These vegan nutella cinnamon rolls are a chocolaty brunch dream. Pillowy swirls of dough are filled with vegan nutella and cinnamon-sugar. After being baked to perfection, the warm buns are generously drizzled with a simple nutella glaze and sprinkled with hazelnuts.
Oh my goodness, I've missed you all!
I had no intentions of a two-week lapse between posts. I would have warned you had I known. 😬
Long story short: I had another post that was supposed to go live this week, but I'll spare you the boring details on why it's delayed. Anyway, that post (a savory entree recipe) will go live next week, but I didn't want to leave you hanging until then.
So I decided to bump this recipe's release up by a week.
Did you need to know all that backstory? Probably not, but I have a smidgen of guilt for accidentally going MIA.
Of course, the only hiccup with sharing this recipe early is that you're now receiving two cinnamon roll recipes back-to-back.
Is that a problem? Not in my world.
But I suppose if you don't like cinnamon rolls or find them too fussy to make, then it could be a problem in yours. If that's the case, then the bright side is that I probably won't share anymore cinnamon roll recipes this year.
I have recipes mapped out through November, and not a cinnamon roll in sight after these beauties.
Alright, onwards and upwards downwards to these vegan nutella cinnamon rolls...
If that isn't a field of chocolaty, nutty goodness, I don't know what is.
If you like cinnamon rolls and if you like Nutella, then you'll flip for these nutella cinnamon rolls.
They're...
Fluffy.
Gooey.
Chocolaty.
Rich.
Cozy.
Comforting.
Nutty.
And a little messy.
Or a lotta messy if you have a toddler. 🙋🏻
If you've made any of my other cinnamon rolls—like these funfetti rolls or these pumpkin pecan rolls—then you pretty much know the drill for these.
The recipe is straight forward and easy to follow, but does require the typical double-rise situation. Once before rolling out, once after.
Thankfully, these rolls can be prepared ahead of time and then baked up to 24 hours later, making it totally possible to have gooey cinnamon rolls at the ready for a crack-of-dawn Sunday brunch.
Promise me you'll make them? They deserve your love and attention and you their's.
To make them, you'll start by preparing the dough.
Whisk together warm water, yeast, and a bit of cane sugar. Let the mixture stand for several minutes, or until a foam develops on the surface.
FYI, it's important to make sure the water is warm enough but not hot. 105F to 115F is the sweet spot. Too cool and it won't activate the yeast, too hot and it'll kill it.
Point being: Allow the yeast to thrive by providing it with a cozy, but not too cozy, environment.
While the yeast activates, flour a clean work surface and prepare two mixing bowls—one for mixing and one for rising.
Whisk together all-purpose flour and salt in one of the mixing bowls.
Then, melt a bit of vegan butter in a saucepan. Once it's melted, remove the pan from the heat and whisk in unsweetened plant-based milk, and a bit of cane sugar.
Pour the butter mixture into the bowl with the flour and then add the activated yeast mixture.
Stir, stir, stir using a wooden spoon until the flour has been incorporated. Then, turn the dough out onto the floured surface, and knead for 8 to 10 minutes, or until smooth, elastic, and springy.
If you have a stand mixer with a dough hook, you can start mixing and kneading the dough using that and then finish it with several minutes of hand kneading. Just be sure to watch your mixer since the dough is very thick—mine will shimmy its way off the counter if left unattended.
And no one needs a Kitchenaid mixer smashing onto a floor (or heaven forbid a toe).
True story: 15 years ago, I dropped my parents' Kitchenaid mixer on their hardwood floor and the dent/gash remained until they had their floors refinished this year. 🤦🏻♀️
I digress. Where were we?
Ahh yes, the kneading. Once you've kneaded the dough, shape it into a ball and place it in the greased mixing bowl. Then, loosely cover and move to a warm and cozy spot. Allow the dough to rise for one hour, or until doubled in size.
While the dough rises, prepare a batch of homemade vegan nutella. Sounds fancy, I promise it's not. We're talking two ingredients + salt. And it's divine.
When the dough has just a few minutes left to rise, lightly grease a rectangular baking dish and whisk together the cinnamon-sugar filling.
Roll the dough out into a rectangle that's about 12 inches by 24 inches.
Pour about a half cup of the Nutella onto the rolled dough and use a spatula to smooth it into an even layer. Then, sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar mixture and chopped hazelnuts.
Carefully roll the dough away from you, capturing all of that nutty, chocolaty, cinnamon-y filling inside.
Slice into 12 two-inch-thick rolls and transfer to the prepared pan.
Cover the pan and place it in a warm spot for 45 minutes, or until the rolls have doubled in size.
Bake the cinnamon rolls at 350F for 22 to 26 minutes, or until they're just barely turning golden and the tops feel firm to the touch. A good trick is to gently rap on the tops with your fingers. If the rolls sound hollow, they're plenty baked.
Our family prefers gooey cinnamon rolls, so I tend to lean towards the lower end of that baking range. If you prefer less gooey rolls, lean towards the upper end.
While the rolls bake, prepare the Nutella glaze.
This glaze is super simple to make.
Simply whisk together powdered sugar, a bit of that homemade vegan Nutella, and a few splashes of plant-based milk until smooth and glossy.
That's it.
Worth noting: The glaze recipe makes a generous amount, so don't feel like you have to use it all. We do in our house because we're frosting fanatics (at least Sloane and I are, Dan isn't), but you may find it's too much.
You can ice the entire pan of warm Nutella cinnamon rolls or drizzle each individual roll with glaze as you serve them. The latter option allows more flexibility for varying icing preferences.
Once the rolls are glazed, garnish them with more chopped hazelnuts.
Can we take a moment to revel in all this chocolaty, nutty glory?
Finally, generously dish out those vegan Nutella cinnamon rolls to family, friends, and loved ones.
If you make this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #blissfulbasil on Instagram.
Vegan Nutella Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Nutella Cinnamon Rolls
- ¾ cup warm water (105F–115F)
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
- ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon organic cane sugar, divided
- 3 ½ cups all purpose flour, plus more for kneading and dusting
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 5 tablespoons vegan butter
- ½ cup unsweetened plant-based milk
- ½ cup Homemade Vegan Nutella
- 1 to 1 ½ tablespoons ground cinnamon, depending on how cinnamony you like your cinnamon rolls
- ½ cup toasted hazelnuts, finely chopped, divided (optional)
Nutella Glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons Homemade Vegan Nutella
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened plant-based milk, more or less as needed
Instructions
For the Nutella Cinnamon Rolls
- In a small bowl, gently whisk together the warm water, yeast, and 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Let stand for 5 to 7 minutes, or until a foams develops on the surface.
- Meanwhile, generously flour a clean work surface. Gather two large glass mixing bowls (one for mixing and one for rising). Lightly grease one bowl.
- Add the flour and salt to the un-greased mixing bowl. Whisk together and then create a well in the center and set aside.
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Remove from the heat and whisk in the milk, and ¼ cup of the sugar. The mixture should be warm but not hot. If it's hot, let it cool off before moving on to the next step.
- Pour the butter mixture into the bowl with the flour. Add the yeast mixture and use a large wooden spoon to stir and mix until all of the flour has been incorporated.
- Turn the dough out onto the floured surface. Knead for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth, springy, and elastic, adding more flour as needed. You'll know it's ready when it holds its shape and springs back when pressed.
- Shape the dough into a ball and place it in the greased bowl. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
- Prepare the homemade Nutella while the dough is rising. [link recipe here]
- When the dough has just a few minutes left to rise, lightly grease a 9- by 13-inch casserole dish with oil. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the remaining ¼ cup* sugar and the cinnamon. Set aside.
- Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a clean, generously floured work surface. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a rectangle that is approximately 12 x 24 inches in size.
- Pour the Nutella over the dough and use a spatula to smooth into a thin, even layer (leaving a ½-inch perimeter around the edge of the dough). Sprinkle with the sugar-cinnamon mixture and ¼ cup of the chopped hazelnuts (if using).
- Starting at the front of the long edge of the rectangle, carefully roll the dough away from you until you have a tightly wound roll. Use your fingers to pinch the seam closed. Use a sharp serrated knife to slice the roll into 12 2-inch-thick rolls.
- Gently transfer the rolls to the greased baking pan, swirled-side up, leaving ½ an inch of space between each. Loosely cover the pan with parchment paper and let the rolls rise in a warm place for 45 minutes, or until doubled in size.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350F.
- Bake for 22 to 26 minutes, or until the rolls are just barely turning golden and the tops feel firm to the touch.
For the Nutella Glaze
- While the cinnamon rolls bake, prepare the glaze.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, Nutella, and milk until smooth and glossy. If the glaze is too thin, add more powdered sugar. If it's too thick, add more milk.
To Assemble
- Drizzle the warm rolls with the glaze (you may have leftovers depending on how much glaze you prefer). Top with the remaining chopped hazelnuts (if using). Serve warm and enjoy!
I made these for dessert today! They turned out so well. I used light spelt flour and coconut sugar instead of all purpose flour and cane sugar because that was what I had on hand with good results! And now we have leftover homemade Nutella, too- though I doubt it will last long in our house. ;)
So happy to hear you enjoyed them, Allison! Also, wonderful to know they turned out with spelt flour and coconut sugar—so helpful for me to know and for other future bakers, too. Thanks for taking time out of your day to come back and share your results. Means so much! :)