Celebrate fall the right way with extra fluffy vegan pumpkin cinnamon rolls! Each one has sweet pumpkin dough wrapped tightly around a delicious cinnamon filling and covered in maple cream cheese icing. Made gluten free, paleo friendly, and yeast-free so you can whip up these cinnamon rolls in under an hour!
Ahh pumpkin season, MY FAVORITE! Not necessarily because I love pumpkin but because of what the season represents - cooler weather, hot cocoa, sweaters, fires, and all the festive holidays!
These pumpkin cinnamon rolls have the best of both worlds - they're filled with fall flavors and make the perfect cozy weekend morning accomplice.
If you're a pumpkin lover too, you will love my chocolate chip pumpkin bread and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies!
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Recipe characteristics
- Made vegan, gluten free, and paleo.
- No yeast required. We use a combination of vegan buttermilk and baking powder to help these cinnamon rolls rise to their fluffy potential.
- Made in under an hour.
- No artificial pumpkin...these are made with real pumpkin.
- Can be made ahead of time for a really easy morning.
Ingredients and notes
Here is what you need to make these tasty pumpkin cinnamon rolls:
For the cinnamon rolls
- Almond flour + Tapioca flour - These two gluten free flours make up the base of the cinnamon roll dough. If needed, swap the tapioca flour with arrowroot starch.
- Coconut milk - Make sure to use full fat coconut milk from a can. The cream at the top is what gives the dough a pillowy soft texture.
- Apple cider vinegar - Mixed with the coconut milk, this creates a "vegan buttermilk" which reacts with the baking powder to provide some lift to the cinnamon rolls when baked. You won't taste it! If needed, you can swap with another acidic ingredient like lemon juice.
- Pumpkin - Use puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
For the cinnamon rolls
- Vegan cream cheese - Soften it to room temperature for easy mixing. If not dairy free or vegan, feel free to swap with traditional cream cheese.
- Powdered sugar - Used to add some sweetness and thicken up the mixture. You can substitute with monk fruit sweetener if needed but I recommend using half the amount as monk fruit can be very sweet.
Step by step directions
You will need a mixing bowl with a hand mixer or a stand mixer to make the dough and some parchment paper and a flat surface to roll out the dough.
Step 1 : Beat the wet ingredients
First, beat together the coconut milk and apple cider vinegar in a mixing bowl until smooth. There should be no large coconut cream clumps.
Then add the pumpkin and vanilla and continue to mix until well incorporated and creamy.
Step 2 : Add the flours
Add the almond flour, tapioca flour, and baking powder to the bowl and mix just until a large ball of dough forms. The dough will be soft and sticky.
Wrap up the dough in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge to chill for at least 20 minutes while you make the filling.
Step 3 : Prepare the filling
In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted coconut oil, coconut sugar, and pumpkin spice until well mixed. The mixture should be a tad wet and look like dark sand.
Step 4 : Assemble the cinnamon rolls
Lay down a piece of parchment paper on a flat surface and sprinkle it with some extra tapioca flour. Roll out the dough to about ½ inch in thickness and 12 inches wide by 16 inches long.
With the back of a spoon or a rubber spatula, spread the cinnamon filling mixture on top of the dough, leaving a little bit of room around the edges. Don't press down too hard into the dough, just gently spread it over top.
Next, tightly crimp one of the long ends of the dough and begin rolling it up into a log shape. Use the parchment paper underneath to do this. This is important - this dough is very soft and will break easily if you use your hands to roll it up (see below image). Only use your fingers to crimp the edge of the dough to initiate rolling it up.
Once the dough is rolled up, use floss or string to slice the dough into 9 2-inch cinnamon rolls. If you need to use a knife for this, you can but the cinnamon rolls won't be as round as if you use string.
Line a round or rectangular baking dish or use a cast iron pan with parchment paper for easy clean up. Then place each cinnamon roll inside, leaving a little room in between each one.
Bake in the oven until risen and golden brown on the outside!
Step 5 : Make the cream cheese icing
While the cinnamon rolls are cooling down slightly, prepare the icing. In a bowl, whisk together the vegan cream cheese, powdered sugar, and maple syrup until smooth. This can be done with a stiff whisk, hand mixer, or a spoon.
Drizzle over top of the warm cinnamon rolls when serving and enjoy!
Storing
To keep these pumpkin cinnamon rolls for later, store them in an airtight container. They will keep for 3 days out on the counter or 5 days in the fridge. Keep the icing separate in the fridge.
When ready to enjoy, warm up a cinnamon roll in the microwave for 10 - 20 seconds and then top with the icing. The icing will be firm as it's now chilled. Spread it on top of the warm cinnamon roll and it will melt on top after a few seconds.
Making ahead of time
You can make these cinnamon rolls ahead of time to make things simple in the morning! Simply prepare them as directed by stop before baking them. Store the unbaked cinnamon rolls in a baking dish with aluminum foil or plastic wrap over top or with the lid on top of the container.
Thaw the cinnamon rolls out the next morning while the oven preheats and then pop them in and bake as directed. Top with the icing and you're good to go!
These will also freeze for later as well. Prepare them as directed. Wrap each one in plastic wrap so they don't stick together or spread them a part in a freezer friendly container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw before baking as directed.
Gluten free dough tips
It's no surprise that gluten free dough is not your typical dough your Grandma makes. This dough is special - it's made with a blend of almond flour and tapioca flour and "vegan buttermilk". Aka there is no gluten involved to help the dough bind together.
Here are a few tricks I swear by:
- Don't over mix. This is true when making most doughs but especially true with gluten free dough. You want to maintain some of that moisture to help keep it together (this is why our dough looks a little stickier than normal before we roll it out). Mix your dough just until the flour is incorporated with the other ingredients.
- Pop it in the fridge for a couple minutes. Because we roll the dough out by hand, the heat from our hands or the surface softens the dough. To help with this, we want to stick it in the fridge to firm up just a little. After some fridge time, the moisture does bind together a tad which makes it easier to roll out.
- Tapioca flour is your friend. Dust your surface with a good amount of tapioca flour before rolling the dough out. This helps prevent the dough form sticking to the surface. I also like to sprinkle some flour on top of the dough which helps the rolling pin roll easily.
- Use parchment paper. This is another BIG tip. Use a piece of parchment paper on your surface (the tapioca flour goes on top of the paper). This tip is a lifesaver when it comes time to actually roll up the dough. Use the parchment paper as a guide when rolling your dough up. Pick up the edge of the paper on the side you're rolling from and use it to lift the dough on top of itself to start the rolling process.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can make these ahead of time to make things easier in the morning. Prepare as directed then place each unbaked cinnamon in a baking dish and wrap tightly with plastic wrap or place a lid on top and store in the fridge overnigth. Thaw in the morning out on the counter while the oven preheats then bake as directed.
Start to finish they come together in about an hour though so you can easily make them morning of as well.
Kite Hill is my go-to dairy free cream cheese brand. I also like Tofutti and Violife. Just make sure it's room temperature before mixing.
This dough is a little finicky because it is so soft (which is a good thing once it's baked!). Use parchment paper to roll up the dough into a log, not your hands. The heat from your hands make the dough even softer and much harder to roll up.
More fall recipes you're sure to love:
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Recipe
Soft and Fluffy Gluten free and Vegan Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
For the Dough
- ¾ cup full-fat coconut milk
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 ½ cup almond flour
- 2 ⅓ cup tapioca flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice, divided - sub. ½ tablespoon cinnamon and ½ tablespoon nutmeg if desired
- ¼ cup coconut oil - melted
- ½ cup coconut sugar
For the Cream Cheese Icing
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup vegan cream cheese - room temperature
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, beat the coconut milk and apple cider vinegar until smooth. Then add the pumpkin puree and vanilla and mix again until creamy.
- Add the almond flour, tapioca flour, baking powder, and ½ tablespoon pumpkin spice to the bowl. Mix until the flours are fully incorporated and a large ball of dough forms. The dough will be soft and sticky. Form it into a ball and wrap it up in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for 20 minutes while you prepare the filling.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the melted coconut oil, coconut sugar, and other ½ tablespoon pumpkin spice. You can use a whisk for this or a fork. The mixture will look like dark wet sand. Set bowl aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Place a piece of parchment paper down on a flat surface and sprinkle with a little extra tapioca flour. Place the ball of dough on top and sprinkle with more tapioca flour (this helps prevent the rolling pin from sticking to the dough). Roll out the dough to ½ inch in thickness and 12 inches wide by 16 inches long.
- Spread the cinnamon mixture over top of the dough with the back of a spoon or rubber spatula. Leave some room around the edges. Be careful not to press too hard into the dough and just gently brush over top.
- Pinch the edges of one of the longer sides and begin rolling up the dough. Use the parchment paper underneath to do this (this is important!). Don't try to roll it up with your hands. Because the dough is soft, the heat from your hands will break the dough easily.
- Use a piece of floss or a string to cut the dough into 9 2-inch cinnamon rolls. To do this, wedge the string underneath the dough. Bring both ends of the string upwards, cross, and pull tight. This helps keep the cinnamon rolls round without flattening them with a knife.
- Line a round or rectangular baking dish or a cast iron pan with parchment paper for easy clean up and place each cinnamon roll inside, leaving a little room in between each so they have room to bake. Bake in the oven for 25 - 28 minutes until risen and the edges are golden.
- Let cool slightly while yo prepare the icing. In a bowl, mix together the room temperature cream cheese, powdered sugar, and maple syrup. You can use a whisk or a spoon to mix or a hand mixer if you like. Drizzle the icing over top of each warm cinnamon roll and enjoy!
Hi! Is there any good substitute for the almond flour? We sadly have an almond allergy in the family.
Really wanting to give these a try!
Do you think apple purée would work well in the place of pumpkin?? I love pumpkin, but it’s spring now and some of my family members don’t care for it.
Hi Laura! I love the idea of apple puree but I don't think it would work the same in this recipe. I do have a maple cinnamon roll recipe that's very popular and easy to make! You could easily make it more "springy" with some strawberries on top!