Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls with Gingerbread Cream Cheese Icing

What’s better than regular vegan cinnamon rolls? Vegan gingerbread cinnamon rolls with gingerbread cream cheese icing. Fluffy, buttery homemade cinnamon rolls swirled with gingerbread filling. Each gingerbread cinnamon roll is generously frosted with not regular cream cheese icing, but festive gingerbread cream cheese icing! Serve these warm on Christmas morning.

Ingredients for vegan festive gingerbread cinnamon rolls…

• Flour: All-purpose flour to make the softest sweet rolls.
• Vegan butter: The salted vegan butter is needed for the soft homemade dough, filling and icing. For the dough, filling and icing, you’ll need room-temperature butter. So make sure you remove the butter from the fridge before doing anything.
• Plant milk: I used oat milk, but feel free to use whatever plant milk you already have at home! Almond milk, soy milk, rice milk, and cashew milk work best as they all have a subtle flavor. Something like coconut milk will work too, but it might alter the flavor of these gingerbread cinnamon rolls.
• Vanilla extract: The vanilla extract will be used for the icing. Be sure to use vanilla extract and not vanilla essence!
• Sugars: The main sweetener in these sweet rolls is light brown sugar. But a little granulated sugar is also needed for the sweet dough. And of course, icing sugar (aka powdered sugar) for the icing.
• Spices: Just like the classic cinnamon roll, you’ll need ground cinnamon for the filling mixture. But also a little ground ginger and ground nutmeg too!
• Yeast: You’ll need a pack of fast-action yeast for the fluffiest cinnamon rolls!
• Molasses: Just like gingerbread cookies, you’ll need a touch of molasses to give us that classic gingerbread flavor in the filling.

All about the buttery soft dough…

This vegan dough recipe is super easy to make, and very forgiving. Microwave plant milk in a medium bowl for around 20-40 seconds or until lukewarm. If you accidentally heat it for too long and it becomes warm or even hot, allow it to cool before moving on to the next step. This is crucial, as adding yeast to hot plant milk will kill the yeast. Into the lukewarm milk add a little light brown sugar and the instant yeast. Allow to rest for 5-10 minutes or until the warm milk mixture becomes foamy at the top. And while it becomes foamy, melt the salted vegan butter in the microwave. Adding hot butter will also kill the yeast, so allow the melted butter to cool slightly before using. Once the butter has cooled, mix it into the warm milk mixture.

Add flour into a large bowl with granulated sugar and salt. Whisk together and then, pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Mix it together with a spatula, and once it starts to come together, use clean hands to knead for around 5 minutes. You can knead the dough directly in the bowl, or knead it on a clean work surface dusted with very little flour. I like to do a little of both. Once the dough is no longer sticking to clean, dry hands, shape it into a ball. 

Grease a large clean bowl with a generous amount of vegan butter, and carefully place the yeast dough ball in the center of the greased bowl. Grease the tops of the dough with a little butter too. This is the secret to my soft buttery rolls.

Instead of using plastic wrap, cover the bowl with a tea towel, and place the dough in a draft-free, warm place. I like to either place it near the heater or in the microwave (with the door closed). Allow to rest for 45 minutes or until doubled in size.

Making gingerbread cinnamon rolls…

The gingerbread flavors all come from the filling. Just like my classic cinnamon rolls recipe, you’ll need to combine light brown sugar with ground cinnamon. What makes these gingerbread cinnamon rolls? The addition of a little molasses, ground ginger and a touch of ground nutmeg!

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In a small bowl, mix the softened room temp butter with the molasses until combined-ish. It’s kinda hard to combine the two perfectly, so don’t worry if it’s not completely combined. And in another bowl combine the ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground ginger and light brown sugar.

Sprinkle a little flour onto a clean surface and onto the rolling pin. Try not to use too much flour as it’ll make the dough dry. Punch the air out of the risen dough, and place it onto the lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a 12×18-inch rectangle. Spread the molasses butter mixture all over the dough, and sprinkle the gingerbread spice mix all over. Pat the mixture onto the butter to help it stick a little better. Tightly roll the dough into an 18-inch log.

Score the rolls into evenish rolls, and with unflavored dental floss cut into 12 rolls. You can also do this with a serrated knife if you prefer! Place rolls into a baking dish, cover with the tea towel and allow it to rise once more for around 45 minutes, or until doubled in size. Into a small bowl, whisk together a little oat milk and maple syrup. Brush the rolls with the mixture, and then bake for 25 minutes!

The gingerbread cream cheese icing…

The icing ingredients are pretty simple, and only take a few minutes to make. In a large bowl, beat the softened room-temperature butter with the vegan cream cheese. Pour in a little molasses and a touch of vanilla extract, and mix to combine. In small amounts add in the icing sugar, beat together and once there are only a few streaks left, add in a little more icing sugar, and repeat. I like doing this because it prevents the icing sugar fly all over the place. Once combined, add in a little ground cinnamon and ground ginger. Beat together once more – and just like that, you have a delicious gingerbread icing. Spread this festive icing on the top of the rolls while they’re warm.

Once you try this vegan gingerbread cinnamon rolls recipe, please leave a star rating and review below! I try my best to respond to you all. Oh, and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram – I can’t wait to see your images!!

More vegan cinnamon roll recipes you’ll love

• Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls With Maple Coffee Icing
• The Best Vegan Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting
• Triple Almond Cinnamon Rolls
• Maple Pecan Sticky Buns

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