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My vegan cinnamon rolls are so easy to make and yield soft and fluffy buns every single time. It’s easy to make ahead and tastes so good that even non-vegans are obsessed!
Love vegan baking? Try my vegan chocolate cake, vegan chocolate chip cookies, vegan brownies, and vegan birthday cake next.
I consider myself a cinnamon roll snob, and when my vegan cousin wanted to challenge me to develop a fully vegan cinnamon roll recipe, I was in. Now, being said snob, these rolls had to look and taste like any good cinnamon roll, and let me just say, these tick those boxes.
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- It has the perfect texture. Cinnamon rolls need to be fluffy and soft in the middle with a warm cinnamon swirl throughout and ample frosting. My cinnamon buns ticks the boxes with that!
- You can make ahead. One of my favorite things is making overnight cinnamon rolls. I halt the recipe before the second rise by shifting it to the fridge. I allow the rolls to return to room temperature and bake them fresh the next day.
- Simple ingredients. I promise you, there are no egg substitutes or hard-to-find vegan ingredients. Everything can be found at any mainstream grocery store!
Ingredients needed
- Vegan butter. To enrich the dough. Use good quality organic vegan butter for this recipe.
- Instant yeast. I have used instant yeast as a leavening agent because it’s fast-acting. You could also use active dry yeast instead. Before mixing with other ingredients, always check the expiry date and activate it in sweet, warm milk/water.
- Organic ane sugar. Or any white sugar of choice.
- Plant-based milk. I’ve made these rolls with almond milk, oat milk, and soy milk, so safe to say, any dairy-free milk works.
- All purpose flour. To make the dough. Be sure to sift the flour to ensure there are no clumps throughout.
- Salt. Just a pinch to balance out all the other ingredients.
- Filling. A mix of vegan butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
- Vegan cream cheese frosting. I like to use either vegan cream cheese or vegan mascarpone, vegan butter, and some powdered sugar. You can also add some vanilla extract if you want.
How to make vegan cinnamon rolls
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1- Activate the yeast by combining it with sugar and melted butter in a large mixing bowl.
Step 2- Make the dough. Slowly add in the flour then knead gently until a smooth ball is formed (on a lightly floured surface). Place it in a greased bowl and cover it with a dish towel or plastic wrap until it doubles in size, around 50 minutes.
Step 3- Roll the dough out into a rectangle that is around 1/4-inch in thickness. Brush the dough with melted vegan butter then sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar filling.
Step 4- Slice. Roll the dough into a firm log starting at the longer side of the rectangle close to you. Cut it into six jumbo or 12 small pieces using a sharp knife or dental floss.
Step 5- Assemble and bake. Place the rolls into a greased baking dish and brush them over with softened butter. Bake for 30 minutes.
Step 6- Frost. Once the rolls have been baked, assemble the frosting and frost the still-warm rolls.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Use a thermometer to ensure the milk temperature is between 100-110°F before stirring in yeast. If the milk temperature is too high, the yeast will die, and you’ll have to start all over.
- Roll out a thin dough. Remember to flour the surface and the rolling pin before rolling out your dough. Also, try to make it as thin as possible to get more cinnamon sugar per bite.
- Cut into shorter rolls. You can slice the roll as tall or short as you like. If you make shorter rolls, you’ll need two trays to bake.
- To prevent dough stickiness, don’t be afraid to sprinkle some extra flour. Just be sure not to be to generous with it or else you’ll have a dense dough.
- Frost when warm. Unless you want uber-thick frosting, I recommend frosting the rolls while still warm. The frosting seeps into the base of the rolls giving each one a gorgeous sweet flavor.
- If you want these to also be gluten-free, you can use gluten-free baking flour (with added xanthan gum) or try my gluten-free cinnamon rolls.
Storage instructions
To store. Cinnamon rolls keep well at room temperature for 2-3 days when stored in an air-tight container.
To freeze. Place leftovers in a ziplock bag and store in the freezer for up to two months.
Reheating. Thaw from frozen, then reheat in the microwave for 30 seconds.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can stop at step six. Move the tray into the refrigerator for an overnight break. Transfer it to the kitchen counter the next day and let it come to room temperature. Once ready, bake it in a preheated oven, and follow the rest of the recipe.
Absolutely. If you have a stand mixer or an electric mixer with a dough hook attachment, you can use it for kneading the dough.
More vegan sweets you’ll enjoy
- Vegan blondies
- Vegan cheesecake
- Vegan cookie dough
- Vegan strawberry cake
- Or any of my vegan desserts
Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
Video
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons vegan butter
- 1 cup almond milk
- 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
Filling
- 4 tablespoons vegan butter divided
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
Frosting
- 6 ounces vegan cream cheese or mascarpone
- 1/3 cup vegan butter
- 3 cups confectioners sugar
Instructions
- Make the dough; add butter and almond milk to a large bowl. Heat in a microwave for 40 seconds. Remove from the microwave and stir in sugar. Once the butter is melted and the milk is cooled to 110F, stir in yeast. Set the mixture aside for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, fold in flour gradually adding ½ cup at a time.
- Knead the dough until it comes together. Transfer the dough into a clean bowl, greased with some avocado or desired type of oil. Cover the dough with a clean cloth and let it rise for 50 minutes at a warm spot.
- Once doubled in size, punch down the dough and knead it until smooth.
- Roll out the dough to a ¼-inch thick rectangle.
- Brush three tablespoons of the vegan butter over the dough, and sprinkle it with cane sugar and cinnamon. Firmly roll the dough to a log shape.
- Cut the dough into 6 large parts or 12 smaller ones and arrange it into a 9-inch baking dish. let the dough stand for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, melt that one reserved tablespoon of the butter and use it to brush the rolls.
- Preheat oven to 190C/375F. Once hot, bake the rolls for 30 minutes.
- Make the frosting. In a bowl, add the vegan cream cheese, vegan butter, and confectioners sugar. Beat the frosting with a hand mixer until smooth.
- Once the rolls are baked, cool them completely on a wire rack before placing the frosting on top.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published May 2023, updated and republished July 2024
Are you sure mascarpone is vegan? Isnt it cheese?
Cinnamon rolls are so tasty sweet. I actually never tried to make them.
Now I have chance!
If I need dairy free AND gluten free do you think I’d have the best results swapping the flour with this recipe for gf or using the GF recipe and using vegan ingredients? Thanks!
can i make it gluten free as well? i am gluten free and vegan.
You could try!
Can’t make till I know how much flour.
The recipe calls for 3 cups all purpose flour
You are missing the flour and its amount. I have a copycat Cinnabon recipe from years ago that makes 20 large buns and also used the kitchen twine to easily cut the dough. I also used a small sewing gauge to measure every 2 inches and notched the dough before using the twine. If you are interested in the recipe I can send it to you.
I usually look at your keto recipes, but I noticed your vegan recipes and the oatmeal cookies tasted just like the Sprout’s version except I do not refrigerate the dough in order to scoop smaller amounts and I ended up making 6 or 7 dozen with the dough spreading. They taste the same, but they are flatter and there are more of them. My daughter and son enjoy the cinnamon buns and cookies that I make each week.
Hi, no flour in the ingredients?
3 cups all-purpose flour 🙂