Oh, cinnamon rolls, banana bread. How have I not joined you before?
Let me set right this injustice, join your little hands, if you will, so you can forevermore be united in holy sweet baked good matrimony.
Dramatic? Over the top? I think not (Rhonda).
After having such success with my 7-Ingredient World’s Easiest Vegan Cinnamon Rolls, I knew more experimenting was to be done.
You guys have been loving on my first recipe. It’s been one of our most popular to date! And because I love banana bread so much, this recipe was bound to happen sooner or later.
The banana bread infusion happens in two ways: 1) banana purée in the dough, and 2) banana slices and walnuts in the centers. The result is an amazingly moist, banana-bread like cinnamon roll just begging to be frosted (and that, we must do).
BONUS: This recipe is seriously simple! Just 1 bowl and 9 ingredients (10, including the glaze). Plus, there’s only one true rise and no fancy methods required. Just pure, easy, simple cinnamon roll goodness that takes about 2 hours total.
This means you could wake up around 9, make these little gems, and be enjoying them by brunch. Huzzah!
Oh man, these are not to be missed! They’re:
Tender
Warm
Gooey
Perfectly sweet
Comforting
Slightly crisp on the outside
Infused with banana bread flavor
Cinnamon-filled
Seriously substantial
& Surprisingly simple
Make these rolls for a special weekend breakfast or brunch, or on a Sunday to enjoy throughout the week (that’s a good week). And if you take these rolls to work, I can almost guarantee you’ll be the queen (or king) of the office. That’s right, so many friend requests, so little time.
If you do try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment or take a picture and tag it @minimalistbaker on Instagram! We absolutely love seeing what you guys cook up. Cheers and happy baking!
1-Bowl Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
DOUGH
- 1 cup unsweetened plain almond milk
- 3 Tbsp vegan butter (such as Earth Balance)
- 1 packet instant/fast-acting yeast (1 packet yields ~2 1/4 tsp)
- 1 Tbsp cane sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup mashed ripe banana
- 2 ¾ – 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (I used a ratio of 2/3 unbleached all-purpose, 1/3 whole-wheat pastry)
FILLING
- 1/4 cup vegan butter
- 1/3 cup cane sugar
- 1/2 – 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
- ~20 very thin banana slices (1/2 cup yields ~20 slices)
- 1/3 cup raw walnuts or pecans (optional // crushed // plus more for topping)
TOPPING
- 1 Tbsp vegan butter
- 1 Tbsp sugar (cane or brown)
FROSTING optional (choose one)
- Dairy-free cream cheese frosting
- Powdered sugar glaze (see notes)
Instructions
- DOUGH: In a large mixing bowl, heat the almond milk and vegan butter in the microwave in 30 sec increments (or heat over medium heat in a large sauce pan), until warm and melted (never reaching boiling). Let cool to 110 degrees (43 C) – the temperature of bath water. It should be warm but not too hot or it will kill the yeast. (If you used a saucepan to heat the milk, transfer to a large mixing bowl now.)
- Sprinkle on yeast and let activate for 10 minutes. Then add sugar and salt and stir. Next, add in mashed ripe banana and stir. Add flour 1/2 cup at a time, stirring as you go. The dough will be sticky. When it is too thick to stir, transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead for a minute or so, adding flour as needed, until it forms a loose but still springy ball. Only use as much flour as it will take.
- Rinse out your mixing bowl, coat it with avocado or olive oil, and add your dough ball back in seam side down. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size (see photo) – mine only took 40 minutes.
- FILLING: On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a long rectangle ~1/4 inch thick (the dough should measure roughly 12 x 20 inches). Brush with melted vegan butter and top with cane sugar (I used a little brown sugar mixed in with the cane sugar) and 1/2 – 1 Tbsp cinnamon (up to preference // amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size). Then add banana slices so it's easy to roll, and walnuts.
- Slowly and tightly roll up the dough and situate seam side down. With a serrated knife or a string of floss, cut the dough into 1 1/2 – 2 inch sections and position in a well-buttered 8×8 square or comparable sized round pan (you should have about 10 rolls as original recipe is written).
- TOPPING: Brush with melted vegan butter and sprinkle with sugar (brown or cane) and remaining walnuts.
- Cover with plastic wrap and set on top of the oven to let rise again while you preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C).
- Once the oven is hot, bake rolls for 28-35 minutes or until slightly golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes, then serve warm.
- Optional: Frost with dairy-free cream cheese frosting or a simple dairy-free glaze (recipe below).
- Cinnamon rolls should keep covered at room temp for up to a few days, though best when fresh. You can freeze at the stage where the dough is cut into cinnamon rolls and placed in a pan. Cover well and freeze in a pan, then let thaw for at least 6 hours before baking. Cover and set on top of the oven while preheating to help rise. Bake as instructed.
Notes
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without glaze.
*Adapted from my World’s Easiest Cinnamon Rolls.
Opie's Mom says
I just made this and it was my maiden voyage into cinnamon rolls. The only reason I tried it is because it said it would only take 1.5-2 hours 🤣. I’m glad it said that or I wouldn’t have tried it but it has taken far more than 2 hours. They’re delicious at 3 in the afternoon
We’re so glad you enjoyed them as an afternoon treat! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
Tiff says
Can I make this with gluten free flour and if so what would you suggest
Hi Tiff, we don’t suggest using a gluten-free blend with this recipe. However, we do have a gluten-free cinnamon roll recipehere.
Lyndsay says
These turned out amazing! I’m not vegan so I used regular butter and milk and they worked perfectly. I also had no fresh bananas so used mashed thawed banana for the filling. I made a cream cheese icing for the glaze and everyone loved them. I will definitely use this recipe again. These banana cinnamon rolls are amazing.
Amazing! Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Lyndsay!
Sara says
I love this recipe! It turned out so good. I always use your regular cinnamon roll recipe and adapt it to make fun flavours but this is a great option too! I added banana to the frosting to make it banana frosting, instead of putting banana slices in with the filling (didn’t wanna go banana overboard), and it turned out amazing!
YUM! That frosting sounds amazing, Sara! Thank you for sharing! xo
Melinda says
I’m an avid baker, but this was only the second time I’ve used yeast – and first time making cinnamon rolls! They were good… I used whole wheat flour, which I’m sure changed the taste and consistency a bit (and the reason I feel I can’t rate the recipe properly), but it was just 4 WW points per roll, so that was worth it. I loved the idea of putting banana slices inside!
Although it was fun and I feel accomplished to have made them, I’ve already decided I’m never making cinnamon rolls again – way too long of a process haha.
Thank you for sharing your experience, Melinda!
Tash says
Thank you very much for answering all my questions. I just have one more. Currently there is a shortage of bananas on Isle. However I do have some frozen banans. I know the recipe called for banana slices. Nevertheless, can I use my frozen banans and mash them instead of the banana slices?
Hi Tash, we haven’t tried that, so we’re not sure, but we think it might work. Let us know how it goes!
Tash says
Hi I tried it and it came out fantastic. I created a filling by melting the cinnamon, sugar and butter and then combining the mashed thawed bananas.
Can I use buttermilk.with this recipe?
Great! Thank you for sharing! Buttermilk should work!
Tash says
HI I just made my dough. Can i store the unbaked banana rolls in the fridge and bake them the next day?
Yes! Just let the pan “rise” on top of the oven while the oven is preheating so they don’t get shocked from cold to super hot.
Tash says
Thank you! They came out lovely! Not too sweet! Just right!
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoy them! xo
Tash says
Hi there, i do plan to make this. However I have a few questions.
1. Can I make this with all purpose flour?
2. Also can I use evaporated milk or whole milk instead of almond milk?
Hi Tash, yes to both! Let us know how it goes!
keiko says
konnichiwa!(hello!)
i made banana cinnamon rolls with my daughter. i love baking, but i haven’t tried any special diet recipes before, but it was more than i expected, very delicious!!🥳 thank you!!
i didn’t plan frosting part when i saw the ingredients in the recipe, but my daughter said “no way”. yes, we needed it!!😆
Love that! We’re so glad you both enjoyed them, Keiko. Thank you for sharing! xo
Erica Garcia says
Amazing recipe! I have been eyeing the recipe for a while and was finally able to give it a whirl this morning. I substituted the Yeast for equal amounts of Baking Soda + a splash of lemon juice, I let it sit for a little over an hour to ensure that the dough had risen. I topped off the finished product with a non-vegan cream cheese frosting. They we’re delicious! I plan to make this recipe a staple in my kitchen.
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed them. Thanks for sharing, Erica!
The Vegan Goddess says
Thank you for answering the question I was going to ask about making this yeast-free. I will try your method.
This looks so good!
Jill says
My five-year-old son and I made these for the first time a couple of months ago. They were easy to make and delicious!! I’m going to be making them again for Christmas morning because they are THAT tasty.
Whoop! We’re so glad you both enjoyed them. Thanks for the lovely review, Jill! xo
Jasmine says
I made these this afternoon and they’re AMAZING- my flatmate is very happy. I cut the banana slices for the filling so thin that they almost melted into the dough- this was lovely.
We’re so glad they turned out well! Thanks so much for the lovely review, Jasmine! xo
KIM BURKE says
At first I thought this looked to complicated for me. I decided to start with one thing at a time and before you know it without any complications, we were eating wonderful banana cinnamon rolls.
We’re so glad you gave it a try and enjoyed it, Kim! Thanks so much for sharing!
Ely says
We made this recipe – it was really delicious! I was a bit suspicious that the baked banana slices inside of the rolls would be a bit gross… but, they turned out great.
One thing that I think would be helpful is some sense of what the dimensions or proportions of the rolled out rectangle of dough should be. It’s been a long time since I’ve made cinnamon rolls, and I had a general sense but could have used a little more guidance in the written instructions here.
Gotcha! Thanks for the review, Ely! Will revisit the instructions for greater clarity.
Farwa says
This looks delicious! Can’t wait to make it. I want to try it without the banana slices rolled in, can I just add more mashed banana to the batter instead for the banana flavour?
Yeah, just skip the banana slices. But when adding more into the batter, know that it will affect the texture. Let us know how it goes!
That should be OK, bit it will affect the texture! Adjust as needed and let us know how it goes!
Lili says
I’ve made these a few times now and they are great! Do you think it would work to use applesauce in place of the mashed banana in the recipe?
We’re so glad you enjoy them, Lili! Hmm, we haven’t tried that, but maybe! Let us know if you give it a try!
Kelsey Cook says
I love this recipe! Very easy to make and very tasty. It’s a hit with my friends. I make this non-vegan and it’s great.
We’re so glad everyone enjoys it, Kelsey! Thanks so much for sharing!
Jennifer says
I made this recipe GF by subbing an all purpose gf flour. And adding 1/4 cup of chia seeds. Also upped it to 1 cup of ripe bananas. It was actually the good kind of GOOEY!! Which is a complete miracle for gf baking. Thanks for sharing this recipe, it’s been our special quarantine desert!
Jennifer says
Oops! Forgot that I also added 1 teaspoon of xantham gum.
We’re so glad it worked well, Jennifer! Thanks for sharing!
Beth says
Can I use gluten free flour?
Hi Beth, we haven’t tried making this recipe gluten-free. We’d recommend adapting from this recipe.
Darya says
i haven’t had cinnamon rolls since i turned vegan because it’s impossible to find them in the vegan version where i live (hello from Russia), and i’m very happy to have found the recipe, gonna make them a lot from now on. I substituted coconut oil for both the dough and the filling and also used more banana than written in the recipe, and the rolls still turned out amazing. Might make them with raisins next time. Thanks a lot!
We’re so glad you enjoy this recipe, Darya! Thanks so much for the lovely review!
Ciara says
Newbie yeast user here! A terrifying ingredient, but the recipe writing of Ms. Minimalist B makes you feel at ease and gives you that, “Go ahead, You can do it!” nudge that is needed.
I subbed coconut oil in the dough recipe, used a mix of light and dark brown sugar for the filling, as well as a mix of walnuts and pecans. Topped with an almond milk, vegan butter and powdered sugar glaze. I can taste them as I write this.
Recipe and steps were super easy to follow. Of course my minimal faults were due to lack of yeast/dough using/creating experience.
End result, 7 large delicious buns! Would Banana Bread Cinnamon Roll AGAIN!
We’re so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Ciara! Thanks for sharing!
RSC says
I would rate this recipe 5 stars as is. Even though I found it light on banana flavor, the quality of the rolls was excellent, even though I wound up letting the dough rest in the fridge for 2 days. I baked in a cast iron skillet. I will use more banana purée next time, maybe banana liquor in dough and frosting, and completely cover the cinnamon sugar with banana slices. I will use milk powder in the dry ingredients (1/2c) and all the liquid will be banana purée and melted butter. I had about 1 cup of total nuts in this, but we have pecan trees, so I can get extravagant with them.
Lia says
Hi, there. Thank you for giving such an idea for replacing milk with banana puree. I’m having lots of almost ripe bananas right now and kinda bored with banana bread. Have you tried it? I’d like to bake it as per your suggestion, so the banana puree will be 1+1/2 cup and there’s an addition of 1/2 cup milk powder to the dry ingriedients?
Bo says
Could this be done with gluten-free flour? Or completely whole wheat flour? Or would the outcome not be as good? Cant wait to try..
Hi Bo, Some other readers have tried whole wheat with success. For gluten-free, we would suggest modifying this recipe: https://minimalistbaker.com/vegan-gluten-free-cinnamon-rolls/
Ridhi says
Hi what can be a substitute of vegan butter and yeast because we don’t use yeast can we use curd or any other substitute??
Hmm, we aren’t sure of any subs for those as they are key ingredients, sorry!
alexis says
I made this yesterday with a lot of modifications like wheat flour and coconut oil. I then left the dough to rise which did not happen due to dry yeast being very old. To save the dough I then used a mix of baking soda and lemon juice since there is no yeast to buy in any of the stores. I guess everybody is baking these days. So 4 hours lates the dough finally was in the oven and the rolls turn out very delicious. They were out of shape but nevertheless scrumptions. I will be baking these again because they are easy to make.
Amber says
Do you think I could sub coconut oil for the earth balance anywhere in this recipe? I dont want to use all of my earth balance. I dont have much left…
Yes! Keep it for the filling, but sub coconut oil for the dough!
Kiah says
I just made these and they’re amazing!! SO FLUFFY. Used coconut oil, soy milk, and extra banana slices and they were perfect. Better than I was expecting honestly. Thank you!!
Stephanie says
So, so, SO yummy. Rich and substantial without being overly heavy. The banana makes the dough all the more moist and delicious, and that banana/nut/cinnamon combo is to die for. This was my first go at this recipe, and I could have let the dough rise for a tad longer and I think I could have used a tad more flour (I used the lower end of the suggested amount in the recipe); however, the result was a slightly sticky (in a good way) and super fluffy dough that ended up making incredibly fluffy, moist rolls. I opted for a little extra melted vegan butter and cinnamon sugar topping with crushed walnuts instead of frosting (mostly because this was a spontaneous baking experience, and I was low on glaze/frosting ingredients). No regrets; still absolutely delicious . . . just as much so warmed up with coffee the next day. My partner and I loved them! Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
Alyssa says
Can we use regular sugar and regular non vegan items for everything else?
That should work! We haven’t tried it though. Let us know how it goes!
Eve says
I made these yesterday to use up some bananas and they were DELICIOUS.
They didn’t taste any different for being vegan; even my dad didn’t notice!
I used all plain flour and I’d add double the banana next time, but it’s the first recipe of yours I’ve used and I think I’ll make more soon!
:)
Ana says
I’ve never worked with yeast before and I’m wondering if I can use Active Dry Yeast rather than fast acting?
That’ll work! Just expect a longer rise.
KB says
Morning! Made these for Christmas brunch. Lovely addition to our table. This time, I substituted coconut oil in the filling and preferred the flavor.
Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modification. We are so glad you enjoyed them! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! Xo
Tazzy says
Unless my understanding is wrong and there is no video, where do I find the video for this recipe? Can’t find it using my phone & my computer is broken. :( Thanks for any help with this.
There’s not a video for this one at this time – sorry!
gwyn says
is it possible to substituted butter with something else?
Perhaps coconut oil? It won’t produce the same effect, but it should be close.
Lucy says
Really easy! I made these (in addition to other treats) to promote fairtrade with fairtrade bananas from work. They went down a treat at the bake sale, really wish I made more. I made it with non-vegan products due to having to use products in store and we don’t sell vegan cream cheese. It still worked perfectly fine with dairy products and was delicious. Thank you!
Jacqui says
Just made the banana cinnamon rolls and they are absolutely fabulous!
I just had one and I really want another immediately.
Can’t wait for my husbaand to try them. Thanks for another great recipe!
Kelly Jones says
I made them for my co workers ..omg ? smells so good !
I tagged you on Instagram
Kim says
We loved these! I made them just as the recipe told me to with the vegan cream cheese frosting. I was shocked at how delicious they were. We used 1/2 whole wheat flour and 1/2 white flour. We also used the organic cane sugar- the slightly thicker granules make a slightly crunchy sugary topping. Yum! Great recipe- and thank you!
Cristina says
Hi! I have family members allergic to all types of nuts, but would LOVE to serve your recipe for the holiday season coming up. How can I replace almond (flour, milk, nut ANYTHING) with something more vegan & allergy-free friendly?
Hi Cristina! For this recipe, feel free to swap the almond milk for another non-dairy milk.
CRISTINA CALAGUAS says
Hi Dana! What about the flour? I notice in many of your recipes you use nut-flour? What can i replace for this?
Hi Christina! We use nut flours to keep the recipe gluten-free, but if you aren’t GF then you may be interested in this recipe.
Jamee says
Hi! Do you think it would be possible to leave them to do the final rise in the fridge overnight so they can be baked fresh in the morning?
Yes! Just refrigerate overnight, set on the oven while preheating the next day, and bake as instructed.
Jamee says
Thank you!! They turned out perfect and were SO delicious! Will be making these again for sure!x
Jane Speyer says
These were hands-down the best cinnamon rolls I ever made. Really easy and so good! I subbed rice milk for almond milk, because that’s what I had in the house and added just a little vanilla to the powdered sugar icing because vanilla is awesome. This banana in the dough makes it extra sticky, so keeping the kneading area well-floured is essential. I was worried about the amount of butter used in the filling – seemed like more than was needed, but trusted the recipe and everything worked out beautifully. Thanks so much for this recipe. We will definitely make this again!
Charleen Belcher says
This was really good! I added more warm spices (pumpkin pie spice, extra cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger) to the filling and used the cream cheese frosting from the GLUTEN-FREE ZUCCHINI CAKE (I halved that recipe). Thanks for another amazing recipe, Dana!
Lydia says
I’m not sure what exactly where I went wrong on this recipe!
Tried it this morning. Slowly added flour until I had what I thought was a springy ball but then after 1.5 hours it hadn’t risen that much, but was bigger than when I started. Maybe my yeast never activated, problem 1. Then when I was trying to roll out the dough it kept sticking and crumbling… Too much flour? I decided to move ahead even though it wasn’t looking good at this point. They turned out OK. Not sure if I would invest the time/energy again.
Hi Lydia! Sorry to hear you had some difficulties with this recipe. It sounds like your yeast was possibly too old? As for the crumbly dough, adding moisture will help the dough become more coherent. Add a few sprinkles of cold water (no more than a teaspoon at a time), handling the dough as little as possible until it’s evenly moistened.
Josuha says
Made this yesterday to bring over to my friends’ new house and they absolutely loved them! I don’t think I quite got the flour ratio right, but they still came out delicious, the bananas really added a bunch of flavor.
We are glad you all enjoyed these, Joshua!
Lorna says
Hi, I have a yeast intolerance is there anyway of making them with something else?
Not that we know of at this time, Lorna!
POLly says
Sososososo good! I’ve made this twice, once for thanksgiving and everyone raved and a pregnant relative begged for the recipe. I will add that I used regular milk and butter though. Amazing!
Theresa says
Do you have a Gluten Free version of this? I would love to make it!
Hi Theresa! We wish we could comment, but we haven’t experimented with a GF cinnamon roll yet. But if you try it, please report back!
Yoko says
For the first time to bake cinnamon rolls! and it’s successful with fluffy texture:) I used chopped dates to reduce some suger. but I realized that sweeter is nicer! Thank you, Dana :D
Selina says
THESE ARE AMAZING!!! I had some overripe bananas to use and was looking for ideas online on how to use them when I came across this recipe. Instead of yeast and flour I adapted it with self raising gluten free flour, and they still turned out SO DELICIOUS!! Btw, your page is a freaking haven for celiacs and I don’t want to ruin anything by moving too fast but I love you.
Selina says
Also, just wanted to let you know that this recipe was just SO GOOD that I ended up translating it to Norwegian and shared it with family members and on a Celiac forum, linking to your page of course.
Georgia says
These look amazing! Unfortunately, where I live, vegan butter is not accessible… is there any way to alter the recipe, and sub the butter with something else? Coconut oil, for example? Thanks!
Hi Georgia! It will affect the flavor, but I think so, yes.
Kennedy says
I had never made cinnamon rolls before but was craving them and had bananas that were turning ripe and the I found this recipe! I made them gluten free, which is just a matter of different flour.
Anyway this recipe was easy to follow and I really like the walnuts! I’m not sure what I did wrong but they were a bit flavorless, I’ll keep experimenting and I’m sure I’ll get it right soon enough!