Vegan Cinnamon Rolls

Breakfast

Gooey Perfect Better Than Yo Mamas Cinnamon Rolls

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vegan cinnamon rolls up close

Prep

1 hour 30 minutes

Cook

30 minutes

Yield

12 -14

These sticky vegan cinnamon rolls are so good. Seriously, they're warming, comforting, sticky, and oh so delicious.

Okay, so to preface this recipe, this is probably the most unhealthy thing on my blog. But hey, I’m pretty happy I’ve reached a place of balance and happiness when it comes to the foods I eat and the way they make me feel. It’s okay to treat yourself! This vegan cinnamon rolls recipe is so good, it’s worth it when you want to treat yourself to a delicious treat. 

This vegan cinnamon roll recipe was actually a friend’s grandmother’s recipe that I turned vegan and adapted to reflect the Food By Maria flair. And one of the best parts of this recipe is that it’s really fun to make with your friends, family, and kids because, at the end of the day, I need someone to share the goodness with.

Close-up of vegan cinnamon rolls in a baking dish

❤️ Why You’ll Love Vegan Cinnamon Rolls

  • Sticky & Gooey: A cinnamon bun should be ooey and gooey, that’s why these are also called sticky buns. This vegan cinnamon roll recipe is just that!
  • Breakfast: These are perfect for a breakfast/brunch treat, or even a dessert 
  • Smells so good: One of the best parts of baking sticky cinnamon rolls is that your whole house will smell like heaven

🍲 Ingredients

Egg Replacer– There are a few reasons why I love this recipe other than it just tastes so fantastic. For starters, it’s such a good comfort food, it’s vegan and it’s bomb as fuck. I used Bob’s Red Mill all-purpose flour and their egg replacement which I love. Their egg replacer is perfect for those who are vegan, have allergies, or are on a reduced-cholesterol diet, and it’s incredibly easy to use.

Sticky Sugar Syrup – This is what makes these vegan cinnamon rolls so sticky and delicious. A mix of brown sugar, cinnamon, and maple syrup. My mouth is watering just writing about this! It’s liquid gold. 

Icing – One of the best parts of these cinnamon rolls is the icing because you can’t have cinnamon rolls without it and it’s so damn good. I legit could eat this stuff alone with a spoon with no shame. However, the combo of the icing with the rolls is what makes this classic one that we all love. The rolls are soft on the inside and with the icing dripping and melting down reaching every corner of them, it’s hard to not drool just talking about them right? So let’s get baking!

vegan cinnamon rolls up close

👩‍🍳 How to Make Vegan Cinnamon Rolls

  1. Into a small bowl add 1 cup of your flour and your yeast. Stir and set aside.
  2. Into a large bowl whisk together your water, sugar, egg replacement, salt, and oil till well combined.
  3. Into the large bowl add your flour and yeast mixture. Whisk for around 2-3 minutes or until everything is well combined and lots of bubbles have developed. Now stir in the remainder of the flour, slowly, and add more as you need. You want it to be pliable but not too sticky. Knead for 5 minutes and add flour to the surface area to make the process easy.
  4. Grease the sides of a large bowl and add in your dough. Add oil to the top of your dough and place a damp cloth over the top of the bowl. Place in a warm place for around 15-30 minutes.
  5. While your dough recipes prepare your sticky sauce by adding all your ingredients into a pot and simmer on low heat till completely melted. Whisk/stir constantly to avoid burning. Once ready remove from heat and let it cool. This should only take a few minutes.
  6. You can now preheat your oven to 350F and grab a baking dish – I used a 16″L x 9″W x 2.50″H.
  7. Once your sticky sauce has cooled add it to the base of this baking dish and make sure it’s spread around evenly.
  8. Once your dough has risen punch a hole into the middle of the dough (this is very satisfying) and let it rise by double once again.
  9. Using a rolling pin roll out the dough into a large rectangle, around 20 X 14 X 1 but use whichever dimensions work best for you and your baking dish!
  10. Once you have a flat dough then sprinkle with some brown sugar and cinnamon (add as much or as little as you’d like). Roll the dough width-wise, keeping it tight, and cut it into around 12-14 rolls. Place them onto the sticky sauce and set them aside to rise till doubled in size.
  11. Once ready bake for 25-35 minutes.
  12. To make your icing, simply add your ingredients into a deep bowl and blend using a hand whisk for around 1-2 minutes.
  13. Once your cinnamon rolls are ready spread over the icing and enjoy these babies hot!

🪄 Tips and Tricks

  • Get creative: You can add different fillings into your cinnamon rolls like jams or fruit to have a different twist on these delicious rolls
  • Serving: Serve as a dessert, snack, at brunch, with some fruit, or on their own. These are so good that they speak for themselves
  • Butter: Bring your butter to room temperature before using, this will help keep your cinnamon rolls super tender
  • Chill the dough: If you are having a hard time working with the dough and rolling it up, try chilling it for 30 minutes or so as it’ll make it a bit firmer, and easier to work with

🗒 Variations

I LOVE cinnamon rolls and there are so many ways you can make them your own. You can add in fruit such as cooked apples, or even pumpkin puree in the fall. Below are a few different cinnamon roll variations you can try:


🗒 Substitutions

  • Egg Replacement: You can totally use regular eggs in this recipe if you don’t want or need this recipe to be vegan. Use 1 egg instead of the egg replacement
  • Coconut Oil: You can totally use vegetable oil in place of coconut oil
  • Cream Cheese: If you aren’t vegan but still want to make this recipe, you do not need to use the vegan cream cheese and can use a regular, dairy version. The same goes for the butter


🗒 Best served with

👝 How to Store Leftovers

These vegan cinnamon rolls last for one week in a tightly sealed container, kept at room temperature. Heat them up in the microwave or oven.

🤔 Common Questions

What is fast-rising yeast?

Also known as instant yeast, or quick rise yeast. Instant yeast activates quicker, which makes it quicker and more convenient for quick baking projects.

What makes a cinnamon roll vegan?

Like most baking, in order to make it vegan you substitute any of the dairy products. In this recipe, it be the cream cheese, butter, and eggs.

Do you ice cinnamon rolls hot or cold?

If you want the icing to not melt, then wait until the rolls have cooled down. However, some people like the icing all melted into the rolls, and in that case, ice when they’re hot!

Vegan Cinnamon Rolls

5 from 12 votes
These sticky vegan cinnamon rolls are so good. Seriously, they’re warming, comforting, sticky, and oh so delicious.
Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours
Course Dessert
Cuisine Vegan
Servings 12 -14
Calories 409 kcal

Ingredients
  

For the Dough:

For the Sticky Sugar Syrup:

  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup vegan butter

For the Cinnamon Icing:

  • 1/2 cup vegan cream cheese
  • 1/4 cup vegan butter
  • 1 cup organic powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp cinnamon

Instructions
 

  • Into a small bowl add your 1 cup of your flour and your yeast. Stir and set aside.
  • Into a large bowl whisk together your water, sugar, egg replacement, salt and oil till well combined.
  • Into the large bowl add your flour and yeast mixture. Whisk for around 2-3 minutes or until everything is well combined and lots of bubbles have developed. Now stir in the remainder of the flour, slowly, and add more as you need. You want it to be pliable but not too sticky. Knead for 5 minutes and add flour to the surface area to make the process easy.
  • Grease the sides of a large bowl and add in your dough. Add oil to the top of your dough and place a damp cloth over the top of the bowl. Place in a warm place for around 15-30 minutes.
  • While your dough recipes prepare your sticky sauce by adding all your ingredients into a pot and simmer on low heat till completely melted. Whisk/stir constantly to avoid burning. Once ready remove from heat and let it cool. This should only take a few minutes.
  • You can now preheat your oven to 350F and grab a baking dish – I used a 16″L x 9″W x 2.50″H.
  • Once your sticky sauce has cooled add it to the base of this baking dish and make sure it’s spread around evenly.
  • Once your dough has risen punch a hole into the middle of the dough (this is very satisfying) and let it rise by double once again.
  • Using a rolling pin roll out the dough into a large rectangle, around 20 X 14 X 1 but use whichever dimensions work best for you and your baking dish!
  • Once you have a flat dough then sprinkle with some brown sugar and cinnamon (add as much or as little as you’d like). Roll the dough width-wise, keeping it tight and cut into around 12-14 rolls. Place them onto the sticky sauce and set them aside to rise till doubled in size.
  • Once ready then bake for 25-35 minutes.
  • To make your icing, simply add your ingredients into a deep bowl and blend using a hand whisk for around 1-2 minutes.
  • Once your cinnamon buns are ready then spread over the icing and enjoy these babies hot!
  • They last for one week in a tightly sealed container, keep at room temperature.

Nutrition

Serving: 14 | Calories: 409kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 12.6g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.9g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 21.7mg | Sodium: 254.2mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 27.4g
Review This Recipe Let us know how it was!
TJ

5 stars
This is a great recipe! Even the non-vegans said they were so good!

Maria Koutsogiannis

Yay! Thank you so much, TJ! That makes me so happy!!!

Gbema Olutogun

5 stars
The sticky sauce and icing are unreal! I made them with red fife flour because that’s all I had at home and they turned out great. Such a tasty recipe and they’ve been a hit with everyone at home!

Maria Koutsogiannis

THANK YOU SO MUCH! THAT MAKES ME SO HAPPY!

Rachel Zylka

5 stars
Delicious, soft, gooey, really everything want in a cinnamon roll. I made it with whole wheat flour because that’s all I had around, and it totally worked!!

Maria Koutsogiannis

YES!! Thank you so much for the love hun, we just love this recipe too!

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