Banana Cinnamon Rolls (No Dehydrator!) | 3-Ingredient Vegan Recipe (2024)

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These sticky swirly sweet banana cinnamon rolls are healthier, simpler, and sweeter than any ordinary cinnamon roll, and made in the oven with only fruit!

Banana Cinnamon Rolls (No Dehydrator!) | 3-Ingredient Vegan Recipe (1)There are a lot of fruits I miss from my week at the Woodstock Fruit Festival.The sweetjuice-drippy mangoes. The perfectly petite strawberry papayas. The hot pink pitayas that I suspect willnever show up in any grocery store around here (especially sincespell check doesn’t even believe ‘pitaya’ is a word). But there is onefruity sweet snack I miss most of all…

Banana Cinnamon Rolls!And when I mentioned them many of you seemed pretty eager to try them too, so I am finallysharing that recipe. Although I must say I will miss the delicious job ofrecipe testing these.

Fortunately dates, bananas, and cinnamon are neither exotic nor elusive ingredients. However, thesebread-lessbuns are typically a raw recipe made in the dehydrator. But I don’t have a dehydrator, soI experimented withanother way…

Banana Cinnamon Rolls (No Dehydrator!) | 3-Ingredient Vegan Recipe (2)Banana Cinnamon Rolls (No Dehydrator!) | 3-Ingredient Vegan Recipe (3)

The oven. It’s the oven obviously. There is no other secret magical banana-drying method or anything, at least not the I know about. But rather than use the oven like a mock dehydrator at it’s lowest setting and have to wait forever for your sticky swirlyrolls, Iexperimented until I found the highest possible temp that would still dry them out butnot actually bake or burn them.Higher temperature = faster cook time = snacking sooner!

And I actually found the texture preferable with this method too–not as gooey need-twelve-napkinsmessy. You can pick up and eatthese little banana bundles with grace.

It’s still a low and slow process that will take a few hours, but most of that time is just waiting while the oven does it’s work. The actual ingredients and assembly is very easy, and you really only need 3 ingredients! You couldadd vanilla or salt to the date filling. Or you could add raisins on top likethey did at the festival. But honestly I just love them the simple banana + date + cinnamon way.

Banana Cinnamon Rolls (No Dehydrator!) | 3-Ingredient Vegan Recipe (4)

The trickiest part of the whole process is slicing the bananas lengthwise. If you’ve never tried to do that, trust me it’s much harder than it sounds. They have a tendency to break and mush everywhere.

A few tips
– Use spotty but not overripe bananas. Bruises and mushy spots make it almost impossible.
– Slice each banana into 3 strips. In the video I attempted 4, but since then I have found that 3 is much more doable and actually makes for a sturdier cinnamon roll.
– Leave half of the peeling on and slice it in the peeling. It is easier to hold this way and gives the banana some support.
– The straighter the banana the better.
– If they do break, save thoseshorter strips. You can piece them together androll them up inside larger ones.

Banana Cinnamon Rolls (No Dehydrator!) | 3-Ingredient Vegan Recipe (5)

These Banana Cinnamon Rolls are naturally SO sweet from the combination of candy-likedates and concentratedbanana sugars. If you like those two fruits, you will love them.Better than any baked bread-style cinnamon roll will ever be if you ask me!

>>> Click Below To Pin <<<

Banana Cinnamon Rolls (No Dehydrator!) | 3-Ingredient Vegan Recipe (6)

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Banana Cinnamon Rolls (No Dehydrator!) | 3-Ingredient Vegan Recipe (7)

Banana Cinnamon Rolls

★★★★★5 from 5 reviews

  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 180 minutes
  • Total Time: 200 minutes
  • Yield: 10 -12 rolls 1x
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Ingredients

Scale

  • 4 spotty bananas
  • Cinnamon

Date Paste

  • 1 cup Medjool dates (about 12)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • Optional: 1 tsp vanilla and/or a pinch of salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 250F
  2. Slice the bananas lengthwise into 3 strips each (see tips in the post and watch the video for technique).
  3. Lay out the slices on 2 baking trays lined with parchment paper. Do not overcrowd. I recommend 6 slices per tray. If you have any smaller strips that broke, lay them out too.
  4. Bake for 1 hour at 250F.
  5. Remove from the oven and let them cool for 15-20 mins.
  6. Gently run a finger or dull knife under each slice to release it from the pan. Flip them over so the side with more moisture is facing upwards.
  7. Blend all the ingredients for the date paste.
  8. Spread about 1 tablespoon of date paste down the length of a banana slice. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Roll.
  9. Repeat with the remaining slices. You can roll the shorter pieces inside the longer strips.
  10. Arrange all the rolls on one lined pan.
  11. Return them to the oven for 1.5-2 hours at 250F.
  12. Remove from the oven. Allow to cool. Eat immediately or refrigerate for a firmer consistency. Keep leftovers in the fridge.

Banana Cinnamon Rolls (No Dehydrator!) | 3-Ingredient Vegan Recipe (8)

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Banana Cinnamon Rolls (No Dehydrator!) | 3-Ingredient Vegan Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why are my homemade cinnamon rolls hard? ›

Don't Overmix the Dough

When making cinnamon rolls, mix the dough just until the ingredients are incorporated and the dough is smooth and soft. Overmixed dough leads to tough cinnamon rolls. The dough is ready when it pulls away from the sides of the mixing bowl and feels tacky but doesn't stick to your fingers.

Are Trader Joe's cinnamon rolls vegan? ›

9 Trader Joe's Jumbo Cinnamon Rolls

Yup, these cinnamon rolls are accidentally vegan. Look out for the seasonal pumpkin version that appears every fall.

How do you make Pillsbury cinnamon rolls less dry? ›

Canned Cinnamon Rolls: I use and love a can of Pillsbury cinnamon rolls here! But different brands should work just the same. Heavy Cream: Heavy cream is a slightly optional ingredient here, but I do not think it is. I find that adding a splash of cream to the cinnamon buns before cooking keeps them extra moist.

Why did my cinnamon rolls turn out dry? ›

You want to add only the amount of flour that it takes so your dough is not sticky. Adding too much flour will make your rolls very dry. Once you have added the appropriate amount of flour, turn your mixer to a low speed and let the machine do all the kneading for you.

How do you soften homemade cinnamon rolls? ›

How do you make cinnamon rolls soft again? Make cinnamon rolls soft again by adding a little bit of moisture back into them while reheating. You can do this by adding a pat of butter to the top of each roll and covering them with a damp paper towel while reheating in the microwave for about 20 seconds.

How to fix tough dough? ›

If your dough is slightly hard and not dry, you can try to soften it by kneading the dough between your fingers or rolling it between your hands (clean of course, to avoid mixing dust or dirt with the dough).

What brands of cinnamon rolls are vegan? ›

What brands of canned cinnamon rolls are vegan? There are actually a few plant-based cinnamon roll brands you can buy that are quite similar to Pillsbury in flavor. I like Annie's, Immaculate Baking, and Trader Joe's delicious cinnamon rolls. They all come in a can, just like Pillsbury.

Is Chick Fil A bun vegan? ›

Unfortunately for vegans, none of the sandwich bread at Chick-fil-A is vegan-friendly. The buns and brioche contain dairy and honey, and the flaxseed flour flatbread in the Grilled Cool Wrap contains l-cysteine. Stick to the salads and the fries, and you'll be in good (vegan) hands.

Are Auntie Anne's cinnamon rolls vegan? ›

Yes, many of our products are vegetarian as standard. We can also adapt some of these to become fully vegan by using a vegetable spray instead of butter.

How do you upgrade your cinnamon rolls? ›

11 Fast Cinnamon Roll Upgrades That Make Weekends Even Better
  1. 3-Ingredient Oreo™ Stuffed Cinnamon Rolls. ...
  2. Cinnamon Roll Butterflies. ...
  3. Bacon Cinnamon Rolls. ...
  4. Nutella® Strawberry Mini Monkey Breads. ...
  5. Cinnamon Roll-Wrapped Sausage with Maple Dipping Sauce. ...
  6. Cinnamon Roll Waffles with Cream Cheese Glaze. ...
  7. 2-Ingredient Apple Pie Cups.

How do you keep cinnamon rolls from hardening? ›

Whether you leave them out at room temperature or refrigerate them, the most important thing is to store them in an airtight container or wrap them tightly with plastic wrap on a plate. This keeps the cinnamon rolls moist, fresh, and just as delicious as when they came out of the oven.

What happens if you let cinnamon rolls rise for too long? ›

Can cinnamon rolls rise for too long? Yes definitely! If you let your cinnamon rolls rise for too long you can over-proof them. This can lead to dense rolls or rolls that collapse after baking.

What's the difference between cinnamon rolls and cinnamon buns? ›

The most significant difference between cinnamon rolls and cinnamon buns is the inclusion of nuts. Cinnamon buns often have pecans, walnuts, or even raisins in the filling.

Why are my cinnamon rolls not light and fluffy? ›

There are a lot of variables that go into the consistency of dough, even down to the weather and humidity. But the most common reason cinnamon rolls don't turn out fluffy is because the dough didn't have enough time to rise.

How do you keep cinnamon rolls from getting hard? ›

Whether you leave them out at room temperature or refrigerate them, the most important thing is to store them in an airtight container or wrap them tightly with plastic wrap on a plate. This keeps the cinnamon rolls moist, fresh, and just as delicious as when they came out of the oven.

Why did my homemade rolls get hard? ›

Too much flour, or not the right kind, could be to blame. Dough made only from flour with a high or even average amount of protein (like bread flour or all-purpose flour) can become tough from overmixing. Protein gives bread structure in the form of gluten—the more you mix and move the dough, the more gluten you get.

How do you fix dense cinnamon rolls? ›

Overworking the dough will make it tough and difficult to roll out. - Be sure to let the dough rise in a warm place until it doubles in size. If it doesn't have enough time to rise, the rolls will be dense.

What happens if you let cinnamon rolls rise too long? ›

Can cinnamon rolls rise for too long? Yes definitely! If you let your cinnamon rolls rise for too long you can over-proof them. This can lead to dense rolls or rolls that collapse after baking.

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