Cinnamon Rolls

I make these homemade cinnamon rolls every year for the holidays. Soft, gooey, and easy to make, they're always a hit with family and friends!

Cinnamon rolls

I make this cinnamon rolls recipe every year for the holidays. And every year, it’s a HUGE hit.

These homemade cinnamon rolls are soft and gooey. They’re packed with a cinnamon brown sugar filling and topped with a sweet vanilla glaze. If you like store-bought cinnamon rolls, get ready—these homemade ones are SO much better!

They’re also easy to make. So many of our readers have made and loved this cinnamon roll recipe over the years. It has over 200 5-star reviews!

If you need a special breakfast for Christmas morning or any weekend brunch, I can’t recommend this cinnamon roll recipe enough. It’s one of my favorites. I hope it becomes one of yours too!

Cinnamon roll recipe

Ingredients in these Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

Here’s what you’ll need to make this cinnamon roll recipe:

  • Active dry yeast or instant yeast – Even if you’re using instant yeast, you’ll proof it with cane sugar and warm water before mixing it into the dough.
  • Coconut oil (or melted butter) and almond milk – Most cinnamon roll recipes call for butter and regular milk, but, as a vegan option, this recipe works perfectly with coconut oil and almond milk.
  • Sugar – It makes the cinnamon roll dough lightly sweet.
  • Sea salt – Essential for a flavorful dough.
  • All-purpose flourSpoon and level it to avoid packing too much into your measuring cup.
  • Dark brown sugar and cinnamon – They create the delicious cinnamon sugar filling.
  • Powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and more almond milk – For the glaze! It’s sweet, gooey, and quick and easy to mix together. If you love cream cheese icing on cinnamon rolls, top them with my vegan frosting or cream cheese frosting instead.

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

Mixing dough in a large bowl

How to Make Cinnamon Rolls

I love how easy it is to make this recipe. No stand mixer required! Here’s how it goes:

First, make the dough. Start by proofing the yeast. Mix it with warm water and sugar in a small bowl, and set it aside for 5 minutes, or until the yeast is foamy. If it doesn’t foam, discard the mixture and start again with new yeast.

Next, mix together the wet ingredients—the coconut oil, almond milk, sugar, and salt—in a medium bowl. Stir in the yeast mixture.

Dough in a large bowl

Place the flour in a large bowl and pour in the wet ingredients. Stir to combine, and then use your hands to knead the mixture until it comes together into a rough dough.

Next, keep kneading! Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and continue to knead until it becomes smooth.

Then, let the dough rise. Form it into a ball and place it in a large bowl greased with coconut oil. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and set it aside until the dough has doubled in size.

How to make cinnamon rolls

Next, roll out the dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and use a rolling pin to shape it into a large rectangle. Brush the dough with coconut oil and sprinkle it evenly with brown sugar and cinnamon, leaving a border around the edges.

Homemade cinnamon roll recipe

Then, roll and cut the rolls. Starting at a short end of the rectangle, roll the dough tightly into a log.

Use a sharp knife to slice the log into 12 even rolls. Place them in a large greased baking pan, cut side up. Cover the rolls and set them aside to rise for one more hour.

Rolling dough with cinnamon and sugar

Finally, bake the cinnamon rolls at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes, until they’re lightly golden brown. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool for 10 minutes.

While they cool, make the glaze. Slather it over them and enjoy warm!

Cutting homemade cinnamon rolls

Cinnamon Roll Recipe Tips

  • Make sure your almond milk is at room temperature. Because I often make these cinnamon rolls with melted coconut oil instead of softened butter, it’s crucial that your milk is at room temperature when you’re stirring together the wet ingredients for the dough. If it’s not, the melted coconut oil will solidify. I like to measure the almond milk and pop it in the microwave for 15 seconds before mixing it with the other ingredients.
  • Let the dough rise somewhere warm. Yeast responds to warmth, so, for an extra productive rise, stick the dough somewhere warm. We like to put ours on a sunny windowsill! I’ve also had success putting them in the oven while it’s turned off but the oven light is on.
  • Add the glaze when the rolls are still warm, but not hot. If the rolls are too hot when you add the glaze, it will melt. If they’re too cold, it won’t spread and ooze over them. I find that letting them cool for 10 minutes brings them to the perfect temperature. They’ll still be warm when you eat them, and the frosting will soften over them without completely melting.

Homemade cinnamon rolls in baking dish

How to Make Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

Get ahead on this cinnamon roll recipe by assembling the rolls the night before you plan to serve them. That way, you can easily bake them off in the morning!

To make overnight cinnamon rolls, prepare the recipe up to the point of slicing the rolls. Place them in the baking dish and cover tightly with foil or plastic wrap. Instead of letting the rolls rise at room temperature, refrigerate them overnight. The next morning, remove the rolls from the refrigerator. Let them stand at room temperature for 1 hour before uncovering and baking them according to the recipe.

Storage Tips

Store these homemade cinnamon rolls in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. For longer storage, I recommend freezing them.

How to Freeze Cinnamon Rolls

Allow the cinnamon rolls to cool completely after baking. Wrap individual rolls in foil or plastic wrap, or tightly cover the entire baking dish. Store the rolls in the freezer for up to 3 months. Wrapped or covered in foil, they reheat perfectly in a 350°F oven. Add the glaze right before you eat!

Cinnamon rolls

More Favorite Brunch Recipes

If you love these soft, fluffy cinnamon rolls, try one of these brunch recipes next:

Getting ready for Christmas morning? Check out these 45 Christmas Breakfast Ideas!

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Cinnamon Rolls

rate this recipe:
4.98 from 246 votes
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Rising time: 2 hours
Total Time: 3 hours
Serves 12
These soft and fluffy homemade cinnamon rolls are perfect for the holidays or any weekend brunch!

Ingredients

For the yeast

Dough

Filling

Glaze

Other Frosting Options (instead of the glaze)

Instructions

  • Grease an 8x11 or 9x13-inch baking dish.
  • In a small bowl, stir together the water, yeast, and sugar. Set aside for 5 minutes, or until the yeast is foamy.
  • Make the dough: In a medium bowl, combine the coconut oil, almond milk, sugar, and salt. Stir in the yeast mixture. Place the flour in a large bowl, then add the wet ingredients and stir until combined. The mixture will be sticky. Use your hands to roughly knead the mixture, then turn it out onto a floured surface. Knead the dough for 3 to 4 minutes, or until smooth, sprinkling it with more flour if needed. Form the dough into a ball.
  • Brush a large bowl with coconut oil and place the dough inside. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
  • Make the filling: In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon.
  • Punch down dough and roll out on a floured surface into a 20x14-inch rectangle. Brush with 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar to within ½ inch of the edges.
  • Starting at one of the short 14-inch ends, roll tightly into a log, then use a sharp knife to slice the log into 12 rolls. Place the rolls in the baking dish cut-side up, cover, and let rise for 1 hour.
  • Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  • Make the glaze: In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons almond milk, and vanilla until smooth. If it’s too thick, add more almond milk.
  • Uncover the rolls and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until lightly golden on top. Remove and allow to cool for 10 minutes, then drizzle the glaze on top and serve.

 

Recipe adapted from Oh She Glows.

238 comments

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  1. Tuba Abro
    12.06.2021

    Can I use coconut sugar instead of cane sugar?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      12.06.2021

      Hi Tuba, that should be fine.

  2. Pam
    10.26.2021

    Can I use oat milk instead of almond?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      10.26.2021

      that should be fine!

  3. DI
    10.16.2021

    I used 1c of soy milk and 3 Tbs of butter and the ratio seemed about right. Did you use all purpose flour?

  4. Kelli
    10.09.2021

    I also used almond milk. We had Silk here at my house so I used it instead of Almond Breeze. I didn’t think that it would matter as long as it was almond milk. Is there a difference in the milks?

  5. Kelli
    10.09.2021

    I have tried this recipe twice and the dough is more like a thick cake batter. I don’t know what I am doing wrong. Do you have any suggestions? I am using gluten free all purpose flour as my husband can’t have wheat, eggs, or dairy. This recipe looked great with wonderful reviews. Please help!

    • Kelli
      10.09.2021

      I also used almond milk. We had Silk here at my house so I used it instead of Almond Breeze. I didn’t think that would matter. Is there a difference in the milks?

      • Taya
        12.18.2022

        If you get reds 1:1 you may have better luck.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      10.09.2021

      Hi Kelli, the flour is the issue, the recipe is made for regular flour and GF flour isn’t a 1:1 swap. I recommend searching specifically for a gluten free cinnamon roll recipe for best results.

  6. Bb1915
    09.20.2021

    Can you make the roll and store the dough to bake at a later time, like the next day? Or is this a recipe that requires you to bake immediately and you can only store the final baked rolls?

    • nicki
      10.26.2021

      i’m wondering the same! would like to make these christmas eve but then bake the next morning. is that possible? thank you!

    • Jen
      11.03.2021

      Absolutely! I make cinnamon rolls ahead all the time. You would prepare the dough, let it rise first time, assemble and cut the rolls, then cover and let it proof a 2nd time in the fridge overnight. Take it out the next morning and let it rise again to room temp, about 1 hr. Then pop in the oven to bake!

  7. Bri
    08.28.2021

    5 stars
    These were so much fun to make! Such a great idea for a lazy Sunday at home. So delish and a great new vegan recipe for my repertoire. Would recommend to anyone and will definitely be making these again!
    (P.S. my non-vegan boyfriend approves!)

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      08.28.2021

      I’m so glad you loved them!

  8. Jess
    08.12.2021

    5 stars
    This is better than the normal cinnamon rolls that I’ve made before! Decided to try this recipe out because I am out of eggs. Baked the rolls in a muffin tin, so they’re a lot easier to pack individually and share with friends. Give it a 10/10!!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      08.13.2021

      Hi Jess, I’m so glad you loved them!

  9. Carmen
    05.11.2021

    5 stars
    Mom made it! Super bomb!

  10. Lil
    05.02.2021

    5 stars
    Delicious! My husband said they’re the best cinnamon rolls I’ve ever made and was surprised there was no butter.

  11. Shelley Lynn
    05.01.2021

    5 stars
    I added a little nutmeg to my cinnamon rolls. It adds so much flavor

  12. Sal
    04.09.2021

    4 stars
    These were yummy but they kind of reminded of just bread. It was good when I put the icing on. I made these twice, first time I made them then put the icing on as directed but they ended up just getting mushy =\ it was like we had to eat them all in one setting.. 2nd time we just put the icing on as we ate them but then that’s when it was like eating bread with icing, a bit dry. Overall good taste tho, thanks for sharing!

  13. Kelly
    04.05.2021

    5 stars
    These came out amazing!!!! I made them for my party and everyone couldn’t stop eating them. I also doubled the recipe cause I had a lot of people coming over. They even taste better than the regular ones I make. Very moist and super delicious! Thank you!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      04.06.2021

      yay! I’m so glad they were a big hit!

  14. Sal
    04.01.2021

    Can I sub the almond milk for soy milk?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      04.01.2021

      you can!

  15. Linda
    03.27.2021

    5 stars
    I just made these, and they are the bomb! Plus it was a lot of fun making them!

  16. Rachel
    03.08.2021

    5 stars
    I’ve made this recipe twice. The first time I used 1 tea vanilla in the icing and brushed margarine instead of coconut oil. It wasn’t bad for a novice baker’s first ever attempt at homemade cinnamon rolls.

    The second time I used margarine in the dough too plus about 1 tea butter flavoring and doubled the cinnamon/sugar but ended up using 3/4 of it. I also used 1 1/2 tea vanilla in the icing.

    I also learned that the type of vanilla you use makes a huge difference. The first time it was store brand imitation vanilla, the second time it was the real thing (Watson’s).

    Let me tell you, these were the best dang cinnamon rolls I’ve ever had! My sister who isn’t allergic to dairy so she can have cinnamon rolls with real butter and milk said they were perfect and I shouldn’t change a thing.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      03.09.2021

      Hi Rachel, I’m so glad you loved them! I agree, types of vanilla can make a big difference!

  17. Haley
    02.28.2021

    Would it work to use oat milk instead of almond milk?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      03.01.2021

      I think it would be fine!

  18. poppy
    02.24.2021

    5 stars
    This recipe is amazing!! I’ve made it several times now and everyone who’s tried them has fallen in love – most don’t even know they’re vegan until I tell them hehe. If you don’t have coconut oil, I’ve found that avocado oil works just fine and you can’t taste any difference. Seriously, this recipe is amazing (I even have it bookmarked on my computer lol). 5 stars!

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Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.