The most pillowy and buttery vegan pumpkin cinnamon rolls you'll ever eat! Loaded with pumpkin spice, pecans and topped with a cream cheese frosting.
These soft cinnamon rolls are perfect for Autumn/Fall. They will melt in your mouth, warm you up from head to toe and are perfect with a cup of coffee/tea!
Ingredients to make these vegan pumpkin cinnamon rolls
The ingredient list for these rolls is MUCH shorter than any store-bought ones. If you're in the USA, the ingredients are much better than those at Trader Joes! You will need:
- Plain / All-purpose flour
- Any plant-based milk
- Vegan butter / margarine spread
- Pumpkin spice (or a combination of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves)
- Pumpkin puree (store-bought or home-made)
- Cane or brown or coconut sugar
- Instant active dried yeast
If you're in Australia or country that doesn't have readily accessible pumpkin puree, you can make your own! I simply:
- Chopped some pumpkin
- Steamed the pumpkin til it was very soft
- Pureed the pumpkin.
I used high quality butternut pumpkin from my local Harris Farm Markets.
Making the dough
Since I used instant active dried yeast, I don't need to proof anything beforehand. Just throw everything into a bowl or stand mixer, mix and knead until it forms a soft cohesive ball.
The dough is PACKED with pumpkin puree so it's a little softer than regular vegan cinnamon rolls. If your dough is still sticking to the side of your bowl, simply add a little more flour and knead again.
Let the dough rise in a WARM spot in your home until it doubles in size. Alternatively, if you want to make the pumpkin rolls the day before, you can let your dough rise in the fridge overnight. Since this dough is quite soft, chilling the dough will make it easier to roll in the next step :).
Assembling the pumpkin rolls
On a floured surface, roll out the dough into a large rectangle. It doesn't have to be a perfect rectangle :). I'd recommend rolling the dough to about 1 cm or ½ inch thick. The thinner your dough, the more your cinnamon rolls will have.
Spread your pumpkin spice buttercream on top then scatter the chopped pecans on top. Pecans are of course optional so feel free to omit if you're allergic or just don't have any at home!
Starting from the long side, roll your dough into a log, as tight as possible. Use a sharp knife or unflavoured dental flavours to cut scrolls out of your log.
Second rise for the pumpkin rolls
After you arrange your rolls in a baking tray, allow it to rest for 1-2 hours or until they are puffy again. This may take longer or shorter depending on how WARM your home is! If your dough didn't do its first rise in the fridge, you can rest the shaped rolls in the fridge overnight.
Then bake your rolls.... and your home will smell wonderful :).
Serving the vegan cinnamon rolls
These rolls are so fluffy and pillowy that you can enjoy them by themselves, for breakfast or dessert. However, they are delicious with a vegan cream cheese frosting. The only downside is you have to wait until they are completely cool til you can frost them!
For a step-by-step guide on making cinnamon rolls, see my gingerbread rolls video:
See my other vegan Autumn/Fall dessert recipes:
- Apple Crumble Tea/Coffee Cake
- Easy Apple Loaf
- Apple Crumble Pie
- Vegan Pumpkin Tea/Coffee Cake
- Baked Pumpkin Cheesecake
Vegan Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Scrolls
- 3 ¼ cups (406g) plain or all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 ½ cups (150g) pumpkin puree
- ⅓ cup (85mL) plant-based milk, such as almond, soy or coconut, warm
- ½ cup (115g) vegan butter, or coconut oil
- 3 tbsp (40g) cane sugar, or coconut sugar
- 1 tbsp (9g) instant dried yeast*
- 1 tbsp (8g) pumpkin spice, or ½ tbsp cinnamon, ¼ tbsp nutmeg and ¼ tbsp ginger powder
- Pinch of any good-quality salt, skip if using salted vegan butter
Scroll filling
- ½ cup (95-100g) dark brown sugar, or coconut sugar
- ¼ cup (55g) vegan butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons (16g) pumpkin spice, or 1 tbsp cinnamon, ½ tbsp nutmeg and ½ tbsp ginger powder
- ½ cup pecans, finely chopped (optional)
Frosting (optional)
- ½ cup (120g) vegan cream cheese
- ½ cup (115g) vegan butter
- 1 cup (100g) icing sugar, or to taste
Instructions
Dough:
- Add all the ingredients in a stand mixer or large bowl. Mix then knead for 5-10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- Place the dough in a bowl and cover with a damp tea towel. Leave it in a warm place for at least 1 hour or until the dough doubles in size. The dough can be rested in the fridge overnight!
Filling:
- Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl until a paste forms and there are no lumps. Set aside.
To assemble:
- Lightly dust a clean surface with flour. Use a rolling pin to flatten the dough into a large rectangle so the dough is about 5mm-1cm thick.
- Spread the filling on the surface 2 cm (1 inch) away from the edge. Sprinkle the pecans on top.
- Starting from the long side, roll the dough into a log. Use a sharp knife or unflavoured dental floss to cut rolls out of the log. Arrange on a baking tray. Place a damp tea towel over the rolls and set aside to rest.
Frosting:
- Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. Add more sugar for a firmer frosting. Chill in the fridge until needed.
Baking the gingerbread rolls:
- When your rolls have increased by at least 50%, preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Bake the rolls in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until they are slightly golden brown. If you insert a skewer in one of the middle rolls, there should be no raw dough on it.
- When the rolls have cooled completely, spread the glaze on top.
- The rolls are best eaten the day they are baked. Alternatively, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day or in the fridge for 1-2 days.
Notes
Please leave a comment below if you made this recipe, have any questions or thoughts! Your comment will help other readers and Rainbow Nourishments.
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