This Famous Vegan Cinnamon Rolls recipe is an exclusive from Jillian Glenn’s new cookbook Light & Easy Vegan Baking: Indulgent, Low-Calorie Recipes for Cookies, Breads, Cakes & More. Click here to find out where you can order the book.
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My Famous Vegan Cinnamon Rolls—2 Ways from Light & Easy Vegan Baking by Jillian Glenn
Ingredients
- Classic Yeast Dough
- 1 cup 240 ml warmed almond milk (microwaved for about 30 seconds)
- ¼ cup 60 ml freshly melted vegan butter
- 2 tbsp 30 ml pure maple syrup
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp 9 g baking powder (only use if baking with gluten-free flour)
- 1 tbsp 15 ml cider vinegar (only use if baking with gluten-free flour)
- 1 tbsp 13 g active dry yeast
- 2 ½ cups 312 g regular or gluten-free all-purpose flour (for gluten-free, I like Cup4Cup or King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure), plus more for dusting
- Nonstick spray - for dish
- No-Yeast Dough
- ¾ cup 180 ml unsweetened almond milk
- ½ cup 120 ml melted vegan butter
- 1 ½ tsp 7 g baking powder
- 2 cups 250 g regular or gluten-free all-purpose flour (for gluten-free, I like Cup4Cup or King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure), plus more for dusting
- Nonstick spray - for dish
- Filling
- ¼ cup 57 g softened vegan butter
- ½ cup 100 g cane sugar
- 2 tbsp 24 g ground cinnamon
- Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
- 2 oz 57 g vegan cream cheese
- 2 tbsp 28 g softened vegan butter
- ¾ cup 90 g confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
- Prepare the dough: In a large bowl, use a fork to mix together the warmed almond milk, freshly melted vegan butter, maple syrup and salt. If baking with gluten-free flour, mix in the baking powder and cider vinegar. Next, sprinkle the yeast evenly over the top of the mixture and allow it to sit for about 10 minutes. Then, stir in the flour until a dough forms.
- Use your hands to gently form the dough into a round mound. Be careful not to overwork the dough. Leave the dough in the bowl and cover it with a clean kitchen towel. Allow it to rise for 1 hour. I like to set the dough on top of a preheated oven to help it rise faster. You will know it has risen when
- it has nearly doubled in size. If you are using gluten-free flour, the dough will be less voluminous.
- Spray a 10- to 12-inch (25- to 30-cm) casserole dish with nonstick spray. Once the dough has risen, lay it on a well-floured surface and roll it out to a 1/3-inch (1-cm)-thick rectangle. Sprinkle more flour on top if the dough is too sticky to roll.
- Add the filling: Spread the softened vegan butter evenly onto the dough and then sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon over the top. Carefully roll up your dough into a log and slice it into about 12 equal-width pinwheels. If you are using gluten-free flour, the dough will be more fragile so take your time. If it falls apart while rolling, simply use your hands to form it back together.
- Place the pinwheels into your prepared casserole dish, making sure that there is enough room for them to double in size. Cover the dish loosely with the kitchen towel and set aside for 30 minutes to allow them to rise. Set them on top of the preheated oven again if you choose. You will know they are done rising when they have nearly doubled in size. If you are using gluten-free flour, you may skip the second rise and proceed to baking.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Remove the kitchen towel from the rolls and bake them for 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden.
- While the rolls bake, prepare the frosting: In a medium-sized bowl, use an electric hand mixer to mix together the vegan cream cheese, softened vegan butter and confectioners’ sugar.
- Once the rolls are done baking, remove them from the oven and wait 5 to 10 minutes for them to cool before spreading the frosting over the top. Serve warm and try not to eat the entire dish!
- Quick 30-Minute No-Yeast Cinnamon Rolls
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). In a large bowl, use a fork to mix together the almond milk, melted vegan butter and baking powder. Then, mix in the flour until a thick dough forms.
- Spray an 8- to 10-inch (20- to 25-cm) casserole dish with nonstick spray. Lay the dough on a floured surface and roll it out a ¼-inch (6-mm)-thick rectangle. You may need to sprinkle a little flour on top if the dough is too sticky to roll. Add the filling: Spread the softened vegan butter onto the rolled dough, then sprinkle the cane sugar and cinnamon over the top. Roll up the dough into a log and slice it into about 12 equal-width pinwheels.
- Place the pinwheels into the prepared casserole dish. Set the rolls close enough together to where they are almost touching each other.
- Bake them for 20 minutes, or until lightly golden. If desired, broil them for 1 to 2 minutes at the end to give them more color.
- While the rolls bake, prepare the frosting: In a medium-sized bowl, use an electric mixer to mix together the vegan cream cheese, softened vegan butter and confectioners’ sugar.
- Once the rolls are done baking, remove them from the oven and wait 5 to 10 minutes for them to cool before spreading the frosting over the top, then dive right in.
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Reprinted with permission from Light & Easy Vegan Baking by Jillian Glenn, Page Street Publishing Co. 2022. Photo credit: Jillian Glenn
Click here to order your copy.
About the Author
Jillian Glenn is the author of Easy Low-Cal Vegan Eats and the founder of Peanut Butter and Jilly, a popular food blog specializing in vegan and gluten-free recipes. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia.
About the Book
Enjoy vegan takes on decadent cakes, gooey brownies, flaky biscuits, savory breads and so much more without worrying about breaking the diet in Light & Easy Vegan Baking (Page Street Publishing; March 22, 2022; $19.99)! Jillian Glenn, author of Easy Low-Cal Vegan Eats, is back with 60 scrumptious recipes that taste like the ultimate splurge–but their low calorie count means people can feel good about enjoying them.
Jillian shares her secrets to recreating everyone’s favorite treats, whether craving something sweet, like Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies and Rich Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, or something savory, like Vegan Pull-Apart Cheesy Bread and Salted Soft Baked Pretzel Bites. Thanks to generous serving sizes that will leave people feeling satisfied, readers won’t believe these are low-calorie or vegan. And with the option to make the recipes gluten-free, it’s easy to adapt each dish to meet specific dietary needs.
Jillian’s use of fuss-free ingredients and clever techniques, like combining traditional sugar with no-calorie sweeteners, will have people eager to bake their way through every chapter – and her straightforward, easy-to-follow instructions guarantee perfect results every time.
Light & Easy Vegan Baking is divided into 5 parts:
- Craving Cookies and Brownies
- Irresistible Cupcakes and Cakes
- Easy Healthy Pies, Cobblers and Crisps
- Quick, Satisfying Breads, Biscuits and Bites
- Baking for Breakfast Lovers
If you loved these Famous Vegan Cinnamon Rolls, check out more exclusive recipes from Light & Easy Vegan Baking:
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