These Vegan Chocolate Nutella Cinnamon Rolls are soft, fluffy, and swirled with a chocolatey cinnamon filling. Finished with a luscious Nutella frosting, they’re the ultimate indulgent plant-based treat.
After I made my Vegan Cinnamon Rolls (I just realised it’s rolls not scrolls, my bad!), and realised how easy they were to make, I knew I had to make another version. My husband loves chocolate, so I landed on these (because who doesn’t love Nutella as well!). And although yes, these aren’t quick, (you have to wait ~60 minutes for them to rise), they aren’t as tricky as you might think. They are the kind of dessert that feel fun to make with the kneading and rolling and licking (the bowl); it’s the kind of dessert you make when you’re in that baking mood.
These Vegan Chocolate Nutella Cinnamon Scrolls feel like a bakery treat without the fuss. The dough is enriched with cocoa, giving it that deep chocolate colour and rich flavour. The filling brings together vegan butter, cinnamon, cocoa, and brown sugar for a swirl that’s indulgent but still simple to whip up. The frosting takes it over the top — creamy hazelnut spread and vegan cream blended into a silky drizzle. These scrolls are fun to bake, cosy to share, and a perfect example of how vegan desserts can be every bit as delicious as traditional ones.
Main Ingredients & Why We Use Them
- Plain flour – The base of the dough, providing structure and softness.
- Dutch-processed cocoa powder – Gives the scrolls their rich chocolate flavour and deep colour. You could use regular cocoa but they just won’t be as good! Dutch-processed cocoa powder is treated to neutralise its acidity, giving it a pH around 7, which makes it smoother and less bitter than natural cocoa. In yeast-based doughs like these scrolls, where acidity isn’t needed for leavening, this neutral pH allows the chocolate flavour to shine darker and richer.
- White sugar – Light sweetness to balance the cocoa in the dough.
- Salt – Enhances all the flavours and keeps the dough from tasting flat.
- Oat milk – Warm liquid to activate the yeast and create a tender crumb.
- Vegan butter – Adds richness, flavour, and moisture.
- Instant yeast – The leavening agent that makes the scrolls rise and turn fluffy.
- Unsweetened coconut yogurt – Keeps the dough soft and adds subtle tang.
- Brown sugar – Brings caramel notes to the chocolate-cinnamon filling.
- Ground cinnamon – Warm spice that pairs beautifully with chocolate.
- Vanilla extract – Boosts sweetness and depth of flavour.
- Instant coffee – Intensifies the chocolate taste.
- Hazelnut spread – The Nutella-style frosting base. If you’re in Australia, I love the Pana Organic Hazelnut Chocolate, it’s soo good!
- Flora Plant Cream – Blends with the spread for a silky, pourable topping. If you follow my recipes you’ll know that I use this religiously! It’s so good, I love to use it in sweet and savoury meals and is the best vegan sub for dairy cream.
Vegan Chocolate Nutella Scrolls Ingredients
Filling Ingredients
*note: I forgot to take pictures of the topping ingredients – missing hazelnut spread and cream.
How to Make It
Making these scrolls is straightforward: you’ll whisk together the dry ingredients, add the warm wet mixture, then knead into a smooth dough. After a short rest, roll it out, spread on the chocolate-cinnamon filling, and slice into rolls. Let them rise (around 60-90s mins) until puffy, then bake until golden. While they cool slightly, whisk the hazelnut spread and cream to make your frosting, then drizzle generously over the top.
How to Make The Filling
How to Make The Icing
Variations and Substitutes
Swap oat milk for soy or almond milk. Use almond butter instead of hazelnut spread for a nutty twist. For a richer dough, replace some of the vegan butter with olive oil. If you prefer less sweetness, reduce the sugar by 1–2 tablespoons and let the cocoa and cinnamon shine through.
Equipment
You’ll need a large mixing bowl, a rolling pin, and a sharp knife for slicing the scrolls evenly (lots of recipes online will insist on using floss to slice these rolls, but I just used a knife and it was fine). A baking dish (around 20 × 30 cm) works best to give them room to expand while keeping their shape. A whisk makes blending the frosting smooth and lump-free.
How to Serve It
Serve the scrolls slightly warm, drizzled with frosting so it melts into the swirls. We like to have them with our tea after dinner for dessert, delish!
How to Store It
Store leftover scrolls in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days. Warm them briefly in the microwave before serving. These scrolls are best enjoyed fresh, but they can also be frozen (without frosting) for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature, reheat, and then frost before serving.
How to Make It
Vegan Chocolate Nutella Rolls
Ingredients
Scrolls
- 320 g plain flour plus up to 25 g more if needed
- 25 g Dutch-processed cocoa powder sifted
- 50 g white sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 180 mL oat milk lukewarm
- 3 tablespoons 43 g vegan butter melted
- 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast 1 packet
- 60 g unsweetened coconut yogurt
Choc Filling
- 57 g vegan butter soft room temperature
- 2 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 90 g brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Nutella Frosting
- 100 g hazelnut spread I like Pana Organic Hazelnut Chocolate Spread
- 60 g vegan cream flora thickened plant cream
Instructions
Mix the dry ingredients
- Mix the flour, sugar, cocoa and salt in a big bowl. Put the dough on a cocoa surface and knead it with floured hands for 3–5 minutes until smooth. If it’s too sticky, add a little flour. Put the dough in a bowl, cover loosely, and let it rest for 10 minutes while you prep the filling.
- Mix the wet ingredients
- Warm the milk and butter together (microwave or stove) until the butter *just* melts and the mix feels warm, not hot. Stir in the yeast to dissolve it – it will need a good whisk.
- Combine wet + dry
- Add the milk mixture and yogurt to the dry ingredients and stir until it becomes a soft dough.
- Knead & rest
- Put the dough on a cocoa surface and knead it with floured hands for 3–5 minutes until smooth. If it’s too sticky, add a little flour. Put the dough in a bowl, cover loosely, and let it rest for 10 minutes while you prep the filling.
Make the filling
- Add softened butter, cocoa powder, cinnamon, brown sugar, vanilla extract and coffee into a small bowl and mix to combine.
Spread the filling
- Roll out the dough into a rectangle (about 36×20 cm). Spread filling mixture on top.
- Roll & slice
- From the longest side of the rectangle, roll into a log. Lengthwise, slice into 9 rolls each around 4cm wide. Place them in a greased baking dish with about 1 inches apart as they will get larger and need room to spread.
- Let them rise
- Cover the dish and let the rolls rise in a warm spot for 60–90 minutes, until doubled in size.
Bake
- Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F). Bake the rolls for 24–27 minutes until golden. Halfway through, cover in foil and bake so they don’t get too brown on top.
Make the icing
- Mix melted hazelnut spread and cream together with a whisk. Once combined, drizzle over the scrolls.
Storage
- Keep any leftover rolls in a container for up to 2 days at room temp or 5 days in the fridge.
