Dairy Free Cinnamon Rolls
Soft, fluffy and perfectly gooey, these dreamy dairy free cinnamon rolls are sure to be a family favorite! Loaded with cinnamon sugar goodness and topped with an easy icing, you won’t be able to get enough of these homemade rolls. Perfect for special occasions, an overnight option is also included. Egg free, soy free and vegan.
Ready for a completely delightful sweet treat?
Well then say hello to these incredible homemade dairy free cinnamon rolls!
They’re super soft … fluffy and tender … have the most perfect gooey cinnamon sugar centers…
And are finished off with an easy icing that sorta melts into the warm rolls all fresh from the oven.
Making them seriously hard to resist.
Whip up a batch for the holidays, brunches or even a special weekend breakfast. Any which way, you cannot go wrong.
And the best part? No one will ever be able to tell there’s no dairy involved. ♡♡♡
How To Make Dairy Free Cinnamon Rolls
So, like any homemade yeasted bread, these rolls do have a few steps. But I promise none are too hard to handle.
Make the dough. First up, we’ll mix together our dough in a large bowl – using simple ingredients like almond milk, yeast, flour, sugar, salt and olive oil. We’ll give the dough a few quick kneads on a floured surface, and then pop back in the same bowl.
First rise. We’ll stick the bowl in a warm place and let rise until doubled in size.
Roll out. We’ll turn the dough out on a floured surface, roll into a rectangle and then top with a cinnamon sugar mixture.
Form into a log and slice. Starting with the long end, we’ll roll the dough into a tight log, slice into 9 equal pieces and arrange in a greased baking dish.
Second rise. We’ll pop the dish back in a warm spot and let the rolls rise until nice and puffy.
Bake until set. After a quick brush with olive oil, the rolls get baked off in the oven until just barely lightly golden brown.
Top with icing. Finally, we’ll whisk together a quick glaze, smear it all over the warm rolls and dig in!
Tips & Tricks
- Don’t overheat your almond milk – 105 to 115ºF will do the trick. If you go hotter, it will likely kill the yeast and then your dough won’t rise. Now, an instant read thermometer really is your best friend, but if you don’t have one, stick your finger in the milk. It should feel warm (like warm bath water) but not hot.
- When measuring out your flour, fluff in the container then scoop into your measuring cup with a spoon and level off. Don’t dunk the cup straight into the bag as you’ll likely use too much.
- Try to find a warm spot for your dough to rise. Personally, I like to use my laundry room when the dryer is running – it creates the perfect slightly warm environment.
- Along those lines, go by the visual guides listed down in the recipe to know when your dough is done rising. Depending on how hot or cold your house is, the time may vary.
- Now, if you are going for the overnight option, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE pay attention to the time frame – i.e. do NOT let the cinnamon rolls sit in the fridge for longer than 12 hours. The texture will get weird and hard and they won’t turn out right.
Substitutions
- I would encourage you to stick with the listed bread flour for these rolls – it gives them the perfect amount of chew and fluffy tenderness. My guess is that they will still work with all-purpose flour, but the texture will be slightly different in the final product.
- Can’t do almond milk? Another non dairy milk should work just fine.
How To Store
These dreamy rolls are best enjoyed the same day they’re baked. With that said, you can store leftovers several ways.
Counter: Place cooled rolls in an airtight container and keep at room temperature for up to 2 days. Rewarm briefly before enjoying.
Freezer: Store the rolls in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. I personally prefer to freeze them without icing (and do that part fresh), but they freeze just fine if already iced.
Thaw the rolls in the fridge when ready to enjoy, then rewarm briefly before serving.
Additional Dairy Free Brunch Recipes You Might Enjoy:
- Dairy Free French Toast Casserole
- Dairy Free Hot Cross Buns
- Classic Dairy Free Waffles
- Dairy Free Banana Pancakes
- Dairy Free Breakfast Casserole
- Veggie Packed Dairy Free Quiche
- Coconut Oil Scones
Did you make this recipe? Rate and review it down below! I’d love to hear from you.
Dairy Free Cinnamon Rolls
Soft, fluffy and perfectly gooey, these dreamy dairy free cinnamon rolls are sure to be a family favorite! Loaded with cinnamon sugar goodness and topped with an easy icing, an overnight option is also included.
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 1 ¼ cups warm unsweetened plain almond milk (approximately 110°F)
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 tablespoons pure cane sugar (or granulated sugar), divided
- 3 cups bread flour, plus extra as needed
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the filling:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons coconut sugar (or lightly packed brown sugar)
- 2 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
For finishing:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar*
- 2 to 4 tablespoons liquid of choice**
Instructions
For the dough:
- Add the almond milk to a large bowl. Sprinkle in the yeast plus 1 teaspoon of the sugar. Mix gently with a fork, then set aside to proof for about 10 minutes - the mixture should be frothy / foamy. {If the mixture is not foamy, your yeast is likely bad. Buy fresh yeast and try again!}
- Add in the remaining 5 teaspoons sugar, the 3 cups bread flour, salt, olive oil and vanilla. Mix with a wooden spoon or spatula until a dough forms (it will be on the sticky side).
- Transfer the dough to a well-floured work surface and knead by hand for about 2 minutes until a smooth ball forms, adding additional flour if the dough is too tacky / sticky (I always need to add a few generous pinches of extra flour).
- Grease your large bowl lightly with nonstick or olive oil spray. Add in the dough ball, turn once to coat, then cover with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap.
- Allow the dough to rise in a warm spot until it has doubled in volume, about 1 to 1 ½ hours (the exact time will vary depending on the humidity and temperature in your house).
For the filling:
- Line a 9-inch square baking dish with parchment paper then spray with nonstick or olive oil spray. Set aside.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, then roll into a 9x13 inch rectangle. Brush with the 2 tablespoons olive oil, leaving a ½ inch border around the edges.
- In a small bowl, combine the coconut sugar and cinnamon, then sprinkle evenly over the olive oil.
- Starting with the long end, roll the dough into a tight log and pinch the seam to seal. The log will elongate a bit as you roll, so once finished sort of gently push the two edges back together to shorten / tighten the log back up.
- With the seam side down, use a sharp or serrated knife to cut into 9 equal slices about 1 ¼ to 1 ½ inches in thickness (I like to first remove good-sized chunks from the ends since they usually don’t have enough cinnamon sugar and aren’t as thick as the rest of the roll). You can discard any extra dough once you have your 9 slices (the log might be too long just depending on how you rolled it).
- Arrange the slices in the prepared pan cut sides up.
- Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm spot for about 30 to 45 minutes, or until puffy. {Alternatively, you can refrigerate the rolls overnight instead of letting them proof again at room temperature - just DO NOT let them hang out in the fridge for longer than about 12 hours. In the morning, let them stand at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes before baking.}
For finishing:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Remove the plastic wrap and brush the proofed rolls with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil.
- Bake for about 20 to 24 minutes, until set and just barely lightly golden brown on some of the “ridges” - they won’t really brown much and that’s okay! {To keep these on the gooey side, take them out right at 20 minutes (versus if you go the full 24 minutes they’ll be fully cooked and not really gooey - just depends on your preference.)}
- Set the pan on a wire rack and let cool for about 10 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and liquid until smooth. Add additional sugar or liquid to achieve your desired consistency, then smear over the cinnamon rolls. Serve warm!
Notes
*Be sure to use a brand of confectioners’ sugar that is vegan if needed for your diet.
**You can use any dairy free liquid you’d like for the glaze - from water to orange juice to dairy free milk to my personal favorite … coconut buttermilk. It gives the frosting that slight tang reminiscent of cream cheese and is SO good.
To make coconut buttermilk - in a small bowl, mix together 1 (14 ounce) can light coconut milk (shaken / stirred well) and 2 tablespoons white distilled vinegar. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes before using. The extra can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week (it’s fantastic in pancakes and waffles).
Of course, you can also absolutely use your favorite dairy free cream cheese frosting.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 9 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 351Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 180mgCarbohydrates: 59gFiber: 2gSugar: 25gProtein: 6g
Nutrition data shown is an estimate provided by an online calculator and is for informational purposes only. It should not be considered a substitute for a medical professional’s advice.
Omg, great recipe, thank you!
So happy to hear it!
These came out awesome!! I had given up on making buns after going dairy free, but I can hardly tell the difference with these. My husband says he appreciates the more generous amount of cinnamon ( he thinks most recipes are shy.) … I did substitute all purpose flour and used closer to 4 1/2 cups to get the dough to a kneadable state. And of course I had to knead for about 7 or 8 minutes. If its your first time making cinnamon buns I suggest reading a few recipes to learn about flour/gluten, rises and kneading prior to attempting.Anywho, thanks again for a wonderful recipe
Yay! I’m so happy to hear this Kendra! 🙂
Soft, fluffy and tender…these cinnamon rolls sound and look simply perfect.
Thank you!