Easy and deliciously sweet and spiced vegan pumpkin cinnamon rolls with an easy dairy free maple frosting! Like a classic cinnamon roll, but with a pumpkin twist! Gooey and warm, they’re the perfect fall and winter healthy weekend breakfast or Christmas morning treat!
Why you’ll love these easy vegan pumpkin cinnamon rolls
One of my all time favorite fall activities is not jumping in leaves (though I love that), not picking out the best carving pumpkin (though that’s totally me), and it’s not passing out candy (truth be told, I’d rather be trick-or-treating).
It’s waking up on a chilly fall morning, sipping on warm freshly brewed coffee, and diving into a vegan pumpkin cinnamon roll. Fuzzy socks on, Hocus Pocus playing in the background, and watching the leaves fall outside.
I mean, these vegan cinnamon rolls are out of this world gooey, sweet, warm, and soft. You’re just going to love them. Seriously!
Packed with warm pumpkin spice flavor and smeared with a vegan cream cheese frosting, you’d never– I mean never- know that these pumpkin cinnamon rolls are indeed vegan, dairy free, and low in sugar.
Plus, they’re homemade from scratch. I know you might be thinking but cinnamon rolls are hard to make from scratch, much less vegan pumpkin cinnamon rolls!
I promise, they’re really not, so let’s dive into how now!
Ingredients for Vegan Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Making homemade pumpkin cinnamon rolls from scratch is really not hard at all! It just takes a little bit of patience.
The dough of these pumpkin cinnamon rolls is so easy too. It’s made up of just:
- Yeast: you can use rapid rise or activated, though please note that the rise times will differ. I recommend Fleischmann’s.
- Dairy free milk: you can also use oat milk here. However, the creamier the better. I recommend using coconut milk from the can or store bought super cream oat milk, like Forager Projects.
- Vegan butter: if you’re nut-free, you can use an oat-milk or soy-based vegan butter.
- Flour: I have not tried this yet with gluten-free flour, so I’m not able to guarantee results!
- Pumpkin puree: just from the can! Or you can get creative and make your own homemade pumpkin puree.
- Coconut sugar: you can also use regular sugar, but if you’re going for refined sugar free, use coconut sugar.
How to make pumpkin cinnamon rolls vegan (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.
Here’s how to make these amazing vegan pumpkin cinnamon rolls:
- Bloom the yeast.
Heat the dairy free milk and stir in a little flour and sugar. Then add in the yeast, cover and let sit for a few minutes. I have a whole guide on how to ensure your yeast is properly activated in my vegan brioche bread post, so check that out!
- Make the dough.
I recommend using a stand mixer here! It just makes the whole process easier. Simply add the remaining wet ingredients to the mixer and mix. Then add in the flour and mix on medium speed until everything is combined and you achieve a sticky dough.
- Proof the dough.
Lightly flour a clean surface and knead the dough for a few minutes. Once the dough is less sticky and smoother, place the dough into the bowl and cover to rise until doubled in size.
- Make the vegan pumpkin cinnamon rolls.
Punch down the dough, and roll the dough out to be a large rectangle, about 12×18″ in size. Spread the softened vegan butter onto the dough until it reaches the edges. Then sprinkle with the pumpkin spice sugar mixture. Roll the dough tightly lengthwise.
- Slice the pumpkin cinnamon rolls.
The trick to maintaining the beautiful swirl is using a piece of unflavored floss or twine! Simply skirt the floss underneath where you want the cinnamon roll to be, cross the two ends and pull. This helps create a perfect swirl!
- Second proof:
Cover the cinnamon rolls in the casserole dish while the oven preheats. They should be about double in size.
- Bake the vegan pumpkin cinnamon rolls!
Once risen, you can bake the cinnamon rolls for 25 minutes. Then serve with a maple cinnamon cream cheese frosting!
How to make vegan icing for cinnamon rolls
So I decided to go with not one, but two options for these vegan cinnamon rolls! Because you can never have too many choices in my opinion 😉 And some like it extra sweet (after my own heart, I see you!), while others like it a little tangier.
So you can either go with two options here, or go rogue and do your own!
- Vegan Cream Cheese Icing
- Vegan Sugar Icing
Both are absolutely delicious! The trick to making a vegan icing for cinnamon rolls is making sure that it’s thick for spreading. Personally, I was never about the drizzle of icing. I felt it always disappears way too quickly, whereas the thicker icing sort of melts slowly and into the cinnamon roll.
Mmmm jeez I’m getting hungrier just thinking about these haha!
Tips & Tricks:
- I have not tested this recipe with gluten free flour! Normally I do test my recipes with multiple options, but I’ve still yet to find a good substitute. I do have cassava flour cinnamon rolls, which are wonderful, but I haven’t tested cassava with this particular recipe. Stay tuned though, I’ve got a vegan gluten free cinnamon rolls recipe coming shortly.
- Use softened vegan butter: If you’re allergic to nuts, there are many amazing vegan oat milk-based vegan butters that are soy free. I recommend Miyoko’s or Forager Project. Make sure to use a vegan butter that’s no salt added.
- Use coconut sugar or regular sugar. You don’t need to stick to coconut sugar if you don’t want to. Personally, I love the flavor because I think it adds a nice caramelized sweetness to the rolls, but you can also get that with brown sugar!
How to make pumpkin cinnamon rolls ahead of time
To save some time in the morning: prepare your rolls as you normally would, then when you get to the step where you’ve finished the second rise (Step 9). Then just keep the rolls covered and place them in the fridge overnight.
When you’re ready to bake your pumpkin cinnamon rolls in the morning, preheat the oven to 350F and stick the rolls, covered, by the oven to warm up. Then bake as usual!
You’re just going to love these easy vegan pumpkin cinnamon rolls. They’re:
- Super soft and fluffy
- Full of pumpkin spice and warmth
- Perfectly sweet and melt-in-your-mouth
- Easy to make, especially with an overnight option
- Perfect for Christmas morning
- Delicious as a Thanksgiving brunch
- Amazing with a cup of coffee on a weekend fall or winter morning!
- Approved by all eaters, even non-vegans!
- Delicious with a dairy free maple frosting
If you give these rolls a go, let me know how they went over in the comments below, as well as any questions you might have!
As always, I love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there!
Happy pumpkin cinnamon roll baking!
More vegan cinnamon rolls:
Vegan Apple Pie 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!
Print
BEST EVER Vegan Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls (Easy!)
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 90
- Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Easy and deliciously sweet and spiced vegan pumpkin cinnamon rolls with an easy dairy free maple frosting! Like a classic cinnamon roll, but with a pumpkin twist! Gooey and warm, they’re the perfect fall and winter healthy weekend breakfast or Christmas morning treat! Make ahead of time for a holiday brunch option as well!
Ingredients
Vegan Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls:
- 4 1/4 cups (540 grams) + 1 tbsp all-purpose flour, divided (plus more for flouring surface)
- 1 packet (8 grams) activated yeast
- 1/2 cup (90 grams) granulated sugar or coconut sugar, divided
- 1 1/4 cup (270 grams) dairy-free milk, unsweetened, room temperature
- 1/3 cup (87 grams) pumpkin puree, room temperature
- 1/4 cup (57 grams) salted vegan butter, melted and room temperature
- 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Vegan Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Filling:
- 1/2 cup (113 grams) vegan butter, room temperature
- 3 tbsp pumpkin pie spice blend
- 2/3 cup (65 grams) coconut sugar or regular sugar
Dairy Free Icing:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup (113 grams) vegan butter, room temperature
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Please read through all instructions before beginning. The overnight option is 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 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, pumpkin puree, melted vegan butter, pumpkin spice blend, 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 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 large casserole dish with oil and set aside. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar and pumpkin spice blend, and set aside.
- Make the vegan pumpkin 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 pumpkin spice sugar mixture evenly. 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. 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 375F. Let the cinnamon rolls rise for 30 minutes while the oven is preheating.
- Bake the cinnamon rolls: 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, maple syrup, pumpkin spice, and vanilla extract, and cream again until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Serve and enjoy! Spread the frosting onto the vegan pumpkin 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
See post for make-ahead option!
Keywords: pumpkin cinnamon rolls, vegan pumpkin cinnamon rolls, vegan cinnamon rolls
Yum! I need to try these!!! I love how you lay your recipes. They’re easy to read and understand which is so helpful. Thanks for taking the time to do that 🙂
★★★★★
Aw you are so sweet! Thanks so much for reading! Enjoy! 🙂
Oh these are so perfectly pillowy! And the pumpkin flavor really takes it up a notch 🙂
★★★★★
So happy to hear it!! Yes, they’re definitely my favorite too 🙂 Enjoy!!
The recipe looks super delicious!! Do you think it would also work with wholewheat or spelt flour?
Aw thank you!! So it will work with whole wheat flour, but I recommend using white whole wheat flour because the texture will be better! Spelt flour definitely acts a bit differently than both wheat and white flour, so I would go with whole wheat if you can!
Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe. I was wondering if I could use almond flour or coconut flour or a mix of both for this recipe…
Hi Daria! So for this recipe, I don’t think that would work- I haven’t found a good consistency with the almond and coconut flour. However, I do have a cassava flour cinnamon roll that you could absolutely use as well!
Hi!
Can you use almond flour in sub of reg flour?
Can’t wait to make them!
Hi Alexa! Unfortunately, I don’t think almond flour will work here, as it won’t rise enough and needs a bit more of a binder (like arrowroot powder). I will absolutely work on a GF version!
Tried these and…. if you want pumpkin spice, this is the recipe for you! They came out perfect cinnamon rolls.
★★★★★
Aw this is just wonderful 🙂 Truly my favorite cinnamon rolls too!
Hi love!
Do you think I could use bobs redmill 1:1 gf flour?
Hi Summer! SO I actually have a gluten free vegan cinnamon roll recipe coming next week that as a base recipe, can be used for these rolls! You’ll simply just swap out the df yogurt for the pumpkin 🙂 Stay tuned!
I just made these and they’re great! I reduced the pumpkin pie spice in the filling by half and made a vegan cream cheese frosting (no pumpkin pie spice) because I don’t like too strong and it was still very yummy and still very pumpkiny and delicious. I think they’re a good balance between not being dry/stiff and not being overly mushy/gooey. Thanks!
★★★★★
Aw thank you so much for this review! So glad to hear those changes worked 🙂 Enjoy!
First time ever making cinnamon rolls of any kind, and they came out fluffy, ooey, and gooey just how a cinnamon roll should be (without the guilt).
This recipe is easy and fool proof. Make them!
★★★★★
This is just the best!! SO HAPPY TO HEAR THIS!! You’re a pro already 🙂 Enjoy and thank you so so much!!
So not thinking about it I totally made these with GF 1:1. 😅 They came out very dense, but still very tasty! I am sad that I botched these, but excited to see that there’s a GF version coming out soon. 😊
★★★★★
Oh no!! Yes, using just GF 1:1 flour as is in here definitely won’t work! Stay tuned, Oct 27 is the new GF cinnamon roll recipe that can be used for this one 🙂 Glad to hear the taste was still there though! 🙂
These were SO amazing!!! Totally worth making for a perfect cozy breakfast!!
★★★★★
Aw I’m just so happy to hear it! That’s awesome 🙂 Enjoy!