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These soft & plush chai cinnamon rolls are the made with a chai infused cinnamon roll dough and swirled with a sticky and gooey chai brown sugar filling and smeared with an irresistible chai ‘cream cheese’ frosting. Made entirely without eggs and NO dairy (yep, they’re vegan!!), these chai cinnamon rolls are ridiculously easy and about to be your new favorite fall baking recipe!!

vegan chai cinnamon rolls in baking pan

Why you need to try these vegan chai cinnamon rolls:

This is truly a cinnamon roll recipe for chai lovers only. And I’m so shocked I haven’t been making more chai recipes (maybe because I love apple and pumpkin recipes just so much!!), but this will all be changing because wow. Just WOW.

These gooey chai cinnamon rolls are based off of the Banana reader favorite gooey vegan cinnamon rolls, excepted fully infused with everything you love about chai in every single component!!

Why this recipe works:

  • Chai-infused dough: The rolls bake up so pillowy soft and plush with a simple brioche-like “buttery” chai-spiced dough that uses dairy free milk steeped with chai tea bags. The flavor is rich and warm and just lovely!
  • Gooey chai-spiced brown sugar filling: We’re then swirling the rolls with a brown sugar chai filling that when baked, becomes super gooey, thanks to also using a vegan heavy cream that’s been infused with chai as well!
  • The creamiest chai-spiced cream cheese frosting: And to finish, we’re smearing these rolls with a chai-spiced vegan cream cheese frosting!! OH, is it spoonable and just lovely.
  • NO eggs and NO dairy needed!! I’m serious. I’ve been baking vegan for over 6 years now, and have truly perfected these swaps to be easy and simple.
bitten vegan chai cinnamon roll

Overview: How to make chai 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.

steeping the chai
blooming the yeast
baked and frosted chai cinnamon rolls

An unconventional slicing technique:

You may have seen this pop up on Instagram from time to time on how to slice cinnamon rolls, and it’s actually my favorite technique. I’ve been using it for years, and haven’t rolled a cinnamon roll log since!

You’ll roll out the dough to a rectangle, and instead of then rolling to form a log, you’ll slice and roll the cinnamon rolls individually using a pizza cutter or large knife. This helps to create that absolutely perfect spiral that rises up so beautifully in the oven.

Why we pour vegan heavy cream on top:

And this is not just any plain ol’ vegan heavy cream or cashew cream. It’s actually dairy free heavy cream that’s been steeped in more chai tea bags. Making these chai cinnamon rolls extra flavorful and packed with those warming spices!

During the baking process, the chai cinnamon roll dough will absorb the vegan heavy cream, creating an even more plush and soft texture, while also caramelizing some of the brown sugar chai filling. This yields both a plush and gooey chai cinnamon roll that just cannot be topped!

frosted vegan chai cinnamon rolls

Can these chai cinnamon rolls be made gluten free?

So I personally have not tested this, BUT I imagine it would work with my gluten free vegan cinnamon rolls recipe with just a few minor adaptations. Again, I have not tested this, so I CANNOT guarantee it will work. However, if it were me, this is what I would do:

  • Keep the dough recipe the same, except steep the milk in the chai tea bags, as per the instructions in Step 3 of this recipe.
  • Swap the filling of the gluten free vegan cinnamon roll recipe for this chai filling.
  • Top with the chai cream cheese frosting!

Those adaptations should work for a gluten free version of these chai cinnamon rolls!!

sliced vegna chai cinnamon roll on a plate

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

GOOEY Vegan Chai Cinnamon Rolls 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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vegan chai cinnamon rolls in baking pan

Gooey Vegan Chai Cinnamon Rolls

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 1 review
  • Author: Britt Berlin
  • Prep Time: 30
  • Cook Time: 30
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 12 1x
  • Category: Sweet Rolls
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan
Print Recipe

Description

These soft & plush chai cinnamon rolls are the made with a chai infused cinnamon roll dough and swirled with a sticky and gooey chai brown sugar filling and smeared with an irresistible chai ‘cream cheese’ frosting. Made entirely without eggs and NO dairy (yep, they’re vegan!!), these chai cinnamon rolls are ridiculously easy and about to be your new favorite fall baking recipe!!

Ingredients

Scale

Chai Cinnamon Roll Dough:

  • 4 1/4 cups (540 g) + 1 tbsp all-purpose flour, divided (plus more for flouring surface)
  • 1 1/4 cup (270 mL) dairy-free milk, unsweetened, room temperature, steeped with 2 chai tea bags
  • 1 packet (8 g) activated yeast
  • 1/2 cup (90 g) granulated sugar or coconut sugar, divided
  • 1/3 cup (87 g) unsweetened dairy free yogurt, room temperature
  • 1/4 cup (57 g) salted vegan butter, melted and room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Filling:

  • 1/2 cup (113 g) vegan butter or coconut oil, softened
  • 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp cardamom
  • 1/4 tsp cloves
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 3/4 cup (150 g) brown sugar

Heavy Cream:

  • 1/4 cup (60 mL) vegan heavy cream, steeped in 1 tea bag

Chai Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup (56 g) vegan butter, room temperature
  • 1/4 cup (57 g) vegan cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/8 tsp cardamom
  • 1/8 tsp cloves
  • 1/8 tsp nutmeg

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. Make sure the vegan butter for the dough is melted and cooled.
  3. Steep the dairy-free milk: Heat the dairy-free milk until boiling, then steep two chai tea bags into the milk for 5 minutes, or according to instructions. Once steeped, remove the tea bags (save one for the vegan heavy cream in step 10) and let the milk cool down to 110F.
  4. Activate the yeast: Add in 1 tbsp sugar to the cooled chai. Gently whisk together, then sprinkle yeast, mix with a spoon lightly, cover, and let activate for 10 minutes in a warm area.
  5. 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, melted vegan 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.
  6. 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.
  7. While the dough is rising: grease a large casserole dish with oil and set aside. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar and spices for the filling, and set aside.
  8. 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 vegan butter to the edges of the dough. Then sprinkle on the sugar cinnamon mixture evenly. Don’t add the vegan heavy cream just yet. That will be AFTER the second rise. 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. See notes section for pizza cutter option. Place into the oil-greased dish.
  9. 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.
  10. Steep the vegan heavy cream: While the rolls are resting, steep the vegan heavy cream in the chai tea bags by heating the vegan heavy cream until hot and steeping per instructions of your tea box.
  11. Bake the cinnamon rolls: When ready to bake, pour the vegan heavy cream into the crevices between the cinnamon rolls (see photos in blog post). Place the cinnamon rolls into the oven and bake for 20-22 minutes, or until lightly golden. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes while you prepare the icing.
  12. Make the dairy-free chai cream cheese frosting: in a medium bowl or stand mixer, cream the vegan butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in the powdered sugar, spices, and vanilla extract, and cream again until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.
  13. Serve and enjoy! Spread the frosting onto the vegan chai 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.

Pizza cutter option: I sometimes like to roll the cinnamon rolls individually. To do this, I slice each roll into 1.5″ strips using a pizza cutter, and roll the rolls individually.

Gluten free vegan cinnamon rolls: Please see this post for our favorite gluten free vegan cinnamon rolls!

Alternative icing: Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • 1/2 cup dairy free cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  1. Cream the cream cheese and the powdered sugar together until smooth.
  2. Spread onto cinnamon rolls and enjoy!