Banana bread cinnamon rolls - these vegan cinnamon buns are a different way to use up brown bananas! Soft, fluffy banana yeast bread with a sweet cinnamon filling; they are great for breakfast, brunch or snacking! Egg and dairy free.
I forever have over-ripe bananas in the fruit bowl; I just can't seem to get through them before they go brown and past the point where I am happy to eat them.
There are only so many loaves of banana bread that a girl can eat (spoiler, it's quite a lot), so I am always on the hunt for different ways to use them up.
A few years ago I made this nutella swirled banana yeast bread which was amazing, and I was keen to adapt the recipe to turn it into cinnamon rolls. It worked out perfectly.
These vegan banana bread cinnamon rolls are soft and fluffy, with a mild banana flavour, a sweet cinnamon filling and a vanilla glaze. They are perfect for an indulgent breakfast or brunch, or just for snacking on.
How To Make Vegan Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls:
(For ingredients and full instructions see the recipe card below)
*For the best results make sure that you follow the recipe closely. As always, I highly recommend using the gram measurements (with a digital scale), rather than the cup conversions. Cup measurements are simply not accurate enough for baking and I cannot guarantee the best results if you use them.*
I like to split making these over two days - I make the dough and refrigerate it overnight for it's first rise. The cold dough is easier to roll out and the slow rise results in a better flavour. You can do it all on the same day if you prefer though.
This is quite a soft, sticky dough so it is best made in a stand mixer if you have one. If you don't then they can still be made by hand just be prepared to get a bit messy!
To make the dough, place the flour (bread flour gives the best texture), sugar, salt and yeast (instant/fast action is best) in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and mix to combine.
Add in mashed ripe banana, lukewarm non-dairy milk and melted vegan butter and mix to form a rough dough.
Knead with the stand mixer on a high speed for about 5-10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and stretchy. The dough should be soft and sticky, don't be tempted to add more flour as this can result in dry cinnamon rolls.
If you don't have a stand mixer it can be kneaded by hand on a lightly oiled surface but it is quite a messy job and a bench scraper will come in handy.
Shape the dough into a ball and place it in an oiled bowl, cover and place in the fridge to rise overnight. (Or in a warm place until doubled in size - 1-2 hours.)
For the filling, mix together light brown soft sugar and ground cinnamon in a bowl and set aside.
Once the dough has risen, punch it down and give it a brief thirty second knead to knock out any air bubbles.
Roll the dough out on a floured surface to an approx 30x45 cm / 12x18 inch rectangle then spread softened vegan butter evenly over the surface.
Scatter over the cinnamon sugar mixture and press it down gently.
Roll the dough up tightly from one of the long edges into a sausage and trim off and discard the ends. (You can keep and bake them if you want, they just tend to not have much filling in).
Use a sharp knife to slice the roll into nine even slices then arrange them cut side down in a 23cm/9inch square tin lined with baking parchment.
Cover loosely and set aside to rise for another 30-40 minutes until nice and puffy. If you press one gently the dough should spring back slowly. If it springs back quickly then they need a little bit longer. While they are rising preheat the oven.
Once the buns have risen, bake for 30-40 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 94C/201F on a probe thermometer; this is the best way to tell when they are ready, you don't want to be eating raw bread dough! Cover them loosely with tin foil partway through baking if the tops start to colour too much.
Leave the cinnamon rolls to cool in the tin for about half an hour then carefully lift them out using the baking parchment and place on a wire rack.
To make the vanilla glaze, sift the icing sugar into a bowl and gradually stir in a little non-dairy milk and vanilla extract until it forms a thick but pourable glaze. Drizzle the glaze over the tops of the buns and serve. Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to two days.
Can I Freeze Them?:
Yes, the baked cinnamon rolls can be frozen. Allow to defrost at room temperature then refresh in the microwave for 10-20 seconds before serving.
More Recipes To Use Up Ripe Bananas:
- Fluffy vegan banana pancakes
- Vegan chunky monkey ice cream
- Banana porridge with blueberry compote
- Vegan chocolate chip banana bread
- Vegan biscoff banana bread
- Vegan chocolate banana bread
- Chocolate peanut butter banana breakfast smoothie
- Vegan Banana nut muffins
- Vegan roasted banana ice cream
- Vegan banana cake with peanut butter chocolate frosting
- Nutella swirled banana yeast bread
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Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls (Vegan)
Ingredients
Dough:
- 500 g (4 cups) white bread flour
- 8 g (2 ¼ tsp) instant yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- 50 g (¼ cup) caster (superfine) sugar
- 240 g (1 cup) mashed ripe banana (from two large but make sure to measure it out)
- about 160 ml (⅔ cup) lukewarm non-dairy milk (I used soy)
- 60 g (¼ cup) vegan butter melted
Filling:
- 120 g (⅔ cup) light brown soft sugar
- 1 ½ Tbsp ground cinnamon
- 60 g (¼ cup) vegan butter softened
Glaze:
- 130 g (1 ¼ cups) icing (powdered) sugar
- 1 ½ Tbsp non-dairy milk
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- To make the dough, place the flour, sugar, salt and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and mix to combine.
- Add the mashed banana, melted butter and most of the milk and mix to form a rough dough. Add the rest of the milk as needed to form a soft, slightly sticky dough.
- Knead with the stand mixer on a high speed for about 5-10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and stretchy. The dough should be a bit sticky, but if it seems too wet you can add a little extra flour. If you don't have a stand mixer it can be kneaded by hand on a lightly oiled surface but it is quite a messy job.
- Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover and place in the fridge to rise overnight. (Or in a warm place until doubled in size - 1-2 hours.)
- For the filling, mix together the light brown sugar and the cinnamon in a bowl and set aside.
- Punch down the risen dough and give it a brief 30 second knead to knock out any air bubbles.
- Roll the dough out on a floured surface to an approx 30x45 cm / 12x18 inch rectangle and spread the softened butter evenly over the surface.
- Scatter over the cinnamon sugar mixture and press it down gently.
- Roll the dough up tightly from one of the long edges into a sausage and trim off and discard the ends.
- Use a sharp knife to slice the roll into 9 even slices then arrange them cut side down in a 23cm/9inch square tin lined with baking parchment.
- Cover loosely and set aside to rise for 30-40 minutes until puffy. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4.
- Once the buns have risen, bake for 30-40 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 94C/201F on a probe thermometer. Cover them loosely with tin foil partway through baking if
the tops start to colour too much. - Leave to cool in the tin for 30 minutes then carefully lift them out using the baking parchment and place on a wire rack.
- To make the glaze, sift the icing sugar into a bowl and gradually stir in the milk and vanilla until it forms a thick but pourable glaze. Drizzle the glaze over the tops of the buns and serve. Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to two days.
Paula
Hi Hannah! This recipe looks lovely 🙂 I just wanted to ask if you have tried making these rolls without the bananas? Don’t get me wrong I love your banana recipes - the biscotti banana loaf is a firm favourite in our house! I am looking for a cinnamon roll with just the cinnamon, no bananas- do you think it would work? Thank you!
hannahhossack
Hi Paula, Thank you! You could make this dough without the bananas but you would have to increase the liquid to compensate. I *think* about 250-300ml of milk total should be about right. Start with 250 and add more as needed to make a sticky dough.
You could also try making the dough from these ones instead (omit the lemon zest. You can also swap the coconut oil for a block vegan butter if you prefer): https://domesticgothess.com/blog/2018/06/10/vegan-lemon-blueberry-rolls/ Then you could use the filling from the banana ones to make regular cinnamon rolls. Apart from making the initial dough the rest of the method would be the same as the banana ones.
I also have this wholemeal maple cinnamon roll recipe: https://domesticgothess.com/blog/2017/12/08/vegan-wholewheat-maple-cinnamon-rolls/
I hope one of those options works for you!
Paula
That’s great- thank you so much!
Erica
These are amazing, lovely to have an alternative recipe for my ripe bananas. I didn’t have the right sized tin but they still worked, just came out a bit wider! All your recipes work, you’re brilliant, thank you