Everyone will love these fluffy, soft Vegan Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls, and they are ready in an hour! Full of pumpkin flavor with a delicious maple cream cheese icing.
While you could always go the traditional route and make Vegan Cinnamon Rolls, Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls are a wonderful alternative for Fall. They have plenty of real pumpkin puree in the dough, and taste like something you would get at a bakery, vegan or not!
You will love these Vegan Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls! They are:
- Full of cozy Autumn spices
- Made with real pumpkin!
- Big, soft, fluffy and indulgent
- Easy to make in about an hour
- Topped with the best maple cream cheese icing ever!
Ingredients needed (with substitutions)
- Unsweetened soy milk – May use another non-dairy milk, such as almond, cashew, hemp, oat or coconut.
- Sugar
- Quick rise yeast – I love using quick rising yeast because the dough will rise much faster and you can eat cinnamon rolls in no time. But regular yeast works as well, you will just need to let the dough rise for an hour or so, instead of 20 minutes.
- Vegan butter – both in the dough and the filling, may substitute coconut oil if desired.
- Pumpkin puree
- Pumpkin pie spice – You could use a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice or just use cinnamon if needed.
- Salt
- Flour – I just used all purpose, white flour but you could probably use whole wheat pastry flour or even a gluten free mix if needed.
- Brown sugar – For the filling.
- Cinnamon
- Vegan cream cheese – For the maple icing, you can use any brand you like. If you can’t find this, you could always make a simple powdered sugar icing (1 cup powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons maple syrup and a touch of vanilla extract).
- Maple syrup
- Powdered sugar
How to make Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
(This is simply an overview with photos, the complete printable recipe is at the bottom of the post.)
- Warm the non-dairy milk, then add it to a bowl with the sugar and yeast and let sit for 5 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix either by hand or a stand mixer with a dough hook, adding flour as needed until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Let it rise in a warm place for 20 minutes.
- Roll out the dough on a floured surface, then spread softened vegan butter all over the rectangle, leaving an inch around the edges.
- Sprinkle with brown sugar, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice.
- Roll the dough into a tight log, then cut into rolls with a serrated knife.
Place in a large 9×13 inch dish or two 8 or 9 inch round pans and bake for 20-30 minutes until the rolls are lightly golden brown and the centers are cooked through. They will also get very big while baking.
Maple icing
While they are baking, make the icing by adding the vegan cream cheese, maple syrup, powdered sugar and pinch of salt to a bowl and beat with a hand mixer until smooth and creamy.
Let the rolls cool for 10 minutes before drizzling with the icing. Serve warm and enjoy!
Prepare the night before
This is especially helpful if you plan on making these pumpkin cinnamon rolls for holiday mornings and you want to have them prepared, ready to bake the night before.
Follow all the instructions until you have cut rolls in the baking dish, then cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight. You can have the icing prepared the night before as well, simply store it in the refrigerator, covered.
In the morning, remove the rolls from the fridge and let them sit at room temperature for about an hour, then bake for 20-30 minutes until done. That’s it!
Want more holiday morning breakfast recipes?
- 1 Hour Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
- Vegan French Toast Casserole
- Caramel Monkey Bread
- Vegan Pumpkin Pancakes
- Vegan Pumpkin Waffles
Vegan Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened soy milk
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 packets (5 tsp) quick rise yeast
- 1/4 cup vegan butter, melted
- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 4-5 cups all purpose flour, plus more as needed
For the filling
- 6 tablespoons softened vegan butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
For the maple icing
- 8 ounces vegan cream cheese
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- tiny pinch of salt
Instructions
Make the dough
- Warm the soy milk in the microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds. Make sure it is warm, like bathwater, not too hot or it will kill the yeast. In a large bowl, add the warm soy milk, sugar and yeast. Let it sit for 5 minutes. The yeast should get a bit foamy on top.
- To the yeast mixture, add the melted vegan butter, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, salt and 4 1/2 cups of flour. Stir with a large spoon until the mixture comes together. Add additional flour, 1/3 cup at a time, as needed until the mixtures pulls away from the sides of the bowl. It should still be soft and slightly sticky. (You can also use a stand mixer with a dough hook.)
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 3-4 minutes, until you have a fairly smooth ball of dough. Place the dough back in the bowl, cover with a towel and let it rise in a warm place for 20 minutes. Here's what I do: Turn the oven to 170 degrees F. Once heated, turn it off, place the covered bowl inside the oven, and leave the oven door cracked.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Assemble the rolls
- Once the dough has finished rising, sprinkle a clean counter or pastry mat with flour. Punch the dough down, and use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a large rectangle, about 1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle more flour on top while rolling to prevent sticking.
- Spread the 6 tablespoons softened vegan butter over the rolled dough, leaving an inch around the edges. Sprinkle the brown sugar, then the cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice on top of the butter.
- Starting with the long end closest to you, roll the dough into a tight log. Place seam side down. Using a serrated knife, cut off the two ends. Then slice into 12 rolls. Place the rolls in a lightly greased 9×13-inch casserole dish, or (2) 9-inch round pans.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes, until the rolls are lightly golden brown and the centers are cooked through. Check with a fork to make sure the rolls in the middle are cooked through, and not doughy.
- While the rolls are baking, make the icing. In a medium bowl, add the vegan cream cheese, maple syrup, powdered sugar and salt. Using a hand mixer (or stand mixer), beat until smooth and creamy.
- Allow the rolls to cool for 10 minutes before drizzling with the icing. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- You can substitute a different milk if desired, such as oat, hemp, cashew or coconut. A creamy milk is best because it will make the rolls richer.
- You can use coconut oil instead of vegan butter, if needed. You can also cut the oil/butter in half if desired for lighter rolls.
- FOR OVERNIGHT PREP: Follow the instructions until you have cut, uncooked cinnamon rolls in the baking dish. At this point, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, remove from the refrigerator and allow to sit for an hour. Then, simply preheat the oven to 375 degrees and bake for 20-30 minutes until done.
- Gluten free – I haven’t tried making them with gluten free flour, but a gluten free mix would probably work quite well here. Let me know if you try it!
I’ve made these rolls in many variations- London Fog, blueberry, chocolate filling and every time they’re a hit! The pumpkin is not too pronounced of a flavor, so it works. Thanks, Nora!
Hi Kelly. I loved reading them about all the different variation of flavors you’ve been using for the cinnamon roll recipe! Thank you for sharing your terrific review and ideas! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
THE best cinnamon rolls I’ve ever made. So easy & so delicious. Literally had to prevent myself from just eating half of them as soon as they were out of the oven, and the house smelled amazing. I’ve made them so many times now and they’re perfect every time. Not to mention I feel this way about every recipe here — Nora cooks is a household name for us! Thanks for all the amazing recipes!
Hi Meg. I am thrilled that you are loving the cinnamon rolls! I appreciate your support, and for loving my recipes! Thanks for sharing your awesome review! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Absolutely delicious!!!
What is the best way to store these because of the cream cheese frosting?
I usually keep them in the fridge, and them warm them up a bit before eating when there are leftovers.
Is there an option to make these smaller so they are more like two-bite rolls? Wondering about baking time adjustments?
Sure, you can roll them smaller if you want. They will need less time in the oven but that will depend on how big or small you make them. I’d just keep an eye on them and don’t let them burn.
Hi Nora. Is it okay to bake the rolls then freeze and pop out later then reheat and ice? Thinking about using up an open can of pumpkin and having these on hand for holiday in a couple weeks. Thanks! All your recipes are the bomb!
Yes, you can do that! Enjoy!