Vegan Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls

Vegan Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls that everyone will love! These rolls are fluffy, soft, vegan, and full of delicious pumpkin spice flavor.

Why make this recipe?

If you like cinnamon rolls and pumpkin spice, you will LOVE this recipe! These Vegan Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls are super soft, full of flavor, fluffy, and just the perfect thing to have for breakfast or as a midday snack!

To make this recipe you will need some pantry staples, like flour, vegan butter, yeast, and sugar, but also pumpkin puree (which you can easily make at home), and a blend of spices, which can also be store-bought, or you can mix them yourself (see recipe instructions).

Get rolling in the morning and enjoy fresh-from-the-oven warm and soft Cinnamon Rolls by noon.

Added bonus? Your house will smell like Christmas!

Vegan Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls Ingredients

This recipe is made of 4 parts:

• the homemade pumpkin spice blend (or you can buy one in a store or online)
• the dough
• the filling
• and the glaze.

But don’t fret! These Cinnamon Rolls are super easy to make, I guarantee, because I am one who hates complicated recipes 😀

Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature before you start and read through the instructions.

For the Pumpkin Spice Blend, you will need a blend of spices: cinnamon, ginger powder, nutmeg, ground cloves, pimento, and a pinch of black pepper. You can also buy a Pumpkin Spice Blend from stores or online.

For the dough you will need:

• plant milk, we like to use soy milk when baking, but you can also use almond or rice milk
• instant yeast, active dry yeast, or fresh yeast are both also good, use whichever one you have on hands
• sugar, we like to use plain white granulated sugar
• flour, all-purpose flour is fine
• pumpkin puree, you can use store-bought or make it yourself at home – we have the recipe here
• vegan butter or plant margarine will both work. If you are not vegan you can also use regular butter (we won’t tell). We like the brand Naturli or Violife
• pumpkin spice blend (see above)
• vanilla paste or extract are both fine, just use whatever you have to add a bit of the vanilla flavor

For the filling you will need:

• vegan butter or plant margarine will both work. We like to use the brand Naturli or Violife. If you are not vegan you can also use regular butter (we won’t tell)
• pumpkin spice blend (see above)
• brown sugar – this will add some color and a caramel taste

For the glaze you will need:

• icing sugar
• vegan yogurt – use a natural flavored one or vanilla flavored for best results. The yogurt can be soy yogurt or coconut yogurt, both will work.
• plant milk, we like to use soy milk when baking, but you can also use almond or rice milk
• vanilla, paste or extract are both fine, just use whatever you have to add a bit of the vanilla flavor

See the recipe for the right measurement and recipe instructions.

How to make Vegan Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls

Start by making the pumpkin spice blend (you can skip this step if your spice blend is store-bought). To a bowl add cinnamon, ginger powder, nutmeg, ground cloves, pimento, and a pinch of pepper. Mix to combine and set aside. Bonus – if you have any leftovers by the end of the day, just make a pumpkin spice latte 🙂

To activate the yeast slightly warm the plant milk, then add a little bit of sugar and flour. Whisk to combine, then add the yeast and combine again. Cover the bowl and let it sit for 10 minutes or until the yeast is bubbly and fragrant. It should smell like freshly baked bread.

Once your yeast is foamy (see the picture below) it’s time to make the dough! Pour the yeast into a large bowl, then add the sugar, pumpkin puree, vegan butter, some pumpkin spice blend, and vanilla. Whisk until fully combined.

To the mixture add about half of the flour and fold it in until it starts to come together, then add the remaining flour.

Knead it into a smooth and elastic dough (by hand or with a stand mixer) – it usually takes about 5-10 minutes by hand, then place it into a lightly greased bowl, cover it with foil or a plastic bag, and let it rest for about 1-2 hours until doubled in size.

After the dough has risen and doubled in size, punch it down to release the air.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and roll it out into a rectangle. Spread the dough with softened vegan butter. Mix some pumpkin pie spice blend and brown sugar and sprinkle it over the dough in an even layer.

If you are having trouble spreading the butter – I like to just take some into my hands, knead the butter with my hands until it’s very soft, then just spread it by hand over the dough – it’s ok if it’s not very even and there are some larger pieces in there, as pictured. The butter will melt away while baking.

Lift the dough by the longer side and roll it over the filling and into a tight roll, rolling away from you. 

Using a kitchen string or a knife, slice the roll into 12 evenly-sized cinnamon rolls. 

I usually start by dividing the roll in half, then slicing up each half into even pieces.

Place the shaped pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls into a greased baking dish, cover them with a kitchen towel, and let rise for another 30 minutes.

While the cinnamon rolls are rising, heat your oven to about 190°C / 375°F so it’s ready to go. We have a fan oven so we set it to a lower temperature – 170°C / 340°F.

Time to make the delicious glaze! In a bowl, whisk the icing sugar, vegan yogurt, plant milk, and vanilla paste into a smooth and pourable glaze. If your glaze is too thick, thin it out with plant milk. If it’s too runny, add some icing sugar.

Now on to a little trick – drizzle about a third of the glaze on the bottom of the baking dish, covering any empty spots between the rolls. It’s ok, if any glaze drizzles over the top of the rolls – it will melt into the rolls, making them extra soft and sweet.

Once your oven is hot and the rolls have risen, bake them for about 20 minutes, or until lightly golden in color.

Once baked, remove them from the oven and let them cool for 5-10 minutes, then drizzle the rest of the glaze over the rolls.

If your rolls are turning brown too quickly while baking, lower the temperature – some ovens run hotter.

Serving Suggestions

These Vegan Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls are best served slightly warm on the day they are baked. Serve with a generous serving of the delicious sweet glaze on top. The glaze will harden a little as the rolls cool down.

Storage Tips

These cinnamon rolls are best served on the day of baking. Store any leftover rolls in an air-tight container refrigerated for up to 4 days.

We recommend reheating them in the microwave before serving or warming them on a baking sheet at 160°C / 320°F for about 5 minutes.

You can also freeze these rolls for up to 3 months.

Make ahead! 

You can make these rolls a day ahead! Just follow the recipe instructions up to and including step 7 (second proof) – when you shape the rolls, place them in a baking dish, cover the dish with cling foil, and set them in the fridge overnight. 

The following day, remove the rolls from the fridge 1-2 hours before baking and let them come to room temperature. Then bake as per recipe instructions.

More similar recipes:

• Easy Vegan Soft Cinnamon Rolls
• Vegan Pumpkin Bread Rolls
• Homemade Pumpkin Puree
• Vegan Pizza Dough Cinnamon Rolls