Strawberry Lemon Sweet Rolls! Soft, fluffy, oozing with sticky, sweet strawberry filling, and covered in swathes of zingy lemony icing. So good!
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I love yeast-risen sweet rolls and local strawberries are so glorious right now, that Strawberry Lemon Sweet Rolls just had to happen!
It's the same concept as cinnamon rolls, only no cinnamon. The cinnamon sugar filling is replaced with sticky, sweet strawberries, and the icing is zingy and lemony instead of your more traditional cream cheese frosting.
So really we're talking delicious and decadent vegan strawberry cinnamon rolls with saucy, oozy strawberries rolled up in the buttery dough, baked, then covered in swathes of zesty lemon frosting. I swathe, you can drizzle if you prefer. IMHO everything sweet is better in swathes!
Mel x
Ingredient Notes
Some ingredient notes and substitution ideas:
- Strawberries - These should be fresh. This is a great recipe for using up strawberries that are a little past their best. Don't use frozen strawberries. They lack flavor and are too watery. You could use fresh raspberries, blackberries or blueberries instead!
- Sugar - White or cane sugar and powdered sugar for the icing. Darker sugars like brown or coconut sugar will affect the color and flavor of the cookies and should not be used. If you are in the U.S. (pretty much the only place in the world where sugar is still processed through bone char) use organic sugar (which is always vegan) or vegan-friendly sugar brands such as Wholesome Sweeteners, Florida Crystals, Billingtons, Red Path, or Sugar In The Raw.
- Lemon - This should be from a fresh lemon because you need the zest and the juice, and becuase fresh lemon tastes WAY better than anything in a bottle!
- Arrowroot or cornstarch - Either will do. This is included in the filling to thicken and absorb excess strawberry moisture.
- Flour - All purpose flour or bread flour. Strong flour if you're in the UK.
- Yeast - Instant or fast acting yeast. Be sure to check the expiration date of your yeast before using it. You can use active yeast instead but you will need to activate it in some warm milk and sugar taken from the recipe (not extra).
- Milk - Any plant milk such as cashew milk, soy milk, oat milk, or almond milk will work in this recipe. Unsweetened & unflavored is best though.
- Vegan butter - This can be homemade butter or store-bought and should be measured melted not solid. You could use coconut oil instead.
Not into lemon?
You can just make Strawberry Rolls! Omit the lemon zest from the filling and use a little dairy-free milk for the icing instead of lemon juice. Or slather them in my vegan cream cheese frosting instead!
Making Ahead
Overnight - Make the recipe and time it so you shape the rolls in the evening, then cover the dish very tightly and refrigerate all night. 8 to 12 hours is perfect, but up to 16 hours should be ok.
The next step depends on the temperature of your fridge and how much the dough has developed overnight. This will be different for everyone.
If the rolls look puffy and like they have increased in size by about 50% preheat your oven and bake immediately. If they haven't changed much since last night it means your fridge was a little too cold for the yeast to be active, so leave them at room temperature for an hour to 90 minutes. Once they are visibly puffy and have increased in size by about 50% preheat your oven and bake.
To freeze - Follow the recipe as written but bake the sweet rolls for only 10 minutes. Be sure to use a pan that is freezer-proof. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Cover tightly then freeze for up to 3 months. Let the rolls thaw in the fridge overnight then bake for 15 to 20 minutes until done to your liking.
Recipe
Strawberry Lemon Sweet Rolls
Author:WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Ingredients
For the strawberry filling
- 1½ cups (200 grams) chopped fresh strawberries
- ¼ cup (4 tablespoons) white or cane sugar
- 1½ tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot
- 1 lemon , zest only , the juice will be used in the icing
For the dough
- 4 cups (500 grams) all purpose flour or bread flour , in the UK use strong flour
- 1 slightly heaping tablespoons (10 grams) instant, quick, or fast action yeast
- 1½ teaspoons (10 grams) fine sea salt
- ½ cup (100 grams) white or cane sugar
- ¼ cup (60 ml) melted vegan butter , plus a little more for greasing
- 1 cup (240 ml) dairy-free milk , plus a little more as needed
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
For the icing
- 1 cup (125 grams) powdered/icing sugar
- 2 to 3 tablespoons (30 to 45 ml) lemon juice
Or use this frosting instead
- 1 batch vegan cream cheese frosting
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT
INSTRUCTIONS
For the strawberry filling
- Add the strawberries, sugar, cornstarch or arrowroot, and lemon zest to a small pan and cook down over a medium heat stirring frequently until jammy and slightly thickened. It only takes around 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
For the dough
- Add the flour, yeast, salt, and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. If you don't have a stand mixer you can mix and knead the dough by hand.
- Next add the dairy-free milk, butter (be sure the melted butter has cooled to room temperature), and vanilla.
- Mix with the dough hook until combined. If you need to add a little extra milk. The amount needed will vary depending on the brand of flour and humidity. The dough should be soft but not too sticky as it needs to be roll-able.
- Continue kneading in the machine for about another 5 minutes until soft and smooth. If you are kneading by hand you will need to knead for at least 10 minutes.
- Once smooth and supple, transfer to a greased bowl, cover with a damp dish towel and wait until almost doubled in size. The time this takes will vary dependent on temperature. In my 21°C (70°F) kitchen it usually takes about 40 minutes.
- Once it's well-risen turn the dough out onto a very lightly floured work surface and roll out into a 9 x 14 inch rectangle.
- Spread the cooled strawberry filling evenly over the dough leaving a 1-inch margin around the edges, then roll up tightly starting along the long edge.
- Slice the roll up into 8 even pieces. I find a very sharp serrated knife best for this.
- Place each roll into a vegan butter-greased dish or pan. I use an 8 x 12 pan but a large pie dish will do or anything similar. Cover with the damp dish towel again and place them on the stove top or near the oven to keep them warm. Leave for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Bake for anything from 22 to 30 minutes. At 22 minutes they should be cooked through. If you want them super soft and squidgy remove now. If you like them slightly crusty on the outside they will take around 30 minutes.
- Once done place the pan on a wire rack and allow to cool a little.
- To make the icing, add the lemon juice very gradually to the powdered sugar, stirring as you go. Start with about 1½ tablespoons, stir well, then keep stirring while adding a small drop or two until it's very thick but drizzle-able. At first it won't seem enough liquid for all of that sugar but it will be plenty. You might not need all of the lemon juice.
- You can drizzle the icing over the buns once they've cooled for about 10 minutes for a sticky glaze-type effect, or if you like visible swathes of thick white icing, let them cool completely first. Once iced a sprinkling of lemon zest is optional but looks really pretty!
NOTES
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Aimee B. says
These rolls look lovely! Do you think I could use frozen strawberries? Would you thaw them first? Thanks. :)
Melanie McDonald says
You could, but frozen strawberries don't taste nearly as good as fresh so it will affect the flavor of the rolls. As long as you're ok with that go for it.
Frozen strawberries do tend to be a little watery but as you're cooking them down in a pan anyway you'll just be able to cook it a little longer to evaporate any extra moisture. It won't matter if they are frozen or defrosted when they go in. Just be sure to keep cooking until the mixture is thick and jammy even if it takes longer than the 5 minutes give in the recipe, then it will be fine to use. Enjoy!
Aimee B. says
Thank you for getting back to me. I appreciate it. I'll definitely try it with fresh strawberries first. :)
Tori says
I made these today and they were amazing!! :) Thanks for providing such delightful recipes that help me combat the blues.
Autumn says
Do you think these would work with homemade strawberry jam as the filling?
Melanie McDonald says
They would yes, but will be much sweeter. You will need to keep an eye on them while baking too because jam tends to burn easily because of all the sugar in it. If it looks like its colouring too much before they are cooked through, tent them with some silver foil.
Kaitlyn says
Hi Mel! Unfortunately I don't yet have an electronic scale for measuring ingredients, so I have to rely on the less precise cups method--I was wondering, should I be packing the flour into the measuring cup, or just spooning it in and leveling off the top? I know you can sometimes end up with a lot more flour than you might want if the former method is used, but the dough can also be way too wet if you go with the latter. What do you recommend? Thanks so much!
A Virtual Vegan says
If you spoon it in gently then level the top without packing or shaking it down it should work out about right. You're right that if you scoop it you end up with lots more. I actually plan to write a blog post about it one day as so many people don't realize and it really affects how recipes turn out. I compared a little while ago and if you spoon it in like I described, you get about 125g and if you scoop it in you get close to 200g. Such a big difference! I hope you enjoy the sweet rolls Kaitlyn!
Sharon says
Oh wow! I love your Summer twist on the traditional Cinnamon rolls! I can just imagine how fresh and zingy they taste with the addition of strawberries ???? and lemons ????
And thank you so much for making a video too! Cinnamon roll recipes can be a bit intimidating (and often have a lot instructions). Your video is a great help xx
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you so much Sharon. I'm glad the video is a help!
Charlotte says
Incredible!!! What a lovely change from cinnamon rolls. They turned out perfect!