Vegan Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

As soon as September hits, I am all about the pumpkin goodies!  I love fall and all of it’s delicious treats, it is my favorite season!  So last weekend I decided to make some Vegan Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls!  Because they just sounded so good!  There is nothing like a nice soft cinnamon scented roll with sweet frosting, especially when you add pumpkin and some more warming spices into the mix!

I modified the classic cinnamon roll recipe I normally make and added canned pumpkin puree along with all of the wet ingredients, as well as the spices you would find in pumpkin pie like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves.  I also added a little bit of maple extract along with the vanilla because it makes things with spices extra good!  For the flour, I used organic whole wheat pastry flour, but you could use regular all purpose flour if you preferred.

For the cinnamon swirl I used a mixture of maple syrup and sugar, plus the warming pumpkin pie spices along with the usual cinnamon.  It smelled so good, and I knew it would be delicious in these rolls!  I actually made the dough for these, panned them up, covered them and refrigerated them overnight (letting them come to room temperature for an hour before baking).  This is a good option if you want them in the morning but don't want to go through the whole process in one day and it is something I do often when I make them.

They smelled amazing while baking, the sweet aroma of pumpkin spices and vanilla filling my home!  They needed a delicious frosting, so I went with a vanilla buttercream and it was perfect!  These rolls turned out so heavenly!  Soft and fluffy with just the right amount of pumpkin spices, the luscious vanilla frosting the perfect topping for them!  These are so wonderful with a cup of coffee for a mid morning treat!  If you are in the mood for all things pumpkin like I am, definitely make some of these Vegan Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls!

Vegan Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Makes 12

Dough:

• 1/4 oz active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water ( 105-110F degrees)
• 1/2 cup warm coconut milk (I warmed it up on the stove)
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/4 cup maple sugar or coconut sugar
• 1 tsp maple extract (optional)
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 Tbsp ground flax seed, mixed with 3 Tbsp filtered water
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 3 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour or as needed

Filling:

• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup maple sugar or brown sugar plus more for sprinkling
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/8 tsp cloves
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg

Frosting:

• 1 cup vegan butter, I used Earth Balance (at room temperature)
• 1 Tbsp plant based milk (I used Oatly oat milk, but you can use what you prefer), add 1 more Tbsp if needed if frosting comes out too stiff
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Instructions:

1. To make the dough, combine the yeast and the warm water plus a pinch of maple sugar and stir to dissolve. Let sit 5-10 minutes until it starts to foam.
2. In a large bowl, combine the coconut milk, pumpkin, maple sugar, maple extract, salt and flax mixture and mix together to combine.
3. Add the yeast, spices and 2 cups of flour and mix to combine.
4. Add the remaining 1 3/4 cups of flour and mix until you have a smooth dough (you may need to use your hands at the end to mix it in).
5. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead for 5-10 minutes until smooth and supple. If it is too sticky add a little more flour but you want to add as little as possible because if you add too much the dough gets tough.
6. Place in an oiled bowl, and cover. Let rise for about 1 1/2 hours until doubled in size.
7. When it is ready, turn out onto the counter or a board and roll out into a 9 x 15 inch rectangle.
8. Mix together the maple syrup, maple sugar and spices and spread it evenly over the dough.  Sprinkle with another Tbsp sugar.
9. Roll it up, then cut the roll into 12 pieces.
10. Oil an 8x8 inch square baking pan, and place them in the pan.
11. Cover and let rise for 45 minutes.
12. Meanwhile heat the oven to 350F degrees.
13. When the rolls have risen for 45 minutes, place them in the preheated oven and bake for about 30 minutes until starting to brown and cooked through.
14. Remove from the oven and let cool.
15. To make the frosting, beat the butter with the milk and vanilla until fluffy.
16. Add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, and beat until completely mixed and light and fluffy (if the frosting is too stiff add that other Tbsp of milk).
17. Spread the frosting over the rolls and serve!

These keep covered at room temperature for up to 3 days, or refrigerated for up to 1 week.