Ever want a cinnamon roll but don't want to make so many that you couldn't possibly eat them all? Been there done that and that's why this small-batch cinnamon roll recipe is perfect for a family or pair of individuals as it makes about 6-8 rolls.
My husband has been calling these dairy free Cinnabon cinnamon rolls because they taste almost exactly like the real deal. They're packed with cinnamon flavor, gooey in the centers, and fluffy. The only thing missing is the whipped cream cheese frosting on top but that's okay because this vegan cinnamon roll icing is simple and a delicious complement to the flavors we have going on in every roll.
The filling from these rolls is exactly the same as my Cinnabon Clone Cinnamon Rolls but using a dairy free margarine instead. Because there are no eggs or dairy in this recipe it's a vegan cinnamon roll recipe, but you'll never notice anything is missing because these rolls are just too good to resist.
Serve them up for the holidays like Christmas morning or keep them as a nice weekend treat, there's no wrong time to enjoy this small batch of cinnamon rolls.
🥘 Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour or Bread Flour
- Active Dry Yeast
- Salt
- Warm Water
- Vegetable Oil
- Sugar
Filling
- Brown Sugar
- Margarine
- Ground Cinnamon
- Salt
Icing
- Powdered Sugar
- Vanilla Extract
- Milk
For specific quantities, see the recipe card below.
🍽 Equipment Needed
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- Mixing bowls
- Baking dish
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Whisk
🔪 Instructions
Check out how to make small batch cinnamon rolls with these simple step-by-step instructions:
In a bowl whisk together the flour, yeast, and salt.
Make a well in the center and add to it the sugar, oil, and water.
Stir to combine.
Knead the dough on floured surface for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Feed it more flour as needed to get it no longer sticky. You may need about 1 more cup of flour.
Place in a bowl and cover. Let rise until doubled, about 1 hour in a warm place.
Punch down and roll out into a rectangle shape about ¼ inch thick.
In a small bowl, mix together the filling ingredients until they're a nice paste-like consistency.
Use a butter knife or the back of a spoon to spread the filling over the cinnamon rolls. It sticks better when using a cold metal object than it does with your hands. Rub the filling out to within an inch of the border of the dough.
Starting from one long end of the rectangle to the other, roll the cinnamon roll dough into a tight log and then pinch the end seams to hold it together.
Slice the ends off and discard as these will have very little filling. Slice the remaining log into 6 or 8 equal sized pieces and place them into a greased baking dish. An 8x8 or 2 qt baking dish will work fine.
Cover the dish and allow the rolls to rest until doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Bake for 15 minutes or until golden on top. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes.
In a small bowl whisk together the icing ingredients until smooth, using enough milk to get it to a drizzling consistency. Drizzle the icing over the top of the cinnamon rolls.
Serve warm and enjoy.
🍴 Recipe Tips
Making these dairy free cinnamon rolls from scratch is both simple and fun because you get to get your hands messy and smell that wonderful aroma of yeast dough and cinnamon in your home for hours.
You will know that you have kneaded your dough enough when it's smooth and no longer sticky. You should be able to poke the dough with your finger and watch the indent quickly fill in as the dough springs to life.
This cinnamon roll filling is a wet one meaning that we mix everything together and spread it on at once instead of rubbing butter on the dough and sprinkling cinnamon sugar on top. This works best (in my opinion) to keep the cinnamon in place so that it doesn't run out the bottom of the roll when you bake.
We also use a lot of cinnamon in these rolls so there's a ton of great flavor, unlike other cinnamon roll recipes where the cinnamon is barely a whisper.
You can use milk based margarine and milk or plant based and still get incredible results every time so use what you have on hand or keep it allergen friendly.
💭 FAQs
Absolutely! Want to eat these cinnamon rolls in the morning without all the extra prep? No problem! Just make the cinnamon rolls as directed up until the second rise (right after you've placed the cut rolls into the baking dish) and then cover with plastic wrap. Place the cinnamon rolls in the fridge and let them u0022slow riseu0022 in there overnight or for no more than 12 hours. Remove from the fridge and place on the counter while you preheat the oven. Allow the pan to come closer to room temperature (about 30 minutes) before baking as directed.
These cinnamon rolls are good for about 3 or 4 days if stored in an airtight container at room temperature. I do not recommend storing them in the fridge after being baked (you could though) but the fridge cold air will cause the cinnamon rolls to dry out.
Yes, you can freeze the dough just before the second rise (right after cutting and placing in the baking dish). If freezing raw cinnamon rolls, cover well with plastic wrap and foil and place in the freezer for 3 or 4 months. To thaw and bake just place them in the fridge overnight and allow to come to room temperature on the counter the next day (about 30 minutes) while the oven preheats. Then bake as directed.
More great dairy free/vegan recipes to try
- Simple Dairy Free White Bread
- Dairy Free Rice Krispie Treats
- Dairy Free Waffles
- Vegan Dinner Rolls
- Vegan Hamburger Buns
- Vegan Apple Upside Down Cake
📖 Recipe
Small Batch Cinnamon Rolls (Dairy Free, Egg Free)
Equipment
- Baking dish
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups All-Purpose Flour or Bread Flour ($0.20)
- 2 ¼ teaspoon Active Dry Yeast (one packet) ($0.54)
- 1 ½ teaspoon Salt ($0.15)
- 1 cup Warm Water 110*F ($0.00)
- 3 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil ($0.39)
- 2 Tablespoons Sugar ($0.03)
Filling
- 1 cup Brown Sugar ($0.55)
- ⅓ cup Margarine ($0.50)
- 3 Tablespoons Ground Cinnamon ($0.30)
- ¼ teaspoon Salt *only if using unsalted butter/margarine ($0.02)
Icing
- 1 cup Powdered Sugar ($0.23)
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract ($0.02)
- 1-2 Tablespoons Milk ($0.01)
Instructions
- In a bowl whisk together the flour, yeast, and salt.
- Make a well in the center and add to it the sugar, oil, and water.
- Stir to combine.
- Knead the dough on floured surface for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Feed it more flour as needed to get it no longer sticky. You may need about 1 more cup of flour.
- Place in a bowl and cover. Let rise until doubled, about 1 hour in a warm place.
- Punch down and roll out into a rectangle shape about ¼ inch thick.
- In a small bowl, mix together the filling ingredients until they're a nice paste-like consistency.
- Use a butter knife or the back of a spoon to spread the filling over the cinnamon rolls. It sticks better when using a cold metal object than it does with your hands. Rub the filling out to within an inch of the border of the dough.
- Starting from one long end of the rectangle to the other, roll the cinnamon roll dough into a tight log and then pinch the end seams to hold it together.
- Slice the ends off and discard as these will have very little filling. Slice the remaining log into 6 or 8 equal sized pieces and place them into a greased baking dish. An 8x8 or 2 qt baking dish will work fine.
- Cover the dish and allow the rolls to rest until doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until golden on top. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes.
- In a small bowl whisk together the icing ingredients until smooth, using enough milk to get it to a drizzling consistency. Drizzle the icing over the top of the cinnamon rolls.
- Serve warm and enjoy.
Bread machine option
- Place dough ingredients in order of the owners manual for your specific bread machine.
- Turn the machine to "dough cycle" and close the lid. Waiting for the beep.
- Take the dough and turn it onto a lightly floured surface and continue with the steps above starting with rolling it out into a rectangular shape about ¼ inch thick.
Notes
Recipe Tips
- You will know that you have kneaded your dough enough when it's smooth and no longer sticky. You should be able to poke the dough with your finger and watch the indent quickly fill in as the dough springs to life.
- This cinnamon roll filling is a wet one meaning that we mix everything together and spread it on at once instead of rubbing butter on the dough and sprinkling cinnamon sugar on top. This works best (in my opinion) to keep the cinnamon in place so that it doesn't run out the bottom of the roll when you bake.
- You can use milk based margarine and milk or plant based and still get incredible results every time so use what you have on hand or keep it allergen friendly.
Overnight cinnamon rolls with this recipe
- Just make the cinnamon rolls as directed until the second rise (right after placing the cut rolls into the baking dish) and then cover with plastic wrap.
- Place the cinnamon rolls in the fridge and let them slow rise in there overnight or for no more than 12 hours.
- Remove from the fridge and place on the counter while you preheat the oven.
- Allow the pan to come closer to room temperature (about 30 minutes) before baking as directed.
Storage
- These cinnamon rolls are good for about 3 or 4 days if stored in an airtight container at room temperature. I do not recommend storing them in the fridge after being baked (you could though) but the fridge cold air will cause the cinnamon rolls to dry out.
Make Ahead Freezer Technique
- You can freeze the dough just before the second rise (right after cutting and placing in the baking dish). If freezing raw cinnamon rolls, cover well with plastic wrap and foil and place in the freezer for 3 or 4 months.
- To thaw and bake just place them in the fridge overnight and allow to come to room temperature on the counter the next day (about 30 minutes) while the oven preheats. Then bake as directed.
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