Soft & Fluffy Easy Vegan Cinnamon Rolls (Overnight Option)

These unbelievably vegan cinnamon rolls are honestly the best cinnamon rolls you will ever eat! Even non-vegans LOVE them! Soft, fluffy, sweet, and cinnamon-y, and they’re incredibly easy to make with a straight forward method and an overnight option too. You’ll be a vegan cinnamon bun pro in no time!

Why you’ll love these AMAZING vegan cinnamon rolls

This is the only vegan cinnamon roll recipe you’ll ever need. Seriously, they’ve been fully approved by even non-vegan eaters, who have noted that they’d prefer these to the classic! These cinnamon rolls are truly my favorite vegan breakfast recipes to make (next to the ultimate vegan French toast, super fluffy vegan buttermilk pancakes, and vegan baked oatmeal recipe!).

This post is packed with all of the tips, tricks, and troubleshooting questions to ensure that your vegan cinnamon rolls are undetectably healthy, dairy-free, low in sugar, lower in fat, and refined sugar free!

These vegan cinnamon rolls are:

• Soft, tender, and fluffy
• Just like the classic cinnamon buns you remember as a kid! The taste and texture are identical!
• Full of gooey cinnamon sugar filling
• Super easy to make
• Stress-free using the overnight option
• Perfect for Christmas breakfast or holiday brunch
• Approved by all eaters (meaning some were vegan, some were not, some were dairy free, some were not!)

With a super gooey and sweet cinnamon filling, and the creamiest cinnamon roll icing, any vegan skeptics will be absolutely speechless when they try these cinnamon rolls!

Ingredients and substitutions:

• All Purpose Flour: I have not yet worked out a recipe using gluten free flour for this specific recipe. However, it’s come soon so be sure to check back around mid-October 🙂 If you are gluten free, please see my Paleo vegan cinnamon rolls!.
• Active dry yeast: you can also use rapid-rise yeast. Just be aware that your proofing time will be quicker. I use the active dry yeast from the packet, but I’ve provided gram measurements for anyone who has jarred yeast.
• Dairy-free milk: I like oat milk, Forager Project’s soy milk, or cashew milk, but use your favorite dairy-free milk! Almond milk and coconut milk also work great.
• Sugar: You can use granulate sugar, coconut sugar, or brown sugar (especially for the filling!).  Be sure that that the granulated sugar that you’re using is vegan!
• Vegan butter: I really love Miyoko’s for this. Earth Balance or Flora Plant butter is a great option if you’re nut free. You can also use coconut oil, such as Edward & Sons!
• Unsweetened applesauce: this replaces the eggs found in traditional homemade cinnamon rolls.
• Vanilla extract
• Ground cinnamon
• Powdered sugar (for the icing)

As you can see, there are no funky ingredients in these rolls! In fact, they’re actually pretty low in sugar compared to most homemade cinnamon rolls, and are entirely refined sugar free. I personally love using coconut sugar here because it’s not as processed as regular sugar and yields a more caramelized flavor for these gooey cinnamon rolls.

In terms of equipment, you really don’t need much to make cinnamon rolls:

• A medium and a large bowl (one for mixing, one for rising) and/or a stand mixer
• Rolling pin
• Rectangle or round pan
• Spoon or pastry brush (I prefer the brush for spreading the filling because it yields a more even filling, but you can use a spoon if that’s all you have on hand!)
• Twine or floss (my secret trick for easily slicing cinnamon rolls without ruining the swirl!)

How to make easy vegan cinnamon rolls (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.

I promise you that making gooey and soft rolls that are undetectably vegan and healthy is not as hard as you think. It just takes some patience (ever head of the saying that bread is a labor of love? It holds true for cinnamon rolls too!).

Here’s how to make vegan cinnamon rolls:

1. Bloom the yeast: Make sure that your dairy free milk is 110F. Use a food thermometer to check: you won’t be able to detect this with just your hands! Too hot, and the yeast will be deactivated, and too cold and the yeast just won’t activate at all. There is no real trick to fixing this later on in the recipe, so it’s best to get it right the first time! Then you’ll mix in a spoonful of flour and sugar, along with the yeast. Cover and set in a warm area until it smells yeast-like. Make sure to use a wooden spoon, as sometimes metal reacts with yeast and will cause it not to activate!
2. Make the dough: You can use a stand mixer with a dough attachment or mix by hand! Either works! I still like to knead the dough slightly even after using a stand mixer. I think adding a bit of love helps the dough a bit 🙂 And helps to achieve that super soft texture!
3. The first proof: Place the dough into a clean and oiled bowl and cover. You can use plastic wrap or a clean kitchen dish towel, like I do. You can set this in the oven with the light on (and the oven off) or in a warm area in your kitchen. Let the dough rise until it’s doubled in size. Then we’ll roll out the dough!
4. Roll out the dough and spread the cinnamon filling: Lightly flour a clean surface and a rolling pin. This helps to prevent any stickiness the dough creates. It will be much easier to roll on a floured surface! Then roll out the dough to be a long rectangle, about 12″ by 18.” Spread the softened vegan butter to the edges, and sprinkle on the cinnamon sugar filling.
5. Roll the cinnamon roll dough: Roll the dough length wise and tightly. Then use a piece of thin twine, string, or unflavored dental floss to slice about 12 cinnamon rolls. Place the rolls into your baking dish and prepare for the next rise!
6. Let the rolls rest while the oven preheats: Preheat the oven to 375F, and make sure your vegan cinnamon rolls are covered to continue rising/resting. Make sure it’s in a warm place. Sometimes I’ll place it in the sun if it’s summer. If it’s winter, then I’ll keep the rolls close to the oven! They’ll puff up slightly, which is a good sign!
7. Bake the vegan cinnamon rolls: You only need about 20-22 minutes in the oven at 375F for these vegan cinnamon rolls!
8. Spread the dairy free vegan icing on top! I used vegan cream cheese frosting here, from my vegan pumpkin cinnamon rolls, but you can also use a regular vegan icing! I give both options in the recipe card, so be sure to check that out!

Can I make these gluten free cinnamon rolls?

Not this particular recipe, but try this super quick and easy gluten free vegan cinnamon rolls recipe here! They taste just like the classic!

Cinnamon Roll Tips & Tricks

Making homemade vegan cinnamon rolls seems like a daunting process at first, and while these are easy, there is always a chance for error no matter what recipe you make. So I want to ensure that you go into your cinnamon roll baking process equipped with all of the right tips!

• Make sure that all liquid ingredients that are not heated are room temperature: This mainly is speaking to the applesauce. If you refrigerate your applesauce, simply allow the sauce to come to room temperature before beginning. Cold ingredients when met with hot ingredients will mess up the texture and result of these cinnamon rolls
• Add the glaze when the rolls are still warm: This just makes the rolls extra gooey and sweet. They turn out to be essentially like a cinnabon- but WAY better in my opinion! You’ll never know these vegan cinnamon rolls are healthy!
• What to do if your yeast isn’t activating: A good sign that the yeast isn’t activating properly is right at the start. You should see a foamy mixture sitting on top of the liquid when you first activate the yeast. If you don’t and if it doesn’t smell yeast-y, scratch the mixture and start again. However, if you’re already in the process of making the dough and you’re noticing that the dough isn’t rising properly during the first proof, you can try to get it to rise by placing a damp warm towel over the bowl and ensuring it’s in a warm environment. A warm environment is key. A little extra dampness can go a long way too! Here’s another great post that goes into detail about how to determine if your yeast is good.
• Check out my guide for troubleshooting yeast: I have a comprehensive and exhaustive guide in my vegan brioche bread that goes over what to do if your bread isn’t rising! This applies to vegan cinnamon roll dough as well 🙂 And be sure to check out Fleischmann’s Yeast Guide as well!

How to make overnight vegan cinnamon rolls

If you’re like me, then you probably have zero desire to go through an hour process in the morning of making some healthy cinnamon rolls. It’s the weekend, and you just want something easy!

Not a problem at all. This recipe is easily made the night before, so you can wake up Christmas morning for the easiest holiday breakfast. All you’ll need to do is prepare the cinnamon rolls by following Steps 1-10 below in the recipe card.

After the second proof, simply keep the rolls covered and place them in the fridge overnight. The next morning, when you’re ready to make your rolls, place the vegan cinnamon rolls into the oven (the oven is turned off), and turn on the oven light. Let the rolls warm for 20-25 minutes in the oven.

Then remove the rolls from the oven, and preheat the oven to 350F, while the rolls rest near or on top of the oven (they still need to be in a warm environment). Once the oven is preheated, bake per the instructions and ice!

You are just going to love these vegan cinnamon rolls! I just know they’re going to become your new favorite cinnamon roll recipe, vegan or not.

If you make them, let me know how they turn out in the comments section below and leave a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ so that others may find the recipe.

As always, I love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there!

Happy Baking!

Watch how to make vegan cinnamon rolls:

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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!

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