This dessert is the best cinnamon rolls recipe I’ve tried! It’s vegan and made with a delicious dairy free cream cheese frosting. It’s so soft, fluffy, and delicious, I bet that your friends and family won’t even be able to tell it’s vegan!
What you will need for the cinnamon rolls
Dough Ingredients
- 1/3 cup coconut oil (or vegan butter): many of my readers seem to prefer baking with coconut oil, so I wanted to create a cinnamon rolls recipe that was made with coconut oil and these turned out amazing! However, you can use vegan butter, if you prefer that as well.
- 1 1/2 cups dairy-free milk: any dairy free milk will work in this recipe. I like soy and oat milk.
- 1/3 cup coconut sugar: you can also use another kind of granulated sugar like white or brown. Don’t replace with a liquid sweetener like maple syrup.
- 1 packet yeast (2 1/4 tsp): you can find packages of yeast in the baking section of any grocery store. I thought this item might be one that not as many people are familiar with, so I am linking to what the product looks like, so that you can know what to look for.
- 3 1/3 cups all purpose flour (528 grams): all purpose flour is the best flour for this recipe. While I normally love to work with whole wheat, almond, oat, etc., the texture is the best when using all-purpose. It would also work with whole wheat, but it will not work with almond or coconut flour. I have not tried this recipe with oat flour, so I cannot say if it would work.
- dash of salt
Filling Ingredients
- 1/3 cup coconut oil (softened, but not melted): it’s best if you use coconut oil that has been sitting at room temperature and is already nice and soft, but if you are using coconut oil that is hard from being in the fridge, you can melt it for 10-15 seconds in the microwave to soften it up.
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar: again, you can use another granulated sugar of your choice. I think coconut or brown sugar work best for this.
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
Frosting Ingredients
- 1 cup dairy-free cream cheese: dairy-free cream cheese frosting is my favorite to use as a cinnamon roll frosting! There are so many awesome brands out there, but here are a few that I’ve tried and like: Nature’s Fynd, Kite Hill, Miyoko’s.
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
How to make the rolls
Combine room temperature coconut oil and dairy free milk in a large bowl and microwave them for about 1 minute. Use a thermometer to measure the temperature and ensure that they are between 105-110*F.
To the oil and milk, add the sugar and mix it in well so that all of the granules dissolve in the milk.
Sprinkle the package of yeast on top of the oil, milk, and sugar mixture. Cover the bowl with a towel and let it sit for 5-10 minutes, so that the yeast can activate.
In the meantime, combine the flour and salt together in a separate bowl.
Once the yeast has activated, start adding in the flour. Add just a little bit at a time (about 1 cup at a time) and mix well each time. Once all of the flour has been added and you’ve created your dough, cover the bowl of dough with a towel and leave it in a warm place for 45 minutes- 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in size. I turn on my oven to 100*F and leave the dough in there.
After the dough has doubled in size, take it out of the bowl. Sprinkle a clean surface with a little bit of flour and place the dough on top. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough into a thin rectangle shape. (Sprinkle more flour on the dough as needed if it is too sticky).
Roll the dough as thin as you can get it (I rolled mine to about 1/4 inch / 1/2 cm). Use a pastry brush or a spoon to spread the coconut oil/ butter to the rolled out dough. Next, sprinkle the sugar and the cinnamon on top.
Note: You can either add the filling this way, or melt the coconut oil in the microwave and mix it in a bowl with the sugar and cinnamon and spread it on the dough that way.
Next, start rolling the dough. Start rolling it from the short side of the dough. Roll as tightly as you can. Once you have rolled the whole dough, cut off the ends.
Use a piece of unscented dental floss (or a knife) to cut the roll into evenly sized pieces. I used a ruler to measure mine ahead of time to make sure they are all the same size, but you can just ballpark it, if you want to skip that step.
Line a baking pan or a cookie tray with parchment paper and place the rolls on top. I used a baking tray and spaced out my rolls so that they were not touching, because I wanted to make sure that their shape stays in tact. They will get bigger in size when they bake, so I didn’t want them to crowd each other.
You can do this, or you can place them in a baking tray where they are barely touching. This way also turns out delicious. The difference is that if you bake them while they are really close together in the pan, they will bake into one large pastry and the edges of each roll will be very soft.
Once you have lined the rolls on the baking tray or pan, cover them up with a towel and leave them on top of the oven (where it’s warm) for 20-30 minutes. This is so the rolls can expand in size and fluff up some more. Use this time to preheat the oven to 350*F.
Place the rolls in the oven and bake them for 20-25 minutes. (Bake for an extra 5 minutes if your rolls are squished really close together).
Now it’s time to create your frosting. Combine the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla into a bowl and whisk the ingredients together until they are well incorporated.
Once the rolls have cooled enough to eat, add a large dollop of frosting on each roll and dig in!
Video
If you like cinnamon rolls, you might also like these other cinnamon roll inspired recipes:
Best Cinnamon Rolls Recipe (Vegan)
Ingredients
Dough Ingredients
- 1/3 cup coconut oil or vegan butter
- 1 1/2 cups dairy-free milk
- 1/3 cup coconut sugar
- 1 packet yeast 2 1/4 tsp
- 3 1/3 cups all purpose flour 528 grams
- dash of salt
Filling Ingredients
- 1/3 cup coconut oil softened, but not melted
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
Frosting Ingredients
- 1 cup dairy-free cream cheese
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Combine room temperature coconut oil and dairy free milk in a large bowl and microwave them for about 1 minute. Use a thermometer to measure the temperature and ensure that they are between 105-110*F.
- To the oil and milk, add the sugar and mix it in well so that all of the granules dissolve in the milk.
- Sprinkle the package of yeast on top of the oil, milk, and sugar mixture. Cover the bowl with a towel and let it sit for 5-10 minutes, so that the yeast can activate.
- In the meantime, combine the flour and salt together in a separate bowl.
- Once the yeast has activated, start adding in the flour. Add just a little bit at a time (about 1 cup at a time) and mix well each time. Once all of the flour has been added and you’ve created your dough, cover the bowl of dough with a towel and leave it in a warm place for 45 minutes- 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in size. I turn on my oven to 100*F and leave the dough in there.
- After the dough has doubled in size, take it out of the bowl. Sprinkle a clean surface with a little bit of flour and place the dough on top. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough into a thin rectangle shape. (Sprinkle more flour on the dough as needed if it is too sticky).
- Roll the dough as thin as you can get it (I rolled mine to about 1/4 inch / 1/2 cm). Use a pastry brush or a spoon to spread the coconut oil/ butter to the rolled out dough. Next, sprinkle the sugar and the cinnamon on top.
- Note: You can either add the filling this way, or melt the coconut oil in the microwave and mix it in a bowl with the sugar and cinnamon and spread it on the dough that way.
- Next, start rolling the dough. Start rolling it from the short side of the dough. Roll as tightly as you can. Once you have rolled the whole dough, cut off the ends.
- Use a piece of unscented dental floss (or a knife) to cut the roll into 12 evenly sized pieces. I used a ruler to measure mine ahead of time to make sure they are all the same size, but you can just ballpark it, if you want to skip that step.
- Line a baking pan or a cookie tray with parchment paper and place the rolls on top. I used a baking tray and spaced out my rolls so that they were not touching, because I wanted to make sure that their shape stays in tact. They will get bigger in size when they bake, so I didn’t want them to crowd each other.
- You can do this, or you can place them in a baking tray where they are barely touching. This way also turns out delicious. The difference is that if you bake them while they are really close together in the pan, they will bake into one large pastry and the edges of each roll will be very soft.
- Once you have lined the rolls on the baking tray or pan, cover them up with a towel and leave them on top of the oven (where it’s warm) for 20-30 minutes. This is so the rolls can expand in size and fluff up some more. Use this time to preheat the oven to 350*F.
- Place the rolls in the oven and bake them for 20-25 minutes. (Bake for an extra 5 minutes if your rolls are squished really close together).
- Now it’s time to create your frosting. Combine the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla into a bowl and whisk the ingredients together until they are well incorporated.
- Once the rolls have cooled enough to eat, add a large dollop of frosting on each roll and dig in!
Video
Nutrition
How do I store the cinnamon rolls and how long do they last?
Many people store their cinnamon rolls in an airtight container and leave it on the counter at room temperature. You can definitely do that, but I have not tested to see how many days the cinnamon rolls last that way. That’s because I usually store mine in an airtight container in the fridge instead. They last for 5-6 days that way. Just make sure to reheat the rolls before eating them because they taste much better warm.
Can I use a different flour for this recipe?
In this recipe, I use all-purpose flour. I highly recommend using all purpose because the rolls turn out really soft and fluffy. Whole wheat flour will also work. I haven’t experimented with gluten free flours, but I always have great results with 1:1 gluten free baking flours like this one from Bob’s Red Mill or this one from King Arthur baking, so I imagine that it would work with those flours as well. This recipe will not work with almond flour or coconut flour.
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