Delicious Dairy-Free Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

Since going dairy-free, finding a delicious dairy-free or vegan cinnamon roll has been a challenge. I set out to find the recipe that captures the rich, gooey perfection of a bakery-fresh cinnamon roll—without any dairy. These cinnamon rolls are absolutely irresistible! Soft, sweet, and perfectly spiced, they rival any from a bakery, and you’d never know they’re dairy-free.

Ingredients:

Dough:

4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 packets Fleischmann’s RapidRise Yeast
1 1/2 cups of water
1 tsp salt
6 tbsp dairy free butter (I recommend using Earth Balance or Trader Joe’s dairy-free butter)
1 large egg

Filling:

1/4 cup unsalted room temperature dairy-free butter (I like to use Earth Balance or Trader Joe’s dairy-free butter)
1/2 brown sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon (you can also use pumpkin pie spice)

Dairy Free Cream Cheese Icing:

4 oz plain dairy-free cream cheese (I like to use Trader Joe’s, Tofutti, or Kite Hill)
1/4 cup unsalted room temperate dairy-free butter (I like to use Earth Balance or Trader Joe’s dairy-free butter)
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

Cinnamon Roll Dough

Whisk together 2 cups of flour, sugar, yeast, and salt.
Combine water and butter in a bowl. Heat in microwave for 30 seconds, until warm to touch. Not all of the butter needs to be completely melted, just soft.
Pour into dry ingredients with the egg and mix with wooden spoon.
Add 2 additional cups of flour and mix.
Add 1/2 cup of flour and mix again. Use your hands to mix the dough.
Add 1/4 cup of flour and knead by hand. The dough should be soft and tacky.
With clean fingers, press into the dough. If your finger is sticking, add another 1/4 cup of flour and knead in. Then shape your dough into a ball and let it sit UNCOVERED for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, the dough should have risen but not double in size.
Place dough on lightly floured surface and pat it into a rectangle shape. Roll it into a 10×15 inch rectangle using a rolling pin.
Spread the room temperate butter into a thin layer, leaving about 1/2 inch border around edges of dough.
Sprinkle with brown sugar and spread it evenly. Then, top with cinnamon.
From the 15 inch side of the dough, roll your dough into a log.

PRO TIP: Use a sharp knife, and carefully saw back and forth. Do not cut straight down into the rolls. It will squish the dough.

Cut entire log in half, then cut the two halves in half to create 4 logs. The cut each log into 3 cinnamon rolls resulting in 12 cinnamon rolls.
Place the rolls in 2 greased (I use coconut oil to grease pans) 9″ round pans, placing 6 rolls in each. It’s okay of they touch in the pan.
Cover the pans with a towel and let rise for 1 hour. They should double in size.
Preheat oven to 350
Bake for 20-30 minutes or until tops are golden brown. While they are cooling, start making the icing. (I start at 20min and increase time depending on how they look)

Cream Cheese Icing:

Place the cream cheese and butter in a bowl and use a fork to combine them together. They should both be softened to room temperate.
Add powdered sugar and vanilla and whisk until smooth. (Add additional powdered sugar to achieve your ideal sweetness level)
Spread on top of warm cinnamon rolls.