Smoked Cinnamon Rolls on the Traeger with Brown Butter Glaze

How to Make Smoked Cinnamon Rolls on the Traeger with Brown Butter Glaze

1. 1

   Step 1: Preheat Traeger and arrange rolls

   Set your Traeger (or pellet grill) to 350°F (177°C) and allow it to preheat for 10–15 minutes with good pellet smoke production (apple, cherry, or maple pellets work well). Meanwhile, grease a 9-inch cast-iron skillet or 8x8-inch baking dish with a little butter, unroll the refrigerated cinnamon rolls and place them evenly in the pan, keeping them touching so they bake up soft and pull-apart.

   For this step

   • 8 countRefrigerated cinnamon roll dough (8-count)
2. 2

   Step 2: Brown the butter and toast pecans

   In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the unsalted butter and continue cooking, swirling frequently, until the milk solids turn golden-brown and the butter smells nutty—about 4–6 minutes. Remove from heat and immediately stir in the chopped pecans to toast for 1–2 minutes; reserve about 1–2 tablespoons of the browned butter (cool slightly) for the glaze and keep the toasted pecans for topping.

   For this step

   • 6 tbspUnsalted butter
   • 1/2 cupToasted pecans, chopped
   
3. 3

   Step 3: Bake rolls on the Traeger

   Place the prepared pan with rolls on the preheated grill and bake 22–30 minutes, rotating once halfway, until the rolls are puffed, set in the center, and golden on top. If the tops brown too quickly, tent loosely with foil for the last 5–10 minutes; remove when an inserted toothpick near the center comes out mostly clean.
   
4. 4

   Step 4: Make the brown butter glaze

   While the rolls bake, whisk together the reserved warm brown butter (use the browned solids and liquid), powdered sugar, whole milk, vanilla, ground cinnamon, and flaky sea salt until smooth; add a little more milk if you prefer a thinner glaze. Taste and adjust salt or cinnamon to balance sweetness—the glaze should be glossy and pourable.

   For this step

   • 1 1/2 cupsPowdered (confectioners') sugar
   • 3 tbspWhole milk
   • 1 tspPure vanilla extract
   • 1/2 tspGround cinnamon
   • 1/4 tspFlaky sea salt
   
5. 5

   Step 5: Glaze and finish

   When the rolls come off the grill, let them sit 3–5 minutes, then generously drizzle the brown butter glaze over the warm rolls so it seeps into the swirls. Sprinkle the toasted pecans and a tiny pinch of flaky sea salt over the top, serve warm, and pull apart to share.
   

1. Set your Traeger (or pellet grill) to 350°F (177°C) and allow it to preheat for 10–15 minutes with good pellet smoke production (apple, cherry, or maple pellets work well). Meanwhile, grease a 9-inch cast-iron skillet or 8x8-inch baking dish with a little butter, unroll the refrigerated cinnamon rolls and place them evenly in the pan, keeping them touching so they bake up soft and pull-apart.
2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the unsalted butter and continue cooking, swirling frequently, until the milk solids turn golden-brown and the butter smells nutty—about 4–6 minutes. Remove from heat and immediately stir in the chopped pecans to toast for 1–2 minutes; reserve about 1–2 tablespoons of the browned butter (cool slightly) for the glaze and keep the toasted pecans for topping.
3. Place the prepared pan with rolls on the preheated grill and bake 22–30 minutes, rotating once halfway, until the rolls are puffed, set in the center, and golden on top. If the tops brown too quickly, tent loosely with foil for the last 5–10 minutes; remove when an inserted toothpick near the center comes out mostly clean.
4. While the rolls bake, whisk together the reserved warm brown butter (use the browned solids and liquid), powdered sugar, whole milk, vanilla, ground cinnamon, and flaky sea salt until smooth; add a little more milk if you prefer a thinner glaze. Taste and adjust salt or cinnamon to balance sweetness—the glaze should be glossy and pourable.
5. When the rolls come off the grill, let them sit 3–5 minutes, then generously drizzle the brown butter glaze over the warm rolls so it seeps into the swirls. Sprinkle the toasted pecans and a tiny pinch of flaky sea salt over the top, serve warm, and pull apart to share.