There’s something so cozy about cinnamon buns. I don’t know if it’s the fact that you tuck them underneath a blanket (plastic wrap, really), waiting for them to take a little nap and rise, or if it’s because the smell of cinnamon reminds me of fall foliage, but there’s something about a warm tray of cinnamon buns that makes me feel the fall feels every time.
These guys might just be the easiest cinnamon buns I’ve ever made – plus they’re vegan cinnamon rolls! A while back, I was fooling around with making dairy-free buns and discovered that hey, cinnamon buns made with coconut milk and oil are maybe even better than cinnamon buns made with milk and butter. Mike certainly thought so because these cinnamon buns (minus the cream cheese icing) are his fave.
I know, I know, I ruined the vegan, dairy-freeness of these buns by slathering them with cream cheese frosting, but I had some leftover in the fridge and couldn’t resist. If you need to go the dairy-free route though, you can easily whip up a coconut milk glaze that is so good you could drink it.
These guys are perfect for me because while I don’t always have milk on hand, there’s always a can of coconut milk and coconut oil in the pantry, so whenever the cinnamon bun craving hits, I can fix it. And they only need 6 ingredients! Well, 7 if you want to glaze them. I especially like making a batch late at night, rolling them out, and then having them ready to bake in the morning.
Fresh cinnamon buns on a crisp fall morning with multiple cups of coffee? My idea of heaven :)
Hope you guys give these a go! Let me know how they compare to your regular cinnamon bun recipe, I want to know!
6 Ingredient Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
makes 6 giant buns or 12 regular sided onesBuns:
- 2 1/4 teaspoons rapid rise yeast
- 1 cup coconut milk, slightly warmed
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted and cooled
- 3 cups flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
Filling:
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted and cooled
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/4 cup sugar
Optional Glaze:
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 1/4 cup coconut milk
Sprinkle the yeast over the coconut milk. Stir and let proof. Whisk in the coconut oil.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and sugar. Pour in the coconut yeast mixture, stir and then knead by hand until the dough comes together into a ball. Let rise in a warm spot, in a clean bowl, covered loosely with plastic wrap, until doubled, about 1 hour.
On a lightly floured surface, tip out the dough and roll out to a large rectangle, about 14 x 20 inches. Brush the coconut oil on evenly, all the way to the edges. Whisk together the cinnamon and sugar in small bowl then spread evenly onto the dough. Roll into a tight roll, and depending on what side you want your cinnamon buns, cut into 6 or 12 equal pieces.
Place the rolls into the pan, cover loosely with plastic and let rise for 1 hour, or until doubled.
At this point, you can hold the buns in the fridge if needed – if you’d like to prepare them the night before and bake them off in the morning that definitely works.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the plastic wrap and bake the buns for 25-30 minutes for small buns, 30-40 minutes for big buns, or until golden and cooked through. If baking from the fridge, remove the buns from the fridge as the oven is heating up. Bake for 30-35 minutes for smaller buns and 35-45 minutes for big buns.
Optional: while the buns are baking, make the glaze. Stir together the coconut milk and sugar until smooth.
When the buns are done, the tops should be golden brown and a skewer poked through should come out clean. Glaze immediately, if doing so. Let cool slightly and enjoy warm!
41 Comments
Stefanee says:
September 30, 2017 at 4:22 pm
Wow, these look absolutely amazing! I may be making these for Sunday morning breakfast tomorrow, especially because they only require 6 ingredients. Thanks so much for sharing! Also your photos are really great as well.
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Stephanie says:
October 3, 2017 at 10:01 am
hope you got a chance to try these stefanee!!
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Amanda Vuu says:
October 1, 2017 at 7:12 pm
Seriously? Coconut milk in cinnamon buns? Why have I not thought of this… Sounds heavenly with the cinnamon…Mm mm. These are going on the “to make” list.
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Stephanie says:
October 3, 2017 at 10:01 am
ooh i hope you make them amanda! i can just picture your lil on nomming on a bun (frosting free of course!) ;)
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October 2, 2017 at 3:16 am
I feel exactly the same way about cinnamon rolls! Whenever I smell them baking I know fall is here. I’ve never made them with coconut oil/milk, so thanks for the vegan inspo! Also, gorg photos once again. xoxo
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Stephanie says:
October 3, 2017 at 10:00 am
thank you kelsey!!
give the coconut oil/milk a try, it’s really nice!
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Charlie Kwok says:
October 2, 2017 at 5:11 am
Hi Steph!
They look so lovely! Was wondering if you used the thick kind of coconut milk, or the thinner one that’s like regular dairy?Thank you! :)
Stephanie says:
October 2, 2017 at 8:58 am
the thick kind that’s out of a can!
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Laila says:
October 5, 2017 at 3:47 am
Hi Stephanie, amazing post as always. What kind of flour did you use ? plain or self raising ? Many thanks.
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Stephanie says:
October 5, 2017 at 9:15 am
hi laila,
regular all purpose flour!
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October 5, 2017 at 10:01 pm
Wow your cinnamon buns look wicked! I can’t believe they only require 6 ingredients to make. I love that you used coconut milk and coconut oil in the recipe!! Super creative. :)
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Stephanie says:
October 6, 2017 at 10:19 am
thank you alia! hope you get a chance to make them :)
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Paige E. says:
October 6, 2017 at 10:25 am
Do you shake the heck out of the canned coconut milk to get it to all be cohesive or do you drain the liquid just use the thick part? I never know what to do!
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Stephanie says:
October 6, 2017 at 2:14 pm
shake it up in the can! or what i tend to do is open it up and use a pair of chopsticks or a fork to whisk everything together.
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Melissa says:
December 26, 2018 at 11:33 am
I left the can in the warmest room in the house – the room with the wood stove – for an hour beforehand, which helped like woah with the fat issue.
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Teresa says:
October 6, 2017 at 2:03 pm
Does the coconut taste come through strongly or is it mild taste?
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Stephanie says:
October 6, 2017 at 2:13 pm
it’s pretty mild, you won’t really notice it!
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Crissy Saunders says:
October 6, 2017 at 2:21 pm
hi there! these look awesome! what kind of coconut milk do you suggest using for this? Do you think subbing cashew milk would work or not enough fat in it?
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Amanda says:
October 10, 2017 at 6:11 am
These cinnamon buns were absolutely lovely! I tried out your recipe and it was a hit with the family. So simple to make. Best part is, none of the carnivores in the house even had an idea that the cinnamon buns were all vegan! :)
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See Above says:
October 13, 2017 at 4:52 pm
Hi stefanie.
Im so glad you posted a vegan option, so hard to find these days. All Ive been seeing is recipes for avocado toast. So glad these cinnamon buns don’t have meat or dairy. I tried them, they were okay. Third times the charm though, so i suppose I have to make them two more times, ill update you when Ive completed this task. Could be months, I don’t bake often.
Cheers
Howard TopsReply
Nina Lavoie says:
November 11, 2017 at 11:37 am
Hi! The text of the recipe calls for salt. How much? A pinch? Thanks, Nina
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Stephanie says:
November 11, 2017 at 4:40 pm
hi nina, a pinch!
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Stephanie says:
December 23, 2017 at 11:44 am
These look delicious and perfect for Christmas morning! My question is do you prove the rolls for a second time before refrigerating them overnight or just put them in the fridge to prove slowly overnight OR prove them for the second hour in the morning as they go back down to room temp?
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Stephanie says:
December 23, 2017 at 5:38 pm
hi stephanie!
you prove them just once before refrigerating (they should double after an hour), then pop them into the fridge where they’ll slowly proof a bit more. the next day, while the oven is heating, let them sit on your countertop to come to room temp then bake. hope that helps!Reply
Stephanie says:
December 23, 2017 at 5:39 pm
sorry i just realized what you’re asking – there are two proofs before refrigerating: the dough doubles in the bowl before rolling out. then you roll out the buns, place them in the pan and proof them again, then pop them in the fridge :)
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Anita @ feed me sushi says:
February 11, 2018 at 7:06 am
Made this two nights ago – amazing recipe! My cinnamon buns have never turned out this good and this recipe was so simple and low stress. This will be my go-to in the future~ I ended up making a coconut cream cheese glaze with 4oz cream cheese, 1/4 cup coconut milk and about a cup of confectioner’s sugar. Yay cream cheese!!
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Jordan says:
March 19, 2018 at 7:48 am
Cant wait to try this recipe, looks and sounds delish!
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Sam says:
April 24, 2018 at 8:14 am
How many calories, sugar, fat etc. are in these?
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Stephanie says:
April 25, 2018 at 9:41 am
hi sam,
i don’t have the nutritional information for these but you can pop the ingredients into a calorie recipe counter :)Reply
Melissa says:
December 26, 2018 at 11:35 am
I made these for my (vegan) father for Christmas and they were delicious!
I added a 1/2 teas salt to the dough and a pinch to the frosting and nutmeg to the frosting and the filling. Loving having a recipe for which left-over ingredients means “make curry.”
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Stephanie says:
December 26, 2018 at 12:23 pm
yay! so happy you guys had them for christmas! :D
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Chelsea says:
April 29, 2019 at 2:23 pm
Hi Stephanie, do you have a recipe for your cream cheese frosting?
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Stephanie says:
May 2, 2019 at 12:45 pm
hi chelsea, usually i just wing it, it’s something along the lines of the proportions in this post. hope that helps!
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Da Cipriano says:
June 15, 2020 at 3:36 am
Incredibly great post and the pictures are fantastic. Congratulations. Keep up the good work. It Looks so delicious, sensual and creative in one. Greetings from Switzerland.
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Kathleen says:
December 22, 2020 at 9:27 am
Question…is it possible to use a Gluten Free flour like King Arthur’s one measure to one measure? A family member must avoid wheat…thank you
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Stephanie says:
December 26, 2020 at 6:18 pm
hi kathleen,
i haven’t tried but from what i hear, gluten free flour will work :)Reply
Morgan says:
February 20, 2021 at 3:01 pm
I tried making the dough twice and both times they came out too try to form a ball:( I’m not sure what went wrong?
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Stephanie says:
February 21, 2021 at 12:06 pm
hi morgan,
it could be that your flour was densely packed in your cup measure when you weighed it out? i would add more coconut milk, teaspoon by teaspoon until it comes together. i hope that helps!Reply
Chris says:
November 29, 2021 at 4:06 am
Can I use soy milk instead of canned coconut milk?
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Stephanie says:
December 6, 2021 at 8:49 am
hey chris, i haven’t tried but i think it would work!
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