Vegan Double-the-Cinnamon Rolls with Make Ahead Overnight Option

These dairy-free cinnamon rolls are a beloved pantry recipe that you can now find in the 2nd Edition of Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook! Today, I’m sharing the updated version of this recipe as a sample from my book, along with some new photos. If you’ve loved this recipe for years, don’t worry, the base recipe is still the same! I just added more options, better directions, and extra tips with the cookbook version.

I don’t consider icing optional when it comes to cinnamon rolls. This photo shows the Rich Vanilla Icing drizzled on once these double-the-cinnamon rolls had cooled.

The Best Darn Cinnamon Roll Recipe That Just Happens to Be Vegan

Believe me, these cinnamon rolls are loved by all, whether they’re dairy-free or not. I’ve served them countless times on holiday mornings, for weekend brunch, and when Tony and I are simply craving a bakery indulgence.

Despite being void of eggs and butter, these dairy-free cinnamon rolls are incredibly tender and delicious. Honestly, you won’t know the difference between these and those fluffy store-bought cinnamon rolls. In fact, Tony swore that these were much better. As verified by the quantity he ate before I could even take a picture!

As you may have guessed from the name, these dairy-free cinnamon rolls have a double dose of cinnamon spice with extra in the filling and some added to the dough, too. I’m a firm believer that you can’t have too much cinnamon in cinnamon rolls.

You want to give the rolls a little room to rise in the pan, but not too much. I like how the layers start to squish upward a bit as they bake and crowd one another.

A Boon for Dairy-Free Bakers

You might be expecting just creamy recipes in Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook. This book does contain many, many recipes for homemade dairy substitutes, creamy sauces and soups, and much more. But I also love baking. And if you’ve already gone dairy-free, then you know that dairy is used in a lot of baked goods!

So the 2nd Edition of Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook includes classic recipes and coffeehouse favorites, like these Overnight Double-the-Cinnamon Rolls. Other treats include Bakery Style Blueberry Muffins, Baked Cake Maple Donuts, Strawberry Danish Scones, Flaky French Croissants, Iced Lemon Loaf, Never Enough Chocolate Chip Cookies, and … I could go on all day!

This is one of my older photos, but it shows the Buttery Maple Glaze drizzled on while the dairy-free cinnamon rolls are still warm.

Reader Raves

Emilee gave these a try and had a happy success:

Thanks for these! I made them with an egg and just 1/2 cup banana and they were fabulous! We ate one pan and froze the rest to take camping, and they were just as good the second time around.

Emma successfully swapped the banana for applesauce:

Just thought I’d tell you that apple sauce works brilliantly as a substitute for the banana and gives an excellent sweetness to the dough.

Sharon shared the following on Facebook:

Love this recipe when I discovered it a few years ago on Pinterest. My family loves them and so easy to make. Great to find a recipe that tastes great when you have someone with a dairy and egg allergy. I tend to put more cinnamon than recommended in the filling but that’s down to individual taste.

See the comments on this post (below) for more Reader Raves and tips!

Those layers are so tender and flaky that it’s hard to stop at one cinnamon roll! But they are fulfilling and generously sized.

Special Diet Notes: Double-the-Cinnamon Rolls

By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, nut-free, peanut-free, optionally soy-free, vegan, and vegetarian.

Alisa Fleming

Vegan Double-the-Cinnamon Rolls with Overnight Option

5 from 9 votes

This recipe is adapted from my book, the 2nd Edition of Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook. You won’t be able to taste the difference between these vegan sweet buns and fluffy storebought cinnamon rolls. In fact, my husband swears that these are much better. Please note that the Prep time does not include rising time! It is hands on time only.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 45 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Servings: 12 cinnamon rolls

Calories:

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

• ½ cup warm plain or unsweetened plain dairy-free milk beverage
• 2 ¼ teaspoons 1/4-ounce packet active dry yeast
• 2 ¾ cups bread flour or 3 cups all-purpose flour plus more as needed
• 1 teaspoon + 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon divided
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup mashed ripe banana can sub pumpkin puree or applesauce
• ¼ cup melted coconut oil melted dairy-free buttery spread, grapeseed oil, or another baking oil
• 1 tablespoon sugar can sub coconut sugar
• ½ cup firmly-packed brown sugar can sub coconut sugar for less sweet
• 3 tablespoons chilled dairy-free buttery spread can sub Bakeable Butter from Go Dairy Free
• Rich Vanilla Icing or Buttery Maple Glaze Recipes below!

Method

 

1. Put the warm milk beverage in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle in the yeast. Let sit for 5 minutes to proof and ensure the yeast is active
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and salt.
3. Add the banana, 1/4 cup oil or melted buttery spread, white sugar, and half of the flour blend to the yeast mixture and stir to combine. Gradually stir in the rest of the flour until soft dough forms.
4. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead it for 10 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Add more flour when needed to keep the dough from sticking to your hands. You should end up with fairly soft dough that is just slightly sticky.
5. Return the dough to the mixing bowl, lightly cover the bowl, and let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free place for 45 minutes, or until doubled in size. (See Rising Tip below.)
6. Grease a 9×9-inch or 11×8-inch baking pan. (See Pan Size Tip below.)
7. Punch down the dough. Cover and let it rest for 5 minutes.
8. In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, 3 tablespoons buttery spread, and remaining 2 teaspoons cinnamon.
9. Turn out the dough onto a floured surface. Roll the dough into a large rectangle that’s about 18 inches wide and ¼-inch thickness (fairly thin). If it springs back too much, just let it rest for another 5 minutes before rolling.
10. Sprinkle or spread (if the buttery spread is melty) the brown sugar mixture evenly over the dough, leaving a 1-inch margin on one of the long sides. Starting from the other long side, tightly roll up the dough, pinching the seam to seal.
11. Turn the roll seam side down, and slice it into 12 equal-size rolls (about 1 ½ inches wide).
12. Place the slices cut side down in your prepared baking pan. Lightly cover the rolls with plastic wrap. Place the pan in the refrigerator overnight. (If you want to bake them today, let rise in a warm draft-free place for 30 to 60 minutes, or until about double in size.)
13. In the morning, pull the cinnamon rolls from the refrigerator, and place them on top of the stove while you preheat your oven to 375ºF.
14. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the cinnamon rolls are lightly golden brown.
15. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan.
16. Pull apart the cinnamon rolls and individually drizzle them with the Rich Vanilla Icing or Buttery Maple Glaze just before serving.
17. Store un-iced cinnamon rolls covered at room temperature for up to 2 days, or individually wrap them and freeze to enjoy later. Once iced, the rolls are best if eaten the same day. The icing will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, but whisk it again before using. If stiff, you can warm it for just a few seconds in the microwave, or whisk in a little more water.

Notes

Rising Tip: I combine the dough in a round pyrex baking dish with a glass lid. When done making the dough, the bowl is still lightly floured/greased (I cheat and even knead the dough in the bowl). I just pop the lid on and put it in the oven with the light on to rise (do not turn the oven on).

Pan Size Tip: If you don't have a pan that size, you can place 9 of the rolls in an 8-inch round or square pan, and the remaining 3 rolls in muffin cups. You want to give them a little bit of room to rise, but not too much. They should still squish together a little when rising.

Buttery Maple Glaze Recipe: In a medium bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons maple syrup, 1 teaspoon melted dairy-free buttery spread, and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract until smooth. Whisk in water, just a teaspoon at a time, until it reaches your desired consistency.

Rich Vanilla Icing Recipe: In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 cup sifted powdered sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons melted buttery spread, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1 tablespoon water until smooth. If needed, whisk in additional water, just 1 teaspoon at a time, until it reaches a drizzly consistency.

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