Salted Caramel Banana Bread Pecan Cinnamon Rolls (Vegan)
These Salted Caramel Banana Bread Pecan Cinnamon Rolls are the best sweet roll right now. A cross between a sticky pecan bun, banana bread and cinnamon rolls, these are light and fluffy, sweet and sticky and naturally vegan.
I do love a good cinnamon bun but I also love banana bread and all things caramel so I thought to combine them all for these show-stopping and crowd-pleasing buns. They are so light and fluffy, easy to make and delicious for an afternoon tea delight.
What makes these buns so special?
These Salted Caramel Banana Bread Pecan Cinnamon Rolls are amazing, they are:
- Light and fluffy
- Sweet and sticky
- Banana bread-like
- Packed with caramel, pecans and bananas
- Quick and easy to make
- Naturally vegan
- A crowd-pleaser
If you are ready to make these buns, skip ahead to the recipe card below, or let’s first discuss the ingredients and method in more detail.
What ingredients go into these sticky buns?
The dough recipe is loosely based on my Giant Gingerbread Cinnamon Roll as I love that they use applesauce, so I swapped this for banana.
- Evaporated milk: this is much thicker and creamier than regular (plant-based) milk so makes the dough really soft and fluffy but you can swap this for more plant-based milk. I love the coconut or oat evaporated milk from Natures Charm.
- Plant-based milk: any milk will do like oat, almond, soya or coconut (from a carton).
- Vegan butter: the block butter is better flavour-wise but you can also use vegan margarine spread. I have not tried this with coconut oil so recommend sticking to butter.
- Ripe banana: this adds a lot of the sweetness, softness and deviousness to the dough. It is not overpowering in flavour but works wonders for the dough’s lightness. You can swap this for an equal amount of applesauce.
- Vanilla essence: for the flavour.
- Strong white bread flour: works best for buns and rolls as it holds the shape better and allows for a more dough-y bun. I have not tried this with regular flour, but I am sure it will still work. Sadly, these are not gluten-free, friendly (yet!!).
- Active dried yeast: for the rise.
- Cinnamon: for the classic bun flavour.
- Light brown sugar: just a little sweetness to help the yeast activate and add a lovely richness to the dough. You can use coconut or caster sugar, too.
- Salt: to bring it all together and add to the yeast’s ability to rise.
While the dough proofs for the first time (more information below), prepare the filling:
- Salted caramel sauce: I use a lovely one from Natures Charm which is coconut based and so delicious but you can use any shop-bought vegan caramel or make your own. I like my cheat’s caramel from the Coconut Caramel Granola Tart or my Salted Caramel from the pretzel bars. This works as the glue that holds all the filling together like butter would in other rolls and buns.
- Bananas: in slices for the filling. if you are not a fan of banana, leave these out.
- Pecans: crush these up to add to the filling so that when you roll these up, there are pieces of pecan in every bite.
- Cinnamon: no cinnamon roll is complete without it.
Once these Salted Caramel Banana Bread Pecan Cinnamon Rolls are baked and golden brown, spread with the glaze:
- Vegan cream cheese: this adds a lovely stickiness and sweetness. There are a few brands in the UK that I love like NUSH.
- Evaporated milk: or use plant-based milk to thin out the frosting.
- Icing sugar: for the sticky sweetness.
- Extra caramel sauce: to spread on top.
How do I make these buns?
These buns are seriously delicious and while there are a few steps involved, they are easy to make. You can watch the recipe video here.
- Warm the milk and butter: add the evaporated milk, plant-based milk and butter to a saucepan and warm until melted, but do not let it boil. If it has warmed too much, allow it to cool down.
- Whisk in the banana and vanilla: to make a smooth wet mixture.
- Add the flour, yeast, cinnamon, sugar and salt to a bowl: and stir.
- Pour in the wet mixture: while mixing the dough either by hand or using a free-standing machine with a dough hook attached.
- Knead for 3-6 minutes: once the dough is combined, knead by hand for 6 minutes on a light floured surface or buy machine for 3 minutes on a medium setting, to reach a smooth, elastic and supple dough.
- Proof for 1 hour: in a greased bowl loosely covered until doubled in size.
- Punch the dough down: and roll out to a rectangle.
- Spread with the caramel sauce: and top with the pecans, banana and cinnamon.
- Roll up and slice: into individual rolls. Place in a greased dish.
- Proof for the second time: for about 30 minutes while you preheat the oven.
- Bake until golden brown: and risen. Allow to cool slightly.
- Spread with cream cheese glaze: and top on some extra caramel sauce.
- EAT: the best bit about these vegan Salted Caramel Banana Bread Pecan Cinnamon Rolls.
How long will these buns last for?
Like most fresh buns and rolls, they are best eaten fresh on the same day but they are also delicious 1-2 days after. Keep leftover buns in a sealed container at room temperature.
Are these gluten-free and nut-free?
Sadly these buns are not gluten-free but do try out my no-yeast dough buns that are easily gluten-free. The buns are nut-free if you use nut-free milk and skip the pecans in the middle. Also make sure that your caramel is nut-free.
Can I change the flavours?
Yes, this dough recipe is so versatile, so if you don’t have any caramel sauce, you can make these into regular cinnamon rolls using melted butter and cinnamon sugar. You can also swap the pecans for other nuts and or use chopped up chocolate, too.
I love baking breads and rolls, what other recipes can I try?
I hope you are going to love these Salted Caramel Banana Bread Pecan Cinnamon Rolls as much as we do at home, they are pretty amazing. For more ideas, how about my:
- Giant Gingerbread Cinnamon Roll
- Gingerbread Apple Pull Apart Bread
- Vegan Espresso Cinnamon Roll Tear and Share
- Vegan Lemon and Blueberry Sweet Rolls
- Vegan Chocolate Star Bread
Salted Caramel Banana Bread Pecan Cinnamon Rolls (Vegan)
These Salted Caramel Banana Bread Pecan Cinnamon Rolls are the best sweet roll right now. A cross between a sticky pecan bun, banana bread and cinnamon rolls, these are light and fluffy, sweet and sticky and naturally vegan.
Ingredients
- For the Dough:
- 60ml evaporated dairy-free milk
- 60ml plant-based milk
- 45g vegan butter
- 1 ripe banana, mashed (100g)
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 350g strong white bread flour
- 1 tsp active dried yeast
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 20g light brown sugar
- Pinch of salt For the Filling:
- 130g salted caramel sauce, chilled
- 1-2 bananas, sliced
- 60g pecans, crushed
- 1 tbsp cinnamon For the Glaze:
- 30g vegan cream cheese
- 1 tbsp evaporated coconut milk
- 100g icing sugar
- Extra salted caramel sauce
Directions
- Add the evaporated and plant-based milk to a saucepan with the butter and warm it gently to melt the butter, do not let it boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the mashed banana and vanilla essence.
- Add the flour, yeast, cinnamon, sugar and salt to a large mixing bowl or a freestanding mixer with a dough hook and stir together. While mixing, gradually pour in the wet mix and continue to mix until it’s combined. Knead on a medium speed for 3-5 minutes or by hand for 5-6 minutes, to reach a smooth, thick and shiny dough.
- Grease a large bowl and place the dough inside. Loosely cover and leave somewhere warm to rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
- Grease a dish to bake the buns in.
- Lightly flour a work surface. Punch down the dough and transfer to the surface. Use a floured rolling pin to roll the dough to about 30cm x 40cm rectangle. Spread over the salted caramel sauce and top with the sliced banana, pecans and cinnamon.
- Using the longer edge, tightly roll up the dough into a log, tucking in all the banana and pecans. Trim off the ends and cut into 9 or 10 equal buns (I like to score them all first and then cut them).
- Transfer all the buns to the greased dish, loosely cover and allow to proof a second time for 30 minutes while you preheat the oven to 160Fan/180*C.
- Remove the cover and transfer to the oven to bake for 25-30 minutes, covering the buns if they are crisping too much. They will be risen, golden and shiny on top.
- Allow to cool for 10 minutes and then either enjoy warm or cold with the glaze.
- Make the glaze by stirring together the vegan cream cheese, evaporated milk and icing sugar together until smooth and thick. Spread over the buns and swirl on some extra caramel, if desired.
- Once cool, store in a sealed container for 1-2 days. Buns can be frozen once cool for 2-4 weeks (wrapped tightly).
I look forward to hearing what you think of these Salted Caramel Banana Bread Pecan Cinnamon Rolls so please let me know in the comments below. If you do make these buns, I would love to see so please tag me in them, I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest – please say hello!
With caramel banana cinnamon rolls of love x
p.s. the original recipe was sponsored by Natures Charm but all opinions are my own and they are such a lovely brand!
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