These super-soft, and easy-to-make, sticky vegan cinnamon buns are damn delicious. They have a yummy holiday spin on them with the addition of vanilla and chai that seriously makes them so comforting and delicious. Whip these up for dessert this Thanksgiving or holiday season, or just make them for a sweet snack that your whole family will love. Nothing says the holidays like the smell of cinnamon coming from your oven!

❤️ Why You’ll Love Vegan Cinnamon Buns

• Super Easy: This recipe is so simple to follow, even for beginner bakers looking to impress.
• Incredibly Comforting: They are ooey and gooey with a twist of vanilla and chai that creates the ultimate cozy feeling.
• Completely Vegan-Friendly: This vegan cinnamon buns recipe, including the icing, is totally plant-based without sacrificing flavor.

🍲 Ingredients

Pure Vanilla Extract – There is nothing I could emphasize more than the importance of using good quality, pure vanilla in your baking. You CAN taste the difference between the real thing and the cheap stuff. In this recipe, the combination of warming vanilla and chai tea creates an earthy, comforting taste that can’t be beaten.

Chai Tea – The chai infusion adds warming spices like cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger that complement the vanilla beautifully. When steeped with almond milk, it creates a fragrant base that infuses the entire dough with holiday comfort and makes these vegan cinnamon buns extra special and aromatic.

👩‍🍳 How to Make Vegan Cinnamon Buns

1. Into a small bowl add 1 cup flour and yeast. Stir and set aside.
2. To a small pot, add almond milk and teabag.  Heat for 5 or so minutes or until warm.
3. Into a large bowl whisk together the warm milk tea infusion, brown sugar, egg replacement, salt and melted butter till well combined.
4. Into the large bowl add the 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 5-10 minutes and add flour to the surface area to make the process easy.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. Once your sticky sauce has cooled add it to the base of this baking dish and make sure it’s spread around evenly.
9. 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.
10. 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!
11. Once you have flattened the dough, 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.
12. Once ready, bake for 25-35 minutes.
13. To make your icing, simply add your ingredients into a deep bowl and blend using hand mixer for around 1-2 minutes.
14. Once your cinnamon buns are ready then spread over the icing and enjoy these babies hot!
15. They last for one week in a tightly sealed container, keep at room temperature.

🪄 Tips and Tricks

• Rising: Warm environments help dough rise faster – try placing near a warm oven or sunny window.
• Consistency: The dough should be pliable but not sticky – add flour gradually to achieve the right texture.
• Satisfaction: Punching the hole in the risen dough is very satisfying and helps release excess air.

🗒 Substitutions

• Chai: You can keep them classic and simple without the vanilla and chai if you prefer traditional flavors.
• Milk: Any plant-based milk works in place of almond milk for the chai infusion.
• Egg Replacement: Any commercial egg replacer or flax eggs work perfectly in this recipe.
• Vanilla: While high-quality vanilla makes a difference, regular vanilla extract works if that’s what you have.

🗒 Best served with

• Barista Blend Oat Milk
• Fresh Fruit Salad
• Jammy Eggs with Yoghurt and Fig Butter
• How To Make Greek Yogurt

👝 How to Store Leftovers

Store these vegan cinnamon buns in a tight container for up to 5 days on the counter. If you want to freeze them, freeze without the icing and make fresh icing when you’re ready to eat them.

🤔 Common Questions

Vegan Cinnamon Buns

5 from 12 votes

🤎 These Vegan Cinnamon Buns are ooey-gooey perfection with vanilla and chai! Holiday comfort food that'll make your kitchen smell incredible!

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Course Vegan Breakfast, Vegan Desserts, Vegan Comfort Food

Cuisine American

Servings 14

Ingredients

  

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For the Dough:

• 2 packets of fast-rising or active yeast 8g each
• 4.5 cups all-purpose flour + some till you reach a non-sticky consistency
• 1.5 cups almond milk
• 1 chai tea bag
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg replacement or regular egg
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1/4 cup vegan butter melted

For the Sticky Sugar Syrup:

• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tsp Simply Organic Vanilla Extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup vegan butter cold or room temperature

For dusting:

• 1/2 cup brown or white sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon

For the Cinnamon Icing:

• 1/2 cup vegan cream cheese or regular cream cheese
• 1/4 cup vegan butter softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp Simply Organic Vanilla Extract

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Instructions

 

• Into a small bowl add 1 cup flour and yeast. Stir and set aside.
• To a small pot, add almond milk and teabag.  Heat for 5 or so minutes or until warm.
• Into a large bowl whisk together the warm milk tea infusion, brown sugar, egg replacement, salt and melted butter till well combined.
• Into the large bowl add the 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 5-10 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 flattened the dough, 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, bake for 25-35 minutes.
• To make your icing, simply add your ingredients into a deep bowl and blend using hand mixer 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.

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