If the idea of baking with yeast or sourdough scares you, then these easy Vegan Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls are here to change your mind!
How do I bake with Platinum Instant Sourdough Yeast?
To put it simply, Platinum Instant Sourdough Yeast is the flavor of an authentic sourdough culture – with the convenience of yeast!
Though the packet is bigger (18g), it contains the same amount of active yeast as a 7g packet of normal yeast.
The deactivated sourdough rye culture is what makes up the rest of the packet. It's simply a 1:1 substitution for a normal packet of yeast in any recipe and each packet can rise up to 4 cups of flour. It's not meant to replace a normal sourdough starter though, so only use it in recipes where yeast is required!
Steps to make vegan cinnamon rolls
These unbelievable melt-in-your-mouth vegan & eggless cinnamon rolls may seem intimidating, but are truly worth the effort!
Step 1: Make & Knead the Dough
A standing mixer with a bread hook is my preferred way to knead bread, however, you can knead any dough by hand. If kneading by hand, mix the dough in a bowl to form a thick dough, then remove and knead by hand.
How Do I know the Dough is Ready for The First Rise?
One: The dough will be stretchy and will no longer be sticking to the sides of a mixing bowl.
Two: The dough will spring back when you press into it.
Three: The Gluten Window aka the dough will not tear easily when stretched.
Step 2: The First Rise
For the best flavor, let your dough rise in a warm place. Make sure to oil the dough and cover it to avoid it drying out.
While I recommend 1-2 hours for the first rise, the time it takes totally depends on your environment. 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, your dough has been proofed.
Step 3: Roll Out The Dough
For vegan sourdough cinnamon rolls, I prefer to use a wooden rolling pin. I roll my dough out into a ¼-1/2 inch thick rectangle.
Step 4: Load on the Filling, Roll, and Slice
Next comes the best part- cinnamon sugar filling! My best tip? Use room temperature vegan butter NOT melted butter. This will make your rolls much easier to roll up and slice as the filling won't pour out. To slice the cinnamon rolls use a very sharp knife.
Step 5: The Second Rise
If you're like me and can't wait until the next morning to eat your cinnamon rolls, just let them rise in a warm place for 30 minutes-1 hour before baking. If you want to bake your rolls in the morning, simply place them into your desired pan (I love baking in a cast-iron skillet or cake pan covered in parchment paper), cover, and let the buns sit in the fridge overnight. After 6+ hours, you'll be ready to bake!
Step 6: Baking Time
350F is my ideal bun baking temperature for any cinnamon roll recipe! I bake these buns for 30-35 minutes but make sure they are cooked through before removing as oven temperatures may vary.
Step 7: Glaze & Enjoy!
We all know cinnamon rolls are not complete without the vanilla bean glaze. After glazing, there's only one step left. EAT!
Can this recipe be made with a sourdough starter?
One of the questions I frequently get asked with this recipe is if it can be made with a real sourdough starter. Unfortunately, this recipe is only meant to be made with active yeast or platinum sourdough yeast.
More cinnamon roll recipes:
In addition to making vegan sourdough cinnamon rolls, I'd also suggest trying out these cinnamon roll recipes. Simply substitute any 7 gram (2 ¼ tsp) packet of yeast with one entire packet of Platinum Instant Sourdough Yeast in any of these recipes:
-TSG
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Vegan Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Vegan Sourdough
- ¾ cup warm oat milk or any milk alternative (almond, soy, etc)
- 18 gram packet Red Star Platinum Instant Sourdough Yeast can be substituted with 7g of active dried yeast or instant yeast
- ½ cup vegan butter melted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- ¼ cup organic sugar
- 2 ¾- 3 cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
Cinnamon Sugar Filling
- ½ cup vegan butter room temperature
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
Vanilla Bean Glaze
- 1 cup organic powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
- 1-2 Tablespoons oat milk *or any milk alternative (almond, soy, etc)
Instructions
Making the Sourdough
- Begin by adding the warmed oat milk and platinum instant sourdough yeast packet to a large bowl & stir. Let sit 5-10 minutes until bubbles form to be sure the yeast is active and working.
- Next, add the sugar, melted vegan butter , & vanilla extract to the mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Then, slowly add in the flour and salt until a dough forms. Once the dough has formed, use the dough hook to knead the dough for 5-10 minutes or take the dough from your bowl and knead by hand on a well-floured surface for 10+ minutes until stretchy and elastic. When the dough can be stretched without tearing easily, it is ready. Start with 2 ¾ cup of all-purpose flour and if the dough is too sticky add up to 3 cups of all-purpose flour.
- Lightly coat a large bowl with oil, form your dough into a ball, and add to the bowl. Brush oil onto the top of the dough ball so it does not dry out. Cover and let rise 1-1.5 hours until the dough has doubled in size. You will know the dough is done when you can push your finger into the dough and the dough does not spring back immediately.
Making The Filling
- Add the vegan butter (room temperature or cold), brown sugar, and ground cinnamon to a bowl and beat to combine into a thick paste. Set aside.
Roll, Fill, & Slice The Dough
- Once your dough has doubled in size, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. You will need to lightly flour the rolling pin too so the dough doesn't stick. Roll the dough into a rectangle that is ¼-1/2 inch thick in height.
- 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. Place into an 11-inch skillet or cake pan lined with parchment paper and cover with plastic wrap. Place the dough in a wam place to rise 1 hour. (You can also let the dough rise overnight in the fridge and bake in the morning).
Baking The Buns
- Preheat the Oven to 350F.
- Once the oven is preheated, bake the buns for 30-35 minutes or until cooked through. Remove the buns from the oven and let cool. While the buns are cooling, make your vanilla bean glaze!
Making the Vanilla Bean Glaze!
- Add the oat milk and vanilla bean paste to a bowl and mix. Gradually add in the powdered sugar and whisk until a thick but smooth glaze has formed. If you want a thinner glaze, you can add more milk, however, a thick glaze works best.
- Pour the glaze over the warm buns and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
- Cooked buns will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days and in the freezer for up to 1 month but will need to be reheated for optimal taste. You can microwave them, but I recommend turning your oven to 200F and heating 10-15 minutes to warm the buns if you have time*
- If you are storing buns in the freezer or fridge, do not glaze until you are ready to eat or they will get soggy
Nicole says
I left mine in the fridge overnight but they didn’t rise? Tried letting them rise again in the morning for about an hour but no luck. Any suggestions?
Megan Horowitch says
Sadly that likely means your yeast is dead/inactive :(. This can be due to it being old or to using too hot of oat milk that killed the yeast in the first step. You can *try* baking them to see what happens, but if they didn't rise at all then they likely won't taste great.
Maria says
These look so good, can't wait to try them!
If using regular yeast what is the recommended rising time - around 1.5 hours or overnight?
Megan Horowitch says
If using regular yeast follow the instructions as is! Let the dough rest 1 hour, add in the filling and cut into rolls and then you can either let the second rise happen about 1 hour at room temperature or overnight in the fridge. I prefer them overnight in the fridge but it's also not necessary!
Natalie says
These cinnamon rolls are incredible!! They're so moist and fluffy, and they really have that buttery flavor despite being dairy free! They are super tasty with regular yeast, but I can't wait to try them with sourdough yeast. And I shared these with some friends who had no idea they were vegan! I highly recommend this recipe!!
ShortGirlTallOrder says
Thank you Natalie! Soo happy you and all your friends liked them 🙂
Sara says
Could I use my sourdough starter instead?
Thanks!
ShortGirlTallOrder says
Unfortunately not for this recipe as it changes the amount of flour and liquid you need.
Savannah latimer says
Hey! Is it possible to use a sourdough starter instead of the yeast?
ShortGirlTallOrder says
Unfortunately the amount of liquid and flour you'd need with sourdough starter would change so this specific recipe is really meant to be with the sourdough yeast or regular yeast.
ShortGirlTallOrder says
That cashew based butter is truly the BEST right? Thanks for the wonderful feedback & so happy you all liked them!
Jaclynn says
These are the absolute best cinnamon rolls! This is my favorite new baked-goods recipe and was really fun and easy to make. I'm not a fan of the "nothing but goo and liquid sugar" recipes that float around online, and I think the cashew-based vegan butter gave it the perfect balance of buttery texture and light fluffy dough. The sourdough yeast makes a massive difference too, changes the complexity of the flavor beyond your typical roll. The entire batch was gone in two days, and even friends who said they weren't cinnamon-sugar fans went back for more. Thank you so much for sharing!!!
mariah says
Made these on Easter this year and they did NOT disappoint!! I used regular yeast since that's all I had, and used vanilla extract since I was out of VB paste. I also threw a layer of chopped pecans on top of the butter/cinnamon layer and WOW - so delicious! Worth the wait for the dough to rise : ) Will definitely make again (they were pretty much gone before they had even fully cooled..)
Maggie Kirk says
I loved making this recipe with my kiddos! At first, I was nervous it would be too in-depth for them to hang on to the baking process, but it was surprisingly easy with a beautiful result. So delicious, and it even tricked my non-vegan husband! Could be very easily adapted if you do not have access to a sourdough yeast as well.
ShortGirlTallOrder says
So glad you & your fam liked them Maggie!!