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Say Hello to some Vegan Cinnamon Rolls! The best ever Cinnamon buns/rolls which are not floating in butter and sugar. These addictive rolls are somewhat healthy, made with wheat, bread and cashew flour and limited oil/butter.
There is obviously the sugar, which I like on the less side. But they still make for a not too decadent of a breakfast. You need to make these beauties right away!
They are also almost no-knead and require only 1 rise. They work well both with or without icing. These cinnamon rolls are pull apart, crowded up in a cake pan. So you will definitely get more than 1 when you try to tear them apart. I say more the merrier.Â
How I like them, is straight out of the oven with no icing. All that fresh bread and the fresh cinnamon scent are enough to make me anyone weak knee-ed:) Hubbs can’t have enough of these either. Both me and hubby choose icing free options even when we pick up doughnuts or cinnamon rolls anywhere. Most days the super sweet icing hurts my teeth:) Feel free to add more sugar to your taste though.
These Vegan Cinnamon Rolls are EVERYTHING! I make the vegan yeasted dough, then roll it out to make the cinnamon buns. They rise only once in the cake pan and are baked after the rise. You can let the dough rise for an hour and then punch it down and make the rolls.Â
Ingredients for Vegan Cinnamon Rolls:
- Ground cashew adds the butter+egg effect. For a nut-free version, simply omit!Â
- Whole wheat flour balances out all the white flour.Â
- Ground flax seeds are an optional addition but I do love the hearty look of flax meal in baked goods, along with the nutty flavor!
- Raw sugar in filling, icing, and dough adds a slight molasses-like flavor to these vegan cinnamon buns that you will LOVE!
Tips and Substitutions for Vegan Cinnamon Rolls:
- Want freshly baking cinnamon rolls in the morning? Store the dough overnight, then let it sit on the counter for an hour before you proceed to make the dough into rolls.
- You might need a few tablespoons more bread flour to get a non-sticky dough.
- Use any non-dairy milk for the dough.
- You can replace both ground cashews and whole wheat flour with more bread flour.
- I used raw sugar for the filling but you can use equal parts of brown and granulated sugar instead.
- The vegan cinnamon rolls are best served fresh and warm but will keep on a cool counter for up to 2 days.Â
How to make Vegan Cinnamon Rolls with Step by Step Photos:
In a large bowl, add warm water, 1 tablespoon sugar, yeast, flax meal. mix and let sit for 5 minutes. Finally, put the camera on a stand in the kitchen.
Mix the baking powder in wheat flour.
Add all the flours, oil, salt, sugar, oil, cashew.
Mix with a spoon, then knead for 2 minutes to form a not too sticky dough.
Using 2-3 Tablespoons wheat flour, roll the dough into a somewhat rectangle ( roughly 12 by 8 inch)
Spread the oil/melted butter
Sprinkle filling sugar evenly on top.
Sprinkle as much cinnamon as you like. Really sprinkle a lot more.:)
Roll up the cinnamon rolls and seal the edges.
Cup up the rolls an inch wide into about 12 or more pieces.
Dip each roll bottom in some flour and place on parchment-lined or greased cake pan. This helps seal the oil and sugar in the roll reducing the bottom mess. Yes, I use my parchment to death:)Â
The 12 rolls will fit an 8-inch cake pan with some space between them.
Spray water on top and lightly cover the pan with a towel.
Let it rise for 40-45 minutes in a warm place until most of the space is filled up by the rising rolls.
Bake at 375 degrees F for 20-22 minutes until golden.
Mix all ingredients of the Icing. Drizzle or dip in the rolls.
You don’t know how difficult it was to take the pictures with the fresh rolls wanting to get in my tummy.
Eat me!Â
Can these be frozen?
I haven’t tried it but I have seen people freeze the dough after the first rise. Then thaw, make rolls and let rise on the counter and bake.
More recipes from the blog:
- Vegan Apple Cinnamon Rolls
- Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal (Vegan)Â
- Vegan Gluten-free Cinnamon RollsÂ
- GF Cinnamon Bread
In other news, The Vegan Woman is setting up the 2013 Vegan Food blog guide. Please send in your recommendations here.
Anyone who sends in a recommendation can win The Sexy Vegan cookbooks, subscription to Colleen – Patrick Goudreau’s 30-day challenge and more! If you like this blog, please send in one for me too.:)
Vegan Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Ingredients Â
Dough ingredients:
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup almond milk, or other non dairy milk
- 1 Tablespoon raw sugar or maple syrup
- 2 teaspoon yeast
- 1 Tablespoon flaxmeal, optional
- 3/4 cup Bread flour, or all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup raw Cashew flour, ground raw cashew
- 1/2 cup whole Wheat flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 Tablespoons oil , /melted earth balance
- 2 Tablespoons ground raw sugar , or other sugar
Filling
- 2 Tablespoons melted vegan butter or coconut oil or organic canola oil, or more
- 1/3 cup raw sugar, coarsely ground, or half fine powdered sugar/brown sugar and half granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Cinnamon powder
Icing – Adapted from Pioneer woman’s maple frosting
- 1/4 cup ground raw sugar or vegan powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon instant coffee ground
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 1/2 teaspoons almond milk
- 2 to 4 teaspoon maple syrup
- pinch of salt
InstructionsÂ
- In a large bowl, add warm water, 1 tablespoon sugar, yeast, flax meal. mix and let sit for 5 minutes or until frothy( if the yeast does not get frothy, it is most likely old or dead).
- Mix the baking powder and salt in wheat flour.
- Add all the flours, oil, sugar, oil, ground cashew, warmed almond milk.
- Mix with a spoon, then knead for 2 minutes until well combined.
- (At this point You can let the dough rise for an hour and then punch it down and then make the rolls. Or store the dough overnight in the refrigerator, then let it sit on the counter for an hour before you proceed to make rolls. Or proceed to make rolls immediately without any rise time as below.)
- Using 2-3 Tablespoons wheat flour, roll the dough into a somewhat rectangle ( roughly 12 by 8 inch)
- Spread the oil/melted butter liberally.
- Sprinkle filling sugar evenly on top.
- Sprinkle as much cinnamon as you like.
- Roll up the rectangle and seal the edges.
- Cup up the rolls an inch wide, about 12 or more pieces
- Dip each roll bottom in some flour and place on parchment-lined or greased cake pan. The flour helps seal the oil and sugar in the roll reducing the bottom mess.
- The 12 rolls will fit an 8-inch cake pan with a little space in between.
- Spray water on top and Lightly cover the pan with a towel.
- Let it rise for 30 minutes in a warm place. *At this step, you can refrigerate the rolls instead of keeping them for the second rise. Cover in parchment. Let them come to room temperature before baking ( about an hour)
- Bake at preheated 375 degrees F for 18 to 20 minutes until golden.
- Remove the buns from the pan. Let cool for 5 minutes.
Icing:
- Till then prep the icing.
- Mix all the ingredients of the Icing to form a smooth thick mixture.
- Add a few more drops of almond milk if needed.
- Or you can make a simple sugar icing. Mix 1/4-1/3 cup powdered sugar and a teaspoon or so almond milk to get a thick mixture.
- Drizzle as much or as little icing on the rolls. Or dip the rolls in the icing.
- Serve warm.
Notes
- The rolls are best served fresh and warm, but will keep on a cool counter without icing for up to 2 days.
- Cashew flour or wheat flour can be substituted with more bread flour. You might need a few Tablespoons more bread flour to get a non sticky dough.
- This recipe makes an 8 inch cake pan full of pull apart rolls.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in March 2013 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness in October 2019.
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Wow, your cinnamon rolls look oh my goodness good!!! I have been looking for healthier cinnamon roll recipes. I am excited to see your beautiful recipe! Cinnamon rolls are my weakness, I adore them WAY too much:-) Hugs, Terra
That gooey sugary cinnamony stuff with fresh bread can get totally addictive:)
OMG they are so addictive!! I made a batch this morning and told myself one of them would be my afternoon snack, I ended up eating the whole batch except for two!! It was so delicious! Lol and its okay, i need to gain a little weight so might as well be with something this amazing! Might not eat some for a while tho now 😉 thanks for the recipe tho and I love the flax meal idea! Adds good protein and fiber
Awesome!
holysweetrolling! They look so head-spinningly delicious!
I’d love them without the icing, fresh from the oven so when you tear them gently apart, they’re all steamy hot and smelling cinnamony, and you pop a bit in your mouth even though it might still be too hot and you almost burn your tongue, but you just can’t wait to taste them!
…Well now I just have to make them because I’m all worked up into a cinnamon roll frenzy. 😉
Many thanks!
I hear you about burning your tongue.. been there done that! yes you should whip up a batch!
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i can have these plain without any icing. the overhead shot is too good.
No excuse not to make these; you’ve covered all the bases! Yummy!
There is no excuse.. you need to make these!:)
Wow, those look insanely good! You seriously have the luckiest husband anywhere.
he sure is.. and so am I:) he had to cook everyday for a few days in between with my balance all crazy. and he managed it with his office work, other house work and stuff. he deserves all these goodies:)
I just finished breakfast but these look so yummy I’m sure I could eat an entire pan! Question: if I made them nut free (didn’t use cashew flour) what should I use to replace that measure … more whole wheat or other? And I totally understand about the sweet frosting making teeth hurt … me too, I might try just a light smear of whipped cream cheese to melt 🙂
You can use any of the other flours. with wheat you will need the same amount.. with bread flour, maybe a few Tablespoons more.
the melty sugar just out of the oven is enough for me:)
wow richa! these remind me of the pillsbury cinnamon rolls my mom used to make us when we were little. they look so soft and pull-aparty and cinnamony. i am drooling for one right now..
Thanks Caitlin.. these are so much healthier.. i looked at a few usual recipes and they add a cup of butter in the dough and another cup in the filling.. 🙂
Looks mouthwatering! The one with the icing looks to die for!
Thank Angie.. they are soo delicious!