Amazing Vegan Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls (Gluten Free Option!)
These fluffy, soft, and absolutely amazing gingerbread cinnamon rolls are infused with ginger and molasses in the dough and baked to the gooiest holiday breakfast bun! You won’t even notice they’re naturally vegan and topped with the most amazing dairy free cream cheese icing for a perfect Christmas morning breakfast!
Why you need to make these easy gingerbread cinnamon rolls for your holiday breakfast:
What’s better than classic cinnamon rolls?? Gingerbread cinnamon rolls. Literally the perfect combination of holiday flavors, Christmas cookies, and of course, the ever so loved cinnamon roll. You just can’t top these cinnamon rolls. Except with dairy free cream cheese frosting of course (that honestly, I could eat with a spoon alone, it’s so good!).
These gingerbread cinnamon rolls are perfectly soft, fluffy, gooey and just so sweet with a balance of rich molasses and warming ginger. It’s like a warm hug in a bite, and you’ll love it.
Plus, we can easily make this classic holiday breakfast with an overnight option. And guess what? These gingerbread cinnamon rolls are naturally vegan, eggless, dairy free, and easily gluten free as well! Trust me, even if you’re not vegan, you’re going to love these cinnamon rolls. And if you’re gluten free, now you won’t have to miss out on the fun!
Simple vegan cinnamon roll ingredients
Here’s all you need to make these easy vegan cinnamon rolls:
- Flour: I used all purpose flour- no need for anything fancier! We also have a gluten free option, which I’ll go over down below.
- Active dry yeast: If you’re using rapid rise yeast, please note that the process will go a bit faster. You’ll definitely need rapid rise yeast if you’re using the gluten free version.
- Brown sugar: I love the taste of brown sugar with molasses- I feel like it gives it a super rich gingerbread flavor. However, you can also use just plain granulated sugar or even coconut sugar if you’d like to keep it refined sugar free.
- Dairy free milk: I recommend a super creamy dairy free milk, such as Forager Project soymilk or oat milk.
- Vegan butter: My favorite vegan butter brand is Miyoko’s- they’re amazing! But for nut-free I highly recommend Flora Plant Butter- they’re just as delicious!
- Applesauce: This may sound weird, but this replaces the eggs found in traditional cinnamon roll dough (which is essentially a brioche dough).
- Molasses: Unlike other gingerbread cinnamon rolls around, I wanted to add molasses to the actual dough. Molasses adds such a wonderful moisture and richness to breads, and it really takes these gingerbread rolls to the next level!
- Ground ginger & cinnamon: the classic gingerbread spices of course!
How to make gingerbread cinnamon roll dough (overview)
For the full written instructions and ingredient measurements, see the bottom of this post in the recipe card. You can also hit the “jump to recipe” button at the top of this post! Here, we’ll go over a brief overview of the steps, along with providing visuals for a better understanding of the recipe.
What I love about this easy cinnamon roll dough is that you can either make it by hand or by a stand mixer. The methods are pretty similar!
How to make gingerbread cinnamon rolls:
- Bloom the yeast.
When we’re blooming the yeast, we need both a tablespoon of flour and of sugar, added into heated dairy free milk. Make sure that your milk temperature is around 110F. Any hotter, and you rise deactivating the yeast. Any cooler, and your cinnamon rolls won’t rise. Yeast thrive off of heat.
- Once the yeast is bloomed, make the dough!
Similar to our vegan cinnamon rolls, you’ll add in the remaining wet ingredients and mix (or mix by hand!) on medium speed until combined. This time, however, you’ll also add in the molasses. Then you’ll finish with the flour with the addition of ground ginger and cinnamon. Mix until you get almost a shaggy dough, like below.
- Knead the dough.
You’ll lightly knead the dough just until it’s not so tacky. Once you’ve reached a smooth dough ball, you’ll place it into a greased bowl to rise. It’s important that you’re greasing the bowl so that when you go to roll your cinnamon roll dough, it’s not stuck to the edges of the bowl!
- Proof the dough.
Cover the dough and proof it until it’s doubled in size, like below. A warm area is crucial, so make sure that you place the bowl covered in at least 85F. If it’s a cooler day in Florida (not often, but it does happen!), I’ll turn on the oven to 350F, then after a few minutes, I’ll turn it off. Next, I’ll turn on the oven light then place the bowl into the oven. This keeps the oven nice and warm!
- Roll out your cinnamon roll dough and fill the gingerbread cinnamon rolls.
Much like our other cinnamon rolls recipes, you’ll roll out the dough to be a rectangle. With the gingerbread cinnamon rolls filling, spread it evenly to touch the edges of the dough. The filling is just so delicious: a combination of vegan butter, molasses, brown sugar, cinnamon, and ginger. Then roll the dough tightly. Slice and place each roll into your prepared casserole dish to rest before baking again. They should dough in size, like below!
- Bake and frost!
Once the oven is preheated, simply bake the gingerbread cinnamon rolls, and then frost with a delicious cream cheese frosting!
How to perfectly slice cinnamon rolls:
Have you ever rolled your cinnamon roll dough so beautifully only to ruin it by using the wrong slicing utensil? I’ve totally been there. The best (and secret!) way to slice perfectly swirly cinnamon rolls without losing that gorgeous twist is by using a clean piece of unflavored floss or twine!
To slice these gingerbread cinnamon rolls, simply wiggle the floss underneath where you’d like to slice. Then cross the two ends at the top and pull. You then have a perfectly sliced cinnamon roll!
Do these gingerbread cinnamon rolls taste vegan?
These gingerbread cinnamon rolls do not taste vegan in the slightest, but it really depends on the ingredients you use. I recommend Miyoko’s vegan butter or Flora Plant Butter for the filling, and Forager Project oat milk or soy milk for the milk in the dough. These are really the only two ingredients that will alter the flavor if you get a not-so-great brand!
Other than that, these gingerbread cinnamon rolls are perfectly soft, fluffy, moist, and sweet. Loved by all eaters, vegan or not!
Can I make these cinnamon rolls gluten free?
Absolutely! To make these gingerbread cinnamon rolls gluten free, simply use our favorite gluten free cinnamon roll dough as a base. Using the base dough, you’ll add in the molasses and cinnamon ginger spices. Then for the filling, you’ll simply swap in the gingerbread filling rather than the simple cinnamon sugar filling. Easy as that!
How to make these cinnamon rolls overnight:
If you’re like me and just want to wake up to cinnamon rolls baking in the oven on Christmas morning, then read on. These gingerbread sweet rolls are easily made the night before right up until the second proof. Then simply cover and place your casserole dish full of your perfectly swirly cinnamon rolls into the fridge to rest overnight. In the morning, bring the casserole dish out and leave it near the oven as it preheats.
Then continue baking your gingerbread cinnamon rolls as the directions mention!
You are just going to absolutely love these easy vegan gingerbread cinnamon rolls, whether or not you’re vegan! These sweet rolls are:
- fluffy and soft
- perfectly sweet
- rich with gingerbread and molasses flavors
- super easy to make
- undetectably vegan and dairy free
- easily made gluten free
- AMAZING with the vegan cream cheese frosting on top!
- perfect for Christmas morning breakfast or any winter morning!
And if you want a whole holiday breakfast spread in the morning, I recommend checking out this vegan monkey bread and vegan cinnamon babka as well! They’re absolute crowd pleasers!
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If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. This helps others to find the recipes! As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there as well!
Print
Amazing Vegan Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls (Gluten Free Option!)
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These fluffy, soft, and absolutely amazing gingerbread cinnamon rolls are infused with ginger and molasses in the dough and baked to the gooiest holiday breakfast bun! You won’t even notice they’re naturally vegan and topped with the most amazing dairy free cream cheese icing for a perfect Christmas morning breakfast!
Ingredients
Vegan Cinnamon 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) granulated sugar or brown sugar or coconut sugar, divided
- 1 1/4 cup (270 grams) dairy-free milk, unsweetened, room temperature
- 1/4 cup (57 grams) salted vegan butter, melted and room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup (87 grams) unsweetened applesauce, room temperature
- 2 tbsp molasses
- 1/2 tbsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tbsp ground ginger
Vegan Cinnamon Roll Filling:
- 1/2 cup (113 grams) vegan butter or coconut oil, room temperature
- 3 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
- 1 tbsp molasses
- 2/3 cup (65 grams) brown sugar
Dairy Free Icing:
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup (113 grams) vegan butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (113 grams) vegan cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Please read through all instructions before beginning. The overnight option and gluten free option are down below in the notes section.
- Prep: Grease a medium sized bowl with olive oil or coconut oil, and set aside. Make sure the vegan butter for the dough is melted and cooled.
- 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 sugar, applesauce, melted vegan butter, molasses, 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, plus the cinnamon and ginger, 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, mix together the vegan butter, molasses, sugar, cinnamon, and ginger for the cinnamon roll filling. Set aside.
- Make the vegan cinnamon 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 cinnamon roll filling mixture to the edges of the dough. Roll into tight rolls and away from you. Slice the roll into 12 even cinnamon 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 350F. Let the cinnamon rolls rise for 30 minutes while the oven is preheating.
- Bake the cinnamon rolls: Place the cinnamon 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 dairy-free frosting: in a medium bowl or stand mixer, cream the vegan butter and vegan cream cheese until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract, and cream again until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Serve and enjoy! Spread the frosting onto the vegan gingerbread cinnamon 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.
Notes
If making a day ahead of time, complete Step 7 through the second rise, then cover the cinnamon rolls and place them in the fridge overnight. When ready to bake, allow the rolls to sit in the oven (not started) with the light on for 20-25 minutes. Then, remove the rolls from the oven, and allow the cinnamon rolls to rest over or by the oven as it preheats.
Gluten free vegan cinnamon rolls: Please see this post for our favorite gluten free vegan cinnamon rolls! Use the base dough of this recipe, and add in the molasses, cinnamon and ginger to the main dough. Then use the gingerbread filling instead of the filling listed in the GF vegan cinnamon roll post.
Gingerbread cookies: The gingerbread cookies on top are from my vegan gingerbread recipe. Just a fun topping idea if you want to go the extra mile, and absolutely delicious!
The texture on the dough is amazing. This is a gorgeous vegan cinnamon roll dough. I want a little more flavor though. The cooked roll definitely tastes bland, even with the tasty cinnamon ginger molasses filling. I think the bread needs something more. I’m thinking more molasses in the dough? I’m worried about messing with that gorgeous texture though.