What replaces the egg in vegan cinnamon rolls?

You often don't need a direct egg replacer at all — an enriched yeast dough is soft on its own. A few tablespoons of applesauce (or a flax egg) add moisture and richness in the egg's place.

Which plant milk is best?

Soy and oat milk have enough fat and protein to give the richest, most tender crumb. Thinner milks like rice or light almond work but yield slightly leaner rolls.

Is powdered sugar vegan?

Most is, but some brands are filtered through bone char. If you want to be certain, look for organic powdered sugar, which never uses bone char.

Can I make these vegan cinnamon rolls gluten-free too?

You can try a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour that already contains xanthan gum, but expect a softer, more delicate dough that's harder to roll tightly. Chill it before rolling and handle it gently.

Why use applesauce instead of an egg replacer?

Applesauce adds moisture and a little natural sugar without any egg-replacer aftertaste, and the enriched yeast dough provides the structure an egg normally would. A flax egg works too if you prefer.

Can I make the dough ahead and bake in the morning?

Yes — assemble through cutting and arranging in the pan, cover tightly, and refrigerate overnight. Let the pan sit at room temperature for 45 to 60 minutes to finish proofing before baking.

Vegan Cinnamon Rolls

Name: Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
Prep time: 120 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 155 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 block butter, melted; 3 tbsp unsweetened applesauce; 4 cup all-purpose flour; 1 tsp fine salt; 0.5 cup vegan block butter, very soft; 1 cup packed brown sugar; 2 tbsp ground cinnamon; 0.25 tsp fine salt; 1.5 cup powdered sugar; 3 tbsp vegan block butter, softened; 2 tbsp unsweetened plant milk; 1 tsp vanilla extract

Soft, fluffy vegan cinnamon rolls made with plant milk and vegan butter — no eggs, no dairy, and every bit as gooey as the classic.

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

Total time: 2 hr 35 min
Bake: 25 min
Yield: 12 rolls
Level: intermediate

The quick answer

Vegan cinnamon rolls replace dairy milk with warm plant milk, butter with vegan block butter, and skip eggs entirely — the enriched yeast dough stays soft without them. Finish with a dairy-free icing rather than cream cheese frosting to keep the whole batch plant-based.

You don't need eggs or dairy for cinnamon rolls that pull apart in soft, tender ribbons. This fully plant-based version swaps warm plant milk for the dairy, vegan butter for the butter, and skips eggs entirely — the enriched yeast dough does all the work, staying rich and pillowy on its own. Warm plant milk feeds the yeast just like dairy does, and a good block-style vegan butter gives you that same buttery brown-sugar filling melting into the swirls. Finished with a dairy-free icing instead of cream cheese frosting, they're a batch you can bring to any table, vegan or not, and no one will ask what's missing.

a vegan cinnamon roll pulled apart (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 for richness
2¼ tspinstant yeast — one packet
¼ cupgranulated sugar — use organic to keep it strictly vegan
⅓ cupvegan block butter, melted — cooled slightly
3 tbspunsweetened applesauce — replaces the egg for moisture
4 cupsall-purpose flour — plus more to dust
1 tspfine salt

Filling

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

Dairy-free icing

1½ cupspowdered sugar
3 tbspvegan block butter, softened
2 tbspunsweetened plant milk — plus more to thin
1 tspvanilla extract

plant milk and vegan butter beside soft vegan dough on a counter (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, and applesauce. Stir in the 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 the 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.
Spirals are tight and evenly sized.
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 is firm and cooked through.
Beat the icing ingredients until smooth and spreadable. Spread over the rolls while warm but not hot so it melts into the swirls.
Icing glides and partially melts into the tops.

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 to finish proofing, then bake.
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

Mashed banana or a flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp water) instead of unsweetened applesauce
Any unsweetened plant milk — soy and oat give the richest crumb instead of warm unsweetened plant milk
Refined coconut oil (use slightly less, about 4 tbsp) instead of vegan block butter, melted

Troubleshooting

Rolls were dense, not fluffy: Vegan doughs still need a full rise. Make sure your plant milk was warm (not hot enough to kill the yeast) and let the dough fully double at both rises.
Icing was greasy or split: Use block-style vegan butter, not a soft tub spread, and beat it with the sugar before adding liquid so it emulsifies smoothly.
Filling leaked out while baking: Keep the filling butter soft but not melted and roll the dough tightly so the sugar stays in the swirls.
Dough smelled yeasty but never rose: Tub-style vegan spreads and some plant milks are sold cold — bring the milk to about 110°F and proof in a warm, draft-free spot, since plant-based enriched doughs can rise more slowly than dairy ones.
Rolls tasted flat or one-note: Vegan butter is often salted differently than dairy butter, so keep the salt in both the dough and filling, and taste the filling before rolling — a small extra pinch of salt lifts the brown-sugar flavor.

Tools I reach for

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Frequently asked questions

What replaces the egg in vegan cinnamon rolls?: You often don't need a direct egg replacer at all — an enriched yeast dough is soft on its own. A few tablespoons of applesauce (or a flax egg) add moisture and richness in the egg's place.
Which plant milk is best?: Soy and oat milk have enough fat and protein to give the richest, most tender crumb. Thinner milks like rice or light almond work but yield slightly leaner rolls.
Is powdered sugar vegan?: Most is, but some brands are filtered through bone char. If you want to be certain, look for organic powdered sugar, which never uses bone char.
Can I make these vegan cinnamon rolls gluten-free too?: You can try a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour that already contains xanthan gum, but expect a softer, more delicate dough that's harder to roll tightly. Chill it before rolling and handle it gently.
Why use applesauce instead of an egg replacer?: Applesauce adds moisture and a little natural sugar without any egg-replacer aftertaste, and the enriched yeast dough provides the structure an egg normally would. A flax egg works too if you prefer.
Can I make the dough ahead and bake in the morning?: Yes — assemble through cutting and arranging in the pan, cover tightly, and refrigerate overnight. Let the pan sit at room temperature for 45 to 60 minutes to finish proofing before baking.

Nutrition (estimate): 1 roll (of 12) · ~400 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.