Y’all it’s been a while since I shared a recipe on my blog. So today, I am sharing one of my personal favorite homemade vegan cinnamon rolls recipe. I have refined this recipe over the years and love making this when the weather starts getting cooler. It really is the perfect dessert or breakfast for the upcoming Thanksgiving holidays, and for any occasion really. These cinnamon roles are vegan but they are surprisingly tasty, fluffy and a mouthful of deliciousness! For a non-vegan option, I have tried to include substitutes so that you can still make these rolls and enjoy them too! I love my cinnamon rolls warm and they are heavenly with a cup of coffee, tea, or something cold.
INGREDIENTS
Dough
- 1 tbsp active active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 4 1/2 cup organic flour, more if needed
- 1 cup organic unsweetened apple sauce
- can substitute with 4 eggs
- 1/4 cup raw organic cane sugar
- 1 tsp pink Himalayan salt
- 8 tbsp vegan butter
- can substitute regular organic butter
Dough Filling
- 8 tbsp vegan butter, melted
- 1/2 cup raw organic cane sugar
- 1 1/4 tbsp ground cinnamon
Vanilla Glaze
- Homemade powdered sugar
- 1 cup organic raw cane sugar mixed with
- 2 tbsp arrow root powder
- 2 tbsp vegan butter, melted
- 2 tbsp oat milk
- can substitute with whole milk
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Vanilla Orange Glaze (Option 2)
- Homemade powdered sugar
- 2 oz vegan cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup oat milk
- 1 orange zest, grated
Recipe Directions
This recipe takes patience and time but is so worth it! To make the dough, in a bowl, sprinkle the active dry yeast over the warm water. Allow this to bloom for about 5 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Add 1/4 cup of the flour into this mixture and cover with a plastic wrap and let stand in a warm spot for an additional 25-30 minutes.
After this time, in a bowl of a stand mixer, add the yeast flour mixture along with the unsweetened apple sauce, organic raw cane sugar, salt, and the remaining 4 1/4 cups of the flour. Fit the mixture with the dough hook and knead on medium speed for 5 minutes until smooth. Now add the vegan butter and continue to knead for an additional 10 minutes. If consistency is sticky, add more flour until dough is smooth and doesn’t have the sticky consistency. Usually another 1/4 cup should do the trick. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and a kitchen napkin and let dough sit another 2 hours until the dough has risen and doubled. I wouldn’t recommend going over this time.
Close to the 2 hour mark, butter a 9-by-13 inch baking dish. I used the Williams Sonoma brand linked. You can use any baking dish of your choosing. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and roll out into a 15-by-10 inch rectangle or as long as it’s not too thick. For the dough filling, brush the vegan melted butter on the rolled rectangle and sprinkle the raw cane sugar followed by the ground cinnamon. A short cut is to mix the dough filling together and spread on the dough, however this sometimes doesn’t work well. Roll the rectangle snugly and pinch the seam together so they don’t come apart. With the seam facing down, cut side up and place in the prepared dish. Brush the rolls with the remaining butter. Cover with a plastic wrap and let rise in the refrigerator overnight.
The next morning, remove the rolls from the refrigerator and let it rise another 30 minutes until it’s risen again. Preheat oven to 350F. Bake the rolls covered about 30 minutes, remove covering and bake for another 10-15 minutes until the rolls look golden brown. Take out of the oven and let it cool in the baking dish pan another 15 minutes.
Meantime while the rolls are cooling, make the vanilla glaze. In a small bowl, add all ingredients together until it forms a smooth paste. Pour then spread the glaze over the warm rolls. Serve immediately following. Makes 8-10 rolls. These are truly heavenly and perfect for the cooler weather and the holidays! If you make these, please tag me on Instagram @louise.millen or send me a note and let me know how they turned out.
xo Louise