The fluffiest, softest, most decadent vegan cinnamon rolls you’ll ever taste. With only 8 ingredients, this recipe couldn’t be simpler – and it’s entirely plant based! Vegan comfort food at its best.
Let’s make vegan cinnamon rolls. How difficult can it be? (Spoiler alert: not at all.)
Sure, there’s eggs and butter and milk in the “usual” cinnamon roll dough, and a whole lot of cream cheese in the frosting… but are these really crucial to capture the essence of a good cinnamon roll?
You see, this is how I develop vegan (or gluten-free or whatever-free) recipes. I search for the very best recipes online, and then strip them down to their bare bones. I look at every ingredient and decide its role and importance.
Seriously, say hello to big, fluffy cinnamon rolls packed with a cinnamon brown sugar filling and glazed with a vanilla cream cheese glaze that drips into the middle and soaks every single bite.
Descriptive, yes. Delicious, absolutely.
Healthy? Not so much. But sometimes you need something a little indulgent for moments in your life that require a little something special.
So let me tell you about these sweet fluffy rolls of love because they’ll be a recipe you’ll never forget.
There’s no point starting from scratch. Why would I try to completely re-invent cinnamon rolls, when other people have spent years and decades perfecting the recipe? My aim is to give you a VEGAN cinnamon roll recipe that tastes just as good as the “original”. To do that, I first need to find the best original.
The best original is usually an average of many very good recipes. (I’m a scientist at heart, so taking averages and comparing variables and pondering trends is kinda my thing.)
And then, the fun begins.
Ingredients
Dough:
Let’s make vegan cinnamon rolls. How difficult can it be? (Spoiler alert: not at all.)
Sure, there’s eggs and butter and milk in the “usual” cinnamon roll dough, and a whole lot of cream cheese in the frosting… but are these really crucial to capture the essence of a good cinnamon roll?
You see, this is how I develop vegan (or gluten-free or whatever-free) recipes. I search for the very best recipes online, and then strip them down to their bare bones. I look at every ingredient and decide its role and importance.
Seriously, say hello to big, fluffy cinnamon rolls packed with a cinnamon brown sugar filling and glazed with a vanilla cream cheese glaze that drips into the middle and soaks every single bite.
Descriptive, yes. Delicious, absolutely.
Healthy? Not so much. But sometimes you need something a little indulgent for moments in your life that require a little something special.
So let me tell you about these sweet fluffy rolls of love because they’ll be a recipe you’ll never forget.
There’s no point starting from scratch. Why would I try to completely re-invent cinnamon rolls, when other people have spent years and decades perfecting the recipe? My aim is to give you a VEGAN cinnamon roll recipe that tastes just as good as the “original”. To do that, I first need to find the best original.
The best original is usually an average of many very good recipes. (I’m a scientist at heart, so taking averages and comparing variables and pondering trends is kinda my thing.)
And then, the fun begins.
Ingredients
Dough:
- 2/3 cup warm water
- 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp warm soy or almond milk
- 1/3 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 3/4 tsp active dry yeast
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ cup + 1 tsp coconut oil, melted
- 3 cups + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup vegan butter or coconut oil (plus extra)
- 1-2 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar) (plus extra)
- 1/3-1/2 cup raisins
- 1/3-1/2 cup pecans, chopped (plus extra)
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp vegan butter or coconut oil
- 2 tbsp pecans (optional)
- ¼ cup soy or almond milk
- ½ cup raw cashews, soaked
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
- ¼ cup icing sugar
- 2-4 tbsp almond milk (plus more to thin, as necessary)
Instructions
- Cinnamon Buns
- Combine all dough ingredients in a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. Knead for 6-8 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- Coat the dough ball in a light amount of canola oil, place in a large bowl and cover with a damp dish towel. Let the dough ferment at room temperature until doubled in size.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into an approx. 19" X 16" rectangle. Spread evenly with 1/4 cup vegan butter or coconut oil, 1 tbsp cinnamon, 1/4 cup coconut or brown sugar, raisins and pecans.
- Starting from the longest edge closest to you, roll the dough away from you (encasing the filling inside.) Place the rolled dough seam side down and cut into 8 equal pieces.
- Line an 8" cast iron skillet or baking pan with parchment paper, spread with a little bit of vegan butter or coconut oil, top with a sprinkle of coconut or brown sugar and some chopped pecans. Place a single cinnamon bun, cut side facing up, into the center of the pan and group the remaining buns around the center one. Cover with plastic wrap and a damp tea towel and refrigerate overnight to rise.
- The next morning, take cinnamon buns out of the fridge and bring them to room temperature. Preheat oven to 300F. Bake cinnamon buns for 35-40 minutes. Important: About 1/3 of the way through cooking, cover them with a layer of aluminum foil to prevent them from getting too brown.
- Pecan Raisin Glaze
- Combine all ingredients, bring to a simmer in a small saucepan and cook for 5-10 minutes over low heat. Pour immediately over warm cinnamon buns, working some of the pecans and raisins into the crevices on top.
- Cashew Drizzle
- Combine all ingredients in a high speed blender, blend until smooth and creamy. Add more almond milk to thin if necessary. Drizzle over nearly cool cinnamon buns for the best appearance. (For cashew frosting: Reduce almond milk to 1 tbsp. Do not thin with additional almond milk. Chill before whipping with a whisk and spreading over cooled cinnamon buns.)
