[This post is sponsored by my best foodie friends at Bob’s Red Mill! We’re using their Organic All-Purpose Flour for this recipe.]
Lemon is one of those flavors that hits the spot at all times of the year.
In the dead of winter? Amazing. In the height of summer? So refreshing. On a rainy, gloomy spring day? So bright and fruity. On a cool fall morning? It’s light and zippy.
I am a lemon lover through and through, and I don’t care who knows it.
So, these sweet rolls are dynamite. Like, so good. And weirdly very simple to make.
That is, unless you’re a food blogger running around your apartment for 3 hours trying to photograph and video the makings of these rolls.
It truly was a hectic scene in here a few days ago (think: flour and sugar everywhere while trying to keep a cute curious cat out of the mix), but it was worth it. Because look at these!
They’re so tasty. Like, potentially one of the best desserts to come out of my kitchen.
The sugar caramelizes on the bottom, the three (!!!) zested lemons give the rolls a nice zippy flavor, and the pistachios are like these beautiful lil green gems peeking out through the filling.
I’m truly obsessed with these, and I think… nay know you will be too!
So, a sweet roll, in my mind, is like… what a cinnamon roll is. Some sort of soft, yeasted dough, filled with a buttery, sugary filling, rolled up, chopped into pieces, and baked as a “tear and share” sort of situation.
If you’ve never made a dessert like this before, it may sound difficult. But it’s really a breeze!
Don’t believe me? Check out this quick 45 second video to see how it’s done:
The recipe can be broken up into three different chunks:
The Dough
The texture is like a pillow made of clouds and cotton candy. Oh my gosh, you guys. So soft and pillowy and perfect.
And we have Bob’s Red Mill’s Organic All-Purpose Flour to thank for that!
It has a higher protein content than most all-purpose flours (in the 10-12% range!), so we’re getting extra chew and gluteny goodness in these rolls by using this flour.
We’ll also add some melted vegan butter, almond milk, sugar, salt, and yeast. So easy!
The Filling
Once the dough is made, rested, and rolled out, we’ll spread it with some softened vegan butter and a vibrant mixture of sugar, pistachio chunks, and lemon zest.
It smells like… so wonderful. If I could fill my apartment to the brim with candles that smell like this filling, I’d be a very happy girl.
The pistachios give the rolls a great crunch, and the lemon zest flavor really comes through!
The Glaze
A sweet roll isn’t a sweet roll without a sweet glaze. And we’re using the same glaze that we used in this recipe!
Just mix up some powdered sugar, almond milk, lemon juice and zest, vegan butter, and vanilla. So easy, but really over-the-top delicious.
I like adding just a pinch of turmeric to give it a yellow-y hue!
Although we’ve established that lemon is great at any time of year, there’s something about these sweet rolls that just screams spring.
I hope you make them and love them and devour them just as much and quickly as I did!
PrintVegan Lemon Pistachio Sweet Rolls
Warm, soft sweet rolls packed with pistachio and lemon flavor! Did I mention they’re vegan, too?! So good.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 8 rolls
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
DOUGH:
- 1 cup almond milk, heated to 105-115 degrees F.
- 1/4 cup vegan butter, melted
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 pack active dry yeast (1 tsp. + 1/8 tsp.)
- 2 and 1/2 cups Bob’s Red Mill Organic All-Purpose Flour (spooned and leveled) + more for kneading
- pinch salt
FILLING:
- 1/4 cup softened vegan butter
- 1 cup shelled pistachios, finely chopped*
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 lemons zested
GLAZE:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- zest of one lemon
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon almond milk
- 1/2 tablespoon melted vegan butter
- splash vanilla extract
- pinch turmeric (optional, for color)
Instructions
- Add your warm almond milk, melted vegan butter, and sugar to a large bowl. Mix to combine, then sprinkle your active dry yeast on top and mix.
- Once the yeast blooms, about 3-5 minutes, add your flour and salt, and mix well to combine. Cover with a towel, and allow the dough to rise for an hour.
- After one hour, dust your work area with flour. Sprinkle a bit of flour around the sides of the bowl to help you scrape the dough from the sides of the bowl and onto your floured surface. Butter the sides and bottom of a springform pan (if you don’t have a springform, a regular pan will do!)**.
- Knead 5-6 times, or until the dough comes together, then roll into a rectangle, about 1/2-inch in thickness (10″ x 12″-ish), with the long edge facing you.
- Spread with the softened vegan butter, leaving 1-inch of the long edge across from you clear.
- In a separate bowl, mix your pistachios, sugar, and lemon zest, then sprinkle over the dough, again leaving 1-inch of the long edge across from you clear.
- Roll your dough from the long edge closest to you into a spiral. Cut into 8 equal pieces and place them in your prepared pan. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- After 30 minutes, bake your rolls for 38-35 minutes, or until lightly golden brown on top.
- Meanwhile, whisk all of your glaze ingredients together. It’ll be thick but pourable.
- Allow the rolls to cool for 5-10 minutes, then pour the glaze on top. Eat warm!
Notes
*I blitzed mine in my food processor for a few seconds! Easy peasy.
** If you’re using a springform pan, be sure to bake the rolls with a parchment-lined baking sheet on the rack below where you’re baking the rolls, just in case it leaks!
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