Are Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls Vegan? Which Brands Are?

Are Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls Vegan? If not, why not? Are there any vegan canned cinnamon rolls I can buy instead? Get answers to all these questions and more.

Table of Contents

(click the links below to skip to each section)

• The short answer
• The long answer
• Vegan canned cinnamon rolls
• Recipes
• Why care?
• Video
• Contact Me with Questions

I didn’t grow up eating Pillsbury cinnamon rolls or any Pillsbury products for that matter. My dad was a hippie and only bought all-natural foods. Then when I had my own kids, I only fed them organic and vegan food.

I definitely didn’t have any time to make cinnamon rolls from scratch. So, when I discovered there were organic and vegan cinnamon rolls, I made them for my kids frequently because they’re so quick and easy.

I may not know if these taste exactly like the Pillsbury ones, but I do know that they’re delicious. After you taste them, I don’t think that you’ll be missing the Pillsbury ones at all.

Are Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls Vegan?

The short answer is no. Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls are not vegan. To learn why, read the Ingredients section below.

For suggestions of vegan brands of canned cinnamon rolls, skip to the Vegan canned cinnamon rolls section below.

Ingredients in Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls

Pillsbury makes a few different kinds of cinnamon rolls. Let’s look at the different kinds.

Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls with Original Icing

The ingredients in Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls with Original Icing are Enriched Flour Bleached (wheat Flour, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Water, Sugar, Palm And Soybean Oil, Dextrose, Wheat Starch, Contains 2% Or Less Of: Baking Powder (sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Baking Soda), Palm Kernel Oil, Salt, Modified Whey, Corn Syrup Solids, Cinnamon, Monoglycerides, Xanthan Gum, Potassium Sorbate (preservative), Polysorbate 60, Corn Starch, Natural And Artificial Flavor, Annatto Extract (for Color).

Why aren’t they vegan?

Modified Whey comes from dairy. I believe it’s a by-product from making other milk products such as cheese. Remember little miss muffet? She obviously wasn’t vegan.

Pillsbury Grands Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing

The ingredients in Pillsbury Grands Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing are Enriched Flour Bleached (wheat Flour, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Water, Sugar, Palm And/or Soybean Oil, Dextrose, Wheat Starch, Contains 2% Or Less Of: High Fructose Corn Syrup, Baking Powder (baking Soda, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate), Hydrogenated Palm Oil, Vital Wheat Gluten, Cinnamon, Modified Whey, Fractionated Palm Oil, Salt, Corn Syrup Solids, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Mono And Diglycerides, Sodium Alginate, Sunflower Lecithin, Natural And Artificial Flavor, Molasses, Polysorbate 60, Brown Sugar, Potassium Sorbate And Tbhq (preservatives), L-cysteine Hydrochloride, Corn Starch, Yellow 5, Corn Syrup, Red 40, Color Added.

Why aren’t they vegan?

Modified Whey yet again. Keep your milk ingredients out of the cinnamon rolls please!

Pillsbury Orange Rolls with Orange Icing

The ingredients in Pillsbury Orange Rolls with Orange Icing are Enriched Flour Bleached (wheat Flour, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Water, Sugar, Soybean And Palm Oil, Dextrose. Contains 2% Or Less Of: Baking Powder (baking Soda, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate), Hydrogenated Palm Oil, Fractionated Palm Oil, Salt, Wheat Starch, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup Solids, Corn Starch, Mono And Diglycerides, Cinnamon, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Citric Acid, Natural And Artificial Flavor, Sodium Alginate, Modified Whey, Sunflower Lecithin, Preservatives (potassium Sorbate, Tbhq, Tocopherols, Citric Acid), Polysorbate 60, Yellow 5, Red 40, Color Added.

Why aren’t they vegan?

Wow Pillsbury really likes using modified whey, don’t they?

Pillsbury Grands Hot Cocoa Rolls with Marshmallow Icing

The ingredients in Pillsbury Grands Hot Cocoa Rolls with Marshmallow Icing are Enriched Flour Bleached (wheat Flour, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Water, Sugar, Dextrose, Palm And Soybean Oil, Wheat Starch. Contains 2% Or Less Of: High Fructose Corn Syrup, Baking Powder (baking Soda, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate), Modified Whey, Cocoa Processed With Alkali, Vital Wheat Gluten, Corn Syrup Solids, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Monoglycerides, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Pectin, Sodium Alginate, Xanthan Gum, Potassium Sorbate (preservative), Citric Acid, Polysorbate 60, Natural And Artificial Flavor, Yellow 5, Red 40.

Why aren’t they vegan?

Well, I don’t want to sound like a broken record here, but I think you know why these aren’t vegan. I’m sure there are more varieties that Pillsbury makes that I haven’t listed here, but I think it’s safe to presume that they’ll have whey in them. But don’t worry, I got you. I have been making canned cinnamon rolls for over a decade, and I’ve been vegan for over 2 decades, so I’ll list the brands I recommend.

What brands of canned cinnamon rolls are vegan?

There are actually a few plant-based cinnamon roll brands you can buy that are quite similar to Pillsbury in flavor. I like Annie’s, Immaculate Baking, and Trader Joe’s delicious cinnamon rolls. They all come in a can, just like Pillsbury.

Annie’s Organic Cinnamon Rolls with Icing

The ingredients in Annie’s Organic Cinnamon Rolls with Icing are Organic Wheat Flour, Organic Cane Sugar, Water, Organic Palm Oil, Baking Powder (sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Baking Soda), Organic Expeller-pressed Sunflower Oil, Organic Invert Syrup, Organic Cinnamon, Sea Salt, Organic Tapioca Starch, Xanthan Gum, Organic Wheat Starch, Organic Rice Extract, Organic Guar Gum, Organic Locust Bean Gum, Organic Natural Flavor.

I used these Annie’s cinnamon buns when I made my easy cinnamon rolls shaped like mickey mouse. They’re perfect for quick recipes that make it seem like you spent tons of time in the kitchen. I served them to a friend when she cam​e over, and she said nothing beats being greeted by a warm cinnamon roll.

Immaculate Baking Company Cinnamon Rolls

The ingredients in Immaculate Baking Company Cinnamon Rolls are Organic Wheat Flour, Water, Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Palm Oil, Baking Powder (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Baking Soda), Organic Expeller-Pressed Sunflower Oil, Organic Invert Syrup, Organic Cinnamon, Sea Salt, Organic Tapioca Starch, Xanthan Gum, Organic Wheat Starch, Organic Rice Extract, Organic Guar Gum, Organic Locust Bean Gum, Organic Natural Flavor.

Trader Joe’s Organic Jumbo Cinnamon Rolls

The ingredients in Trader Joe’s Organic Jumbo Cinnamon Rolls are Organic Wheat Flour, Water, Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Palm Oil, Baking Powder (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Baking Soda), Organic Expeller-Pressed Sunflower Oil, Organic Cinnamon, Sea Salt, Organic Tapioca Starch, Xanthan Gum, Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Invert Cane Syrup, Organic Palm Fruit Oil, Organic Tapioca Starch, Sea Salt, Organic Rice Extract, Organic Guar Gum, Organic Locust Bean Gum, Xanthan Gum, Organic Natural Flavors.

I used the Trader Joe’s cinnamon rolls to make my cinnamon roll donuts. I took them to a potluck picnic, because they’re adorable party desserts. Everyone thought they were an oven-fresh cinnamon roll recipe made from scratch, haha.

Recipes using Vegan Canned Cinnamon Rolls

Now that you know which canned cinnamon rolls to buy, check out these cute ideas for what you can do with them.

Bake them in donut pans to make cinnamon roll donuts. You can use regular donut pans or heart shaped donut pans. This is a good way to make a can of cinnamon rolls go further since they normally only make 5 pastries.

Make cinnamon roll bears or cinnamon roll mice. Most people think they look like Mickey Mouse cinnamon rolls, but I don’t need a Disney lawsuit on my hands, so let’s just call them cute.

Why should you care?

Don’t you like how the ingredients in the vegan cinnamon rolls are all easy to pronounce, common ingredients? None of them are scary sounding! Remember when I listed the ingredients in the Pillsbury rolls, and one of them was TBHQ? You were probably like, that one didn’t sound too scary. It’s a cute, non-threatening acronym right? WRONG!

TBHQ is the same chemical that is in some paints and varnishes. The full chemical name is Tertiary Butylhydroquinone. According to this Healthline article about TBHQ, research has linked it with a bunch of health problems. They include tumors, liver enlargement, neurotoxic effects, convulsions, and paralysis. So, even if you’re not living a vegan lifestyle and you hate animals, you might want to buy vegan cinnamon rolls just to keep yourself out of the hospital.

Pillsbury has also started adding TBHQ to their crescent dough. So, I recommend buying the crescent rolls made by Annie’s, Immaculate Baking Company, or Trader Joe’s instead. I used them for my green bean recipe and they bake and taste just as good. You can use these vegan products interchangeably with the similar products made by pillsbury. So, if you have favorite easy pillsbury recipes, you can still use those same recipes. Just swap out the Pillsbury for a healthier, cruelty-free brand.

Comments or Questions?

Do you know of vegan brands I haven’t listed here? Please tell me so I can add them. Message me (on instagram or through email).

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