No-Yeast Pumpkin Spice Babka Buns (Vegan Gluten-Free)

Small-batch, no-yeast individual babka buns with a sweet pumpkin spice filling, sticky sugar coating and a magic 3-ingredient dough. These buns are ready in 30 minutes and are so easy but impressive.

It’s time to be all onboard the pumpkin spice train right now, although you can eat these all year long. There’s no need to confine these to just Autumn/Fall season. There is something so nostalgic and warming about pumpkin spice and when combined with equally comforting and familiar fluffy sweet buns, you know these are going to be on repeat.

No-Yeast Pumpkin Spice Babka Buns close up on a dark metal tray
No-Yeast Pumpkin Spice Babka Buns

These No-Yeast Pumpkin Spice Babka Buns are:

  • A cross between cinnamon rolls and babka
  • Light and fluffy
  • Sweet and sticky
  • Packed with pumpkin spice cinnamon sugar
  • Naturally vegan with gluten-free options
  • Nut-free and soya-free
  • Easy to make in 30 minutes with minimal effort
  • Very impressive to serve for brunch or afternoon tea

I am totally in love with these No-Yeast Pumpkin Spice Babka Buns and hope you will be too. If you are already a fan of my no-yeast bakes, you will know how good they are. You get all the deliciousness and fluffy dough of a yeasted recipe without any of the yeast, kneading or time spent waiting around. This time round, I wanted to pull out all the stops so I upgraded the classic cinnamon roll with pumpkin spice sugar and then braided and rolled them like individual babka buns.

No-Yeast Pumpkin Spice Babka Buns handheld
No-Yeast Pumpkin Spice Babka Buns
No-Yeast Pumpkin Spice Babka Buns with a sprinklign of sugar
No-Yeast Pumpkin Spice Babka Buns

But don’t worry, they are so easy to make (not that you need to tell anyone that).

What goes into these No-Yeast Pumpkin Spice Babka Buns?

Let’s start with the magic dough:

  • Self-raising flour: this is part of the magic 3-ingredient dough. This makes sure the dough is really light and fluffy without any yeast. If you are using gluten-free self-raising flour, you will need to add a little bit more as it absorbs liquid differently.
  • Caster sugar: this makes the dough slightly sweet but not too sweet. You can use any sugar here, but I think caster sugar works best.
  • Thick yoghurt: this is essential for the magic dough. I like thick coconut yoghurt, but thick dairy-free yoghurt will work, depending on what you have.

To make the dough, simply stir together all the ingredients to a shaggy dough and then bring together with your hands. It will be thick but as you give it a quick knead (only for 1-2 minutes I promise!) it will become much smoother and more pliable.

  • Vegan butter: melt and spread this over the dough. I prefer to use vegan butter as opposed to coconut oil for the taste but coconut oil and margarine spread would also work, if you prefer.
  • Coconut sugar: for the filling I prefer a crunchier, darker sugar like coconut or even dark brown sugar or demerara sugar. They add more flavour and richness to the filling but white sugar will work, too.
  • Pumpkin spice: I tend to make my own blends as in the UK it is not as easy to find a ready-made blend, but you can use whatever you have. I have included my own DIY blend below using cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg and mixed spice. If you don’t have all of these, that is OK, you can use whatever you do have.

Sprinkle the pumpkin spice mix over the filling and then it’s time to make the babka buns. While these look intricate, they are really simple and use 2 instead of 3 braids which also makes them easier to make.

No-Yeast Pumpkin Spice Babka Buns on a metal tray
No-Yeast Pumpkin Spice Babka Buns
No-Yeast Pumpkin Spice Babka Buns torn open on a metal tray
No-Yeast Pumpkin Spice Babka Buns

What steps are involved in making these buns?

  • Step one: once the dough is covered with pumpkin spice sugar, fold it in half lengthways.
  • Step two: slice the dough into 6 strips.
  • Step three: with the fold at the top, slice each strip in half, keeping the top intact.
  • Step four: plait the two strands together, folding one over the other and press the ends together.
  • Step five: roll the plait into a circle, tucking the ends underneath and place in a greased muffin hole.

Now these No-Yeast Pumpkin Spice Babka Buns are ready to be baked. They smell amazing as they bake: lovely and sweet with lots of pumpkin spice. They rise up well and turn golden at the edges while staying tender in the middle, too.

Before serving these buns, while they are great as they are, I love to add a pumpkin spice sugar coating and a drizzle of sticky icing, too. The pumpkin spice sugar is the same recipe as the filling and simply coat the buns in maple syrup before sprinkling with the sugar. Now drizzle with icing sugar glaze and dig in.

Are these buns nut-free and gluten-free?

Yes, these are nut-free (just check the yoghurt you use) and to make these gluten-free, you will need slightly more GF flour, as detailed in my Strawberry No-Yeast Swirl Buns.

How long do these last?

Like most baked goods, these are best eaten on the day but will last for 1-2 days in a sealed container at room temperature.

No-Yeast Pumpkin Spice Babka Buns with an icing sugar glaze
No-Yeast Pumpkin Spice Babka Buns

These No-Yeast Pumpkin Spice Babka Buns really are the dream no-yeast, light and fluffy bun recipe perfect for Autumn. Packed with warming and cosy pumpkin spice flavours and coated liberally in spiced sugar, these moreish babka buns are such a great brunch to make for friends or family or to enjoy with a cup of tea on a cosy afternoon.

If you are looking for more no-yeast bakes, how about my:

No-Yeast Pumpkin Spice Babka Buns (Vegan Gluten-Free)

  • Servings: 6
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Small-batch, no-yeast individual babka buns with a sweet pumpkin spice filling, sticky sugar coating and a magic 3-ingredient dough. These buns are ready in 30 minutes and are so easy but impressive.

Ingredients

    For the dough:
  • 250g self-raising flour or a GF self-raising blend*
  • 20g caster sugar
  • 250g thick dairy-free yoghurt
  • For the filling:
  • 30g vegan butter, melted
  • 2 tbsp coconut sugar
  • 2 tsp pumpkin spice blend (or 1 tsp cinnamon + ½ tsp ground ginger + ¼ tsp ground nutmeg + ¼ tsp mixed spice)
  • For the coating:
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp coconut sugar
  • 2 tsp pumpkin spice blend (or as above)
  • 50g icing sugar

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 160Fan/180*C and grease 6 muffin holes with vegan butter.
  2. Make the dough: stir together the flour and sugar. Now stir in the yoghurt and stir to a dough, bringing it to a ball with your hands.
  3. Tip onto a floured work-surface and roll out to a rectangle about ½ cm thickness (about 24 x 26cm). Brush the surface of the dough with most of the vegan butter.
  4. Stir together the coconut sugar and pumpkin spice blend (or other spices) in a small bowl and sprinkle all over the buttered dough.
  5. Take the shorter edge of the dough and fold the dough in half.
  6. With the sealed edge at the top, slice the dough into 6 equal strips. Take one strip and slice in half lengthways, leave the seal intact at the end. Now wrap one braid over the other to make a two-braid plait. Roll the braid into a circle, tucking the edges underneath and place into a muffin hole. Repeat to make 6 babka buns.
  7. Brush each babka bun with the remaining vegan butter and bake for 23-25 minutes or until golden brown, risen and cooked through. Leave to cool for 3 minutes then carefully remove from the tin and cool on a wire rack.
  8. Meanwhile, stir together the sugar and pumpkin spice (or other spices) to make the coating. Leave the buns for a few more minutes, then brush with the maple syrup and sprinkle with the pumpkin spice sugar.
  9. Make the icing drizzle by stirring together the icing sugar with 2-3 tsp water to a thick but drizzle consistency. Drizzle over the babka buns.
  10. Enjoy while still warm or allow to cool and store in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day. The pumpkin spice babka buns are eaten fresh on the same day or they will keep for 1-2 days in a sealed container at room temperature.
  11. *if you are using GF flour, you will need to use a few more tablespoons of flour. The rolls will be not as fluffy as the ones shown, but still delicious.
No-Yeast Pumpkin Spice Babka Buns landscape image
No-Yeast Pumpkin Spice Babka Buns

I look forward to hearing what you think of these delicious No-Yeast Pumpkin Spice Babka Buns so please let me know in the comments below. If you do make these babka buns, I would love to see them so please tag me in your buns – I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also on TwitterFacebook and Pinterest  – please say hello!

With babka bun love x

  1. Vegan buns are good. Thank you 🌍

  2. Heya Amy. Looks delicious 😋 and definitely need to try pumpkin 🎃 flavours I’ve never really tried pumpkin and it sounds super. Splendid photography as always and saved to my WordPress saved collection

  3. […] a lot of favourite recipes but this one may just have to top them all.  I am such a big fan of buns, rolls ,swirls and scrolls but usually I opt for the quicker no-yeast option. For today’s recipe, […]

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