Giant Gingerbread Cinnamon Roll (Vegan)

Here I share my favourite vegan recipes that are not only delicious, but they are vibrant, wholesome and designed to nourish you from the inside out with vegan and vegan curious followers.

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This Giant Gingerbread Cinnamon Roll is so light and fluffy, pillowy soft and deliciously vegan. It is filled with a gingerbread cinnamon sugar and spread thick with cream cheese frosting for a giant bun that is great to tear and share.

I will admit that I have 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, I worked with Le Creuset (a pinch me moment as I love their products) to make this Giant Gingerbread Cinnamon Roll in a casserole dish. It’s huge, it’s fluffy and it’s such a fun recipe to make this Christmastime for friends and family.

Giant Gingerbread Cinnamon Roll in a red casserole dish — Giant Gingerbread Cinnamon Roll

Two hands holding a red dish of Giant Gingerbread Cinnamon Roll — Giant Gingerbread Cinnamon Roll

How amazing is this Giant Gingerbread Cinnamon Roll?

If the photos don’t sell this enough, then let me say that this roll is:

Pillowy soft
Fluffy and light
Packed with gingerbread spices
Filled with a delicious buttery filling
Spread thickly with 2-ingredient cream cheese frosting
Naturally vegan
Easy to make in a few steps
Very impressive to serve to guests
Great to make for the holidays

All in all, this Giant Gingerbread Cinnamon Roll is a delicious bake and I hope you will want to make this straight away. If so, skip ahead to the recipe card, or let’s discuss the ingredients and method a little bit more.

A slice of Giant Gingerbread Cinnamon Roll — Giant Gingerbread Cinnamon Roll

What ingredients go into this Giant Gingerbread Cinnamon Roll?

Firstly, the dough which is yeasted, so soft and so easy to make:

Vegan butter: this adds the lovely soft and tender dough texture. Butter is best here but vegan margarine spread would also work. I have not tried this with coconut oil and suggest sticking to butter.
Plant-based milk: any milk will do like oat, almond, coconut or soya.
Apple puree: you may be suspired to see this here, but it keeps the dough really light, adds a dose of apple-y goodness and helps the dough to hold its shape. Non vegan dough may contain egg which acts in the same way as the apple puree does here. See this post to make your own apple puree (or applesauce in America).
Strong white bread flour: this is my preferred flour for doughs and buns as it’s more dough-y and bready-y which is perfect for cinnamon rolls. I would stick to this but white flour will also work but perhaps isn’t quite so bread-y in texture.
Dried active yeast: for the magic rise! No need to activate the yeast beforehand, just mix it into the flour and then add in the wet ingredients.
Gingerbread spices: cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg help bring this dough to life.
Light brown sugar: this adds to the gingerbread flavour but you can also use caster sugar, too.
Salt: to enhance the flavours and aid the yeast, too.

For the filling we need:

Vegan butter: as above, butter is best. It is ideal for the butter to be room temperature for the filling, so leave it out for 1-2 hours to soften.
Light brown sugar: as above, other sugars will work but it is nice to have the rich flavour and slightly coarse texture for the filling. I would swap this sugar for demerara or coconut sugar, if you prefer.
Gingerbread spices: cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg add to this gingerbread flavours.

The frosting is very simply a mix of:

Vegan cream cheese: there are a few vegan cream cheese brands in the UK, so opt for your favourite one. If you don’t have cream cheese, stick to a water-based frosting like this one or use a yoghurt based one, too.
Icing sugar: no swaps here.

Giant Gingerbread Cinnamon Roll with a slice removed — Giant Gingerbread Cinnamon Roll

Taking a slice of the Giant Gingerbread Cinnamon Roll — Giant Gingerbread Cinnamon Roll

How do I make a giant roll?

I was a little intimidated at first at how giant this roll is but it’s actually really easy to make. Here’s what to do:

Make the dough: warm the butter and milk and stir in the apple puree. Separately stir the dry ingredients then while mixing, gradually add the wet into the dry.
Knead the dough: I like to use a standing mixer for this as it takes all the work out of the recipe, but you can easily knead the dough by hand for 5-6 minutes.
Allow the dough to proof: somewhere warm for about an hour, it will really increase in size.
Make the filling: stir together all the ingredients until smooth.
Punch down the dough and roll it out: to a large rectangle.
Spread over the filling: to evenly cover the dough.
Slice the dough into 4 large strips: so they are evenly sized.
Roll up the first strip: like you would for a cinnamon roll.
Place the first roll on top of the second strip: and roll around this to make a larger roll.
Repeat for strips 3 and 4: to make a giant roll. You will need to use both hands as it gets slightly messier.
Proof the roll: place the roll in the lined dish and cover. Leave somewhere warm for 30 minutes to fill the tin.
Bake until golden brown: and well risen. Then smother with frosting and decorations like mini Gingerbread Cookies.
Tear and share: and enjoy this Giant Gingerbread Cinnamon Roll.

That is all there is to this delicious roll, which I hope you will fall in love with.

Close up of Giant Gingerbread Cinnamon Roll — Giant Gingerbread Cinnamon Roll

When should I eat this?

This Giant Gingerbread Cinnamon Roll is so good for festive brunch, an indulgent breakfast, with a cup of tea or served warm with more frosting (or even with extra custard or ice cream) for dessert. It is especially important to remember this is delicious all year long, don’t wait for the holidays.

Is this gluten-free and nut-free?

This sweet roll recipe is naturally nut-free (check your butter and milks as sometimes they are nut-based) but this is not gluten-free. For deliciously gluten-free dough recipes, try my no-yeast range which are happily gluten-free like my Mince Pie Swirl Buns, Pumpkin Spice Babka Buns and Vegan Chocolate Star Bread.

Can I make this Giant Gingerbread Cinnamon Roll into other flavours?

Yes, of course. The basic mix can then be used to make a regular cinnamon roll (omit the ginger spices and swap for more cinnamon) and you can even add on some chopped dried fruits. You could also make a fruity Lemon and Blueberry giant roll basing it on this recipe or opt for a chocolate one by spreading the dough with chocolate spread.

A slice of Giant Gingerbread Cinnamon Roll on a plate — Giant Gingerbread Cinnamon Roll

How long will this giant roll last?

This was gone in under 24 hours, that is how much we love baked goods in my house. I did give some out to the neighbours who were all very happy, too. This is best the same day it is basked, but you can bake it the night before and then frost it before you want to eat it, too. Once baked, it will last 1-3 days, make sure to wrap it up in parchment and then keep in a sealed container at room temperature. Any extra slices of roll can be frozen for up to 1 month and then defrosted at room temperature.

I love this giant roll, what other dough recipes can I make?

If you love this Giant Gingerbread Cinnamon Roll, then I hope you will also want to try: