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These Air Fryer Christmas tree cinnamon rolls are a fun Christmas morning breakfast to add to your holiday baking!
Just like my classic Air Fryer cinnamon rolls, these warm, fluffy cinnamon rolls come together in just minutes. The best part! You can customize and top them the way you want to- making them a great activity for the kids to get involved in as well.
This holiday season, grab a can of refrigerated Pillsbury cinnamon rolls, and make these adorable Christmas tree-shaped cinnamon rolls.
After the success of my Air Fryer Mickey cinnamon rolls, Air Fryer cinnamon roll bites, and Air Fryer cinnamon roll bunnies, this time I wanted to try something more holiday-themed, and these little Christmas trees seemed like a great idea.
Quick Look At This Recipe
✨ Flavor: Crispy, chewy and sweet.
⏱️ Prep time: 10 minutes.
🔥 Cook time: 4 minutes.
⏲️ Total time: 14 minutes + 5 minutes to cool and frost.
👥 Servings: 8 servings.
🥄 Tools: Air Fryer.
❄️ Freezer friendly: Yes! Perfect for making ahead of time and quickly air frying when needed.
👩🏻🍳 Tip: Use a toothpick to help the cinnamon roll dough hold its ‘tree’ shape. Don’t forget to remove it before frosting them though!
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Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- With just 10 minutes of prep time, and fast and quick air frying time, these fun treats are a perfect way to get the day started!
- Just like my Air Fryer bacon cinnamon rolls and Air Fryer cinnamon twists, these are perfect for any holiday party or get-together.
- They can be a fun project to get the kids involved- everyone gets to customize and pick their toppings and decorate them their way!
Recipe Ingredients
- Refrigerated cinnamon rolls: For this recipe, I ended up using the canned cinnamon rolls that come with the icing.
- Food coloring: Green food coloring- to make those perfect Christmas trees.
- Festive sprinkles: I like to use a mix of holiday sprinkles and a star sprinkle for the tree topper. You can also use edible glitter, cinnamon sugar, small candies or any other decoration you like.
See recipe card for quantities.
Variations
- Change up the frosting or glaze by adding different colors for a fun and bright breakfast!
- You can also use different flavors of frostings like chocolate, strawberry, or even buttercream.
- Sprinkle chopped nuts such as pecans, almonds, or walnuts over the frosting for some extra texture. I love using my Air Fryer sugared pecans, Air Fryer spiced pecans or my favorite Air Fryer candied walnuts here.
- Instead of sprinkles, you can top the Christmas tree cinnamon rolls with chocolate chips (think white chocolate chips- like in my Air Fryer cranberry white chocolate chip cookies), peanut butter chips, or mini chocolate chips for a different flavor.
How to Make Air Fryer Christmas Tree Cinnamon Rolls
Start by preheating the Air Fryer to 350 F.
- Unroll and refold the cinnamon roll dough in layers, zig-zagging into a tree shape. Repeat until all trees are shaped.
- Lightly grease the Air Fryer basket with olive oil or nonstick cooking spray and place the shaped trees in a single layer.
- Air fry the trees at 350 F for 4-6 minutes, until golden brown.
- Allow the trees to cool for a minute before removing them from the Air Fryer basket. Meanwhile, mix food coloring along with the icing glaze. Once the trees are cooled, frost them with the icing and sprinkles. Finish up with the star and serve warm.
Serving Ideas & Suggestions
Enjoy these Air Fryer cinnamon crescent rolls on their own as a snack, or team them up with your cup of coffee or hot chocolate on a cold holiday morning.
I love making these for a holiday get-together I’m hosting along with some classics like my Air Fryer white chocolate chip peppermint cookies, Air Fryer snowball cookies or Air Fryer apple pie taquitos. You can also pair them with some Air Fryer reindeer chow and some Air Fryer gingerbread cookies for a full festive celebration!
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- For these cinnamon roll trees, I used a regular can of cinnamon rolls. If you use a larger cinnamon roll dough you will probably need to increase the cooking time a bit.
- Also, you’ll need to flip the Christmas trees over midway during the air frying time to give them that crispy golden exterior on both sides.
- Make sure you leave enough space in between the cinnamon roll trees so they have enough room to rise and get fluffy. I realized this when I made my Air Fryer cinnamon crescent rolls too.
- To make cleanup easier, you can also line your Air Fryer basket with some parchment paper. I’ve done this when I made my Air Fryer Christmas brownie mix cookies.
Recipe FAQs
Store the leftover unfrosted cinnamon rolls in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 to 4 days. If you’re frosting them, you’ll need to keep them refrigerated, but this can dry out the rolls a bit.
To reheat the leftovers, air fry them at 350 F for 1-2 minutes, and then top with the glaze or frosting before serving.
Yes, you can shape the trees and refrigerate them overnight. Then, when you’re ready to serve, simply air fry them and decorate.
Absolutely! Prepare your favorite dough recipe and follow the same shaping and cooking instructions.
More Air Fryer Christmas Treats
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Air Fryer Christmas Tree Cinnamon Rolls
Equipment
- 1 Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 1 can refrigerated cinnamon rolls, with icing
- 1 drop green food coloring
Optional
- 1 tub cream cheese frosting
- 1 tablespoon sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare your air fryer basket or air fryer tray if needed.
- Unroll one cinnamon rolls, and then refold it in layers, zig-zagging into a tree shape. (You can use a toothpick once done to help it hold it's shape while air frying, just don't forget to remove it before frosting!) Repeat until all trees are shaped.
- Lightly spray the air fryer basket with olive oil or nonstick cooking spray, or line with parchment paper, then, place the shaped trees into the basket of the air fryer.
- Air fry the trees at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 4-6 minutes, until golden brown.
- Carefully remove the basket from the air fryer and allow the trees to cool for a minute before removing them from the air fryer basket.
- While the trees are cooling, add the food coloring to the original icing glaze or a tub of cream cheese frosting and stir until well mixed.
- Once the trees are cooled, frost the top of the trees with green icing and then add the sprinkles. Top the trees with a large star candy or sprinkle and serve while warm.
Notes
- For these cinnamon roll trees, we used a regular can of cinnamon rolls. If you use a larger cinnamon roll dough you will likely need to add additional cooking time.
- I made these using my Cosori Air Fryer. If you are using a different Air Fryer, you may need to adjust the cooking time accordingly.
- If you have any leftover trees, you can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days.
- Leave space in between the cinnamon roll trees so they have enough room to rise and get fluffy.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
