Vegan Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

square image of a pumpkin cinnamon roll lifting out

4.92 stars (12 ratings)

Vegan Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

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.

Prep Time40

Cook Time20

Total Time1

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: rolls

Calories: 436kcal

Author: Nora Taylor

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

US Customary - Metric

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!

Nutrition