Pillow Soft Vegan Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Sweet and pumpkin spiced vegan pumpkin cinnamon rolls with an easy dairy free cream cheese frosting is a warm and gooey treat perfect for breakfast and dessert.
A soft and sweet pumpkin dough is filled with pumpkin pie cinnamon spiced brown sugar filling to make the most unbelievable cinnamon roll ever. They are gooey, sweet, warm, soft, and just the perfect thing to wake up to on a chilly morning!
Based on my classic vegan cinnamon rolls, they are packed with fall flavors and are so good that no one will ever guess they are vegan.
Ingredients
- Yeast: I recommend using regular active dry yeast and not rapid rise yeast. In my testing, I’ve found that active dry yeast gives me a better rise. It’s an extra step to bloom the yeast, but if I’m making cinnamon rolls from scratch, I want them to be the best they can be!
- Pumpkin: Make sure that you are using 100% pure pumpkin and not pumpkin pie mix.
- Plant Based Milk: I’ve found that unflavored coconut milk and soy milk work the best, however, rice milk, oat milk, and almond milk will also do good.
- You’ll Also Need: White sugar, Vanilla, Canola Oil, Brown Sugar, Pumpkin Pie Spice, Vegan Cream Cheese, and Powdered Sugar
Instructions
See the next section on how to make these the night before and bake in the morning! For an even more in depth look at making vegan cinnamon rolls, check out my classic vegan cinnamon roll recipe.
Make sure to check out the recipe card below for the full recipe and ingredient list.
Bloom the yeast
Warm the milk of your choice to about 100F and stir in the yeast. Cover it with a towel and let rest for about 10 minutes, or until it gets fluffy. If you don’t have a reaction, either the milk was too hot, too cold, or your yeast is dead.
Make the dough
Mixing this is so much easier in a stand mixer with a dough hook! If you have that, I really recommend that you use it. It not only mixes the dough but also kneads it for 5 minutes. If you don’t have one, you have my full permission to use the kneading of the dough as your arm workout for the day.
Proof the dough
Place the smooth dough ball in a lightly oiled bowl. I find that dough rises better in a ceramic or plastic bowl instead of a metal. Cover it loosely with a kitchen towel; you don’t need to use plastic wrap or anything like that. Place the bowl in a warm spot in your house. I always make a cup of tea and place the hot kettle next to the bowl, turning the bowl every 10 minutes or so. The oven on the proof setting, in a warm window, or on top of the oven that is running all work. You could even place it outside if it is a hot day!
Make the rolls
Roll the dough out onto a floured surface. Don’t be afraid about using more flour; these rolls can handle a bit of extra flour. I use a bench scraper to cut my rolls, however, you can use a piece of unflavored and unwaxed dental floss if you want to make slices that aren’t pinched.
Second rise
Pop the pumpkin cinnamon rolls into a greased baking dish and let it rise for a second time. Same rules apply here as to the first rise. Place it in a warm spot and cover it with a towel for about 30 minutes.
Bake and enjoy!
Finally, bake these rolls at 375F/190C for 22 minutes. Then serve with the icing and enjoy!
How to Make Ahead of Time
You can totally make these the night before to make it quick and easy in the morning! Make the pumpkin cinnamon rolls through the second rise. Then, instead of letting the rolls rise for a second time in a warm spot, wrap them with plastic wrap and place the rolls in the pan in the fridge. Let them rest overnight.
When you are ready to bake in the morning, preheat the oven to 375F/190C, remove the plastic wrap, and bake for 22-25 minutes.
Top Tips
- Don’t place cinnamon in the dough. Did you know that cinnamon can inhibit yeast from making the dough rise? It’s true! That’s why the cinnamon is only in the filling and not the dough itself.
- It’s important that the dough rises in a warm spot. If you don’t get a good rise in an hour, your kitchen may be too cold. But don’t give up! Just let it rise for another 15 minutes before you continue with the recipe as written.
How to Store
Fridge: Keep the baked and iced rolls in the fridge, covered, for up to 5 days.
Freezer: Store the baked rolls in a freezer safe container for up to 2-3 months. Thaw them overnight in the fridge and warm before serving.
More Pumpkin Recipes
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Equipment
- Mixing bowls
- Mixing spoons
- measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Stand mixer with dough hook (optional)
- Rolling Pin
- Knife or bench scraper
- baking dish
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- ¾ cup dairy free milk warmed to 100F
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 3 tablespoons pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons oil canola or other neutral oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ cup all purpose flour
Filling
- ¼ cup dairy free butter softened
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons pumpkin spice
Icing
- ½ cup vegan cream cheese
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Proof the yeast. Mix the warm milk with the yeast and let rest for 10 minutes to proof. Make sure that the milk is at 100F to no hotter than 110F. If the temperature isn’t right, the yeast won’t activate. Please use a thermometer to check. After 10 minutes, the yeast should look fluffy and have many bubbles.
- Make the dough. In the stand mixer with the dough hook attachment, or in a large bowl with a sturdy spoon, add the yeast mixture as well as the sugar, pumpkin, oil, and vanilla extract. Mix on medium speed to combine. Add in the flour and let mix on medium-low speed for 5 minutes until a soft dough ball forms. You may need to add more flour by the spoonful if the dough is sticking to the bowl too much.
- First proof of the dough. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl (preferably plastic or ceramic for the best rise). Let the dough rise in a warm place for an hour, or until the dough is doubled in size.
- Make the filling. While the dough is rising, in a medium bowl, mix together the brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice together. Pull the vegan butter out of the fridge and let it soften on the countertop.
- Shape the cinnamon rolls. On a floured surface, place the dough and begin to roll out with a floured rolling pin. Roll the dough into a roughly rectangle shape that is about 8×11 inches (about the size of a computer paper). Spread the softened vegan butter all over the dough. Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar filling you made. Tightly roll the dough up on the long side (hot dog style) so that you have a roll that is 11 long. Slice the ends off of the roll, and then slice into 8 even slices.
- Second rise. Place the 8 rolls into a greased 8×10 pan. Cover with a towel and let them rise a second time for about 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C. Make sure the oven rack is in the middle of the oven.
- Bake the cinnamon rolls. After the second rise, place the cinnamon rolls in the oven and bake for 22-25 minutes, depending on your oven. The rolls will be lightly golden brown and reach an internal temperature of 195-200F when fully baked. Remove from the oven and let them cool in the hot pan for 10 minutes.
- Make the icing. In a medium sized bowl, combine the soft vegan cream cheese with powdered sugar and vanilla extract. The vanilla will turn it a light brown color. You can also add an additional ½ teaspoon of cinnamon to the icing if you want! Spread the icing on the slightly cooled cinnamon rolls and serve warm. Enjoy!
Notes
- Fridge: Keep the baked and iced rolls in the fridge, covered, for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Store the baked rolls in a freezer safe container for up to 2-3 months. Thaw them overnight in the fridge and warm before serving.
Nutrition
