Who doesn’t love a warm, soft cinnamon roll right out of the oven? Our whole wheat cinnamon rolls are the perfect morning companions! Try this healthy treat during fall or winter.
If you’re looking for a healthier alternative to a traditional cinnamon roll, these are exactly what you’re looking for!
And trust us, we don’t compromise on flavor. Our filling is made from ground nuts and delicious maple syrup instead of butter.
You can customize the filling and the dough to your liking, too! This recipe is fairly simple and great for beginners who want to make their own dough. Follow our helpful tips below, and you’ll be a pro in no time!
Looking for more yummy treats? Try our banana bread and healthy lemon cookies!
Recipe overview
- Wholesome ingredients
- Sweet and soft goodness
- Perfect for breakfast or dessert
- Uses pantry staples
- Fun for beginners
To make these wholesome cinnamon rolls, you’ll need a mixing bowl, measuring utensils, rolling pin, knife, and baking sheet.
Ingredients needed
- Whole wheat flour — our wholesome flour base!
- All-purpose flour — to lighten the dough texture.
- Dry-active yeast — what makes the dough rise!
- Maple syrup — our sweetener of choice. Feel free to use other sweeteners.
- Cinnamon, salt, chai — cinnamon roll spices!
- Wholesome filling: cinnamon, nuts, maple syrup, soy milk.
Find exact measurements and serving suggestions below. Let’s get started!
How to make whole wheat cinnamon rolls
Make the dough
Mix together the dry ingredients for your dough. Add some of the warm water as well as the maple syrup and start mixing. Add as much water as you need to get a smooth, soft dough that’s not sticky.
Knead for a few minutes, then cover the bowl with a towel and let rest in a warm place for around half an hour.
Prepare the filling
Heat up the soy milk in a small pot and then add in the nuts, cinnamon and maple syrup. Stir with a spoon for a few minutes to create a homogenous texture, then set aside.
If the mixture is too thin after resting, add a few tablespoons of ground nuts at a time to get the ideal texture.
Assemble rolls and cook
Preheat the oven to 360 °F (180 °C).
Once the dough has risen, flour a flat surface and knead it by hand for about a minute, then roll it into a rectangular shape which should be as flat as one of your fingers (about ½ inch or 1.5 cm).
Gently spread your nut filling onto the dough surface, leaving a ½ inch border around the edges.
Roll the dough until you have one large and even roll. Try to be careful and consistent here.
Cut the roll into even pieces using a sharp knife– they can be anything from ½ inch to 2 inches thick, depending on how you like it.
Place your cinnamon rolls horizontally on a non-stick baking sheet or pan. Bake for around 20 minutes until golden brown.
Allow to cool slightly before taking the first bite! Serve with a nice cup of tea or coffee.
Storage & reheating
To store, keep covered at room temperature for 3-4 days or in the fridge for around a week.
To reheat, place in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. Or place in the oven at 350ºF (180ºC) for 10-15 minutes.
Serving suggestions
Enjoy our whole wheat cinnamon rolls fresh and warm! Or feel free to top with homemade icing or vegan cream cheese frosting.
To customize the filling, you can try different flavors:
- Chocolate
- Jam (Strawberry, raspberry, blueberry)
- Nutmeg
- Lemon zest
Enjoy alongside some tea or a vanilla almond milk latte! These rolls are great for breakfast, a snack, or dessert.
free 7-day vegan meal plan
Your next week of eating is planned out with these quick and delicious vegan bowls, meal prepping steps & full grocery list.
FAQs & tips
Is whole wheat flour healthy?
Yes, it is! Whole wheat flour contains protein, fiber, and a variety of minerals. It still has the bran and germ, which are nutrient-dense.
Can I add icing?
Of course! You can make homemade icing with powdered sugar and plant-based milk. You can also make a cream cheese frosting!
Tips for assembling cinnamon roll
When rolling the dough, make sure it’s ½ inch thick. The dough needs to be thick enough to create a sturdy cinnamon roll. And the filling needs to be a thin layer so that it doesn’t spill over the edges.
- Vegan Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins
- Healthy Vegan Carrot Cake
- Vegan Caramel Slice
- Healthy Almond Milk Crepes
- Healthy Chickpea Cookie Dough
Did you make our whole wheat cinnamon rolls and like it? We’d love to read about it, so be sure to leave a review and share it in the comments below. You can also Pin this recipe here!
Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls
Who doesn’t love a warm, soft cinnamon roll right out of the oven? Our whole wheat cinnamon rolls are the perfect morning companions! Try this healthy treat during fall or winter.
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 ¼ cups whole wheat flour (160 g)
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour (90 g)
- 1 tbsp dry active yeast, instant
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¾ cup warm water (160 ml)
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- ½ tsp chai or gingerbread spice (optional)
Cinnamon Nut Filling
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- ¾ cup nuts of choice, ground (110 g)
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- ½ cup soy milk (120 ml)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients for your dough. Add some of the warm water as well as the maple syrup and start mixing. Add as much water as you need to get a smooth, soft dough that’s not sticky.
- Knead for a few minutes, then cover the bowl with a towel and let rest in a warm place for around half an hour.
- Prepare the filling by heating up the soy milk in a small pot and then adding in the nuts, cinnamon and maple syrup. Stir with a spoon for a few minutes to create a homogenous texture, then set aside. If the mixture is too thin after resting, add a few tablespoons of ground nuts at a time to get the ideal texture.
- Preheat oven to 360 °F (180 °C).
- Once the dough has risen, flour a flat surface and knead it by hand for about a minute, then roll it into a rectangular shape which should be as flat as one of your fingers (about ½ inch or 1.5 cm).
- Gently spread your nut filling onto the dough surface, leaving a ½ inch border around the edges.
- Now, roll the dough until you have one large and even roll. Try to be careful and consistent here.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the roll into even pieces – they can be anything from ½ inch to 2 inches thick, depending on how you like it.
- Put your cinnamon rolls horizontally on a non-stick baking sheet or pan. Bake for around 20 minutes until golden brown.
- Allow to cool slightly before taking the first bite! Serve with a nice cup of tea or coffee.
Notes
- You can use any plant-based milk you like in this recipe.
- To make the rolls sweeter, you can add more maple syrup or any other vegan sweetener but make sure to adjust the flour or water to get the right texture for the dough.
- Keep covered at room temperature for a few days or in the fridge for around a week.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 9 Serving Size: 1 rollAmount Per Serving: Calories: 233Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 64mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 4gSugar: 11gProtein: 7g
Alena Schowalter is a Certified Vegan Nutritionist who has been a vegetarian since childhood and vegan since 2012. Together with her husband, she founded nutriciously in 2015 and has been guiding thousands of people through different transition stages towards a healthy plant-based diet. She’s received training in the fields of nutrition, music therapy and social work. Alena enjoys discussions around vegan ethics, walks through nature and creating new recipes.
Hi! thank you for the recipe! These are so good I made them for my family but ate most of them myself. Didn’t change a thing and it was so easy.
hello, can i replace the flours with oat flour?
yes, sure! Let us know how the cinnamon rolls turn out :)
Just made my first batch and the filling was REALLY liquid-y. Should it be thicker?
the filling should be spreadable but not super liquid-y! Did you use the right quantities? Maybe try it with less plant-based milk the next time ♡
The same happened with my first batch that I just made. Very liquid-y. My only change was that I used oat milk. Measured using a scale and added about 116ml because I was too lazy to measure the perfect 120ml. ;)
Should it taste dry and crispy?
not exactly :D funny how for some it was too liquid and for you too dry… different ovens perhaps?
I made these last night – turned out Really nice and soft. Only one comment we thought the dough needed some salt!
Hi sounds really good! How can I make this GF?
I haven’t tried it but am pretty sure you can just use all-purpose GF flour instead of the whole wheat :)
Love recipe. The dough is rising right now. But I’m surprised you didn’t call for a rising of the rolls before baking. Does it not make a difference to the ultimate fluffiness?
Oops. I meant to say. “Lovely “
Hi Genevieve,
excited for you to try the recipe! I must say that I’m a beginner-level chef myself and I like my recipes to be as convenient as possible — so I haven’t tried letting the dough rise before baking in this case. If you have the time and patience, it would probably make for a lovelier texture I can imagine!
I might have to make them again soon and experiment.
Warm wishes,
Alena
I’ve tried making these gluten free using GF all purpose flour. Unfortunately, the dough didn’t seem to raise much and it cracked when I tried to roll it. I must not be cut out to bake cinnamon rolls.
These looks delicious. Do you think the texture would stay fluffy if I made the dough the night before, refrigerated it, and baked the rolls in the morning?
I would assume, yes! Let us know how they turn out :)
One other thought: would you recommend adding the filling before refrigerating overnight or do you think that would make the rolls soggy?
I’d only refrigerate the dough overnight to be sure!
This is getting tried for sure! We are GF due to an allergy so will be using that. For those trying to use GF flour, if you are 100% plant based add a flax egg to your baked “traditional” recipes. If you are comfortable with eggs, add an egg yolk to whatever it calls for. We have used a dash of oil instead as well, but the flax egg or egg yolk (vegetarian but not vegan here so we do eat home fresh eggs occasionally) seem to help counteract the “crackly” that happens with just the GF dough . A vegan butter can also be used, but again, the egg /egg sub seems to work better.
I think I’ll try the second rise time too! If you use applesauce like you suggested, that would add some moisture (good thing with GF!), but don’t just add it to the filling mix or do you add any to the dough? Thank you!!