Vegan cinnamon rolls - these delicious cinnamon rolls are made using the tangzhong method which makes them incredibly soft, fluffy, squishy and moreish. Eggless and dairy-free.
I realised recently that although I had several different flavours of vegan cinnamon roll on the blog, I hadn't actually posted my basic, classic vegan cinnamon rolls recipe!
This post is here to rectify that glaring error, with the softest, squishiest, most delicious vegan cinnamon rolls I have ever baked.
They are made using the tangzhong method. Don't worry, it's not difficult at all, it simply involves cooking a portion of the flour and milk to a 'roux' before adding it to the rest of the ingredients and making the dough.
It is the same method that is used to make my popular vegan Hokkaido milk bread, which loads of people have made and loved.
What Is Tangzhong?:
Tangzhong is basically where you take a portion of the flour and liquid of the recipe and mix them together like a roux, then cook it until it forms a thick, pudding-like texture. This mixture is then cooled and added to the bread dough.
This technique pre-gelatinises the starches in the flour which means that they can absorb more water. In fact, flour will absorb twice as much hot water or milk as it does the lukewarm water or milk you would usually use in yeasted doughs.
Not only does the starch in the flour absorb more liquid; since heating the starch with water creates structure, it is able to hold onto that extra liquid throughout the kneading, baking, and cooling processes. This means that the bread will rise higher due to more water creating more internal steam (which makes bread rise in the oven — along with the carbon dioxide given off by the yeast).
Because the bread retains more water during baking, it will be softer and more moist and stay fresh for longer.
What Do I Need To Make Vegan Cinnamon Rolls?:
Bread flour: White bread flour helps to give these vegan cinnamon rolls their soft, fluffy, chewy texture. Plain (all-purpose) flour will also work though the texture isn’t quite the same. I don’t recommend using wholemeal flour as that will make the rolls too dense.
Instant yeast: I always prefer to use instsant yeast when making bread as it can just be added straight to the flour and doesn’t need to be activated first. See below for instructions if you only have active dry yeast.
Salt: You simply cannot make good bread without salt. Don’t omit it.
Sugar: I use caster sugar in the dough and light brown soft sugar in the filling. The caster sugar can be swapped for granulated if that is all you have, and you can use dark, rather than light brown sugar if you want a stronger molasses flavour.
Vegan block butter: I always prefer to use a block butter/margarine when baking, rather than the spreadable kind in a tub which has a higher water content so may not give the best results. Naturli Vegan Block is my favourite. (Spreadable will work if that is all you have).
Non-dairy milk: Soy milk is always my favourite for baking as it has the highest protein content so most closely resembles dairy milk. Any variety of non-dairy milk will work however, but go for an unsweetened one if you can, and definitely soy milk if you have it.
Cornflour: Adding a little bit of cornflour (cornstarch) to the cinnamon sugar filling helps to stop it from all oozing out of the rolls. You can use plain (all-purpose) flour if you prefer.
Cinnamon: Obviously you can't make cinnamon rolls without cinnamon!
How To Make Vegan Cinnamon Rolls:
(For ingredients and full instructions see the recipe card below)
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.
To make the tangzhong, place the flour in a saucepan and gradually whisk in the milk to avoid lumps.
Place the pan over a medium/low heat and whisk constantly until the mixture has thickened to a paste/pudding-like consistency (think wallpaper paste…).
Scrape the tangzhong into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and pour the rest of the cold milk on top. This will cool the tangzhong down so that it doesn't kill the yeast.
Add sugar, salt and flour and finally the yeast. Stir until it forms a rough dough then set the stand mixer to a medium speed and mix until the dough is smooth and stretchy, this can take about 10 minutes.
Add the softened vegan butter and knead for about another 5 minutes until it is fully incorporated and the dough is smooth, elastic and no longer feels greasy.
The dough should still be soft and sticky, but it should pull away from the sides of the bowl cleanly. If it seems too wet then you can knead in a little extra flour, a tablespoon at a time. Be careful though, this is meant to be a soft dough and adding too much extra flour will make the cinnamon rolls dry.
Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and place in the fridge to rise overnight, or in a warm spot for 1-2 hours.
For the filling, mix together light brown soft sugar, cinnamon and cornflour (cornstarch) in a bowl and set aside.
How To Shape The Cinnamon Rolls:
The following day (or once the dough has doubled in size at room temperature), knock back the dough and give it a brief 30 second knead to knock out the air bubbles.
Roll the dough out on a floured surface to an approx 30 x 45 cm / 12 x 18 inch rectangle. Try and keep it rectangular rather than oval so that your cinnamon rolls end up more evenly sized.
Spread very soft vegan butter evenly over the surface, leaving about a 1cm border around the edge.
Scatter over the cinnamon sugar mixture and press it down gently. You can do this with your hands or a rolling pin.
Roll the dough up from one of the long sides into a sausage. Slice the roll into 9 even pieces (or 12).
Arrange the rolls in a 23cm/9in square cake tin lined with baking parchment (or a 20 x 30 cm / 8 x 12 in one if you are making 12 rolls).
Cover loosely and set aside to rise for about 45-60 minutes until they are 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 30-35 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 90C/194F 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.
Can I Freeze These Vegan Cinnamon Rolls?:
Yes, the baked vegan cinnamon rolls can be frozen once they have cooled completely. Freeze them on the day they are baked to preserve freshness.
They should be frozen in an airtight container or well wrapped in the pan to protect from freezer burn. Allow them to defrost at room temperature then refresh in a low oven for 5-10 minutes or in the microwave for 10-20 seconds before serving.
I do not recommend freezing unbaked cinnamon rolls.
What Kind Of Yeast?:
I always use Instant yeast as it doesn’t need to be activated in liquid first, you just add it straight to the flour.
If you only have active dried yeast then you can still use it, but the method will be a little different.
Use 10g (3 tsp) of active dry yeast. Make the tanghong as directed, but then scrape it into a bowl, cover with clingfilm or greaseproof paper directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming and leave to cool to room temperature.
Instead of using cold milk in the dough, it should be lukewarm, NOT hot. You should be able to comfortably hold your finger in it. If it is too hot it will kill the yeast.
Mix the active dry yeast with the lukewarm milk and a pinch of the sugar. Let it sit for 10-20 minutes until it has become bubbly then proceed with the rest of the recipe as written.
How To Speed Up The Rising Time:
If your room temperature is cold and you want to speed up the rising time a bit then you can heat the oven up on it’s lowest temperature for a couple of minutes then switch it off and open the door for 30 seconds to let some of the heat out.
Hold your hand in there for a few seconds to make sure it isn’t too hot. It should feel warm but not hot, like a warm summer day kind of temperature. If it is too hot it will kill the yeast so be careful!
Place the covered dough in the oven and shut the door. If it is a really cold day then you may need to warm the oven up again after a while but I usually find that once is enough.
Alternatively, place a bowl or loaf tin in the bottom of your (cold, switched off) oven and place the covered dough on the middle shelf. Fill the bowl with boiling water and close the oven door. The steam will create a warm environment for the dough to rise.
Can I Bake These Vegan Cinnamon Rolls In Advance?:
These vegan cinnamon rolls are best eaten on the day they are baked but the tangzhong does help to keep them soft for a couple of days.
If you want to make them in advance you have two options:
1.Make the dough in the evening and let it rise in the fridge overnight then continue with the recipe in the morning.
2. Bake the cinnamon rolls in the evening the day before you want to serve them but do not add the glaze. Allow them to cool in the pan then cover them tightly.
The following day, tent the pan with tin foil and reheat them in the oven at 180C/160C fan/350F/gas mark 4 for about 5 minutes, until warmed through. Add the glaze and serve. Alternatively you can warm individual rolls in the microwave for a few seconds.
What Size Tin Should I Use?:
I use a 23 cm / 9 inch square tin which makes 9 large cinnamon rolls.
If you want to make 12 smaller cinnamon rolls you can use an approx 20 x 30 cm / 8 x 12 in rectangular tin. Bear in mind that in this case the rolls may not take as long to bake. Probably about 20-25 minutes rather than 30-35 for the ones baked in a 23cm tin.
How To Tell When Cinnamon Rolls Are Baked:
The best way to tell if bread is baked properly is to check the internal temperature with a probe thermometer. It should reach at least 90°C/194°F.
Overbaked cinnamon rolls will be dry and if they are underbaked then you will be eating raw dough, yuck!
It is impossible to give a one-size-fits-all baking time as all ovens vary; and you cannot tell if cinnamon rolls are baked through just by looking at them, they could be beautifully browned on the outside but still raw in the middle.
I really do recommend investing in a probe thermometer, it is an incredibly handy kitchen tool!
If you don't have a thermometer then a toothpick inserted into the centre of the middle cinnamon roll should go in and out smoothly with little resistance and come out clean.
Can I Knead The Dough By Hand?:
This is a fairly soft, sticky dough so it is easier to use a stand mixer to do the kneading for you but yes, you absolutely can knead the dough by hand, just be prepared for a bit of a workout!
When kneading, you shouldn't flour the surface as you will end up incorporating too much flour and making the dough too dry. Instead, if the dough is sticking too much, you can lightly oil the worksurface and your hands to help, or just be prepared to get a bit sticky!
A bench scraper is incredibly handy when kneading dough by hand to unstick the dough from the surface.
Can I Make Them Gluten-Free?:
No, I'm afraid that you cannot use gluten free flour. Making gluten free bread is tricky and the entire recipe would need reworking. Gluten free baking is not my area of expertise so I cannot advise you.
Top Tips:
For the best results make sure that you follow the recipe closely. As always, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients 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. A gram is always a gram, but a cup won't always measure out the same amount.
Make sure that your yeast hasn’t expired! Out of date yeast can lead to bread that doesn’t rise.
Don't be tempted to add more flour to the dough, it is supposed to be a bit soft and sticky. If you add too much flour the rolls will end up being dry and dense, not light and fluffy.
The rising time of the dough will vary depending on how warm it is; on hot days it will rise much faster than on cold ones.
Bread flour will give you the best texture; but you can use plain (all-purpose) flour instead if you don’t have any. I don’t recommend using wholemeal/whole wheat flour as that will result in dense, heavy cinnamon rolls.
You can add some chopped nuts, dried fruit or chocolate chips to the filling if you like.
I recommend making the dough the evening before you want to bake the cinnamon rolls and letting it rise overnight in the fridge. This breaks up the workload a bit and the cold dough is easier to roll out.
These vegan cinnamon rolls are best eaten on the day they are baked but will still be good for a couple more days, especially if you warm them up a bit before serving.
Why Is This Post So Long?!:
Yeah, yeah, I know; just get to the damned recipe!
But I want to provide as much information as possible to help you successfully bake these vegan cinnamon rolls! Bread can be tricky, so hopefully I have provided enough information to avoid any user error, and answered any questions you may have about the recipe.
If you haven't read through the post and do have questions, I may have already answered them above! If not, let me know in the comments section and I will try and help you if I can.
More Vegan Cinnamon Roll Recipes:
Vegan wholemeal maple cinnamon rolls
If you tried this recipe let me know how it went! Rate it, leave a comment or tag @domestic_gothess on Instagram and hashtag it #domesticgothess
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Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Tangzhong:
- 30 g (¼ cup) white bread flour
- 160 ml (⅔ cup) unsweetened non-dairy milk (soy is best)
Dough:
- 180 ml (¾ cup) cold unsweetened non-dairy milk (soy is best)
- 50 g (¼ cup) caster or granulated sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 400 g (3 ¼ cups) white bread flour
- 8 g (2 ½ tsp) instant yeast
- 60 g (¼ cup) vegan butter softened (I use Naturli Vegan Block)
Filling:
- 120 g (½ cup + 1 Tbsp) light brown soft sugar
- 15 g (1 ½ Tbsp) cornflour (cornstarch)
- 1 ½ Tbsp cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 80 g (¼ cup + 2 Tbsp) vegan butter very soft
Glaze:
- 120 g (1 cup) icing (powdered) sugar
- 15 g (1 Tbsp) vegan butter melted
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp non-dairy milk
Instructions
- 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.
- To make the tangzhong, place the flour in a saucepan and gradually whisk in the milk to avoid lumps.
- Place the pan over a medium/low heat and whisk constantly until the mixture has thickened to a paste/pudding-like consistency (think wallpaper paste…).
- Scrape the tangzhong into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and pour the rest of the cold milk on top. This will cool the tangzhong down so that it doesn’t kill the yeast.
- Add the sugar, salt and flour and finally the yeast. Stir until it forms a rough dough then set the stand mixer to a medium speed and mix until the dough is smooth and stretchy, this can take about 10 minutes.
- Add the softened vegan butter and knead for about another 5 minutes until it is fully incorporated and the dough is smooth, elastic and no longer feels greasy. You may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl a couple of times.
- The dough should still be soft and sticky, but it should pull away from the sides of the bowl cleanly. If it seems too wet then you can knead in a little extra flour, a tablespoon at a time. Be careful though, this is meant to be a soft dough and adding too much extra flour will make the cinnamon rolls dry.
- Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and place in the fridge to rise overnight, or in a warm spot for 1-2 hours, until doubled in size.
- For the filling, mix together the light brown soft sugar, cinnamon, cornflour (cornstarch) and salt in a bowl and set aside.
- The following day (or once the dough has doubled in size at room temperature), knock back the dough and give it a brief 30 second knead to knock out the air bubbles.
- Roll the dough out on a floured surface to an approx 30 x 45 cm / 12 x 18 inch rectangle. Try and keep it rectangular rather than oval so that your cinnamon rolls end up more evenly sized.
- Spread the soft vegan butter evenly over the surface, leaving about a 1cm border around the edge. If the butter is too cold it will be hard to spread without distorting the dough so make sure that it is really soft, but not melted. I use my hands to spread it over the dough.
- Scatter over the cinnamon sugar mixture and press it down gently. You can do this with your hands or a rolling pin.
- Roll the dough up from one of the long sides into a sausage. Slice the roll into 9 even pieces (or 12).
- The best way to get a clean cut is to place a piece of unflavoured dental floss under the sausage where you want to make the cut, cross the ends of the floss over each other and pull. Otherwise you can use a very sharp knife to slice it.
- Arrange the rolls in a 23cm/9in square cake tin lined with baking parchment (or a 20 x 30 cm / 8 x 12 in one if you are making 12 rolls).
- Cover loosely and set aside to rise for about 45-60 minutes until they are 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 to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/gas mark 4.
- Once the buns have risen, bake for 30-35 minutes (more like 20-25 minutes if you are making 12 rather than 9 rolls), until the internal temperature reaches 90°C/194°F on a probe thermometer.* 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. To make the glaze, sift the icing sugar into a bowl and stir in the melted butter, vanilla and milk to form a thick but pourable glaze. You can add a drop more milk if needed.
- Drizzle the glaze over the rolls and serve. Best eaten on the day they are baked.
Notes
- For the best results make sure that you follow the recipe closely. As always, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients 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. A gram is always a gram, but a cup won’t always measure out the same amount.
- Make sure that you read the post for all of the tips and faq's before starting with the recipe.
- *If you don’t have a thermometer then a toothpick inserted into the centre of the middle cinnamon roll should go in and out smoothly with little resistance and come out clean.
April Blake
I think tangzhong is going to be a big trend this year once more people hear about it and try it! I did some dinner rolls tangzhong style and WOW.
Ting
I tried your tangzhong burger bun and milk bread both were so amazing, just made this today and every one in the family loved it too! I made it into 12 rolls , but the top was a bit dry, maybe I will try the 9 rolls next time. I also reduced the sugar in the mix from 120g to 80g which was a good choice too! Thank you for your recipe!
Amy
So delicious! Only ever made a dough with yeast once before so I was pretty chuffed that I made these!! I hand kneaded the dough as I didn't have a dough hook attachment on my mixer (which was a workout... As warned!) would so reccomend these. Soft, taste amazing and just delicious!
Judy Jones
Wow! These are the best cinnamon rolls ever, ever. So fluffy and so yummy! I actually ended up making half cinnamon and half mixed spice (I ran out, the supermarket had none and then my 20 month old started eating the filling ♀️) and I think my scales did their thing of not weighing very well as there was a LOT of sugar in the mix... pretty sure 120g doesn’t look like that but I was too lazy to start again. BUT they are still amazing, even with my cock-ups! This will now be my default cinnamon roll recipe. I love the very thorough explanation of the whys and wherefores and also that the recipe just uses normal ingredients- no need to remortgage to make these. Thanks again for another perfect recipe.
Joe
I absolutely love this recipe. So amazingly simple to make considering how impressive they look. I followed the recipe to the letter and it worked perfectly. I’ll be doing these a lot from now on. I’m not vegan but these are so good why add dairy when it’s not necessary? Smashing. Thanks.
Lauren
Delicious as always! Made for mother's day and got lots of requests for the recipe too 🙂
Albertina
This is the second time I am making these cinnamon rolls in one month! It is amazing and very delicious and the texture is just perfect. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Julie Cochran
These are definitely the best cinnamon buns I've ever tasted!
First time I made them I proved the dough in a warm cupboard. The butter was hard to spread though so I made the buns again and proved the dough in the fridge over night this time. What I would say using this method is that the rolled and cut buns need to prove longer (I let mine prove 2hrs) before going in the oven but it was much easier to spread the butter for the filling this way
Eri
Made your pumpkin cinnamon rolls the other day - they are so good! If I would like to make savory pizza rolls using your dough (and tangzhong) recipe - is it okay to reduce sugar to 1 tbsp for the dough, or will reducing sugar affect the whole dough recipe? Thank you!
Hannah
Hi Eri, so glad you enjoyed them! Yes that should be fine.
lindsey mcnab
Used active yeast which seemed to bubble up. Left my dough in the fridge overnight but it didn’t rise. Even tried using residual oven heat the following day but to no avail. Any idea? X
Hannah
Hi Lindsey, if you used active yeast did you cool the tangzhong down before adding it?
Alyssa Hixenbaugh - https://coffeefitkitchen.com/
These cinnamon rolls are the best rolls I have ever made! I have used so many recipes over the years trying to get the perfect cinnamon roll and I’ve never been satisfied, but this recipe does not disappoint! Thank you for sharing!
Liz Parry
Are there any issues with doubling this recipe?
Hannah
Hi Liz, no, doubling it should be fine.
Heidi
Really wanted to love these because of how beautiful they looked. Unfortunately the tops were dry and the cinnamon to sugar ratio was off in the filling. I baked for 23 minutes.
Maya
The best cinnamon rolls ever!!! Incredibly soft, so delicious, so yummy I tried a couple of recipes, but this method is something what I was looking for. Thank you so much for sharing this. Baking again, definitely!
Laura Edge
Excellent the very best vegan cinnamon buns i have ever tasted
Larry
HI Hannah,
Great Vegan Cinnamon Rolls. Best I've had yet !
Quick Question. Would like to make these with chocolate filling. In the past the chocolate would be too loose and would seep out during baking. Would your chocolate swirl bun filling work with this recipe and would it make sense to add some of the cornstarch to tighten it up during baking? would appreciate your feedback.
Thanks
Hannah
Hi Larry, glad you enjoyed them! I think the chocolate swirl bun filling should work fine and I don't think you would need to add cornstarch but I haven't tried so can't say for sure.
carmen
this is hands down, the best (vegan) cinnamon roll recipe out there. i live in portland, oregon, which is HEAVEN for vegans. there are so many cinnamon rolls to be had, but none compare to this recipe, and i think it's partially due to the Tangzhong method you use!