Easy Vegan Cinnamon Rolls

These easy vegan cinnamon rolls are sweet, tender, and filled with cinnamon flavor for a plant-based spin on a classic favorite morning pastry. Simple and fail-proof, you’ll wanna keep this delicious recipe on hand! Perfect for weekend brunch and holidays.

5 from 3 votes

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Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 25

Rising Time: 2

Total Time: 2 45

Servings: rolls

Calories: 308kcal

Author: Sarah McMinn

Ingredients

Cinnamon Rolls

1 ¼ cup soy milk, divided
4 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast, 2 packages
¼ cup chickpea flour
½ cup vegan butter, soften
3 ½ cups all purpose flour
⅓ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt

Cinnamon Filling

½ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoons cinnamon
¼ cup vegan butter, softened

Sweet Glaze

2-3 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons soy milk

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Start by activating the yeast in warm milk. Heat 1 cup of soy milk over medium heat until the milk is warm but not too hot to touch (about 100 degrees F). Stir in the yeast and set aside for 10 minutes to allow the yeast to activate. The yeast will start to bloom (grow) when it’s ready.
To make the dough, begin by making the chickpea egg. Combine the remaining ¼ cup milk with chickpea flour, whisking it together until thick and gooey. Set aside.
In the large bowl of a stand up mixer, combine 2 cups flour, sugar, salt, and vegan butter. Using the hook attachment, mix to combine. With the motor running, slowly add the chickpea flour and yeast/milk mixture, scraping down the sides as necessary. Add the remaining flour ½ cup at a time and beat to combine. Add flour until the dough starts pulling away from the sides of the bowl. It should be soft and pillowy to the touch. Alternatively, you can do this in a large bowl with a wooden spoon.
Transfer to a floured surface and kneed the dough for about five minutes. Shape into a ball and place in a large oiled bowl. Cover the dough in plastic wrap, and place in a warm area of your house for 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
When the dough is ready, roll out onto a floured covered surface into a large rectangle about ¼ ” thick. Spread the vegan butter over the entire surface of the dough, leaving the top ¼" of the rectangle clean. Combine cinnamon and sugar and spread evenly over the butter.
Starting at the bottom of the rectangle, roll dough evenly into a tight roll. With your fingers press together the seam. Seam side down, cut dough using a serrated knife into 15 equal pieces, about 1” thick.
Place cinnamon rolls in an oiled 9x12 (or similarly sized) pan. Cover and allow the dough to rise for a second time until doubled in size, about 40 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Once cinnamon rolls are ready, remove plastic wrap and brush tops and sides with soy milk. Bake for 25–30 minutes, until golden brown and fragrant. To check for doneness, lightly tap the tops of the rolls. They should sound hollow when tapped.
Remove the rolls from the oven and transfer them to a cooling rack, allowing them to cool for 10 minutes. While the cinnamon rolls cool, combine ingredients for the glaze and, once they are ready, pour the glaze over the top.

Notes

Serving and Storing - Serve the cinnamon rolls warm with glaze. These cinnamon rolls are a delicious part of any holiday brunch alongside a vegan quiche, roasted potatoes, fresh fruit, and a Bloody Mary. Tightly wrap leftover monkey bread and store at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Make in Advance - If you want to make this sweet bread the night before, prepare the bread following the instructions below to the point of the 2nd rise. Once the bread is rolled and shaped in the dish, cover it with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator overnight. The next morning, remove the dough from the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to baking.

Recipe Tips

Activate your yeast properly. To do this, make sure your yeast is not expired and the milk is warm but not too hot. Otherwise, the yeast will not activate and you will not get a pillowy rise on the bread.
Add flour slowly. The dough should be soft but not so sticky that you can’t handle it. This recipe calls for 3 ½ cups of flour but you may not use it all. Add it ½ cup at a time until you’ve achieved the desired dough.
Let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 ½ – 2 hours, until the dough has doubled in size.
Cut uniform slices for proper baking. Your rolls should be between 1 and 1 ½ inches long.

Variations - Don't have a stand-up mixer? While a stand-up mixer makes this recipe much easier, you can certainly make this bread by hand. Simply combine the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and knead the dough together on a floured surface. Knead for 10 minutes before the first rise.

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