Gooey & Sweet Raspberry Buns (Sweet Rolls made Vegan!)
These deliciously sweet raspberry buns are the perfect sweet roll recipe! With a vanilla infused sweet bread, gooey and sweet raspberry filling, and an easy raspberry frosting, these raspberry sweet rolls are just irresistible! Secretly vegan, eggless, dairy free, and no sugar added to the filling as well!
Why you NEED to try these raspberry swirl sweet rolls!
Before these raspberry buns came into my life, when given the choice between something fruity or something decadent sweet, like a cinnamon roll, I’d go with the decadent option. But after trying these raspberry swirl sweet rolls, my mind has been completely changed.
Words cannot express how much of a smash these raspberry buns were with both my family and, shockingly, me. Actually, I was pretty shocked at the praise from everyone who tried them (and this is not to toot my own horn, this is simply to show how amazed we all were at the results!). Trust me, the only regret you’ll have after making these is that you won’t be able to stop at just one. We all tried (and failed ha!).
These raspberry buns are like a light, fluffy, and soft bit of heaven all rolled into a breakfast roll. Filled with perfectly gooey and sweet raspberry baked into a vanilla infused sweet bread, these breakfast rolls will soon be a favorite for everyone.
Oh, and let’s not forget the dairy free fresh raspberry frosting that goes on top.
We haven’t even discussed the coolest part of this recipe: these raspberry sweet rolls are entirely (yet undetectably) dairy free, eggless, vegan, refined sugar free, and made with a no-sugar-added filling! Yes, that raspberry sweet filling you taste is just sweet with the raspberries, nothing else!
Believe me, I was shocked too. I mean, these rolls were just perfectly gooey and tender without being overwhelmingly sweet. And the raspberry frosting on top? Out of this WORLD! These are the ultimate raspberry buns, and I just cannot wait for you to try them!
What’s the difference between a sweet roll and a cinnamon roll?
You might be wondering if your raspberry buns will taste like a cinnamon roll…but with fruit. The answer is no, these raspberry sweet rolls are definitely geared more towards summer!
In fact, there’s absolutely no cinnamon whatsoever in these homemade easy raspberry buns. Just sweet vanilla bursting with real raspberries (no need for preserves or jams- we’re using frozen raspberries here!).
But technically speaking, cinnamon rolls are a form of a sweet roll. Sweet rolls are essentially a breakfast roll that’s, well, rolled, and filled with something sweet. In the case of cinnamon rolls, that would be butter (or vegan butter for us 😉 ), cinnamon and sugar. For raspberry sweet rolls, we’re using just vegan butter, frozen raspberries, and arrowroot starch.
How to make raspberry buns from scratch
Making raspberry buns is actually quite similar to making cinnamon rolls, so if you’ve made the latter, then these rolls will be very easy for you! As always, the full written instructions and ingredient measurements are found down below in the recipe card. However, we’re going to go over a brief overview of how to make these rolls here.
You’ll first start by activating the yeast, followed by making the dough, the raspberry filling, then baking the sweet rolls!
I’ve discussed properly activating yeast in many of my bread recipes before, so if you’re new here, please go check those out! Another great article is by Sally’s Baking Addiction. I also walk you through the steps thoroughly in the recipe card, so be sure to read through the directions prior to beginning.
Make the dough after your yeast is activated. This is a sweet vanilla bread that we’re making for the base of these raspberry swirl sweet rolls. It’s super easy to make and can be made either in a stand mixer or by hand. I’ve made bread by hand for years (and only recently purchased a stand mixer this past year!), so trust me: it can be done!
After you’ve kneaded your dough, you’ll allow it to rise and double in size. Towards the end of its rising time, prepare the raspberry filling. Softened vegan butter, frozen raspberries, and arrowroot starch make the filling. If you don’t have arrowroot, you can use cornstarch! They’re interchangeable and 1:1.
Roll the dough out to be a large rectangle on a clean floured surface, and spread the dough with softened vegan butter. Sprinkle on the raspberry and arrowroot starch mixture, and re-roll the buns. For easy sweet roll slicing, I use a piece of unflavored floss. It’s perfect for making sure that the dough swirl doesn’t collapse!
Once your sweet rolls are sliced and in the prepared pan, you’ll allow them to rest again while the oven preheats. After the oven is preheated you’ll bake the raspberry rolls until light and golden.
Now for the raspberry frosting: arguably what makes these raspberry buns. This raspberry frosting is made with just vegan butter (I used Flora Plant Butter for the entire recipe- it’s nut free and absolutely delicious!), fresh raspberries, and powdered sugar.
Now, using raspberries in frosting can be tricky, as the frosting might be prone to split. So we’ll need to puree the raspberries first, then strain the seeds. This will help prevent your raspberry frosting from splitting.
Frost the raspberry swirl sweet rolls, and enjoy!
Sweet roll variations:
If you don’t have frozen raspberries on hand or want to try another fruit, you absolutely can! Here are some of my recommendations. Keep in mind that all of these fruits are frozen:
- blueberries
- mixed berries
- strawberries + lemon juice
- pineapple and mango pureed + topped with coconut flakes
For the glaze, you can keep it fruit inspired by using the raspberry frosting or you can keep it simple and use our vegan glaze that’s paired with our vegan cinnamon rolls.
Baking with Yeast
If this is your first time baking with yeast, do not fret!! It’s actually quite easy, and with a review of a few of our favorite tips, you’ll be a pro in no time.
I’ve reviewed baking with yeast extensively in these recipes: vegan brioche, vegan cinnamon rolls, and vegan dinner rolls. However, let’s summarize a few key takeaways:
- Measure and weigh out all of your ingredients before beginning. I also recommend using a digital scale for this purpose. It really is the best way to approach baking. For years I used cup measurements, but I realized that one person’s 1 cup of flour can weigh 125 grams while another’s can weigh 140 grams (spoon & leveling flour vs scooping flour). This will yield drastically different results. It’s also a good idea to read through the entire recipe before beginning so you can gage how long the recipe will take you!
- Use a thin dish towel for the proofing. Over the years of baking all sorts of breads, I’ve come to find my absolute favorite bread baking towel. It’s perfectly thin and soft, which allows the oxygen to still get to the dough (a necessary process for bread baking) while keeping the environment for the bread warm. My dish towel is actually from Anthropologie, they have many that are soft and on the thinner side that are great for bread baking!
- Be sure that you are activating the yeast properly. You can quickly determine whether your yeast is activated properly in the first stage of the recipe. If you notice your yeast isn’t activating after the first step, you might need to scrap it and start over. Here’s a really thorough article on yeast activation.
- If it’s a warm summer day: you can easily proof your dough outside! You might even notice that the dough takes even quicker than an hour to double in size! If you’re making these raspberry buns in the early spring, you might need to use your proof setting on the oven, or you can preheat the oven to 200F, turn the oven off, then keep the oven light on to create that warm environment.
You are just going to absolutely love these vegan raspberry sweet rolls! They’re the perfect recipe for Mother’s Day brunch, Memorial Day, birthday brunches, Easter, Fourth of July, and more! Absolutely everyone is going to be going back for seconds!
If you make these raspberry buns, please be sure to leave a comment and a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ down below. This helps others find the recipe more easily!
As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there!
Happy sweet roll baking!
More vegan sweet roll recipes you’ll love:
Amazing Vegan Brioche Bread
Best Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
Gooey Vegan Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Easy Vegan Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls
Want to save this recipe for later? Add it to your favorite recipe board on Pinterest!
Easy Raspberry Buns (Sweet Rolls that are secretly Vegan!)
- Prep Time: 30 + rise time
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These deliciously sweet raspberry buns are the perfect sweet roll recipe! With a vanilla infused sweet bread, gooey and sweet raspberry filling, and an easy raspberry frosting, these raspberry sweet rolls are just irresistible! Secretly vegan, eggless, dairy free, and no sugar added to the filling as well!
Ingredients
Raspberry Rolls:
- 4 1/4 cups (540 grams) + 1 tbsp all-purpose flour, divided (plus more for flouring surface)
- 1 packet (8 grams) activated yeast
- 1/2 cup (90 grams) coconut sugar, divided
- 1 1/4 cup (270 grams) dairy-free milk, unsweetened, room temperature
- 1/4 cup (57 grams) salted Flora Plant Butter, melted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup (87 grams) unsweetened applesauce, room temperature
Raspberry Swirl Filling:
- 1/2 cup (113 grams) salted Flora Plant Butter, softened
- 10 ounces frozen raspberries (do NOT thaw)
- 1 1/2 tsp arrowroot starch
Raspberry Frosting:
- 1/4 cup (57 grams) salted Flora Plant Butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup raspberries
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
Instructions
- Grease a medium sized bowl with olive oil or coconut oil, and set aside.
- Activate the yeast: In microwave-safe bowl, heat the dairy-free milk until it reaches 110F- use a food thermometer to accurately measure the temperature. Any cooler or hotter, and the yeast won’t activate properly. Add in 1 tbsp coconut sugar and the extra 1 tbsp flour. Gently whisk together, then sprinkle yeast, mix with a spoon lightly, cover, and let activate for 10 minutes in a warm area.
- Make the dough: When activated, pour the mixture into a large bowl or a stand mixer with the dough attachment. Add in the remaining coconut sugar, applesauce, melted Flora Plant Butter, and vanilla extract. Mix on medium speed until combine. Then add in about half of the flour and mix on medium speed until the flour starts to incorporate into the wet mixture. Add the remaining flour, and mix on medium speed until a shaggy dough forms. Lightly flour a clean surface and place the dough onto the surface, sprinkling some extra flour on top or kneading.
- First proof: Knead the dough lightly, for 2-4 minutes, until it forms a smooth dough ball that’s not sticky. Then place the dough into the greased medium bowl, cover with a cloth or wrap, and place into a warm area to let rise for 1 hour. It should be double in size. If it’s at least 80F outside, you can place the bowl outside, otherwise you can place it in the oven (which is turned off) and turn on the oven light or start preheating the oven to 350F and place the bowl near or on top of the oven.
- While the dough is rising: grease a large casserole dish with oil and set aside. In a small bowl, toss the frozen raspberry with the arrowroot starch and set aside.
- Make the raspberry rolls: After the dough has doubled, lightly punch down the dough. Lightly flour a clean surface, and place the dough in the middle. Sprinkle a little extra flour on top of the dough and flour the rolling pin. Roll the dough out to be a large rectangle (12 in x 18 in). Lightly spread the dough with softened Flora Plant Butter until it reaches the edges. Then sprinkle the frozen raspberries mixture on top, making sure the raspberries are evenly distributed. Roll the sweet rolls length-wise into tight rolls and away from you. Slice the roll into 12 even raspberry rolls. To easily slice, you can use a piece of thin twine or unflavored floss. Place into the oil-greased dish.
- Second proof: Cover again with a clean towel or wrap, and place over or by the oven while the oven preheats to 400F. Let the cinnamon rolls rise for 30 minutes while the oven is preheating.
- Bake the raspberry rolls: Place the raspberry sweet rolls into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until lightly golden. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes while you prepare the icing.
- Make the raspberry frosting: To make the dairy free raspberry icing, blitz the raspberries in a food processor until it becomes a puree. Use a mesh sieve to strain the raspberries over a bowl and remove the seeds so you’re just left with the raspberry puree. You might need to use a spoon to help you get the raspberry puree to move through the sieve. In a medium bowl or stand mixer, cream the Flora Plant Butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in the raspberry puree and powdered sugar, and cream again until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Serve and enjoy! Spread the frosting onto the raspberry rolls and serve warm. If you have any leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container and place them in the fridge for up to 4 days. To reheat, simply warm them on a baking sheet with parchment paper at 350F for 5-7 minutes.
I made these and they were incredible. Raspberry has replaced cinnamon as my preferred flavoring for rolls – and the icing is so good, too!