Vegan Cinnamon Bread

This Vegan Cinnamon Bread is easy to make, SO moist, eggless, & dairy-free too! No yeast is needed to make this dairy-free cinnamon swirl quick bread that tastes just like a vegan cinnamon roll.

I know many of you are excited that I am FINALLY sharing this recipe after a few sneak peeks on my Instagram. Every time I share a loaf bread recipe (like my Tahini Banana Bread or Vegan Date Cake), it's always a hit!

Well, you can add this eggless cinnamon bread to the must-make list because it may be the best one yet!

Ingredients:

Before we jump into some tips & tricks to make this vegan cinnamon cake, here are the ingredients you need to make this cinnamon loaf cake:

Ingredient notes:

• Apple Cider Vinegar: apple cider vinegar helps create vegan buttermilk & interacts with the baking soda. It can be replaced 1:1 with lemon juice if needed.
• Olive Oil: if trying to make this cinnamon bread oil-free, just sub for more applesauce, but expect a more dense cake.

How to make vegan cinnamon bread

Here's how you make this no-yeast cinnamon bread in just a few easy steps!

Mix all the ingredients in one bowl

First, add the wet ingredients like oat milk, apple cider vinegar, applesauce, sugar, brown sugar, oil, and vanilla to a bowl and whisk together.

Then, add the dry ingredients. Always make sure to add the flour first, then pour the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon on top. This helps to make sure the leavening agents get mixed evenly within the batter and don't clump up.

Do NOT overmix the batter. This means mixing the batter JUST until all streaks of flour are gone. It's actually okay if there are some lumps in the batter.

Over-mixing batter can lead to a super dry & gummy bread which we want to avoid. Basically, you should end up with a slightly thick batter with some lumps in it as pictured below.

Make the cinnamon sugar filling

This part is pretty easy, but in a smaller bowl add in the remaining sugar & cinnamon and whisk together. Then, set aside.

Layer the batter & cinnamon sugar filling

Next, you are going to grease a loaf pan (I used this 1 pound USA Loaf Pan) and add in about ⅓ of the cinnamon swirl loaf batter. Then top with about ⅓ of the cinnamon sugar topping and use a knife to gently swirl the batter and sugar together.

Repeat this two more times, ending with a thin layer of cinnamon sugar on top. This will provide a nice crunchy topping to this vegan cinnamon bread that is honestly SO good. Do one final swirl with the knife and then add to the oven to bake!

Bake & top with vanilla icing

This eggless cinnamon cake takes a decent time to bake because we want to make sure the inside is cooked through completely.

After baking, run a butter knife along the outside of the pan to loosen any stuck pieces. Let the bread cool for about 10 minutes in the pan, then remove the cinnamon loaf and place it on a drying rack to cool completely.

It's super important to use a drying rack to cool quick bread so that the bottom doesn't get too moist and soggy.

Once the bread is completely cool, top it with the optional vanilla icing and serve!

FAQ & Tips:

How do you make vegan quick bread moist?

There are two main ingredients that make this vegan cinnamon roll bread super moist even with a long baking time.

The first is applesauce which provides tons of moisture and also acts a bit like an egg replacement to bind the ingredients together. The second item is actually the sugar itself!

Sugar provides a lot of moisture to the recipe, which is why I never recommend reducing the quantity of sugar in a recipe.

Can I make vegan cinnamon bread gluten-free?

Yes! If you can find a 1:1 baking flour such as Bob's Red Mill, that will work subbed 1:1 in volume for the all-purpose flour in this recipe.

Please keep in mind other flour substitutes like almond flour or coconut flour will NOT work with this recipe as it is not an easy substitution.

Can I make cinnamon bread refined sugar-free or oil-free?

You can definitely try making it refined sugar-free, but I do want to note that sugars like coconut sugar or maple sugar are drier than cane sugar or brown sugar. Therefore, you are going to have less moist bread if using a different sugar.

To make the bread oil-free, just swap the 3 Tbsp of olive oil for 3 Tbsp of additional applesauce.

The reason I like a mix is that olive oil tends to make bread recipes more tender, less dense, and leads to a better crumb. However, if you just use applesauce the bread will still taste great, it will just be denser.

How do I store cinnamon loaf cake?

Cinnamon bread can be stored at room temperature for 1-2 days wrapped in tin foil or plastic wrap. However, it is actually best stored pre-sliced in the freezer.

To store in the freezer, slice the bread and then store it between layers of parchment paper in a closed container. Also, I do not recommend refrigerating leftover bread as it tends to dry it out.

More sweet vegan bread recipes you will love:

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Vegan Cinnamon Bread

A super soft & moist cinnamon bread filled with swirls of cinnamon sugar and topped with a vanilla bean icing!

4.84 from 24 votes

Print Pin

Course: Vegan Desserts

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour

Servings: 8 slices

Author: Megan Horowitch

Ingredients 

US Customary - Metric

Cinnamon Bread

• ▢ 1 cup oat milk
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• ▢ ⅓ cup applesauce
• ▢ ¼ cup brown sugar
• ▢ ¼ cup white cane sugar
• ▢ 3 Tablespoons olive oil or any other liquid oil subbed 1:1
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
• ▢ 2 cups all purpose flour
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Cinnamon Sugar filling

• ▢ ⅓ cup sugar
• ▢ 2 teaspoons cinnamon

Vanilla icing

• ▢ ½ cup sifted powdered sugar
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon oat milk
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350F and lightly grease a loaf pan or line with parchment paper and set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the oat milk, apple cider vinegar, applesauce, brown sugar, white sugar, olive oil, and vanilla bean paste.
• Next, add the dry ingredients to the bowl making sure to add the flour first followed by the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Gently whisk the ingredients into the flour and then mix with the wet ingredients JUST until a thick batter forms and no large streaks of flour remain. It's important not to over-mix the batter or it will come out dense/dry. Keep in mind, some lumps in the batter are totally okay!
• In a separate bowl, mix together the the cinnamon sugar filling ingredients (the sugar and cinnamon) and set aside.
• Add ⅓ of the cinnamon cake batter to the greased loaf pan and use a spatula to spread evenly. Top with ⅓ of the cinnamon sugar filling and then use a butter knife to gently make a large swirl in the batter. Follow with another ⅓ of the batter and another ⅓ of the cinnamon sugar filling and repeat. Make sure not to over-swirl with the knife or you won't have thick layers throughout the bread. Finish with the remaining ⅓ of batter topped with the remaining ⅓ of the cinnamon sugar filling on top and swirl one last time with the knife.
• Add the loaf bread to the oven and bake for 50-55 minutes until cooked through. Remove from the oven, run a butter knife along the edges to loosen any stuck pieces, and let cool for 10 minutes in the loaf pan. Then, remove the bread from the pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.
• While the bread is cooling make the vanilla icing. Add the sifted powdered sugar, oat milk, and vanilla to a bowl and mix together until a thick glaze forms. Pour the icing over the cake, slice, and serve!

Notes

• If you prefer a larger cinnamon swirl add ½ of the batter to the pan, followed by ⅔ of the cinnamon sugar filling, the remaining ½ of the batter, and top with the last ⅓ of cinnamon sugar topping. Do not put more than ⅓ of the cinnamon sugar filling on top.
• Apple cider vinegar can be substituted 1:1 for lemon juice. 
• For an oil-free cinnamon bread sub the oil for more applesauce. The bread will be denser but still taste great.
• Cinnamon bread can be stored at room temperature for 1-2 days wrapped in tin foil or plastic wrap.
• To store in the freezer, slice the bread and then store between layers of parchment paper in a closed container. I do not recommend refrigerating leftover bread as it tends to dry it out.
• This recipe was lightly adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 301kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 312mg | Potassium: 71mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 33g | Vitamin A: 70IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 107mg | Iron: 2mg

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