These soft, gooey pistachio cinnamon rolls are swirled with a sweet nutty pistachio cream filling and topped with a dairy free pistachio cream cheese frosting!! Made with vegan brown butter for even more richness, you don’t need any eggs nor dairy!

pistachio sweet rolls in a dish

Why you’ll love these pistachio cinnamon rolls:

Pistachio is having a much needed moment right now- we’re currently obsessed with pistachio cheesecake, pistachio cream stuffed cookies, moist pistachio cake, and my all time favorite pistachio tiramisu.

So why not add some pistachio sweet rolls to the mix!?

This small batch recipe is based off of my classic small batch cinnamon rolls– except this time, filled with a molten, gooey, homemade (and dairy free) pistachio cream. Not to mention, all topped with an irresistibly decadent (dairy free!) pistachio cream cheese frosting.

pistachio sweet roll on a plate

It’s decadence in every bite and perfect for an extra special morning breakfast or sweet treat after dinner. These pistachio rolls are soft, plush, and deliciously nutter and sweet in every bite! And of course they’re all eggless and dairy free- so yeah, they’re vegan!

Pistachio butter vs. Pistachio cream

So this is my biggest concern for making sure you’re super clear about this ingredient when shopping for your pistachio sweet rolls!

Pistachio cream is a dairy product- it contains pistachio butter, but also dairy (most likely vegan white chocolate). However, sometimes brands mislabel their pistachio cream as pistachio butter.

Now, pistachio butter should just be pistachios and sea salt, if that. However, you’ll want to double check the label of your brand to ensure it hasn’t been sweetened or that it doesn’t contain dairy.

jar of homemade pistachio cream

Some brands of pistachio butter that I like are Pure Food for Better Health and Wilderness Poets.

If you don’t have access to pistachio butter, you can use my cashew butter recipe with pistachios instead for a homemade pistachio butter.

Do I need to brown the butter?

No, if you just want pistachio sweet rolls, that’s completely fine! I give the option for a non-brown butter version in the notes section of the recipe card.

Personally, I think that the vegan brown butter adds to the nuttiness of the pistachio, so it only intensifies the flavor 🙂 I really like Miyoko’s for browning vegan butter, but I’ve also browned Plant Crock with success as well!

Overview: How to make small batch vegan pistachio sweet 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.

pistachio roll dough in a bowl
We’ll make our dough like any other cinnamon roll dough! Whisk together the dry ingredients, followed by adding in the bloomed yeast mixture, vegan butter, and dairy free yogurt (for the egg!). Let rise until doubled in size.
rolled out pistachio dough
Roll the dough out to be about 6×12″, brushing the vegan butter on top. Spread the pistachio cream to the edges of the dough, followed by a sprinkling of brown sugar and cinnamon. Slice the dough into 4 cinnamon rolls.
pistachio sweet rolls as they rise
Let the rolls rest for 30 minutes, then pour 2-3 tbsp of vegan heavy cream in between the rolls for ultimate plushness.
baked pistachio cinnamon rolls
Bake until golden brown.
pistachio cream cheese frosting
Once cooled, whisk together all cream cheese frosting ingredients.
frosted pistachio sweet rolls
Spread on top of the pistachio sweet rolls, and enjoy!

Can I make these gluten-free?

While I have a gluten-free version for my small batch cinnamon rolls, lemon sweet rolls, and blueberry cinnamon rolls, I have not tested one for this recipe.

However, the dough of the small batch cinnamon rolls should be useable here- I haven’t tested it, but you’re more than welcome to try that dough with the pistachio filling here!

pistachio sweet roll on a plate

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

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!

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
pistachio sweet rolls in a dish

‘Brown Butter’ Small Batch Vegan Pistachio Sweet 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: 4 1x
  • Category: Cinnamon Rolls
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan
Print Recipe

Description

These soft, gooey pistachio cinnamon rolls are swirled with a sweet nutty pistachio cream filling and topped with a dairy free pistachio cream cheese frosting!! Made with vegan brown butter for even more richness, you don’t need any eggs nor dairy!

Ingredients

Scale

Browned vegan butter:

  • 1/2 cup (113 g) salted vegan butter (I recommend Miyoko’s)

Cinnamon Roll Dough:

  • 1 1/3 cups (200 g) all-purpose flour, divided (plus more for flouring surface)* see notes for Gluten Free
  • 1/3 packet (3 g) quick rise dry active yeast
  • 2 tbsp (30 g) granulated sugar or coconut sugar, divided
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1/3 cup (90 mL) dairy-free milk, unsweetened, warmed
  • 2 tbsp (30 g) unsweetened applesauce or dairy free yogurt, room temperature
  • 2 tbsp (30 g) browned vegan butter* see notes for regular butter option
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Cinnamon Filling:

  • 1/4 cup (60 g) vegan white chocolate, melted
  • 2 tbsp pistachio butter, unsweetened and dairy free
  • 2 tbsp (30 g) browned vegan butter*
  • 1/3 cup (70 g) brown sugar
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Icing:

  • 4 tbsp vegan cream cheese, room temperature
  • 2 tbsp pistachio butter, unsweetened and dairy free
  • 1 tbsp browned vegan butter vegan butter, melted
  • 2 cups (260 g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

Instructions

  1. Prep: Measure out all ingredients. Grease and line a small casserole dish (about 7×5″) or a 6″ cake pan with parchment paper.
  2. Start by browning the vegan butter: If you’re not using browned vegan butter, see recipe notes. If you are, then start by melting the vegan butter in a medium saucepan on the stove at medium heat. Stir continuously until melted, then bring the heat up to medium-high. Let the butter bubble and brown, stirring every 30 seconds or so until the flecks of solids begin to brown (about 3-4 minutes). Because vegan butter bubbles so much, you’ll need to occasionally remove the butter from the heat, stir and let the bubbles settle to see how far along you are. Once the butter is browned and aromatic, pour the butter into a separate heat-safe bowl, and set aside to cool down closer to room temperature, about 5-10 minutes.
  3. Make the dough: Either in the bowl of a stand mixer with dough attachment or in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Then add in the warmed dairy free milk, dairy free yogurt, browned vegan butter, and vanilla extract. Either turn on the stand mixer to medium speed or begin to mix the dough with a wooden spoon then knead the dough in the bowl until a smooth ball forms, about 10 minutes.
  4. Rest: Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rest in the bowl in a warm area (about 85F or warmer) until about doubled in size (about 20-30 minutes).
  5. Make the pistachio cream: In a microwave safe bowl, heat the vegan white chocolate in 30 second bursts, stirring between each burst until melted (for this amount of chocolate, I usually only need 2 bursts). Stir in the pistachio butter and set aside.
  6. Shape the pistachio rolls:  Mix the cinnamon and brown sugar together in a small bowl and set aside. Flour a clean surface and rolling pin, and place the dough in the middle. Roll the dough to be about 6″ by 12-15″. Brush the dough with the browned vegan butter, then spread the pistachio cream to the edges of the dough. Sprinkle on an even layer of the brown sugar cinnamon mixture. I like to slice the dough into individual strips before rolling, but you can also just roll the dough and slice it into 4 cinnamon rolls with either floss or a knife. To roll them into strips, slice the dough in half so have two strips of 3×15.” Then slice them into half again so you have four strips of 1.5×15.” Then roll each strip tightly and place the rolled pistachio cinnamon roll into your prepared baking dish.
  7. Rest the rolls: Cover the baking dish and rest the rolls by the oven while it preheats to 350F. Let the rolls double in size.
  8. Bake: Place the pistachio rolls into the oven to bake for 30 minutes, or until the tops are lightly golden. Let the cinnamon rolls cool for 10-15 minutes before serving, as they’ll be really hot!
  9. Frost and serve: Whisk together the cream cheese, pistachio butter, and remaining browned butter together, then add in the powdered sugar and vanilla. Spread on top of your pistachio sweet rolls, and enjoy!

Notes

Browned vegan butter: I only recommend using Miyoko’s or Plant Crock here if you’re doing the browned vegan butter version. Earth Balance and Violife will not work, however, they will work for the regular butter version. If you’re just using plain vegan butter (not browned), simply skip the browning step, and use the measurements written in the ingredients section for the dough, filling, and frosting.

Pistachio butter: This is slightly confusing and make sure that you read the labels when purchasing because pistachio cream can be mislabeled as pistachio butter, meaning it would contain both dairy and sugar. You want a pure pistachio butter, like you would find a cashew butter or peanut butter. The ingredient should only be pistachios with optional salt. Alternatively, you can always make your own homemade pistachio butter, but it takes time, as you have to shell the pistachios!

Gluten Free: While I have a gluten-free version for my small batch cinnamon rolls, lemon sweet rolls, and blueberry cinnamon rolls, I have not tested one for this recipe. However, the dough of the small batch cinnamon rolls should be usable here- I haven’t tested it, but you’re more than welcome to try that dough with the pistachio filling here!