Perfect Cinnamon Buns

Cinnamon Buns with Cream Cheese Frosting

I adore this recipe.

When I went vegan a little over five years ago, I had a minor panic attack when I realized I’d never eat another Cinnabon again. I remember I used to ask my dad to bring them home from the airport for me when I was little, whenever he had a business trip. The fluffy swirls of dough, the sugary syrup, the cream cheese frosting… I needed to recreate them perfectly, vegan style. And let me tell you, these are a dead ringer for our mall and airport favorites.

Cinnamon Buns with Cream Cheese FrostingBut it comes at a price. If you’re looking for a healthy, low-fat, calorie conscious treat, I can’t help you today. If you’re looking for a recipe that is guaranteed to win over any vegan doubter, guaranteed to please any Cinnabon lover, guaranteed to send any child into a permanent sugar high; these buns are for you.

There is a lot of sugar and Earth Balance margarine in these. But hey, the recipe makes a ton of rolls, and it takes four hours to make, so they’re really special occasion buns. Embrace the cups (and cups) of sugar and fat, and you will definitely be rewarded with the most perfect cinnamon bun you’ve ever had. Isn’t it worth it, at least once?

I think so.

For those of you who haven’t yet overcome your apprehension about yeast breads, I encourage you to give these a try. I’ve included tons of photos and a video to clarify the process and give you an idea how the dough is supposed to look at every step. They might seem intimidating, but they’re easier than you think!

I think these would be an amazing way to wake up Mom on Sunday, paired with a nice hot cup of coffee. You can make these ahead of time, refrigerating over night before the second rise and popping them in the oven in the morning, or you can freeze them for later. More info on that at the end of the recipe.

Perfect Cinnamon Buns
Makes 12 Large Buns

Yeast Mixture
4 tsp Active Dry Yeast (a little less than 2 packets)
1 tsp Sugar
1 Cup Water, 110º F

Dough
1 Cup Soymilk
2/3 Cup Sugar
2/3 Cup Earth Balance Margarine
2 tsp Salt
2 Ener-g Egg Replacer Eggs, prepared, optional
Yeast Mixture, from above
6 Cups All Purpose Flour, more for kneading

Dough Filling
1/2 Cup Earth Balance Margarine, melted
1 1/2 Cups Sugar
3 Tbs Cinnamon

Pan Sauce
1/2 Cup Earth Balance Margarine, melted
1/3 Cup Sugar

Cream Cheese Frosting
1/4 Cup Earth Balance
1/3 Cup Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Cup Powdered Sugar

Combine yeast mixture and set aside to proof.

From the dough ingredients, combine the soymilk, sugar, earth balance, salt, and ener-g eggs in a small sauce pan. Heat until earth balance is melted and all the ingredients are well combined, but do not let the mixture get too hot. You should be able to put a finger in it without burning yourself.

The yeast should now be nice and foamy (proofed). Combine it with the warmed liquid you just made; make sure it’s not too hot, or you will kill your yeast.

Proofed Yeast and Liquid Ingredients

Place 4 cups of all purpose flour in a large bowl. Add the warmed wet ingredients.

Mixing the Dough

Beat the batter well with a wooden spoon. The dough will be very wet and liquid, much more like a batter than a dough.

Mixing the Dough

Add 2 more cups of flour and mix in partially. It’ll look like a wreck. That’s fine! Turn out the dough onto a large table/kneading surface, scraping out everything in the bowl.

Dough

Begin kneading, gently at first. It’s going to take about 8 minutes to get the dough where it needs to be. Add more flour only if the dough starts sticking to the table and there is no more dry flour to be worked into the dough. You want the dough to end up smooth and elastic, and slightly tacky, but not sticky. You should be able to knead it on a bare table without it sticking.

Here is a video of the kneading and cutting process, so you can see the stages the dough goes through.

Cinnamon Buns

Once the dough is ready, place it in an oiled bowl, covered with oiled plastic wrap, to rise for 90 minutes in a warm spot. If you’re lacking a warm spot, turn your oven on low for 1 minute, then turn it off and place the dough in the oven to rise with the door closed. Remember to turn the oven off after one minute, and remember the dough is in there — no preheating for other things! (I’ve made that mistake more than once, it’s never good.)

Once the dough has risen completely, it’ll leave a little dent when you poke it. If it springs back, it needs more time.

Risen Dough

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and press it down (this is part is in the video above). You want it press or roll it out into a 15 x 20 inch rectangle. You can use a roller if you want, but it’s not necessary.

Pour the 1/2 cup of melted earth balance on the dough. Brush it so the dough is covered completely. It’s okay if it pools in some locations.

Mix together the cinnamon and sugar from the dough filling above. Sprinkle it evenly over the dough.

Cinnamon Sugar Filling

Prepare a large baking dish, like a lasagna dish, by pouring in the melted earth balance from the pan sauce ingredients above. Brush the sides of the pan so they are greased.

Melted Earth Balance

Add the sugar, spreading evenly over the bottom of pan. The pan is now ready for the buns.

The following steps are shown in detail in the video above: Roll the dough up gently, starting from one of the short sides. Let it rest on the seem once it’s rolled up completely. Cut 12 rolls with dental floss or sewing thread. Place the rolls in the pan. (Ignore the fact that they are practically floating in earth balance and sugar.)

Cinnamon Buns, pre-baked

Cover the buns and let rise for 45 minutes if you will be baking these immediately. If baking the next day, cover the buns and let rise in the refrigerator overnight. Bake in the morning with no need for more rising. If making the buns for a date in the future, cover the buns and freeze immediately. The day before you are ready to use them, defrost in the refrigerator overnight, then let warm up on the counter the next morning for an hour. In any case, when ready to bake, follow the directions below.

Preheat the oven to 350º F, remembering to remove the rising buns if they are in there!

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly. Let cool for a few minutes.

Cinnamon Buns, baked

Stir together the frosting ingredients. It takes a bit of elbow grease to mix it together, but resist the urge to add liquid. It will come together, I promise. Whisk until there are no lumps.

Serve the buns warm with frosting. I like to microwave completely cooled buns for 45-60 seconds before eating.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Cinnamon Buns with Cream Cheese Frosting

137 comments

  1. Deirdre Cross

    I love you so much right now! How did you know I’ve been craving vegan cinnamon rolls for the last 4 weeks? When I saw your tweets that you were going to be creating a cinnamon roll recipe, I shouted out loud! I’m so excited to make these this weekend.

    Hugs,
    Dee

  2. Joselle

    You are awesome.

    I loved the video. It was oddly meditative to watch and hear all the dough.

    Your cookbook needs to come out yesterday.

  3. Jamie

    These look divine! Do you think I could use a Kitchenaid Mixer for the dough?

    Sure, that’d work just fine. You may wish to start the dough by hand, and once it’s all combined, use the kitchenaid for the kneading.

  4. Gina

    Hooooooly cow. Those look fantastic!! Luckily I don’t have the patience (or time) to make them or I’d eat the whole pan :)

  5. Shelby

    You have outdone yourself!!! This has got to be the best recipe out there for vegan cinnamon buns, no lie.

    If I were to make these for mother’s day, I’d almost feel bad for all the calories I’m giving her…almost haha.

  6. Pingback: Cinnamon Rolls | Vegan.com
  7. Emily

    I was JUST thinking that cinnamon rolls would be wonderful to make for Mother’s Day brunch! I can’t wait to try these! :D

  8. Josiane

    I usually have trouble considering making anything that requires that much sugar and for which I can’t substitute oil for the margarine, but for these? I will totally make an exception! This recipe is the one that will make me buy my first ever tub of Earth Balance! ;)

  9. josh

    these look awesome! i like to add a small measure of ginger to the filling (i’m a ginger junkie, though). i always have to proof my doughs in the oven because it’s so cold here 9 months out of the year… i’ve found that putting a casserole of water on the bottom rack helps speed it along and also keep the dough from getting dry on top.

  10. Handa

    OMG!!! Thank you! This is what I’ve been looking for! The quest for the Perfect Delicious Cinnamon Bun is over XD

  11. Alison

    That seals the deal! I was going between Belgian waffles or cinnamon buns for Sunday brunch and now I know exactly what to make! Thank you! Especially for the pictures and details :)

  12. dana

    You are my hero. My husband will surely cave on a number of points when I present these for breakfast next weekend…I’m thinking remodeling the bathroom, having another baby etc…

  13. kibbles

    I’ve found, in making cinnamon buns, that using completely softened EB and spreading it with a cake knife instead of melted makes it a whole lot less messy! The sugar sticks to the soft margarine and it wont ooze like yours did, and it turns out the same. :) Can’t wait to try these, I love cinabons.

  14. breanne

    Ok, I comment on every post where you do a video… but your videos are AMAZING. They are so beautiful to watch, the light is just right, it’s as entrancing as watching a zamboni covering the ice (and I mean that for real – I’m entranced). Way to go, I can only hope for many more lovely videos from you (and the music choice on each one is brilliant).

  15. Allana

    What a naughty recipe; perfectly laden with oodles of fat and sugar for the sweet-tooth addict! Love the vivid pics and detailed instructions; and the tuned video is entertaining. Well done!

  16. Metta

    Just finished making these..

    Note to all:

    I found that I thought my pan was too big BUT even after rising they still got uber big in the pan while baking.

    LA LA LOVE THESE.

    Doesn’t even require the icing.Nice and sweet on their own.

  17. Johanna

    oh yum – I had my own delicious buns I used to buy from a place called saint cinnamon – now I can smell how good yours would be – and with all that butter they must taste good

  18. Spencer Hopkins

    I just pulled mine out of the oven a few minutes ago and they are amazing. If you’re trying to diet while still wanting to make these, I cut down the butter as follows: Dough – 1/3 C instead of 2/3 C; Dough Filling – 1/4 C instead of 1/2 C; Pan Sauce – 1/3 C instead of 1/2 C. Doing this saved ~132 G of fat from the Earth Balance, and they’re still unbelievably amazing. I cut down on the sugar a bit, too.

    Love your recipes, Lolo. And your photography is fantastic.

  19. Pingback: Livin’ Veg » Vegan Cinnamon Buns
  20. rachey

    bless you!!! hahaha i’ve been taunting my husband for weeks with tales of the amazing cinnamon rolls i once made in my pregan days, and now i don’t need to search out the recipe to blow his mind! this is one of those perfectly timed blog posts i’ve heard everybody commenting about for so long :)

  21. ballookey

    (raising hand) I have a question about the egg replacer – how “optional” is it?

    I made these yesterday, but couldn’t get Ener-G egg replacer in time. I saw that the “eggs” were noted as optional on the recipe, but it seemed to me that two eggs worth of liquid was a lot to leave out, so so I used my usual flax powder & water method for substituting eggs.

    Everything worked pretty well, though at all stages my dough seemed wetter than what you were working with. But, again, everything worked pretty well – they rose just huge: http://twitpic.com/4y4tf

    They fell a lot during baking, though, so I’m wondering if I can really try them again without the egg replacer, or if I should wait until Ener-G is back on the shelves at the store.

    Note- even deflated they were SCRUMPTIOUS! Thank you for sharing the recipe and such a well-made how-to!

    Hey! Sorry you had some trouble. It looks like your dough was too wet and/or they rose TOO much. If the dough is too wet, the gas the yeast creates can escape (causing the dough to deflate). If the dough deflates when touched or placed in a hot oven, over-proofing (too long a rising time) is probably the issue. Over-proofing weakens the gluten structure and causes the dough to get floppy/sinky/sad. I don’t think your problem was from not using egg replacer, but rather they were allowed to rise for too long.

    If you try these again, I’d work more flour into the dough so it’s not as wet and go for a shorter rising time.

  22. HenryF

    Just made these and took me hours and hours and I went and had the over way too high (gas mark 7). So after 15 minutes they were burnt on top and uncooked on bottom.

    Dam I feel so deflated…..ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

  23. Anna

    Ohh, these look so very tempting. Nice for a special occasion! The smell of Cinnabons in malls should be outlawed–it always drives me crazy. In a good way.

  24. Kristina

    I made this gluten-free tonight. it turned out dry but it is okay. I used a different icing. Thanks for the recipe!

  25. Jay

    I don’t think I had a cinnamon bun! I really can’t wait to make these! These cinnamon buns look amazing! And your videos are the best! So colorful and clear! I also love the music that you put in your videos!

  26. Michael

    HO MY GOSH
    Add these to the ipod app. It’s so much easier to cook with the recipe at my messy little fingertips.

    Bugger me sideways, these look amazing. Gonna make some tomorrow and give out to the carnivores.

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