Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls – An effortlessly easy cinnamon roll recipe with no yeast, no rising, and no kneading. Made with whole food plant-based goodness that any cinnamon roll lover will love.
It’s possible that you found one of the healthiest vegan cinnamon roll recipes on the internet. Made with fiber-rich sweet potatoes, sweetened with dates, and completely oil-free.
These babes are decedent without all the fat and oil that come with traditional cinnamon rolls. They are studded with cakey Japanese sweet potato puree, swirled with date paste sugar, and heavily iced. Even though they are made with sweet potatoes, the dough is super soft and fluffy. And if you’re watching your sugar intake, then these cinnamon rolls are made with dates which is a natural sweetener. A win!
Just like traditional cinnamon rolls, this healthier version still has the super soft gooey center. The soft pull-apart dough and the cinnamony center are so good! These super quick sweet potato cinnamon rolls are perfect for weekend mornings, a holiday treat, or as your after-snack with tea or coffee. They are so good you won’t believe how easy they are to make.
Here’s a Sweet Potato Cinnamon Roll Recap. They are:
- Simple and straightforward.
- Low fat and oil-free.
- Sugar-free.
- Soft, fluffy, pillowy.
- Adaptable to your size preference.
- Weight loss friendly.
- Vegan
- Yummy!
Ingredients You Need For Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls
To make these low-fat pillowy rolls, you’ll need some space, a little time, and of course CINNAMON. Those are some big-ticket items, but there are a few other ingredients on the list too.
- Japanese sweet potato
- flour
- unsweetened plant-based yogurt
- dates
- cinnamon
- vanilla
- powdered sugar
Yes, these cinnamon rolls are void of butter and yeast, but that does not mean they are dry and dense. Instead of laboring over dough and getting it to rise, this dough uses plant-based yogurt. Instead of using butter in the cinnamon mixture, this recipe calls for date paste which allows the rolls to stay moist. These sweet little rolls still remain soft, sweet and airy.
Yes, You Can Make No Yeast Cinnamon Roll Dough!
Believe me – it’s easier and tastier than you think!
This no-yeast cinnamon roll dough that we’re using is pillowy soft and fluffy. Also: it’s almost foolproof. If you have zero time or consider yourself a non-baker then this dough recipe is for you. You will be amazed by the little amount of time and effort that goes into making this dough. Ready?
Here’s how you do it:
- Mash one precooked Japanese or orange sweet potato in a bowl.
- Then measure 1 cup of sweet potato. Add to a new large mixing bowl.
- To the bowl, add 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 2 tsp of baking powder, and 1/3 tsp of baking soda.
- Using a wooden spoon, mix together. Once it has been mixed, start mixing and kneading with your hands until it forms a nice ball.
- Let the dough rest for 10-15 minutes and cover with a tea towel.
How To Make Perfect Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls
There are a few steps here but nothing crazy. There is a little bit of time planning and love that goes in, but actually making the cinnamon rolls is super simple. And I promise, you will be shocked by the outcome. BIG TIME.
Cook the sweet potato. This may go without saying, but we do need to precook our sweet potato ahead of time. You want the sweet potato to bake until it’s soft to the touch. This is so we can mash it with a fork to make a sweet potato puree.
Making the dough. Once the sweet potato has been cooked, then you can get to work on your dough. Remember to let the dough sit for 10-15 minutes before using.
Make the filling. While the dough sits, we can make the sweet and sticky filling. Rather than using traditional sugar and butter, this filling is made with two ingredients. Dates, cinnamon, and a little bit of water. If your dates aren’t soft, then pop them in a bowl with water and microwave for 30 seconds. This plumps the dates back up. Remove the pit, and add to a high-speed blender with the date water. Blend on high until it forms a paste. Add to a bowl with cinnamon and mix. The mixture should not be too watery but more paste-like.
Roll it out. After the dough has rested, use a rolling pin to get the dough into a large thin rectangle.
Forming the rolls. Spread an even layer of the filling over the dough and then roll it up, starting from the short end. Trim the uneven ends (but don’t discard them! Toss them on a baking sheet and bake them up, making little cinnamon twists). Cut the log starting in the middle and working your way outwards. Add to a round baking dish.
Bake. Bake for about 22 minutes. Now let the cinnamony goodness commence!
Let’s Talk Icing
You’re already going to be in awe of these vegan cinnamon rolls as is but with this super simple icing, it’s going to take it over the top. If you want to keep this recipe refined sugar-free, then omit the icing. This icing is very nostalgic to the cinnamon rolls I used to eat as a kid. You know the ones that you banged on the counter and they popped open. It then came with a little jar of icing that I wanted to eat by the spoonful. Well, this simple recipe brings me back.
Not to get too complicated but this simple icing calls for only three ingredients – powdered sugar, plant milk, and vanilla. The only tricky part can come with the consistency, but don’t sweat it. It’s a 2:1 ratio of powdered sugar to liquid. So you just need two tablespoons of powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon of milk, and a splash of vanilla. Whisk until all the lumps dissolve and that’s it!
Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 cup mashed sweet potato
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 cup plant based unsweetend yogurt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/3 tsp baking soda
Filling
- 8 pitted medjol dates
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 tsp salt
Icing
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp milk
- 1/4 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Cook the sweet potato. This may go without saying, but we do need to precook our sweet potato ahead of time. You want the sweet potato to bake until it's soft to the touch. This is so we can mash it with a fork to make a sweet potato puree.
- Once the sweet potato has been cooked, mash with the back of a fork. You want it to resemble puree. Then measure 1 cup of mashed potato and add to a large mixing bowl.
- To the sweet potato mash, add flour, baking powder and baking soda. Mix with hands until it forms a ball. Once a ball starts to form, lightly knead in the bowl for 2 minutes.
- Cover the dough with tea towel and let it sit for 10-15 minutes.
- For the filling, de-pit the dates and add to a microwave-safe container with water. Microwave for 2 minutes or until the dates get soft.
- Add soften dates and 1/2 cup of water to a high speed blender. Blend on high until the dates are fully broken down into date paste.
- Add date past to a bowl with cinnamon and salt, and mix.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Flour a clean surface and place the dough on top. Sprinkle more flour on top of the dough ball, and roll it into roughly about 9×12 rectangle. Then pour on the filling and spread until evenly coated.
- Starting on one side, start rolling the dough. Work your way across the dough until it's one long long shape. Using a serrated knife, cut in the middle of the log. Then each section you cut, cut again in the middle. This helps keep things even.
- Place the rolls in a 9-10 inch round baking dish or pie plate. They should fit snugly together in the pan. Then bake for 22-25 minutes.
Frosting
- To a bowl, add the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla. Whisk until smooth. If it's too thick add a very small splash of milk and vice versa.
- Once the cinnamon rolls has cooled, drizzle frosting and enjoy!
