611 Shares

5 from 9 votes

These vegan gingerbread cinnamon rolls are a fun twist on classic cinnamon rolls! They're incredibly soft and fluffy and perfect for Christmas!

Vegan gingerbread cinnamon rolls in baking tray with gingerbread cut out cookies and hot chocolate surrounding it.

Why you'll love this recipe

These are basically like cinnamon rolls but with a gingerbread cinnamon filling and optional gingerbread cookies on top! They are soooo comforting and remind you of Christmas at every bite!

I've served these at non-vegan family Christmas events and the whole baking tray is often devoured within minutes!

Like any cinnamon roll or yeasted bread recipe, it takes some time to prepare this recipe but the results are well worth it!

Ingredients you'll need

This recipe combines a basic vegan brioche recipe with a generous gingerbread spice filling. You'll need:

Flatlay of ingredients for the gingerbread cinnamon roll dough.

Notes about the ingredients

Compared to my other cinnamon roll recipes, I used melted butter instead of room temperature butter. This helps kickstart the rising process, especially for those who have Christmas in Winter!

Making the dough for the gingerbread rolls

Simply add all the ingredients to your stand mixer and knead it for around 5 minutes until your dough is smooth and elastic. If you don't have a mixer, you can mix all the ingredients in a large bowl then transfer it to a floured surface and knead until smooth.

The dough should be soft, stretchy and slightly tacky. If there are any large cracks in it, add more milk and knead until it's soft. If the dough sticks to the side of the bowl, add more flour and knead again.

Once you've kneaded your dough, place it in a bowl and cover it with a damp tea towel. Then place it in a WARM spot. It should double in size in an hour or so.

2 images in a collage showing first rise of the dough for the vegan gingerbread cinnamon rolls.

Filling for the vegan gingerbread cinnamon rolls

While the dough is resting, you can make your filling for the gingerbread rolls! It's a simple mixture of:

melted vegan butter
brown or coconut sugar
gingerbread spices (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg)

Simply mix all ingredients in a bowl until a smooth paste forms. It may not look like much filling but a little goes a far way.

As much as I love cinnamon, we don't want TOO much of a filling otherwise it oozes out of the gingerbread rolls when we bake them.

Close up of gingerbread buttercream filling for the vegan cinnamon gingerbread rolls.

Assembling the gingerbread cinnamon rolls

Dust a clean surface with flour such as a chopping board or kitchen bench. Then use a rolling pin or jar to roll your dough into a rough rectangular shape.

The thinner your dough, the more 'swirls' your cinnamon rolls will have! I rolled my dough so it was about 5mm thick.

Use a spatula to spread the gingerbread 'buttercream' filling on the surface, about 2 cm (1 inch) away from the edge. Once you've done this, carefully roll up your dough into a log shape!

4 image collage showing how to assemble the vegan cinnamon gingerbread scrolls. Includes rolling the dough, spreading the buttercream on the surface, rolling the dough into a log and cutting scrolls out of the log.

Tips for cutting the gingerbread rolls

Before cutting your rolls, I'd recommend scoring your 'log' into quarters. This ensures your rolls are roughly even!

I used a sharp knife to cut rolls out of my dough log. However, unflavoured dental floss also works well!

Second rise of the gingerbread rolls

Place the rolls in a greased baking tin the cover with a tea towel. In an hour or so, they will increase in size!

Two image collage showing second rise of vegan gingerbread scrolls in greased baking tray.

Making the gingerbread rolls in advance

These rolls can definitely be prepared beforehand. If you want to enjoy them on Christmas day, you can start making them the day before! You can either:

Chill the dough in the fridge during the first rise (before they are shaped). The dough will double in the fridge and you can shape them the next day. The advantage of this method is that chilled dough is easier to work with than warm dough!
Chill the rolls after they are shaped while they're in your baking tin. 2 hours before you need the rolls, allow them to come to room temperature then bake away!

Side angle of vegan gingerbread scrolls in baking tray surrounded by vegan gingerbread cookies and hot chocolate.

Troubleshooting vegan cinnamon rolls

I've tested this recipe many times to ensure the recipe is as fool-proof as possible. However, like any dessert recipe, variations with brand of ingredients and even the climate you're baking in affects the process a lot.

TEMPERATURE: If your dough don't rise, reposition it into a warmer spot in your house. We're working with an enriched dough where the butter sometimes inhibits the rising process. However, if the dough is in a warm spot, the butter is softer and the dough is more likely to rise.

DOUGH IS TOO SOFT: If your dough is too soft (maybe because it's a hot day), it will be more difficult to shape into neat rolls. If you've already kneaded it (and can't add any more flour to it), simply CHILL the dough. This makes it soooo much easier to work with.

DOUGH IS TOO TOUGH: If your dough is too tough at the kneading stage, simply add more liquid then knead it again. It's difficult to add moisture to the rolls once you've passed this stage.

Close up of vegan gingerbread cinnamon rolls in baking tray with gingerbread cut out cookies and hot chocolate surrounding it.

More Vegan Christmas recipes:

Follow Rainbow Nourishments on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, and subscribe via email to receive all of our latest recipes!

This post was originally published in November 2019 but updated in November 2020.

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.