Description

Here’s a vegan cinnamon roll recipe for ooey, gooey, chewy, melty cinnamon rolls! They hit all the boxes that a cinnamon roll should and include a thick, drizzly vanilla icing. Get ready to cozy up with a warm cinnamon roll and a hot cup of coffee.

Ingredients

Scale

The Dough:

4 cups all-purpose flour (520g)
2.25 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
1.5 cups plant milk * note
1/4 cup + 1 teaspoon cane sugar, divided
1 tablespoon neutral-tasting oil like avocado or canola
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup vegan butter

Cinnamon Filling:

1/2 cup brown sugar (or dark brown sugar)
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1/4 cup softened vegan butter

Easy Vanilla Icing: *note

2 cups powdered sugar
4–6 tablespoons non-dairy milk
2 tablespoons melted vegan butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or 1 teaspoon almond)

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Instructions

Activate the yeast. Warm the milk to about 100*, add yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar, and mix to incorporate. Leave to sit for about 5 minutes, until creamy and frothy.
Make the dough. In a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook add the yeast mixture, 1 tablespoon of oil, 2 teaspoons of salt, and the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and mix for a few seconds.
Add 3 cups of the flour and mix on low speed until a loose dough forms. Sprinkle the final cup of flour in as the mixer is running.
- The dough should be soft and a little tacky but should only stick to the bottom of the mixing bowl when it is running. If the dough is sticking to the sides of the mixing bowl as well, add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time, and knead for a minute before adding another tablespoon.
When the flour has all been added in, turn the mixer off and slice the butter into about 1/4″ thick pieces. Then with the mixer running on medium speed, add the butter slices one by one.
When all butter has been added turn the speed up to medium-high and knead for 4 minutes.
Let the dough rise.
- Option 1, Overnight rise: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight to rise. This makes for easy prep in the morning.
- Option 2, Same day rise: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and place in a warm location to rise until doubled in size- about 1.5-2 hours. Then place in the fridge for an hour before proceeding with the recipe. This gives the butter in the dough time to chill making the dough very easy to work with.
Make the filling. Stir cinnamon and sugar together in a small bowl. Make sure you have 1/4 cup of softened vegan butter ready.
Shape the rolls. Punch down the dough and tip out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into roughly a 12×16″ rectangle.
1. Spread the softened vegan butter across the surface of the rectangle. Sprinkle all of the filling mixture on the butter and use your hands to gently press down on the filling to help it adhere to the butter.
2. Start at a 12″ (short side) and begin to roll the dough into a log shape. It takes a bit of a pinch and tuck to get going, then it gets easier to roll it up.
3. Cut the uneven ends off, about 1-3″ depending. (see photos in post) Measure the remaining dough log (should be about 12″) and cut it into even pieces using a piece of dental floss.
4. Line the pan with parchment paper and place the cinnamon rolls into the pan.
Second Rise.
- Cover the pan with a kitchen towel and place in a warm spot in your kitchen to rise. They are ready to bake when the rolls poof up a bit and if you poke them with your finger, it will leave a little indent. (About 45-60 minutes)
Bake in a pre-heated 350* oven until golden brown or the internal temp measures 195*. Begin checking at the 30-minute mark. The rolls can take 30-37 minutes to bake. The perimeter and corners will brown first, then the inner cinnamon rolls will follow. We like to leave the rolls in until all the rolls have a bit of golden brown on the edges.
While the rolls bake, make the icing! Use a whisk to mix powdered sugar, vanilla, milk, and vegan butter.
Ice the rolls.
1. You can leave the rolls to cool for 5-10 minutes, then spread the icing over them if you like firmer edges and corner pieces.
2. For ultra-soft and gooey cinnamon rolls, spread about half of the icing on top of the rolls right away, then let them cool for 5 minutes before adding the remaining icing.
Store vegan cinnamon rolls in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days.

Notes

If using coconut milk in a can, dilute it to thin it. Mix the coconut milk in the can well to combine all the cream and liquid. In a liquid measuring cup, add 1 cup of mixed canned coconut milk, then add 1/2 cup of water and stir to combine!

If using bread flour: Use the same amount of flour but add another 1/4 cup of milk to the recipe, everything else is the same. Bread flour makes a chewier cinnamon roll.

The Icing: Vanilla icing is optional but delicious! You can omit the vegan butter if you’d like but it helps firm up the icing and provides a nice depth of flavor. Skip if you’d like.

Dark brown sugar is phenomenal in cinnamon rolls- it gives a much deeper, richer flavor profile for the caramel/toffee/molasses notes! Use it if you have it on hand.

If the dough starts feeling too sticky at any point as you’re working with it, place it in the fridge for about 15 minutes to help it firm up.

Keywords: Vegan Cinnamon Rolls