Healthy Vegan Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls
When you combine the two best fall desserts, you get these vegan apple pie cinnamon rolls! Fluffy, gooey, rolls filled with homemade apple pie filling and tons of cinnamon have got to be the best combination for the season. It’s also dairy free and uses healthier ingredients than the traditional cinnamon rolls!
Ingredients
dough
- 1 cup warm oat milk or other nondairy milk
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 2 ½ teaspoons active dry or instant yeast or 1 packet
- 1 ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ½ cup avocado oil or other neutral oil
- ⅓ cup finely ground flaxseed meal optional
- 2 cups white whole wheat flour or all purpose flour
- 3 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
filling
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil or other neutral oil
- 4 tablespoons cane sugar or other granulated sweetener
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
apple pie filling
- 5 medium peeled apples
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 4 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
icing
- powdered sugar
- oat/plant milk
- liquid leftover from apple pie filling
Instructions
- In a large bowl, heat the milk until it is just warmer than room temperature–be sure it's not too hot. Mix in the maple syrup. Add the yeast and let it sit for 5-10 minutes until it "blooms" or activates and becomes bubbly/foamy.
- Whisk in the applesauce, avocado oil, and flaxseed meal. Once fully combined, fold in the white whole wheat flour and all but ¾ c of the all-purpose flour. Cover the bowl and set aside in a warm place to rise for an hour.
- Make the apple pie filling: peel, core, and slice the apples and then cut the slices in half (see picture). Add to a medium pot along with the sugar, avocado oil, maple syrup, and cinnamon. Bring to a boil and cover to cook for 5 minutes. Uncover and cook for an additional 5 minutes. The apples should have shrunk in size and become soft. Separate the apples from the liquid, but do not discard the liquid.
- Once the dough is done rising it should be about double in size. Fold in the rest (¾ c) of the all-purpose flour, then baking powder and salt, then transfer to a floured surface. Use more flour as needed (about ½ - 1 cup) to knead. Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes. Do NOT keep adding flour until the dough is dry; only add flour if it is really sticking to the counter/surface. Divide the dough in two.
- Make sure the surface is well-floured so it doesn't stick, then roll each dough (make sure your rolling pin is floured too). Roll until it is about ½" thick. Cut off the edges to make them super clean. You can use the scraps to make more later. This is optional, but it will result in the best-looking rolls. For the filling, brush on the avocado oil then sprinkle on the cinnamon and sugar. Add the cooked apples and spread it out evenly.
- Prepare a baking tray with oil spray. They will not all fit in one pan so you can either use multiple or do multiple rounds. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- You can roll and cut the traditional way, but I find this method much easier and has a better-looking result: Cut the dough while it's flat, about 1" thick slices. Roll each slice individually and transfer to the prepared pan. Cover and rest for 15-30 minutes for them to rise further.
- Bake for about 20 minutes. While they're baking, make icing with powdered sugar, and a splash of plant milk and leftover liquid from the apple pie filling. Serve warm with the icing or alone. If you aren't planning to finish them on the first or second day, freeze as soon as it cools, and microwave to reheat.
Notes
feel free to substitute more whole wheat flour for all purpose, or vise versa. however, be careful when substituting whole wheat for all purpose because this will result in a change in texture. it will be less soft and more dry, so I would not recommend changing it too much. if you want to increase fiber, you can add more flaxseed meal.
also, I strongly recommend white whole wheat flour as opposed to regular whole wheat, so if you can find this then the result will be much better.