These Easy Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie Cups are a quick bread-style dessert made with refrigerated cinnamon rolls and canned apple pie filling. In about 30 to 35 minutes, you can press the dough into a muffin pan, fill each cup with spiced apples, bake until golden, and finish with icing and optional caramel.
Every bite combines a tender, cinnamon-swirled pastry shell with warm apple filling and a sweet glaze. They taste like individual apple pies with much less preparation, making them perfect for a cozy weekend breakfast, an easy holiday dessert, or a last-minute treat for guests.
Jump to RecipeWhy You’ll Love This Recipe
There is something especially comforting about the combination of cinnamon, baked apples, and sweet icing. These little cups deliver that familiar apple-pie flavor in a portion-sized format, while refrigerated cinnamon roll dough keeps the work wonderfully simple.
The recipe uses one tube of cinnamon rolls, one can of apple pie filling, and a few optional toppings. Since the dough already contains cinnamon and comes with icing, there is no need to mix pastry dough, prepare a separate spice blend, or make frosting from scratch.
They are also easy to serve. Place the warm cups on a platter for brunch, add them to a dessert table, or serve one with coffee, tea, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
If you enjoy creative apple desserts, you may also like these crispy apple pie egg rolls, another fun way to turn a classic filling into a handheld treat.
Ingredients You’ll Need
The ingredient list is short, but each item has an important role in the finished cups. Use the following ingredients for approximately eight apple pie cups:
- One tube refrigerated cinnamon rolls: Choose a tube containing about 12.4 ounces or 350 grams, usually with eight rolls and a small container of icing.
- One can apple pie filling: A 20- to 21-ounce can provides the sweet apple center. Chop large apple slices into smaller pieces so they fit neatly inside the dough shells.
- Chopped pecans or walnuts: Add 1/4 cup for a pleasant toasted crunch. This ingredient is optional, so the cups are still delicious without nuts.
- Caramel sauce: Use it as an optional drizzle for extra buttery sweetness and a bakery-style finish.
Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin pan before beginning. Although the recipe makes about eight cups from a typical tube, the extra spaces give you room to work and keep the pan balanced.
For another petite cup-style recipe, take a look at these savory pesto omelet cups when you want a breakfast option rather than a sweet bake.
How to Make It Step-by-Step
Step 1: Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C), which gives the cinnamon-roll dough enough heat to puff and brown while the apple filling warms through. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin pan, paying attention to the bottoms and sides of the wells.
Step 2: Open the cinnamon roll tube and separate the rolls, keeping the icing aside for later. Flatten each roll evenly with your fingers or a rolling pin until the round is wide enough to cover the bottom and sides of a muffin cup.
Step 3: Press one flattened cinnamon roll into each muffin cup. Use your fingertips to push the dough firmly into the corners and up the sides, leaving a hollow center for the apple filling and making the walls as even as possible.
Step 4: Inspect the canned apple pie filling and chop any large apple slices into smaller pieces. If there is a generous amount of syrup, drain some of the excess so the pastry cups are easier to fill and less likely to become soggy.
Step 5: Spoon approximately 2 tablespoons of apple pie filling into each cinnamon-roll shell. Keep the filling below the top edge and avoid packing in too much, because the apples and syrup need room to heat without spilling over the dough.
Step 6: Sprinkle the filled cups with chopped pecans or walnuts if you are using them. The nuts add texture and a lightly earthy contrast to the soft apples and sweet cinnamon pastry.
Step 7: Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, watching for puffed, golden-brown dough and hot filling. Baking time can vary slightly by oven, so look for color around the edges as well as a fully warmed center.
Step 8: Let the cups cool in the muffin pan for about 5 minutes before removing them. Warm the reserved icing briefly if it has thickened, then drizzle it over the cups and finish with caramel sauce if desired.
Pro Tips for Golden, Crisp Cups
The most important preparation detail is pressing the cinnamon-roll dough firmly into the muffin-pan corners. If the dough is only placed loosely in the wells, it may shrink while baking and leave less room for the apple filling.
Try to flatten each roll evenly rather than making the center paper-thin and the edges very thick. Even dough produces shells that bake at a similar rate, with sturdy sides that can hold the warm fruit.
Large apple pieces can make the cups awkward to fill. Chop them before spooning them into the dough, and remove some syrup if the filling looks especially runny.
- Do not overfill the shells; approximately 2 tablespoons per cup is the recommended amount.
- Use a lightly greased pan so the baked dough releases more easily.
- Allow the cups to cool for about 5 minutes before adding icing.
- Add nuts before baking for a toasted flavor and caramel sauce after baking for a glossy finish.
For a different seasonal dessert in a small, shareable format, you can also try these white chocolate pumpkin pie cups.
Serving Suggestions
Serve these cups slightly warm, when the apple filling is soft and the icing is just beginning to melt into the cinnamon pastry. A final caramel drizzle makes them especially inviting, while a scattering of chopped nuts gives the surface a little contrast.
For dessert, pair each cup with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or a spoonful of lightly sweetened yogurt. For breakfast or brunch, serve them with fresh fruit and hot coffee so the sweetness feels balanced.
They also make a charming addition to a fall gathering because each guest can pick up an individual portion without slicing a whole pie. Arrange them close together on a serving plate and drizzle the icing just before bringing them to the table.
If bright, creamy desserts are part of your menu, consider adding this refreshing lemonade pie alongside the warm apple cups.
Storage and Reheating
Let leftover cups cool completely before storing them in an airtight container. Refrigerate them to keep the apple filling fresh, and enjoy them within a few days for the best texture.
To serve leftovers, warm them gently until the filling is heated through. A short warm-up is preferable to prolonged heating, which can make the cinnamon-roll pastry tough or dry.
If you plan to prepare them for guests, bake them close to serving time whenever possible. The pastry is at its most enjoyable on the day it is baked, when the edges are golden and the filling is warm.
For a no-bake dessert idea to keep in your recipe collection, this easy pineapple lush cake is a cool and creamy contrast to these warm apple treats.
Easy Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie Cups
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and lightly grease a 12-cup muffin pan. Separate the refrigerated cinnamon rolls and reserve the icing for finishing.
- Flatten each cinnamon roll with your fingers or a rolling pin until it is large enough to line a muffin cup. Press one flattened roll into each cup, working the dough up the sides and firmly into the corners.
- Chop the apple pie filling into smaller pieces if the slices are large, and drain away excess syrup if needed. Spoon approximately 2 tablespoons of filling into each cinnamon-roll cup without overfilling.
- Sprinkle the filled cups with chopped pecans or walnuts if using. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the cinnamon-roll dough is puffed and golden brown and the filling is hot.
- Cool the cups in the muffin pan for about 5 minutes. Warm the reserved icing briefly if needed, drizzle it over the cups, and add caramel sauce for an optional finishing touch.
Notes
Final Thoughts
Easy Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie Cups are proof that a comforting homemade-style dessert does not require a long ingredient list. With refrigerated cinnamon rolls forming the pastry, canned apple pie filling supplying the warm fruit center, and a simple icing drizzle finishing each cup, the entire recipe stays practical and satisfying.
Remember the key details: flatten the dough evenly, press it firmly into the muffin cups, chop or drain excess filling, and use approximately 2 tablespoons of apples per shell. After 15 to 18 minutes in a 375°F oven and about 5 minutes of cooling, you will have golden individual treats ready for the table.
Add nuts for crunch, caramel for extra richness, or serve the cups with ice cream for a special dessert. However you finish them, these cinnamon roll apple pie cups bring the flavors of apple pie to the table with very little fuss.