Long-time vegans and vegetarians already know that baked goods without milk or eggs can lead to sweet-toothed joy. But finding plant-based treats without milk or eggs can be a task in the average grocery store, especially when store aisles and checkout lanes are filled with the opposite. Even popular snacks like Oreos aren’t vegan.

But since a carton of Grade A eggs is more than $4 for a dozen nowadays, this is as good of a time as any to buy ingredients and test out plant-based treats that don’t require eggs. If you’re in a baking mood, taste test the vegan cinnamon sugar muffin with glaze recipe. You can even make rolls out of it if you want to add some shape variety to your plant-based muffin dessert.

Ingredients:

• 1-¾ cups of all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup of granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• ½ teaspoon of baking soda
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• ½ cup of non-dairy milk (almond, soy or oat)
• ½ cup of unsweetened applesauce (or mashed banana)
• ⅓ cup of melted coconut oil (or vegetable oil)
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

For the Cinnamon Sugar Topping:

• 2 tablespoons of granulated (or brown) sugar
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon

For the Glaze:

• ½ cup of powdered sugar
• 1-2 tablespoon of non-dairy milk
• ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F.
2. Line a muffin tin with paper liners or lightly grease it with vegan butter.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together non-dairy milk, applesauce, melted coconut oil and vanilla extract.
5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix until combined.
6. Divide the batter evenly into the muffin tin, filling each cup about three-fourths full.
7. Bake for 18–22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
8. Sugar topping preparation: Mix sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Set the bowl to the side.
9. Glaze topping preparation: Whisk together powdered sugar, non-dairy milk and vanilla extract. Set the bowl to the side.
10. Remove muffins from the oven. Let them cool for five minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
11. While the muffins are still warm, brush the tops lightly with melted coconut oil or non-dairy milk, then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on top.
12. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled muffins. Serve.

Baking Vegan Cinnamon Sugar Muffins With Glaze Versus Vegan Cinnamon Rolls With Glaze

TikTok’s Cinnamon Roll Hack came and went, but cinnamon rolls are timeless. The wet and dry ingredients are a lot alike from the muffins, but there are a couple of notable differences during the prep time. If you change your mind about vegan cinnamon sugar muffins and want vegan cinnamon rolls instead, here are the updated portion sizes. (Note that baking soda and baking powder in the muffins have been replaced by active yeast.) And unlike the muffins, baking these rolls is going to take a couple of hours longer.

Ingredients:

• 3-½ cups of all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup of granulated sugar
• 2 ¼ teaspoon (1 packet) active dry yeast
• 1 cup of warm plant-based milk (soy, almond or oat)
• ¼ cup of vegan butter, melted
• ½ teaspoon of salt

For the Filling:

• ½ cup of brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons of cinnamon
• ¼ cup of vegan butter, softened

For the Glaze:

• 1 cup of powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons of plant-based milk
• ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract

After pre-heating your oven to 375°F and mixing the cinnamon roll ingredients, you will have to allow the dough to rise for 1-1 ½ hours, or until doubled in size. Putting a towel over the bowl may help the yeast work its magic to rise, especially in a room that’s not already humid or in a warmer temperature. Once the yeast has risen, it’s time to roll and cut them.

Be careful with the dough when it’s plopped onto a counter. First, roll it gently and evenly to make sure it’s not too sticky. Avoid stretching the dough; gently lift and adjust the roll so the length and width are consistent. Add a small dusting of flour if the dough sticks, and roll again.

When you’ve achieved the desired size, use unflavored dental floss, a long piece of thread or a sharp knife to snip two clean-cut edges. Don’t discard the “edge” rolls. Bake those too. With the rest of the dough, use the same floss, thread or sharp knife to separate each roll into 1–2 inches wide (or longer if you’re baking bigger versions).

Place on a baking tray, and follow the same vegan cinnamon sugar muffins baking steps 7-12. (For more buttery rolls, add 1/4 cup of vegan butter while preparing the sugar topping in step 8.)

No Glaze, No Extra Sugar

While both desserts do include cinnamon and sugar, it’s up to you to decide whether you want to hold off on the extra glaze and extra brown (or granulated) sugar for the icing and filling. It will definitely taste a bit different than store-bought options. However, with a cup of hot coffee or coffee liqueur, this pastry may be satisfying all on its own. It is not recommended to skip the sugar in the muffin batter or dough though, primarily because sugar keeps baked goods soft and moist.

It also locks in moisture on frosting (and glaze) so the pastry doesn’t dry out too quickly. Using raw cane sugar or coconut sugar as an alternative to white granulated sugar is an option, but all three contain empty calories. The one perk of coconut sugar is it contains a very small amount of antioxidants, fiber and minerals. However, you may be better off eating a side dish of fruit if you really want to include fiber while eating this pastry.

Reheating Vegan Cinnamon Sugar Muffins With Glaze

For the same reasons that glaze and toppings are not immediately plopped onto freshly baked muffins, re-heating this pastry should be done carefully. The vegan cinnamon sugar muffins are safe to leave on the counter for up to two days or up to five days in a refrigerator. To maintain their quality, freeze them if you will need more time. When you’re ready to have seconds (or thirds), you can either let the vegan cinnamon sugar muffin defrost on its own on the counter or expedite the process by putting it back in the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Then, allow the muffin time to reheat (up to 25 minutes). Although the glaze and filling are still on the muffin, you can add a little more (with the ingredients above) if you want a fresh touch.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are cinnamon roll muffins vegan? 

This is entirely dependent on what ingredients, including icing, are used. Although yeast is considered a living unicellular organism, the majority of vegans consider it to be vegan when used in this dessert.

How do you make gluten-free cinnamon roll muffins?

Some ingredients, such as sugar, are already gluten-free. Flour, however, may contain gluten so look for gluten-free flour instead.

How do you glaze cinnamon roll muffins?

Whether plant-based or with dairy, both dessert options should have time to cool for at least five minutes. This way, the glaze mix won’t melt onto the pastry and will instead have that icing-like texture on top.