These dairy free cinnamon rolls with dairy free buttercream frosting are literally what your sweet tooth dreams are made of everyday. Try out these vegan cinnamon rolls today! I bet you can’t tell the difference and think it’s the best cinnamon roll recipe ever!
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If you’re like our family, cinnamon rolls are a fun, super special treat every once in a blue. When you go dairy free, you don’t want to feel like you’re missing out on anything. Honestly, you want to enjoy all the same things that you were able to have before. Luckily, you can now have the perfect dairy free cinnamon rolls with dairy free buttercream frosting.
This homemade dairy free cinnamon rolls recipe has all the best components that make up the perfect cinnamon roll recipe. They are super fluffy and soft. Then, it’s topped with the most wonderful dairy free buttercream frosting. You won’t even believe that these are completely vegan cinnamon rolls.
Watch how these vegan, dairy free cinnamon rolls are made:
What ingredients do you need to make dairy free cinnamon rolls?
In order to make these vegan cinnamon rolls, you’ll need just 9 ingredients. Just 9 ingredients stand in between you and the most absolutely delicious homemade dairy free cinnamon rolls. I promise that if you follow the recipe, it will be the most delicious homemade cinnamon rolls you’ve ever made. Here’s what you need:
- Bread Flour
- Unsweetened Almond Milk
- Vegan Butter (Smart Balanced Soy Free worked best)
- Vanilla Extract
- Active Dry Yeast
- Vegan Cane Sugar
- Brown Sugar
- Salt
- Cinnamon
You will also need frosting for these delicious dairy free cinnamon rolls. In the photos we are using our dairy free buttercream recipe, but you could also use our dairy free cream cheese frosting.
How to make homemade cinnamon rolls that are dairy free?
Cinnamon rolls from scratch are daunting to many, but if you follow this recipe, you’ll end up with absolutely delicious homemade cinnamon rolls. No, like for real. It will blow your mind away.
One of the main reasons people usually get nervous about making a cinnamon roll recipe is that it contains yeast. Add to that you are trying to make a homemade, dairy free, vegan cinnamon rolls and cue freak out. But hold on….follow along and I promise deliciousness awaits you!
The complete recipe and amount are below, but full directions with tips are right here.
To start, you need to scald almond milk and vegan butter together. We found what worked best was Earth Balance soy free out of the ones we tried. You want it to be right at the boiling point, but not yet boiling. Then, let cool slightly while you get your other ingredients ready. Tip: If you want to be a perfectionist, the temperature needs to be at 110-115 degrees Fahrenheit when you add the yeast.
Add the scalded mixture to a large bowl with vanilla, sugar, and yeast. Stir together gently and let sit for 10 minutes. It’s really important you don’t touch the mixture and let the yeast get really frothy. Tip: If your yeast doesn’t get a frothy texture to it, you likely have an inactive packet and you should start over.
Once the time is up, add in the bread flour and salt and stir to combine. Roll into a ball. Tip: We also tried this recipe with all-purpose flour and while you will still get cinnamon rolls, they will not be fluffy. We highly suggest using the bread flour for this recipe.
Cover bowl with a damp towel and place in a warm place. We prefer to preheat the oven to 150 degrees F and turn off before placing inside. Let rise for one hour. Once risen, remove ball and place on a lightly floured surface. It’s really important that you touch the dough for these dairy free cinnamon rolls as little as possible. Using a rolling pin, roll dough into an approximately 17×25″ rectangle that is ¼″ thick.
Spread softened butter across rectangle evenly. Then, mix brown sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle over top. Carefully roll cinnamon rolls into log from the longest side up. One completely rolled, place seam side down. Cut 15 even pieces.
Place into a greased 12″ cast iron skillet lined with parchment paper. If you do not have this large of a skillet, you can use any baking dish that you have that will fit all 15 dairy free cinnamon rolls. Place back in warmed oven or warm place covered with a damp towel for another 45-60 minutes.
Bake in 350 degree oven for 25-28 minutes. Remove and top with homemade dairy free frosting.
What are other great dairy free breakfast ideas?
- Dairy Free French Toast
- Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes with “Sausage” and Apples
- Dairy Free Banana Bread
- Dairy Free Pancakes (dairy free but not not vegan)
- Sweet Potato Hash browns
- Homemade Home Fries
Whether you are serving breakfast or brunch, these dairy free cinnamon rolls are perfect. However, if you’re looking for more than one dish, here’s some great ideas for your next dairy free meal. All of the below are dairy free and vegan breakfast ideas unless otherwise stated.
🥳 Get the Full Recipe
Dairy Free Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Dairy Free Cinnamon Rolls
- 2 cups unsweetened almond milk (454g)
- ½ cup vegan butter, melted (113g)
- ¼ cup vegan sugar (50g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 packet active dry yeast (1 packet = 2 ¼ tsp)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5 cups bread flour (600g)
Dairy Free Cinnamon Roll Filling
- ¾ cup vegan butter (170g)
- ¾ cup brown sugar (160g)
- 2 tablespoon cinnamon
Frosting (Choose 1)
- Dairy Free Buttercream (as shown in photos)
- Dairy Free Cream Cheese Frosting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 150 degrees.
- Warm almond milk and vegan butter together approximate temperature should be 100˚-110˚F .
- Pour into a large bowl with the vanilla, sugar, and yeast. Stir together gently and let sit for 10 minutes.
- Once the time is up, add in the bread flour and salt and stir to combine. Roll into a ball.
- Turn off oven.
- Cover bowl with a damp towel and place in oven. Let rise for one hour.
- Once risen, remove ball and place on a lightly floured surface.
- Using a rolling pin, roll dough into an approximately 17×25″ rectangle that is ¼″ thick.
Filling
- Spread softened butter across rectangle evenly.
- Then, mix brown sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle over top.
- Carefully roll cinnamon rolls into log from the longest side up. One completely rolled, place seam side down. Cut 15 even pieces.
- Place into a parchment lined 12″ cast iron skillet lined with parchment paper. If you do not have this large of a skillet, you can use any baking dish that you have that will fit all 15 dairy free cinnamon rolls.
- Place into warmed (but off!) oven again with the damp town covering. Let rise again for 60 minutes.
- Remove from oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Bake for 25-28 minutes.
- Remove and top with homemade dairy free frosting if desired.
Notes
Video
Nutrition
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I loved this recipe the first time I made it. I made the mistake of sharing it with my hair stylist who then requested two dozen for Easter brunch. I was wondering if I can prepare in advance and store in fridge to bake in a few days? I am not sure if the second rise can happen in the fridge vs. having to bake them now because the dough won’t be as good in a few days?
Sorry, we didn’t catch this comment earlier. Glad you enjoyed it! For the future, you can prepare the dough 24 hours in advance and then you’d need to use it or it will taste too yeasty
These taste SO GOOD and they were not hard at all to make. I have never made cinnamon rolls from scratch before and I was a little nervous at how wet the dough was before the first proof but they turned out perfect! Thank you!
So glad you gave it a try and loved them!
Can you freeze these?
Yes!
Do you have the metric conversion of your recipes available too please?
This one is now available 🙂
These were awesome! The BEST vegan cinnamon roll recipe. They turned out perfectly. Thank you!
so glad to hear that
I tried these buns and they tasted amazing! Beautiful texture inside. Unfortunately during the second proof phase, the oven must have melted the butter as they basically turned to mush and all morphed together! Lost all their shape but still tasted amazing. Would it be better to add more flour, or just prove next to a radiator instead (my usual method;) Thanks so much for this amazing recipe! Cant wait to nail it next time.
Definitely sounds like the oven was too hot. I would try your usual method next time. You just need them to rise.
Thank you for these awesome recipes. Initially I was intimidated to try recipes like these. The sticky buns were great and tonight I’m trying the cinnamon rolls.
I would love some help with handling the dough once rolled.
The dough is very soft and I smoosh it very easily. I’m wondering if perhaps I’m not needing it sufficiently … initially.
Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.
Hi! Thanks so much for reaching out. We are glad the sticky buns were a hit. Is the dough holding its shape even though it’s soft? The dough should be soft, but when you roll it, it still rolls. If it’s falling flat or not retaining it’s shape, then we would recommend that you likely need a bit more flour in the initial phase. Have you watched any of our videos on making dough or cinnamon rolls? They may help you.