.

12. Cut each log into 8 even buns with a serrated knife. Dental floss won't work here because it can't cut through the pecans.

13. Set 8 buns in each pan on top of the glaze, one in the middle and seven around it, and let them rise for about 90 minutes, until they're puffy and slightly touching each other. That's how you know they've risen enough. Or cover the pans and put them in the fridge overnight.

14. Bake at 350º F for 25 to 30 minutes until a thermometer in the center bun reads 195 to 200º F. If the tops get too brown before the center is done, lay a piece of foil over the pans.

PRO TIP: Put a sheet pan on the rack under your sticky buns to catch the drips, or the caramel will burn on the bottom of your oven. I had to switch my sheet pans out a few times to avoid a lot of smoke from the burning sugar. It's a lot easier to clean a sheet pan than the bottom of your oven!

15. Let the buns cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then flip them out. Put a large plate on top of one pan, hold them together with oven mitts, and flip in one quick motion. Repeat with the second pan.

16. Scrape any caramel left in the pans over the buns. If some of it has set, put the pans back in the oven for 5 minutes, then drizzle it on top.

PRO TIP: That caramel is dangerously hot, so wear oven mitts and keep your arms away from the edges of the pan. Five minutes lets the caramel set just enough to stay on the buns while it's still hot enough to slide out of the pan.

Common Sticky Bun Problems To Avoid

• Adding extra flour to sticky dough: Sticky dough just needs more kneading. Extra flour makes dry, tough buns. Weigh your flour so you start with the right amount.
• Raw centers: The buns are packed tight in the pans on top of a lot of glaze, so the center bun takes longer than the ones around it. Go by the thermometer (195 to 200º F in the center bun), not the color on top.
• Caramel running off the buns: You flipped too soon. Wait the full 5 minutes.
• Caramel stuck in the pan: You waited too long. Put the pan back in the oven for a few minutes to loosen it, then flip or drizzle it over the top.
• Dense, heavy buns: The dough didn't double. A cold kitchen slows everything down, so watch the dough, not the clock.
• Rolling the log too tight: The centers push up into cone shapes as they bake. Roll it snug, not tight.

Final Thoughts

Sticky buns look like a lot of work, but they're really just my cinnamon rolls with a five minute glaze in the bottom of the pan. That moment when you lift the pan off and all the caramel and pecans come pouring down over the top never gets old. If you love this dough, try my strawberry cinnamon rolls, or take enriched dough one step further with my brioche bread recipe.

Make This Recipe Your Own

• Walnuts: Swap them 1:1 for the pecans.
• Nut-free: Leave the nuts out. The caramel is delicious on its own.
• Maple sticky buns: Use maple syrup instead of the corn syrup in the glaze.
• Extra caramel: Drizzle on some of my foolproof caramel sauce when you serve them.
• Sourdough: Using up discard? Try my sourdough discard cinnamon rolls.

Sticky Buns FAQs

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