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!
In fact, that’s why this is the base recipe for my delicious vegan pumpkin cinnamon rolls, banana bread cinnamon rolls, and gingerbread cinnamon rolls!
I even made a JUMBO giant cinnamon roll cake (with maple brown butter no less!!) after this recipe too 🙂 It’s HEAVEN!
Ingredients and substitutions:
- All Purpose Flour: I have worked with bread flour with this recipe- either works! If you are gluten free, please see my unbelievably gluten free vegan cinnamon rolls or 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 dairy free yogurt: this replaces the eggs found in traditional homemade cinnamon rolls. You can also use applesauce as well!
- 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 or a pizza cutter (you’ll see why I like to use a pizza cutter in the below sections!)
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:
- 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!
- 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!
- 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!
- 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.
- 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!
How to tell if your yeast is properly bloomed:
If you’re making cinnamon rolls for the first time, then you might be wondering what it looks like when yeast is ready to be used in your cinnamon roll dough.
The key is using warm milk with a touch of sugar, and stirring in the yeast. Let it sit for a few minutes (about 10 minutes), and the yeast should bubble and foam, like below. You’ll also notice a yeast-like smell that’s similar to beer.
Why use a pizza cutter instead of floss for slicing cinnamon rolls:
I’ve used both methods for making cinnamon rolls, and I just adore using a pizza cutter. While you can get really clean and nice slices with the floss, you have even LESS of a chance of squishing the spiral and getting an even more beautiful roll with the pizza cutter.
It takes slightly more time, as you’re slicing each individual roll. But in my mind, it’s worth it!
Why use vegan heavy cream with cinnamon rolls:
So I’ve tried this recipe with and without heavy cream added to the bottom of the pan just before baking. I LOVE the heavy cream version. The rolls are even softer and more plush and melt in your mouth.
To me, it’s worth it if you want to make these vegan cinnamon rolls really stand out. However, rest assured that this recipe is really just as delicious without if you don’t have access to the heavy cream.
For vegan heavy cream, I recommend using Plant Crock or Silk. You can also use coconut cream!
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 or cream cheese icing 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 🙂
- Want chocolate cinnamon rolls? I used this recipe to create a small batch chocolate cinnamon roll recipe that is INCREDIBLE!
Can I make a smaller batch of these?
Yes, absolutely! I actually have a small batch vegan cinnamon rolls recipe that makes just four 🙂
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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Soft & Fluffy Easy Vegan Cinnamon Rolls (Overnight Option)
- Prep Time: 120
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
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!
Ingredients
Vegan Cinnamon Rolls:
- 4 1/4 cups (540 g) + 1 tbsp all-purpose flour, divided (plus more for flouring surface)
- 1 packet (8 g) activated yeast
- 1/2 cup (90 g) granulated sugar or coconut sugar, divided
- 1 1/4 cup (270 mL) dairy-free milk, unsweetened, room temperature
- 1/4 cup (57 g) salted vegan butter, melted and room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup (87 g) unsweetened applesauce or dairy free yogurt, room temperature
Vegan Cinnamon Roll Filling:
- 1/2 cup (113 g) vegan butter or coconut oil, softened
- 3 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 3/4 cup (150 g) brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) vegan heavy cream
Dairy Free Icing:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup (113 g) vegan butter, 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, 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.
- 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.
- While the dough is rising: grease a large casserole dish with oil and set aside. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar and cinnamon, and 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 vegan butter to the edges of the dough. Then sprinkle on the coconut 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.
- 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: 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.
- Make the dairy-free frosting: in a medium bowl or stand mixer, cream the vegan butter 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 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
- Cream the cream cheese and the powdered sugar together until smooth.
- Spread onto cinnamon rolls and enjoy!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 roll with icing + made with vegan butter
- Calories: 362
- Sugar: 35.2 g
- Sodium: 96.1 mg
- Fat: 4.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 72.4 g
- Fiber: 3.3 g
- Protein: 7.6 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
More vegan breakfast recipes you’ll love:
Paleo Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
I’ve never made any yeast-based baking before and only had whole wheat flour on hand so was a bit nervous but wow! These turned out perfectly!!
Thank you, I wanted to try the recipe out before friends come visit from overseas and I’ll for sure be baking these for them!
Not kidding when I say this is the tastiest dessert I’ve ever eaten, let alone that I’ve baked. I was genuinely impressed. Gonna save this recipe forever. 😋🤩
These are PHENOMENAL oh my goodness!! You hit it out of the park!! Well done 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing, and enjoy!!
So lecker und so fluffig. Bin völlig verliebt. Danke für das tolle Rezept ❤️.
This the best vegan cinnamon roll recipe I tried so far, and I’ve tried several! They turn out so soft, fluffy and flavorful every time, and the filling stays in! Thanks so much!
Oh I’m so so happy you love!! Thank you so much for the review 🙂 Enjoy!
Omggggg soooo good 🤤 Your recipes never disappoint…. I didn’t have the heavy cream but it really didn’t need it 😊
Just made my day 🙂 Seriously thank you for the review!! Enjoy!
When u say activated yeast, do u mean active dry yeast or instant yeast?
Hi Anaa! Active dry yeast 🙂
Hello! Could i replace coconut or granulated sugar with sugar cane sugar? panela?
Hi Brunella! So the granulated sugar is sugar cane sugar- so it will totally work! 🙂
Hi!!! this recipe is soooooo good!!! i make this over and over again and is always same result… everybody just love them!!! thanks You for posting this kind of recipes!
So happy to hear you loved them wow! Thank you so much for the kind review 🙂
They look insane! Can I use sourdough starter instead of yeast? I have so much left
Oh I bet that would taste amazing! I personally haven’t made cinnamon rolls yet with sourdough (but that’s next on my list after English muffins!)- so far, I’ve found that swapping in 50g of starter in lieu of yeast has worked for me, and making the dough to rise overnight at first since sourdough takes a bit more time. Then I think you can use it as is here with the all purpose flour even. But of course I can’t guarantee anything since I haven’t tried it personally! Let me know if you do though!
I’m trying the sourdough starter swap tonight for a bake tomorow. I’ve had the hardest time finding a truly fluffy vegan sourdough cinnamon roll, can’t wait to report back! I tried these as you wrote the recipe and they were so divine just saw this swap for starter and I’m immediately trying.
Dairy free yogurt its coconut yogurt or soy yogurt? Thanks
I use cashew or soy! Coconut will also work though 🙂
Turned out delicious! Thank you so much for this absolutely wonderful recipe.
Oh I’m so happy to hear it!! Thank you so much for the review, enjoy!! 🙂
can i make it without the cream on top before you put is in the oven?
You can definitely skip it if you’d like! That’s just extra insurance for a super soft roll 🙂
Amazing!!! Made this for my parents and they LOVED it, finished it all off! They said they’re so good they should be paying for them. So unbelievably fluffy and soft and everything was just perfect! Thank you!
This is so wonderful omgsh!! So so happy you all loved it! Thank you for the review!
Hi, after kneading my dough it was still very very sticky, I measured 540g of flour, I’m wondering why it’s like this? Thanks!
If you’re kneading with your hands, you’ll need to use some extra flour, which is totally fine! Whenever I’m at my parents’ house visiting and making the rolls, I do this, as they don’t have a stand mixer 🙂
So delicious, fluffy n soft. Great recipe. Thank u so much Britt ♥️ can’t wait to make your other recipes. 😋😘
these were so tasty but not massively soft and fluffy, i think i needed to leave the dough to rise for 2 hours instead of 1? still really yummy but just slightly denser than expected
Hi Melissa! Did the dough double in size? I’m wondering if your proofing area was warm enough?