Cinnamon Roll Apple Cobbler (Vegan)

Cinnamon roll apple cobbler: warming spiced apples topped with the best fluffy vegan cinnamon rolls for the ultimate fall dessert.

Hello, hello! Gather around friends. Today I’m brining you the most drool-worthy dessert that is 110% a must bake: Warm, gooey spiced apples topped with the most fluffiest & soft cinnamon rolls.

Yes, you read that right. We’re cookin’ up some spiced apples packed with warming spices and topping it off with the very best vegan cinnamon rolls.

The BEST Vegan Cinnamon Rolls

These cinnamon rolls have a special place in my heart because it’s the recipe my mom has made for years and years and the first cinnamon rolls I ever ate. They’re the cinnamon rolls we would have as treats on holidays, bring to parties and events and share with our friends and family. I honesty don’t know why I haven’t shared this classic vegan cinnamon roll recipe here yet but I definitely will in the near future. They were so easy to veganize too because all I had to swap was vegan butter for the butter and soy milk for the milk.

The inspiration for this recipe

I wanted to share an apple cobbler recipe this year since I’ve already shared a vegan & gluten free apple crisp but remember when I said I couldn’t find dairy free vanilla ice cream in my stores? Yep, I’m STILL waiting. It ain’t apple cobbler without ice cream ya’ll so that recipe is on hold. But anyways, I was talking to my mom about it in the kitchen as she was baking a batch of cinnamon rolls and the craziest idea came to mind: Cinnamon roll apple cobbler.

I honestly didn’t know how it would work but I gave it a shot. I cooked up some apples over the stove, topped it off with the cinnamon buns my mom was in the midst of making and boom. This beauty of a beast was born. The recipe came out PERFECT. I am beyond excited to share this recipe with you today so let’s get to it!

The Ingredients

There are 3 main components to this recipe: the dough, the filling & the spiced apples.

For the dough:

• Bread flour: this is what makes these cinnamon rolls super fluffy and soft, please use this flour!
• Active Yeast
• Soy Milk: or lite canned coconut milk
• Cane Sugar
• Vegan Butter: if using unsalted, add 1/2 tsp of salt
• Cinnamon

For the filling:

• Vegan Butter
• Dark Brown Sugar: what gives a gooey rich filling (you can use light brown but I really do recommend the dark brown)
• Cinnamon

For the apples:

• Apples: granny smith, gala, fuji or honey crisp (I use a mix of granny smith and gala)
• Coconut Sugar
• Lemon Juice
• Corn Starch
• Vanilla
• Cinnamon

I also added in some nutmeg and fresh ginger for flavour but thats completely optional (highly recommended, though).

Now typically, you’d definitely want a thick glaze or frosting but these are honestly so good straight out of the oven and it lets the flavour of the spiced apples shine. So I’m gonna say it… the glaze is optional. If you really wanna go all out, vanilla ice cream actually sounds amazing too.

The Directions

This recipe has a few steps, might even sound a little complicated and difficult but I promise, it’s not. It’s like making any cinnamon rolls but with the additional step of cooking the apples! Here’s how it goes down:

With a bread machine (recommended):

1. Add flour to the bread machine. Then add sugar and salt to the corner of the container and the yeast to another corner. Don’t let the yeast touch the sugar and salt as it affects the rise of the dough. Pour in 180ml of the soy milk. Turn on the bread machine to dough setting and keep an eye on it for 5 minutes. If the dough looks dry and is having a hard time mixing, add in remaining soy milk 1 tbsp at a time. My mom’s tip here is to pinch the dough to check– the softness should be similar to pinching your earlobe (I know, I laughed too).
2. While the dough is hanging out in the bread machine, prepare the spiced apples. Peel and core the apples, then slice them into 1/4 inch pieces. This is the perfect thickness to ensure apples stay intact but also soften. Stir the lemon juice and corn starch together to make a slurry. Over medium high heat, add the water, coconut sugar, vanilla, fresh ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt into a large pan and stir until combined. Add in the apples and cook for 7-8 minutes stirring occasionally, just until apples are soften. To check, bend the apples. If they snap, cook longer. Once they’re soft, add the slurry and stir until the juices have thickened and the apples are coated in a sticky gooey sauce. Remove from heat and transfer to a 9×13 inch baking dish.
3. When dough has doubled in size, flour your working surface. Punch the dough down and place over floured surface. Roll the dough out about 8×8-9×9 square. Spread vegan butter over the dough, sprinkle dark brown sugar on top and then the cinnamon. From the bottom, roll the dough upwards, tightly. Using a very sharp knife, cut into 8-9 pieces about 1 inch thick. This is super important, any thicker and they have a higher chance of coming out underdone. Place the pieces over the room temperature apples for about 10 minutes until apples have increase in size (about x1.5).
4. Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake for 15 minutes and then rotate the tray. If you notice the cinnamon buns are browning quickly, loosely cover with foil to prevent them from burning. Bake for another 10-15 minutes until tops are golden and apples are bubbly. Take them out, drizzle with some glaze or top with ice cream and enjoy, throughly.

Without a bread machine:

• Warm the soy milk and vegan butter in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds. It should be warm to the touch. Sprinkle in the yeast and let it sit for 10 minutes. Add in sugar and salt (if using unsalted butter) and stir until combined. Add in the flour and stir until it starts to clump. Flour your working surface and transfer the dough on top. Knead with your hands until a just combined and a ball-like dough forms. Do not over knead. Spray your bowl with some oil and then place the dough back into the bowl. Cover and let it sit in a warm place to rise for 60-70 minutes until doubled in size. Follow remaining steps above starting from step 3.

I know, this recipe is a little different than what I usually share but I love to enjoy these kind of desserts in my real life, too! This is totally healthy for the soul and hey, at least theres some apples involved 😂.

I hope you guys try and love this cinnamon roll apple cobbler recipe as much as my friends, family & I do. Eric said this is his new favourite dessert of all time (over his beloved chocolate chip cookie recipe) so thats saying A LOT. These are a major crowd pleaser, perfect for the fall and all the holidays that are coming up too!

If you have any questions or concerns about this recipe (I know there are a few steps), ask away in the comments or send me a message on instagram! I’d love to help to ensure they come out perfect. ♡

Recommended equipment for this recipe: 

• Bread machine
• Dough roller
• Bench scraper
• 13×9 inch baking dish

More delicious vegan apple recipes:

• Spiced Steel Cut Baked Oatmeal
• Cinnamon Apple Muffins
• Apple Oatmeal Crumble Bars
• Apple Cinnamon Scones
• Vegan Gluten Free Apple Crisp
• Apple Rose Tarts
• Apple Bread with Cinnamon Crumb Topping
• Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls

SAVE IT FOR LATER! ↓

If you recreate this Cinnamon Roll Apple Cobbler recipe let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment and rating below or by tagging me on Instagram @Okonomikitchen, I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!
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