This holiday twist on cinnamon rolls are filled with cranberry orange sauce and drizzled with a sweet orange icing. Not only are they soft and delicious, it’s another great way to use leftover cranberry sauce. Extremely versatile – these rolls can be baked immediately, prepped the night before, or frozen and baked later.
I love cinnamon rolls. They’re delicious on Christmas morning. But I also enjoy creating new treats using tried-and-true recipes. These Cranberry Orange Sweet Rolls are an incredible fusion using my Healthier Vegan Cinnamon Rolls and Cranberry Orange Sauce.
Just like my cinnamon rolls, these Cranberry Orange Sweet Rolls don’t contain any butter, eggs, or oil. That means they’re far more healthy. If you’re trying to eat a whole food plant-based no oil diet, this recipe is for you!! Just skip the glaze.
This recipe uses unsweetened plain non-dairy plant milk and apple sauce. The applesauce adds natural sugars to slightly sweeten the dough. It also helps retain moisture.
The biggest difference in this recipe is the Cranberry Orange Sauce. Instead of the traditional cinnamon-sugar-butter blend, these Cranberry Orange Sweet Rolls take advantage of the vibrant red colors and flavors in my cranberry orange sauce. And the results are stunning and delicious!!
This recipe also uses a 50-50 flour blend. I enjoy using a combination of white whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour. This increases the nutritional profile of these Cranberry Orange Sweet Rolls while maintaining a softer texture and mild flavor that you’d expect from a sweet roll.
I prefer kneading the sweet roll dough in a stand mixer on the lowest speed until it leaves the side of the bowl. You can also knead the dough by hand if you don’t have a mixer.
Just a word of caution about the dough. Try really hard not to add more flour you truly need. This will ensure a soft tender dough. When you add too much flour, it gets tough and dry. That’s the opposite of what we want with these sweet rolls.
Once the dough is well combined, cover the bowl with a couple of dense towels or plastic wrap and allow to rise in an undisturbed place until the dough doubles in size, one to one and a half hours.
Then roll it out in a large rectangle, spread the Cranberry Orange Sauce blend evenly over the dough and roll it up. At this point you can slice the roll in ten to twelve segments using a serrated knife, depending on how thick you want your sweet rolls. I try to cut mine in 1¼ inch increments.
I shared my dental floss tip when I posted my cinnamon rolls recipe. Instead of using a knife, I like using a long piece of dental floss. By sliding the floss underneath the roll, then bringing both ends tougher and pulling tightly, it creates perfect slices without smooshing them at all.
Transfer each sweet roll to a greased casserole dish, spacing them about 1 inch apart to allow expansion. Cover the sweet rolls with two clean kitchen towels or plastic wrap.
At this point, you have three options – bake immediately, proof overnight in the refrigerator, or freeze for later enjoyment.
Options
• To Bake Immediately, heat the oven to 350° F while the rolls rise. After the oven has reached temperature, bake the sweet rolls for 25-30 minutes, until slightly golden.
• Overnight Proofing. If you want to bake the sweet rolls in the morning, place the sweet rolls in refrigerator to rise overnight. When ready to bake in the morning, take the pan out of the refrigerator while heating the oven to 350° F. Once the oven has reached temperature, bake the sweet rolls for 25-30 minutes, until slightly golden.
• To Freeze, cover the pan immediately with plastic wrap, foil, or a lid; and place the entire pan into the freezer. Alternatively, you can place the sweet rolls on a baking sheet until frozen; then transfer to a freezer bag or freezer-safe container. The day before you want to bake the sweet rolls, transfer them to the refrigerator to thaw overnight. Once thawed completely, remove the plastic wrap and cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow the rolls to come to room temperature. Heat the oven to 350° F and bake the sweet rolls for 25-30 minutes, until slightly golden.
While the sweet rolls are baking, make the orange icing, if using. In a small bowl, stir together the powdered sugar and orange juice. Set aside.
Remove the sweet rolls from the oven and allow to cool for at least five minutes before drizzling with icing and serving.
These are best enjoyed the same morning/day they are made, but can be stored at room temperature for up to three days. They can be reheated for 20-30 seconds in the microwave or in a toaster oven until warm.
I hope you enjoy these Cranberry Orange Sweet Rolls as much as I do.
I would love to see your results! Please leave a comment and rate it down below, tag a picture @pebblesandtoast and #pebblesandtoast on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook! Enjoy!!
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Ingredients
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour*
- 1½ cups white whole wheat flour*
- 2¼ tsp instant yeast**
- ½ cup unsweetened plain non-dairy milk, heated to 130-140° F
- ½ cup fresh orange juice, room temperature
- ½ cup applesauce
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1½ cups Cranberry Orange Sauce
Orange Drizzle Icing (optional)
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp fresh orange juice
Instructions
- In a stand mixer bowl, combine the flour and yeast. Pour in the milk, orange juice, apple sauce, and salt.
- Mix on low speed until combined until dough forms and leaves side of the bowl, about 1-2 minutes total. Add in 1-2 Tbsp flour of flour, only if needed. Alternatively, knead the dough by hand for 2-3 minutes.
- Cover with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rest at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 to 1½ hours.
- Remove the dough.
- Roll the dough out on a clean lightly floured surface using a rolling pin to create a large rectangle shape about 15 inches wide x 20 inches long and about ¼ inch thick.
- Spread the Cranberry Orange Sauce in an even layer over the dough.
- Starting with a shorter end, roll the dough to create a log. With the seam facing down, use dental floss (or a serrated knife) to cut the dough in 1¼ to 1½ inch sections. You should have 11-12 pieces.
- Transfer each sweet roll in a greased casserole dish with about 1 inch between each roll to allow expansion.
- Cover the sweet rolls with two clean kitchen towels.
- Baking Options
- To Bake Immediately, heat the oven to 350° F while the rolls rise. After the oven has reached temperature and the sweet rolls have doubled in size, bake for 25-30 minutes, until fully cooked. The filling should be bubbly.
- Overnight Proofing. If you want to bake the sweet rolls in the morning, place them in refrigerator to rise overnight. When ready to bake in the morning, take the pan out of the refrigerator while heating the oven to 350° F. Once the oven has reached temperature, bake the sweet rolls for 25-30 minutes, until slightly golden.
- To Freeze, cover the sweet rolls immediately with plastic wrap and foil, then place the pan in the freezer. The day before you want to bake the cinnamon rolls, transfer them to the refrigerator to thaw overnight. Once thawed completely, remove the plastic wrap and foil. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow the rolls to come to room temperature. Heat the oven to 350° F and bake the sweet rolls for 25-30 minutes, until slightly golden.
- While the sweet rolls are baking, make the icing, if using. In a small bowl, stir together the powdered sugar and orange juice. Set aside.
- Remove the sweet rolls from the oven and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before drizzling with icing and serving. These are best enjoyed the same morning/day they are made.
Notes
* I like using a 50-50 mixture of King Arthur white whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour; but feel free to use any whole grain flour or all-purpose flour. If you use different flours, you may need to use less/more milk. All all-purpose flour will result in a lighter, fluffier roll.
** I use SAF instant yeast. This recipe uses one packet or 2¼ tsp instant yeast. If you can’t find it in your local grocery store, you can use rapid-rise or order yeast on Amazon via subscribe and save. I keep a small portion of yeast in the refrigerator; the rest is stored in a freezer bag or jar in the freezer. Yeast stores and keeps extremely well in the freezer.
Cranberry Orange Sweet Rolls
Equipment
- oven
- mixer
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour*
- 1½ cups white whole wheat flour*
- 2¼ tsp instant yeast**
- ½ cup unsweetened plain non-dairy milk heated to 130-140° F
- ½ cup fresh orange juice room temperature
- ½ cup applesauce
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1½ cups Cranberry Orange Sauce
Orange Drizzle Icing (optional)
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp fresh orange juice
Instructions
- In a stand mixer bowl, combine the flour and yeast. Pour in the milk, orange juice, apple sauce, and salt.
- Mix on low speed until combined until dough forms and leaves side of the bowl, about 1-2 minutes total. Add in 1-2 Tbsp flour of flour, only if needed. Alternatively, knead the dough by hand for 2-3 minutes.
- Cover with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rest at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 to 1½ hours.
- —-
- Roll the dough out on a clean lightly floured surface using a rolling pin to create a large rectangle shape about 15 inches wide x 20 inches long and about ¼ inch thick.
- Spread the Cranberry Orange Sauce in an even layer over the dough.
- Starting with a shorter end, roll the dough to create a log. With the seam facing down, use dental floss (or a serrated knife) to cut the dough in 1¼ to 1½ inch sections. You should have 11-12 pieces.
- Transfer each sweet roll in a greased casserole dish with about 1 inch between each roll to allow expansion. Cover the sweet rolls with two clean kitchen towels.
Baking Options
To Bake Immediately:
- Heat the oven to 350° F while the rolls rise. After the oven has reached temperature and the sweet rolls have doubled in size, bake for 25-30 minutes, until fully cooked. The filling should be bubbly.
Overnight Proofing.
- If you want to bake the sweet rolls in the morning, place them in refrigerator to rise overnight. When ready to bake in the morning, take the pan out of the refrigerator while heating the oven to 350° F. Once the oven has reached temperature, bake the sweet rolls for 25-30 minutes, until slightly golden.
To Freeze:
- cover the sweet rolls immediately with plastic wrap and foil, then place the pan in the freezer. The day before you want to bake the cinnamon rolls, transfer them to the refrigerator to thaw overnight. Once thawed completely, remove the plastic wrap and foil. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow the rolls to come to room temperature. Heat the oven to 350° F and bake the sweet rolls for 25-30 minutes, until slightly golden.
- While the sweet rolls are baking, make the icing, if using. In a small bowl, stir together the powdered sugar and orange juice. Set aside.
- Remove the sweet rolls from the oven and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before drizzling with icing and serving. These are best enjoyed the same morning/day they are made.