the only cinnamon rolls you'll ever need

Make the best cinnamon rolls of your life with this easy, foolproof recipe! This fluffy yeast dough is naturally vegan and can be filled with the classic cinnamon sugar, or any fun toppings you can think up!

You guys. THE TIME HAS COME. I am finally sharing my basic, go-to, dearly beloved, 100% fantastic CINNAMON ROLLS! If you've been hanging around here for literally 5 minutes, I'm sure you've noticed I have a bit of a cinnamon roll problem. Or, more accurately, a non-cinnamon roll problem. I have close to a dozen different variations of sweet rolls on this blog, and zero basic cinnamon roll recipes. Until now! I'm happy to share these totally fab rolls, which also happen to be vegan. Yippee!

Honestly, I cannot say enough good things about these cinnamon rolls. If you've been wanting to dabble with making yeast dough but you're scared, start with this recipe. It's so easy, totally foolproof, easy to work with, and bakes up a dream. Why do you think I've used the same base recipe for all my rolls all of these years? Also with the vegan thing, it's just because I always use vegetable or coconut oil and almond milk, but I've made it with dairy milk before too and yes, it works. You can bend this to fit your own dietary needs! It's also naturally egg-free, so it's pretty easy to adapt as you'd like. 🙂

You know I have to ask but, how do y'all feel about my recent vegan theme? Like it, hate it, didn't notice it? There's still a gazillion omnivorous recipes on this blog so I'm sure y'all are fine. Also it's my blog and I do what I want SO. But of course I'm always interested in the public opinion. And speaking of which, public opinion of you will be very favorable if you happen to make these rolls for family and friends! This batch size makes just one pan {I only had 2 rolls that didn't fit into the skillet}, but you can easily double or triple it and make more! I just try to make smaller batches around here because that means that it gets eaten quicker, and then I have an excuse to make another recipe. But, ya know. Blogger life.

Lastly, I know I need to address frosting! I'm okay with a sprinkle of powdered sugar on the fruity rolls, but classic, homestyle cinnamon rolls NEED some sort of frosting. I'm a big fan of simple, glaze-y frostings, but for something richer, you can definitely go for a buttercream or a cream cheese topping! This particular time, I tried something new by whisking together almondmilk yogurt with powdered sugar and vanilla to make glaze, but generally I use almond milk as a base and that works just fine. Really, you can just do whatever floats your boat. I promise they'll be delicious!

Think basic cinnamon rolls are a little too boring? Check out literally every variation of sweet roll ever RIGHT HERE. Happy baking!

Print Recipe

the only cinnamon rolls you'll ever need

Prep Time4 hours hrs

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time4 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Servings: 12 rolls

Author: Valentina | The Baking Fairy

Ingredients

• *for the rolls*
• 1 cup milk {dairy or non-dairy}
• 2 cups white flour {+ ½ cup separated}
• ¼ cup vegetable oil or melted coconut oil
• ¼ cup white sugar
• ½ tablespoon instant active dry yeast {about ½ a package}
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• *for the filling*
• ½ cup melted butter vegan butter, or coconut oil
• ½ cup white sugar
• 2-3 tablespoon cinnamon {more or less to preference}
• *for the glaze*
• 1 cup plain unsweetened almond milk yogurt
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ cup powdered sugar

Instructions

• In a large nonstick pot, combine the milk, oil, and ¼ cup of sugar. Heat up to about 120F {warmer than body temperature but NOT burning hot} over medium heat, then remove from burner and sprinkle the yeast on top. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes to allow the yeast to activate.
• Afterwards, mix in the 2 cups of flour, cover the pot with a clean tea towel, and let the dough rise for about 1 hour.
• After the first rise, add in the salt, baking powder, baking soda, and additional flour. Knead until all the flour has been absorbed, and add more if needed. You want the dough to be soft and smooth but not too sticky! Using a sharp knife, cut an X on top of your dough {this helps it rise }, cover with a tea towel again, and let rise for an additional 3+ hours. You can let it rise overnight at this point, or you can also wait until the next step!
• After the second rise, lightly flour a clean surface, and dump the dough on top. Knead it for 2-3 minutes, adding more flour as needed. The dough should be smooth and easy to work with, so add flour if it's too sticky!
• Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a rough rectangle, making sure you don't roll it out too thin (somewhere between ½-1/4 inch). Spread the melted butter/coconut oil all over the surface, and top with the sugar and cinnamon. Starting on the long side closest to you, roll up the dough.
• Using a large, smooth knife, cut 1½-2 inch slices of dough, and place them in a greased 9x9 pan (or cast iron skillet). Make sure to leave some space between the rolls to allow them to rise more!
• At this point, you can cover the pans with plastic wrap and either let them rise for 30 minutes in a warm place, or place them in the refrigerator overnight.
• When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375F. Bake the rolls 18-20 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and no longer doughy.
• While the rolls cook, make the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the almond milk yogurt, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Add more or less powdered sugar depending on how thick you want your glaze to be.
• Let rolls cool slightly before glazing, and enjoy!