Vegan Dinner Rolls (Soft & Fluffy)
These fluffy Vegan Dinner Rolls are a must make and SUCH a crowd favorite! They are soft, buttery and so easy to make. I share easy step by step tips to guide you through, and show you how to freeze them so you can enjoy fresh dinner rolls every time!
Vegan Dinner Rolls
Hello fluffy, pillowy soft dinner rolls! I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to upload a dinner rolls recipe but I’m so happy it’s finally here. These Dinner Rolls recipe actually uses an enriched dough! Meaning I used (vegan) milk in here instead of water for the liquid along with butter and a touch of sugar to help give this dough the royal treatment. I also love that although these dinner rolls are made with no dairy or eggs, you don’t miss it at all! Everyone that we’ve had try these came back for seconds and thirds (okay, even fourths).
Although these are a side dish, after one bite they will be a front and centre “want” of everyone at the table. I can’t wait for you to try these!
Notes on the Ingredients
all purpose flour – I love using all purpose flour here, but if you’re feeling adventurous/you’re a pro you can always try a bread flour here!
sugar – This is to feed the yeast (you can read more about it here) so don’t skip it! You could also use maple syrup or any kind of granulated sugar. This doesn’t make the bread sweet at all.
instant yeast – My go to for this. Ensure your yeast is fresh!
sea salt – What’s dinner rolls without sea salt?! This balances out the other ingredients and gives the bread flavour.
vegan milk – You want to ensure your milk isn’t too hot to kill your yeast, but not too cold not to activate it. You want it warm enough to touch but not burning (if your hand can’t handle it, neither can the yeast). I highly recommend getting a thermometer if you plan to do more baking!
melted vegan butter – This adds flavour, moisture and flakiness to the dough. You can swap is for olive oil, but it’ll lose that buttery flavour.
How to Make Vegan Dinner Rolls (Step by Step)
Please note that this is important information on the ingredients and instructions and the FULL recipe with amounts and details can be found DOWN BELOW (scroll to it) in the recipe card.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Whisk the ingredients together.
Create a well in the centre of the flour. Slowly add the warm milk and vegan butter to the dry ingredients, and then mix together with a spatula until just incorporated. The dough should look shaggy.
Using your dough hook, knead the dough for about 5-6 minutes on the first or second speed. The dough might be sticky at first, but you can add up to 2 tablespoons of flour while kneading to make it easier to manage. You want the end dough ball to be smooth, with slight dimples with a bit of tension formed.
Lightly grease the bowl of the dough with some additional oil and place the dough ball back into the bowl. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let it sit for at least 2 hours on the counter in a WARM area. If your kitchen is too cold, you can place it in your OFF oven with the pilot light on which will provide enough residual heat for it to rise. The dough should rise and double in size.
Punch down the dough and fold over.
Divide the dough into 15 equal balls and roll each into a ball. I like to weigh the dough, then split the figure into 15 for equally round balls. Using your fingers, pinch and pull the undersides to shape each ball round. Now would be a great time to check out the video in this post for clarification! But you essentially want to make them as round as possible with the seam on the underside so it isn’t visible.
Grease a 9×13 container with some vegan butter lightly. Line up the balls evenly beside each other.
Cover with a light kitchen towel and allow the balls to proof/rise for another 1 hour. The dough balls with touch – and you want them to!
You can also begin preheating your oven to 400°F/200°C within the last 20 minutes so it’s ready when they’re done rising.
Using a silicone brush/pastry brush, brush the 3 tablespoons vegan butter over the top of the rolls.
Bake your rolls for 15 minutes in the oven. Remove from oven. You can leave them to cool mainly in the pan, or move them to a cooling rack after about 5 minutes. The rolls soften completely after resting for about 15 minutes.
Slice, tear, slather in butter, and enjoy!
Expert Tips & FAQ
- Rise Time – I know it’s tempting to skip the rise time, but let me count the ways it makes a massive difference! These rolls do need both rise times, so just start them early so you can set them and forget them!
- These separate rises actually help to make these pretty foolproof and help create their beautiful rounded shape. You don’t want to skimp on rising time or skip either, because they result in the ultimate end product.
- Always have some bench flour with you in a small container while kneading the dough – which just means extra flour. If you live in a humid climate like me, you may end up needing up to an extra ¼ cup flour while kneading. If not, perhaps only 2 tablespoons extra. The recipe is designed in a way that it’ll still turn out incredible either way.
- Speaking of kneading, kneading here is key. Kneading helps to work the gluten, which is crucial for the texture and pull of these rolls. I always set a timer while kneading, and throw on a show so the time goes by faster. To knead, you want to fold the dough over onto itself, then push into a ball. Fold and push. You want to really work at it because those ten minutes of needing will make all the difference. If you have a stand mixer, you can use this too of course!
- Always test that your yeast is still working and fresh! I have a post on how to ensure your yeast is still good to help with that.
- Lastly, use a scale to weigh out your ingredients. It makes such a difference with accuracy and also comes in handy if you want to create equal sized rolls. Each dough ball weighed 49.4 g for me.
- I don’t recommend skimping on the vegan butter in this recipe. I like to think of it as the natural dough conditioner, and it helps to yield these incredibly soft rolls.
How to Freeze These Dinner Rolls
Line the rolls up on a baking sheet once fully cooked. Place in your freezer and flash freeze for about an hour. Once the hour has passed, you can stack the rolls in a freezer safe bag so they won’t stick.To thaw, bring to room temperature, then lightly toast in your toaster oven, on your stovetop, or in your air fryer.
Related Recipes
- No Knead Bread (Dutch Oven Bread)
- Vegan Burger Buns
- Vegan Mayo
- Garlic Parmesan Rolls (Vegan) (coming soon!)
- Focaccia Bread
Vegan Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour + extra for kneading, (360g)
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, (25g) or liquid such as maple syrup or agave
- 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast, about 1 packet
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup vegan milk, not hot – warm to touch ranging between 110 to 120°F (240mL)
- ¼ cup melted vegan butter, olive oil or any oil (56g)
For top:
- 3 tablespoons melted vegan butter, (42g)12
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Whisk the ingredients together.
- Create a well in the centre of the flour. Slowly add the warm milk and vegan butter to the dry ingredients, and then mix together with a spatula until just incorporated. The dough should look shaggy.
- Using your dough hook, knead the dough for about 5-6 minutes on the first or second speed. The dough might be sticky at first, but you can add up to 2 tablespoons of flour while kneading to make it easier to manage. You want the end dough ball to be smooth, with slight dimples with a bit of tension formed.
- Lightly grease the bowl of the dough with some additional oil and place the dough ball back into the bowl. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let it sit for at least 2 hours on the counter in a WARM area. If your kitchen is too cold, you can place it in your OFF oven with the pilot light on which will provide enough residual heat for it to rise. The dough should rise and double in size.
- Punch down the dough and fold over.
- Divide the dough into 15 equal balls and roll each into a ball. I like to weigh the dough, then split the figure into 15 for equally round balls. Using your fingers, pinch and pull the undersides to shape each ball round. Now would be a great time to check out the video in this post for clarification! But you essentially want to make them as round as possible with the seam on the underside so it isn’t visible.
- Grease a 9×13 container with some vegan butter lightly. Line up the balls evenly beside each other.
- Cover with a light kitchen towel and allow the balls to proof/rise for another 1 hour. The dough balls with touch – and you want them to!
- You can also begin preheating your oven to 400°F/200°C within the last 20 minutes so it’s ready when they’re done rising.
- Using a silicone brush/pastry brush, brush the 3 tablespoons vegan butter over the top of the rolls.
- Bake your rolls for 15 minutes in the oven. Remove from oven. You can leave them to cool mainly in the pan, or move them to a cooling rack after about 5 minutes. The rolls soften completely after resting for about 15 minutes.
- Slice, tear, slather in butter, and enjoy!
Notes
Expert Tips & FAQ
- Rise Time – I know it’s tempting to skip the rise time, but let me count the ways it makes a massive difference! These rolls do need both rise times, so just start them early so you can set them and forget them!
- These separate rises actually help to make these pretty foolproof and help create their beautiful rounded shape. You don’t want to skimp on rising time or skip either, because they result in the ultimate end product.
- Always have some bench flour with you in a small container while kneading the dough – which just means extra flour. If you live in a humid climate like me, you may end up needing up to an extra ¼ cup flour while kneading. If not, perhaps only 2 tablespoons extra. The recipe is designed in a way that it’ll still turn out incredible either way.
- Speaking of kneading, kneading here is key. Kneading helps to work the gluten, which is crucial for the texture and pull of these rolls. I always set a timer while kneading, and throw on a show so the time goes by faster. To knead, you want to fold the dough over onto itself, then push into a ball. Fold and push. You want to really work at it because those ten minutes of needing will make all the difference. If you have a stand mixer, you can use this too of course!
- Always test that your yeast is still working and fresh! I have a post on how to ensure your yeast is still good to help with that.
- Lastly, use a scale to weigh out your ingredients. It makes such a difference with accuracy and also comes in handy if you want to create equal sized rolls. Each dough ball weighed 49.4 g for me.
- I don’t recommend skimping on the vegan butter in this recipe. I like to think of it as the natural dough conditioner, and it helps to yield these incredibly soft rolls.
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.
I just made these and they’re delicious. Very simple and easy to make. I’ll definitely keep this recipe in the rotation. Thank you so much.
Awesome thank so much Amy! We’re so happy that you like it.
This is my go to recipe for vegan rolls.
Awesome, delicious and easy to make.
Thank you!
Have you ever made the balls larger and used the rolls as hamburger buns?
Hi Amanda,
I haven’t but I have a recipe for burger buns too! Just check the search bar!
Okay, so I just made these and they flipping taste like croissants! I can’t stop eating them :(.
And the aroma- it should be bottled!
They’re way too yummy. Buuut, mine didn’t really rise…why? What did I do wrong? My yeast was fresh, I just bought and opened it. During the 2nd rise, I covered my rolls with a tea towel, and left them on the stove on the warming burner- would this have contributed to them not rising a lot?
I plan on trying this recipe again to see if I ca n correct my errors.
Hi Micol,
Sooo happy you enjoyed! It sounds like you might’ve potentially overheated the yeast by placing it on too much heat with the warm setting! Next time simply placing it in an off oven with the oven light on or even in a closed microwave is enough. I hope this helps for next time!
So, this was the third time I make these rolls, and tysm Jessica for the super helpful tip!
They are so fluffy, light and bun-shaped lol! Plus, delicious!!!
You’re so welcome and so happy to hear that!!
With a three-hour rising time, these were a labor of love for my vegan niece. They were so worth it! I used oil instead of vegan butter and sprinkled some everything seasoning over the tops. I also doubled the recipe and am so glad I did, because I sent some rolls home with her family and still had leftovers for us. Delicious!
Awesome! We’re so happy that you enjoyed it and that you were able to share it with your family. Thanks so much for reading and leaving a review.
I can’t stop making these! I do use spelt flour instead but they are the best! So light and fluffy, good with savory filling or if you’re like me, freshly home made jam. Absolutely divine.
My daughter is allergic to dairy so I thought I’d try these. I did not have instant yeast, only active dry. I proofed it by slightly warming the soy milk and adding the sugar to it with the yeast. I used the entire pack of yeast . They turned out perfect! My family loved them and I’ll be making them for Thanksgiving and possibly every other holiday.
Such a great recipe!!!
I’m just gonna start like this. I have been making these rolls since last year 2023. Can I tell you that my family makes requests for me to make these rolls, my family love love love these rolls. Thank you so much for sharing 😊
Btw, I sift my flour and it makes even fluffier.
Sooo happy to hear this MsMelva wow!! Thanks soo much for sharing!!