Best easy authentic Swedish Cardamom buns (+ vegan version)
These plant-based easy authentic Swedish Cardamom buns (kardemummabullar) are fluffy, sweet, big, soft, and mouthwateringly delicious. This is the only cardamom roll recipe you will ever need. It’s the best easy fluffy cardamom knots/buns recipe that creates the authentic pull-apart melt-in-your-mouth true Swedish cardamom knots. And it includes options to make ahead of time, overnight, or freeze them. Plus, a vegan version that makes the best authentic Swedish cardamom buns vegan copycat you may ever try.
Gluten-free cardamom buns option
If you need a gluten-free cardamom buns version, we’ve got you covered, too! Just jump to the notes on the recipe card if you need a delicious gluten free kardamumma buns recipe. With a few simple alterations you can enjoy the same fluffy deliciousness real deal buns!
Pillowy soft and utterly delicious plant-based Cardamom buns recipe
Mmm, cardamom rolls. Or cardamon buns to my UK friends. And kardemummabullar in Sweden. A pillowy brioche dough, buttery melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness, and cardamom and cinnamon sugar peeking out of every twist, nook, and cranny. And then there’s the center. Gooey, cardamom cinnamon sugar glazed, pull-apart, sweet caramelized deliciousness with every bite.
Your holiday brunches, your afternoon treat, your quiet morning with a cup of coffee, your date with a movie and a warm blanket, your quiet time curled up with a good book…all of these things just got a thousand times tastier with these cardamom buns.
Delicious, soft and pillowy cardamon rolls
We all know and adore cinnamon rolls and Cinnabons…and they’re definitely on my must-make list for every holiday. But sharing the first place with cinnamon rolls is cardamom rolls. Cardamom rolls are a traditional Swedish pastry served at every Christmas, holiday, and pretty much any occasion. They’re so fluffy, buttery, and delicious that Scandinavians use any and every excuse and event to make these tasty buns.
This traditional Swedish Cardamom buns recipe comes straight from my grandmother and has been passed down from generation to generation. It’s incredibly fluffy, and delicately sweet, with Caramelized melty crunchy sugar and all the decadent cardamom holiday flavors you can dream of. Get ready for your kitchen to smell amazing.
In this Cardamom buns recipe we’re covering
Ingredients in authentic Swedish cardamom rolls or kardamumma boller
- water
- whole milk
- yeast, preferably instant yeast
- bread flour
- salted butter or margarine
- granulated sugar
- cardamom seeds, ground
- 1 teaspoon salt
Ingredients to make vegan cardamom rolls Filling
- salted butter or margarine
- granulated sugar
- salt
Cardamom sugar for topping (the must-have topping for authentic Swedish kardemummabullar)
- granulated sugar (or brown sugar)
- cardamom seeds, ground
Topping
- Cardamom sugar
- Egg for brushing – both to bind the sugar and to give the buns a nice glossy top.
How to make gluten-free cardamom rolls (kardamumma boller)
We’ve included this specialized gluten free version of these tasty cardamom rolls because people were finding it difficult to achieve a delicious cardamom roll with a regular gluten free flour mixture. After a bit of research and testing we’ve tweaked the recipe to deliver a tasty fluffy gluten free cardamom buns that gives the same flavor and a great tasty bun!
Ingredients to make gluten-free cardamom knots
- 5.5 cups (600g) oat flour
- 2.5 cups (400g) whole grain rice flour + 1/2 cup (100g) extra for mixing if needed
- 4 tablespoons finely ground psyllium husk
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoons dry yeast
- 3 cups (7dl) milk – regular, or plant based (almond milk, oat milk, cashew milk or soy milk)
- 4 eggs (or you can use just eggs or soy yogurt for vegan substitute)
- 0.5 cups (100g) soft butter
Ingredients to make vegan cardamom rolls Filling
- 1 1/2 cups (300 g) salted butter, non-dairy butter for the vegan version
- 1 cup + 3 tbsp (250 g) granulated sugar [2,8 dl]
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
Cardamom sugar for topping (the must-have topping for authentic Swedish kardemummabullar)
- sugar (granulated or brown sugar)
- cardamom seeds, ground
Topping
- Cardamom sugar
- Egg or almond milk for brushing – both to bind the sugar and to give the buns a nice glossy top.
How to make gluten free cardamom twists
The Dough:
1. Mix the dry ingredients in the bowl of your stand mixer (or in a large mixing bowl). Warm the milk to about 96 degrees Fahrenheit (36°C) (“little finger warm”) and add it along with the eggs. Start the mixer and let the dough blend well. Add the softened butter while the mixer is running and knead the dough for a couple of minutes until it is completely smooth.
2. Sprinkle some rice flour on the table and roll out the dough into a square of about 30×60 cm. Lift and turn the dough occasionally, dusting it with more flour to prevent sticking. Spread the filling evenly up to the edges. Fold one third in, then the opposite third. Roll it out again to a size of about 30×25 cm.
3. Cut the dough into 25-30 long strips, using a pizza cutter, for example. Take a strip, roll it into a spiral, and twist it around three fingers. Finally, pull the end of the strip through the cardamom twist and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining cardamom rolls . Cover them with plastic wrap and let them rise for 2-2.5 hours.
4. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200°C) (convection). Beat an egg thoroughly and generously brush the twists. Bake for 12-13 minutes. Allow them to cool on a wire rack before serving. Enjoy your baking!
Note: For cup measurements, it’s recommended to use a kitchen scale for accuracy, as converting flour and similar ingredients can be tricky due to varying densities.
Note:
Alternatively, you can try using your favorite gluten-free flour mixture to make these cardamom buns. Some popular gluten-free baking mixes for cinnamon rolls include King Arthur Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Mix and Pamela’s Products Gluten-Free Bread Mix. Always check product labels for the most up-to-date information on ingredients and ensure they meet your dietary needs.
Tips for making the best cardamom rolls
This cardamom buns recipe is straightforward and doesn’t require a ton of ingredients. This is great if you, like me, would rather be eating than spending lots of time cooking.
• Don’t overheat milk – the milk should be between 105-115 degrees F (both for dairy and non-dairy/vegan versions). Anything hotter is likely to kill the yeast, which means the cardamom rolls will not rise. I always dip a clean finger into the milk. If it feels warm without burning it’s usually the right temperature. If it’s too hot, simply set the milk aside to cook until it reaches the desired temperature.
• Use room temperature non-dairy butter – room temperature butter is a god-sent. It takes the hassle right out of turning this sugar/cardamom/butter into a creamy mixture. Trust me, I’ve tried it all ways – because sometimes a girl just doesn’t have the patience to wait for butter to reach room temperature, you know? Anyway, letting the butter reach room temperature makes the whole baking process much smoother and lets you cream butter and brown sugar together with spices in no time. Plus, it also makes it a breeze to spread the mixture over the dough. It’s a win-win.
Top Baking Tips – How to make the best pillowy soft and gloriously good Authentic Swedish Cardamom Buns
• Mix butter and brown sugar to a cream – some people like to spread the butter on the dough first and then rub the brown sugar into the butter. But I make the filling the traditional way the same way my grandmother taught me. Add room-temperature butter to a mixing bowl along with brown sugar and spices. Use a handheld mixer to combine the ingredients and turn them into a cream…if you don’t have a mixer you can use a fork to combine the butter and sugar into a cream. I’ve tried that more than once and it works great although it’s a little more effort.
• Use bread flour – the trick to making cardamom buns that stay soft and fluffy is bread flour. Regular all-purpose flour is fine when you make and serve the buns the same day…but for soft buns that still have that pull-apart fluffy dough that’s irresistibly luxe, you want to use bread flour.
• Yeast – I always use quick rise or instant yeast to help the buns rise faster and become extra fluffy. You can use active dry yeast, but the buns may take a little longer to rise. If you’re using active dry yeast I would let the dough rise 30-minutes longer.
Ingredients in vegan cardamom rolls: best plant based cardamom
- water
- non-dairy milk like almond milk or cashew milk
- yeast, preferably instant yeast
- bread flour
- salted non-dairy vegan butter or margarine
- granulated sugar
- cardamom seeds, ground
- 1 teaspoon salt
Ingredients to make vegan cardamom rolls Filling
- salted non-dairy butter or margarine
- granulated sugar
- salt
Cardamom sugar for topping (the must-have topping for authentic Swedish kardemummabullar)
- granulated sugar (or brown sugar)
- cardamom seeds, ground
Topping
- Cardamom sugar
- almond milk for brushing – both to bind the sugar and to give the buns a nice glossy top.
Tools you need to make fluffy plant-based cinnamon rolls
These are the tools I recommend for making the best cardamon rolls.
- A stand mixer with a dough hook…or your hands to knead the dough.
- Rolling pin – a rolling pin dusted with flour before rolling is a necessity to get your pillowy dough rolled out thinly. Top tip: if you don’t have a rolling pin you can use a clean wine bottle or other glass bottles that have been dusted with flour as a makeshift rolling pin.
- A lined baking sheet – Or several lined baking sheets. You can line your baking sheet with baking paper or parchment, or use reusable baking sheets. You want to use a lining because the butter and sugar will melt and make a delicious sauce that will Caramelize most deliciously on your buns…but it will burn into your baking trays and make it very hard to clean them.
Best easy way to fold Swedish cinnamon rolls
How to make vegan and authentic Swedish cardamom rolls
Making the filling
Add butter, brown sugar, seasoning, and salt to a bowl and use a handheld mixer to mix into a cream.
Making the cardamom sugar topping
In a bowl or jar, combine granulated sugar and ground cardamom.
Making Scandinavian Cardamon buns
- Heat milk and butter in a saucepan to lukewarm. Whisk in sugar, salt, and ground cardamom.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the yeast and a few tablespoons of the lukewarm milk/butter mixture to awaken the yeast. Mix to combine and leave for half a minute. Add the rest of the milk and water and combine.
- Next, mix in all the flour a little at a time until a dough begins to form. At this point, you can transfer the dough to a stand mixer or use your hands to knead the dough. Knead the dough for 5-8 minutes until it’s a nice still lightly sticky dough.
- Transfer the dough to a well-oiled bowl, and cover it with plastic wrap and a warm towel. Leave the dough to rise at room temperature for 30-minutes.
Making and Baking Kardamumma boller
- Place the dough on a clean floured surface and roll it out into a 1/4” (1/2cm) thick square. Spread the butter/sugar filling evenly over the dough all the way to the edges. Fold the dough over itself in half. Cut into slices and wrap the dough strips around two fingers to form a knot.
- Place the cardamom buns on a lined baking sheet and cover them with a clean cloth or plastic wrap. Leave to rise again for 45-90 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400F (180Celsius). While the oven heats, brush the buns with beaten eggs or almond milk and sprinkle generously with cardamom sugar.
- Bake the buns for around 15-17 minutes or until they are golden brown on top and ready.
- Remove from the oven and place the buns on a rack to cool a little before eating.
How to bake cardamom cinnamon rolls in an air fryer
Can you make cardamom buns in an air fryer? You’re wondering. The answer is “yes”. You can bake these buns in your air fryer in smaller batches of 4-6 at a time depending on the size of your air fryer.
To bake cardamom buns or cinnamon buns in an air fryer just heat the air fryer to 350F (180Celsius) and bake for 10-15 minutes until the buns are golden brown on top and baked to gooey pull-apart fluffy perfection.
How to store cardamom rolls so they don’t go stale
You can store your delicious cardamom rolls at room temperature in a bread box or covered for 1-2 days. After that, you can keep your buns stored in the refrigerator for 4-5 days with no problem. Just reheat for 1-2 minutes in a microwave or air fryer to make them nice, warm, and gooey all over again before eating.
Meal prep cardamom rolls – how to make overnight cinnamon rolls
After making the dough, adding the filling, and folding the dough into buns or knots, place the buns on a lined baking sheet and cover them with plastic wrap. Place the buns in the refrigerator overnight. When you are ready to bake, bring the cardamom rolls to room temperature and let them rise for 45 minutes before baking as directed.
Frequently Asked Questions about Authentic Swedish Cardamom Buns
– To freeze before baking – the dough should be frozen after the first rise (After making the dough, adding the filling, and folding the dough into buns or knots, place the buns on a lined baking sheet and cover them with plastic wrap). Place in a freezer.
When you are ready to bake, let the dough thaw in the fridge — preferably overnight, then put it in a warm spot for 30 minutes to 1 hour before baking to activate the second rise. Bake cardamom buns as directed.
– To freeze after baking – let the cardamom rolls cool to room temperature after baking. Then you can choose to either freeze the entire tray, making sure they are well covered, or you can choose to freeze individual cardamom rolls. When ready to eat, defrost the cardamom rolls, then warm them in the oven or an air fryer at 350 degrees F (180Celsius) for 10-15 minutes or you can warm them up individually in the microwave for 20-30 seconds (once defrosted).
Air Fryer Cinnamon rolls and cardamom rolls FAQ’s
Yes. Cardamom buns and cinnamon rolls can easily be made in an air fryer. You can bake these buns in your air fryer in smaller batches of 4-6 at a time depending on the size of your air fryer.
To bake cardamom buns or cinnamon buns in an air fryer just heat the air fryer to 350F (180Celsius) and bake for 10-15 minutes until the buns are golden brown on top and baked to gooey pull-apart fluffy perfection.
Yes. I haven’t tried this personally as I don’t have a bread maker, but several people have tried making these buns in a bread maker with success.
FAQ – Baking Tips
Yes, you can. Bread flour will make the rolls extra soft and fluffy, but using all-purpose flour will still make for delicious cinnamon rolls.
Yes. If you want to make less buns you can simply cut the ingredients in half (although I cannot comprehend why anyone would want to make less of these because I would happily eat them all. Lol)
No matter what type of yeast you use, you need to make sure it’s added to a liquid that’s between 105 and 115 degrees F. You can also add a little sugar with either yeast to help it get activated.
Instant yeast – or quick-rise yeast makes for the best fluffy buns. The fresh yeast makes the buns rise faster. To help activate the heat quickly, you can dissolve it in a little milk and sugar.
Activate dry yeast – if you’re using active dry yeast you need to add a little liquid and let the yeast dissolve, which is known as “proofing”. When dry yeast is activated it will bubble a little and this lets you know the yeast is ready to use.
No matter what type of yeast you use, you need to make sure it’s added to a liquid that’s between 105 and 115 degrees F. You can also add a little sugar with either yeast to help it get activated.
Are you looking for more tasty vegan baking recipes? You might like some of these reader favorite vegan holiday baking recipes:
- Swedish St. Lucia bread
- Classic English Scones with Chocolate Chips and secret baking hack
- The best easy vegan pillowy Chocolate Chip Hot Buns recipe
- The Best easy vegan Pretzels recipe ever
The best easy authentic Swedish Cardamom buns (plus the vegan version)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ + 3tbsp (400g), 4dl Water
- ¼ cups + 3 tbsp (100 g), 1dl Whole Milk non-dairy like almond milk or cashew milk for the vegan version
- 5 tbsp (50g) Yeast preferably instant yeast
- 6 ½ cups (1050 g) Bread Flour
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp (250g) Salted Butter non-dairy for the vegan version
- ¾ cups + 3 tbs (200g) Granulated Sugar
- 2 tsp Ground Cardamom
- Pinch of salt
Filling
- 1 ½ cups (300g) Salted Butter non-dairy butter for the vegan version
- 1 cup + 3 tbsp (250g) Granulated Sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp Ground Cardamom
- ½ tsp Allspice
Cardamom sugar (for kardemummabullar)
- 3 tbsp Granulated Sugar
- 3 tbsp Ground Cardamom
Topping
- Cardamom Sugar
- Egg or almond milk for brushing
Instructions
Making the filling
- Add butter, brown sugar, seasoning, and salt to a bowl and use a handheld mixer to mix into a cream.
Making the cardamom sugar topping
- In a bowl or jar, combine granulated sugar and ground cardamom.
Making the cardamom buns
- Heat milk and butter in a saucepan to lukewarm. Whisk in sugar, salt, and ground cardamom. In a large mixing bowl, add the yeast and a few tablespoons of the lukewarm milk/butter mixture to awaken the yeast. Mix to combine and leave for half a minute. Add the rest of the milk and water and combine.
- Next, mix in all the flour a little at a time until a dough begins to form. At this point, you can transfer the dough to a stand mixer or use your hands to knead the dough. Knead the dough for 5-8 minutes until it’s a nice still lightly sticky dough.
- Transfer the dough to a well-oiled bowl, and cover it with plastic wrap and a warm towel. Leave the dough to rise at room temperature for 30-minutes.
- Place the dough on a clean floured surface and roll it out into a 1/4” (1/2cm) thick square. Spread the butter/sugar filling evenly over the dough to the edges. Fold the dough over itself in half. Cut into slices and wrap the dough strips around two fingers to form a knot.
- Place the cardamom buns on a lined baking sheet and cover them with a clean cloth or plastic wrap. Leave to rise again for 45-90 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400F (180Celsius). While the oven heats, brush the buns with beaten eggs or almond milk and sprinkle generously with cardamom sugar. Bake the buns for around 15-17 minutes or until they are golden brown on top and ready.Remove from the oven and place the buns on a rack to cool a little before eating.
Notes
Baking tip:
For extra soft and fluffy buns, place a pan filled with water in the bottom of the oven (make sure your oven is safe to use with water and damp).New gluten free recipe update!
We’ve included this specialized gluten free version of these tasty cardamom rolls because people were finding it difficult to achieve a delicious cardamom roll with a regular gluten free flour mixture. After a bit of research and testing we’ve tweaked the recipe to deliver a tasty fluffy gluten free cardamom buns that gives the same flavor and a great tasty bun! Gluten free flour cardamom buns recipeDough:
- 5.5 cups (600g) oat flour
- 2.5 cups (400g) whole grain rice flour (+ 1/2 cup (100g) extra for mixing if needed)
- 4 tablespoons finely ground psyllium husk
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoons dry yeast
- 3 cups (7dl) milk
- 4 eggs
- 0.5 cups (100g) soft butter
Filling
- 1 1/2 cups (300 g) salted butter, non-dairy butter for the vegan version
- 1 cup + 3 tbsp (250 g) granulated sugar [2,8 dl]
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
Cardamom sugar (for kardemummabullar)
- 3 tbsp (0,5 dl)granulated sugar (or brown sugar)
- 3 tbsp (0,5 dl) cardamom seeds, ground
Topping
- Cardamom sugar
- Egg or almond milk for brushing
Recipe originally published November 4, 2022
Recipe updated October 12, 2024
Hello, this is so confusing.. Am I adding the yeast to the melted butter and sugar mixture or something else? It says to use milk but I’ve already added the milk to the saucepan..
Hello,
You add a few tablespoons of the lukewarm milk and butter mixture you have already heated into the large mixing bowl with the yeast.
Mix to combine and leave for half a minute to let the yeast wake up.
Then continue on with the recipe; Add the rest of the milk and water and combine the dough ingredients in the mixing bowl.
I hope this helps 🙂
My family loved this recipe! The buns were big and soft and just perfect. I’ll be making them again for sure 🙂
So glad you enjoyed these 🙂
I made the gluten free version of Cardamom Rolls and the dough was very wet. 3 cups of milk seemed like too much. Also it was only 5 teaspoons of yeast, whereas, the vegan version had 5 tablespoons of yeast. Needless to say I had to add more oat flour and rice flour and was still not able to make rolls. Ended up making squares in pans. They were delicious. Please help me to know what is correct in future. Is it possible to make rolls gluten free? Cindy
Hi Cindy,
Thanks so much for your message! It looks like I accidentally listed a few ingredients with the wrong measurements. I had been working on halving the bun recipe and must have mixed up the two versions while typing—sorry about that!
I’ve now updated the recipe with the correct measurements and added a few helpful adjustments for the gluten-free version. The correct amount is 5 tablespoons of yeast for both recipes, and I’ve also adjusted the flour amounts to match.
I hope you’ll give these another try—they usually turn out delicious!
Best,
Simone