I know, it’s the time of year for healthy recipes. But I’ve been good all week – eating low in added sweeteners of any kind, exercising daily, packing in those good nutrient-dense foods – and now I feel like baking! We all deserve a little reward now and then, and for me, it’s definitely some time with my beloved oven while preparing a treat like these delightful dairy-free cinnamon rolls.
Admittedly, my go-to recipe is still these Double the Cinnamon Rolls from my kitchen, which we whip up on special occasions. They are dairy-free, and even egg-free / vegan, and can’t be beat!
But the recipe below for dairy-free cinnamon rolls offers wonderfully tender results and is a variation that I felt worth including on Go Dairy Free. The original recipe (and image) was shared with us by Red Star Yeast, and created by cookbook author Gesine Bullock-Prado – though we have slightly modified it.
To achieve bakery-quality results, Gesine says that you must use the best quality ingredients you can find. Fresh yeast, baking powder or baking soda will give a tender, airy texture to your baked goods. Dairy-free cinnamon rolls, cakes, and breads made with ingredients that are too old, will often fall flat. Great flavorings, such as pure vanilla extract, fresh eggs, and a good brand of flour are also essential.
Special Diet Notes & Options: Dairy-Free Cinnamon Rolls
This recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, peanut-free, tree nut-free, and vegetarian. I do not have a gluten-free option at this time (yeast dough can be tricky!), but the following options are completely feasible:
For Vegan / Egg-Free: I’ve included an egg-free option for this recipe, but for a naturally egg-free and vegan recipe, enjoy my time-tested and beloved Double the Cinnamon Rolls.
For Soy-Free: Remember that dairy-free margarine often contains soy, but you have a couple of options. Look for the soy-free varieties from brands such as Earth Balance, or substitute in palm shortening or coconut oil – yes, it works! If using coconut oil, you can reduce the amount in the filling by just a touch.
- 2-3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 .25-ounce package baking yeast (such as Red Star® Platinum Superior Baking Yeast - see note below)
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup dairy-free milk alternative
- 2-1/2 tablespoons dairy-free non-hydrogenated margarine
- 1 large egg (can sub ¼ cup applesauce or 1 Ener-G egg replacer equivalent for egg-free)
- 3 Tablespoons dairy-free non-hydrogenated margarine, softened to room temperature
- 1-1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup powdered (confectioners') sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons dairy-free milk alternative or coconut milk creamer
- Set aside ½ cup of flour. In a large bowl, toss 2-1/4 cups flour, the sugar, salt, and yeast together until evenly dispersed.
- Heat the water, milk alternative, and margarine together in the microwave until the mixture is very warm, but not too hot to touch, about 125-130°F.
- Stir the margarine mixture into the flour mixture. Add the egg and only enough of the reserved flour to make a soft dough. Dough will be ready when it gently pulls away from the side of the bowl and has an elastic consistency.
- On a lightly floured surface, knead dough for about 3 to 5 minutes. Place it in a lightly greased bowl and let rest for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, roll the dough out in a 14x8 inch rectangle.
- Spread the softened margarine on top. Mix together the cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle it over the margarine.
- Roll up the dough tightly and cut into 11 even pieces and place in a lightly greased 9-inch round pan or pie dish.
- Loosely cover the rolls with aluminum foil and allow to rise in a warm, draft-free place for 60 and 90 minutes.
- After the rolls have doubled in size, preheat your oven to 375°F.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cover the rolls with aluminum foil after 15 minutes to avoid heavy browning, if you prefer.
- Whisk the glaze ingredients together in a medium bowl.
- Top the cinnamon rolls with glaze right before serving.
37 Comments
My 6-month old daughter is allergic to cow’s milk (CMPA), so I made these on Christmas morning so that my wife could partake while breastfeeding—keeping alive a decades-long cinnamon-rolls-on-Xmas tradition. They’re excellent! Added about 2/3 of a chopped apple and 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts to the filling.
That’s so wonderful Mike, and a sweet thing for you to do for your wife. Merry Christmas!
whoops forgot the egg…. hope they work! guessing they wont have a cakey texture without the egg.
I baked them often without eggs, so it should work! Fingers crossed for you!
These cinnamon rolls are amazing and so easy! My husband who isn’t Df even said they are the best he’s ever had!! And he is a tough critic!! So thank you times 1000!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe Rachelle!
id like to make these for my child who is dairy, soy and has a sugar fruit combination intolerances so to make these easier im trying to not bake anything with sugar. do you think the coconut sugar would be good sugar substitute?
sorry to clarify i have been using coconut sugar as a substitute (as suggested by naturopath) for my other baking like muffins. does it matter what sugar you use witht he yeast?
The sugar is really just for proofing. It won’t affect how the yeast performs in any notable way. That said, the type of sugar affects the sweetness, and sometimes the texture a little. But I think it should work fine with coconut sugar!
I never go by the book but I did with these and they turned out perfectly! Thank you ☺️
BEST RECIPE EVER!!! These were perfect. I haven’t had a cinnamon roll in over a year, so you made me very happy.
I’m so happy I could brighten your day Rachel!
I made them today!! All dairy free. I love the smell in my house. We used the applesauce option. It is rising beautifully!! They look amazing I cut the time in 1/2 & I made mini cinnamon rolls in a muffin pan. And the rest of the dough I let rise the longest in the loaf pan and made cinnamon bread loaf! Thanks ?
We used the Simply balanced (organic) olive oil instead of margarine. We also used vanilla flavored almond milk!•
Lovely! Thank you for sharing your notes and feedback too Gretchen!
I am so happy to have found this site. I recently went dairy free and couldnt believe it when i saw you could make cinnamon rolls dairy free! I’ll be adding this to my recipe book for a future baking!
Happy baking Janson!
What butter do you use
Your favorite buttery spread will work well here. We usually reach for Earth Balance, but I would choose a brand with the flavor that you like best.
BEST Cinnamon rolls..I made these this evening and they turned out perfectly! They were pretty easy to make and a delight to eat..I’m so happy I found a dairy-free cinnamon roll recipe. Thank you!!!
Fabulous! Glad you enjoyed it Sarah.
I made these today for about the 20th time. They are perfect. I don’t want to be dramatic but I think they saved my life 🙂
Wow, now that is a ringing endorsement. I’m so glad I can make your life more delicious with good recipes Brandie 🙂
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I made these with Namaste Gluten free flour and they were delicious! I also used Coconut oil instead of dairy-free margarine.
Awesome! Thank you for sharing the gluten-free flour blend that worked for you in my cinnamon rolls Kristin!
I appreciate dairy free recipes as my son is lactose intolerant. HOWEVER, margarine is not only loaded with actual lactose, it is just nasty on your body. that hydrolyzed crap is beyond unhealthy. Might I suggest either using organic ghee, a lactose free real clarified butter or almond butter? I am disappointed that this recipe suggests that it is dairy free, when it is really hard to find any margarine on the market that is truly dairy free. Read your labels people.
That’s so interesting that you have trouble finding dairy-free margarine Lesli – I don’t think there’s a store in our area that doesn’t carry Earth Balance and Smart Balance (now all dairy-free), and brands like Melt which have no funny ingredients are also popping up. That said, you can simply substitute coconut oil! Almond butter would bake, so it wouldn’t be quite the same, and I’m sorry but ghee and clarified butter are not dairy-free. If your only issue is lactose, then you could probably use ghee, but this is a dairy-free website. I use coconut oil when making cinnamon rolls – but they are still a treat! Here’s our guide to butter subs – http://www.godairyfree.org/dairy-substitutes/how-to-substitute-butter
Im pretty sure the article gave many examples of dairy free items to substitute instead of butter. You may want to spend more time reading and less time preaching.
Would it work to make these the night before, refrigerate overnight, and bake in the morning?
Yes, it should. But I do find that the often raise a lot in the fridge overnight.
I have made these twice now and they are absolutely amazing!
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed them 🙂
Can you put in fridge over night before baking? Also can I freeze once made or before. Would only need 4-5 at a time!!
Hi Melissa, I would use this recipe – http://www.godairyfree.org/recipes/double-the-cinnamon-rolls-make-ahead-vegan-nut-free-soy-free – It’s my personal recipe and I do fridge it!
The 14×8 dough rectangle was extremely difficult to roll tightly. The dough was very sticky as well, using the ingredients listed in the instructions.
Hi Eric,
I’m so sorry that recipe was difficult for you. As noted in the post, my personal go-to recipe is here: http://www.godairyfree.org/recipes/double-the-cinnamon-rolls-make-ahead-vegan-nut-free-soy-free – It’s been made and enjoyed by hundreds of people!
Cinnamon rolls always disappear in a flash around here so I love to have as many different recipes as possible…thanks for sharing this and for the vegan options too!