This page contains affiliate links, meaning we earn a small commission on your purchase at no additional cost to you. Thank you for helping to support Sarah’s Vegan Kitchen!
I finally did it. I finally made the perfect vegan cinnamon rolls. This is a recipe I’ve wrestled with for years! I could never get them quite as fluffy and gooey as I wanted — until now!
The secret? A combination of aquafaba and tangzhong yields the pillowy, melt-in-your-mouth texture you might remember from eating Cinnabon as a kid. Combine that with a sweet cinnamon filling and a tangy vegan cream cheese frosting, and we’ve arrived at the pinnacle of vegan desserts — or breakfasts. (Cinnamon rolls are an anytime snack, in my book.)
These cinnamon rolls are sure to impress vegans and non-vegans alike. I swear, you could feed them to an entire room full of people who “don’t like vegan food” and they would all say that these are the best cinnamon rolls they’ve ever had.
Ingredients for Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
- Bread flour. I highly recommend using bread flour (and not subbing in all-purpose flour). The extra protein (i.e. gluten) in this type of flour provides extra structure to the dough, which helps it rise and become extra fluffy!
- Active dry yeast. For rising the dough. Instant yeast can be used as well (follow the same instructions.)
- Soy milk. Like the bread flour, the protein content in soy milk is another key ingredient to achieve the right texture. I haven’t personally tested these with another type of plant milk, so I can’t vouch for the results.
- Vegan butter. For the dough and the vegan cream cheese frosting. Make sure to use a brand you like and trust! For more info on vegan butter, check out our comprehensive guide. (Note: make sure your butter is soft, not melted.)
- Aquafaba. The liquid from a can of chickpeas. This is our egg replacer. In a pinch you can substitute in extra soy milk.
- Sugar.
- Brown sugar and cinnamon. This combination is the foundation of the classic cinnamon roll flavor.
- Powdered sugar, vegan cream cheese, and vanilla extract. For our cream cheese frosting. Vegan cream cheese is thick and tangy which is balanced out by the sweetness of the sugar. A little vanilla adds depth of flavor to our frosting.
- Salt. All sweet treats need a little bit of salt for balance.
How to Make This Vegan Cinnamon Roll Recipe
Make the Tangzhong
- In a small pan, whisk together water and flour until there are no lumps. Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring often, until it has thickened into a paste. Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.
Make the Dough
- Whisk together lukewarm soy milk and yeast and allow to proof for 5-10 minutes, or until foamy.
- Add the aquafaba, sugar, cooled tangzhong, and softened vegan butter. Whisk together to break up the tangzhong and butter a little.
- Add in the bread flour and salt and mix together to form a shaggy dough. (If using a stand mixer, do this step with the paddle attachment.)
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, adding extra flour as needed. (If using a stand mixer, switch to the dough hook attachment to knead. You may only need 6-8 minutes in the stand mixer.)
- Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turning to coat. Cover with plastic or a damp kitchen towel and allow to rise in a warm spot for about 1 hour, or until at least doubled in size.
Shape the Cinnamon Rolls
- When the dough is almost done rising, mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon. Generously grease or butter a baking pan or pair of cake pans.
- Turn the risen dough out onto a clean work surface and roll it into a large rectangle.
- Spread the softened butter across the dough. Then sprinkle the cinnamon & brown sugar mixture evenly across the dough, patting it down gently with your hands.
- Starting from the long side, roll the dough into a log. Try to keep it tight as you roll.
- Cut the rolls using dental floss or a sharp knife. First, I like to trim off a little from each end of the log. (There tends to be less cinnamon-sugar on the ends.) Then cut the log into 12 cinnamon rolls. It’s helpful to score the log before cutting to make sure the rolls will be uniform in size.
- Transfer the rolls to the prepared pan(s). Cover and allow to rise for another 30-45 minutes, or until almost doubled in size.
Bake & Frost the Cinnamon Rolls
- About 10-15 minutes before the rolls are done rising, begin preheating oven to 350°F.
- Bake the risen rolls in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown.
- While the rolls bake, make the Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting. In a large mixing bowl, beat together softened vegan cream cheese and vegan butter until smooth. Sift in the powdered sugar, then add in vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. Beat until smooth and fluffy.
- Once the rolls are done baking, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool for about 10 minutes before frosting. (If they’re too hot, the frosting will immediately melt off anyway.) Enjoy!
Equipment Needed
- Stand mixer. Not necessary but cuts down on the amount of elbow grease needed.
- Danish dough whisk. If making the dough by hand, this is an excellent tool to help it come together faster.
- Rolling pin. A quality rolling pin will make your life so much easier when rolling out this dough.
- 9×13″ baking dish or two 9″ cake pans. Both of these options will work perfectly, it’s just a matter of preference. You’ll be able to fit all 12 cinnamon rolls in a 9×13″ pan or you can split the recipe and put 6 in each 9″ cake pan.
Sarah’s Recipe Notes
- Properly measure your flour: Fluff up the flour before scooping it into your measuring cup and level it off with a flat edge for an accurate measurement. This ensures your cinnamon rolls have the right texture and consistency. Packing the flour too firmly in the measuring cup will result in overly dense, dry cinnamon rolls.
- Ensure soy milk is correct temperature. In order for the yeast to rise properly, your soy milk has to be the right temperature. You’re going for lukewarm, meaning between 105-115°F. It should feel warm, not hot, to the touch. Anything over 115°F will kill your yeast and your vegan cinnamon rolls won’t rise!
- All ingredients at room temp! This is super important for making sure your cinnamon rolls come out right. If any of the ingredients are cold, it will affect the outcome of this recipe. For example, if you have leftover aquafaba in the refrigerator, take it out and let it come up to room temperature first.
FAQ
What is aquafaba?
You know when you pop open a can of chickpeas and pour out that pale, yellow viscous liquid? That’s aquafaba! It’s one of the most fascinating and useful ingredients for vegan cooks.
Aquafaba does a fantastic job of mimicking eggs and egg whites. Because of its combination of carbs and protein, it can be used to emulsify, bind, and thicken certain recipes. For this recipe, we’re using it in conjunction with the tangzhong in order to give our cinnamon rolls structure and fluffiness.
What is tangzhong?
Tangzhong, or a water roux, is a simple paste made of flour and water that is used to give bread extra moisture prevent it from going stale as quickly. It’s used in recipes such as steamed buns and Japanese milk bread.
To make tangzhong, all you have to do is cook flour in water until the starch in the flour begins to gelatinize. When added in to the rest of the dough, you get a final product that’s softer, like a fluffy, sweet, edible pillow.
Can I use all-purpose flour instead of bread flour?
Technically yes, but it’s highly recommended to use bread flour. Your vegan cinnamon rolls won’t come as soft and fluffy if you use all-purpose flour and then we’ll all be sad!
Can I make this bread gluten-free?
There’s no good 1:1 substitution for bread flour that can be used in this recipe. For gluten-free and vegan cinnamon rolls, check out this recipe from The Loopy Whisk.
Troubleshooting
My dough isn’t rising
Make sure to proof your yeast. The yeast mixture should be foamy before you move on to the next step. If it doesn’t appear to be bubbly and active after a few minutes, it might be dead. This can happen if your yeast is very old/expired, stored improperly, or if you added it to soy milk that’s too hot. The liquid should be lukewarm to the touch.
Making Overnight Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
If you want to prepare these a day in advance, it’s super easy to do! Just roll them up and cut them as usual and arrange them in your pan lined with parchment paper.
The parchment paper is necessary for the overnight process because as the cinnamon rolls sit, some of the cinnamon sugar filling may seep out to the bottom of the baking dish. This can caramelize quickly and stick to the bottom of the pan without the layer of parchment there.
Cover them well and put them in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, simply let them come to room temperature and rise for 30-45 minutes, or until doubled in size. Preheat the oven near the end of that time. Then you can bake as normal!
Storage & Reheating
If you have leftover cinnamon rolls, you can store them in an airtight container on the counter for a day or two. You can also stick them in the refrigerator. In the fridge, they’ll last for about 5 days.
However you store your leftovers, make sure to heat them back up in the microwave so they regain their fluffy and gooey deliciousness!
Freezing Vegan Cinnamon Buns
Before Baking
After shaping and cutting them, place the cinnamon rolls in the baking dish. Cover and stick in the freezer right away. When you want to bake them, let them thaw in the refrigerator (overnight is best) and then let them rise for 30-60 minutes in a warm area of your kitchen. Then just bake as normal!
After Baking
After letting the cinnamon rolls cool down to room temperature, you have a few choices for how to freeze them. You can either cover the entire pan and put it in the freezer, transfer them to an airtight container, or wrap them one by one.
When you’re ready to dig in, let the cinnamon rolls defrost at room temperature and then reheat in a 350°F oven for 10-15 minutes. You can also microwave them once defrosted.
It’s best to freeze them before adding the frosting and to frost them once they are totally defrosted and warmed up.
More Vegan Dessert Recipes
- Easy Double Chocolate Vegan Banana Bread
- Vegan Pumpkin Streusel Muffins
- Chocolate Chip Cookies for Two
Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
Equipment
- 9×13" baking pan, or two 9" cake pans
- plain dental floss or knife to cut the cinnamon rolls
- Rolling Pin
Ingredients
Tangzhong
- 1/3 cup bread flour
- 3/4 cup water
Dough
- 3/4 cup plain soy milk lukewarm
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast 1 standard packet
- 1/2 cups aquafaba liquid from a can of chickpeas, or sub extra soy milk
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup vegan butter softened
- 4 1/4 cups bread flour plus extra for kneading
- 1 teaspoon salt
Filling
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1/3 cup vegan butter softened
Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 1/4 cup vegan butter softened
- 4 oz vegan cream cheese softened
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
Instructions
Make the Tangzhong
- In a small pan, whisk together water and flour until there are no lumps. Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring often, until it has thickened into a paste. Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.
Make the Dough
- Whisk together lukewarm soy milk and yeast. Allow to proof for 5-10 minutes, or until foamy.
- Add the aquafaba, sugar, cooled tangzhong, and softened vegan butter. Whisk together to break up the tangzhong and butter a little.
- Add in the bread flour and salt and mix together to form a shaggy dough. (If using a stand mixer, do this step with the paddle attachment.)
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes, or until it is smooth and elastic. If the dough seems overly wet or sticky, gradually sprinkle on extra flour about 2 tablespoons at a time, kneading after each addition. The dough should be soft and slightly tacky, but it should not stick excessively to your fingers or to your work surface. (If using a stand mixer, switch to the dough hook attachment to knead. You may only need 6-8 minutes in the stand mixer.)
- Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turning to coat. Cover with plastic or a damp kitchen towel and allow to rise in a warm spot for about 1 hour, or until at least doubled in size. (It can take a little longer if your kitchen is very chilly.)
Shape the Cinnamon Rolls
- When the dough is almost done rising, mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon. Generously grease or butter one 9×13” baking pan, OR two 9” cake pans. (Or line with parchment.)
- Turn the risen dough out onto a clean work surface and roll it into a large rectangle, roughly 14×20” in size. (It doesn’t have to be exact, as long as it’s around that size.)
- Spread the softened butter across the dough. Then sprinkle the cinnamon & brown sugar mixture evenly across the dough, patting it down gently with your hands to help it adhere to the butter.
- Starting from the long side, roll the dough into a log. Try to keep it as tight as possible while you roll.
- You can use plain dental floss or a sharp knife to cut the rolls. I find using the floss trick helps me get slightly neater rolls. First, I like to trim off a little from each end of the log. (There tends to be less cinnamon-sugar on the ends. You can bake the scrap dough separately in a little ramekin if you like.) Then cut the log into 12 cinnamon rolls. It’s helpful to score the log before cutting to make sure the rolls will be uniform in size.
- Transfer the rolls to the prepared pan(s). Cover and allow to rise for another 30-45 minutes, or until almost doubled in size.
Bake & Frost the Cinnamon Rolls
- About 10-15 minutes before the rolls are done rising, begin preheating oven to 350°F.
- Bake the risen rolls in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown.
- While the rolls bake, make the Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting. In a large mixing bowl, beat together softened vegan cream cheese and vegan butter until smooth. Sift in the powdered sugar, then add in vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. Beat until smooth and fluffy. (Note: If you like a super thick layer of frosting, I recommend doubling the recipe.)
- Once the rolls are done baking, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool for about 10 minutes before frosting. (If they’re too hot, the frosting will immediately melt.) These are best enjoyed warm!
Overnight Instructions
- You can prepare the cinnamon rolls ahead of time and bake them the following morning. To do so, I recommend lining your baking dish with parchment before placing the shaped cinnamon rolls inside. Cover the rolls tightly and refrigerate overnight. The following morning, remove from the refrigerator and allow to rise on the counter for 1-2 hours before proceeding to bake according to instruction above. (I don't recommend preparing the rolls more than a day prior to baking.)
Notes
- Extra frosting: Double the frosting recipe if you like a super thick layer of frosting on your cinnamon rolls!
- Simple icing: If you’re not a fan of cream cheese frosting, you can make a simple icing/glaze by combining: 2 cups powdered sugar (sifted), 2 tablespoons melted butter, 2 teaspoons vanilla, and 3-4 tablespoons plant milk.
- Yeast: Instant or active dry yeast can be used in the recipe; just follow the same instructions. Instant yeast may rise slightly faster.
- Useful tools: Stand Mixer | Danish Dough Whisk
