Vegan Strawberry Rolls
Vegan Strawberry Rolls taste like sweet summertime. Swirled with strawberry jam, fresh strawberries & topped with a rich cream cheese icing.
Say hello to the sweetest cinnamon rolls ever! When life gives you strawberries, make the best vegan strawberry rolls. There’s nothing quite like strawberries and cream for summertime. My favorite afternoon treat growing up was a bowl of strawberries with some whipped cream. It tasted so refreshing after spending the day running around outside in the sun. In this recipe, let’s put the iconic strawberries & cream duo in the form of a sweet roll and pair it with a strawberry cream cheese icing. There we have it, strawberries & cream.
These are sure to satisfy your sweet tooth craving. With each bite you’ll experience a buttery dough, followed by the sweetness from the strawberries, and lastly, the creaminess from the icing. Plus, how absolutely stunning do they look? The hint of pink in the icing from the strawberry jam is lovely. These rolls will be a showstopper at any event — appearance-wise and flavor-wise.
If you’ve never had sweet rolls, your life is about to change – not to be too dramatic. Imagine a regular cinnamon roll getting a fresh, summer makeover. These rolls are so light and airy, they practically melt in your mouth. You really can’t go wrong with this recipe because it has both of the elements needed for a perfect dessert: sweetness and creaminess!
When I first made these strawberry rolls, I brought them to my neighbors to be taste-tested. They swooned over them and ate the whole tray. They were a hit right off the bat. But then again, who wouldn’t love a sweet strawberry roll?
Vegan Strawberry Rolls Ingredients
- All Purpose Flour – I have not tested this recipe with any other types of flour yet.
- Active Dry Yeast – this makes the rolls airy and light. It’s important to note that this recipe uses active dry yeast, not instant yeast.
- Sugar – just a little bit to help activate the yeast. You can leave this out.
- Vegan Butter – I like to use the Earth Balance Vegan Butter Sticks. For this recipe, you’ll want to use sticks of butter as opposed to butter spreads. The butter spreads contain a lot more water, which we do not want in this recipe.
- Non-Dairy Milk – any non-dairy milk should work (almond, oat, soy, etc.).
- Strawberry Jam – my favorite jams are from St. Dalfour. Their jams are all natural, do not contain any added or refined sugars, and have the best flavor! You can also use a local organic strawberry jam if they’re in season where you live.
- Fresh Strawberries – we’re going to dice them up real small so you get a burst of berries in each bite.
Vegan Cream Cheese Icing Ingredients
- Vegan Cream Cheese – if you have strawberry cream cheese, that would take it to the next level!
- Vegan Butter
- Powdered Sweetener – to keep this recipe refined sugar-free, use powdered monkfruit sweetener. Powdered sugar will also work.
- Strawberry Jam
- Vanilla Extract – just a drop for flavor.
Essentially, these strawberry rolls are a spring-time alternative to my most popular recipe on my blog: The Best Vegan Cinnamon Rolls. While traditional cinnamon rolls are always a good idea, I’ve been inspired by the spring produce and the strawberries add a burst of summertime flavor to this baked good. These are a great option if you want something different from the usual cinnamon roll recipe, or if you’re looking for something new to make for brunch or breakfast on Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day.
Speaking of Mother’s Day, this recipe is going up on Mother’s Day, so if you’re reading this today, I am wishing all of the mom’s a lovely Mother’s Day. You deserve to be celebrated every day!
If you’re following along with me on my Instagram, you’ll know that I’m doing a series called “love letter to cinnamon rolls” by creating different flavored cinnamon roll recipes. This is my 3rd installment. If you haven’t tried the rolls before this, they are a must! Guess the flavor… if you guessed lemon, you’re correct! Sweet, tart and pure deliciousness! Be sure to try my Vegan Lemon Sweet Rolls.
More Spring Dessert Recipes You’ll Love
- Vegan Lemon Sweet Rolls
- Vegan Blueberry Rolls
- Healthy Berry Crisp (vegan and gluten free)
Vegan Strawberry Rolls
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 cup non-dairy milk
- ¼ cup vegan butter
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon sugar, optional, to help activate the yeast
- 3 ½ cups all purpose flour, organic, unbleached
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Strawberry Filling
- ½ cup strawberry jam
- ½ cup fresh strawberries, finely diced
Vegan Strawberry Cream Cheese Icing
- 2 ½ cups powdered monkfruit sweetener, or powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons vegan cream cheese, if you have strawberry cream cheese, use that!
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter, softened
- 2 tablespoons strawberry jam
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Make the dough
- In a small bowl combine the non-dairy milk and vegan butter and heat in the microwave until warm, about 1 min 30 sec (it should feel like warm bath water, not too hot but not too cold). Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl) and mix in the sugar and yeast. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes to allow the yeast to activate (you'll know it's done once its foamy at the top and smells of yeast).
- Gradually add the flour 1/2 cup at a time to the mixing bowl while mixing with the dough hook of a stand mixer (or using a wooden spoon). The dough should be able to easily pull away from the bowl, it should not be too wet but not too dry. It should not stick to your hands.
- Add in the salt, then knead for 8-10 minutes either by hand or in a stand mixer.
- Transfer the dough to a generously oiled bowl, cover with cling wrap and a tea towel and set it in a warm place to rise for 1 ½ hours, or until doubled in size.
Assemble the rolls
- Prepare a parchment lined 8x8 baking dish.
- Once the dough is doubled in size, transfer to a generously floured surfaced and roll the dough into a 14×9 rectangle. It's important the surface is well floured so it's easier to roll up.
- Using a spatula, spread the strawberry jam evenly over the dough, leaving about 1/4-inch from the edges. Then, sprinkle on top the diced strawberries.
- Tightly roll up the dough from the 9-inch side. It might get messy but no worries! If any filling falls out just spoon it on top.
- Using a serrated knife, cut about 1/2 inch off the ends. Then, make nine 1-inch cuts to make 9 even-sized rolls. Place the rolls next to each other into the dish.
- Cover the dish with cling wrap and a tea towel and set it in a warm place to rise for another 30-45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the rolls uncovered for 35-40 minutes. If the middle of the rolls start to pop up while baking, just use a spatula to push them down.
- Once finished baking, remove from the oven and let the rolls cool before icing.
Make the icing
- Using a stand mixer or hand-held mixer, cream together all of the icing ingredients: powdered sweetener, vegan cream cheese, softened vegan butter, strawberry jam and vanilla extract.
- Spread the icing over the rolls. Garnish with fresh strawberries, if desired. Enjoy!
