These vegan cardamom buns are free of dairy, eggs, and refined sugar. They’re soft, delicious, and the perfect treat to enjoy with coffee or tea!
Why has it taken me so long to make cardamom buns? For anyone who loves cinnamon rolls, cardamom buns are similar, but have a crunchy, caramelized exterior from melted butter and sugar, while maintaining a soft and fluffy interior. These are subtly sweetened and have a delicious blend of warm spices, which pairs just perfectly with a hot cup of coffee or tea, I might add.
They’re seriously my new favorite thing and I just can’t seem to stop from making batch after batch of these things. It doesn’t help that my family loves them too and eats them up before I’ve had my fair share. I wish I had a secret kitchen where I could make secret treats that I could enjoy all to myself. Ugh, I need a secret lair or something. Like Batman, but instead of a dingy cave, it’d be a state-of-the-art kitchen. Yeah, I like it already! That would make a better comic book story too—”Mom who sneaks away, not to save the day, but her sanity and, let’s not forget, her sweet tooth!
I know, I’m a weirdo who sits around thinking of secret kitchens and how to hide food from the kids. 🤦🏻♀️ Just make these cardamom buns, okay? Then maybe you’ll see why I don’t want to share! 😜 Enjoy!

Vegan Cardamom Buns
- Total Time: 20 mins
- Yield: 10-12 buns 1x
Description
These cardamom buns are free of dairy, eggs, and refined sugar. They’re soft, delicious, and the perfect treat to enjoy with coffee or tea!
Ingredients
Cardamom Buns:
- sweet dough, recipe below
- filling, recipe below
- few tablespoons almond milk (or other milk of choice)
- 1/3 cup chopped almonds
, optional
- maple syrup (to brush on rolls after baking), optional
Sweet Dough:
- 3–3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (Can use up to half whole-grain flour. I used half all-purpose einkorn
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- 2 1/4 teaspoons (.25 ounce package) instant yeast
(also called rapid or quick rising)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 cup warm water (approximately 110º F)
- 1/2 cup warm almond milk or other milk of choice (approximately 110º F)
- 1/4 cup avocado oil
or olive oil
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
, sugar, or other sweetener of choice
Filling:
- 1/2 cup butter, softened (use dairy-free or regular, if not vegan)
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
or brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground cardamom
Instructions
Sweet Dough: (Video how-to above)
- Place 2 cups flour, yeast, salt, and cardamom in a large mixing bowl. Stir together to combine.
- Pour in warm water, milk, oil, and maple syrup or other sweetener of choice. Mix together until smooth.
- Slowly stir in all-purpose flour, a little at a time, just until dough is soft. Careful not to add too much flour or rolls will be dry and hard.
- Knead for a few minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic. Cover with a clean cloth and let rest for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mix together softened butter, coconut sugar, cinnamon, and cardamom until well blended. Set aside while rolling out dough.
- Roll out dough into a large thin rectangle. Spread butter mixture evenly over dough.
- Fold dough into thirds, like a letter, and gently pinch or roll to seal edges.
- With long edge facing you, use a pizza cutter or knife to cut rectangle into 1-inch strips. Should get between 10-12 strips. (If butter & sugar mixture is too warm, it may want to seep out of the strips while shaping. If this is the case, cover strips and place into the fridge or freezer for a few minutes to chill the butter. This will make it easier to roll)
- Take one strip and carefully twist a few times times. Hold one end of the twisted dough on the counter and gently wrap the other end around in a circle, tucking the end under the bun.
- Place bun on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and repeat with remaining strips. Be sure to place them a few inches apart so they have room to rise.
- Brush buns with almond milk and sprinkle with chopped almonds (optional.)
- Cover baking sheets with a cloth and let rise in a warm place 20–30 minutes.
- While buns are rising, preheat oven to 350ºF.
- After rolls have risen, place baking sheets into the oven and bake for 20–25 minutes, until golden brown.
- Brush warm buns with maple syrup and serve. Makes 10–12 buns.
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Dessert, Vegan