Today’s blog post was written by my friend Lora from My Organic Life, Lora is a mama, a healthy lifestyle enthusiast, and a lover of wellness, mindfulness, holistic health, and living. She shares lots about healing your hormones holistically and living with Endometriosis.
There isn’t much better than a heaping pile of cinnamon buns in the morning. Unfortunately, finding the perfect vegan cinnamon buns that are dairy-free and super tasty can be a bit of a nightmare.
After lots of tasting, I’ve now found the perfect recipe for tasty and dairy-free cinnamon buns that never give me issues.
These Vegan Cinnamon Buns are life-changing. They have a soft and gooey center, I think they’re totally irresistible.
HEALTHY VEGAN CINNAMON BUNS
What I love about this spelled flour cinnamon buns recipe, is that all the ingredients swaps make them incredibly allergen-friendly for those who have different dietary restrictions. As well as those I’ve already mentioned above, these eggless cinnamon buns are also nut-free and soy-free.
All this combined leads to cinnamon buns that are still delicious but far healthier than the “originals”. There are no cholesterol-filled eggs, less fat, and fewer calories. I even managed to make this recipe oil-free to shave off tons of additional fat content. Learn more about vegan baking here!
THIS VEGAN CINNAMON BUNS RECIPE IS:
- Dairy-free & egg-free
- Refined sugar-free
- Low fat
- Nut-free
- Soft & delicious
- Easy to make
- Healthier than regular cinnamon buns
- Customizable
- Perfect for breakfast, brunch, dessert, or a snack!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE VEGAN CINNAMON BUNS:
- Flour – spelt flour works best because it has less gluten than wheat flour. But you can use half white and half whole wheat if you wish. Sorry, but gluten-free flour doesn’t work for this recipe.
- Coconut Sugar – for sweetness.
- Plant-Based Milk – for the right amount of moisture in your dough. Any type will work – oat, almond, or cashew are all good choices.
- Yeast – to make the dough rise and make your cinnamon rolls soft and fluffy.
- Salt – for flavor.
- Coconut Oil – to grease the bowl. Any neutral-flavored oil will work.
- Maple syrup or honey – for flavor.
- Cinnamon – since they’re cinnamon buns.
- Cardamom – for better taste.
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN CINNAMON BUNS
Make the dough:
- Heat the milk so it’s warm, but not hot. (about 100 F – about 45 seconds in the microwave does the trick) and add in the coconut oil and maple syrup, then pour this mixture into a large heatproof bowl. Check to make sure it’s not too hot (it should be just warmer than your skin) then whisk in the yeast. Give it a stir and let it sit for a few minutes.
- Add in one cup of flour, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt. Add the remaining flour in 1/2 cup increments, stirring between additions, until it becomes too difficult to stir with a wooden spoon. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured countertop and knead, adding more flour as necessary, until a soft and smooth dough forms, about ten minutes.
- Oil a large bowl and place the dough into it, turning it a couple of times to coat it in a little oil. Place a large plate over the bowl and set it into a warm place to rise until doubled in size, about an hour.
Assemble the cinnamon buns:
- Once the dough has doubled (usually about 1 ½ hour depending on how warm it was when rising) punch the dough down and roll it out on a floured flat surface into a large rectangle about, about 2 cm thickness.
- In a small bowl, mix all the filling ingredients.
- Melt with coconut oil and spread it evenly over the dough, then sprinkle with the cinnamon mixture.
- Tightly roll the dough into a log shape and cut about every 1 1/2 inches to form 9-10 even rolls.
Bake the buns:
- Preheat the oven to 375 F.
- Arrange the rolls on a parchment-lined or lightly oiled cookie sheet or pie dish.
- Bake at 375 F for 25-30 minutes until slightly golden brown on the tops.
Pro tips for perfect vegan cinnamon rolls:
- The amount of flour needed may vary slightly. Go by the feeling of the dough more than the measurement. Add just enough flour that your dough is no longer sticky and you can knead it without it sticking to your hands, but still remains very soft.
- The warmer the air the faster your dough will rise. About 80°- 90° F is a great temperature for this. Turn your oven on for about 3 minutes until it is just barely warm, then turn it off. Place the dough in the oven to rise.
- You know that your dough is ready to roll out when it has doubled in size.
- Don’t put more butter and sugar than recommended on the dough or it will just fall out and make a mess.
Ingredients:
- 500 ml / 2 cups non-dairy milk, oat, almond, etc.
- 70 grams / 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
- 4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 800 – 900 grams / 5 – 6 cups light spelt flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Filling:
- 70 grams / 1/4 cup soft coconut oil
- 50 grams / 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- 4 tablespoons maple syrup or runny honey
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon cardamom
Instructions:
- Pour the milk into a small saucepan and heat on low-medium until warm but not boiling. Whisk in the coconut oil and maple syrup, then pour this mixture into a large heatproof bowl. Check to make sure it’s not too hot (it should be just warmer than your skin) then whisk in the yeast. Let it rest for about 15 minutes, or until foaming.
- Stir in 1 cup of flour, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt. Add the remaining flour in 1/2 cup increments, stirring between additions, until it becomes too difficult to stir with a wooden spoon. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured countertop and knead, adding more flour as necessary, until a soft and smooth dough forms, about ten minutes.
- Oil a large bowl and place the dough into it, turning it a couple of times to coat it in a little oil. Place a large plate over the bowl and set it into a warm place to rise until doubled in size, about an hour.
- Once the dough has doubled (usually about 1 1/2 hours depending on how warm it was when rising) punch the dough down and roll it out on a floured flat surface into a large rectangle about 9×14 inches.
- In a small bowl, mix the filling ingredients and set aside.
- Melt coconut oil and spread it evenly over the dough, then sprinkle it with the cinnamon mixture.
- Tightly roll the dough into a log shape and cut about every 1 1/2 inches to form 9-10 even rolls.
- Tightly roll the dough into a log shape and cut about every 1 1/2 inches to form 9-10 even rolls.
- Arrange the rolls on a parchment-lined or lightly oiled cookie sheet or pie dish. (Note: If you want beautiful individual cinnamon rolls, bake separated on a cookie sheet. If you want them to bake together and frost the top of them bake close together in a pie pan or an 8″ x 8″ baking dish.)
- Bake at 375° F for 25-30 minutes until slightly golden brown on the tops.