Vegan Apple Cinnamon Rolls from Scratch
It’s that time of year again- time for cider, pumpkins, and waking up to the smell of toasty cinnamon. And we’ve found the greatest way to get that Fall cinnamon morning- with a tray of freshly baked apple cinnamon rolls from scratch! With just a touch of pumpkin flavor in the dough, these rolls are really all about the apple- there are four large apples in each batch, and every bite you take is filled with tiny, cinnamon coated apples. Adding a sweet and simple cinnamon glaze on top adds that bit of indulgence, and gives you another little hit if cinnamon. For maximum cozy fall feels, enjoy with a chai latte (or a pumpkin spice latte, if you must).
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Happy Apple Picking Season!
One of my favorite things about Fall is apple picking- I love going out into the orchards, seeing the stunning displays of fall foliage, tasting apples from the different trees, and coming back with a nice half bushel of apples. That ends up being about 25 lbs. of apples, and I also enjoy not being the one carrying it through the orchard. It’s the thing to do in New England in Fall. The place I usually go is in New Hampshire, and ideally we go on a cloudy weekday when we get the place more or less to ourselves. This year, however, with a new dog that can’t be left alone, we ended up going somewhere closer and more popular, on a beautiful, sunny, weekend day. The place was filled with families, and people carrying flannel shirts that were far to warm for that sunny afternoon, riding on the hay ride, and crowding to get to the farm stand. The pro- we came home with lots of delicious apples, to eat and bake with, and got to enjoy a nice and warm afternoon outside. The con- didn’t get any of my moody fall vibes. Oh well, apple picking is still apple picking and it was still a wonderful day. Next year I’ll make sure to drive the extra hour for my Fall vibes. Amusingly, they did also offer a “dig your own potato” option, which somehow didn’t seem quite as romantic and pastoral as the apple picking. This recipe was born of the need to use lots of those apples- so many apple recipes only use one or two apples, so we decided to go for it and fit a whole 4 apples in this one.
Looking for Apple Recipes? Try one of these!
- Vegan Stuffing with Mushrooms and Apples
- Vegan Scones with Raspberry Apple Compote
- Fennel and Apple Salad in Belgian Endive Cups
- Almond, Oat and Vegan Apple Cookies
- Easy Vegan German Apple Cake
- Easy 4-Ingredient Filo Maple Vegan Apple Tart
How to Prove Dough in your Instant Pot
Did you know you can prove dough in your instant pot? Well, you can! I have an instant pot that I never use to make beans or soups- instead, I use mine to soften cashews for cheese, make tempeh, and prove dough. When your prove your yeasted dough in the instant pot, it creates a nice and toasty, humid environment that yeast really likes to prove in- helpful, if you don’t live in a very warm environment. That can really speed up your proving time. To do so, you need a instant pot with a yogurt setting which most of them have these days. You can prove either in a separate bowl, or directly in the instant pot.
- To prove in a separate bowl, first make sure that bowl fits within your instant pots liner. Grease the bowl, and add a small amount of water to the liner. Set the bowl inside the liner, and cover with a plate or clean dish cloth. Put the instant pot on the “normal” yogurt setting, and walk away. I like this method, because it doesn’t require me to clean out my instant pot liner.
- To prove directly in the instant pot, grease the instant pot liner. You can also line it with parchment paper, if you prefer. Place the dough inside, and set the instant pot on the “normal” yogurt setting. Walk away, and let it prove.
I find using an instant pot to prove my dough often cuts my proving time in half- it’s very much not needed to be able to prove dough, but it’s a helpful little shortcut. There are non-Instant Pot hacks for bread proving too- before I had a instant pot, I would prove my dough in the oven, with the oven light on but the heat off.
How to Make Vegan Apple Cinnamon Rolls from Scratch
Making cinnamon rolls from scratch isn’t hard, and it’s much more delicious than anything you’re going to get out of a tube (if you can get vegan cinnamon rolls out of a tube… can you?). Plus, these have tons of fresh apples in them! There are three main elements to this recipe- the dough, the apples, and the glaze.
- The Dough: if you have ever made a yeasted bread or pastry, then you know the general idea here. First, the dough needs to be mixed together, and then kneaded. This is much easier to do in a mixer with a dough hook, but you can also do it by hand if you don’t have one. Once mixed and kneaded, the dough has to prove, which just involves letting the dough sit and rise. See the above paragraph for proving in your instant pot. After it proves once, you’re going to roll the dough out into a large rectangle, fill with apples and cinnamon, and roll the dough up into a log. Then slice them into rolls, and put them in a greased pan (they’re going to touch, for that pull-apart, tear and share effect later). Then they have to do a second prove before they bake.
- The Apples: There are really only two tricks to your apples. The first is to cut them into very small cubes, so that they will be easy to roll up and cut without falling out all over the place or breaking your dough. The second is to macerate them, or to coat them in sugar and let them sit, so that some of the juice is released from the apples. This will make it so that your cinnamon rolls are able to bake all the way through, and that they are not raw where the apples have released moisture.
- The Glaze: The first is to cut them into very small cubes, so that they will be easy to roll up and cut without falling out all over the place or breaking your dough. The second is to macerate to them, or to coat them in sugar and let them sit, so that some of the juice is released from the apples. This will make it so that your cinnamon rolls are able to bake all the way through, and that they are not raw where the apples have released moisture.
To store the cinnamon rolls keep them in an airtight container in the fridge. When you are ready to enjoy, a few seconds in the microwave or 10 minutes in the oven will get them back to the nice cinnamon roll texture you’re looking for.
Vegan Apple Cinnamon Rolls from Scratch
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup soymilk (or other plant-based milk)
- 2 tbsp. vegan butter, melted
- 2 ¼ tsp. instant yeast
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- ½ tsp. ground ginger
- 5 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 medium/large apples
- ½ cup sugar
- 1-2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ tsp. cinnamon
- 4 tsp. soymilk (or other plant-based milk)
Instructions
- Start by making your dough. Add the soymilk, vegan butter, yeast, sugar, and pumpkin puree to the bowl of your mixer and mix (alternatively, you can do this whole recipe by hand- see the notes for modifications). Once combined, add the salt, cinnamon, and ginger, along with the flour, about one cup at a time. Once all the flour is integrated, switch your mixer to the dough hook, and let kneed for about 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth and even looking. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, covered, in a warm space to prove for an hour to an hour and a half.
- While the dough is proving, prepare your apples. Peel the apples, and cut them into very small cubes (no bigger than about ¼ inch cubes). The smaller the cubes, the easier rolling and cutting will be. Add to a mixing bowl with the sugar. Toss, and let sit for at least 30 minutes. When you are ready to use them, simply drain the liquid before use.
- Lightly grease a 9x12 inch glass baking tray and set aside. Take the proofed dough from the bowl. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a large and thin rectangle, roughly 10 x 24 inches (your dough should be in “landscape” mode). Sprinkle the whole surface with the 1-2 tsp. cinnamon. Next add the drained and chopped apples, covering around 7 inches of the width, but leaving a good 3 inches on the far side of the counter empty. Roll, starting from the apple end near you, until you get to the apple-free side. Gently pat the edge in. Use a sharp, serrated knife to cut the roll into 16 slices. Place them in your prepared baking tray, cover gently with a clean kitchen towel, and allow to prove for a second time, this time for around 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Bake your cinnamon rolls for about 25-30 minutes, and remove from the oven. Let cool. While the buns are cooling, mix up your glaze. Combine the powdered sugar and cinnamon, and then add your vegan milk 1 tsp. at a time, whisking, until you have a nice glaze consistency. Once the rolls are just slightly warm to the touch, pour the glaze over the tops. And enjoy!
Notes
To make this recipe without a mixer, first mix the wet ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add the spices and flour, and mix with a wooden spoon. It will take a little muscle to get all the flour integrated. Once it has been mixed in, flip the dough out on a clean and well-floured surface. Knead for around 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth, not too sticky, and springs back. Return to the recipe for instructions on proving.
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