Author: 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!
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Easy Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
Servings: Cinnamon rolls
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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 ground 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
Store leftover cinnamon rolls covered at room temperature for 2–3 days. For longer storage, freeze them (with or without icing) in an airtight container. If frozen with icing, let them thaw completely at room temperature before serving (no reheating or the icing will melt). Make Ahead:
You can prep the cinnamon rolls in advance by assembling and cutting them, then placing them in the baking dish. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. When ready to bake, let them sit at room temperature for 20–30 minutes, then bake and frost as directed. Freezing & Reheating:
For best results, bake the cinnamon rolls, let them cool completely, and freeze them in the baking dish without icing, tightly covered. When ready to serve, thaw at room temperature, then warm in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 10–15 minutes until soft and heated through. Add the icing after reheating so it melts gently over the warm rolls. They stay soft, fluffy, and totally delicious!
Nutrition
⭐ Did You Make This Recipe?
I’d love if you left a rating and comment, it helps others find the recipe and makes my day! 💕Bon appetegan!
Sam.
Laura says
These were great! They were slightly dry for my taste but everyone loved them. I was wondering if it's because I had a 9x13" dish instead of 9x12 but I looked for 9x12s and they're really hard to find. Is 9x13 ok, and would it be better to slightly increase the recipe or something to ensure they rise perfectly? Thanks!
Sam Turnbull says
I imagine they just got slightly overcooked. Next time try taking them out of the oven a couple of minutes earlier. 🙂
Laura Athmejvar says
Sounds good! Makes sense, slightly undercooking has always been my personal preference anyway 🙂 Thanks!
Lindsay says
These are amazing! Even my non-vegan husband loved them! Someone said they are like biscuit consistency so just wanted to let everyone reading the comments know that my "testers" (the two end pieces) did come out like biscuits but I had them in the toaster oven at 450, so that's probably why. The ones in the big oven came out perfectly! So as long as you follow the directions these are amazing, soft cinnamon rolls.
Sam Turnbull says
That's awesome! So thrilled you loved them Lindsay 🙂
Kayla Marie Wooden says
They were pretty good, but I feel like the cinnamon buns consistency was more like a biscuit than actual cinnamon bun compared to various other vegan cinnamon bun recipes I've used in the past. Still good though
Cindy Hernandez-Wall says
So good and easy! I love the tip to keep the rolls touching when you place into baking container as this will help keep buns soft when baking.
Sam Turnbull says
Thrilled you enjoyed them, Cindy!
Maiken says
Thank you so much for this delicious recipe, I have intolerance to most animal products and yeast, so this has brought cinnamon rolls back into my life! I've made these close to 10 times now, and they've turned out incredible every time! I've followed the recipe most times, but also used gluten-free flour a couple of times because of some of my friends that can't have gluten - in this case I use a bit less milk, also rolling is a bit more complicated, but possible, and they still come out soo delicious!
Barbara Anne says
Thank you for commenting on gluten free flour as I was coming in to see if anyone had tried it! Adding these to my list.
Sam Turnbull says
That's wonderful!! Thrilled you enjoyed, Maiken!
Jamie says
Thank you for the gluten free comment as well! My household is both vegan and gluten-free; a hard combination for making baked goods!
Marie says
I am going to make these, Sam. I, too, am not a cinnamon lover but have a wonderful alternative for those who also do not. I mix 1 teaspoon of ground coriander powder with 1/4 teaspoon
of ground cardamon and make a 1/2 cup batch. Put in a small glass spice jar and it keeps just like you would cinnamon. I then sub 1 to 1 ratio in recipes. It works great and tastes great!
Thank you for all you do to help people. Hugs!!
Sara says
These are ABSOLUTELY AHHHHH-MAZZZZZZINNNNG! What a WONDERFUL treat and SO easy!
Can you tell me how many calories per cinnamon roll?
Sam Turnbull says
Great! Full nutrition is at the bottom of the recipe 🙂
Tammy says
Thank you SO much for this amazing recipe! Our 11 year old daughter has had to go dairy free this year. One of our traditions Christmas morning is to enjoy cinnamon rolls. Your recipe allowed me to still make this happen for her. I have never really worked with dough of any kind and was a little nervous. It went very smoothly. All agreed these were better than any store bought ones and tasted super good the following morning too. For anyone else reading this, I assembled them 24 hours ahead of time then baked them Christmas morning. We did double the frosting too.
Sam Turnbull says
Aww I love that!! thrilled they were such a hit, Tammy 🙂
Darca says
Made these Christmas morning and they were perfection! Everyone loved them and a new tradition is born!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay!! Thrilled everyone loved them 🙂
Catherine says
We LOVE these cinnamon buns. My young son helps me to make them and the dough is super easy to work with. The end result is delicious every time:)
Sam Turnbull says
Aww yay!! SO happy to hear that 🙂
Kristi says
I'm planning my Thanksgiving food this weekend and these definitely need to be the breakfast menu! I am so intimidated by cinnamon rolls, but I watched your YouTube video a couple months ago and read the recipe and I can totally do this! 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
I believe you can! 🙂
Rita says
Hi Sam, cinnamon rolls look so yummy I’m going to give the recipe ago this weekend. Could I ask how many grams a cup of butter would be please as I’m in the U.K. Also do you think cashew milk would work in this recipe. Thank you.
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Rita, at the bottom of the ingredient list you will see the option to have the recipe in either US Customary or Metric. Just hit the metric button and it will show the ingredients in grams. 🙂 And yes, cashew milk will work fine 🙂
Michelle says
Lovely! I'm making batch no.3 as we speak 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Amazing!
Eve Lipsyc says
I made these for a bat mitzvah and got rave reviews!! They were devoured by the non-vegans!! The lemon juice in the icing gave it the perfect amount of tang, just like cream cheese.
Sam Turnbull says
Yay!! SO happy you love it 🙂
Rose says
These are sooooo good and easy to make! I made it with a brown sugar icing since I didn't have powdered sugar and they still tasted great 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Awesome!
Marie says
Hi! Instead of butter can we use margarine?
Thanks 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Vegan butter and vegan margarine are the same thing really, so whatever your store sells will be great! I use Earth Balance brand.
Cassidy says
Hey can I use water instead of milk for the dough??? I don't have any milk at the moment
Sam Turnbull says
It won't be as flavourful but it should work fine.
Kendra says
Can the dough be frozen before baking? Like if you assemble them ahead of time and put them in a freezer bag to pop in the oven at a later time? Has anyone tried this?
Sam Turnbull says
I've never tried freezing them before baking, but they freeze wonderfully after baking with frosting and all 🙂
Karen says
I just made these. They are so amazingly delicious! Thank you so much for this yummy easy recipe!
Sam Turnbull says
You're most welcome, Karen! So happy you enjoyed them 🙂
Katie says
Do you think this would bake well if fully prepped at night then refrigerated until baking the next morning?
Sam Turnbull says
I think ti should work just fine. Enjoy!
Christina says
Is there a way I could use a gluten free flour with these? Or would it not work for gluten free?? Very excited to try these either way!
Sam Turnbull says
Gluten-free baking is not my expertise so I have nothing to recommend. Sorry I can't be more help!
Noel says
Are there any alternatives you would recommend for vegan butter? None in my pantry at the moment:( was debating between almond butter, fruit purée or oil