Vegan Cinnamon Rolls | The Best Vegan Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

These vegan cinnamon rolls are soft, gooey, cinnamon-sugary, and topped with a melt in your mouth icing. And these might be the easiest vegan cinnamon rolls you can make. Seriously, you'll just want to make this recipe over and over again. 

The Best Vegan Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

Cinnamon rolls make for a dreamy vegan breakfast or delightful dessert. But honestly, I find myself eating them at both times of the day after I make this recipe.  

Seriously, these dairy free cinnamon rolls are just so irresistibly good - they're soft, fluffy, perfectly chewy, and made with just a few vegan ingredients that put a flavorful plant-based spin on a classic breakfast recipe. 

Honestly, even your non-vegan friends and family will dig these cinnamon rolls. In fact, these are so good we think you'll agree that they're better than anything you'd get from a bakery! 

And although making homemade cinnamon rolls can be intimidating, each step in this recipe is simple to follow.

So put on your apron, and let's turn some cinnamon rolls vegan!

Ingredients

So, for this dairy free cinnamon rolls recipe, we will be using some pretty common baking ingredients and a few non-traditional ones too. 

That said, here's what you'll need:

• 2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1 cup almond milk (or any plant-based milk)
• 1 tablespoon cane sugar
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• Pinch of salt
• 3 tablespoons vegan butter
• 1 mashed ripe banana
• 3 tablespoons melted vegan butter (or almond butter)
• ¼ cup cane sugar
• 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoons ground nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons melted vegan butter for brushing

And for the icing: 

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2-4 tablespoons almond milk (or any plant-based milk)
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract 

 

MAKING SUGAR FREE VEGAN CINNAMON ROLLS

So, as you may have noticed, we will be using cane sugar to make the cinnamon roll dough and powdered sugar to make the icing. 

However, I have a few sugar-free substitutes that you can use to turn these into healthy vegan cinnamon rolls without sacrificing any deliciousness.

Instead of cane sugar, I recommend using Granular Swerve or Lakanto's Monkfruit Sweetener. Both are 0 calorie and 0 sugar sweeteners with the same amount of sweetness as cane sugar. 

And for the powdered sugar, I recommend using Confectioners Swerve or Lakantos Powdered Monfruit Sweetener. Again, both have 0 calories, no sugar, and are just as sweet as cane sugar.

And all of these sweeteners substitute with cane sugar at an equal measurement, so it will be super easy to swap them out to make sugar-free vegan cinnamon rolls! 

How to Make The Best Vegan Cinnamon Rolls

Ok, now that all of our ingredients are covered, let's get baking! 

And, as I mentioned earlier, the process of making cinnamon rolls can be intimidating. But if you follow these steps, you'll have bakery-worthy cinnamon rolls in no time!  

STEP 1: ACTIVATING THE YEAST 

The first thing you will do is activate the yeast. 

So, in a saucepan, heat your almond milk until it is warm - but not boiling. 

Then remove the almond milk from the heat, and let it slightly cool.

If you have a thermometer, the temperature should cool to 110°F (43°C). 

Once the almond milk has cooled but is still warm, add the yeast and 1 tablespoon of sugar and stir everything together.

Then, let it sit and activate for 10 minutes. 

STEP 2: MAKING THE DOUGH 

Ok, so, in a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, mashed banana, salt, and 3 tablespoons of vegan butter. 

Next, add the yeast mixture to the bowl and stir everything until combined - the mixture will be sticky. 

Then transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and roughly knead with your hands for about a minute or so until it forms a loose ball. (Sprinkle with more flour if needed, and do not over-knead the dough).

After you've formed a ball, rinse out your mixing bowl or grab a new one and coat it with avocado oil baking spray.

Lastly, add your dough ball to the bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and then set it in a warm place to rise until it doubles in size - this will take about 1 hour. 

STEP 3: MAKING THE CINNAMON ROLLS 

Once the dough has risen, lightly flour a surface and put the dough on it. Then roll out the dough with a rolling pin into a thin rectangle, about ¼ inch thick. 

And, at this point, you'll want to combine your cinnamon, nutmeg, and ¼ cup of sugar in a small bowl.

Then, spread 3 tablespoons of melted vegan butter onto the surface of the dough and sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture on top. 

Then, starting at one end, tightly roll up the dough and make sure the seam-side is on the bottom. Cut the dough into 1.5-2 inch sections - you should have 10 cinnamon rolls. 

After that, take out an 8x8 inch square pan - or one of comparable size - and coat the surface and sides with vegan butter. Place your cinnamon rolls in the pan and brush the surface of them with some more butter.

STEP 4: BAKING AND FROSTING

Preheat your oven to 350°F (176°C). Then set your pan on top of the oven to let the dough rise again while the oven is preheating. 

Once the oven is heated, bake your cinnamon rolls for about 25-30 minutes or until they are slightly golden brown. 

While the cinnamon rolls are baking, you can make the icing. And let's be honest, no cinnamon roll is complete without some icing! 

To make the icing, mix your powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and almond milk in a small bowl. If you prefer thicker icing, use less almond milk. And if you like thinner icing, add in more almond milk. 

Finally, take your cinnamon rolls out of the oven, let them cool for a few minutes, then drizzle the icing on top and dig in! 

Storing your Vegan Cinnamon Rolls

So, one of the best parts about making cinnamon rolls is having them ready to eat for the days to come.

And since this recipe makes 10 cinnamon rolls, you should have a few left-over to enjoy. 

To store, you can either place a lid on the pan you baked them in or transfer them to an airtight container. These vegan cinnamon rolls will last for up to 3 days at room temperature or 5 days in the fridge. 

And if you want that fresh out of the oven experience, you can reheat your cinnamon rolls by popping them in the microwave for about 20-40 seconds. 

WRAPPING IT ALL UP

And that is how you make deliciously easy vegan cinnamon rolls. 

You really can't beat waking up in the morning to a cinnamon roll with your name on it - it's just guaranteed to be a good day. 

Anyway, I hope you like this vegan cinnamon rolls recipe as much as I do.

And if you make it, leave a comment and let me know what you think - I'd love to hear from you. 

MORE VEGAN RECIPES TO TRY

So, these cinnamon rolls are super versatile because you can eat them for breakfast or dessert! 

And if you want some more vegan recipes that wear both hats, I think you'll like these:

• Donuts
• Waffles
• Oatmeal Cookies
• Peanut Butter Cookies 
• Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

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