Oozy, sweet, warm goodness, with none of the animal or gluten products. Can it be done? Spoiler alert: Yes, and it’s delicious!

I have been searching for a great homemade cinnamon roll recipe for a while now, and my quest becomes more feverish with each visit to my local mall. Every time I walk anywhere close to the food court, I’m haunted by the mouthwatering scent of Cinnabon. I have to use every ounce of willpower I possess to walk past it without buying one of those rolls. While delicious, the heavy dairy ingredients tend to be a little too rich for me to finish, and I hate to waste food. Not to mention if I was to eat a full roll, it would come out to almost 900 calories. Ah, going out to eat: So good, but not without the consequences. Everything in moderation, right?

With that being said, it was exciting to create a vegan and gluten-free cinnamon roll recipe, using our organic, non-GMO coconut oil (available with free shipping on Amazon here) in place of butter. If the idea of coconutty cinnamon rolls isn’t your thing, don’t worry, the coconut oil flavor is subtle, if any, given the abundance of other ingredients. We didn’t want to mess with the classic cinnamon roll flavor.

Something I love about this recipe is how the icing is still creamy and gooey, even without animal-based milk or butter. There’s really nothing like sweet, warm cinnamon roll icing filling every crevice of that dough-y goodness. True comfort food, without the “bad” fats of butter. Substituting butter for coconut oil allows you to squeeze in some “good” fat  and omega 3’s in your meal, which might even better your heart health.

We went for gluten-free dough, although you can use all-purpose flour if you’d like. We used our local Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Flour (We did not receive any reimbursement for this mention), and the cinnamon rolls turned out golden brown and evenly sweet. The dough component is light and fluffy, like good ole’ Cinnabon, with none of the gluten!

Even without the traditional butter within the cinnamon-nutmeg-brown-sugar filling, the rolls were still super-flavorful and satisfying, while not being too heavy. We found butter really doesn’t add much palate wise, and adds unnecessary, unhealthy components to the recipe. Coconut oil successfully mimicked the texture, and complimented the spices really well. The cinnamon and nutmeg really shine in this dish, so don’t be afraid to be heavy-handed with them!

These are perfect to make for a lazy Saturday brunch, and make a great leftover breakfast for the workweek. Paired with ice cream (Halo Top has a delicious dairy-free cinnamon roll flavor), this recipe is an exquisite brekkie-for-dessert, too.

The possibilities are endless! Who knew dairy and gluten free could be so good. Tag us in your breakfast delight with the tag #tryrootsandall!

Our coconut oil is sustainably sourced, USDA organic, and social mission based.  To learn more, check us out on Amazon, or read about our mission on our website.

Gluten-Free Vegan Cinnamon Rolls: Video

Gluten-Free Vegan Cinnamon Rolls: Recipe

Ingredients:

Dough

• 2 cups coconut or almond milk
• 1/2 cup Roots and All coconut oil (liquid)
• 1/4 cup organic sugar
• 1 packet active dry yeast
• 6 cups gluten-free flour
• 1 teaspoon salt

Filling

• 3/4 cup Roots and All coconut oil (liquid)
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon nutmeg

Icing

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons coconut or almond milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

How to Make it:

1.  Coat 8×8 glass pan with a small amount of coconut oil.
2.  Add almond milk, melted butter, and sugar together in a large bowl and whisk. The mixture should be about 110˚ F.
3.  Sprinkle yeast over mixture and let sit for 1 minute.
4. Add 5 cups flour, and 1 teaspoon of salt to the mixture and stir until combined.
5. Cover and leave to set in a warm place for 1 hour (Dough should almost double).
6. Preheat oven to 350˚F.
7. After 1 hour, remove the towel and add 1 cup of flour. Knead on a flat surface, adding additional flour if necessary. Dough should not stick to the surface.
8. Roll out dough until it is approximately 1/2 inch thick. Shape into a large rectangle.
9. Spread liquified coconut oil over the dough, and sprinkle with brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
10. Roll up dough into a log, pinching the seam closed.
11. Cut log up into 7 circular rolls. Place in greased glass pan.
12. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to set ina warm place for 30 minutes.
13. For icing, whisk together powdered sugar, almond milk, and vanilla.
14. After 30 minutes, remove plastic wrap, and bake cinnamon rolls in oven for 25-30 minutes.
15. After baking, drizzle with frosting.
16. Enjoy! (Inspired by good-saint)