No eggs, no dairy, and no cream cheese — yet these vegan cinnamon rolls are still fluffy, soft, and satisfyingly chewy.
This vegan cinnamon roll recipe is made entirely with plant-based ingredients, making it a delicious treat that vegans and vegetarians can enjoy too 🕊️
Why Is This Recipe Special?
Traditional cinnamon rolls are often large and rich, made with plenty of butter, milk, eggs, and sweet icing. If you're looking for a lighter version, this vegan cinnamon roll recipe is a great choice.
By skipping dairy products like butter and cream, these rolls are naturally lighter while still keeping a soft and fluffy texture. Their smaller size also makes them easier to enjoy without feeling too heavy.
Of course, they still contain sugar, so they are not a completely guilt-free treat 🤭 — but they are a lovely way to enjoy a cinnamon roll with a little less richness.
Wondering if an egg-free and dairy-free cinnamon roll can really be this fluffy? Take a look at these photos.
It springs right back when gently pressed with your finger and has a soft, fluffy texture.
So, how do I make these vegan cinnamon rolls?
The secret is in the ingredients… 🤭
Jump to:
🌥Ingredients
Here are the ingredients I use to make these soft, fluffy, and chewy vegan cinnamon rolls.
To create a warm and aromatic cinnamon roll, I add a few extra spices besides cinnamon.
Dough
- bread flour
- pastry flour
- dry yeast
- shio koji (click here to see how to make it)
- unsweetened soy milk yogurt (Marusan): a Japanese soy yogurt made only from soy milk, with no additives, starches, or thickeners.
- cane sugar (vegan unrefined sugar)
- cold-pressed sesame oil (or any vegetable oil of your choice)
- cardamom powder (to taste)
Filling
- cinnamon powder
- black pepper (to taste)
- cane sugar (vegan unrefined sugar)
- oil
The Secret Ingredients for Fluffy and Chewy Rolls
The secret to these fluffy and chewy vegan cinnamon rolls lies in fermented ingredients such as shio koji (a Japanese fermented seasoning made from rice koji, salt, and water) and soy milk yogurt.
Shio koji adds a subtle umami flavor to the dough, creating a deeper and more complex taste compared with dough made with salt alone.
A twist with spices
If you enjoy aromatic spices, you'll love this variation!
I recommend adding cardamom to the dough and a little black pepper to the filling. Even a small amount brings out a unique flavor and transforms the overall taste of the cinnamon rolls.
Cardamom x Cinnamon
Cardamom and cinnamon pair beautifully together. Adding a little cardamom to the dough creates a fragrant, flavorful dough that can hold its own against the cinnamon filling.
If you can, use freshly ground cardamom instead of pre-ground powder. Grinding it yourself brings out a much richer aroma. If you do this, use less than the amount listed in the recipe card, as freshly ground cardamom has a stronger flavor.
Black pepper for a nutty flavor
Adding black pepper to the filling also adds a subtle nutty flavor. For example, lightly grinding black pepper about 30 times in a grinder adds a pleasant nutty aroma without giving the rolls a strong peppery kick.
Of course, the amount of spice is completely up to your preference. The cinnamon rolls are also delicious without black pepper, so don't worry if you prefer to leave it out.
For exact amounts, please check the printable recipe card👇
☀️Instructions
Before you start
Now, let's move on to the part you've been waiting for.
First, I recommend letting a bread machine do the kneading for you. You can also knead the dough by hand, but this dough tends to be quite sticky, so using a bread machine makes the process much easier.
Here is another tip: prepare a heat-resistant cutting board lined with parchment paper. The parchment paper makes the dough easier to handle, and you can do everything from shaping to the second proofing on the same board. It keeps your workspace cleaner and makes cleanup easier🧹
Let's make vegan cinnamon rolls!
- Knead the dough:
- Add all the dough ingredients to the bread machine and knead using the dough setting.
💡 Since this recipe uses fermented ingredients such as shio koji and soy milk yogurt, the dough can over-ferment more easily. For this reason, I recommend using the bread machine only for kneading and not for fermentation.
- First proofing:
- Lightly dust a bowl with bread flour, place the kneaded dough inside, and cover it with plastic wrap or a damp cloth.
- Let it rise at 40°C (104°F) for about 30 minutes using a proofing function or a low-temperature oven setting.
- Finger test:
- Dust your index finger with bread flour and gently poke the center of the dough.
- If the dough slowly springs back and the indentation remains visible, it is ready for the next step.
💡 If the dough springs back quickly and the indentation disappears, the dough needs more time to ferment. Continue proofing for another 10 minutes and check again. Repeat until the dough has doubled in size.
- Roll out the dough:
- Place a sheet of parchment paper on a cutting board or work surface and lightly dust it with flour.
- Place the dough on top and roll it out into a rectangle about 20 × 25 cm (8 × 10 inches).
- Add the filling:
- Mix the filling ingredients in a bowl.
- Lightly brush the surface of the dough with oil, then sprinkle the filling evenly over the dough. Use your fingers to spread it evenly.
- Roll the dough:
- Use the parchment paper like a sushi mat and roll the dough as you would make a sushi roll.
- Cut the rolls:
- Use a scraper to cut the rolled dough into 3 cm (about 1¼ inch) pieces.
- Second proofing:
- Place the cut pieces on a parchment paper-lined cutting board with the cut sides facing up, leaving enough space between each piece.
- Place the cutting board on a baking sheet and let the rolls rise at 40°C (104°F) for about 20 minutes using a proofing function or a low-temperature oven setting.
- Preheat the oven:
- Place the baking sheet in the oven and preheat it to 180°C (356°F).
- While the oven is preheating, place the rolls on a rack set on top of the oven to help them continue rising. There is no need to transfer them to another surface — you can leave them on the cutting board with the parchment paper.
- Bake the cinnamon rolls:
- Once the oven is fully preheated, quickly transfer the rolls onto the hot baking sheet.
- Slide the parchment paper from the cutting board onto the baking sheet, just like a pizza chef sliding a pizza into the oven. This helps prevent the oven temperature from dropping too much.
- Reduce the temperature to 160°C (320°F) and bake for 16 minutes.
- Once baked, transfer the cinnamon rolls (still on the parchment paper) to a cooling rack.
- Serve with vegan cream cheese if desired 🥄
🌳How To Eat
Here are a few ways to enjoy these vegan cinnamon rolls even better!
(1) Warm them up:
Before eating, warm them gently in a toaster oven for about 3 minutes. This brings back their fluffy and soft texture and enhances the aroma of cinnamon.
(2) Spread with vegan cream cheese:
Adding homemade vegan cream cheese on top takes these cinnamon rolls to the next level 🤤
Vegan cream cheese is also versatile — you can spread it on bagels or use it as an icing for carrot cake. Unlike sugar icing, homemade vegan cream cheese needs to be refrigerated, so it's best to spread it on just before serving.
🏌️♀️ Variations
Try changing the fillings to create your own sweet rolls!
Here are some ideas to get you started.
- Add raisins - If the raisins are coated with oil, soak them in boiling water for 30 seconds, then squeeze out the excess water and pat them dry with a paper towel. After sprinkling cinnamon sugar over the dough, add the raisins and roll it up. You can also use rum raisins, like in these vegan chocolate truffles.
- Add nuts - Finely crush your favorite nuts and sprinkle them over the cinnamon sugar. The crunchy texture adds a nice contrast.
- Substitute hazelnut paste or peanut butter - Replace the cinnamon sugar with your favorite nut paste for a different flavor variation.
- Substitute your favorite jam - For those who don't like cinnamon, try making sweet rolls with your favorite jam instead of cinnamon sugar.
🛺Tools
- bread machine
- bowl
- scraper
- cutting board: Use a heat-resistant cutting board if you plan to place it on top of the oven during preheating.
- rolling pin
- parchment paper
- ruler
- oven
- baking sheet
⛳️Storage
You can store them at room temperature for about 3 days. Be careful during the rainy season and summer months, as they can mold or spoil more easily.
If you want to freeze them, wrap each roll individually in plastic wrap to keep them fresh.
If it's a bit hard after a few days, just warm it up in a toaster and it'll be soft and fluffy again.
🌈 The Secret To Success
Be careful with the first proofing:
If you have a bread machine, it's best to let it do the kneading.
For the first proofing, though, I recommend taking the dough out of the machine. The heat generated by the machine can raise the dough temperature, and fermented ingredients like shio koji and soy milk yogurt can make the dough ferment faster.
Over-fermented dough becomes full of gas, making it sticky and difficult to handle.
If possible, let the dough rise in a bowl instead. Once the dough has risen properly, the rest of the process is quite simple. You're on your way to delicious cinnamon rolls!
☄️Questions
Cinnamon rolls are often large and high in calories. If you're watching your calorie intake, this vegan cinnamon roll recipe is a lighter option. These vegan cinnamon rolls are lower in calories than traditional cinnamon rolls, so you can enjoy them with less guilt.
💥Vegan Recipes With Cinnamon
Recipe using cinnamon:
🪐Latest Vegan Recipes
Seasonal vegan recipes:
📖 Recipe Card
Chewy & Fluffy Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
Equipment
- bread machine
- Bowl
- scraper
- cutting board - heat-resistant
- Rolling Pin
- parchment paper
- ruler
- oven
- baking sheet
Ingredients
Dough
- 115 g strong flour
- 35 g pastry flour
- 110 g unsweetened soy milk yogurt
- 20 g cane sugar
- 20 g cold-pressed sesame seed oil (or rice bran oil)
- 14 g shio koji (2 tsp)
- 2 g dry yeast (½ tsp)
- 2 g cardamom powder (1 tsp・to taste)
Filling
- 3 g cinnamon (powdered / 1tsp)
- 25 g cane sugar
- black pepper (to taste)
Grease
- 1 teaspoon cold-pressed sesame seed oil (or rice bran oil)
Instructions
Dough making
- Knead the dough:Add all dough ingredients to the bread machine and knead using the dough setting.115 g strong flour35 g pastry flour110 g unsweetened soy milk yogurt20 g cane sugar20 g cold-pressed sesame seed oil14 g shio koji2 g dry yeast2 g cardamom powder
- First proofing: Lightly dust a bowl with bread flour. Place the dough inside and cover with plastic wrap or a damp cloth. Let the dough rise at 40°C (104°F) for about 30 minutes using a proofing function or a warm oven.
- Finger test: Dust your index finger with bread flour and gently poke the center of the dough. If the dough slowly springs back and the indentation remains, move on to the next step.
Shaping
- Roll out the dough: Place a sheet of parchment paper on a cutting board or work surface and lightly dust it with flour. Place the dough on it and roll it out with a rolling pin to about 20 × 25 cm (8 × 10 inches).
- Sprinkle filling: Combine the filling ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Lightly brush the surface of the dough with oil, then sprinkle the filling over it. Use your fingers to spread it evenly.3 g cinnamon25 g cane sugarblack pepper1 tsp cold-pressed sesame seed oil
- Rolling: Use the parchment paper like a sushi mat and roll the dough up as you would make a sushi roll.
- Cut: Using a scraper, cut the rolled dough into 3 cm pieces.
- Second proofing: Place the rolls, cut side up, on a parchment paper-lined cutting board, leaving enough space between each piece. Place the cutting board on a baking sheet and let the rolls rise for 20 minutes at 40°C (104°F) using a proofing function or a warm oven.
Baking
- Preheat oven: Place a baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 180°C (356°F). While the oven is preheating, place the rolls on a rack set on top of the oven to help them continue rising. You can leave them on the cutting board with the parchment paper.
- Baking: Once preheated, open the oven and quickly transfer the rolls to the hot baking sheet. Slide the parchment paper off the cutting board (just like a pizza chef quickly sliding a pizza into the pizza oven!) to help prevent the oven temperature from dropping too much. Reduce the temperature to 160°C (320°F) and bake for 16 minutes.
- Cool : Remove the cinnamon rolls from the oven and place them, still on the parchment paper, on a cooling rack. Serve with Vegan Cream Cheese if desired.
If this recipe made its way into your kitchen, and you'd like to share that moment, feel free to tag @veginveganvegun or use #vegin_vegan_vegun.
Your quiet stories inspire me deeply 🕊️
I hope you enjoy making these chewy and fluffy vegan cinnamon rolls!
あやは says
It was insanely delicious!
Thanks for the great recipe: ☀︎
Vegin Vegan Vegun! says
あやはさん
Thank you for your comment! We are always open to requests, so if there is a recipe you are looking for, please let us know in the comments section.
和子 says
The only spice I used was cinnamon, but it was very tasty! I think if I lower the temperature a little more I can make it more like white bread.
Vegin Vegan Vegun! says
Kazuko-san
Thank you for your comment;) I hope you were able to make the white bread version.
We are looking forward to your feedback.