Vegan Cinnamon Rolls

These from-scratch vegan cinnamon rolls are fluffy, decadent and beautifully soft, and they get that way without any milk or egg products. We made sure this recipe would be a carbon copy of our best cinnamon rolls in terms of flavor and texture, complete with the cinnamon brown sugar filling and even the iconic frosting.

The next time you’re in the mood for cinnamon rolls or want to enjoy a leisurely vegan breakfast on a Sunday morning, pour yourself a cup of coffee and get lost in the art of making these plant-based beauties.

Ingredients for Vegan Cinnamon Rolls

• Active dry yeast: This type of yeast needs to be proofed before it’s mixed with the other ingredients, which gives you a chance to make sure that your dough will rise. If the yeast doesn’t activate and foam up, then it either hasn’t been proofed properly or it’s expired. Always check the expiration dates on your yeast packages!
• Non-dairy milk: Oat milk, almond milk or other non-dairy milk alternatives help keep these vegan cinnamon rolls plant-based. Pick your favorite dairy-free milk for this recipe.
• Sugar: Did you know that not all sugar is vegan? Often, granulated sugar is processed with animal bone char. To avoid this, buy cane sugar or beet sugar instead.
• Vegan butter: Grab your favorite vegan butter for this vegan cinnamon rolls recipe. You’ll need two sticks to prepare all three components.
• Bread flour: Bread flour is the best flour for making cinnamon roll recipes. It’s the strongest type of flour with the most amount of gluten, meaning the dough will have a lot of stretch and your your cinnamon rolls will be soft and fluffy.
• Filling: The cinnamon roll filling follows the usual ingredient list (cinnamon, brown sugar and butter), but to keep it plant-based, you’ll need half of one stick of vegan butter. Easy!
• Frosting: Vegan butter, vegan cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract and a touch of salt are whipped together to make an ultra-fluffy faux cream cheese frosting that’s completely plant-based.

Directions

Step 1: Activate the yeast

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In a small bowl, dissolve the active dry yeast in the warm milk, then stir in the sugar. Let the mixture sit until it becomes nice and frothy, about five minutes.

Editor’s Tip: Some froth and bubbling is how you know the yeast is working, which means your rolls will become nice and fluffy.

Step 2: Make the dough

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In another bowl, combine the butter, salt, yeast mixture and 2 cups of bread flour.

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Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the mixture on medium speed until smooth. Stir in enough of the remaining flour to form a soft dough. The dough will be sticky.

Step 3: Knead the dough and let it rise

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Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and knead it until the dough is smooth and elastic, six to eight minutes.

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Place the dough ball in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size, about one hour. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Step 4: Make the cinnamon-sugar filling

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In a small bowl, stir together the cinnamon and brown sugar.

Editor’s Tip: You may need to use clean fingers to break up any brown sugar chunks.

Step 5: Roll out the dough

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Punch down the dough, then use a bench scraper or sharp chef’s knife to divide the dough ball in half.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out one portion of the dough into an 11×8-inch rectangle. Brush the dough with 2 tablespoons of the melted vegan butter, then sprinkle with half the brown sugar mixture to within 1/2 inch of the edges.

Step 6: Roll up and cut the dough

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Roll up the dough jelly-roll style, starting with one of the long sides and rolling to the other long side. Pinch the seam to seal.

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Cut the roll into eight slices.

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Place the rolls into a greased 13×9-inch pan, cut side down. Cover the top with a clean kitchen towel. Repeat the same process—rolling, filling and cutting—with the remaining dough and cinnamon sugar filling. Let the cinnamon rolls rise in a warm place until they’ve doubled in size, about one hour.

Step 7: Bake the rolls

Pop the cinnamon rolls in the preheated oven, and bake them until they’re golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Take the cinnamon rolls out of the oven and let them cool on wire racks.

Step 8: Spread the rolls with frosting

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In a bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the butter, cream cheese, vanilla and salt until well blended. Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar. Once your frosting is whipped and fluffy, spread it over the warm tops of the cinnamon rolls.

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Vegan Cinnamon Rolls Variations

• Switch the frosting: If you’re not a fan of vegan cream cheese, simply make a quick vanilla glaze by mixing together 2 cups of powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla and enough non-dairy milk to create a glaze consistency. Add the milk 1 tablespoon at a time.
• Add more baking spices: Create depth and warmth by adding nutmeg, allspice, cloves or ground ginger to the cinnamon-sugar filling.
• Make a fruity filling: Jam adds a gorgeous bright hue and gourmet touch to homemade cinnamon rolls. Steal the blueberry jam and filling recipe from our blueberry cinnamon rolls (replacing the butter with vegan butter). Or, forgo homemade jam, buy your favorite from the store and spread it into the filling, just like in our strawberry cinnamon rolls recipe.

How to Store Vegan Cinnamon Rolls

Let the vegan cinnamon rolls cool completely to room temperature, then either cover the pan with storage wrap or transfer any leftover rolls to airtight containers. The cinnamon rolls can be kept refrigerated for up to four days. I love to reheat mine gently in the microwave to awaken the toasty cinnamon filling and soften the vegan cream cheese frosting.

Can you make vegan cinnamon rolls ahead of time?

Yes, you can make vegan cinnamon rolls ahead of time. Fully assemble the cinnamon rolls the night before, and, instead of letting them rise a second time, cover the pan of just-cut cinnamon rolls tightly with storage wrap. Pop the vegan cinnamon rolls in the fridge overnight. In the morning, take them out of the fridge and let the vegan cinnamon rolls rise until they’ve doubled in size, one to two hours. Then, move onto baking these rolls!

Vegan Cinnamon Rolls Tips

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Can you bake these vegan cinnamon rolls in a different sized pan?

Absolutely! Instead of a 13×9-inch baking pan, feel free to use a 12-inch cast iron skillet or two 9-inch round cake pans.

Can you make these vegan cinnamon rolls gluten-free, too?

Unfortunately, we haven’t tried using a gluten-free flour blend with this vegan cinnamon roll recipe. However, you could try our gluten-free cinnamon rolls and modify them to fit your needs.

How do you know when the cinnamon roll dough is kneaded enough?

The dough is kneaded enough when it takes on a smooth and elastic texture. If you can’t really tell, then press your finger into the dough ball. When the dough is ready, the indent will spring back. If it’s not kneaded enough, the indent will stay.

You could also try the windowpane test. Tear off a chunk of the dough and spread it between your fingers. If the dough only tears further, it hasn’t been kneaded enough. However, if the dough stretches without breaking, and you can see through the dough to the other side through its “windowpane,” then it’s been properly kneaded.