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Sourdough

Vegan Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls From Scratch

If you’re looking for healthy vegan sourdough cinnamon rolls, it doesn’t get better than this! Make your homemade sourdough cinnamon rolls vegan with this easy recipe!

Prep: 6 hours
Cook: 1 hour
Total: 7 hours
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Recipe Index | Ferment | Sourdough

Vegan Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls From Scratch

If you’re looking for healthy vegan sourdough cinnamon rolls, it doesn’t get better than this! Make your homemade sourdough cinnamon rolls vegan with this easy recipe!

Vegan Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls Ingredients & Supplies

  • Sourdough Starter: We have an easy sourdough starter recipe HERE. You’ll need to start this 7 days before baking, or 2 days before baking if you use our quick recipe option!
  • Flour: I use a 50/50 mix of flour for most of my sourdough recipes. But for this recipe, I like to use all bread flour for fluffier rolls.
  • Water: You can use tap water to bake bread, I do. But if you prefer bottled or filtered, that works too!
  • Salt: Unrefined sea salt, please! Just make sure your sea salt is unrefined and free from anticaking agents.
  • Maple Syrup: I use maple syrup in my bread recipes instead of cane sugar. I just like the results better.
  • Cinnamon & Sugar: I think the best cinnamon is Ceylon cinnamon, but any cinnamon will do. For sugar, I just used the organic cane sugar from Trader Joe’s.
  • Butter: regular butter and vegan butter both work in this recipe.
  • Eggs: Vegan egg replacers and regular eggs both work perfectly in this recipe.

How to Make Vegan Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls from Scratch

When it comes to bread products, sourdough is the best. It’s easier to digest, it’s more flavorful and the airy texture is wonderful!

I started out thinking I’d make a sourdough cinnamon swirl loaf, and that quickly evolved into cinnamon rolls. The sourdough flavor pairs with the sweet cinnamon swirl flavor so well, and I love it. I know sourdough products take a bit more time and care, but the delicious taste is WORTH IT.

Christmas Breakfast Vegan Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon rolls are a tradition for my family. We make cinnamon rolls, usually out of a can, every Christmas morning.

Well, not this year! I already let my whole family know that this recipe is now our official go-to Christmas morning cinnamon roll recipe.

Admittedly, I do not make vegan sourdough cinnamon rolls, though. I make regular rolls with whole milk, real butter and eggs. The great thing about this recipe is it works with vegan ingredients and non-vegan ingredients.

Easy Recipe For Homemade Cinnamon Rolls with Sourdough Starter

First, you will need a sourdough starter. You can find easy and quick directions for making a sourdough starter HERE. Once you have your sourdough starter ready, it will take about 4 hours to make the dough for the cinnamon rolls.

When making sourdough products, it’s all about the stretching and folding, and the rise times. You start with a dough ball, let it rise, then stretch and fold (steps covered below) three times over the course of three hours. Let me tell you again, the wait is so WORTH IT.

Pro tip: I like to put my covered bowl of dough on top of my electric heating pad to speed up the rise times between the stretches and folds.

The warm temperature promotes the yeast to produce carbon dioxide faster, resulting in more air pockets and rise in a shorter time span. It’s like a cheap version of a proofer, so if you’re fancy and your oven has a proof setting, obviously use that.

sourdough cinnamon rolls vegan version with light a fluffy texture on the inside, plated on a white plate with a coffee cup in the background.
vegan sourdough cinnamon rolls on a white plate with a glass of milk on the side.

Freezing the Shaped Rolls to Bake Later

When to Freeze: Follow the recipe through step 15 (cutting the dough and placing slices in the parchment-lined pan).

  • STOP HERE. Do not let the rolls rise on the counter for 2 hours. You will complete the rise after thawing them from the freezer instead.

How to Freeze:

  • Wrap the baking dish tightly with plastic wrap, then aluminum foil (to prevent freezer burn).
  • Place the dish flat in the freezer. They will keep well for up to 2 months.

How to Bake Later: Because these are sourdough, you cannot bake them straight from frozen. They need to thaw and then rise. You can thaw them right from the freezer, but here is my favorite way to do it:

  • The Night Before: Move the pan from the freezer to the refrigerator. Let them thaw slowly overnight (8–12 hours).
  • The Morning Of: Take the pan out of the fridge. The rolls will likely still look small. Leave them on the counter at room temperature.
  • The Rise: Allow them to rise until they are puffy and soft. Note: Because the dough is starting from cold, this may take longer than the original 2 hours (expect 3–5 hours depending on your room temp).
  • Bake: Once puffy, bake at 375°F as instructed.
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Sourdough

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5 from 6 reviews

Vegan Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls From Scratch

If you’re looking for healthy vegan sourdough cinnamon rolls, it doesn’t get better than this! Make your homemade sourdough cinnamon rolls vegan with this easy recipe! The flavor is incredible and when rolls are made with sourdough, they’re easier to digest.

  • Prep: 6 hours
  • Cook: 1 hour
  • Total Time: 7 hours

Ingredients

Dough Ingredients

  • 540 grams bread flour
  • 5 g sea salt
  • 300 grams organic soy milk, room temperature
  • 30 grams unsalted vegan butter, melted
  • Egg replacer equaling 1 large egg
  • 150 g bubbly, active sourdough starter
  • 35 grams maple syrup

Cinnamon Filling Ingredients 

  • 60 grams unsalted vegan butter, cold
  • 100 g granulated sugar
  • 100 grams brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon flour

Icing Ingredients

  • 3/4 Cup Powdered Sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon organic soy milk

Instructions

  1. You can make this recipe with vegan milk, butter and egg substitutes OR make it with whole milk, regualr butter and eggs. These rolls are fantastic either way.
  2. Combine the egg, sourdough starter, maple syrup until smooth. In a separate bowl, combine the milk and butter.
  3. slowly whisk the milk and butter mixture into the bowl with the egg, starter and maple syrup.
  4. Mix all of the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
  5. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, until just combined and a shaggy dough ball forms. Let it sit for 20 minutes.
  6. After 20 minutes, knead the dough into a uniform dough ball.
  7. Lightly oil a large bowl, and place the dough in the bowl. The dough ball should be soft and quickly morph to fit the shape of your bowl.
  8. Allow the dough to rise at room temperature (about 78° F) covered for 3 to 4 hours. 
  9. During the rise time, stretch and fold the dough twice. Using a spatula or your hands, stretch up the bottom of the dough, without breaking it, and fold over the top of the dough. Stretch and fold the side over side, then top over bottom. As you do this you’ll notice there is more resistance stretching the dough. 
  10. Remove the dough from the bowl and place it on a well-floured surface. Gently pull out the dough until it is a large rectangular shape. Be gentle you want the dough to still have some fluff to it. the rectangle should be about 15×10 inches.
  11. Prepare the cinnamon filling by mixing together the butter, sugar,cinnamon, and flour.
  12. Evenly spread the sugar mixture over the dough.
  13. Line a medium baking dish with parchment paper. 
  14. Roll up the dough. Work quickly so the dough holds its shape. You can roll the dough along the longer side or the shorter side. I like to roll along the longer side to get more rolls, and along the shorter side for thicker rolls. 
  15. Cut the dough into slices and place the slices in your parchment paper-lined baking dish with the swirls facing upward. You want the rolls to fit snugly against each other in the baking dish.  (If you want to freeze for later, this is where you should stop and freeze! Wrap the baking dish tightly with plastic wrap, then with aluminum foil. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months. When ready to bake, remove from the freezer, thaw for a couple of hours, and continue with the following steps.) 
  16. Cover the rolls and allow to rise at room temperature for about 2 hours, until they’ve puffed up a bit. 
  17. Optional: allow to proof in the fridge overnight for 8-12 hours. Or move on to the next step. 
  18. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. 
  19. After the final rise time, bake for 40-45 minutes until the rolls are golden brown. Time may be adjusted depending on your oven.
  20. For the icing mix the powdered sugar and cold milk.
  21. Remove the rolls from the oven and cool for 30 minutes. Once the rolls are cool add the icing on top and enjoy! 

Notes

  • To prevent runny filling and to make the dough easier to work with, you can refrigerate the dough for an hour before proceeding to step 9.
  • I use regular butter, eggs, and milk in this recipe with excellent results.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a 5-star review below if you loved it! Tag @cultured.guru on Instagram

 

Nutrition information is auto-calculated and estimated as close as possible. We are not responsible for any errors. We have tested the recipe for accuracy, but your results may vary.

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Kaitlynn Fenley Author, Educator, Food Microbiologist
Kaitlynn is a food microbiologist and fermentation expert teaching people how to ferment foods and drinks at home.
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  1. Maddy
    08|21|2022

    Baked this the first time and followed the recipe exactly! Came out amazing and loved it! Baked it a second time and decided to switch out the sea salt for a pumpkin spice salt I had on hand. During the ride time this time, the dough did not rise at all. I continued the process of kneading and waiting, but still no rise. Could switching out the sal make that much of a difference?

    Reply
    1. Kaitlynn Fenley
      08|22|2022

      How was your starter? was it active and bubbly? It might have been the salt, it depends on what other ingredients are in it. I’m going to update this recipe to use weight measurements for more accuracy.

      Reply
  2. Millie
    10|20|2022

    These were some of the best cinnamon rolls I’ve had! Also really love that they’re easier to digest. Usually sweet things like this really bother me for breakfast but these didn’t.

    Reply
  3. Denise
    11|16|2022

    I like that this recipe can be made in a day. Found this recipe because it is labelled vegan but there an egg in it….I used 1/4 c of aqua faba instead, soy milk and earth balance butter. Beautiful dough. Added a little bit of baking powder and baking soda just before rolling the dough because I wasn’t sure my starter was strong enough but I don’t think I needed to. Could only fit 6 in spring form pan of 9”….they were quite big. Quite yummy. The first sourdough cinnamon bun recipe that turned out for me. Impressed and pleased. I plan to make this again. Thanks for posting.

    Reply
  4. Tina
    01|02|2025

    These were really really good! Except I did have to add more flour than the recipe called for. Maybe about 1/4 cup. Made it vegan and it was goooddd🤌

    Reply
  5. Gabby
    02|23|2025

    These cinnamon rolls came out so good!! I added a little orange zest to the filling and orange juice to the icing because I had an orange on hand, and omg it was delicious. I will absolutely be making these again!

    Reply
    1. Kaitlynn Fenley
      02|24|2025

      yum! love the addition of orange. Thanks for leaving a review!

      Reply
  6. Shalee Fecht
    08|28|2025

    If I wanted to make multiple batches and freeze them to give to neighbors at what point would I freeze and how would they bake them?

    Reply
    1. Shelley
      10|24|2025

      WOW! These turned out so delish. I weighed all the ingredients and followed your instructions mostly, but it was late and I was tired so I threw the dough ball in the oven over night. When I woke up it was 3x as big. Then I rolled out the dough. Made them into rolls and let them rise in the oven again for about 4 hours. I’m eating one right out of the oven right now. This recipe is exactly what I’ve been searching for. Believe me, I’ve tried many recipes.

      Reply
      1. Kaitlynn Fenley
        10|24|2025

        I’m thrilled to hear you love the cinnamon rolls! This was one of the first sourdough recipes I ever developed way back when I used to be vegan, and I love hearing that people are still trying this recipe and enjoying them. Thanks for leaving a review!

        Reply
        1. Shalee Fecht
          12|09|2025

          If I wanted to make multiple batches and freeze them to give to neighbors at what point would I freeze and how would they bake them?

          Reply
          1. Kaitlynn Fenley
            12|09|2025

            I just added some freezing and thawing/baking instructions right above the recipe card and briefly in step 15 for you!

    2. Kate
      12|06|2025

      Made these and swapped the cinnamon for All Spice because I had run out – soooo good, they’re on rotation now (both vegan and non-vegan!) Kaitlynn, do you think it’s possible to freeze the proofed rolls and bake later with similar outcomes?

      Reply
      1. Kaitlynn Fenley
        12|08|2025

        Wonderful! I’m happy to hear you love the rolls! and I think so! just take them out the freezer let them thaw for a little bit before baking.

        Reply

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A lot of people think vinegar kills all microbes b A lot of people think vinegar kills all microbes because shelf stable pickles do not contain microbes. But with shelf stable pickles, it’s the pasteurization/sterilization via hot water bath or pressure canning that makes shelf stable pickles free of microbes.

Hot hot hot acid in a pressurized environment does kill, well…most microbes. 

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Fridge pickles are made without pasteurization/sterilization (canning) so they will wild ferment without refrigeration, and not necessarily in a good way because there’s not enough salt. 

All vinegar is made via fermentation too, and vinegar fermentation involves acetic acid bacteria, but also a ton of LAB, mainly Lactobacillus, Pediococcus, and Leuconostoc (the same genera you’d find in fermented veg.)  I linked a reference paper in my fermented mushroom recipe blog, so you all can read about the LAB involved in vinegar fermentation. 

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I will not ever wild lacto ferment just beets agai I will not ever wild lacto ferment just beets again lol. Mixing with cabbage for beet sauerkraut is the best though! 

“Lacto fermented beets” was the first ferment I tried to make after learning sauerkraut in college. My best friend Sidney came over and we used these gorgeous beets from the farmers market, with 2.5% salt, and some spices. Well, it ended up tasting like beet moonshine and it was just… not good.

But it was a conduit for learning. Those beets were my first lesson in how different sugars and growth in the rhizosphere vs the phyllosphere influences fermentation. 

Cabbage and the cabbage microbiome offer a lot to balance out beets in fermentation, and I think mixing into a sauerkraut is the only way to go for lacto fermenting beets! 

Try googlin’ “beet and red cabbage sauerkraut” and you’ll see my recipe, I’m Cultured Guru.
Squash is the secret ingredient! My Roasted Butte Squash is the secret ingredient!

My Roasted Butternut Squash Hot Sauce recipe is free on my website! I didn’t cook this one, so yes it’s still probiotic.

When lactic acid bacteria ferment the starches in winter squash, they naturally convert them into emulsifying compounds called exopolysaccharides. So when we blend our hot sauce after fermentation, there’s no watery separation in the bottle. Roasting the squash with the garlic for the recipes also adds such good flavor! 

Definitely make sure it’s fully fermented and not bubbling anymore before you blend and bottle. Otherwise, it’ll carbonate in the cute little hot sauce bottles.

#hotsauce
Myth Busting: Yes, the SCOBY IS the pellicle! Plee Myth Busting: Yes, the SCOBY IS the pellicle! Pleeeease stop saying it’s not. 😌



Watch till the end, I show you how to grow one!



This is a little tidbit from what I teach in the Kombucha lesson in our Fermented Drinks Semester online course!

I also share this recipe FOR FREE just ✨GOOGLE✨ “cultured guru SCOBY” and you’ll see my full recipe with the perfect sugar to tea ratios for growing, feeding and maintaining a kombucha SCOBY.

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And the knife stays in the box. GOOGLE “sourdoug And the knife stays in the box. 

GOOGLE “sourdough king cake” my recipe is the first one! 👑☂️💚✨

If you’re like me and prefer from scratch, homemade everything, you’ll definitely want to try this king cake for Mardi Gras! I used organic naturally dyed sprinkles and all that jazz too. 

If you just search “sourdough king cake” on google you’ll see my recipe, it’s usually the first one. 

My main tips for making this:
✨use a very active starter or throw in some instant yeast with your starter
✨make sure the dough is actually proofed before shaping it. If it’s cold in your house it will take longer. 
✨please follow directions! You can cold ferment the dough in the fridge after it doubles in size and BEFORE filling and shaping.

🎵Song is Casanova by Rebirth Brass Band
Fermentation is a gift from the microbes of this e Fermentation is a gift from the microbes of this earth.

When we had a food business, I could never shake the feeling that fermentation is not meant to be sold to you from a fluorescently lit grocery shelf in an endless cycle of waste. Fermentation is meant to be cultivated in your home, with your hands, with intention and love in a sustainable, grateful practice of reciprocity and nourishment. 

This is the story of how we got here. 

After so many lessons learned, our small fermentation business is now value aligned, peaceful, fulfilling, and happy.  It often seems like the gut feelings (the microbes within us) guided us in the right direction. To teach. 

You can learn for free on our blog, or you can enroll in our online courses (we extended our new year sale!) Either way, with me as your teacher, you’ll learn to adopt a holistic perspective on the microbial ecosystems that influence our food, lives, and the planet.
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