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.
Hello– These look fantastic! I will be making them for our vegan Thanksgiving feast. Just wondering… Can they be made ahead of time and then baked on TG? If so, do you recommend shaping the dough into balls and leaving them in the refrigerator over night? Or is it better to leave the dough in the bowl over night and shape it into balls the next day? Thank you!
Hi Donna,
Thank you so much!! I haven’t tested this recipe specifically for an overnight rise, so I can’t verify it’ll work perfectly, but this is what I would do. Allow the dough to rise on the counter for the 2 hours then shape them into the dough balls. Cover them and allow that second rise to occur overnight (up to 15 hours). Remove the next day from your fridge, still covered, and place them on the counter to come to room temp and rise to the right size for 1-2 hours before baking. Then Bake!
I do also believe that you can do that first rise in the fridge overnight, remove and let it rise 2 more rise, then roll, then do that 2 hours rise. Hope that helps and enjoy!
Thank you very much!!
This was my first time ever making rolls and they turned out fantastic. They’re almost more like a biscuit because they’re so buttery. I followed the recipe, but just added a little flaky salt on top before putting in the oven. My rolls needed 20 minutes to get nice and golden on top. My guests are going to love these!!
Wow we’re so happy that you love our rolls Molly! Thank you for such a nice comment.
I’d always been intimidated by making dinner rolls, let alone dairy-free, but this recipe was super easy and turned out great. Love your recipes that make delicious, vegan baked goods!
Thank you so much Sarah! We’re so happy that you love them!
Every year we have a tradition (which my Gram started in the 70s) to have Swedish meatballs and dinner rolls for Christmas. My Gram passed away last year – but we’ve carried her tradition onward. I made vegan meatballs for myself this year and brought these dinner rolls for everyone to enjoy. My brother (non-vegan, like the rest of my family) exclaimed that the rolls were just like what he remembered! Which is pretty high praise. 🙂 Ironically, the rolls were always store bought in the past – the kind where you need to put them in the oven for 5-10 minutes when everything else is ready so the rolls are “fresh baked”. I’m so glad these turned out so perfect and fluffy and delicious! Of course, the extra irony was that I didn’t tell anyone in advance that I was making the rolls. I showed up with the rolls and was informed that the store-bought version had been forgotten – so I saved the day! Thank you for helping keep our tradition alive, Jessica! I’m now on “roll duty” each year. 😀
We’re so sorry to hear about your Gram. We’re just so happy that we helped in any way, this comment absolutely made our week. Thank you so much for this awesome review Caiti.
Ps. Roll duty is a great duty to be on. =)
I want to try these so badly. They look beautiful. Can these be made Gluten Free? if so, what is the best product to use, Almond Flour or some type of a blend?
Hi Sandra! Thanks so much we’re working on a gluten free version. to be released soon
I am SO IN LOVE WITH THIS RECIPE!!!! I’ve been creating fun things with this dough all week. I added a link to the blog post I featured this recipe in, I hope you check it out! My dairy allergy kid has been singing the praises of all the things I can make with this and I am forever grateful! This is a permanent recipe in my kitchen from now on! Savory and sweet!
Awesome Beth! We’re so happy that you liked it, and that we could help you.
Simply delicious! 😋 So soft and tasty, I really loved them. Besides, so easy to make. Certainly, these rolls will become a recurring recipe for me 💕. Thank you so much for sharing!
Thank you so much Javiera! We’re so happy that you like it.
The first batch (per the recipe) was so easy and beautiful, I decided we would need more for our Easter dinner, so I made them again using 1 C whole wheat, 2 C bread flour and honey as the sweetener. Also added a little wheat germ for some texture.
Nice Jackie! That sounds so good!
I love your recipes they are bang on perfect with cook times and ingredients. These came out perfect. thank you!
Thanks so much Kat!
Hi, which vegan milk do you use? Almond? Soy? Unsweetened? With or without vanilla?
Hi Susan we use unsweetened soy milk. I hope this helps.