Super soft and delicious vegan cinnamon rolls can be made in 1 hour! Loaded with cinnamon sugar gooey goodness and topped with heavenly cream cheese icing. You won’t believe how big and fluffy they are! 

rolls in a dish, half with frosting

These are the BEST EVER vegan cinnamon rolls! They are so soft, fluffy and moist. No one would ever guess they’re vegan.

You can make them in about an hour from start to finish, or prep them the night before and pop them in the oven in the morning. I love overnight rolls for lazy weekend or holiday mornings.

Homemade cinnamon rolls taste 1000% better than those store bought rolls in a tube. Plus they will make your home smell incredible! In the fall, you may also enjoy these Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls. Or Strawberry Rolls in the spring!

What makes these Vegan Cinnamon Rolls so special?

  • They can be ready to devour in about an hour
  • Easy to follow instructions
  • Big and fluffy, with only 20 minutes of dough rising!
  • Super soft, with the best ooey-gooey cinnamon sugar center
  • Topped with a delicious & simple cream cheese frosting OR simple glaze
a spatula holding a vegan cinnamon rolls, underneath are more in a dish

Ingredients needed (with substitutions)

  • Plant milk – I usually use unsweetened soy, but I’ve used oat milk, almond milk and cashew milk. They all work well. Try to use unsweetened or your rolls will be too sweet.
  • Granulated sugar – To ensure vegan, buy organic sugar.
  • Quick rise yeast (instant yeast) – This is why we can make cinnamon rolls in no time at all! If you only have regular active yeast, it will work, but the dough will need longer to rise.
  • Vegan butter – Helps the dough be rich, moist and soft + we use it in the filling. You can use coconut oil, softened, if needed. Any brand you like is fine, I love Miyoko’s but Earth Balance or Country Crock work as well.
  • Salt
  • All purpose flour – You can substitute a gluten free all purpose flour if needed. I like King Arthur’s Measure for Measure Flour.
  • Brown sugar – For the filling.
  • Cinnamon – Of course!
  • Vegan cream cheese – For the simple cream cheese icing. I usually use Tofutti or Violife. If you can’t find vegan cream cheese, make the simple icing instead (recipe in card, scroll down).
  • Powdered sugar – Sweetens and thickens the icing.
  • Vanilla – For flavor.

If you’ve ever made cinnamon rolls before, you know it’s usually quite the long process. There is a lot of rising, usually in two steps. First, you need to let the ball of dough rise for an hour or more. Then after you roll and cut the cinnamon rolls, you have to let them rise again. That equals a very long time before you can eat a delicious cinnamon roll.

I have found a way to have way less preparation time, but still get the result of amazingly fluffy and big cinnamon rolls!

looking down on large plate of frosting covered rolls

How do you make vegan cinnamon rolls?

This is an overview with photos of the process. For the complete, printable recipe, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom.

In a large bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer), add warmed milk, sugar and quick cooking yeast. Let it sit for 5 minutes, until it gets a bit foamy. This is how you know your yeast is fresh and working.

yeast foamy mixture in a stand mixer

Add the melted vegan butter, salt and flour, and mix (I used a stand mixer with dough attachment).

flour added to wet mixture in stand mixer

Add 1/3 cup more flour at a time, as needed. The dough should still be slightly sticky and soft. You don’t want it to get too dry, or your rolls will be dry.

showing dough in a stand mixer

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead for 3-4 minutes, until a smooth ball of dough is formed (if using a stand mixer, simply mix with the dough hook for about 2 minutes).

Place the dough back in the bowl, cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes. It should nearly double in size. WHAT I DO: I preheat the oven to 170 degrees F, then once heated turn it off, place the bowl inside and leave the door cracked.

ball of dough on a red striped towel in glass bowl

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Next, roll the dough into a large rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Spread the softened vegan butter on top of the rolled dough, leaving an inch around the edges. Sprinkle with brown sugar, then cinnamon.

rectangle of dough with cinnamon all over it

Starting with the long end closest to you, roll up into a tight log.

rolling up dough with cinnamon and brown sugar

Cut off the ends with no filling, then slice into 12 rolls.

knife cutting dough

Place the rolls in a 9 by 13 inch casserole dish or (2) 9 inch pie pans.

uncooked swirly rolls in dish with pink towel

Bake for 20-30 minutes, until the rolls are golden brown and the centers are cooked through. They will also rise more in the oven, and get really big and fluffy!

cooked cinnamon rolls with pink towel, no frosting

Frequently asked questions

  1. Can I make overnight cinnamon rolls? Yes. Simply follow the instructions up until the point where you have sliced them and placed them in a baking dish. Cover and place in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, take them out of the refrigerator and let them sit for about an hour. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and bake for 20-30 minutes until done.
  2. Can I freeze them? Yes, you have a few options for freezing. You can freeze them after baking and frosting, after baking before frosting, or unbaked in the pan before rising. If freezing unbaked slices in the pan, let the rolls thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then let them come to room temperature for 30-60 minutes on the counter before baking.
  3. What can I use instead of cream cheese frosting? I’ve also included a recipe for a simple powdered sugar icing. Or cover them in caramel and add chopped pecans!
  4. Should the rolls be touching in the pan? Actually, no, not much at least. Leave some space between the rolls. This will allow them to expand and get big and fluffy in the oven.
casserole dish with rolls, some taken out

The best way to cut cinnamon rolls

I usually just use a big sharp knife to cut the rolls. Some people like to use unflavored plain dental floss! It works well and prevents smushing the soft dough.

To use floss, grab a long piece, pull it tight and get it under the roll of dough. Pull the ends tight to cut the roll.

cinnamon roll on a grey plate with fork taking a bite out of it

How to store vegan cinnamon rolls

The rolls are going to be best right after baking, when fresh and warm. Leftover rolls will keep for 2-3 days, covered at room temperature.

You can also freeze leftover rolls. I like to rewarm them in the microwave before serving.

broken cinnamon roll showing gooey inside on a grey plate

Want more special sweet breakfast recipes?

square image of cinnamon rolls, some with frosting, in white dish
4.94 stars (108 ratings)

1 Hour Vegan Cinnamon Rolls

Super soft and delicious vegan cinnamon rolls can be made in 1 hour! Loaded with cinnamon sugar gooey goodness and topped with heavenly cream cheese frosting. You won't believe how big and fluffy they are! 
Prep: 40 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 1 hour
Servings: 12 rolls

Ingredients 
 

FOR THE DOUGH

FOR THE FILLING

  • 6 tablespoons softened vegan butter
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

CREAM CHEESE ICING

  • 8 ounces vegan cream cheese | I like Trader Joe's or Kite Hill
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

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, 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.
  • 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 CINNAMON ROLLS

  • 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 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 pie pans.
  • Bake for 20-30 minutes, until the rolls are lightly golden brown and the centers are cooked through.

ICING

  • While the rolls are baking, make the icing. In a medium bowl, add the vegan cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla. Using a hand mixer (or stand mixer), beat until smooth and creamy.
  • If you would rather have a simple icing, whisk together 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons soy milk and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla, until smooth and creamy.
  • Allow the rolls to cool for 10 minutes before drizzling with the icing. Serve and enjoy!

Video

Notes

  1. May substitute oat, cashew or almond milk for the soy milk if needed. Try to use a creamy milk because this makes the dough richer. 
  2. You may substitute coconut oil for the vegan butter if needed, but I prefer the taste of the vegan butter here.
  3. Gluten free: Try a quality gluten free all purpose flour, such as King Arthur’s Measure for Measure.
  4. 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. 
  5. Leftover rolls will keep for 2-3 days covered at room temperature.
  6. Freezing: You can freeze the rolls before baking or after baking. If freezing unbaked slices in the pan, let the rolls thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then let them come to room temperature for 30-60 minutes on the counter before baking.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 464kcal | Carbohydrates: 72g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 295mg | Potassium: 117mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 33g | Vitamin A: 711IU | Calcium: 90mg | Iron: 3mg
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Author: Nora Taylor
Did you make this recipe?Mention @nora_cooks_vegan_ or tag #noracooks!

This recipe was originally published in May 2019 and has been updated with improved photos and more helpful information.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Read my full disclosure here.

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Comments

  1. These are the best yeast cinnamon rolls I’ve ever made. I had a bit of trouble with the filling. It started oozing out when I was rolling the dough up, so I think next time I will try with less butter. That said, these rolls are AMAZING and easy, which I appreciate. I made a half batch and got 8 nice size rolls. I baked them in my toaster oven in and 8″ square pan for 20 minutes and frosted them with some leftover vegan frosting that I needed to use up. These will be my go to from now one.

  2. Hi! I don’t know if I’ve given my ratings before but I will give again because I made this the 2nd time and it was soo good! Definitely my go-to recipe for cinnamon rolls. Of course, I did some adjustments to suit my fancy but your recipe is my base and I will make again using this. Thanks so much for sharing! x

  3. Hi! I just made these, followed the recipe exactly, and they’re DELICIOUS!! How do you recommend I store them? Refrigerator or counter? And how many days will they last? Thank you! 

    1. Thank you, Betty! Glad you enjoy them. I always store them on the counter, but they only stay good for about a day or two. You could put them in the fridge they will last a bit longer, maybe 2-3 days.

  4. I made these for Easter last year and Christmas yesterday. The dough is amazing to work with and absolutely beautiful. These are the best cinnamon rolls I’ve ever eaten. My entire family loves them – the vegans, vegetarians and carnivores. I am the vegan and I love Nora’s recipes. They always turn out amazing!!

    1. Hi Kym. I’m glad your family enjoyed the cinnamon rolls! Thank you for using my recipes, and for sharing your comments!

  5. Fantastic recipe. I made the dough and let them sit overnight and in the morning it was a breeze to just bake and ice! 

  6. I’ve heard so much about these& went to make them today. Just realized i only have regular yeast, not rapid rise. I’ve never even baked with yeast before. Would this work the same?

  7. Love this recipe and have made it a few times for my family (they also love it). I was hoping to make them for Christmas brunch but I’m wondering if you’ve tried freezing the dough? It would be great if I could prep the dough earlier this week.

    1. I haven’t personally tried it but it does usually work with cinnamon roll dough so I’m sure it will be fine. Enjoy!

    1. Diana,

      I used gluten free flour in this recipe and they didn’t turn out the same as using all purpose flour, they had a sugar cookie texture. I hope that helps!

  8. Hi Nora. So excited to make these for Christmas! I noticed most yeast packets have about 5 teaspoons per packet. In the recipe list it says 2 packets (5 teaspoons) though. Can you clarify if I should be using 5 teaspoons or 10 teaspoons? 

    1. Oh really? The ones I have always used contain about 2 1/4 teaspoons each. So two packets is just about right, or if you have the larger container, use 5 teaspoons. Hope that helps!

  9. How long would the dough (unbaked rolls) keep in the fridge if you wanted to make the rolls a couple of days ahead of time? 

  10. My first yeast recipe, and it turned out absolutely perfect! Can’t wait to make these again next weekend! Thanks Nora!!

  11. This is my first time working with yeast and I decided to make cinnamon rolls! I believe this is better than any store bought. Lol! I followed exactly all your instructions and modified a bit with the ingredients. I used mascarpone instead of cream cheese coz it’s all I have on hand but I could have simply made it vegan if I used the regular glaze. But hey, a little touch of mascarpone adds extra flavour so it’s more yummm! Anyway, I was not able to finish all in 1 hour instead it took me close to 2 hours maybe because of all the kneading and rolling. I was so anxious the whole time I was making this coz if this does not work, I would waste all the flour and other ingredients and would literally hate yeast desserts. Thanks for sharing this recipe. Would definitely make another one using this. x

  12. I recently switched to eating vegan and these cinnamon rolls were better than my non vegan recipe I’ve used for years! I did accidentally put a lot more brown sugar and cinnamon, but that’s never hurt anyone! I also followed the recipe otherwise and ended up with a 9×13 full and an 8×8 full, closer to 18 large rolls. Thank you so much for your tasty recipes and beautiful blog!

    1. Oh sometimes I just guess on the brown sugar and cinnamon and it always works out fine. 🙂 I’m so glad you enjoyed the cinnamon rolls, thank you so much!

  13. Hello:
    I just adjusted the recipe to serve 6. All the measurements for ingredients changed by half, except yeast – it still showed 5 teaspoons (but 1 packet) – I didn’t notice until AFTER I put in 5 teaspoons!
    Not sure if I should continue with the recipe or scrap and toss out 1 cup milk and 5 teaspoons yeast!
    Oh boy.
    Thanks for listening.

    1. Sorry, it does cut the yeast to 1 packet, but the 5 tsp is still there because it’s in parenthesis, just the way the recipe is written. I will try to change that! I think it will still turn out though, I hope you can still enjoy them!

  14. Used your recipe for my first ever cinnamon rolls, and it went well! A bit of an adventure though. I only had 2.25 cups + 1 tbsp flour on the nose, so I halved the recipe with practically no flour left for kneading or anything. Kneading took like 10 minutes by hand because the dough was so sticky due to the aforementioned lack of flour, and it wasn’t a perfectly smooth ball by any means but it was good enough.

    Luckily I had done my homework and read that this kind of dough sorts itself out after rising, and lo and behold it was much easier to handle afterwards. Very very soft but manageable. I ended up using some gluten free flour for rolling. Got 8 pieces plus 2 funky end nubs.

    Baked for 23 minutes and that ended up being just barely too long for the outside rolls but absolutely perfect for the center roll, which now that I look back at how many rolls I was supposed to get, mine may have been a bit small for the cook time. Next time I’ll try rolling it up by the short side.

    I used the simple glaze, using homemade powdered sugar (1 cup sugar 1 tbsp cornstarch blended in nutribullet til smooth) because ofcourse I had run out haha.

    All in all, pretty friendly recipe for a baker without much yeasted dough experience. They were quite tasty for not much time or effort. Thank you Nora!

  15. These were delicious! So easy and fast for a last minute special surprise treat for breakfast! I used Trader Joe’s vegan cream cheese in the icing. I also needed to use almost a cup more flour to get the dough together. They were so worth it!! 
    What I didn’t realize is how many this recipe makes hahaha. Do you know if it’s okay to freeze these unbaked in a Pyrex? 

    1. Lol yes they do make a lot! Sometimes I cut the recipe in half. I think it should work to freeze some, but I haven’t tested it so I’m not completely sure.

    2. I have frozen these and they did Great! I made recipe for 18 ( increased number of rolls at top of recipe because I have a family of 5 and they Love Cinnamon Rolls!)
       Placed them on parchment in Pyrex. Covered with Aluminum Foil. Took out to thaw the night before and then let them rise out of fridge for one hour day of baking. Cooked by instructions on recipe! They turned out great! 

  16. The Vegan Cinnamon rolls are yummy! Your instructions made receipt easy to follow. Second time making these. I used orange zest and a teaspoon of juice to icing. Oh boy! Used your Pad Thai receipt too. Thank you ,Nora.

    1. Your cinnamon rolls were just yummy! All of your receipts are easy to follow and boost my cooking skills. The Pad Thai receipt is a staple in this home.

  17. I made these over Christmas and they were so amazing. I love how fast they were! I want to make them again but I’d like to do it gluten free this time. Any thoughts on how this would do with a 1:1 Gluten-free flour mix? Thanks! 🙂

    1. Thank you, I’m so glad to hear it! I think it should work, but I haven’t tested it yet! If you do, let me know. 🙂

  18. These are perfection; ready so speedily and swoon worthily delicious. 10/10 recommend this recipe!!!! T

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