These absolutely divine dark chocolate cherry vegan cinnamon rolls with vegan cherry frosting will have you licking your plate! The perfect special breakfast or brunch! Easy to make!
If you love chocolate and cherries together, these dark chocolate cherry vegan cinnamon rolls are going to have you doing that happy dance you do when you eat something amazing.
There is just something about chocolate and cherries together that works so well together. And no not cherry filling out of a jar, but like fresh cherries.
It’s the type of thing that makes your taste buds exude joy when it happens.
Plus! Pairing that with cinnamon rolls, mind blowing.
Enough about the combo though, these vegan cinnamon rolls, despite maybe appearing that they would be hard to make are actually really easy.
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Frequently Asked Questions
CAN I PREP THESE VEGAN CINNAMON ROLLS AHEAD?
Yes! You sure can! There are two options.
- Once you make the dough and cover it to rise, you can place the bowl in the fridge up to 2 days before you plan to use it.
- You can make the entire recipe and then store your cinnamon rolls in an air tight container in the fridge for 5 days.
ARE THESE DARK CHOCOLATE CHERRY VEGAN CINNAMON ROLLS TOP 8 ALLERGEN FREE?
Unfortunately, at the time, we cannot recommend using a gluten free flour with this recipe. Please know that we are working on a gluten free dough, but it’s just not quite there yet.
Other than that, as long as you use a safe dairy free milk, (Oat is our favorite) and soy free vegan butter (try Earth Balance soy free) then you will be all set.
Do I have to make the homemade cherry filling or can I just use canned cherry filling?
Homemade vegan cherry filling is absolutely superior to any canned version of filling that you can buy. There’s nothing that is can replace.
That being said, if you are short on time, or maybe it’s not cherry season where you are so cherries are expensive, then yes, canned cherry filling can be used.
Are fresh or frozen cherries best to use?
We prefer fresh cherries. If all you can find are frozen cherries, then it’s best to let them thaw before using to make the filling.
How do you pit a cherry?
The first step is to remove the stem and then run a paring knife from the top all the way around. Twist the two sides in opposite directions so they separate and then carefully remove the pit with your fingers.
Another, much easier, option would be to just buy a cherry pitter.
Do I have to use vegan cherry frosting?
Vegan cherry frosting on top of these dark chocolate cherry vegan cinnamon rolls is amazing, but for some maybe it’s too much cherry.
Here’s a few other ideas for the best vegan cinnamon roll frosting:
What are other flavors of vegan cinnamon roll recipes I can make?
You sure can!
Try our:
- classic vegan cinnamon rolls
- vegan raspberry cinnamon rolls
- vegan blueberry cinnamon rolls
- no yeast vegan cinnamon rolls
- vegan pumpkin cinnamon rolls
- vegan chocolate cinnamon rolls
- vanilla butter and chocolate walnut cinnamon rolls (this one teaches you how to make in a muffin tin!)
- vegan banana bread cinnamon rolls
Dark Chocolate Cherry Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 3 ½ – 4 cups flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1 package instant yeast (1 package = 2 ¼ tsp)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups dairy free chocolate milk (we like oat or almond-sub for non-chocolate if needed)
- ¼ cup maple syrup (can sub same amount of agave or cane sugar)
- ¼ cup vegan butter, melted but not hot
For the Filling
- 3 cups dark red sweet cherries, pitted (measured after pitting)
- ⅓ cup water
- ⅓ cup vegan cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch (can sub with arrowroot powder)
- 1 pinch salt
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract (sub for vanilla extract if nut allergy)
For the Frosting
- ⅓ cup dark red sweet cherries, pitted (measured after pitting)
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened dairy free milk
- ½ cup vegan butter
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon almond extract (sub for vanilla extract if nut allergy)
Instructions
For the Dark Chocolate Cherry Vegan Cinnamon Rolls Dough
- In a stand mixer bowl, whisk together 3 ½ cups flour, cocoa powder, yeast, and salt.
- Then, add in the dairy free chocolate milk, vegan butter, and maple syrup.
- Let the stand mixer go until a dough ball has formed. *Sprinkle a little more flour in if needed to not be sticky and form a ball.
- Once ball is formed, grease the same bowl mixed in and place the dough ball back into the bowl.
- Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let sit for 60-90 minutes in a warm, draft free place until doubled.
For the Cherry Filling
- About 30 minutes before dough is done rising, in a saucepan over medium heat, add the pitted cherries, water, sugar, lemon zest, cornstarch, and salt. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring often, for about 10 minutes.
- Stir in almond extract. Let cool slightly before adding to dough.
- Once dough has doubled in size, pull out the dough and lay it out on a lightly floured surface.
- Using a rolling pin, roll dough into an approximately 17×25″ rectangle that is ¼″ thick.
- Spread the cooled cherry filling evenly over the dough.
- Carefully roll cinnamon rolls into log from the longest side up. One completely rolled, place seam side down. Cut into even sized pieces – 9 for larger cinnamon rolls (use a 9×9 pan) or more for smaller ones (12 in 9×13 pan).
- Place into a greased baking dish and cover. Let rise for another 30-45 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Once heated, place dish inside and bake in oven for 30-35 minutes.
For the Vegan Cherry Frosting
- Add the cherries and dairy free milk to a blender and puree the cherries.
- In a large bowl, cream the vegan butter together for 2-3 minutes.
- Add 3 cups of powdered sugar. Beat together.
- Add cherry puree and almond extract. Beat together again.
- Add in remaining cup of powdered sugar, ¼ cup at a time, until desired consistency.
- Remove cinnamon rolls from oven when done. Let cool for 10 minutes.
- Spoon frosting across the top.
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