Vegan Cinnamon Bread
Fluffy and moist vegan cinnamon quick bread that tastes like just cinnamon rolls but are made in a fraction of the time! This bread is easy to make as you don’t need a mixer or any yeast, just like my vegan coffee cake.
Alternatively, for a yeasted cinnamon bread, check out my vegan cinnamon babka.
Ingredients you’ll need
The full list of ingredient quantities and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Notes about the ingredients
Granulated sugar to sweeten the main part of the cinnamon bread. It keeps the cake part a light color so you get a nice contrast between the cake and the cinnamon swirl.
Brown sugar for the cinnamon swirl. It adds a wonderful depth of flavor and color!
Dairy-free milk. Honestly, it doesn’t really matter what milk you use. You can even use water! I personally prefer soy milk, oat milk or almond milk as they make cakes a little richer.
Raising agents and vinegar (not pictured). As this cinnamon bread is eggless, we’re adding a little more baking powder to help the bread rise properly. The vinegar gives the bread a more tender crumb, and replaces some of the functions of eggs.
Vanilla. Normally, vanilla is optional but I highly recommend it for this recipe as it’s one of the main flavors of the cinnamon bread.
Optional: vegan butter or coconut oil if you’d like to make a crunchy streusel topping. We’re combining it with a few ingredients you’ll already have from the loaf.
Tips for making the batter
The cake part of this quick bread comes together in one large bowl! Just mix the dry ingredients, add the wet ingredients then mix again.
My TOP tip for the batter is to not overmix it! Just make sure there are no more streaks of flour, although some lumps are okay. However, if you can see granules of sugar in the mixed batter, fold the batter just once or twice to help them dissolve.
Cinnamon sugar swirl and streusel topping
Cinnamon sugar is easy to make. Just mix 2 ingredients in a bowl and you’re done!
The streusel topping is completely optional but levels up your vegan cinnamon quick bread. I made the streusel a little more crumbly than other streusel mixtures because it makes the baked bread easier to cut.
Tips for assembling the cinnamon bread
There are no rules for assembling this vegan cinnamon bread! You don’t have to be precise and the swirl looks different in every slice and every loaf.
Some people like to have one very thick layer of cinnamon sugar in the middle. Others prefer to ‘swirl’ the cinnamon sugar through.
I love cinnamon rolls so I made this bread with two thick swirls of cinnamon sugar. To do this, I recommend:
- Pour around 1/3 of the batter in the loaf pan.
- Sprinkle around 1/2 of the cinnamon sugar on top.
- Repeat 1 and 2 until you’ve used up the cake batter and cinnamon sugar. Your top layer should be cake batter.
- Sprinkle all of the streusel topping on the loaf.
Don’t worry about getting precise amounts of cake batter and cinnamon sugar. Once I used just a few tablespoons of batter for one layer and the bread baked beautifully with obvious layers!
You also don’t need to use a knife/skewer to swirl the batter and cinnamon sugar together. The gravity of the cake batter automatically gives the cinnamon sugar a swirly pattern.
Other topping suggestions
The vegan cinnamon bread is amazing by itself or with the streusel topping. However, you can also top the bread with:
- 2 tablespoons of the cinnamon sugar mixture. Don’t use too much otherwise, it will burn.
- Pecan crumb topping, from my apple crumb cake recipe. Use just half a batch.
- Oat crumb topping, from my carrot muffin recipe. Use just half a batch.
- Powdered sugar
- Buttercream or cream cheese frosting
Substitutions and extra tips
Coconut and/or brown sugar will work. However, it will make your bread light brown in color so the cinnamon swirl won’t be as noticeable.
Unfortunately, maple syrup is too heavy for this recipe. If you’d like a refined sugar-free cinnamon bread, try using granulated stevia or erythritol.
Readers have made this recipe using Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten-free flour and said it works well! However, I haven’t tested it myself.
Yes, you can add some raisins, pecans or walnuts to the cinnamon swirl layer!
If you’d like a cozy fruit-based quick bread, I recommend checking out my:
– vegan apple bread
– vegan pumpkin bread
– vegan banana blueberry bread
Try combining the cinnamon swirl layer in this recipe with your quick bread recipe of choice.
More vegan cinnamon recipes
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Ingredients
Vegan Cinnamon Bread
- 2 ½ cups (315g) all-purpose plain flour
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- Pinch of salt, optional
- 1 ¼ cup (315g) dairy-free milk
- ½ cup (125g) neutral flavored oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, optional (note 1)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
Cinnamon Swirl
- ⅓ cup (65g) packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Optional: Streusel topping (see note 2 for alternatives)
- 3 tablespoons (25g) all-purpose plain flour
- 2 tablespoons (20g) packed brown sugar, or sugar of choice
- 1 tablespoon (15g) vegan butter, margarine or coconut oil, melted and cooled
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
To make the bread:
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (355°F). Line an 8-inch (20 cm) loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Add all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder and salt) to a large mixing bowl. Whisk until there are no lumps. Add all the wet ingredients (milk, oil, optional vinegar and vanilla) and whisk until smooth. Set aside.
To make the cinnamon swirl mixture:
- Add the sugar and cinnamon to a small bowl. Mix until combined.
Optional: To make the streusel topping:
- Add all ingredients to a small bowl and mix until it resembles a fine crumbly mixture.
Assembling the bread:
- Pour about 1/3 of the cake batter into your loaf pan. Generously sprinkle 1/2 of the cinnamon mixture on top. It will look like a lot of cinnamon which is right!
- Pour another 1/3 of the cake batter on top. Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar on top. Cover with the remaining cake batter.
- Sprinkle the streusel topping on top.
Baking and storing the cinnamon bread:
- Bake the cinnamon bread for 1 hour. If the top is browning too quickly, tent the loaf pan with aluminum foil. The bread is ready when you can insert a toothpick in the middle and there's no wet batter on it. Some crumbs on the toothpick are fine, as this is a moist bread.
- Allow the cinnamon bread to cool in the loaf tin for 10 minutes then cool on a wire rack. Slice and serve as is, with some vegan butter or toasted.
- Store the bread in an airtight container at room temperature for one day, in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Notes
- Alternatively, you can use 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Sometimes, acid is added to cakes as it creates a more tender crumb. In vegan cakes, it helps replaces some of the functions of eggs!
- Alternatively, you can top the cinnamon bread with 2 tablespoons of the cinnamon sugar mixture or plain. See the post above for more recommendations.
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Whilst baking this bread/cake the batter erupted and spilled over the silicone tin like lava from a volcano. I managed to salvage and mixed some of the already baked streusel into the half baked loaf. Eventually I had to cover it with aluminium foil as suggested and bake it for much longer.
The end result was a rocky looking cinnamon loaf with crunchy bits, nevertheless my household loved it and gave it 10/10. I baked at 160°C since I have a fan oven. Maybe my baking powder was super potent, or then again I should have strictly levelled the spoon! Thank you. 🙂
Aw, it sounds like you troubleshooted your volcanic cake well! I wonder why it erupted, but maybe it was your baking powder as you said. But I actually love the sound of a rocky looking cinnamon loaf and can imagine the topping would have been extra delicious! I’m glad that you and your household enjoyed it and thank you so much for letting me know!
I have made this recipe numerous times using AP flour with rave reviews from everyone who tried it. I recently tried it using Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten free baking flour. The results were just as good as when I used AP flour.
Hi Dee-Dee, aw that’s amazing! I’ve never knew it worked with Bob’s Red Mill gf flour so it’s great to know that it’s on par with the AP flour version. I know other readers will really appreciate knowing this too! Thanks soo much!
Love the recipe and I’ve subbed Apple sauce for the oil in a 1:1 exchange and it came out great. Definitely a keeper as I need to practice getting my layers better.
Hey! Aw that’s amazing, and good to hear it works well with apple sauce. Thanks so much for letting me know!
Hi, I am wondering is there anyway I can I use whole wheat flour instead of white? Thanks!!!! I will try!!!
Hi Brinley, yes you can! I would just add an extra dash of milk as whole wheat flour is more absorbent than white. Hope that helps!
Hello Ms Anthea! This is a delicious bread and easy to make (I just tried it for the first time today). I followed your recipe, except I reduced the sugar to 1/2 cup and it was sweet enough! Otherwise, I followed the layering process, batter and cinnamon sugar, but the swirl never happened. Just 2 noticeable layers of batter and cinnamon sugar. Still, it is very yummy! I think I’ll take a knife and swirl it next time.
Hi Kay! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe and that you were able to customize it to your tastes! With the swirl, this can happen if you pour the batter in one spot as the batter will compress the layers. This can be prevented if you pour (or scoop) the batter in different spots over the cinnamon. But glad that you enjoyed it nevertheless!
I just wish to say, about that recipe and about all your recipes I have tried, everything is just so good! I have not been let down even once, and the desserts are absolutely delicious. This one I have made maybe ten times now and I totally wouldn’t find it hard to have the whole thing all to myself like some kind of secret cake treasure, although it would be a shame not to share it. Thank you so much for all the consistently great food!
Hi Petya!! Thank you sooo much for your ongoing support. I’m over the moon that you’ve made a few of my recipes and have enjoyed them! And I’m thrilled that you’ve made this recipe on repeat. It truly is an addictive cake, and we love it in our home too! Thanks again 🙂
This recipe was such a massive success with my family that I had to make it three times in a row 🙂 I love the simplicity of the ingredients and the precise instructions. The second time I made it, I’ve increased the amount of the filling slightly and it worked perfectly. Also, I’m hopeless when it comes to dividing the batter into equal parts so I had barely any batter left for the top. Turned out great – I had some filling peaking out and instead of a swirl I got this lovely wavy pattern. All in all, one of my all-time favorites!
Hi Maja, I’m so glad that you’ve baked this recipe a few times, and that you and your family enjoyed it! Increasing the filling would definitely be delicious. And I absolutely know what you mean about dividing the batter, but glad that it worked out well at the end. Thank you soo much for your feedback 🙂
Nice…
an absolute favourite wherever I took it!
also needed to comment AGAIN because:
GLUTENFREE version I tried & tested:
– oat flour instead of normal (blended oats)
– let the dough sit a few minutes so it thickens
– made muffins instead of a loaf (make sure to grease your tins!), left them in for 45 minutes instead of 60
Oh that’s amazing!! Thanks for the info about how you made it gluten-free and that’s great that everyone enjoyed it too!
this is so simple yet so good! moist & fluffy, can’t believe there’s no eggs! bravo!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this cake! It’s one of our favs!
Can applesauce be uses for oil in coffee cake?
It may work but I’m not 100% sure as I haven’t tested it myself.
I love this recipe so much! Accessible ingredients, easy recipe, and most importantly, delicious! Thanks for another great recipe.
Aw thank you so much Alison!
Can this be made gluten free
As mentioned above, it may work with a 1:1 gluten-free flour but I haven’t tested it myself so I can’t vouch for results.
This recipe is simple and looks great, couple of questions-
1) can I substitute all purpose flour with wholemeal flour and almond flour ?
2) can I substitute oil with cashew butter ?
Thanks for sharing
Thanks
Jaksha
Hi Jaksha. All-purpose flour can almost always be replaced with wholemeal flour but it will make the bread denser. It may also work replacing up to half of the amount of flour with almond flour but I haven’t tested it so can’t vouch for results. With replacing the oil, it may also work but I haven’t tried!