Soft, fluffy, gooey vegan cinnamon rolls coming right up! These dairy-free cinnamon buns are special for two reasons: first, the recipe uses olive oil rather than vegan butter. Second, the cinnamon roll dough uses the Tangzhong method, a technique that results in the most tender, moist dough. This recipe has a room temperature rise of 60-90 minutes, but I've also included an overnight option for convenience.
Hi hi! I am just popping in to share this vegan cinnamon roll recipe! I have been sitting on the recipe for a wee bit and decided it is just far too good to keep to myself and I should probably just share it here now! This recipe makes 9 large, soft, and fluffy vegan cinnamon rolls.
These Vegan Cinnamon Rolls are SO GOOD. I love making homemade cinnamon rolls, but I don't have too much vegan baking experience (it is usually just a happy accident - my focaccia recipe and my ciabatta recipe are both vegan), so I was a little cautious going into this, but oh my, they turned out so well!
The dough for these vegan cinnamon rolls has a Tangzhong base, which gave me a great foundation to work on, then relied on bread flour for strength where eggs and milk would usually do the heavy lifting.
I filled the Vegan dough with a simple cinnamon sugar mixture, then added a wee layer of candied pecans just for texture and flavour. These Vegan Cinnamon Rolls are so soft and fluffy and come together quickly - I hope you love them!
Super Easy Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
These Vegan Cinnamon Buns are super easy to make. The dough comes together super fast and because it doesn't have butter etc in it, it is just as easy to roll out at room temperature as it is cold.
- Make the Candied Pecans - These Vegan Candied Pecans are super easy to make - you just cook toasted nuts on the stove with some sugar and oil until the sugar caramelises. I like to toast my nuts in the oven first to add a depth of flavour. The pecans are finely chopped for the filling of the cinnamon rolls.
- Mix the Vegan Cinnamon Roll Dough - This dough uses the Tangzhong method, so starts with a paste made of milk and flour which is cooked on the stove. The rest of the ingredients then go in and it hangs out in the mixer for a bit before being left to rise
- Assemble the Vegan Cinnamon Rolls - The next step is to roll out the dough, and top with the cinnamon sugar filling and the candied pecans. Then they get rolled up, sliced, and popped into a pan to rise and then are baked.
- Finish with glaze - These Vegan Cinnamon Rolls just have a super simple glaze made from plant based milk and powdered sugar. You can make it as thin or thick as you like depending on preference! I used oat milk to make my icing, you can use almond milk or soy milk too if you like depending on preference.
How to make Vegan Cinnamon Roll Dough
I relied heavily on the Tangzhong method when making this vegan cinnamon roll dough. The Tangzhong method is an Asian Technique, and involves cooking part of the flour and water in a bread recipe to form a thick paste, or a roux. The process of making the Tangzhong gelatanises some of the starch in the flour. This means the flour is able to absorb a lot more water, and also holds onto it throughout the dough making process.
This gives an incredibly soft bread which stays soft a lot longer than other bread does. Tangzhong (which is a Chinese word) cooks the liquid and flour together, while the Yudane method (which is Japanese) involves adding boiling liquid to the flour and leaving it to set overnight. The benefit of using a roux means that the bread dough can stay 'lean' - so very little added fat etc but still stay extremely tender and soft.
This works perfectly as the base for a vegan dough as the strength from the Tangzhong means that there is no need for dairy or egg in the dough. The dough is super super light and fluffy, so does need to be dealt with differently than a traditional brioche (it is much more puffy), but it works so, so well!
Please note that if you are keeping these strictly vegan you will need to make sure your sugar is also vegan!
How to get a clean cut on Cinnamon Rolls
There are a few ways to cut cinnamon rolls - for a firmer dough I usually use a sharp bread knife. While that will work for these vegan cinnamon rolls, the dough is super soft and puffy so I use unflavoured dental floss.
To cut rolls with dental floss, I find it is easiest to cut the roll into sections first (in this case 3 sections), then cut each up. You want to place the log of dough over the floss rather than dragging it up the log, or it will catch on the underside.
Then you just cross the ends over each other and pull, and it gives you a perfect swirly cinnamon roll! Make sure your pecans are finely chopped for this too to avoid them catching on the floss.
If you only have flavoured dental floss I honestly don't think it's going to make a massive difference - thread or some thin string or fishing wire would work great too!
Sample Schedule for Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
I made these Vegan Cinnamon Rolls all in the same day. However, there are a few ways that you can do this to make them ahead of time. I often get asked if you can do the second rise for cinnamon rolls overnight and while you can, it is not my favourite. I find that the chances of over proofing your rolls are much higher, and the filling tends to leak. You then also have to still let them sit at room temperature while you heat up the oven. Here are the two ways I would do it:
- Fridge rise first rise, room temperature second rise - I often use a cold rise for my first rise with dough. As I said earlier this dough isn't like a butter based dough which will firm up and be easier to roll when cold, but the fridge means you can make it on your schedule. You can either do the first rise in the fridge during the day (I would give it 10-15 minutes on the counter then a minimum of 3 hours in the fridge), or you can do it overnight.
- Room temperature first rise, room temperature second rise - This is what I did when making these. The dough is super soft and puffy so only takes about an hour to do the first rise and about 30 for the second.
The candied pecans can be made well ahead of time and stored in an airtight container until ready to use. Remember to always go by how your dough is behaving rather than time on the clock!
Frequently Asked Questions
Is bread flour compulsory?
The dough heavily relies on the gluten in the recipe for structure. Bread flour provides that. It is also called 'high grade' or 'strong' flour in other countries. You can add in
'vital wheat gluten' if you don't have bread flour in your country, but I haven't tried it before so I am not 100% on the ratio sorry. For this same reason - I haven't tried making these GF sorry!
Do I have to use a mixer?
haven't tried without but I would say yes, you do need the mixer. The dough is soft and stretchy, and needs the mixer to help develop strength.
Why is there bread flour in the filling?
This is a little tip I borrowed from King Arthur - it stops the filling from leaking out!
What pan did you bake the vegan cinnamon rolls in?
I used a 10" skillet, but a 9" round cake pan or a 9" square pan would work great too. I cut mine into 9 pieces but you can do what you like here.
What is a good substitute for Cardamom?
If you don't have it, you can just leave it out of the dough. Cinnamon inhibits yeast, so don't replace it with that in the dough. You can replace the cardamom with 1 tsp cinnamon in the filling.
How do you store vegan cinnamon rolls?
Store vegan cinnamon rolls in an airtight container at room temperature, then briefly refresh in the microwave.
❤️ Made this recipe and love it? ❤️
I would LOVE for you to leave me a review and star rating below to let me know how you liked it! Also, please make sure to tag me on Instagram!
Answers to your baking questions
Over the years, many of you have asked me questions about:
- baking in grams
- adjusting oven temperatures
- what kind of salt to use
- and many more!
I've curated and answered them all for your easy reference in this frequently asked questions post!
Soft and Gooey Olive Oil Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 9 servings 1x
- Category: Cinnamon Rolls
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Soft, fluffy, gooey vegan cinnamon rolls coming right up! These dairy-free cinnamon buns are special for two reasons: first, the recipe uses olive oil or neutral oil rather than vegan butter. Second, the cinnamon roll dough uses the Tangzhong method, a technique that results in the most tender, moist dough. This recipe has a room temperature rise of 60-90 minutes, but I've also included an overnight option for convenience.
Ingredients
Candied Pecans
- 125g pecans
- 50g light or dark brown sugar
- 15g olive oil or neutral oil
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
Tangzhong
- 20g bread flour
- 95g oat milk
Vegan Cinnamon Roll Dough
- All of the Tangzhong
- 150g oat milk or other plant based milk, cold
- 30g light or dark brown sugar
- 1 ½ tsp (6g) instant yeast
- 270g bread flour
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
- ½ tsp (3g) kosher salt
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- 35g olive oil or neutral oil
Filling
- 100g brown sugar
- 1 tbsp (10g) cinnamon
- 1 tsp (2g) cardamom
- 30g olive oil or neutral oil
- 10g bread flour
- Pinch of salt
- All of the candied pecans, finely chopped
Glaze
- 200g powdered sugar, sifted if lumpy
- ½ tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
- 15-30g plant based milk (adjust based on glaze consistency preference)
Instructions
CANDIED PECANS
- Preheat the oven to 350°f / 180°c. Spread the pecan halves out on a baking sheet, and toast for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown (you can snap one open to check they are toasted throughout). Leave to cool.
- Line a small baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or some parchment paper. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar, oil, and salt.
- Add the toasted pecan halves and cook, stirring frequently and adjusting the heat as necessary, until the sugar has melted and the nuts are evenly coated in the sugar mixture. Tip out onto the prepared baking sheet and spread the nuts out with a spatula so they aren’t clumped together.
- Once the nuts are cool, chop very finely either with a knife or by blitzing in a food processor until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Store in an airtight container until ready to use. Can be made ahead of time.
TANGZHONG
- Combine the milk and bread flour in a medium saucepan. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring continuously, until the mixture thickens into a paste. Remove from heat and transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer.
VEGAN CINNAMON ROLL DOUGH
- Add the cold milk to the Tangzhong mixture and mix to combine, checking with your finger that it is not hotter than lukewarm (the cold milk should cool the hot tangzhong enough). Add the sugar, yeast, flour, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, and oil. Transfer to the mixer and fit with the dough hook.
- Mix on medium to high speed for 10-12 minutes, until the dough is soft, smooth, and stretchy, and is clearing the sides of the bowl. Don't freak out. It's a sticky dough. Set a timer and walk away from the mixer if you need to. If it really isn't clearing the bowl, you can add more flour 1 tsp at a time. Different flours are more or less thirsty which can show more on a sticky dough so just go by how the dough feels. I haven't had to add more flour but you may need to add just a teeny bit to bring it all together.
- Lightly oil a medium bowl. Using lightly oiled hands, turn the dough out onto a surface and shape into a ball. You can use flour on the surface instead of oil if you like.
- Transfer the ball of the dough to the prepared bowl, and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Leave in a warm spot for 60 to 90 minutes, until the dough has doubled in size and is very puffy.
ASSEMBLY
- Line a 10" round or 9" square pan with parchment paper. Combine all of the filling ingredients except the pecans in a small bowl to form somewhat of a paste.
- Turn out the risen dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat into a rough square (this helps with keeping it square as you roll it out - if you start with a square your chances of ending with one are much higher)
- Roll out into a 12"x12" (30cmx30cm) square, squaring off the sides as you go with a bench scraper.
- Evenly spread the combined filling ingredients over the surface of the dough. Pat with your hands to help spread it out.
- Sprinkle the chopped pecans evenly over the surface of the dough.
- Starting from one edge, roll up the dough into a tight log. Lay it seam side down.
- Trim the ends if desired, then, using unflavoured dental floss, cut the dough into 9 even cinnamon rolls. I like to section it into 3 first and then divide each section further into 3 more rolls. To cut with dental floss, place the floss underneath the part of dough you want to cut, ensuring it is sitting straight, then cross the ends of the floss over each other and pull to cut.
- Arrange the buns evenly in the prepared pan. Lightly
- Lightly cover the pan with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot until the rolls are puffy and when lightly pressed with a finger, an indentation is left that doesn't spring all the way back. This should take 30 to 45 minutes.
- While the rolls are rising, preheat the oven to 350°f / 180°c.
- Bake the cinnamon rolls for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown on top. If you like you can measure the internal temperature - it should be tracking around 190°f / 90°c for baked rolls (make sure you insert the thermometer into the dough not the filling)
- Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 15 to 20 minutes before drizzling with the frosting.
GLAZE
- Place the powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Add the vanilla. Start with 15g plant based milk and mix to combine, then continue adding more milk until your desired glaze consistency is reached. Drizzle over the baked cinnamon rolls.
Store leftover rolls in an airtight container at room temperature. Refresh briefly in the microwave if desired.
Notes
Please note that if you are keeping these strictly vegan you will need to double check your sugar is vegan as not all brands are.
Comments
Caribou says
This is such a beautiful dough to work with! And the rolls are so so good!!
stacy says
These are delicious- so soft and fluffy! The candied pecans are beyond yum 🙂
Doha says
Made these yesterday and they turned out so sooo good! The dough was sticky had to add 1-2 teaspoons of flour but im guessing it was due to flour differences. Love your recipes! They just turn out perfect!
BobH says
These were OK.
Erin says
Hi! Sorry to hear you didn't enjoy - what part didn't you like?
Aaruni says
Best vegan cinnamon rolls!!! They were so soft and fluffy. Just Perfect 🤩
Estelle says
I made these today and they were amazing. my friends loved them. such an easy recipe to follow, the tips & hints are SO HELPFUL. thanks Erin 🙂
Katelyn Baquero says
These were incredible! The dough was a bit different than anything I’ve worked with before, so I was a bit unsure, but I just followed the instructions and told myself that Erin has never steered me wrong before…and tada! They were the first thing to disappear at Thanksgiving dinner… amid a bunch of non-vegans!
Paula says
I made these for a holiday party and they were an absolute hit! The candied pecans are a revelation and I'm already planning the make them again. Thank you for this fantastic recipe!
Ashley says
I made these as one of the last desserts I brought in for my co-workers at my previous job. One of the women is vegan so she could never eat any of the desserts I brought it so I decided to give this recipe a try.....it was a total hit! I was so happy with the result. The dough was still easy to work with and didn't dry out too much when baked. Thank you for developing an awesome vegan cinnamon roll recipe!
Sylvia says
I've made these three times and they are PERFECT. They are carbon copies of "regular" cinnamon rolls and no one knows the difference. The recipe is easy to follow and I have now printed it out so I can make them often. Thank you!!
Barbara wants to know how many cups it is says
I made these as my son is allergic to eggs and dairy, and I think maybe they are better than the original? Recipe was so easy to follow, and the dough is so soft and fluffy, so nice to work with. I left out the pecans cos #lazy but I will be making these again and again. DELICIOUS. Thanks for making your recipes so accessible and having actually delicious vegan options. A++, 10/10.
SG says
Hi, one question - the recipe calls for 1/4 tsp cinnamon in the dough, but in the intro you say to use cardamom. Should it be 1/4 tsp cardamom in the dough?
Erin Clarkson says
Hi! Yep it should be, sorry about that!
Nicole says
Hi Erin,
Thank you so much for this recipe! I’m planning on making this recipe using the overnight first rise in the fridge option but I was wondering how long the dough needs to sit at room temperature before I start shaping it for the rolls?
Erin Clarkson says
Hi hi! You can use it straight from the fridge!
Sheeba says
Erin this is best recipe ever..loved it
Sheeba says
Erin this is best recipe ever..loved it
mars4coffee says
Phenomenal Cinnamon Rolls. A huge hit. You would honestly never know they were vegan. The dough acted exactly as described in the recipe notes. As was suggested, I did need to a small amount of flour (1 heaping teaspoon) to make my dough come together. My brown sugar didn't want to melt nicely, but I just put in my pecans, mixed them up and they were delicious. The only note I'll make for myself for next time is that I only would make half of the icing.
Sara Lasova says
Hi Erin, is it possible to sub the oil for vegan butter? I am planning to make these for a picnic, so excited! 😊
Erin Clarkson says
I haven't tried it sorry!
Shell says
Made these the other day for step daughter who cant have dairy or eggs. Your recipe again was easy to follow. I did find the filling a bit dry when mixing and maybe not enough so I did 1 1/2 times the filling with a bit extra oil (still a but crumbly, so might add a touch more next time). I used coconut oil and you couldn't taste it. Im not a big fan of cardamon so only put 1/4tsp in.
You would never know they are vegan and hubby said the best I'd made (even compared to my recently baked cinnamon rolls of yours lol).
Thanks for another great recipe!! Always check your site first if deciding to make something to see if you have it 😊
Hannah says
A little late to review but I made these at Christmas after looking for a dairy free recipe as I have a CMPA baby. These were really really good, they definitely don’t taste like a ‘vegan version’, they just taste good in their own right.
I made a few tweaks, reduced the amount of cardamom to as I don’t love cardamom, and used nuttelex instead of oil for the filling because I found it a little easier to spread that way. They were very tasty went down very well with non-vegan guests. The dough is a bit lighter than I’m used to in a cinnamon roll, but honestly that wasn’t a bad thing after Christmas dinner.
Doc Dougherty says
Note that a tangzhong should not be heated above 65°C or 149°F or it will go beyond galatinized and actually full cook to flour.
Adding a pinch of ground cloves and a little malic acid to the cinnamon and cardamom brings a new dimension (after you have made the baseline dough and appreciate how good this is).
Violet says
Absolutely delicious. I rolled out an extra long log and sliced into 16 so the rolls were smaller as I was bringing them to a potluck birthday party and they disappeared super fast.
I used EVOO as that’s what I had on hand (you could taste it in the glaze, but it was good), and made them by hand (without a mixer as I jumped straight to the recipe and missed the recommendation not to). It was messy but possible, I would also not recommend it, but they were so good I’m sitting here having to convince myself another batch isn’t on the cards today 😂.
Estelle says
Love this recipe when I'm needing something vegan-friendly to take for shared lunches etc. It's such an easy recipe to follow and has honestly become a go-to for a sweet treat in my house. The dough is so light and fluffy. Thanks Erin for another fab recipe!