Vegan Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls

Meet the world’s best vegan cinnamon rolls: vegan banana bread cinnamon rolls! A cross between a cinnamon roll and banana bread, these fluffy, soft cinnamon rolls are homemade and make a delicious brunch or treat! This recipe is in partnership with Almond Breeze. 

Coming to you with another glorious cinnamon roll recipe, but this time they’re completely vegan, dairy free and taste like a cross between a Cinnabon and banana bread. WHO ELSE IS READY TO GET THEIR BAKE ON?

I’ve tested these approximately 5 times now to get the perfect fluffy results that will make you better than Betty, almost ask cool as Ina, and definitely as legit as Martha. (Hoping we all get these references).

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I tested these vegan banana bread cinnamon rolls last spring for the first time, hoping I’d get them to you in time for Easter, but it just wasn’t in the cards. I still needed time to make them better, so I decided to save the recipe for later in the year. And now it’s August. Funny how life happens so quickly.

Since we’ll soon be heading into Fall and all things cozy, I decided that it was the perfect time to whip the recipe out and introduce these beautiful cinnamon rolls to the world.

They’re fluffy, soft and taste like a cinnamon roll and banana bread had a baby. I MEAN COME ON, NOW YOU HAVE TO TRY THEM.

Let’s talk about a few key ingredients:

Bread Flour. The trick to keep these cinnamon rolls soft and fluffy is to use bread flour. You can read more about bread flour vs. all-purpose flour here, but basically bread flour has a higher protein ratio, which means it produces a lighter and softer cinnamon roll instead of one that’s dense. It’s meant to be used in breads and rolls, so do yourself a favor and pick up a bag ASAP.

Vegan butter. We’re using vegan butter in this recipe. However, if you aren’t vegan or dairy free, feel free to use regular unsalted butter. Or you can try my regular cinnamon roll recipe.

Mashed banana. Not only does mashed banana help to give the cinnamon rolls that banana bread flavor, but it also helps to keep the recipe vegan. Not only that, the banana adds a natural sweetness AND softness to the dough. SO addicting. Just make sure that you measure out the mashed banana to ¾ cup. DO NOT USE MORE. DO NOT USE LESS. Trust me!

Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla almondmilk. YUM. This is my go to almondmilk. It keeps these cinnamon rolls dairy free and vegan, plus it adds a lovely hint of vanilla. Simply the best.

I’m not sure what else I could tell you other than to make them ASAP.

You’ll fall in love, I know it.

See how to make the cinnamon rolls:

If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a comment below and rate the recipe! You can also snap a picture and post it on Instagram using the hashtag #ambitiouskitchen. And of course be sure to follow Ambitious Kitchen on Instagram. Xo!

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Vegan Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls

 

Author: Monique of AmbitiousKitchen.com

Recipe type: Vegan, Dairy Free, Brunch

Prep time:  1 hour 30 mins

Cook time:  25 mins

Total time:  1 hour 55 mins

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Ingredients

• For the dough:
• ¾ cup Almond Breeze unsweetened vanilla almondmilk, warmed to 110 degrees F
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 2 ¼ teaspoons active yeast (1/4-ounce package yeast)
• ¾ cup mashed ripe banana (from about 2 medium bananas, but make sure you measure)
• ¼ cup melted vegan butter
• 4 cups bread flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• For the filling:
• 2/3 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• ¼ cup vegan butter, softened
• 1 medium banana, thinly sliced
• For the vegan cream cheese frosting*:
• 2 oz vegan cream cheese, softened
• 1 tablespoon vegan butter, softened
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon Almond Breeze unsweetened vanilla almondmilk, to thin frosting for drizzling

Instructions

1. Add warm almondmilk and sugar to the bowl of an electric mixer and sprinkle yeast on top. Stir in ¾ cup mashed banana (making sure you measured!) and melted vegan butter. Mix until just combined. Next stir in flour and salt with a wooden spoon until a dough begins to form.
2. Place dough hook on mixer and knead dough on low speed for 8 minutes. Dough should form into a nice ball and be slightly sticky. (If you don’t want to use an electric mixer, you can use your hands to knead the dough for 8-10 minutes on a well-floured surface.)
3. Transfer dough ball to a greased large bowl, then cover with plastic wrap and a warm towel. Allow dough to rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
4. After dough has doubled in size, transfer dough to a well-floured surface and roll out into a 14x10 inch rectangle. Spread softened butter over dough, leaving a ¼ inch margin at the far side of the dough.
5. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar and cinnamon. Use your hands to sprinkle mixture over the buttered dough, then gently rub the sugar into the butter a little. Add banana slices on top.
6. Tightly roll dough up the dough, starting from the 9-inch side and place seam side down making sure to seal the edges of the dough as best you can. You will probably need to cut off about ½ inch off the ends of the dough as it won’t be as full of cinnamon sugar as we’d want it to be. Then cut into 1 inch sections with a serrated knife. You should get 9 large pieces.
7. Place cinnamon rolls in a greased 9x9 inch baking pan or round 9 inch cake pan. (I also recommend lining the pan with parchment paper as well, in case any of the filling ends up leaking out.) Cover with plastic wrap and a warm towel and let rise again while you preheat your oven.
8. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove plastic wrap and towel and bake the cinnamon rolls for 25-35 minutes or until just slightly golden brown on the edges. You want to under bake them a little so they stay soft in the middle, that’s why we want them just slightly golden brown. Allow them to cool for a 5-10 minutes before frosting. Makes 9 cinnamon rolls.
9. To make the frosting: In the bowl of an electric mixer or in a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth and fluffy. Add 1 teaspoon of almondmilk if you’d like a thinner glaze. Spread or drizzle over cinnamon rolls and serve immediately.

Notes

If you like a lot of frosting, I suggest doubling it.

To make overnight cinnamon rolls:
After placing rolls into the greased pan, simply cover, place overnight in the fridge and then bake them in the morning as directed. I like to bring my cinnamon rolls to room temperature first by leaving them on the counter for 30 minutes before baking (this is known as the second rise).

*Feel free to use regular butter and cream cheese if you are not vegan or dairy free.

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