Honey Buns (Vegan)
Sweet, pillowy soft, and irresistibly sticky, these vegan honey buns are the perfect special treat for a weekend breakfast or brunch!
Honey buns are a type of pastry made with enriched dough, just like my Vegan Japanese Milk Bread and challah. While classic bread—your basic No Knead Bread and sourdough, for example—is made with flour, salt, and water, enriched breads have fat and sugar added, which makes them lightly sweet and fabulously tender. The dough is rolled into spirals, like Cinnamon Rolls, then glazed. They are SUCH a treat and so fun to make if you enjoy baking!
Why I Can’t Get Enough of These Honey Buns
Puffy, tender, and oh-so-sweet, these honey buns are a bit of a project since they’re made with yeast, but they’re so worth it. Here’s why you’ll love them:
- Honey, but vegan. You can buy vegan honey, but in the recipe notes, I share how to make it at home. (Learn more: Is Honey Vegan?)
- A satisfying project. There is a sense of accomplishment you get from making breads, rolls, and buns with yeast that you just can’t get from any other baking project! If you’re the type who loves the process and not just the end results, you’re going to love making honey buns.
- Perfect for brunch get-togethers. Whether you’re hosting a brunch or bringing a treat to a morning potluck, these honey buns are sure to be a hit—and you don’t need to be vegan to love them!
Notes on Ingredients
Baking with yeast is more art than science, which means you shouldn’t make any ingredient swaps. Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.
Dough:
- Unsweetened soy milk – Warm this up before you get started.
- Granulated sugar
- Instant yeast – Learn more: Is Yeast Vegan?
- Vegan butter – Melt this, but let it cool a bit so it doesn’t kill the yeast.
- Vegan honey – Store-bought or homemade.
- Salt
- All-purpose flour – The exact amount you need will vary depending on the humidity in your kitchen. Start with a smaller amount and add more as needed.
Filling:
- Vegan butter – I love using my homemade vegan butter.
- Brown sugar – You can use light brown or dark brown sugar.
- Vegan honey – Or another plant-based syrup, like date syrup.
- Cinnamon
Glaze:
- Vegan butter – Soften this.
- Powdered sugar – Here’s how to make powdered sugar.
- Vegan honey
How to Make Honey Buns
If you’re making these honey buns now, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the page. You’ll find the complete instructions there.
- Activate the yeast. Whisk the soy milk, sugar, and yeast in a bowl and let the mixture sit for 5 minutes, or until it becomes frothy.
- Form the dough. Add the vegan butter, honey, and salt, then stir in the flour a cup at a time.
- Knead. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it’s smooth, adding more flour as needed if the dough is sticky.
- Let the dough rise. Transfer the dough to a greased bowl. Cover with plastic and let the dough rise in a warm place for an hour or two, or until it doubles in volume.
- Make the filling. Stir together the vegan butter, brown sugar, vegan honey, and cinnamon.
- Roll out the dough. Gently punch down the dough—basically, you want to deflate it with your fist, not punch it like a boxer—and place it on a lightly floured surface. Roll it into a rectangle.
- Form the buns. Spread the filling onto the dough and roll it into a log. Cut into 12 rolls and place them in a greased baking dish.
- Let the buns rise. Cover the baking dish with a cloth and let the buns rise for 30 minutes, or until they’re puffy. Start preheating your oven to 350ºF during the end of the rising time.
- Bake. Place the baking dish in the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes.
- Make the glaze. Whisk together the vegan butter, powdered sugar, and vegan honey until smooth.
- Glaze the honey buns. Spread the glaze over the honey buns, then pull apart and serve.
Tips and Variations
Once you get the hang of working with dough, it will start to become second nature. But if you’re just getting started, these tips will help!
- Use your judgment for the flour. As I mentioned above, the humidity in your home will impact the amount of flour you need to add to the dough. Higher humidity means more flour, so it’s common to have to use a little more in the summer months. If, after kneading the dough a bit, it continues to be sticky, sprinkle in some extra flour.
- The rising time can also vary. Rather than watching the clock, watch the dough! You can even buy clear plastic buckets for proofing dough with marks on the side so you can see when it has doubled. If your kitchen is colder, it can take longer for the dough to rise; I like to set the dough in the oven with the pilot light on to keep it away from drafts.
- Add some crunch. If you’d like, you can add chopped pecans or walnuts to the filling for some crunch. The nuts will caramelise and get toasty!
Serving Suggestions
A honey bun and a Hot Matcha Latte sounds like the perfect breakfast to me, but if you’re looking for some more ideas to complete your brunch, try this Easy Vegan Quiche or Vegan Breakfast Pizza.
How to Store and Reheat
- Refrigerator: Store leftover honey buns in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Wrap individually in plastic wrap and store in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and warm them up before serving.
- To reheat: Warm honey buns in the microwave for about 15-20 seconds, or place them in a preheated oven at 300°F until they’re warm.
More Vegan Breakfast Pastries
Enjoy friends! If you make this honey bun recipe, please snap a photo and tag #jessicainthekitchen on Instagram! We’d also love it if you would leave a comment below, and give the recipe a rating! Thanks so much!
Honey Buns
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 1 cup unsweetened soy milk, warm – 240 ml
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, 25 g
- 3 teaspoons instant yeast, 9 g
- ½ cup vegan butter, melted but not hot – 113 g
- 2 tablespoons vegan honey, 30 ml
- ½ teaspoon salt, 2.5 g
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, more if needed – 375 g
For the Filling:
- ⅓ cup vegan butter, softened – 75 g
- ½ cup brown sugar, 100 g
- 2 tablespoons vegan honey, or plant-based syrup – 30 ml
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 4 g
For the Glaze:
- 4 tablespoons softened vegan butter, 56 g
- 1 cup powdered sugar, 120 g
- 2 tablespoons vegan honey, or plant-based syrup – 30 ml
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine the warm soy milk, granulated sugar, and instant yeast. Let it sit for about 5 minutes until it becomes frothy.
- Add the melted vegan butter, vegan honey and salt to the yeast mixture and mix well.
- Gradually add the all-purpose flour, one cup at a time, mixing until a soft dough forms.
- Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for about 5-7 minutes until smooth. If the dough is sticky, add a bit more flour as needed.
- Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with a plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm place for about 1-2 hours or until it doubles in size.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the softened vegan butter, brown sugar, vegan honey, and cinnamon. Mix until smooth and creamy.
- Once the dough has risen, punch it down and roll it out on a floured surface to a rectangle about 1/2 inch (1.2 cm) thick.
- Spread the filling evenly over the dough.
- Roll the dough tightly into a log, starting from one of the long sides.
- Cut the log into 12 equal pieces and place them in a greased 9×13 inch (23×33 cm) baking dish.
- Cover the baking dish with a cloth and let the buns rise for another 30 minutes until they puff up.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Bake the buns for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before frosting.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the softened vegan butter, powdered sugar, and vegan honey until smooth.
- Once the buns are out of the oven, spread the frosting over them while still warm.
Notes
- 1 cup apple juice – 240 ml
- 1 cup granulated sugar – 200 g
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice – 15 ml
- Refrigerator: Store leftover honey buns in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Wrap individually in plastic wrap and store in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and warm them up before serving.
- To reheat: Warm honey buns in the microwave for about 15-20 seconds, or place them in a preheated oven at 300°F until they’re warm.
Disclaimer: Although jessicainthekitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Jessicainthekitchen.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
This was perfect with a hot cup of coffee. Black coffee to balance the sweet delight. Very easy to make. Thanks for sharing – 5 stars
Hi Judy,
Thank you so much for sharing the love on this recipe—so thrilled you enjoyed it with a cup of coffee.