Can I use bacon instead?

You can serve wrapped rolls with strips of precooked bacon. Precooked bacon is a good choice because rolls need to bake for 12 to 15 minutes.

Should I use the included icing?

Use it. Heat the icing in the microwave for 5 to 10 seconds before pouring it over warm rolls. The heated icing will be easier to drizzle in a spiral pattern.

Can I assemble these ahead?

You can make rolls to be baked up to one day ahead. Arrange rolls to be baked in a baking pan. Cover the pan with plastic wrap. Refrigerate. Take the pan of rolls out of the refrigerator while the oven is preheating. Bake as directed. Rolls may need to bake one to two minutes longer than directed because they were refrigerated. Do not remove rolls from the pan before baking.

How long do leftovers keep?

Leftover rolls can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Icing will stay on the rolls.

How do I reheat the rolls?

Microwave for 20 to 30 seconds to soften the pretzels. To restore crunch, bake or air-fry at 350°F for 3 to 5 minutes.

Breakfast Pigs in Cinnamon Rolls with Icing

By Victor LangOct 31, 2026

Prep

10 min

Cook

15 min

Total

25 min

Servings

Level

Easy

Jump to recipe

Fully cooked breakfast sausage links can be added to cinnamon rolls as a filling by wrapping one sausage link in one roll dough and baking until the sausage link is heated and the dough is golden brown. I make cinnamon rolls with one regular-size package, which contains 12.4 ounces of product and eight rolls, and use icing from the package to top the baked rolls for a sweet and savory food combination.

Breakfast Pigs in Cinnamon Rolls with Icing

I squeeze excess water out of the links before baking them. Dough is easier to handle when it's dry. I press flattened spirals into strips and tuck in the ends. These techniques help prevent the ends of the dough from spilling out of the pan during baking.

A 9-inch round, lightly oiled baking pan will hold eight rolls. Pie plates and other small baking dishes can also be used. (Select a suitable baking dish.) Do not overcrowd the baking dish. Leaving space between bread rolls lets hot air circulate. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until rolls are golden brown and fully cooked. Remove rolls from pan.

Serve the rolls hot with icing. Prepare and serve immediately for breakfast or brunch. Do not store baked rolls in the pan on the counter. I sometimes insert a thin slice of cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese into sausage-stuffed rolls. Spicy sausage makes an excellent flavor contrast with sweet icing.

Reasons to make this

Each pre-cooked sausage link is packaged with one piece of dough. No additional preparation or cutting is needed.
The eight-can can of cinnamon rolls bakes one pan of cinnamon rolls using one package of dough.
The icing packet is used to coat warm rolls. Nothing else is used.
Cheddar and Monterey Jack add creamy flavor.
Adding spicy breakfast sausage to this recipe will affect the flavor, but the cinnamon dough will not change.
Precooked bacon strips can be used to prepare a bacon-wrapped appetizer, if you wish.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and lightly grease a 9-inch baking pan.

Open the cinnamon rolls, set the icing aside, and separate the rolls.

Unroll one cinnamon roll into a long strip of dough.

Set one sausage link at the end of the dough strip, wrap it snugly, and tuck the dough end underneath to secure it. Repeat with the remaining sausage links and dough.

Arrange the wrapped rolls in the prepared pan with space between them. If using, brush with maple syrup before baking.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the dough is golden brown and cooked through.

Cool the rolls in the pan for about 5 minutes.

Drizzle the reserved icing over the warm rolls and serve immediately.

FAQ

Use precooked sausage links. They are similar in size to the meat dough and can be baked along with the rolls. I use eight sausage links per package of cinnamon rolls.

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