Sweet Rolls with Leftover Cranberry Sauce Filling

Use up leftover cranberry sauce in the best way possible: these sweet rolls with leftover cranberry sauce filling can be made the night before, left to rise overnight, and baked in the morning for an easy post-holiday brunch treat. Homemade or store bought cranberry sauce will both work in this recipe! Full recipe makes 16 cranberry sweet rolls; halve all ingredients to make 8 rolls.

If you’re looking for more Thanksgiving recipes, check out my cranberry crumb cake, cranberry bars, sweet potato casserole (no marshmallows), and baked pumpkin donuts with maple glaze.

Why you’ll love this recipe

After the Thanksgiving feast, comes the Thanksgiving leftovers. If you, like me, have occasionally found yourself staring down at a big batch of extra cranberry sauce after the big day, you’re not alone. I’m personally a huge fan of cranberry sauce (my mother in law makes an incredible one) so I’ll never complain about having it around — but there are only so many turkey-based Thanksgiving leftovers one can consume. After a day or so, I need more creative ways to use the leftover sauce.

This recipe fits the bill of creative + simple in a delightful way:

• The cranberry filling: we’re using up one cup of leftover cranberry sauce as the filling for these rolls. No other adjustments needed, no additional stirring or cooking (you’ve likely done enough of that already). So use your homemade sauce or store bought, whole berry cranberry sauce or jellied cranberry sauce – it all works.
• The no-knead dough: not only is the dough for this leftover cranberry sauce bread completely no-knead, eggless, one bowl, and easy to make with no mixer needed…
• You can let these rolls rise overnight! Totally optional but helpful. Make the dough while everyone is in a turkey coma after Thanksgiving dinner, leave it in the fridge, and bake in the morning to pure delight. Less work in the morning = happier me.
  • Note: I tested these cranberry rolls both ways, baking them immediately and baking them in the morning, and I found I liked the flavor of the dough even better when it sat overnight.  The longer fermentation adds some complexity to the rolls that the immediately baked ones didn’t have – but trust me, I don’t think anyone will complain either way.
• The vanilla orange glaze: of course, sweet rolls and cinnamon rolls always need a good glaze. This one is a simple orange juice, vanilla extract, powdered sugar concoction but it pairs so well with the cranberry sauce filling. Cranberry orange: is there any better flavor combination?

Ingredients

Only a few simple ingredients needed for these leftover cranberry sauce rolls, and you can substitute or customize as noted below to make it your own! See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full ingredient list and measurements.

For the sweet bread dough:

• milk (I recommend whole milk for best results, but a higher fat non-dairy milk like canned coconut milk or oat milk would also work)
• oil (any neutral oil or even melted butter or melted coconut oil will do)
• granulated sugar
• active dry yeast or instant yeast (either one will work)
• all-purpose flour (I wouldn’t recommend trying to substitute a gluten-free all-purpose flour here unless you really know what you’re doing!)
• baking soda and baking powder (I know, it’s weird but it helps the dough roll out more easily and gives a fluffy texture)
• salt

For the leftover cranberry sauce filling:

• 1 cup (236 ml) of cranberry sauce. This can be homemade cranberry sauce or canned; whole cranberries sauce or even jellied.
• Cornstarch – optional, a little bit and only needed if your cranberry sauce is quite loose. If it’s jellied or thick like jam, don’t bother.

For the vanilla orange glaze:

• Orange juice
• Confectioner’s sugar/powdered sugar
• Pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste (the vanilla bean flecks look pretty in the glaze)

Equipment Needed

• Large pot or large bowl for making the dough
• Wooden spoon or rubber spatula
• 2 pie pans (preferably metal) or 8″ round or 9″ round cake pans (I used a 9″ springform pan in these photos, which works well for removing the finished rolls). You could also get creative and use square cake pans, a 9×13 pan, or several loaf pans.
• Kitchen scale – I highly recommend weighing your ingredients for most accurate results, especially the flour! This is the primary way I bake these days as it is much more precise than using measuring cups (and there are less dishes to clean).

How to make sweet rolls with cranberry sauce leftovers

1. Make the bread dough: in a large pot on the stove or in a large bowl in the microwave, heat milk, oil, and sugar until just before boiling. Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool until just warm to the touch, about 105-110 degrees F. Sprinkle yeast over the milk mixture and let it sit for 5-10 minutes. Make sure it is foamy and active – otherwise start over. Combine flour (the first 4 cups) with wet ingredients and mix until a shaggy dough forms.
2. Let dough rise: for 1 hour or until doubled.
3. Add remaining flour + leaveners: stir in the remaining 1/2 cup flour and baking soda/baking powder and salt until the dough is no longer sticky.
4. Divide the dough in half and roll one half out on a floured surface to about a 12×8 inch rectangle. Spread half the cranberry sauce (mixed with cornstarch if your sauce is liquidy) over the dough, leaving about an inch around the edges uncovered. Roll it up on the long side and cut into 8 rolls using a sharp knife, bench scraper, or unflavored dental floss (keeps the rolls most intact). Do this again with the second half of the dough.
5. IF BAKING ROLLS IMMEDIATELY:
   • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Let the rolls rest in a warm place for 15-20 minutes, until slightly risen. Bake for 22-24 minutes, until golden brown. Make the glaze while the rolls are baking.
6. OVERNIGHT INSTRUCTIONS:
   • Once the rolls are shaped and in the pans, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight.  In the morning, take the rolls out and allow them to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes while you preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.  Bake for about 24-25 minutes, until golden brown.  Make the glaze while the rolls are baking.
7. Glaze the cranberry orange sweet rolls: whisk glaze ingredients together and drizzle over the warm rolls. Enjoy!!

Additions and Substitutions

Cranberry sauce: feel free to use your favorite cranberry sauce recipe, or just buy canned from the grocery store, and add orange zest to the sauce before using it as the filling if you want a stronger cranberry orange flavor.

Halve the recipe: the full recipe makes 16 rolls; you can halve all of the ingredients to make only 8 rolls (bake the rolls in a pie pan or 8 or 9″ round pan).

Glaze with a cream cheese icing instead: see my cream cheese icing for cinnamon rolls, which has the same dough and yield as this recipe.

Storage

Room temperature: Cover leftover frosted or unfrosted cranberry rolls tightly and store at room temperature for up to 2 days. or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Refrigerator: Cover leftover frosted or unfrosted cranberry rolls tightly or store in an airtight container, and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Microwave individual rolls for 20-30 seconds to reheat.

Freezer: Baked rolls can be frozen, glazed or unglazed, up to 2–3 months when tightly covered in plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature for 2-3 hours and warm up before enjoying.

I hope you can make room for these cranberry sweet rolls in your life this holiday season.  They’re the perfect way to go if you find yourself with too much cranberry sauce amid the holiday leftovers. I hope that this month is full of family, friends, laughter, and wonderful food.  Happy Thanksgiving!

More Holiday Recipes

• No-Knead Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing
• Cranberry Coffee Cake
• Cranberry Crumb Bars
• Christmas Puff Pastry Cranberry Orange Rolls

Like this recipe using leftover cranberry sauce as the filling for sweet rolls? Please RATE it and LEAVE A COMMENT below.  Your feedback means so much and helps other bakers too!  Sign up for my email list to receive my recipes straight to your inbox every time I post.