Soft, fluffy vegan buns swirled with a sweet cinnamon apple filling: need I really say more? These are so easy to make if you’ve got a couple of hours spare, and result in the tastiest vegan treat that you are not going to want to share.

The past couple of months of lockdown have given me the opportunity to get to grips with baking with dough (and, admittedly, countless cakes, cookies, muffins, and brownies!!).

First I made bread, then I made flat bread, then I made sticky caramel buns, and then…I made vegan cinnamon apple buns.

This recipe is basically a cinnamon bun, but with sweet and soft chunks of apple to really level up the traditional recipe. And man does the simple addition of apple take these up a notch! For more puff pastry goodness, make sure you’ve tried these delicious (and easy) chocolate twists.

Making Vegan Cinnamon Apple Buns

This recipe is extremely easy with very little hands-on time, but it does require a double proof. That means you’ll need to have about three hours at least where you don’t need to rush out anywhere so your buns can rise and get that beautifully fluffy texture.

I used a fairly classic dough recipe for these buns, consisting of:

Strong white flour
Yeast
Sugar
A little salt
Olive oil
Almond milk (soy milk is also fine)

You could also sub the olive oil for vegan butter if you prefer, especially because you’ll be using a little melted vegan butter to brush the tops of the buns. I do like the way this recipe turns out with oil though.

Once you’ve combined and kneaded your dough, cover and let it prove for an hour. When you come back, the dough will have doubled in size and it will be glorious to look at!!

At this point, you’ll roll out the dough into a rectangle (don’t worry, it does rise back up!), and spoon over your cinnamon apple mix before rolling and cutting into slices.

Here’s a shot of my vegan apple cinnamon buns after their second 45-minute prove in my baking tray (cling film cover just removed):

Vegan apple cinnamon buns after the second prove.

After the second prove, brush the tops with melted vegan butter and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Apple filling

For this recipe, I used tinned apple fruit filling. The chunks of apple are already cooked and soft, and it also contains a filling reminiscent of apple sauce, so that goes perfectly with this recipe.

If you can’t find apple fruit filling, apple sauce could work but you might need a little more sugar, and possibly to add a little vegan butter to the mix to thin it out.

I wouldn’t recommend using raw apple – the chunks are unlikely to cook in 25 minutes. This recipe is best served on the day of baking, but the buns will keep for around 2 days if stored in an airtight container.

Vegan Apple Cinnamon Buns

Name: Vegan Apple Cinnamon Buns
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 2 h 25 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 2 tbsp soft brown sugar; 2 tsp cinnamon; 1 x 400g tin of apple fruit filling; 1 tbsp vegan butter (melted); 350g strong white flour; 2 tbsp soft brown sugar; 1/2 tsp salt; 1 tbsp olive oil; 240ml plant-based milk (almond or soy); 7g (1 sachet) dried yeast

Yield: 8 buns

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Additional Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes

Soft, fluffy and packed with a sweet cinnamon apple filling, these vegan cinnamon buns are absolutely perfect in every way - and so easy to make!

Ingredients

350g strong white flour
2 tbsp soft brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil
240ml plant-based milk (almond or soy)
7g (1 sachet) dried yeast

Filling

2 tbsp soft brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 x 400g tin of apple fruit filling

Extra:

1 tbsp vegan butter (melted)

Instructions

Heat your milk in the microwave until it is warm - it should not be hot, but should feel about room temperature if you dip a finger in.
Combine your flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl and stir.
Add the milk and olive oil to the flour mix, and combine until it comes together as a dough.
Flour a clean surface and tip out the dough, kneading for about 3 - 5 minutes until the dough is stretchy and pulls in on itself in a ball. I find lightly dusting my hands with flour helpful here.
Wash out the mixing bowl and coat the inside with a little olive oil. Place the dough back in the bowl and cover. Leave to prove for 1 hour.
While the dough is proving, get a large baking tin (~L37 X W28 X D6cm) and line the bottom with baking paper.
Once proved, tip out your dough onto a floured surface and use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a rectangle (mine never ends up as a perfectly neat rectangle and that's fine!).
Spoon your brown sugar, cinnamon, and apples onto the dough, making sure you cover the full length of it.
Starting from the long side, roll up the dough and turn it so the seam is on the bottom.
Use a sharp knife (I find serrated knives work best) to cut the roll into slices, roughly 1.5 - 2 inches thick - you should end up with around 8 buns, depending on how thick you slice.
Place the rolls into your baking tin with the roll facing up. Make sure you leave a little space between them, as they will almost double in size on the second prove!
Cover with clingfilm, and leave to prove for a further 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
After the second prove, melt your vegan butter and brush the tops of your buns with it.
Bake your buns for 25 - 30 minutes, until the tops are golden brown.
Leave to cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan.

Notes

These vegan apple cinnamon buns are much better eaten on the same day as baking, but will keep for a day or two in an air-tight container.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 265Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 6mgSodium: 177mgCarbohydrates: 51gFiber: 3gSugar: 13gProtein: 6g

Related Recipes:
– Vegan Sticky Ginger Loaf Cake
– Healthy Protein Flapjacks