March and April were a couple of the hardest months we’ve had since becoming parents of two. We were struggling to stay afloat and not sleeping much. I started to feel depressed/anxious on and off (which worried me a bit, given my past struggles), and was at a loss for how to write about what I was going through. For a while, I lost the motivation to do many of the things I normally enjoy. The past few years have been amazing and intense and emotional and exhilarating and exhausting. The phrase “burning a candle at both ends” comes to mind. My kids are my world and being a mother is my favourite role in life, but it’s so damn hard sometimes. That’s just the honest truth. Some days you just survive. But then there are those daily moments that take my breath away…make my heart burst with love and my eyes well with tears, and it’s like…oh yeah. THIS. This is it. This is what makes it all worth it a million times over. Grateful doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel.
Thankfully, we seem to be in a better phase right now: we’re all getting more sleep, and the kids have been much happier. I’m soaking it up! My motivation has also returned and inspiration seems to be everywhere lately. Despite the incessant rain of late, things are feeling fresh and new again. My birthday is coming up in a week, so the timing couldn’t be better.
If you’ve been following me on Insta Stories, you may have seen the development of these cinnamon rolls over the past couple weeks. Cinnamon rolls for DAYS, you guys!! Working off my Pumpkin Pie Cinnamon Rolls recipe from way back in 2010, I made a classic cinnamon roll—vegan styles, of course. Why the heck didn’t I have one already? I do not know. My goal was to make the recipe foolproof without sacrificing that amazing cinnamon roll experience we all know and love, and based on my taste testers’ reactions I’d say it’s a big crowd-pleaser. (One of my pals said they remind her of her grandmother’s cinnamon rolls!) Don’t be put off by the number of steps; I wanted to provide a lot of detail so you wouldn’t be left hanging (that’s the worst). Also, be sure to see my notes on how to prep these the day before (you know I tested that, too), so you can wake up and bake fresh cinnamon rolls with minimal bleary-eyed fiddling in the kitchen. I know what we’ll be enjoying on Mother’s Day, and I can’t wait to celebrate with our crazy little fam…
Classic Cinnamon Rolls
Yield
12 rolls
Prep time
Rest time
1 hour, 45 minutes
Cook time
Total time
Fluffy cinnamon rolls topped with a sweet and tangy cream cheese frosting; these are great to whip up for special occasions or laid-back weekend mornings. There are quite a few steps, but don’t panic! I promise, as long as you read everything over before you begin, you'll be fine—they're actually quite easy to make. Even though this recipe technically requires about 2 hours and 45 minutes total time, only 30 to 40 minutes of that are active. The remainder is rest and bake time, during which I encourage you to kick up your feet and relax! See my tips below for how to make these the night before, too. I adapted this recipe from my Pumpkin Pie Cinnamon Rolls (2010).
Ingredients
For the yeast:
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) warm water
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) sugar
- 1 packet (8 g) quick-rise instant dry yeast
For the dough:
- 2 1/2 cups plus 3 tablespoons (430 g) all-purpose white flour, plus more for kneading
- 1/3 cup (67 g) vegan butter
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) unsweetened almond milk
- 1/3 cup (73 g) cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon (6 g) fine sea salt
For the cinnamon sugar filling:
- 1/2 cup (110 g) cane sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons (10 g) cinnamon
- 1/4 cup (50 g) vegan butter, melted
For the pan sauce and frosting:
- 1/4 cup (50 g) vegan butter, melted
- 2 1/2 tablespoons (25 g) unpacked brown sugar or cane sugar
- Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
Directions
- Set aside a 9- by 13-inch casserole dish.
- For the yeast: In a small bowl, add the warm water. Make sure it’s not too hot; it should feel like warm bath water (approximately 110°F/45°C). Stir in the sugar until mostly dissolved. Now, stir in the yeast until dissolved. Set aside for about 6 to 7 minutes so the yeast can activate (it’ll look foamy when ready).
- For the dough: Flour a working surface for later. Add 2 cups of flour into a large mixing bowl.
- Melt 1/3 cup butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Remove the pot from the burner and stir in the almond milk, 1/3 cup sugar, and salt. The mixture should be lukewarm—if it’s any hotter let it cool off for a minute. Stir in all of the yeast mixture until just combined.
- Pour the wet yeast mixture over the flour and stir with a large wooden spoon. Stop mixing once all of the flour is incorporated and it looks a bit like muffin batter, about 15 seconds.
- Add in the remaining 1/2 cup and 3 tablespoons flour. Mix with a spoon for several seconds. Lightly oil your hands and roughly knead the mixture until it comes together into a shaggy, sticky dough. It’ll probably stick to your fingers (even with the oil), but that’s normal. Turn the dough out onto the floured surface.
- Knead the dough for about 3 to 4 minutes until it’s no longer sticky to the touch; it should be smooth and elastic. While kneading, sprinkle on a small handful of flour whenever the dough becomes sticky to the touch. Don’t be afraid to add some flour; I probably use between 1/2 and 3/4 cup while kneading. Shape the dough into a ball.
- Wash out the mixing bowl and dry it. Oil the bowl (I love to use a spray oil for ease) and place the ball of dough inside. Flip the dough around so it gets lightly coated in the oil. Tightly cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the oven with the light on (or simply in a warm, draft-free area). Let the dough rise for 60 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the cinnamon sugar filling. In a small bowl, mix 1/2 cup sugar and the cinnamon and set aside.
- Make the pan sauce: In a small pot, melt 1/2 cup butter (you can use the unwashed pot from before). Remove half of the melted butter (eyeballing it is fine) and put it in another small bowl (this will be spread onto the rolled-out dough before adding the cinnamon sugar). With the scant 1/4 cup melted butter remaining in the pot, stir in the 2 1/2 tablespoons of brown sugar until combined (this is the pan sauce). Pour the pan sauce into a 9- by 13-inch casserole dish and spread it out.
- After the first dough rise, re-flour your working surface and grab a rolling pin. Roll the dough into a large rectangle, approximately 20 by 14 inches.
- With a pastry brush, spread the remaining melted butter onto the dough, covering the entire surface. Sprinkle on all of the cinnamon sugar filling, leaving a 1/2 inch around the edges without any sugar.
- Grab the end of the dough (short side of rectangle) and roll it up, rolling as tightly as possible. Place it seam-side down once it’s rolled up. Use a serrated knife to slice 1 1/2 inch–thick rolls. You should have 10 to 12.
- Grab your cut rolls and place into the prepared pan, cut-side down, a few inches apart from one another. Cover the pan with plastic wrap, place into the oven with the light on, and allow them to rise for 45 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting.
- After the second rise, remove the rolls from the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Remove the plastic wrap. Bake the rolls for 23 to 26 minutes at 350°F (180°C), until lightly golden in a few spots. Remove from oven and allow the rolls to cool for about 10 minutes.
- Frost the rolls with the cream cheese frosting. Slide a butter knife around each cinnamon roll and lift it out. (Alternatively, you can pop them out first and frost each roll individually.) Serve immediately and enjoy!
- If you have leftovers, you can wrap them up and chill them in the fridge for up to 48 hours. I like to reheat unfrosted rolls in the oven on a baking sheet for 5 minutes at 350°F (180°C). The oven returns them to their amazing gooey-soft state! Alternatively, you can freeze the cooled unfrosted rolls (wrap them in a layer of plastic wrap, followed by tinfoil) for a week or two. To reheat, simply unwrap and pop them frozen onto a baking sheet and into the oven for 10 to 12 minutes at 350°F (180°C) until warmed throughout. The edges get a bit crispy, and it’s oh so good!
Tip:
Want cinnamon rolls prepped for breakfast the next day? Simply follow the recipe until you complete the second rise. Place the wrapped dish in the fridge overnight. In the morning, remove the dish from the fridge and let the rolls sit in the oven with the light on for about 20 minutes. After that, remove the dish from the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Remove the plastic wrap, and bake as directed. They can be prepped up to 18 hours in advance. Just be sure to cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap while in the fridge.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)Keep your eyes peeled for a step-by-step cinnamon roll video coming soon! Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you don’t miss it.
And as an aside, to anyone out there battling the bad flooding happening throughout Eastern Canada, our hearts go out to you!
Is there anything we can use to substitute vegan butter? Maybe applesauce? Would love to make it more plant based. Thanks!
Hi Anne, I know a few people have asked about trying coconut oil, and while I haven’t experimented with that sub myself yet, I can’t see why it might not work (be sure to measure it from solid, though). If you try anything out please let us know how it goes!
You’re going to make my wife very happy when I surprise her with these. We are new to the vegan/plant-based diet world, but she has been mentioning the things she’s not sure she can give up. These cinnamon rolls will hopefully be a big hit and one less thing she feels like she has to live without!
Oh, I hope she loves them, Benjamin!
These look yummy going to share and try making them.
Hope you enjoy them, Andy!
THE BEST cinnamon rolls everrr, EVEN IF YOU’RE NOT VEGAN. Dough is very forgiving, rose beautifully, very fluffy and it just melts in your mouth. Such a treat ! Only difference is I cut down on the flour about a half cup or 50g !
I’ve got a family BBQ this weekend where I’m in charge of the sweets and this recipe is coming with me! Thanks!
Would whole wheat flour be ok for these? Wondering if anyone has tried it.
Yummy! Can’t wait to try these, I really love cinnamon rolls, and these being vegan makes it even better!
These look so delicious! One of my best friends is a vegan, and I think I’ll make these for her for breakfast on her birthday next week! I know we’ll both love them!!
-Gabby
www.orcuttfamilydentistry.com
So thoughtful of you, Gabby! I’m sure your friend will appreciate the birthday treat :)
I used a homemade vegan butter the first time I made these delicious rolls but made the dough a little too sour. Second time around I bought a plant-based butter but had to use gluten-free flour because of guests allergies. I used gluten-free buck wheat flour and it turned out good. The dough doesn’t stick too well (might have added too much flour during kneading) and they don’t rise as much. But the result of the taste was wonderful. Will definitely try them again with and without gluten-free /bought or homemade butter!
Thanks for an inspiring site.
Are these in the Every Day cookbook ??!!
I love a good cinnamon roll :)
There’s just something wonderful about freshly baked cinnamon rolls, isn’t there? This recipe isn’t in Oh She Glows Every Day, no; it’s available only on the blog and in the app.
Wow these look amazing! It’s making me want to do some baking!
My sister is vegan and I’m always looking to make things she can eat. I love to cook and bake and excited to share this with her. Your vegan cinnamon rolls look so yummy! Can’t wait to bake this.
Hey Amy, I hope you enjoy the rolls if you try them out! They are such a nice treat. :)
I’ve made these a couple of times and I love the make ahead option! I usually always do that for breakfast the next morning. :)
I’ll definitely have to make the pumpkin ones with fall almost upon us!
Hey Jenny, So glad these were a hit (and that the make-ahead option works!) It’s always nice to hear when others try out those methods too. Thanks so much!
I made these and they are incredible, thank you so much for yet another winning recipe. They are better than the non-vegan version (that I remember) or the processed junk you find in the store. Life-changing.
Hi Diana, So happy this was a hit! I can’t wait to make these this weekend (for our Thanksgiving breakfast here in Canada)
Do you think there would be a way to substitute whole grain flour?
Hey Rachel, Oh good question. I haven’t tried any other flours yet, but you might be able to get away with subbing half of the flour for whole-grain. Maybe a 50/50 blend of white to whole wheat pastry flour? I probably wouldn’t try 100% whole wheat flour as it could be drying. If you try anything out please let us know how it goes. :)
Made these today! They are absolutely delicious!! Thank you for the recipe!
Hey Salla, So happy you enjoyed them!! Thanks for letting me know.
I made a batch of these this weekend, and they were absolutely heavenly! I shared them with all of my non-vegan friends, and one even said they were better than any non-vegan cinnamon roll she’d ever had! The dough was soft and easy to roll out, but my rolls did not rise at all during the 45 minute rise after rolling and cutting. So they were a bit smaller than I was hoping, but it didn’t affect their taste or texture, they were still pretty light. My only variation to this recipe was I used brown sugar instead of cane sugar for my filling, and probably way more cinnamon than called for. Great recipe!
You can never go wrong with more cinnamon…haha! So happy you and your friends loved them. I wonder if the yeast had gone bad? Did it foam up after mixing it with the water?
Hey I love this recipe!!! Cant wait to try. I recently made a video on the reasoning behind going vegan so if you ever have time to check it out, I’ll link it. feel free to share with family & friends!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF_b13N_w6s&feature=youtu.be
Thanks Allie, I’ll check it out!
Do you think it’s possible to replace the vegan butter with coconut oil?
Hey Alison, I think I have heard from another reader who made the swap with success, but I haven’t tried it personally yet. My suggestion would be to use room temperature almond milk as chilled milk may solidify the coconut oil. If you try anything please let us know how it goes!
These are delicious! I keep trying to make the perfect cinnamon roll on my own and yours just the perfect recipe ever! I never need to try it on my own at first.
Thank you so much for the kind words, I’m so happy you love it!