These vegan strawberry rolls are the sweet treat you didn’t know you needed in your life — but totally do! Tender, fluffy, and stuffed with gooey strawberry filling, then topped with a decadent dairy-free strawberry cream cheese frosting, they’re perfect for weekend baking, special occasions, or whenever you’re craving an indulgent treat.
Is there anything more comforting than a soft, fluffy, bready treat on a weekend morning? You know, things like my vegan cinnamon rolls, vegan sticky buns, and vegan cinnamon raisin bread. I love them all, and gladly eat them all year. But to be honest, they all seem more suited for chilly days than spring and summer. That's why I created this vegan strawberry roll recipe. They're soft, fluffy, sweet, gooey, and taste like sunshine.
Jump to:
The idea is pretty simple. I adapted my sticky bun dough to make these, but added a little lemon zest. And instead of spices or nuts or raisins, I filled these rolls with a sweet strawberry filling, then topped them off with a luscious vegan strawberry cream cheese frosting that I adapted from my vegan strawberry cake recipe.
They came out so delicious and comforting. These will be your new go-to show stealer for all your spring and summer brunches.
Ingredients You'll Need
Below you'll find a list of ingredients in this recipe, with notes and substitutions. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe, including the amount of each ingredient.
- Flour. Stick with all-purpose wheat flour for this recipe, also known as white flour. I haven't tested it with any other varieties, so I can't promise they'll work!
- Sugar. Use organic sugar, since conventional sugar is often processed using animal bone char.
- Salt.
- Instant yeast.
- Non-dairy milk. Any unsweetened and unflavored variety that's suitable for drinking will work, such as soy, almond, or oat. Read my guide to dairy-free milks if you need help selecting one.
- Vegan butter. Look for this in the refrigerated section of the grocery store, near the regular butter.
- Vanilla extract.
- Lemon zest.
- Fresh strawberries.
- Lemon juice.
- Cornstarch.
- Freeze-dried strawberries. These are for the frosting — they're great for adding real strawberry flavor without adding moisture that can result in a sloppy mess. I buy them online and have provided a link to the brand I use in the recipe card.
- Vegan cream cheese. Use Tofutti brand if possible — it's what I tested the recipe with. Other brands should work, but you may need to adjust the amount of powdered sugar a bit.
- Powdered sugar. Make sure this is also organic.
How They're Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Mix dry ingredients. Whisk together your flour, sugar, salt, and yeast.
Mix wet ingredients. Stir together warm non-dairy milk, melted (and cooled) vegan butter, vanilla, and lemon zest.
Mix the dough. Add the wet mixture to the dry, then stir until everything is combined and you've got a soft, shaggy dough.
Knead and rest. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until it becomes smooth and elastic, then let it rest for a few minutes while you oil a large mixing bowl.
Rise. Place your dough into your oiled bowl, cover it with a damp cloth, then let it rise in a warm spot.
Your dough is ready when it has doubled in size. This will take about two hours.
Make the filling. Simmer finely chopped strawberries and sugar in a small saucepan for a few minutes. Meanwhile, stir some cold lemon juice, water, and cornstarch together. Once the strawberries start to break down, add the cornstarch mixture and let it simmer a bit longer until it thickens. Stir in the cinnamon, then let it cool.
Roll and apply filling. Sprinkle your kitchen counter with flour, then place the dough on it. Roll the dough out into a large rectangle using a rolling pin, then spread the strawberry filling all over it. Starting from a long edge of the rectangle, roll the dough into a tight log.
Slice and rise again. Cut the log into twelve slices and arrange them in an oiled baking dish. Cover the dish again and let the rolls rise a bit longer, until they've puffed up a bit
Bake. Pop the baking dish into the oven and bake the rolls until they're golden brown on top. Let them cool in the dish on a cooling rack. They don't need to cool completely — just until warm.
Tip: Slicing the rolls and transferring them to the baking dish is the trickiest part of the recipe, because the filling likes to ooze out. Do your best, use a spatula to move them, and don't worry if they deform a bit — it's part of their charm.
Blend the strawberries. Place the freeze-dried strawberries into a blender or food processor and blend them to a powder.
Make the frosting. First beat room temperature vegan butter and cold vegan cream cheese together, then beat in the freeze-dried berries and powdered sugar.
Frost and enjoy. Slather the rolls with your frosting, and they're ready to enjoy! You can serve them at room temperature, but they're absolutely fantastic when they're still a bit warm.
Frequently Asked Questions
I wouldn't recommend making the dough with anything besides all-purpose wheat flour. If you have a sweet gluten-free dough recipe, you can try using it with the filling and frosting from this one.
You can! You'll need to activate the yeast, though. Dissolve it in your warm dairy-free milk with a tablespoon of your sugar, then let it sit for about 10 minutes until it gets frothy. The dough may also need a bit more time to rise.
Usually, this means your yeast is dead. Unfortunately, you'll need to start over with fresh yeast — and check the "best by" date on the package before you begin. Your dough can also be slow to rise if you place it in a spot that's not warm enough. Try using your oven's bread proof setting, or just placing the dough in the oven with the light on.
Leftover strawberry rolls will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for about 1 day, in the fridge for about 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Like this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!
📖 Recipe
Vegan Strawberry Rolls
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading and rolling
- ½ cup organic granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 (¼ ounce/7 gram) packet instant yeast
- 1 cup unflavored and unsweetened non-dairy milk, heated to 110° to 120°F
- ½ cup vegan butter, melted and cooled until just warm
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- Vegetable oil or vegan butter, for the bowl
For the Filling
- 2 cups finely chopped fresh strawberries
- â…“ cup organic granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon water, chilled
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, chilled
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the Frosting
- â…” cup freeze-dried strawberries
- 5 tablespoons vegan butter, room temperature
- 8 ounces vegan cream cheese (Note 3), chilled
- 3 cups organic powdered sugar, plus more as needed
Instructions
Make the Dough
- To make the dough, first whisk the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast together in a large mixing bowl.
- In a smaller, separate container, stir together the non-dairy milk, vegan butter, vanilla extract, and lemon zest.
- Add the milk mixture to the bowl with the flour mixture. Stir until the ingredients are combined and a shaggy dough is formed.
- Lightly flour a work surface, then turn the dough onto the surface. Knead the dough until it becomes smooth and elastic, about 6 to 8 minutes.
- Let the dough rest for a few minutes while you lightly oil the inside of a large mixing bowl. Shape the dough into a ball and place it in the bowl.
- Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and place it in a warm location. Let the dough rise until it has doubled in size, about 2 hours (Note 1).
Make the Filling
- Make the filling while the dough rises. Combine the strawberries and sugar in a small saucepan and place it over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a simmer and let it cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the berries become very soft and start to break down.
- While the strawberries simmer, stir the water, lemon juice, and cornstarch together in a small cup or container.
- Stir the cornstarch mixture into the strawberry mixture, then let it come back up to a simmer while stirring. The mixture should thicken very quickly and become jam-like. Remove it from heat once it does. Stir in the cinnamon. Let the mixture cool completely.
Shape the Rolls
- Oil the inside of a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Use a floured rolling pin to roll the dough to a 12 x 18 inch rectangle.
- Spread the strawberry mixture evenly over the dough, leaving a small border around the edges. It will look a bit sparse.
- Starting from one of the long sides of the rectangle, tightly roll the dough into a log.
- Cut the log into 12 slices, then gently arrange them in the prepared baking pan. Use a spatula to lift them from the work surface. They can be a little tricky to handle, but don't worry if they deform a bit — just reshape them to the best of your ability when placing them in the baking dish.
- Cover the baking dish with a damp tea towel and place it in a warm location. Let the rolls rise until they have noticeably puffed up (they won't double), about 30 to 60 minutes.
Bake
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (Note 2).
- Once the oven has come up to temperature, bake the rolls for about 30 minutes, until they're very puffy and golden brown on top.
- Place the baking dish on a wire rack and let the rolls cool completely, or until just warm if you'd like.
Make the Frosting
- Make the frosting while the rolls cool. Begin by placing the freeze-dried strawberries into a blender or mini food processor. Blend them to a powder.
- Place the vegan butter and cream cheese into a large mixing bowl, then use an electric mixer to beat them together until creamy.
- Beat in the powdered strawberries, then begin beating in the powdered sugar, adding about a cup at a time until the frosting reaches your desired flavor and consistency.
Frost and Serve
- Spread the frosting over the cooled rolls.
- Serve.
Notes
- If your oven has a bread proof setting, use it. Otherwise, I recommend placing the bowl in the oven (off) with the light on.Â
- Make sure to take the rolls out of the oven first if they're in there rising.
- I recommend using Tofutti brand. Not all vegan cream cheeses behave the same in recipes, and Tofutti is what I tested the recipe with.
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Comments
No Comments