vegan strawberry caramel sticky buns

May is just the best month, isn’t it! I’m finally thawed from the long Canadian winter and April showers are long gone. Now it’s time for warmer days and fresh new recipes! That also means Mother’s Day is right around the corner. It’s this Sunday, to be exact – you’re welcome, in case you forgot. So I’m bringing you the ultimate sweet treat to surprise your good ol’ mama with. These vegan strawberry caramel sticky buns are the perfect way to show just how much ya care!

Caramel and strawberry are already finger-licking good on their own. So you know me… I went wild and roasted the strawbs and combined it with the ultimate sticky stuff for these freshly baked babes. Even better, they’re stuffed with a juicy strawberry filling that makes every bite a sweet dream come true.

about the recipe

This recipe makes 12 strawberry caramel sticky buns in one easy pan. You can bake a warm batch first thing in the morning and your whole fam will be leaping out of bed wondering what that amazing smell is! Share ’em with the badass ladies in your life, give the whole batch to momma because she deserves it, or honestly… just bake them up for yourself! Everyone deserves sweet, sticky bun goodness and no one will be there to judge if you lick the plate clean.

That dough recipe is from my cookbook, Vegan Comfort Classics: 101 Recipes to Feed Your Face. If you haven’t bought your copy yet, check out this post to learn why it was featured as one of the top 16 best vegan cookbooks. Now, let’s get cooking!

4.8 from 15 votes

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vegan strawberry caramel sticky buns

Get cozy with some freshly baked buns! These vegan strawberry caramel sticky buns are the perfect indulgent comfort food.

Course brunch, Dessert

Keyword baking, caramel, dough, sticky buns, strawberry

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

rest/proof 1 hour 10 minutes

Total Time 2 hours 25 minutes

Servings 12

Author Lauren Toyota

Ingredients

sticky bun filling

• 1 1/2 C frozen strawberries, thawed overnight in the fridge, divided (1/2 C you will dice)
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 C golden brown sugar
• 1 tbsp orange zest
• 1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (or ground nutmeg)
• 3 tbsp vegan butter

strawberry vanilla caramel

• 1/4 C room temperature vegan butter
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 C golden brown sugar
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon

that dough

• 3 C all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 tsp quick-rise instant yeast
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 1/2 C warm water (between 120°F to 130°F)
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. To make the strawberry sticky bun filling, line the baking dish you will be using for the sticky buns with parchment paper. Combine 1 cup of the thawed strawberries with the granulated sugar and bake for about 25 to 28 minutes. The strawberries should be broken down and a little darker looking. There should still be residual strawberry juice in the pan.

3. Continue prepping the filling by combining ground cinnamon, golden brown sugar, orange zest, and freshly grated nutmeg in a bowl and set aside. You will sprinkle this onto the roasted strawberry filling later on. 

4. To make the strawberry vanilla caramel mix together vegan butter, maple syrup, vanilla extract, light brown sugar, and ground cinnamon in another mixing bowl and set aside.

5. To make the dough using a stand mixer, add the dry ingredients into the mixing bowl and stir to combine. Add the vegetable oil and warm water, while using the dough attachment to combine the dough together until it forms a sticky ball and cleans the sides of the mixing bowl. Let it rest for 10 minutes covered with a damp dish towel before rolling out.

6. When the roasted strawberries are done remove the dish from the oven and reset the oven temperature to 350°F. Transfer just the roasted strawberries into a separate medium bowl, leaving the residual juice behind in the pan. Mash the roasted strawberries with a fork and add 3 tablespoons of vegan butter so it melts with the warm strawberries. Chill in the fridge for about 10 minutes.

7. Use a rubber spatula to scrape all the leftover strawberry juice off the parchment paper into the pan, and discard the parchment paper. Add the remaining ingredients for the strawberry vanilla caramel including vegan butter, maple syrup, and the brown sugar mixture into the roasting pan and mix well with the residual strawberry liquid until smooth. Set aside.

8. Roll out the dough into a rectangle approximately 18 x 12-inches. Use an offset spatula to spread the chilled roasted strawberry butter paste onto the dough, leaving 1-inch of one long side without filling. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar filling mixture on top of the roasted strawberry paste. Then sprinkle evenly with diced strawberries.

9. Starting on the long side closest to you with the filling to the edge, roll the dough up tightly into a log shape. Use a knife or dough cutter to make 12 cuts about 1 1/2-inches wide.

10. Place each roll into the baking pan on top of the strawberry caramel. Cover with a damp tea towel and allow to proof and rise for about 1 hour.

11. Remove the tea towel and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Let the sticky buns cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before serving. To serve, flip the sticky buns over onto a large platter so the side that was face down in the strawberry caramel is now facing up. Serve immediately while still slightly warm.

Recipe Notes

During testing I found that using a metal baking pan was ideal for the best results, but an enamel or glass tray will work too.

make a strawberry caramel pull apart bread

Oh ya, I really hooked your sweet tooth up this year! This improv recipe was created when I noticed there were 5 extra sticky buns that wouldn’t fit into the baking pan. Which didn’t happen during testing!

Follow the recipe for the sticky buns above, but add these additional ingredients in the recipe below to make an extra pull apart bread. Or if you only want to make the pull apart bread I would add the residual strawberry juice from roasting the strawberries to the caramel ingredients below, rather than making the strawberry vanilla caramel from the sticky bun recipe. Make both, or just one, either way your weekend is about to get extra cozy!

4.67 from 6 votes

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vegan strawberry caramel pull apart bread

If you don't feel like making sticky buns you can turn the recipe into a loaf that's just as delectable!

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword baking, bread, caramel, dough, strawberries

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

rest/proof 1 hour 10 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 4 to 6

Author Lauren Toyota

Ingredients

caramel

• 2 tbsp vegan butter melted
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon

orange glaze

• 2 to 4 tbsp confectioners sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp orange zest
• 1 to 2 tbsp orange juice or nondairy milk

Instructions

1. In a metal loaf pan, add melted butter, brown sugar and cinnamon and whisk until combined.
2. Add the buns in one layer in no particular fashion, the messier the better!
3. Cover the pan with a damp towel and let it proof and rise for 1 hour.
4. Bake in the oven at 425°F for 30 to 32 minutes.
5. While the loaf is baking, make the orange glaze by combining the ingredients in a small bowl. Add orange juice or nondairy milk a bit at a time until you get a smooth, runny glaze that easily drizzles off a spoon.
6. Let the bread cool in the loaf pan for 10 minutes before removing. Since this is a bread loaf shape, I didn’t flip it upside down. If using, drizzle on the orange glaze and slice like bread to serve while still slightly warm.