Quick & Easy Vegan Sticky Buns (Gluten Free Option!)
These ooey gooey vegan sticky buns are the real deal! Soft and pillowy sweet rolls topped with a caramel pecan glaze for the ultimate holiday breakfast recipe! You can even make these sticky buns gluten free!
If you’re looking for a quick and easy vegan Christmas breakfast recipe or holiday brunch, you must try these vegan sticky buns (although my vegan cinnamon rolls and vegan pumpkin cinnamon rolls are also a good option as well!).
Super sticky and sweet, these sticky buns have a super easy dough that bakes into the fluffiest rolls, all topped with a decadent pecan caramel topping that makes these sweet buns the ultimate breakfast recipe.
And the best part? You’d never know these sticky buns are vegan, made without eggs, no dairy, and you can even make these sticky buns gluten free as well, based on my gluten free vegan cinnamon rolls recipe!
I did say that these sticky buns are quick and easy too- we’re using quick rise yeast to speed up the time of rising, and we’re also adding the caramel pecan topping AFTER the sticky buns are baked- this ensures that the sticky buns are drenched in caramel coating and makes the clean up process even easier 😉
Make these vegan sticky buns for a delicious Thanksgiving breakfast or even Thanksgiving dessert if you’d like!
What are sticky buns?
If you’ve never had a sticky bun, rest assured- you’re in a for a treat! Sticky buns are essentially a sweet roll traditionally baked with a sticky caramel pecan filling on the bottom of the pan. Once baked, you flip the sticky buns upside down, and peel off the parchment paper to revel pecan caramel glaze baked into the sweet rolls.
Sticky buns vs. cinnamon rolls
But how are sticky buns different than cinnamon rolls? Both sticky buns and cinnamon rolls use an enriched dough to make their base. However, with sticky buns, we’re using way less cinnamon in the filling (the flavor is more of a brown sugar taste), and we top the sticky buns with a pecan caramel glaze! Whereas cinnamon rolls have a ton of cinnamon in the filling, and are topped with a powdered sugar glaze 🙂
Traditionally, sticky buns have the glaze baked into the bottom. I found it easier and yielding way more decadent results to make the vegan caramel coating separately and topping after baking!
The easiest (and less messy) way to make vegan sticky buns
You’re just going to love how easy these vegan sticky buns are to make! We’ll start with the dough, and then move onto the filling and pecan caramel topping.
To make the dough, we’re using quick rise yeast. This will speed up our rising time, making these rolls even quicker to make.
Need to make them overnight? Not a problem! You can still rise the dough overnight in the fridge. Shape the rolls, and then place some plastic wrap over the casserole dish before placing them into the fridge. This will slow down the yeast so that it doesn’t rise the dough too fast.
You can also make the dough either in a stand mixer or by hand in a bowl. Either works! Once the dough is risen, you’ll roll out the dough quite similarly to cinnamon rolls. So if you’ve ever made cinnamon rolls, then this process is pretty easy and familiar!
My favorite cinnamon rolls trick: Slice the dough individually before you roll the dough into a sweet bun. This is even better than the dental floss trick. You’ll end up with super clean and even swirls that bake just beautifully!
Once you’ve shaped the rolls, you’ll rest the buns once more before baking. While the rolls are baking, we’ll make our sticky pecan filling.
Note: If you’d like to make the sticky buns the more traditional way, you absolutely can! Simple prepare the caramel pecan filling before you shape the rolls and place them into the baking dish.
Now to prepare the sticky bun topping, we’re essentially making a caramel sauce before adding in the chopped pecans. It’s like pecan pie, but a little more gooey!
I recommend using a medium or small saucepan, and to air on the side of lower heat just to make sure you don’t burn the sugar. For the heavy cream, I like to use a vegan heavy cream, such as by Country Crock or So Delicious! However, coconut cream or even a creamy almond milk or oat milk will also work.
Once the sticky buns are baked, you’ll top with the gooey caramel topping, serve, and enjoy!
How to make sticky buns gluten free?
For my gluten free eaters, don’t worry- you can absolutely make these as gluten free sticky buns! And we’re not even using a gluten free flour blend- so don’t worry about buying a specific brand!
To make these sticky buns gluten free, you’ll simply swap in my gluten free cinnamon roll recipe as the base dough recipe. Use the filling here rather than the filling in the cinnamon rolls, and proceed on with the caramel pecan topping!
You’re just going to absolutely love these vegan sticky buns! They’re the perfect additional to your holiday brunch. If you make these sticky buns, be sure to leave a comment and rating down below!
Happy baking!
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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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Quick & Easy Vegan Sticky Buns (Gluten Free Option!)
- Prep Time: 20
- Resting time: 60
- Cook Time: 35
- Total Time: 1 hour 55 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These ooey gooey vegan sticky buns are the real deal! Soft and pillowy sweet rolls topped with a caramel pecan glaze for the ultimate holiday breakfast recipe! You can even make these sticky buns gluten free!
Ingredients
Dough:
- 4 1/4 cups (540 g) bread flour or all purpose flour* (plus more for flouring surface)
- 1 packet (8 g) quick rise yeast
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar or coconut sugar
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 1/4 cup (270 mL) dairy-free milk, unsweetened, warmed
- 1/3 cup (87 g) dairy free yogurt, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup (57 g) salted vegan butter, room temperature
Filling:
- 1/2 cup (113 g) vegan butter or coconut oil, room temperature
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2/3 cup (130 g g) coconut sugar or brown sugar
Topping:
- 5 tbsp vegan butter
- 2/3 cup (130 g) coconut sugar or organic brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 cup heavy vegan cream (like coconut cream or a vegan heavy cream like So Delicious!)
- 2 cups pecan halves and/or pieces
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prep: Measure out all ingredients for the dough. Grease a large mixing bowl for the proofing of your dough, and grease a 9×13″ casserole dish lined with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Make the dough: Whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and quick rise yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl. Add in the warm dairy free milk, along with the dairy free yogurt. Attach the bowl to a stand mixer with dough hook attachment, and mix on medium-speed until a shaggy dough forms. Add in the vegan butter and continue mixing on high-speed to knead the dough for 7-10 minutes. Hold your stand mixer in place if it’s moving around, or use a wooden spoon or knead by hand if making the dough by hand.
- Proof: Once the dough is kneaded, place the kneaded dough into the greased bowl and cover with a clean dish towel. Let the dough rise until doubled in size in a warm place (ideally 85F), about 30-60 minutes, depending on the temperature.
- While the dough is proofing: Prep the filling. In a small bowl, mix together the vegan butter, cinnamon, and coconut sugar. Set aside.
- Roll and shape the sticky buns: Lightly flour a clean surface, and place the dough in the middle of the lightly floured surface. Flour the top of the dough and a rolling pin. Roll the dough out to be 12×18″ long. Spread the filling onto the dough to the edges of the rectangle. Now, on the 18″ side, mark where you’ll slice the sticky buns every 1.5″. Once marked, you’ll use a pizza cutter or a large kitchen knife to slice the 1.5″ strips that are each 12″ long. Roll each strip into a cinnamon roll shape, and place the roll into the prepared baking pan.
- Rest the rolls again: While the rolls are covered and resting, preheat the oven to 350F.
- Bake the sticky buns: Place the rested rolls, which have now doubled in size, into the oven to bake for 30-33 minutes, or until the tops of the rolls are lightly golden brown.
- Make the pecan topping: Prepare the pecan topping while the buns are baking. In a medium sauce pan, melt the vegan butter and coconut sugar on medium heat until the coconut sugar is melted into the vegan butter, about 3 minutes. Be careful not to burn the sugar! Once melted, reduce the heat to low, and add in the vegan cream and vanilla extract. Stir until combined. Then take the saucepan off of the heat, and stir in the pecans. Set aside.
- Top the sticky buns: Remove the sticky buns from the oven. Top with the pecan topping, and spread the sticky bun topping evenly over the sticky buns.
- Serve and enjoy! Store any leftover sticky buns in an airtight container and in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
Gluten free: For gluten free, swap in my gluten free vegan cinnamon rolls recipe dough for the dough portion of this recipe. Follow those instructions for preparing the dough. Then continue on with Step 6.
Keywords: vegan sticky buns, gluten free sticky buns, sticky buns recipe, sticky buns
