Vegan cinnamon rolls that are fluffier than a brand new pillow, packed with brown sugar and cinnamon butter then smothered in vegan cream cheese frosting!
The SOFTEST of rolls!
Vegan cinnamon rolls, and not just ANY vegan cinnamon rolls! The FLOOOFIEST of cinnamon rolls. After eating half of this entire tray, I had to donate the rest to my husband to take to work because I JUST NEEDED THEM GONE!
Cinnamon rolls have been a pretty important part of my culinary history since I first tried them at my friend’s American thanksgiving in California. There’s something so luxurious about that enriched dough which pulls apart so softly to reveal the fragrant brown sugar cinnamon mixture!
And what’s better than the frosting! It has to be cream cheese! I’ve done my best to make these vegan cinnamon rolls taste even better than the originals and I don’t think you’ll be disappointed!
Don’t be daunted by the fact that these are a yeasted dessert. They’re really super easy to make. Oh, and a top tip: instead of slicing the rolls with a knife, try using dental floss (unflavoured of course) or some very fine threat or fishing twine. Shimmy the thread under the rolled up dough and then cross the two ends over each other and pull in opposite directions to slice! Hey presto – perfect cinnamon rolls!
What do they taste like??
This recipe is unlike most vegan cinnamon rolls in that it’s not INSANELY sweet – it also doesn’t have that chemical vibe you get from SOME commercial cinnamon rolls! Ok, they’re covered in frosting, yeah, but it’s all balanced with a kick of salt and the most deliciously gentle texture. Stick a batch on tonight and your house will smell like heaven for about a week.
How long do they keep?
I’m glad you asked! Because these cinnamon rolls are yeasted, they really are best eaten within 24 hours of making them – sort of like a fresh donut! Don’t leave them to go stale – even if you’ve had your fill! Take them to a neighbour and share the love – that’s what I did!
Need more cinnamon?
I’ve got your back!
Please keep in mind…
I love sharing my food with you – it seriously gives me so much joy! As a result, I put a huge amount of time and energy into creating these recipes. This recipe right here is my lil baby and I wouldn’t change a single thing about it. As such, I won’t give advice on any ingredient swaps, substitutions, omissions or changes to the method described above (how dare you talk about my baby like that!)
But seriously, if this recipe doesn’t do it for you and you want to customise it – that’s cool – no probs. Put that finely honed chef’s intuition to good use and tailor the recipe to suit you! Regardless of whether you make any changes or not, let us know how you get on in the comments below.
Vegan Cinnamon Rolls with Maple “Cream Cheese” Frosting
Equipment
- No specialist equipment
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 480 ml oat milk ((full fat, at room temperature))
- 120 g vegan butter ((melted, I used Miyokos but any will do))
- 50 g caster sugar
- 1 x 8g sachet of quick yeast
- 700 g plain flour
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
For the Filling
- 185 g vegan butter ((room temperature))
- 155 g soft dark brown sugar
- 30 g granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
For the Frosting
- 60 g vegan butter ((room temp))
- 150 g vegan cream cheese ((violife is a great choice))
- 3-5 tbsp maple syrup ((adjust to taste))
- 350 – 500 g sieved icing sugar
Instructions
To Make the Dough
- Combine the vegan milk, vegan butter and sugar in a large bowl. Due to the melted butter, the mixture should be around body temperature so dip your finger to test – if it feels cool, give it a super quick zap in the microwave or in a pan to warm it up very slightly.
- Sprinkle the yeast over the surface and leave to bloom for one minute.
- Add the flour and salt, mix to combine until a sticky mess, then cover and leave for an hour. Note: when I say sticky mess, I mean sticky mess! You won’t be able to handle it at this point but it’ll be much nicer to work with once proved.
- Meanwhile make the filling.
To Make the Filling
- In a medium bowl mix the vegan butter with the remaining filling ingredients until smooth. The consistency should be a nice paste, not melty and liquidy, so if it’s too warm and runny, leave it in the fridge for ten minutes to firm up a bit.
To Assemble
- Preheat the oven to 180c. Grease a deep rectangular baking tin or roasting tray with some vegan butter.
- Once the dough has proved for an hour, lightly dust a surface and turn out. Dust the top of the dough with flour and push out any large air bubbles with your finger tips before patting into a rough oblong.
- Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a rectangle about 60cm x 30cm. Spread the dough with the cinnamon filling mixture right to the edges and roll up along the width to form a big long snake.
- Slice the rolled dough in half once and then divide each half into 8 discs so you have 16 swirls in total. Lay the rolls onto the prepared baking tin and cover with cling film. Leave to rise for 25 minutes at room temp.
- Once risen, place in the oven for 25-35 minutes or until each bun is lightly golden on top. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely while you make the frosting.
To Make the Frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, blend the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add the maple and beat to combine. Gradually add the icing sugar until you have a nice smearable thick frosting – you may not need the full amount depending on how wet your cream cheese is. The aim is to get it super thick so keep adding icing sugar until you hit perfect texture!
- Top the fully cooled rolls with the frosting and serve.
Made these last month and the frostimng is exceptional. Thank you Richard.
Excellent recipe
THANK YOU JANET XXX
I just join your page I may say It is amazing ! Thank you for this !
G.
i’m totally making this recipe, looks so good
These are delicious! Super soft and moist and not too sweet, and they have the perfect amount of filling. I ended up with a ton of extra frosting, though — will have to make a carrot cake or extra rolls to use it up (not a bad predicament).
Added the zest of an orange to the dough filling and icing added a brightness to the roll that cut through the sweetness
Tasted gorgeous aswell
Looks delicious. I think you meant proofed (as in dough) vs proved.
Can I use the all purposes gluten free flour?
Thank you!
Hey, I have no idea sorry (please read the note about about substitutions and replacement ingredients).
Just curious – If I were to make these ahead – Can I follow the instructions per normal, and before they go in the oven, pop them into the fridge instead overnight? I would take them out, let them get back to room temp, and then bake in the morning…. Would that work for this recipe?
I reckon that would work but I’ve never tried it myself. But yeah, usually a second ferment will work overnight. So give it a go!
Would love to try this! Would it work if I use only the soft dark brown sugar for the filling, or is the granulated sugar a MUST? I don’t really use anything other than maple syrup and raw cane sugar for baking ever. Thanks!
I made these cinnamon rolls just now and they were SUPER delicious! Thank you for the recipe!!
Unsure of what size dish to use. How much room should i be leaving between them to allow for the 2nd prove? 🙂
It’s seriously the best cinnamon bun recipe in the world. The coconut oil makes them outside nice and crunchy, whilst still being super soft on the inside which makes them better than normal ones, seriously!! And the maple icing is soo amazing. The curdled cream cheese takes a bit of time, so when I don’t have much time I buy vegan cream cheese in the supermarket (but the self made one tastes better). I baked them for a vegan colleague and never baked “normal” ones again since I tried this recipe. And everyone loves it!! Even silly colleagues who usually turn down anything that says “vegan” wouldn’t believe it was vegan and kept asking when I’d bring them in again. Thank you so much for this recipe!!
You’d think I’d know the recipe off by heart the amount of times I have made these, an absolute amazing recipe that goes down a treat every time!
Made these yesterday and they are stunning and perfect! Fluffy, juicy – delicious!!! Thank you so much for the recipe!
They turned out perfect!!
I am going to try these! But I first read your garlic rolls recipe and wondered how the tangzhong might work in this recipe to make them soft and maybe keep a little more?
In reply to Emily,s comment above.
To help the cinnamon rolls ‘keep’ longer. Keep them longer, that’s funny.
In what alternative reality does that happen?!