Which plant milk works best?

Full-fat soy or oat milk. They have enough protein and fat to give a rich, tender crumb; thinner milks like rice can make leaner rolls.

Is vegan butter necessary, or can I use oil?

Stick-style vegan butter gives the best classic flavor and structure. In a pinch you can use a neutral oil, but the crumb will be slightly different.

Not as written — they contain egg. Swap the egg for aquafaba or a flax egg to make them fully vegan and see our dedicated vegan recipe.

Dairy-Free Cinnamon Rolls

Name: Dairy-Free Cinnamon Rolls
Prep time: 125 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 160 min
Yield: 12 rolls
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 cup warm unsweetened plant milk (about 110°F); 2.25 tsp instant yeast; 0.25 cup granulated sugar; 0.33 cup vegan butter, melted; 1 egg large egg + 1 yolk; 4 cup all-purpose flour; 1 tsp fine salt; 0.5 cup vegan butter, very soft; 1 cup packed brown sugar; 2 tbsp ground cinnamon; 0.25 tsp fine salt; 1.5 cup powdered sugar; 3 tbsp unsweetened plant milk; 1 tsp vanilla extract; pinch of salt

Soft, fluffy cinnamon rolls made entirely without dairy, using plant milk and vegan butter with a dairy-free icing.

dairy free cinnamon rolls with dairy free glaze in a baking dish (AI-generated editorial image) — Image: CinnamonRollsRecipe.com · AI-generated editorial (Flux)

Total time: 2 hr 40 min
Bake: 25 min
Yield: 12 rolls
Level: intermediate

The quick answer

Dairy-free cinnamon rolls replace every dairy ingredient with plant-based swaps: unsweetened plant milk for the milk and vegan butter for the butter, plus a dairy-free powdered-sugar icing. No milk, butter, or cream cheese anywhere.

You don't have to give up gooey, pull-apart cinnamon rolls to skip the dairy. This version swaps in plant milk and vegan butter throughout — dough, filling, and icing — so nothing tastes like a compromise. The enriched dough stays tender and cloud-soft, the brown-sugar cinnamon filling melts into classic gooey ribbons, and a smooth dairy-free icing finishes them while warm. Naturally dairy-free from start to finish.

a dairy free cinnamon roll pulled apart showing a soft crumb (AI-generated editorial image) — The soft, pull-apart crumb you're after.

Ingredients

Make

rolls

Dough

1 cupwarm unsweetened plant milk (about 110°F) — soy or oat work best; warm, not hot
2¼ tspinstant yeast — one packet
¼ cupgranulated sugar
⅓ cupvegan butter, melted — cooled slightly
1 egglarge egg + 1 yolk — room temperature
4 cupsall-purpose flour — plus more to dust
1 tspfine salt

Filling

½ cupvegan butter, very soft
1 cuppacked brown sugar
2 tbspground cinnamon
¼ tspfine salt

Dairy-free icing

1½ cupspowdered sugar
3 tbspunsweetened plant milk — plus more to thin
1 tspvanilla extract
pinch of salt

plant milk and dairy free butter beside soft dough (AI-generated editorial image) — A look at the method — follow the steps below.

Instructions

Whisk warm plant milk, yeast, and 1 tsp of the sugar. Let it sit until foamy.
Surface looks foamy and smells yeasty.
Add remaining sugar, melted vegan butter, egg and yolk. Mix in flour and salt until a shaggy dough forms.
Knead until smooth and elastic — by stand mixer with a dough hook or by hand on a lightly floured counter.
Dough is smooth, tacky but not sticky, and springs back when poked.
Cover and let rise in a warm spot until doubled.
Dough has doubled in size.
Roll the dough into a 16x12-inch rectangle. Spread with soft vegan butter, then sprinkle the brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt evenly to the edges.
Roll up tightly from the long edge. Cut into 12 even rolls and arrange in a vegan-butter-greased 9x13 dish. Cover and proof until puffy and touching.
Rolls look pillowy and have filled the pan.
Bake at 350°F until golden and set in the center.
Tops are golden; center roll reads about 190°F.
Whisk the dairy-free icing until smooth and spreadable, then drizzle over the warm rolls.
Icing melts slightly into the swirls.

Make ahead, store & reheat

Make ahead: Assemble through cutting and arranging in the pan, cover tightly, and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, let them sit at room temperature for 45–60 minutes, then bake and ice.
Storage: Store covered at room temperature up to 2 days, or refrigerate up to 5 days.
Reheating: Microwave a single roll 15–20 seconds, or warm the pan covered with foil at 300°F for about 10 minutes.
Freezing: Freeze baked, un-iced rolls up to 2 months. Thaw, warm, then ice.

Substitutions

Vegan cream cheese frosting for a tangier finish instead of dairy-free icing
For fully vegan rolls, replace the egg with 3 tbsp aquafaba or a flax egg instead of large egg + 1 yolk

Troubleshooting

Rolls tasted a little lean: Use full-fat soy or oat milk rather than watery rice or almond milk — the extra fat gives a richer crumb.
Icing was greasy: Make sure you use plant milk, not melted vegan butter, as the icing liquid; a splash of plant milk keeps it glossy, not oily.

Tools I reach for

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Frequently asked questions

Which plant milk works best?: Full-fat soy or oat milk. They have enough protein and fat to give a rich, tender crumb; thinner milks like rice can make leaner rolls.
Is vegan butter necessary, or can I use oil?: Stick-style vegan butter gives the best classic flavor and structure. In a pinch you can use a neutral oil, but the crumb will be slightly different.
Are these vegan too?: Not as written — they contain egg. Swap the egg for aquafaba or a flax egg to make them fully vegan and see our dedicated vegan recipe.

Nutrition (estimate): 1 roll (of 12) · ~405 kcal. Nutrition is an automated estimate and will vary with brands and exact quantities.

Food safety: don't taste dough containing raw flour or raw egg. Refrigerate anything with cream cheese frosting, and reheat leftovers until piping hot.