These ooey gooey vegan sticky buns are the real deal! These sticky buns feature a pillowy sweet roll with a gooey brown sugar filling baked with a maple pecan caramel on the bottom that flips on top! You can even make these sticky buns gluten free!
If you’re looking for a quick and easy vegan Christmas breakfast recipe or holiday brunch, you must try these vegan sticky buns (although my vegan cinnamon rolls and vegan pumpkin cinnamon rolls are also a good option as well!).
Super gooey and sweet, these maple sticky buns have a super easy dough that bakes into the fluffiest rolls, all topped with a decadent pecan caramel topping that makes these sweet buns the ultimate breakfast recipe.
And the best part? You’d never know these sticky buns are vegan, made without eggs, no dairy, and you can even make these sticky buns gluten free as well, based on my gluten free vegan cinnamon rolls recipe!
The pecans get so toasted and nutty that these vegan scrolls just scream autumn!! Make these vegan sticky buns for a delicious Thanksgiving breakfast or even Thanksgiving dessert if you’d like!
What are sticky buns?
If you’ve never had a sticky bun, rest assured- you’re in a for a treat! Sticky buns are essentially a sweet roll traditionally baked with a sticky caramel pecan filling on the bottom of the pan. Once baked, you flip the sticky buns upside down, and peel off the parchment paper to revel pecan caramel glaze baked into the sweet rolls.
Sticky buns vs. cinnamon rolls
But how are sticky buns different than cinnamon rolls? Both sticky buns and cinnamon rolls use an enriched dough to make their base. However, with sticky buns, we’re using way less cinnamon in the filling (the flavor is more of a brown sugar taste).
Andddd we bake the sticky buns with a pecan caramel topping on the bottom that flips to be the top! Whereas cinnamon rolls have a ton of cinnamon in the filling, and are topped with a powdered sugar glaze 🙂
Overivew: How to make vegan sticky buns:
You’re just going to love how easy these vegan sticky buns are to make! We’ll start with the dough, and then move onto the filling and pecan caramel topping.
Now to prepare the sticky bun topping, we’re essentially making a caramel sauce before adding in the chopped pecans. It’s like pecan pie, but a little more gooey!
I recommend using a medium or small saucepan, and to air on the side of lower heat just to make sure you don’t burn the sugar. For the vegan butter, I like to use Miyoko’s or Plant Crock.
Now to shape the dough!
My favorite cinnamon rolls trick:Slice the dough individuallybeforeyou roll the dough into a sweet bun. This is even better than the dental floss trick. You’ll end up with super clean and even swirls that bake just beautifully!
Need to make them overnight?Not a problem! You can still rise the dough overnight in the fridge. Shape the rolls, and then place some plastic wrap over the casserole dish before placing them into the fridge. This will slow down the yeast so that it doesn’t rise the dough too fast.
How to make sticky buns gluten free:
For my gluten free eaters, don’t worry- you can absolutely make these as gluten free sticky buns! And we’re not even using a gluten free flour blend- so don’t worry about buying a specific brand!
To make these sticky buns gluten free, you’ll simply swap in my gluten free cinnamon roll recipe as the base dough recipe. Use the filling here rather than the filling in the cinnamon rolls, and proceed on with the caramel pecan topping!
You’re just going to absolutely love these vegan sticky buns! They’re the perfect additional to your holiday brunch. If you make these sticky buns, be sure to leave a comment and rating down below!
Happy baking!
Want to save this recipe for later? Add it to your favorite recipe board on Pinterest!
If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. This helps others to find the recipes! As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there as well!
Maple Vegan Sticky Buns Recipe
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- Author: Britt Berlin
- Prep Time: 20
- Resting time: 60
- Cook Time: 35
- Total Time: 1 hour 55 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These ooey gooey vegan sticky buns are the real deal! Soft and pillowy sweet rolls topped with a maple caramel pecan glaze for the ultimate holiday breakfast recipe! You can even make these sticky buns gluten free!
Ingredients
Scale
Dough:
- 4 1/4 cups (540 g) bread flour or all purpose flour* (plus more for flouring surface)
- 1 packet (8 g) quick rise yeast
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar or coconut sugar
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 1/4 cup (270 mL) dairy-free milk, unsweetened, warmed
- 1/3 cup (87 g) dairy free yogurt, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup (57 g) salted vegan butter, room temperature
Topping:
- 1/2 cup (113 g) vegan butter
- 1/2 cup (150 g) coconut sugar or organic brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) maple syrup
- 2 cups (8 ounces) chopped pecan halves and pieces
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Filling:
- 1/3 cup (82 g) vegan butter or coconut oil, room temperature
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 cup (200 g ) brown sugar
Instructions
- Prep:Measure out all ingredients for the dough. Grease a large mixing bowl for the proofing of your dough, and grease a 9×13″ casserole dish lined with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Make the dough:Whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and quick rise yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl. Add in the warm dairy free milk, along with the dairy free yogurt. Attach the bowl to a stand mixer with dough hook attachment, and mix on medium-speed until a shaggy dough forms. Add in the vegan butter and continue mixing on high-speed to knead the dough for 7-10 minutes. Hold your stand mixer in place if it’s moving around, or use a wooden spoon or knead by hand if making the dough by hand.
- Proof:Once the dough is kneaded, place the kneaded dough into the greased bowl and cover with a clean dish towel. Let the dough rise until doubled in size in a warm place (ideally 85F), about 30-60 minutes, depending on the temperature.
- While the dough is proofing:Prep the filling. In a small bowl, mix together the cinnamon and coconut sugar. Set aside. Then we’ll make the topping while the dough is still proofing
- Make the pecan topping:Prepare the pecan topping while the dough is still rising. In a medium sauce pan, melt the vegan butter and sugar on medium heat until the sugar is melted into the vegan butter, about 3 minutes. Be careful not to burn the sugar! Once melted, remove the pan from heat, and whisk in the maple syrup and vanilla, followed by pecan pieces. Pour the topping onto the bottom of your prepared casserole dish. The rolls will bake on top, then you’ll flip them to make the pecan topping on top and the rolls on the bottom.
- Roll and shape the sticky buns: Once doubled in size, lightly flour a clean surface, and place the dough in the middle of the lightly floured surface. Flour the top of the dough and a rolling pin. Roll the dough out to be 12×18″ long. Spread the melted vegan butter along with brown sugar cinnamon filling onto the dough to the edges of the rectangle. Now, on the 18″ side, mark where you’ll slice the sticky buns every 1.5″. Once marked, you’ll use a pizza cutter or a large kitchen knife to slice the 1.5″ strips that are each 12″ long. Roll each strip into a cinnamon roll shape, and place the roll into the prepared baking pan on top of the pecan caramel sauce.
- Rest the rolls again:While the rolls are covered and resting, preheat the oven to 350F.
- Bake the sticky buns:Place the rested rolls, which have now doubled in size, into the oven to bake for 35-38 minutes, or until the tops of the rolls are lightly golden brown.
- Flip:Allow the buns to cool for 10-15 minutes. Then place a piece of parchment paper on top of the buns, followed by a cooling rack. Use the oven mitts to flip the casserole dish and cooling rack upside down so that the cooling rack is now on the bottom and the casserole dish is upside on top. Remove the casserole dish and peel back the parchment paper to reveal the sticky buns.
- Serve and enjoy!Store any leftover sticky buns in an airtight container and in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
Gluten free:For gluten free, swap in my gluten free vegan cinnamon rolls recipe dough for the dough portion of this recipe. Follow those instructions for preparing the dough. Then continue on with Step 6.
