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Just 6 GIANT soft and fluffy gingerbread cinnamon rolls infused with molasses in the dough for extra softness and swirled with a deliciously sticky and gooey gingerbread filling!! Absolutely no eggs, no dairy, and YES there’s an overnight option! Let’s not forget about that maple ‘cream cheese’ frosting too 🙂 These gingerbread cinnamon rolls are everything your holiday morning should be!

gingerbread cinnamon rolls in a dish

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!

gingerbread cinnamon roll in casserole dish

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!
  • Dairy free yogurt: 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!
cinnamon roll on a plate

Overview: How to make gingerbread cinnamon rolls

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!

The dough comes together so easily by hand if needed. Once kneaded, you’ll proof until doubled in size, like above.
Roll out to be around a 12×12″ square of dough.
Smear the gingerbread cinnamon roll filling on top.
Then slice the dough into six 2×12″ strips. We’ll roll them tightly to form our 6 giant cinnamon rolls.
Place them into your prepared casserole dish to proof again while the oven preheats (or this is where you can rest them overnight!).
Once ready to bake, pour the vegan heavy cream on top.
Bake for 30-32 minutes then frost!
gingerbread cinnamon rolls in a plate
And enjoy!

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!

bitten gingerbread cinnamon roll

Want to save this recipe for later? Add it to your favorite recipe board on Pinterest!

Small Batch GIANT Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls - Vegan & No Eggs! pinterest pin

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!

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cinnamon roll on a plate

Small Batch GIANT Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls- Vegan & No Eggs!

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  • Author: thebananadiaries
  • Prep Time: 30
  • Cook Time: 30
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 12 1x
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan
Print Recipe

Description

Just 6 GIANT soft and fluffy gingerbread cinnamon rolls infused with molasses in the dough for extra softness and swirled with a deliciously sticky and gooey gingerbread filling!! Absolutely no eggs, no dairy, and YES there’s an overnight option! Let’s not forget about that maple ‘cream cheese’ frosting too 🙂 These gingerbread cinnamon rolls are everything your holiday morning should be!

Ingredients

Scale

Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls:

  • 2 1/2 cups (300 g) all-purpose flour, divided (plus more for flouring surface)* see notes for Gluten Free
  • 1 packet (7 g) quick rise dry active yeast
  • 3 tbsp (45 g) granulated sugar or coconut sugar, divided
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 cup (120 mL) dairy-free milk, unsweetened, warmed
  • 2 tbsp (45 g) dairy free yogurt, room temperature
  • 1 tbsp molasses
  • 3 tbsp (45 g) vegan butter, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Pre-bake:

  • 1/2 cup (120 mL) vegan heavy cream

Vegan Cinnamon Roll Filling:

  • 3 tbsp vegan butter, room temperature
  • 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tbsp molasses
  • 2/3 cup (65 grams) light brown sugar

Dairy Free Icing:

  • 1– 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tbsp vegan butter, room temperature
  • 2 tbsp vegan cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Please read through all instructions before beginning. The overnight option and gluten free option are down below in the notes section.
  2. Prep: Grease a medium sized bowl with olive oil or coconut oil, and set aside.
  3. 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 sugar. Gently whisk together, then sprinkle yeast, mix with a spoon lightly, cover, and let activate for 10 minutes in a warm area.
  4. 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, dairy free yogurt, molasses, vanilla extract, ginger, and cinnamon. Mix on medium speed until combine. Then add in the flour and mix on medium speed until the flour starts to incorporate into the wet mixture. Add the vegan butter, and knead until you get a smooth and slightly tacky dough ball.
  5. First proof: 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.
  6. While the dough is rising: grease a medium casserole dish with oil and set aside (I used a 7×10). In a small bowl, mix together the vegan butter, molasses, sugar, cinnamon, and ginger for the cinnamon roll filling. Set aside.
  7. 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 square (12 in x 12 in). Lightly spread the dough with cinnamon roll filling mixture to the edges of the dough.  Slice one side into 2″ intervals, yielding six 2×12″ strips.  Roll into 6 even cinnamon rolls. Place into the oil-greased dish.
  8. 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.
  9. Bake the cinnamon rolls: Before placing the rolls into the oven, pour the vegan heavy cream over the rolls. Place the cinnamon rolls into the oven and bake for 30-32 minutes, or until lightly golden. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes while you prepare the icing.
  10. 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.
  11. 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!