Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls
These Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls are so soft and fluffy and packed with holiday flavor. They are perfect for Christmas morning or as a midday snack during the holidays. These gingerbread rolls are easy to make and your whole family are going to love them!
Do you love cinnamon rolls? Yes, me too!
These gingerbread cinnamon rolls take the soft and fluffy rolls to the next level!
These gingerbread cinnamon rolls are packed with holiday spices and gingerbread flavors while having everything you love about a traditional cinnamon roll.
My whole family absolutely LOVE these gingerbread-flavored cinnamon rolls.
They are so soft and fluffy, and oh so good!
Throughout the years I have made so many gingerbread recipes. Some of my favorites include this Gingerbread Loaf with Cream Cheese Frosting and these Gingerbread Chocolate Truffles. You should definitely give them a go as well.
But now, let’s get to this festive vegan gingerbread cinnamon roll recipe.
Festive Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls
This recipe is easy to make and is so festive to make around the holidays. I’m planning on serving this for breakfast on Christmas morning, and we’re all so excited about it.
These sweet and fluffy buns would work just as well to serve for dessert as well, or as a mid-day snack with a cup of coffee. Or why not serve them with some hot chocolate or a homemade mocha latte?
You simply can go wrong with this delicious recipe.
What are Vegan Gingerbread rolls made of?
To make these sweet, fluffy, and festive gingerbread cinnamon rolls I’m using regular all-purpose flour and instant yeast, which is the foundation of any traditional fluffy roll.
I decided to use vegan butter and oat milk for this recipe to keep this recipe dairy-free and vegan. If you prefer, you can use regular butter and whole milk for this gingerbreads cinnamon roll recipe as well.
The filling is made of molasses, brown sugar and homemade gingerbread spice to pack as much holiday flavor as possible. It results in a magical flavor that is way more delicious than I could imagine.
How to make gingerbread spice
To make these traditional cinnamon rolls into gingerbread cinnamon rolls you need a good amount of gingerbread spice.
It’s so easy to make your own homemade gingerbread spice. All you need are five spices that you might already have at home.
- Cinnamon
- Ginger
- Allspice
- Cloves
- Nutmeg
This gingerbread spice mix can be used in any recipe that has gingerbread spice in it. Make a large batch and use it for all the holiday baking.
Of course, you can use store-bought gingerbread spice as well. However, it is both cheaper and more fun to make your own.
A decorated glass jag with homemade gingerbread spice also makes such a cute gift, perfect for the home chef or as a hostess gift this season.
Ingredients needed for Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls
This holiday recipe is divided into two sections, the dough and the filling.
Vegan Gingerbread Cinnamon Roll dough
- Instant yeast
- Unbleached all-purpose flour
- Butter
- Gingerbread spice
- Milk
- Granulated sugar
Gingerbread roll filling
- Butter
- Molasses
- Brown sugar
- Gingerbread spices
How to make gingerbread cinnamon rolls
Start with taking the butter for the filling out from the fridge to make it soft and spreadable.
Then, make the gingerbread spice by mixing cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg until well combined. Set aside.
Now it’s time to prepare the gingerbread cinnamon roll dough.
In a medium-sized pot, melt the butter over medium heat. When fully melted, add the milk to the butter. Heat the milk and butter mixture until it’s warm (about 105 F). It should be warm, but not hot to touch. Use a kitchen thermometer if you want to be sure. If the liquid is too hot, it will kill the yeast and the dough won’t rise.
Then, add sugar and gingerbread spice and stir well to dissolve the sugar crystals.
Now, sprinkle yeast across the milk mixture and let it activate/ bloom for about 10 minutes. The yeast should be foamy when ready.
Slowly add the flour to the milk mixture while stirring with a wooden spoon as you add the flour.
Once all the flour is added, move the dough to a floured kitchen counter and knead the dough with your hand until all the flour is well incorporated. Knead by hand for about 10 minutes for the best result. The dough should be firm, smooth, and elastic.
Form a round ball with the dough, put it in a large bowl dusted with flour, and cover with plastic wrap so no air gets in or out.
Let the gingerbread cinnamon roll dough rise for about one hour in a warm place. See tips below.
While the gingerbread roll dough rises, prepare the filling by mixing the remaining gingerbreads spices with brown sugar.
Now, lightly flour a flat and smooth surface (pastry mat, marble slab, huge chopping board, or a clean kitchen counter).
Roll the dough out into a rectangular shape.
Then, spread the room temperature butter on the dough with a knife or spoon. Then, spread the molasses on top of the butter. Lastly, spread the sugar and cinnamon mixture evenly across the dough on top of the molasses.
(You can also mix butter, molasses, brown sugar, and gingerbread spices in a bowl and then spread everything on top of the dough.)
From the longer side of the rectangular, start rolling the dough into a cylinder. Make sure to roll the dough tightly.
Now, cut the dough into 9 – 10 even pieces using a sharp knife.
Grease an 8×8 or 9×9 baking dish.
Place the vegan gingerbread cinnamon rolls with the cut side down in the greased baking dish. Place them with some space in between them so they will have space to rise and expand.
Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and let it rise for 20 – 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 F.
Lastly, remove the plastic wrap and brush the surface of the buns with melted butter.
Finally, bake the gingerbread cinnamon rolls for 20 minutes.
Cashew Cream Cheese Icing
This vegan cashew cream cheese frosting is perfect for these gingerbread cinnamon rolls. All that’s needed are :
- Raw cashews – soaked overnight in cold water or in hot water for 2 hours
- Maple syrup
- Apple cider vinegar
- Coconut milk – Refrigerate a can of coconut milk and only use the firm top part
- Vanilla extract
To view the full recipe, follow this link.
Tips for making the best gingerbread rolls
- Check the expiration date on the yeast. Unlike other baking staples yeast actually expires and won’t yield fluffy buns.
- Let the dough rice in a warm place. For example, heat a pot of water (slightly warm, not hot to touch), and place the bowl on top of the pot. Just make sure it’s not touching the water. If you have a proving drawer attached to your oven, this is an excellent time to use it.
- Roll the dough tightly for a nice and even swirl.
- Use a thermometer to make sure the milk and butter temperature is optimal for the yeast to get activated (105 F, doublecheck on the package of yeast that you are using).
- Use a thermometer to make sure the oven has come up to temperature before inserting the gingerbread cinnamon rolls.
How to store gingerbread rolls
These gingerbread rolls can be stored at room temperature for 3 days or in the fridge for 5 days.
You can also freeze them for up to 3 months.
I would recommend not adding frosting before freezing the rolls and then making the frosting fresh when you are ready to eat them.
What is your favorite holiday recipe? Let me know in the comments!
I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YOUR CREATIONS! YOU CAN USE “TRIED IT” ON PINTEREST OR SHARE ON INSTAGRAM BY TAGGING #SHUANGYSEATS
Get the recipe:Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Gingerbread Spice
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground allspice
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
Gingerbread Cinnamon Roll Dough
- 1 packet, 7g active dry yeast
- 3 cups 375g unbleached all purpose flour (plus additional flour for dusting)
- 3 tbsp vegan butter, melted
- 1 ½ tsp gingerbread spice
- 1 cup milk of choice
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
Filling
- 3 tbsp vegan butter, room temp
- 2-3 tbsp molasses
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 3 tbsp gingerbread spice
Instructions
- Make the gingerbread spice by mixing cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg until well combined. Set aside.
- In a medium-sized pot, melt the butter over medium heat. When fully melted, add the milk to the butter. Heat the milk and butter mixture until it’s warm (about 105 F). It should be warm, but not hot to touch.
- Add sugar and gingerbread spice and stir well to dissolve the sugar crystals.
- Now, sprinkle yeast across the milk mixture and let it activate/ bloom for about 10 minutes. The yeast should be foamy when ready.
- Slowly add the flour to the milk mixture while stirring with a wooden spoon as you add the flour.
- Once all the flour is added, move the dough to a floured kitchen counter and knead the dough with your hand until all the flour is well incorporated. Knead by hand for about 10 minutes for the best result. The dough should be firm, smooth, and elastic.
- Form a round ball with the dough, put it in a large bowl dusted with flour, and cover with plastic wrap so no air gets in or out.
- Let the cinnamon roll dough rise for about one hour in a warm place.
- While the gingerbread roll dough rises, prepare the filling by mixing the gingerbread spice with brown sugar.
- Lightly flour a flat and smooth surface (pastry mat, marble slab, huge chopping board, or a clean kitchen counter). and roll the dough out into a rectangular shape.
- Spread the room temperature butter on the dough with a knife or spoon. Then, spread the molasses on top of the butter. Lastly, spread the sugar and cinnamon mixture evenly across the dough on top of the butter.
- From the longer side of the rectangular, start rolling the dough into a cylinder. Make sure to roll the dough tightly.
- Cut the dough into 9 – 10 pieces even pieces using a sharp knife.
- Grease an 8×8 or 9×9 baking dish.
- Place the rolls with the cut side down in the greased baking dish. Place them with some space in between them so they will have space to rise and expand.
- Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and let it rise for 20 – 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Lastly, remove the plastic wrap and brush the surface of the buns with melted butter.
- Bake the gingerbread cinnamon rolls for 20 minutes.
The Nutrition Facts above are specific to the ingredients I chose to use for this recipe, which may vary.
Look amazing!!!
Can I use a cocoa butter instead of cow butter?
I’m vegan ✌️
Hi Sapir, While we haven’t tried making this recipe with cocoa butter, in theory, it should work. I have also made the recipe with vegan butter with great results. If you make the cinnamon rolls with cocoa butter, please let us know how it went! Good luck 🙂
-Emmelie
Can these be made gluten free? I have the Bobs Red Mill 1:1 GF baking flour. They look amazzzzing 🤤
Hi Meghan,
I have tried the Bobs 1:1 GF for this recipe but I have used it for many recipes in replace of all purpose flour so it should work! You will love it!
Best,
Shuang Shuang