Super Easy Gluten Free and Vegan Cinnamon Rolls

Whenever I go to a gluten free bakery, gluten free cinnamon rolls are one of my go-to orders...but I'd never tried a homemade gluten free cinnamon roll recipe until this past week. While these definitely aren't your traditional super-sugary cinnamon rolls, they are super pillowy, soft and delicious.

And did I mention this gluten free cinnamon roll recipe is also vegan and SUPER easy to make? Yes, dessert dreams do come true!

A Few Reasons Why This Gluten Free Cinnamon Roll Recipe is So Awesome:

Before I dive right into the recipe, I thought I'd share a few quick bullet points about why this vegan cinnamon roll recipe seriously blew my mom and I away:

• Technically, you only need three ingredients to make the cinnamon roll dough, if you omit the extra seasonings/extracts. And you probably already have all the necessary ingredients in your fridge and pantry.
• No eggs or dairy are needed, thanks to the dairy free yogurt that makes up a lot of the cinnamon roll base! Plus, this yogurt keeps the cinnamon rolls moist without the need for any oil in the main base.
• There is NO sugar in the cinnamon roll dough and a relatively small amount in the cinnamon sugar filling and glaze
• Even cooking Colorado's high altitude, these gluten free cinnamon rolls came out super fluffy and tender!

So if you're looking for a gluten free dessert that's a lot healthier than its traditional counterpart, uses simple ingredients and is easy enough for your kid to help you make it, keep scrolling. And if you're just looking for a dang tasty cinnamon roll recipe, keep scrolling as well! ;) 

Ingredients For This Gluten Free Cinnamon Roll Recipe:

In my experience, this recipe makes enough for 10 small cinnamon rolls.

For the Cinnamon Roll Dough:

1 cup dairy free yogurt (I used So Delicious Coconut Yogurt in the Unsweetened Vanilla flavor)
1 & 1/4 cup gluten free all purpose flour + enough to cover a baking mat (I used King Arthur)
2 tsp baking powder
Hearty sprinkle of cinnamon
Splash of vanilla extract

For the Cinnamon Sugar Filling:

4 TBSP coconut sugar (or regular sugar)
3 TBSP olive oil (or coconut oil)
3 TBSP cinnamon
Splash of vanilla extract
Splash of water (as needed to thin for spreading)

For the Cinnamon Roll Glaze:

3 TBSP dairy free yogurt
1-2 TBSP water
1 TBSP maple syrup
Hearty sprinkle of cinnamon

How To Make This Vegan Cinnamon Roll Recipe:

1. Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Then combine all of the dry ingredients for the dough, followed by your yogurt. Knead the dough until it forms a ball, adding some sprinkles of flour as necessary.

3. Transfer your ball of dough from your mixing bowl to a baking mat sprinkled with flour. Then use a baking roller to roll your dough out into a rectangle that's about a quarter of an inch thick.

4. Mix and spread your filling onto the entire rectangle of dough, spreading it with a spatula.

5. Now it's time to get rolling! In my experience, these mini gluten free cinnamon rolls are most easily rolled by cutting your rectangle into strips that about an inch wide. Then using a knife or very thin spatula (or your fingers, as long as your dough isn't sticking to the baking mat too much), slowly roll each strip into a cinnamon roll shape.

6. Place each cinnamon roll on a parchment-lined baking tray with a few inches of space around each side. Then pop your cinnamon rolls in the oven for 15 to 18 minutes. 

7. While your cinnamon rolls are cooking, you can whip up your glaze so it's ready to drizzle on afterward. Just wait for your cinnamon rolls to cool for a few minutes before you add the yogurt glaze.

8. Dig in!

How to Enjoy Your Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls

There's no wrong way to eat these vegan cinnamon rolls. They're delicious eaten on their own, with or without the glaze. Because these cinnamon rolls don't taste overly sweet, they're also delicious to eat for breakfast or as a snack. And while I've eaten plenty of them plain, I've also loved pairing them with fresh fruit, nut butter and chocolate because, well, why not?

When I'm craving a more sugary treat, I've also paired the plain cinnamon rolls with traditional (gf and vegan) vanilla icing...and OMG, dessert heaven has been made! So if you are craving a more "traditional" gluten free cinnamon roll recipe, combining this base with your choice of gluten free frosting is an easy way to up this cinnamon roll's sugar factor.

Regardless of how you enjoy the final product, I hope this gluten free cinnamon roll recipe inspires you to get in the kitchen and treat yourself to a delicious dessert! And if you do try out the recipe, I'd love for you to share how the final product turned out and your thoughts on social media and tag me (collegeceliackc on most channels).

Want to Bake These Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls Without Having this Website Up? Save the Recipe Card below to your phone!

And tell me in the comments: what's your go-to order when you visit a bakery?