The Best Fluffy Plant Based Cinnamon Rolls

These fluffy dairy-free cinnamon rolls are my Memere’s Christmas morning recipe, baked in a gooey coconut milk brown sugar glaze, flipped out of the pan, and finished with vegan cream cheese frosting. Better than Cinnabon, and I will die on that hill.

Every single Christmas Day, my family makes cinnamon rolls, and it all goes back to my French grandma, Memere. She taught me to bake when I was little, standing at the counter kneading and shaping dough next to her. She cooked with whole foods, made everything from scratch, and was STRONG from years of kneading by hand. These are her rolls, just swapped to dairy-free.

Dairy-free cinnamon rolls are soft yeast rolls made with plant milk and vegan butter instead of milk and butter, filled with brown sugar and cinnamon. These bake in a pool of coconut milk brown sugar glaze, then flip onto a platter so the glaze runs down the sides, and finish with a thick vegan cream cheese frosting. The recipe makes 20 rolls and bakes in 18 to 20 minutes, with most of the time spent waiting on the dough to rise.

If yeast dough scares you, don’t let it. Follow the recipe card exactly the first time and you’ll get fluffy, gooey rolls.

Ingredients for Dairy-Free Cinnamon Rolls

For the dough

• Active dry yeast: traditional active dry. Quick-rise yeast works too and shortens the rising time. Check the expiry date, old yeast is the number one reason dough doesn’t rise.
• Lukewarm water and a little sugar: wakes the yeast up. Water that’s too hot kills it, too cold and it won’t wake up. If you don’t see foam after about 10 minutes, start over with fresh yeast.
• Almond milk: heated, then cooled a bit before it meets the eggs and yeast. Any plant milk works here.
• Vegan butter: melted for the dough, softened for the filling.
• Sugar and salt: coconut sugar or cane sugar both swap in for white sugar.
• Eggs: I use pasture-raised. They make the dough richer and softer, and they’re the one ingredient that isn’t plant-based. Use an egg replacer for a fully vegan batch.
• All-purpose flour: add it gradually, you may not need every bit. Whole wheat flour works if you want a heartier roll.

For the filling

• Vegan butter, packed brown sugar, and cinnamon: spread right to the edges so every swirl is loaded.

For the glaze

• Full-fat coconut milk: Memere used thick whipping cream, so you need something just as rich. Light coconut milk or thin almond milk won’t give you that gooey caramel bottom.
• Brown sugar and cinnamon: whisked into the coconut milk and poured over the rolls right before they bake.

For the frosting

• Vegan cream cheese: I use Tofutti. Beaten with vegan butter, vanilla, and icing sugar, then chilled so it stays thick. The frosting is optional, but don’t skip it.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate this Recipe

5 from 8 votes

Fluffy Dairy-Free Cinnamon Rolls (Vegan Option)

My French grandma's Christmas morning cinnamon rolls made dairy-free, baked in a gooey coconut milk brown sugar glaze, flipped out of the pan, and topped with vegan cream cheese frosting.

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time18 minutes mins

Rising Time2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Total Time3 hours hrs 18 minutes mins

Course: break

Cuisine: American

Servings: 20 cinnamon rolls

Calories: 471kcal

Author: Bailey Campbell

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going to sleep

Ingredients 

1x2x3x4x

FOR YEAST MIXTURE

• ½ cup lukewarm water
• 2 packages traditional active dry yeast
• 2 tsp sugar

FOR CINNAMON ROLL DOUGH

• ¼ cup vegan butter melted
• ½ cup sugar
• ¾ cup warm water
• 1 cup almond milk hot
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 pasture raised eggs, beaten
• 5 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

FOR FILLING

• ½ cup vegan butter
• 1 ½ cups brown sugar packed
• 4 tsp cinnamon

FOR CINNAMON ROLL GLAZE

• 1 cup full fat coconut milk if you’re not vegan you can also use heavy whipping cream
• 1.5 cups brown sugar packed
• 1 tsp cinnamon

FOR CREAM CHEESE FROSTING (OPTIONAL)

• 4 oz block-style vegan cream cheese I used Tofutti
• ¼ cup vegan butter
• 3 cups icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

MAKING THE YEAST MIXTURE

• Start by getting lukewarm water from the tap, approx 115 degrees F. I rarely use a thermometer, but this step will ensure you do not kill your yeast from the water being too hot, or not activating the yeast from the water being too cold.
• In a small bowl, dissolve the sugar into the water. Add both packages of active dry yeast to water (do not mix). Put the bowl onto a thick dish towel or in the oven with the light on (without heat). Must be in a warm place to let stand to get foamy. If it doesn’t foam up, throw away and start again.

MAKING THE CINNAMON ROLL DOUGH

• Add the vegan butter to a large mixing bowl. Then add the sugar, warm water, warm almond milk, and salt.
• Once mixture has cooled, add the eggs (you do not want to cook the eggs in too hot of liquid). Then add the yeast mixture.
• Begin adding one cup of flour at a time. Once you have added about 4.5-5 cups, the mixture will be too tough to mix with a spatula. Switch to using your hands and begin kneading the dough for approx 8 minutes, until the dough looks smooth and doesn’t fall through your fingers while holding it.

LET RISE

• Grease a large bowl all around the sides (bowl must be 3 times the size of the dough). Put a clean tee towel over the bowl and put in the oven with the oven light on (again, no heat). Let rise for 1.5-2 hours or until doubled in size.

ROLL IT OUT

• Flour the surface and rolling pin. Cut the dough into 2 equal sections. Roll out the dough into a thin rectangle (approx 1/2 inch thick).
• Take 1/4 cup vegan butter and add evenly to rolled dough. Sprinkle the 3/4 cup packed brown sugar evenly over the butter, then finish with 2 tsp cinnamon.
• Starting at the long end, roll the dough up. Once it’s tight, pinch the ends so the rolls stay together. For bigger cinnamon rolls, cut into 2.5 inch pieces and for smaller cut into 1.5 inch pieces. You can use dental floss or a very sharp serrated knife. Follow same steps for other half of remaining dough.

SECOND RISE

• Grease a few baking dishes. For bigger buns I use round baking cake pans or 9 x 13 baking dishes. Leave lots of room between the buns as they rise again. Cover with tee towel and put back in the oven for a second rise with light on and heat off. They may take 45-60 minutes and will double in size again.

MAKE THE GLAZE AND CREAM CHEESE ICING

• In a medium size bowl, whisk the full fat coconut milk, brown sugar and cinnamon then set aside. This mixture will continue to thicken as it sits. In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together the vegan cream cheese and vegan butter. Add in icing sugar and vanilla. Put frosting in the refrigerator till the cinnamon buns are cooked.

BAKE THE BUNS

• Preheat oven to 350F. Pour the coconut milk glaze mixture evenly over the cinnamon rolls. Uncovered, bake for 18-20 minutes.
• Let cool in the pan for 3 minutes, then invert onto a serving platter or large plate. Scrape remaining filling from the pan onto the rolls. Lather on the cream cheese icing, and enjoy! Pro tip – brag about these babies because they were an all day affair!

Notes

• Storage: covered at room temperature up to 2 days, fridge up to 5 days.
• Freeze: wrap tightly, freeze airtight up to 2 months, reheat in the microwave. Texture is best fresh.

Nutrition

Serving: 1roll | Calories: 471kcal | Carbohydrates: 83g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.05g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 271mg | Potassium: 123mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 56g | Vitamin A: 457IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 2mg

The nutrition information provided is calculated based on industry-standard software and should be used as a general guide only. The information may vary depending on ingredient substitutions, cooking techniques, and individual serving sizes. It is the responsibility of the reader to ensure the accuracy and appropriateness of the nutritional information provided. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for personalized medical or nutritional advice.

Tried this recipe?Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on @basicswithbails

More Holiday Treats and Memere Recipes

• Chocolate Zucchini Sheet Cake, another one of Memere’s
• Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
• 30 Christmas Cookie Recipes With Few Ingredients
• Christmas Chocolate Peppermint Truffles
• Christmas Sugar Cookie Fudge
• Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

If these end up on your Christmas morning table, leave a star rating and a comment below, it helps other bakers find Memere’s recipe. Tag @basicswithbails on Instagram so I can see your pan.