Give your morning a sweet Filipino twist with these vegan ube rolls. Filled with sweet ube halaya and topped with a delicious ube cream cheese frosting, they're literally an ube dessert bomb! Switch up your dessert game with these rolls; I can guarantee they'll be a hit with everyone.
I love cinnamon rolls just like everyone else, but sometimes I crave a change. To spice things up, I decided to add a touch of Filipino flair to the classic recipe! I wanted to create a unique version of cinnamon rolls this holiday season. However, cinnamon and ube don't pair very well together.
So, I made this an all-ube recipe. One of my best recipes is my vegan ube cheese pandesal, which is what this recipe is based on. It's so delicious and sweet, so it's perfect for the ube lover in your life! Pair these sweet ube rolls with a delightful ube latte or even after a savory meal like vegan Filipino spaghetti!
✨ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It is the ultimate ube dessert!
- A different take than the normal cinnamon roll.
- Soft, gooey, and delicious.
✏️ Ingredient Notes
- All-purpose flour - While I usually use bread flour for this kind of recipe, we're using all-purpose flour to achieve that light and soft texture.
- Instant yeast - To keep it simple, I like to use instant yeast. Unlike active dry yeast, you don't need to activate/bloom it before you use it. Simply add it to the dry ingredients, and you'll be ready to go.
- Dehydrated Ube Powder - I don't like relying heavily on ube extract to make these ube rolls, so I like to add a bit of dehydrated ube powder to the dough to give it a little boost of real ube. Depending on where you live, you can find frozen grated ube or ube powder in stores. But if you don't have any Asian stores near you, you can order ube powder online. You can find powdered ube from SayWeee!
- Ube Extract - One of the main ingredients I like to use in any ube bread recipe. It not only boosts the ube flavor but also gives the bread its vibrant purple color.
- Ube Halaya (Ube Jam) - I filled these rolls with my homemade ube halaya recipe, but you can use store-bought ube halaya; just make sure it is vegan-friendly.
- Dairy-free Milk - I like soy milk because it has the same consistency and protein as regular dairy milk. It gives the best results compared to other dairy-free milk.
- Vegan Butter - The best kind of butter to use is the ones that come in stick form. Unfortunately, the butter in the tubs is used for spreads, not for baking. I also find them to be greasy.
- Vegan Cream Cheese - Kite Hill is the best brand for making vegan cream cheese frosting. Its texture and flavor are so similar to those of its dairy counterparts. I use it in all my baked goods!
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
🍴 How to Make Vegan Ube Rolls
Top Tip: Use a food scale to weigh out the ingredients. That way, you'll only need one or two bowls, and you won't have to wash a bunch of measuring cups!
Here's a quick glimpse of the recipe, but for the complete details and step-by-step instructions, be sure to check out the full recipe card!
Step 1: After the dough has doubled, punch it down to release the gas. Transfer to a work surface. Tug at the corners to form a rough square, then roll it into a 12×15-inch rectangle with a rolling pin.
Step 2: Spread the ube halaya evenly over the surface, leaving about 2 inches at the top and a ½-inch on the bottom and sides untouched.
Step 3: Starting from the long side closest to you, roll the dough into a tight spiral and let it rest seam-side down on the surface.
Step 4: When ready, use a serrated or sharp knife to trim off about a ½-inch thick slice from each end to reveal the swirl. Then, cut nine even pieces and place them on the prepared baking pan.
Step 5: Cover the pan with a damp kitchen towel and set it in a warm spot. Let the buns rise until they have expanded by 50%, around 30-40 minutes.
Step 6: Bake the rolls in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown on the surface. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before transferring it to a wire cooling rack. Do not add icing until the rolls are slightly warm.
Step 7: While you wait, combine all the ingredients using a stand or electric hand mixer to make the frosting.
Step 8: Spread onto the ube rolls while still slightly warm. Serve and enjoy!
⭐ Expert Tips
- Measure your flour correctly. I test my recipes 100% in grams. Incorrectly measured flour is a common reason baked goods fail. I always recommend using a scale for accuracy when baking. It dramatically improves your chance for success and lessens room for error.
- Want to make it fresh for the morning? Prep them the night before, then bring them to room temperature and pop them in the oven in the morning! Follow the recipe as written by placing the cut ube rolls in the baking pan. Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge to rise overnight. Then, in the morning, place the ube rolls on the kitchen counter to let them get to room temperature for about 2 to 3 hours, then bake!
💭 Common Questions
I haven’t tested it, but you can try replacing the dehydrated ube and the water with ⅓ cups of defrosted grated ube. If the dough doesn’t seem soft, add a couple of tablespoons of warm water to it and continue to knead.
I’m not an expert at gluten-free bread making, so I can’t confirm whether gluten-free flour would work.
🥣 Storage & Reheating
- Room temperature
You should serve vegan ube rolls fresh, but you can store them at room temperature for up to two days. - Freezing Instructions
Baked and cooled ube rolls can be frozen for up to 1 month (without icing). Place the cooled rolls in a freezer-safe container. When ready, thaw completely in the refrigerator overnight, then bring to room temperature or reheat until warmed through. - Reheating Instructions
This ube roll recipe reheats best in the microwave. Heat it for 15-20 seconds to soften them and make them fluffy again.
❤️ More Recipes You'll Love
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Ube Rolls
Equipment
- Measuring spoons
- Rolling Pin
- 9x9-inch square baking pan
- Parchment Paper
- Serrated knife
- Wire cooling rack
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 ½ tablespoons Dehydrated ube powder
- 120 grams Hot water
- 160 grams Dairy-free milk (warmed at 100° Fahrenheit, I used soy)
- 1 tablespoon Ube extract
- 1 ½ teaspoons Instant yeast
- 380 grams All-purpose flour
- 100 grams Granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 70 grams Vegan butter (softened at room temperature)
Filling
- 1 ¼ cup Ube halaya
Ube Cream Cheese Frosting
- 90 grams Vegan cream cheese, (softened at room temperature, I used Kite Hill)
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons Ube halaya
- 150 grams Powdered sugar, sifted
Instructions
Ube Dough
- In a bowl, combine the hot water and dehydrated ube powder. Allow the ube powder to rehydrate for 30 minutes. Blending the water and rehydrated ube using an immersion blender or a regular blender is optional but highly recommended.
- Place the rehydrated ube in a small saucepan over medium heat, and stir the mixture until the water has evaporated and it has a paste-like texture. Remove from heat and set aside to cool until ready to use.
- Add the salt, all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, and instant yeast to the bowl of a stand mixer and mix to combine.
- Add warm dairy-free milk, ube extract, softened vegan butter, and the rehydrated ube to the bowl. Set your mixer on “stir” or the lowest setting to mix all the ingredients gently.
- Once a shaggy dough has formed, increase the mixer speed to 2 and continue to knead the dough for another 10 minutes until smooth and soft.
- Remove the dough from the bowl and shape it into a ball. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a damp kitchen towel—place in a warm spot for 1 hour for the dough to double in size. While you wait, prepare a square baking pan with parchment paper.
Roll, Fill, Cut & Bake
- After the dough has doubled, punch it down to release the gas. Transfer to a lightly floured work surface. Roll it out into a 12×15-inch rectangle with a rolling pin.
- Spread the softened ube halaya evenly over the surface, leaving about 2 inches at the top and a ½-inch on the bottom and sides untouched.
- Starting from the long side closest to you, roll the dough into a tight spiral and let it rest seam-side down on the surface.
- When ready, use a serrated or sharp knife to trim off a ½-inch thick slice from each end to reveal the swirl. Then, cut nine even pieces and place them on the prepared baking pan.
- Cover the pan with a damp kitchen towel and set it in a warm spot. Let the buns rise until they have expanded by 50%, around 30-40 minutes.
- Bake the rolls in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown on the surface. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before transferring it to a wire cooling rack. Do not add icing until the rolls are slightly warm.
Ube Cream Cheese Frosting
- Combine all the ingredients using a stand or electric hand mixer to make the frosting. If you find that the frosting is too thick add a couple of teaspoons of dairy-free milk and mix again. Spread over the ube rolls while still slightly warm. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Measure your flour correctly.
I test my recipes 100% in grams. Incorrectly measured flour is a common reason baked goods fail. I always recommend using a scale for accuracy when baking. It dramatically improves your chance for success and lessens room for error. - Want to make it fresh for the morning?
Prep them the night before, then bring them to room temperature and pop them in the oven in the morning! Follow the recipe as written by placing the cut ube rolls in the baking pan. Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge to rise overnight. Then, in the morning, place the ube rolls on the kitchen counter to let them get to room temperature for about 2 to 3 hours, then bake! - I can’t find dehydrated ube powder. Can I use frozen grated ube?
I haven’t tested it, but you can try replacing the dehydrated ube and the water with ⅓ cups of defrosted grated ube. If the dough doesn’t seem soft, add a couple of tablespoons of warm water to it and continue to knead. - Can I make these gluten-free?
I’m not an expert at gluten-free bread making, so I can’t confirm whether gluten-free flour would work.
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