Grab yourself a napkin because you might be drooling a little while reading this recipe. I've got Easy Vegan Cinnamon Buns for you today, and this recipe is a game changer. I hacked this recipe so these Easy Vegan Cinnamon Buns are as easy as possible to make. No yeast. No rising. Only 10 ingredients. No weird ingredients. Freezable. Completely addictive ← you have been warned.
I figured out a way to make tender, moist, pull apart, vegan cinnamon buns without messing around with yeast. Sure, these cinnamon buns have several steps to prepare them (that's the nature of cinnamon buns I'm afraid), but I made sure to include lots of pictures of each step so that you can see for yourself that every step is actually pretty easy.
And then you get to eat these ↓↓↓
Drooooooool...
Not only are these vegan cinnamon buns easy to make, but they will keep fresh for several days. I even tested freezing them finished with icing and all, and you know what? I left them on the counter to thaw and they came back perfectly to fluffy, tender, icing glazed life. YUM! Learn how to make delicious (yet simple!) vegan cinnamon rolls with this easy recipe. My Vegan Cinnamon Buns are perfect for breakfast or any time of day!
To Make Easy Vegan Cinnamon Buns:
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add in the vegan butter cubes and use a pastry cutter or fork to cut the butter into the flour until you reach a grainy texture.
Pour in the plant-based milk and combine to make a shaggy dough.
Either in the bowl or on a clean work surface use your hands to knead the dough together incorporating any leftover dry ingredients until it all comes together into a nice ball. Let the dough rest in the bowl for 10 - 15 minutes before proceeding. Resting allows the dough to get stretchy which is a must for gorgeous pull apart cinnamon rolls!
Once the dough has rested, lightly flour a clean work surface and roll the dough with a rolling pin until you get a rectangle about 19" x 14".
Pour the melted vegan butter over the rolled out dough and use a pastry brush or the back of a spoon to spread evenly over the dough. In a small bowl mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon, then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly over the melted butter.
Starting from a longer side of the dough rectangle, use your hands to gently roll the dough up.
Once rolled, use a sharp knife to cut 12 cinnamon rolls by gently sawing with the knife.
*I like to mark out each bun by lightly scoring the surface of the roll before doing the final cuts, to ensure even sized cinnamon buns.
Place the cinnamon rolls in the baking dish, swirl side up, and bake for 24 - 28 minutes until puffed up and lightly golden. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
If making the icing (and you should make the icing), combine the powdered sugar, vegan butter, vanilla extract, and lemon juice or plant-based milk in a small bowl.
*I like using lemon juice to add a little bit of tang to the icing- similar to cream cheese frosting, but if you want an all sweet icing opt for plant-based milk.
Spread the icing roughly over the still warm cinnamon buns. The icing will melt into the cinnamon buns a little. YUM!
Common Questions:
Are Vegan Cinnamon Rolls Nut-Free?
There are no nuts listed for this recipe, but be sure to use a soy or oat milk rather than a nut milk like almond if you are wanting to make this a nut-free recipe
Can I Freeze Vegan Cinnamon Rolls?
If you are planning on freezing these cinnamon buns - do so after they have baked. Then, wrap the pan tightly in a 2-3 layers of plastic wrap. Or place in a plastic bag and seal it tightly. To thaw, do so in the refrigerator a day prior to when you want them. If sealed tightly in the freezer, they should last for about 6 weeks max.
Easy Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
For the vegan cinnamon bun dough:
- 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup vegan butter, cut into small cubes
- 1 ¼ cup plant-based milk (such as soy or almond)
For the cinnamon sugar filling:
- ¼ cup vegan butter, melted
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
For the icing (optional):
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 teaspoons lemon juice or plant-based milk*
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400F (200C). Line with parchment paper or grease a 9"x 12" baking dish. *Make sure you use a 9" x 12" pan or equivalent. For the cinnamon rolls to stay soft they need to expand into each other. If they have too much room around each roll, they can end up getting crispy. I used the one from this baking set.
- Make the dough: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add in the vegan butter cubes and use a pastry cutter or fork to cut the butter into the flour until you reach a grainy texture. Pour in the plant-based milk and combine to make a shaggy dough.
- Either in the bowl or on a clean work surface use your hands to knead the dough together incorporating any leftover dry ingredients until it all comes together into a nice ball. Let the dough rest in the bowl for 10 - 15 minutes before proceeding for the best dough texture. Resting allows the dough to get stretchy which is a must for gorgeous pull apart cinnamon rolls!
- Roll the dough: Once the dough has rested, lightly flour a clean work surface and roll the dough with a rolling pin until you get a rectangle about 19" x 14".
- Cinnamon sugar filling: Pour the melted vegan butter over the rolled out dough and use a pastry brush or the back of a spoon to spread evenly over the dough. In a small bowl mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon, then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly over the melted butter.
- Roll your cinnamon rolls: Starting from a longer side of the dough rectangle, use your hands to gently roll the dough up. Once rolled, use a sharp knife to cut 12 cinnamon rolls by gently sawing with the knife. I like to mark out each bun by lightly scoring the surface of the roll before doing the final cuts, to ensure even sized cinnamon rolls.
- Bake: Place the cinnamon rolls in the baking dish, swirl side up, and bake for 24 - 28 minutes until puffed up and lightly golden. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
- Optional icing: Combine the powdered sugar, vegan butter, vanilla extract, and lemon juice or plant-based milk together in a small bowl. *I like using lemon juice to add a little bit of tang to the icing- similar to cream cheese frosting, but if you want an all sweet icing opt for plant-based milk. Spread the icing roughly over the still warm cinnamon rolls. The icing will melt into the cinnamon rolls a little. YUM!
Notes
Nutrition
Bon appetegan!
Sam.
Sarah says
My country is a bit behind in the vegan game so it's difficult to find vegan butter. One shop stocks it but in a small and very expensive quantity! I scoured the comments and saw others mention they use vegan margarine so that gave me the confidence to give it a go. So glad I did! Recipe turned out amazing, and so unbelievably easy for someone like me who isn't the best in the kitchen. I'm part of the lemon in the icing gang and it was so, so good. But definitely make extra icing. I can't wait to make this again!
Oh and it got the seal of approval from a fussy non-vegan (but lactose intolerant) boyfriend 🙂
Natalie says
I've been making these for the past couple of months and they are divine. My partner absolutely adores these and asks for them frequently. Even my anti-vegan in-laws love them lol! I use a vegan unsalted margarine and homemade soy milk for these and it works out great!
I would love to try the pumpkin version for Halloween, however I can't find a supermarket nearby (Netherlands) that stocks pumpkin puree. Would blended cooked pumpkin work the same?
Thank you so much for your amazing recipes Sam <3
Yulca says
Hi, I'm not Sam, but I totally feel you about the lack of canned pumpkin puree (same here in Germany).
Yes, you can easily make your own by baking & pureeing a pumpkin. Or ... you could hop over to the baby food section! Pure pumpkin puree is surprisingly easy to find there (at least here), and those little jars don't take up much pantry space, so I always buy a few and this way, I have one or two on hand if needed.
Happy baking!
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you love them Natalie!! Yes, pumpkin puree is simply cooked blended pumpkin, so you can definitely make it from scratch. Here is a guide to help you. Enjoy!
Yuli says
Just took them out of the oven, we had 3 each within the first 20minutes they are delicious, super soft, with loads of filling, layers pull off easily, definitely a keeper!
Icing is delicious, made it with soy milk and a dash of lemon juice
Sam Turnbull says
Haha!! Thrilled you love them so much, Yuli!
Maria says
I just took the Cinnamon Rolls out of the oven and ate one warm right away. Heavenly. Fluffy. Soft. Sweet but not too sweet! Even though my dough was a bit wetter and they fell apart a bit at first, they look great. Next weekend I will bake these for my colleagues at the fire department. There won't be a crumb left over! Love from Germany. Maria
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed Maria! 🙂
Ann says
These are the most amazing, perfect cinnamon rolls ever. They have become our weekly Sunday morning breakfast! One of these (or two) with a good cup of coffee and I am in heaven. I make 50% more frosting than the recipe calls for, because it's so good
Sam Turnbull says
Aww shucks, thank you Ann!
CG says
I needed to bake for 35-40 mins instead of the 24-26 mins the recipe calls for. It was still purely dough in the middle.
Also, the dough reminded me more of scones.
A lovely recipe in a pinch, but didn’t really hit the spot for “cinnamon scrolls” for me.
I think my dough was a bit dry too. I’d recommend adding a bit more vegan milk to the dough if you notice yours is dry too. As my finished product was cracked and dry.
I did 1.5 x the icing recipe and that was much better than 1 x the recipe.
I ended up pouring the icing over at the 26 minute mark and baking for a further 10 mins. That helped the tops not be so dry.
Alas, I’ll have to bake the cumbersome regular vegan ones. That take hours :’(
Clara says
Made these last night after your instagram post, and they were a hit! The only complaint from my non-vegan family was that there should be more icing, but that can be easily fixed:) Printed the recipe out right away to add to our binder of favorite recipes!
Sam Turnbull says
Oh I love it, a heavy icing kinda family! 🙂 Glad you enjoyed!
Nell says
A nice alternative to a yeasted version! It reminded me more of biscuits or scones, and I think I prefer bread flour & yeast versions, but this a very yummy quicker version and a definite crowd pleaser. My dough was very dry and cracking so I added a tad extra milk and when I rolled it had to cover up some cracks. Seemed to work well though!
Claire S says
Would this recipe hold up with coconut oil instead of vegan butter?
Shannon M says
First time ever making cinnamon rolls. They turned out great. Kids were happy with this Christmas morning treat!! Thanks, Sam!
Tammie says
I have been making these cinnamon rolls for about the last 2 months. Vegans and non-vegans in my world enjoy them! The extra bit of lemon in the icing was a big hit so will continue trying variations. This recipe is worth the effort although it’s far from complicated or time consuming. Thank you!!!
Nancy Given says
This recipe far exceeded my expectations. I didn't even need icing, which is the main reason I usually make Cinnamon Rolls. I added raisins to the filling.
Sam Turnbull says
Haha awesome!!
Patrick says
Yuup, this recipe is the real deal. Made it on this Cinnamon Bun day and won over every one. Had tried another recipe previously and failed, so I was a bit skeptical. The recipe is really idiot proof. The lemon is an absolute necessity.
Samia says
They taste fine without icing. No cinnamon bun needs icing. It just adds too much sugar to an already-sweet pastry. My mum never did this. I was shocked to find that in restaurants the cinnamon buns had icing - YUK.
Mika says
I agree with you 🙂 I like eating a cinnamon bun with icing from time to time, but I already find the buns to be sweet enough for the icing. It looks pretty to see, but it feels like I’m eating plain sugar - my poor teeth!
But otherwise I love this recipe 🙂
Elashae says
Love these so so much!! This is probably my 5th time making them so I think I mastered them. Whoever I make them for absolutely love them. I always add a little more cinnamon than the recipe calls for the filling and they turn out amazing.
Hannah says
This is my GO TO for Cinnamon Rolls! I was using a slightly larger pan and the corner ones would come out a little crispy, but after rereading your post I just smooshed everything into an 8x8" pan and they were all perfect. I wish this was in your cook book because I look it up every time I'm feeling Cinnamon Rolls. Thank you Sam!
Carlie says
❤️ Love this recipe made it so many times! Sam you have I inspired me, I have been vegetarian my whole life. But last year I became a vegan. Now I am a vegan blogger, and I am just 15. I love doing it! Launched my blog recently, and have quickly jumped to almost 1000 views in a short amount of time! I love cooking, love photography so the two go great together. People all the time ask for my recipes, so I thought instead of sending them wouldn’t it be nice to give them a website to go on! It’s work but so much fun! Thanks for inspiring me!