The Best Homemade Vegan Cinnamon Rolls

Instructions

1. Start by melting and cooling 1/2 cup of vegan butter and soaking 6 tablespoons of cashews in hot water for 10 minutes.
2. Grease a large bowl and a 13x9-inch casserole dish (glass, ceramic, or nonstick) with vegan butter or oil and set aside. You can also use two 9x7-inch casserole dishes, as I did, or two 9-inch cake pans.
3. In a separate large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, add flour, sugar, instant dry yeast, and salt. Using the paddle attachment of the mixer or a large spoon, stir until combined.
4. Add almond milk, melted vegan butter, and applesauce to the dry ingredients and mix on low speed or stir by hand until a rough dough is formed.
5. If you're using a stand mixer, switch to the dough hook attachment and mix on medium speed for 5 minutes. If your dough is still sticky, add 1/4 cup of flour and mix again, starting on low speed and turning to medium speed after the flour has been incorporated. Continue to add more flour until the dough is smooth and not sticky.
6. If you're kneading by hand, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand 7 to 8 minutes. If your dough is still sticky, add 1/4 cup of flour and knead again until incorporated. Continue to add more flour until the dough is smooth and not sticky.
7. Transfer the dough into your greased bowl and cover it with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Place the bowl in a warm area to rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
8. While the dough is rising, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and set it aside. Set out the remaining vegan butter (for the filling and the frosting) to soften.
9. After the dough has risen, prepare a clean work surface with flour and place your dough in the middle. Try to keep the dough in an even oval shape so it's easier to roll out into a rectangle.
10. Dust the top of the dough with additional flour, then roll out into a rough rectangle shape about 1/3 inch (8 mm) thick. You'll want the long edge to be around 19 to 20 inches (48 to 51 cm) long, enough to cut 12 pieces, about 1 1/2 inches (3.8 cm) each, with extra room at the end to trim the uneven bits.
11. Spread the softened vegan butter for the filling on top of the dough using a butter knife or cake spatula.
12. Sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture evenly over the dough, leaving a bit of space at the long edge that's furthest from you (for sealing the dough).
13. Starting with the long side that's closest to you, roll up the dough into a tight log, then gently press the seam to seal it.
14. Place the log seam side down, then slice off the uneven edges so that the log is approximately equally thick throughout its entire length. I've found that the easiest and cleanest way to cut the cinnamon rolls evenly is with a piece of twine. Position the twine under the log, then cross the ends of the twine on top of the log and pull in opposite directions. Some people also use unflavored dental floss or cut the log with a sharp serrated knife.
15. Cut the remaining log in half, then cut each half in half again to create quarters. Finally, cut each quarter into equal thirds to end up with 12 pieces.
16. Place the cinnamon rolls in your greased casserole dish, 3 across and 4 lengthwise. (Or 2 by 3 if you're using 2 smaller dishes as shown here). Cover with a clean kitchen towel and place in a warm spot to rise for 30 minutes. Before the cinnamon rolls have finished rising, preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C).
17. After the dough has risen, bake the cinnamon rolls in your preheated oven for 22 to 25 minutes, until golden brown on top.
18. While the cinnamon rolls are baking, prepare the frosting. Add your soaked cashews and water to a blender and blend until creamy, about 2 to 4 minutes. Remove the cashew cream from the blender and measure out 1/4 cup (60 mL) to use in the frosting.
19. With a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer, mix the softened vegan butter and 1/4 cup of cashew cream until well-combined. Add in the lemon juice, vanilla extract, nutritional yeast, and salt and mix well.
20. Sift the powdered sugar into a small mixing bowl, then slowly mix it into the frosting 1 cup at a time until your desired consistency is reached. If your frosting gets too dry, you can add a dash of the remaining cashew cream or some non-dairy milk. Then turn up your mixer speed to medium-high to whip the frosting for a minute or two.
21. Let your cinnamon rolls cool slightly, then spread the frosting on top. Enjoy!

For the most accurate flour measurement, switch to metric and weigh your flour. If you don't have a kitchen scale, be sure to spoon the flour into the measuring cup before leveling it off; don't scoop the cup into the flour.

Be sure you're using instant dry yeast, not instant yeast or active dry yeast. If you can only get instant yeast or active dry yeast, see the blog post for additional instructions

6 tbsp. = 3/8 cup or about 50 g. of cashews

If 6 tbsp. each of cashews and water isn't reaching your blender's blades to get blended properly, you may need to make more cashew cream. Just use an equal amount of cashews and water (by volume).

For a simpler icing, mix 1 cup powdered sugar with 1 1/2 tbsp. non-dairy milk, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and 1/8 tsp. salt.

If you expect to have leftovers, only add icing to the cinnamon rolls you plan to eat right away. Then you can reheat them without the icing and add the icing after they're warm.