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Nothing says “I love you” like these 2-ingredient Raspberry Cinnamon Rolls! They’re a sweet Valentine’s Day breakfast that tops heart-shaped vegan cinnamon rolls with a glistening raspberry cream cheese frosting.
These Raspberry Heart-Shaped Cinnamon Rolls are one of the easiest Valentine’s Day treats around. Just shape and bake store-bought cinnamon rolls, then drizzle the sweet and fruity raspberry cheesecake frosting on top. Perfect for breakfast in bed or decorating as a family!
2 Ingredients, 1 Happy Valentine
If you plan on treating your sweetie to breakfast in bed this Valentine’s Day, then these Vegan Raspberry Heart-Shaped Cinnamon Rolls have to be on the menu. They’re so freakin’ cute and almost as fun to make as they are to eat! I made them for my husband, but kids would love them just as much.
I wanted to keep this recipe as family-friendly as possible, so I turned to just 2 ingredients: store-bought cinnamon rolls and freeze-dried raspberries. Shaping the pre-made cinnamon roll dough into hearts is easy, and the raspberries are blended into a dairy-free cream cheese glaze for a sweet, fruity, and festive topping.
And if you’re looking for a Valentine’s Day activity, pass the icing to your kids and let them help with the decorating. Everyone gets in on the fun and ends up with a cinnamon roll in the end. What could be better? ♥️
Ingredients for Raspberry Cinnamon Rolls
This plant-based Valentine’s Day breakfast calls for 2 store-bought ingredients, plus a few baking staples to make the optional frosting.
- Jumbo Cinnamon Rolls: use store-bought jumbo cinnamon rolls (that are “accidentally” vegan!) to keep this Valentine’s treat as quick and easy as possible. I used Trader Joe’s Jumbo Cinnamon Rolls, but any brand that’s available to you will work.
- Freeze-Dried Raspberries: a must for that pink color and fruity raspberry flavor in the frosting! These are typically sold in bags in the baking section of well-stocked grocery stores (I get mine from Trader Joe’s) or in health food stores. You can also buy them online.
- Raspberry Cheesecake Icing: to stay on theme, the cinnamon rolls are decorated with a simple icing made from the freeze-dried raspberry powder, dairy-free cream cheese, vanilla bean paste, and non-dairy milk.
How to Make Heart-Shaped Cinnamon Rolls
- Open the packaged cinnamon rolls and set the icing aside. Separate the rolls with a knife, if needed.
- Unroll one cinnamon roll until only the center spiral is left. Roll the outside of the dough strip towards the center until you form two spirals (the top of the heart). Pinch the remaining dough strip between the two spirals into a point to finish the heart shape.
- Place the cinnamon roll heart in the center of a baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough. Arrange the cinnamon rolls in a circle, then bake according to the package instructions.
- Meanwhile, pulse the freeze-dried raspberries into a powder using a food processor or blender. Add the glaze packet from the cinnamon rolls, along with the cream cheese and vanilla bean paste. Blend until smooth.
- Cool the cinnamon roll hearts for 10 minutes, then spread or pipe the raspberry icing on top. Serve while they’re still warm and enjoy!
Caitlin’s Cooking Tips
- Arranging the cinnamon roll hearts in a circle is non-negotiable. It helps the rolls keep their shape during baking.
- Check for doneness early to avoid overbaking. My cinnamon rolls were soft in the middle and golden brown on the outside 5 minutes before the package instructions said they would be done.
- Fruit seeds in the freeze-dried raspberries: The raspberries do have tiny seeds that add a little texture to the glaze; I didn’t mind this, but if you’d prefer to have a super smooth icing, use a fine mesh sieve to strain them out before adding the remaining icing ingredients to the food processor/blender.
- Don’t breathe in the raspberry dust! Keep the food processor/blender lid sealed shut for 30 seconds after blending or until the dust settles (step 6 in the recipe directions).
Serving Suggestions
These heart-shaped cinnamon rolls are a must-make on Valentine’s Day morning. You can bring them to your loved ones for breakfast in bed, decorate them with the kids, or serve them for a family breakfast. Paired with this Chocolate Oatmeal and this Vegan Strawberry Milk, everyone’s morning will be filled with love.
If you want more easy vegan Valentine’s Day recipes, you’ll also love these Vegan Linzer Cookies, these Strawberry Sugar Cookies, and this Pink Beet Pasta with Walnuts!
And if you’re treating your Valentine to dinner as well, make sure you check out these 20 Romantic Vegan Date Night Recipes.
How to Store Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
The baked and frosted cinnamon rolls will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge. Store them in an airtight container to prevent them from drying out too quickly.
The baked and unfrosted cinnamon rolls should also freeze well for up to 2 months. Thaw them on the counter for a few hours, then reheat them in a toaster oven before spreading the raspberry frosting on top.
Substitutions and Variations
- Raspberry Substitute: Freeze-dried strawberries also work really well in the frosting!
- Frosting Substitutes: The raspberry cheesecake frosting in this recipe is optional. Feel free to swap it with the packaged frosting from the cinnamon rolls, vegan buttercream frosting, or my healthy-ish Cashew Cream Cheese Frosting instead.
- Optional Decoration Ideas: I like to sprinkle extra freeze-dried raspberries on top, but vegan white chocolate chips, dairy-free chocolate swirls, or colorful sprinkles would look pretty, too.
Recipe FAQs
I recommend baking and decorating them fresh because that’s when they’re the gooiest. Still, you can try shaping and assembling the rolls on the baking sheet, covering them in a layer of plastic wrap, and refrigerating them overnight. Bake the next morning and make the frosting while you wait.
Blending fresh raspberries into the frosting will, unfortunately, not work as well as freeze-dried raspberries. They have too much moisture and will thin the frosting, plus the raspberry flavor will not be as concentrated.
You can certainly bake the cinnamon rolls from scratch and shape the dough into hearts instead if you’d prefer. It’ll just take longer.
Enjoy! If you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I would also love it if you could leave a comment below with a recipe rating! Thank you for the support 😊
Raspberry Heart-Shaped Cinnamon Rolls (Incredibly Easy + 2 Ingredients!)
Ingredients
- 5 Jumbo Cinnamon Rolls (1 package) I used Trader Joe’s brand
- 1/2 cup freeze-dried raspberries, plus more for topping
For the Raspberry Cheesecake Icing: (Optional)
- 2 tablespoons cream cheese I used dairy-free
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1-2 teaspoons non-dairy milk as needed
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350F and set a large baking sheet aside.
- Cinnamon Rolls: Open the package of cinnamon roll onto the baking sheet and set the glaze that it comes with to the side. Separate the cinnamon rolls with a knife, as needed.
- Shape: Unroll one cinnamon roll until only the center spiral is left, then begin to roll the outside of the dough strip towards the center until you form two even spirals (this is the top of the heart). Pinch the remaining dough strip between the two spirals into a point to finish the heart shape. Place in the center of the baking sheet and repeat with the remaining cinnamon rolls.
- Arrange: Place the cinnamon rolls in the center of the baking sheet in a circle, with the straight edges of each heart touching the ones next to it; this will help the rolls keep their shape during baking.
- Bake: Bake in the oven according to your package instructions, but begin to check for doneness 5 minutes before the package instructions says the rolls are finished; mine cooked in 17 minutes.
- Raspberry Icing: While the rolls are in the oven, add the freeze-dried raspberries to a food processor or bullet blender and blend until a fine powder forms, about 20 seconds. Let the processor sit sealed for about 30 seconds, to allow the powder to settle. Open, scrape the sides of the blender, and add in the glaze packet from the cinnamon rolls along with the cream cheese and vanilla bean paste, if using. Blend until smooth; if the icing is too thick, add non-dairy milk in 1 teaspoon increments as needed.
- Assemble: Transfer the baking sheet of cooked hearts to a wire rack and let sit for 10 minutes, to cool slightly. Use a spatula to separate the hearts on the baking sheet, then use a spoon, piping back, or ziploc with the corner cut off to drizzle the raspberry icing on top. Sprinkle with additional freeze-dried raspberries, if desired.
- Serve & Store: Serve warm; store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Recipe Notes
- Freeze-Dried Raspberries: I found my freeze-dried raspberries at Trader Joe’s but freeze-dried strawberries will also work well in a pinch!
- Fruit Seeds: The freeze dried raspberries do have tiny seeds that add a little texture to the glaze; I don’t mind this, but you can choose to strain them out in step 6 before adding the remaining icing ingredients, if you prefer.
I made these cinnamon roll hearts for Valentine’s day. I just used the glaze that came with them. I appreciate a clever, unique recipe. Thanks!
So happy you enjoyed!