These are truly the BEST vegan banana bread cinnamon rolls! It’s like banana bread and cinnamon rolls had a baby. The banana flavors infused into a cinnamon roll just makes for the most heavenly treat or breakfast! They are fluffy, soft, cinnamony, gooey, and slightly crispy on the outside. I love just a simple glaze, but feel free to do a vegan cream cheese frosting if that is your thing. The slices of bananas in the filling get all caramelly when it is baked with the cinnamon sugar mixture. Okay, enough of me talking, you REALLY need to make this because everyone will love it!

Ingredients

Dough

3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (or any non-dairy milk)
2 1/2 tbsp organic cane sugar
2 1/4 tsp active yeast (or instant yeast works too)
3/4 cup mashed ripe bananas (make sure you measure, about 2 bananas)
3 tbsp melted vegan butter (or coconut oil)
3 3/4 - 4 cups bread flour
scant 1 tsp sea salt

Filling

1/4 cup vegan butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup brown sugar or coconut sugar
1 heaping Tbsp ground cinnamon
1-2 medium bananas, thinly sliced (I used 1.5 bananas)

Glaze

1 3/4 cup powdered sugar
3 tbsp almond milk

Instructions

To make the dough, warm the almond milk in the microwave for 30 seconds. You want it to be warm but not too hot or it will kill the yeast. Add it to the bowl of your electric mixer (I used my KitchenAid). Add the cane sugar and sprinkle yeast on top. Briefly stir and set aside for 10 minutes to activate the yeast, it should be foamy after 10 minutes. Next, add in the mashed bananas and melted butter. Stir with a spatula until combined. Add the flour into the bowl, start with 3 3/4 cups. Stir with a spatula until a dough begins to form.
Place dough hook on your mixer and knead on low speed for 6-8 minutes. Add more flour if the dough looks wet and is sticking to the sides after a few minutes. I ended up adding another 1/4 cup of flour (so a total of 4 cups). The dough should form a springy ball and only be slightly sticky. Transfer dough ball into a lightly greased large bowl (I just used the same mixing bowl). Cover with a towel and let it rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size. I placed my bowl in the oven with the light on to help with rising.
When the dough is almost done rising, make the filling. In a small bowl, add the brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir until combined. Set aside. Melt the butter in a small bowl. Have your banana ready to slice (you don’t want to slice it too early because it will turn brown).
On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out into a large rectangle about 1/4 inch thick (or about 14×16 inch rectangle). Brush melted butter on top of the rolled out dough. Evenly sprinkle all of the cinnamon sugar mixture over the dough. Thinly slice the bananas and spread evenly over the top. Carefully and tightly roll the dough and place seam side down. Using a serrated knife (or floss), cut the roll into 12 equal pieces.
Brush a 9×13 pan with the leftover melted butter. Then place the banana cinnamon rolls into the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and set on top of the oven while you preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. I left it to rise for about 30 minutes.
Remove plastic wrap and bake for 28-33 minutes or until slightly golden brown. Allow them to cool for 10-15 minutes before glazing them.
To make the glaze, combine the powdered sugar and almond milk in a bowl. Stir until a thick glaze forms (it takes a bit of arm power to stir and it will slowly turn into a smooth glaze). Add more milk (1/2 tsp at a time) if you want it thinner or more powdered sugar if you want it thicker. Drizzle over cinnamon rolls and serve warm! Enjoy! To store, cover pan or place cinnamon rolls in an airtight container and leave on the counter for up to 2-3 days, or place in the fridge for up to 5 days. To reheat, place in the microwave for 10-15 seconds.

Servings: 12

Author: valeria.chao

Vegan Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls