Vegan Carrot Cake Sticky Buns

The best ooey gooey Vegan Carrot Cake Sticky Buns are here. These dairy-free & egg-free sticky buns use yeast for the fluffiest vegan sticky buns topped with pecans and filled with a special ingredient- fresh carrots!

*Recipe originally shared April 24th, 2018 and updated March 19th, 2020*

I have an obsession with making vegan cinnamon rolls from scratch. Just check out my Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls for my tried & true cinnamon roll recipe. Overtime, this love has spread into making more unusual flavor like my Matcha Black Sesame Cinnamon Rolls  and Cranberry Orange Rolls.

This leads us to todays recipe which is essentially a homemade vegan carrot cinnamon roll recipe topped with a drool-worthy pecan sticky sauce. YUM!

I know pecan sticky buns can seem intimidating, but I’m here to give you all my fail-proof tips and tricks so you can make homemade sticky buns that are fluffy, gooey, & delicious!

How to make vegan sticky buns

First, make the carrot cake dough

The first step to making any vegan sticky bun recipe is to make the dough. Since sticky bun dough uses yeast to rise, there is actually no need for eggs or an egg replacement in this recipe!

Ingredients in the dough:

• Warmed plant-based milk (I use almond milk)
• 1 packet dried yeast ( I use Red Star Yeast)
• Sugar
• Vegan butter (can be subbed 1:1 with oil, though butter is strongly preferred)
• Freshly grated carrots
• Vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
• Flour (all-purpose or whole wheat works)
• Salt

Instructions:

As a first step, add the yeast, sugar, and warm milk to a mixing bowl. Warmed milk is important because it helps to activate the yeast as does the sugar.

Once you’re sure the yeast is active, add in the melted butter, grated carrot, and vanilla and whisk together. Carrot added an additional challenge to bake with as the fresh carrots added in a lot of moisture, but this really just requires a bit more flour.

Next, gradually add in the flour and mix until a dough forms.

At this point, add the bread hook to a standing mixer and knead the dough for 5+ minutes. I always use my KitchenAid Mixer for making bread dough.

If you don’t have a standing mixer with a bread hook, take the dough out of the bowl and knead it by hand on a well-floured surface for 5-10 minutes. The dough is ready what it is elastic and tacky but no longer sticky (see below).

The first rise 

After that, it’s time for the first rise. Place the dough into a well-oiled bowl, cover tightly, and place in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size. This usually takes about 1 hour, but time will vary based on the temperature.

How do you know the dough is ready?

 You will know the first rise is complete when the dough has doubled in size. Also, if pressing into the dough leaves an indent without the dough springing back, the dough has proofed enough. YAY!

Making the sticky bun syrup

While the dough is rising make the syrup by adding the butter and sugar to a pan and mixing on low heat until combined. It can also be melted in a microwave safe bowl. Either way, whisk together until all the sugar has dissolved.

Then, pour the sticky sauce into a 9*13 inch pan, add in pecans, and set aside for later.

Roll out the carrot cake dough

Once that dough is proofed, turn it out onto a well-floured surface.

Roll it into a 1/4-1/2 inch thick rectangle (as you can see below, it doesn’t have to be perfect!). Make sure to flour your rolling pin as well so the dough doesn’t stick. I always use my marble pastry board for any sticky bun or cinnamon roll recipe on SGTO as it keeps the dough cold.

Add the filling, roll, & slice

It’s time for the best part- adding in that cinnamon roll filling! 

Ingredients for filling:

• Brown sugar
• Room temperature butter (NOT melted)
• Cinnamon
• Freshly grated carrot

My best tip? Don’t use melted butter here or the filling will fall out. Room temperature butter that is whipped/mashed together with the rest of the ingredients is best! It’s a little harder to spread onto the dough, but leads to a perfect end product.

Once all the filling is on, roll the dough into a long log, pinch the seems together to seal the dough, and slice it into 10-12 evenly sized carrot cinnamon rolls.

The second rise

Yes, vegan sticky buns DO need a second rise. It helps the dough develop more flavor and allows the dough to develop better flavor.

This can either be done by letting the buns rise in a warm place for 30 minutes-1 hour or covering the tray of buns and letting them rise in the fridge overnight.

The pictures below show you the buns before their second rise and after being baked!

Bake the sticky buns!

Finally- it’s time to bake the sticky buns!  Bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes until cooked through and browned on top, but still soft. The cooking time will vary based on the size of your sticky buns, so check at the 30 minute mark.

Invert onto a large baking pan

The very last step of making vegan carrot cake sticky buns is to invert the pan onto a large baking sheet so the buns come out with the sticky syrup & pecans on top. Do this very carefully and make sure to invert while the buns are still warm or else the syrup will not slide off easily.

FAQ & Substitutions

Can I make these as carrot cake cinnamon rolls (aka no sticky syrup)?

For SURE! If you’re not into the idea of sticky syrup, just omit that from the recipe. If you are baking these are cinnamon rolls without the syrup, I really recommend baking these in a smaller pan (10.5-inch cast iron skillet is my recommended pan). Since there’s no sticky syrup, you don’t need as much space in the pan.

Can I make these without carrots?

Yes, however, you’ll need to adjust the ingredients slightly. If you omit carrots from this recipe, I recommend increasing the butter in the bun bread dough from 1/4-1/2 cup and increasing the butter in the filling from 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup.

What about nut-free?

Yes! just omit the pecans altogether and use a nut-free plant-based milk in the recipe like oat milk. Also, make sure to check that the vegan butter you are using is nut-free too.

And…gluten-free?

I’m not sure! I haven’t tried making this recipe gluten-free, but if you do, I recommend trying a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour like Bob’s Red Mill. This recipe will not work with a 1:1 substitution of flour for almond flour or coconut flour as they do not work the same. Better yet, this Gluten Free Cinnamon Roll recipe may be a better recipe for you!

Okay- one more- what about refined sugar-free?

Yep! Just sub the sugar for coconut sugar 1:1. I don’t recommend maple syrup or honey as the texture changes the entire recipe.

I really hope you enjoy these decadent gooey, and fluffy Vegan Carrot Cake Sticky Buns! In honor of  Sir Mix A Lot I even made you all some song lyrics to sing while baking these. “My Brunch Table Don’t Want None Unless You Got Buns Hun!”. Judge me for my lame sense of humor if you must, but don’t let it stop you from making these vegan sticky buns!

-TSG

Looking for more indulgent vegan brunch & breakfast recipes? Check out these SGTO favorites!

Vegan Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Baked Apple Cider Donuts

Vegan Blueberry Scones