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
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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: 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.
- 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!