20-Minute, Easy Vegan Cinnamon Rolls (2024)

Published: May 5, 2022 by Becky Striepe · This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon and ShareASale associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Making cinnamon rolls from scratch is gratifying but time-consuming. These easy vegan cinnamon rolls only take about 20 minutes!

Y'all, my family loves cinnamon rolls, and I make these easy vegan cinnamon rolls for them often. They're a weekend morning special!

Finding vegan crescent rolls

No need to hit a specialty store for vegan crescent rolls, unless you want to. Many common brands of pre-made crescent roll dough are accidentally vegan.

To find vegan dough for your cinnamon rolls, just check the ingredients for dairy. Pro tip: check the allergy declaration. If it doesn't say "contains milk" or "contains milk derivatives", then it's vegan!

Some brands will write something like "may contain milk" in the allergy declaration, but that's a cross-contamination concern, not an ingredient. If you have a dairy allergy, that may be something to look out for, but if you're vegan, it's no problem. We don't live in a perfect, dairy-free world.

You can use gluten-free dough for gluten-free vegan cinnamon rolls. In that case, follow the package directions for the baking time and temperature, since it can vary from conventional crescent rolls.

If you like getting creative with crescent roll dough, you will also love my vegan cherry cheese danish recipe! It is so easy to make and delicious!

Recipe notes

Got your crescent rolls ready? Let's make some easy vegan cinnamon rolls!

The first thing you have to do is make your cinnamon sugar spread by whisking brown sugar, cinnamon, and vegan butter together.

I use brown sugar in my cinnamon rolls, because it gives the filling a lovely, molasses flavor, just like in my recipe for vegan brown sugar cookies.

You can use white sugar for your cinnamon sugar filling, if you prefer.

If you want to give these a real holiday flair, try using pumpkin pie spice in place of the cinnamon. What a treat!

Now, it's time to convert your sheet of crescent roll dough into a single dough sheet. Roll it out on a piece of parchment paper, and pinch all of the seams along the dough closed.

Spread the cinnamon sugar mixture all over the dough, and then roll it up. Then, transfer it to a cutting board, slice it into eight rounds, and then bake them on a lined backing sheet.

Your cinnamon rolls are ready when the dough is golden brown around the edges.

You can serve them straight up or drizzle on some maple glaze to really up the ante.

How to store them

Leftover cinnamon rolls will keep for 2-3 days in a covered container on the kitchen counter.

I do recommend letting them cool completely before storing, so you don't get condensation inside the container. That can cause spoilage.

Warm them back up in the toaster oven at 350° F for five to seven minutes before serving.

📖 Recipe