These Vegan Orange Cinnamon Rolls are made with a sweet orange dough, a thick layer of cinnamon sugar filling, and topped with the most delicious orange glaze! They truly are the best cinnamon roll to make overnight and eat for breakfast or brunch the next day.
Cinnamon Rolls are probably one of my FAVORITE recipes to make- especially since they're actually pretty easy to make vegan, dairy-free, and eggless. While I do have some more traditional Vegan Cinnamon Rolls on SGTO, I've also made some pretty fun flavors like Carrot Cake Cinnamon Rolls and even Funfetti Cinnamon Rolls!
These orange rolls are a new favorite as they feature the same cinnamon sugar flavor you have grown to love, but with a sweet citrus twist. In fact, they taste just like my childhood favorite Pillsbury Orange Rolls...but even better!
Ingredient Notes:
While the full list of ingredients is in the recipe card, here are a few important key ingredients:
- Yeast: For this recipe I used Red Star Active Dry Yeast. If using Instant Yeast, just skip the step of activating the yeast with warmed milk.
- Oat milk: While I used oat milk, any plant-based milk can work in this orange rolll recipe. Almond, rice, soy, and coconut milk all work really well.
- Oranges: Any orange variety will work in this recipe, but just make sure to use fresh orange juice and orange zest for the best flavor! I used navel oranges, but blood oranges, cara cara oranges, or any variety works in this recipe.
How to make orange cinnamon rolls:
Keep scrolling to see step-by-step photos to help you make these vegan & dairy-free orange sweet rolls!
Make the Orange Sweet Roll Dough
- Step 1: Add the yeast and warmed almond milk to a bowl and mix together.
- Step 2: Mix in the remaining wet ingredients including the vegan butter, sugar, orange juice, orange zest, and vanilla.
- Step 3 & 4: Gradually add the flour and salt and form into a firm dough.
Knead the dough
Take the dough out of the bowl and knead it on a well-floured surface. You can also knead the bread using the bread hook in a standing mixer if you have that option!
You will know the bread is done when it is elastic and can easily be stretched without tearing.
Let dough rest until doubled in size
Take the kneaded dough and add it to a well-oiled bowl. I lightly greased my bowl with olive oil, but any oil works!
Then, cover it with a towel or plastic wrap and let rest in a warm place for 1 hour or until it has doubled in size.
Make the cinnamon sugar filling
Once the dough is ready, make the cinnamon sugar filling by adding room temperature vegan butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and orange zest to a bowl. Then, mash together until a thick cinnamon-sugar mixture forms.
You can also pulse this together in a food processor if you don't want to manually mash it!
Roll out orange dough
Take the finished cinnamon roll dough and roll it into a large 1" thick rectangle. Don't roll the dough too thin or it will be hard to roll up later.
Add cinnamon sugar filling
Then, use a spatula to add on the orange and brown sugar cinnamon filling, making sure to leave a small border along the edges of the dough.
Then, roll the dough into a long log and pinch the dough ends together to seal.
Slice the cinnamon rolls
Use a VERY sharp knife or floss to cut the cinnamon rolls into 10 large pieces.
Let dough rest overnight in fridge
Take the cinnamon rolls and place them into a baking dish. They should be touching, but not smushed together.
Then, cover and add to the fridge to rise overnight or for about 6-8 hours. They will double in size overnight for the second proof.
If you want to eat the orange cinnamon rolls sooner, just cover and let rise at room temperature for an hour before baking vs. overnight in the fridge.
Bake & add orange glaze
Remove the cinnamon rolls from the fridge and preheat the oven. Once it's preheated, bake for 35-40 minutes until the orange cinnamon buns are fully cooked inside and beginning to brown on top.
Then, drizzle on the orange icing and dig in!
FAQ & Tips:
Unfortunately, no. When it comes to yeasted recipes gluten is needed to hold the bread together.
Leftover orange sweet rolls can be stored in a closed container at room temperature for 48 hours, in the fridge for 4-5 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month. I recommend storing between sheets of parchment paper so they do not stick together!
No, this recipe requires yeast to work.
I can't wait for you to make these absolutely delicious Vegan Orange Cinnamon Rolls. With ooey-gooey cinnamon swirls and sweet orange icing on top, they are truly addicting!
-TSG
More Vegan Cinnamon Roll Recipes you will love:
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Vegan Orange Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Orange Dough
- ¾ cup oat milk
- 2 ¼ teaspoon yeast
- ½ cup melted vegan butter
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup orange juice
- ½ tablespoon orange zest about ½ orange zested
- 2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 3 ½- 3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt use ¼ teaspoon more salt if unsalted butter)
Cinnamon Sugar Filling
- ½ cup vegan butter, room temperature
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ tablespoon orange zest about ½ orange zested
Orange Glaze
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon orange juice add more for a thinner glaze
Instructions
Make the Orange Dough:
Begin by adding your warmed oat milk and yeast to a large mixing bowl. Let sit for 3-5 minutes to make sure the yeast is activated. You will be able to tell if it's bubbling. If using instant yeast, you can skip this step and add the yeast directly to the mix with the flour and salt.- Next, add the melted vegan butter, sugar, orange juice, orange zest, and vanilla to the large mixing bowl and whisk together to combine.
- Once mixed, gradually begin adding in your flour about ½-1 cup at a time. Also, add in ½ teaspoon of salt at this time.
- Once all the flour has been added in, knead the dough. If using a standing mixer, switch the attachment to the bread hook and knead for 5-10 minutes until elastic. If you are kneading by hand, knead on a lightly floured surface for 10-15 minutes or until the dough is elastic and significantly less sticky. The dough is done being kneaded once it can be stretched without easily tearing and is smooth and tacky but not sticky.
- Once the dough is ready, add it to a well-oiled bowl for the first rise. I prefer to coat my bowl in olive oil, but any oil works here. The dough will be sticky so you may want to lightly oil your hands before grabbing the dough
- Then, cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a towel, place in a warm place, and let rise 1 hour or until doubled in size. I like to test my dough by "poking" it with a finger. If it doesn't bounce back and stays indented, it is ready. It is also important to not “overproof” the dough as it can turn sour from the yeast turning the sugar into alcohol, so do not let the dough sit too long.
Make the Filling & Add to Dough:
- In a separate bowl, mash together the softened room temperature vegan butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and orange zest until a thick paste forms. This can also be done in a blender, food processor, or by hand with a fork. Set aside.
- Roll the orange dough into a 1" thick rectangle that is around 9*14 inches in width and length. You don't want the dough to be too thin or you will have a hard time rolling it up once the filling is inside!
- After the dough is rolled out, use a spatula to spread the cinnamon sugar filling evenly across the dough. Make sure to leave a ¼ inch border around the edges of the dough without filling.
- Beginning with the longer side of the rectangle, tightly roll up the dough into a log. Lightly flour the dough as you go to help if it gets a bit sticky. Make sure to seal the roll by pinching the edges together. Then, flip the dough over so the pinched seal is facing down.
- Once the dough is rolled into a log, trim the ends and discard. Cut the remaining dough into 10 evenly sized rolls using a very sharp knife or using dental floss.
- Place the rolls into a large ceramic pan (I used a 14.5” oval pan), cover with plastic wrap or a towel, and let rest overnight in the fridge for 6-8 hours. (You can also let the dough rise another 30 minutes- 1 hour while the oven is preheating if you can't wait until the morning).
Baking The Rolls:
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Once the oven is preheated, remove the plastic wrap or towel from the pan of rolls and add the pan to the oven. Bake the rolls for 35-40 minutes or until cooked through. Then, remove the rolls from the oven and let cool slightly. While the rolls are cooling, make the orange glaze.
Make the Orange Glaze:
- Add the powdered sugar and orange juice to a bowl and whisk together until a smooth, but thick, glaze forms.
- Then, pour the glaze over the warm cinnamon rolls and serve!
Notes
- Leftover orange sweet rolls can be stored in a closed container at room temperature for 48 hours, in the fridge for 4-5 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month. I recommend storing between sheets of parchment paper so they do not stick together!
- These rolls CANNOT be made gluten-free or with a GF flour substitute
- Oat milk can be subbed 1:1 with any other plant-based milk
kendall says
I love this recipe so much! I have made it 4 times already and cannot wait to make it more!
Natalie says
This was delicious! I added extra orange zest (a full tablespoon) to both the dough and filling and liked the orange flavor. The extra zest wasn't overpowering. I liked that the dough was easy to handle and knead. My friends loved it as well. Thanks for the recipe and will make again!
AM says
After trying many vegan cinnamon roll recipes this is hands down my favorite. Fluffy and light dough, perfect texture and flavor (though next time I will try adding zest to the glaze as well to make it a bit more orangey).
One question, how high are the sides of your dish? I had some bubbling over of butter/sugar and I think I need a new dedicated cinnamon roll pan! thanks, AM
Alyssa Smith says
So excited to have found this recipe in time for Christmas! I’m BF this year and my babe has CMPA so I needed a recipe without dairy. This recipe took me a bit longer than the suggested time (but I’ve also never made cinnamon rolls before and I’m not a big baker). I subbed a Red Mill GF flour blend - added 1 & 1/2 TB of xanthan gum and 1 TB melted DF butter to the dough. Waiting for them to come out of the oven now, but they looked delish! Thanks for the recipe!
Megan says
Glad they still worked out. Just as an FYI I don't recommend making any of my yeasted dough recipes gluten-free as they actually rely on the gluten development for the right texture and to rise properly.
Wendy says
Love this recipe. I have subbed in other fruit too. Apple, lemon, etc. Amazing!
Megan says
Love to hear that! Will have to try it with lemon and apples next next 🙂
Angi McBride says
This recipe has a fantastic! Dough comes together nicely every time and is so easy to work with . I’ve made them almost every week since finding the recipe. Thank you!
Megan says
So happy you are loving them, they really are the best treat to have all week! 🙂