Everyone will love these fluffy, soft Vegan Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls, and they are ready in an hour! Full of pumpkin flavor with a delicious maple icing.
While you could always go the traditional route and make Vegan Cinnamon Rolls, Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls are a wonderful alternative for Fall. They have plenty of real pumpkin puree in the dough, and taste like something you would get at a bakery, vegan or not!
You will love these Vegan Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls! They are:
- Full of cozy Autumn spices
- Made with real pumpkin!
- Big, soft, fluffy and indulgent
- Easy to make in about an hour
- Topped with the best maple cream cheese icing ever!
Ingredients needed (with substitutions)
- Unsweetened soy milk – May use another non-dairy milk, such as almond, cashew, hemp, oat or coconut.
- Sugar
- Quick rise yeast – I love using quick rising yeast because the dough will rise much faster and you can eat cinnamon rolls in no time. But regular yeast works as well, you will just need to let the dough rise for an hour or so, instead of 20 minutes.
- Vegan butter – both in the dough and the filling, may substitute coconut oil if desired.
- Pumpkin puree
- Pumpkin pie spice – You could use a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice or just use cinnamon if needed.
- Salt
- Flour – I just used all purpose, white flour but you could probably use whole wheat pastry flour or even a gluten free mix if needed.
- Brown sugar – For the filling.
- Cinnamon
- Vegan cream cheese – For the maple icing, you can use any brand you like. If you can’t find this, you could always make a simple powdered sugar icing (1 cup powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons maple syrup and a touch of vanilla extract).
- Maple syrup
- Powdered sugar
How to make Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
(This is simply an overview with photos, the complete printable recipe is at the bottom of the post.)
- Warm the non-dairy milk, then add it to a bowl with the sugar and yeast and let sit for 5 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix either by hand or a stand mixer with a dough hook, adding flour as needed until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Let it rise in a warm place for 20 minutes.
- Roll out the dough on a floured surface, then spread softened vegan butter all over the rectangle, leaving an inch around the edges.
- Sprinkle with brown sugar, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice.
- Roll the dough into a tight log, then cut into rolls with a serrated knife.
Place in a large 9×13 inch dish or two 8 or 9 inch round pans and bake for 20-30 minutes until the rolls are lightly golden brown and the centers are cooked through. They will also get very big while baking.
Maple icing
While they are baking, make the icing by adding the vegan cream cheese, maple syrup, powdered sugar and pinch of salt to a bowl and beat with a hand mixer until smooth and creamy.
Let the rolls cool for 10 minutes before drizzling with the icing. Serve warm and enjoy!
Prepare the night before
This is especially helpful if you plan on making these pumpkin cinnamon rolls for holiday mornings and you want to have them prepared, ready to bake the night before.
Follow all the instructions until you have cut rolls in the baking dish, then cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight. You can have the icing prepared the night before as well, simply store it in the refrigerator, covered.
In the morning, remove the rolls from the fridge and let them sit at room temperature for about an hour, then bake for 20-30 minutes until done. That’s it!
Want more holiday morning breakfast recipes?
- 1 Hour Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
- Vegan French Toast Casserole
- Caramel Monkey Bread
- Vegan Pumpkin Pancakes
- Vegan Pumpkin Waffles
Vegan Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened soy milk or almond milk
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 packets (5 tsp) Quick Rise Yeast
- 1/4 cup vegan butter, melted or coconut oil
- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 4-5 cups all purpose flour, plus more as needed
For the filling
- 6 tablespoons softened vegan butter or coconut oil
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
For the maple icing
- 8 ounces vegan cream cheese
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- tiny pinch of salt
Instructions
Make the dough
- Warm the soy milk in the microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds. Make sure it is warm, like bathwater, not too hot or it will kill the yeast. In a large bowl, add the warm soy milk, sugar and yeast. Let it sit for 5 minutes. The yeast should get a bit foamy on top.
- To the yeast mixture, add the melted vegan butter, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, salt and 4 1/2 cups of flour. Stir with a large spoon until the mixture comes together. Add additional flour, 1/3 cup at a time, as needed until the mixtures pulls away from the sides of the bowl. It should still be soft and slightly sticky. (You can also use a stand mixer with a dough hook.)
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 3-4 minutes, until you have a fairly smooth ball of dough. Place the dough back in the bowl, cover with a towel and let it rise in a warm place for 20 minutes. Here's what I do: Turn the oven to 170 degrees F. Once heated, turn it off, place the covered bowl inside the oven, and leave the oven door cracked.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Assemble the rolls
- Once the dough has finished rising, sprinkle a clean counter or pastry mat with flour. Punch the dough down, and use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a large rectangle, about 1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle more flour on top while rolling to prevent sticking.
- Spread the 6 tablespoons softened vegan butter over the rolled dough, leaving an inch around the edges. Sprinkle the brown sugar, then the cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice on top of the butter.
- Starting with the long end closest to you, roll the dough into a tight log. Place seam side down. Using a serrated knife, cut off the two ends. Then slice into 12 rolls. Place the rolls in a 9 by 13 inch casserole dish, or (2) 9-inch round pans.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes, until the rolls are lightly golden brown and the centers are cooked through. Check with a fork to make sure the rolls in the middle are cooked through, and not doughy.
- While the rolls are baking, make the icing. In a medium bowl, add the vegan cream cheese, maple syrup, powdered sugar and salt. Using a hand mixer (or stand mixer), beat until smooth and creamy.
- Allow the rolls to cool for 10 minutes before drizzling with the icing. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- You can substitute a different milk if desired, such as oat, hemp, cashew or coconut. A creamy milk is best because it will make the rolls richer.
- You can use coconut oil instead of vegan butter, if needed. You can also cut the oil/butter in half if desired for lighter rolls.
- FOR OVERNIGHT PREP: Follow the instructions until you have cut, uncooked cinnamon rolls in the baking dish. At this point, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, remove from the refrigerator and allow to sit for an hour. Then, simply preheat the oven to 375 degrees and bake for 20-30 minutes until done.
- Gluten free - I haven't tried making them with gluten free flour, but a gluten free mix would probably work quite well here. Let me know if you try it!
Hi Nora, I used gluten-free bread flour and it worked great!
Texture was great but the pumpkin flavour didn’t really come through
I made these this morning. Absolutely delicious 😋 just the same as every recipe of yours i have made. Your pumpkin muffins are a fall staple in our house and the apple pie is to die for. Thank you for sharing your recipes!
-David
You bet, David! I am thrilled you are loving my recipes, and appreciate you using them! Thanks for your stellar review and feedback! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
I kneaded for 15 minutes and added almost an extra cup of flour but it’s still too sticky to shape. Anyone else having this problem? Maybe it’s bc I used active dry yeast
How much is one serving? Is it one roll? Thanks!
Hi Kinsee. Yes, 1 roll is a serving. Enjoy!
These were so delicious!! Easy to follow instructions and SO quick!! Will definitely make again
Thank you for your positive feedback and review! I’m thrilled that you loved the cinnamon rolls!
How many grams have one packet of the yeast you use?
There are about 7 grams of yeast in one packet.
I made this recipe using one active yeast instead of quick dry, so I changed the timing of the recipe but it turned out really well! One thing I would recommend is doubling the frosting if you would like to fully cover the cinnamon rolls. Thank you Nora for your wonderful recipes!
Hot on the success of your naan bread yesterday, I thought I’d give these a go and use up some leftover pumpkin purée. Absolutely amazing. Way easier than I thought they’d be – love not having that second prove – and they came out great!
How awesome! I’m so glad you loved the cinnamon rolls! Thank you for your wonderful feedback and review! I hope you find a fun recipe of mine for your 3rd masterpiece! Happy baking!
Hi! My son is allergic to eggs so we’re not totally vegan over here.. I have made a few of your recipes and they are SO. SO. GOOD.
I do have a question – do you think I can substitute regular butter in place of vegan butter in most recipes? Thanks!
I’m so glad you are enjoying my recipes without eggs, glad to help! 🙂 It should work more or less the same, but things like cookies will be slightly different. Cookies with real butter tend to spread more easily in the oven, while vegan butter not so much.
One more thing! Can I omit the sugar in the dough? If I make these again I want my diabetic family members to at least try ONE.
I haven’t tried it so I’m not totally sure. It might affect the outcome, and of course they won’t be sweet. It will probably be okay. Thanks!
These tasted delicious but looked like blobs lol. I added at least 1/2 cup of extra flour while kneeding the dough, but was afraid of adding too much.
I also added a little extra pumpkin puree in the middle mixed with the cinnamon etc and wow it was good.
Lol not sure what happened with the blobs, but I’m glad they tasted good!
These are amazing! What a fantastic start to fall!! They came out absolutely delicious! Yum!!!
Do these need to proof in the pan at all after slicing? I’m worried that they won’t rise enough?
No they don’t. Not unless you refrigerate them overnight. I hope this helps!
Oh. My. Gosh. Every single year I try a new pumpkin cinnamon roll recipe and always try and find a vegan one. This is finally a keeper. Big, fluffy and amazing.
Can you prep these two days before you bake?
1 day works, but I’m not sure about 2. It might be okay.
Hello: With regard to your instructions for raising the dough in the oven, have you tried putting a one or two cup measuring cup filled with boiling water into the cold oven along with the dough? The steam from the boiling hot water provides a moist warmth in the oven cavity. It is a method often used with success.
Hi! I haven’t tried it. How interesting!
Yes! I usually put the cup with warm water and the dough to rise in the microwave and it works great. I did it with this dough and it rose beautifully:)))
Can I use regular yeast not the quick type?
Yes, you can. You will just need to let the dough rise for an hour to an hour and a half.
Oh my gosh. I’ve made so many of your recipes and they’re all a hit, but this one…. This is something special. Yeast and bread scares me, but this was super approachable and easy to follow! These will be making their way into the annual holiday lineup for sure!
I love it, Amanda! I believe in pumpkin for a delicious recipe! You feedback is so encouraging! Thank you for sharing your comments and your fabulous review!
These were amazing. I can’t believe how easy they were to make.
That’s so great!
Wonderful recipe and so easy to follow! I’m gluten free as well as vegan so I substitute the king arthur – measure for measure flour mix – they turned out great.
Thank you!
I made these for Sunday Brunch. This was my first time making cinnamon rolls. I thought the recipe was easy to follow. I added nuts and raisins and I also added lemon zest to the icing and it was a really nice fresh contrast to the pumpkin flavor. They turned out great, except I was afraid they’d be too packed in the 8 1/2 x 11 pan so I used a bigger one. Still good, but a little dry.
Delicious! Made them for my mom.
Can you freeze these ?
You can, but it would be best to freeze rolls that have been cooked, but not frosted.
Nora, if I freeze them, do I bake them from frozen……? Thanks!
I would probably let them thaw at room temperature for a while before baking.
I may have missed it, do your instructions include whether to compact the brown sugar when measuring?
I have added that clarification now, lightly packed, but a little more or less won’t hurt anything. 🙂 Thank you!