These vegan puff pastry palmiers are sweet, buttery, and flaky, despite not having any dairy in them. They’re a simple but luxurious treat, and a lot of fun to make. 

A plate with a pile of puff pastry palmiers, one palmier at the front, and lots of palmiers surrounding it

When it comes to desserts, I’m often a believer that less is more. Sometimes you need just a few simple, quality ingredients to make a perfect, melt in your mouth dessert. That’s the case with these vegan puff pastry palmiers, also called elephant ears. They only have two ingredients, yet they’re a nearly perfect cookie. 

Vegan puff pastry palmiers are essentially just baked puff pastry coated in sugar. How good does that sound? Yet despite only having two ingredients, these elephant ears look and taste super fancy. They’re a great dessert to make when hosting a party, because you’ll impress everyone who eats them when you tell them that the palmiers are homemade! 

Overhead view of the labeled ingredients for vegan puff pastry palmiers: a bowl of sugar, and a piece of vegan puff pastry wrapped in plastic wrap

Notes on Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you need to make this flaky, fluffy vegan puff pastry palmiers. Check out the recipe card at the bottom of the article for the exact amounts.

  • Vegan puff pastry
  • Sugar
Close up of a puff pastry palmier on a plate, with a pile of palmiers behind it

How to Make Puff Pastry Palmiers

These elephant ears may only have two ingredients, but they have a lot more than two steps. Here’s how to make them.

  • Prep your counter. Start by sprinkling sugar across your countertop.
  • Cover the dough with sugar. Place the puff pastry on top of the sugar, and sprinkle more sugar on top. 
  • Roll. Roll out the puff pastry dough into a rectangle that is about 9×15 inches, and roughly ¼-inch thick.
A rectangle of puff pastry with a rolling pin on it
A rectangle of rolled out puff pastry
  • Add more sugar. Flip the puff pastry over, and sprinkle more sugar on the dough. Lightly run your rolling pin over the dough to press the sugar in. 
  • Clean it up. Use a knife to cut the edges off of the puff pastry, forming a perfect, clean rectangle. 
  • Draw a line. Without cutting through the puff pastry, use your knife to make a line down the center of the dough, lengthwise. 
A rectangle of rolled out puff pastry with a rolling pin at the base
  • Fold one side. Fold one side of the dough in about ¼ of the way. Then fold it a second time. 
A rectangle of puff pastry dough with one side folded in about a quarter of the way
A rectangle of puff pastry with one side folded in towards the middle half way, and the other side not folded
  • Fold the other side. Repeat this process on the other side of the puff pastry. You’ll be left with a small valley between the two sides. 
A rectangle of puff pastry dough with one side folded in about halfway, and the other about a quarter
A rectangle of puff pastry dough with both sides folded in towards the middle
  • Fold in half. Now fold the dough in half down the line, creating a log of puff pastry. 
  • Chill. Wrap the puff pastry log in plastic wrap and put it in the freezer for 15-20 minutes. 
  • Prep a baking sheet. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 
  • Clean up the dough. Take the puff pastry log out of the freezer and cut off the ends so that the log is clean and flat. 
  • Cut the cookies. Slice cookies from the dough log that are a little bit less than ¼-inch thick. 
  • Put the cookies on the baking sheet. Place all of the cookies on the baking sheet, and spread them open a little bit to make a V shape. Leave at least 1 ½ inches between each elephant ear.
Cross section of puff pastry palmier dough folded onto itself
15 unbaked puff pastry palmiers on a parchment paper lined baking sheet
  • Add more sugar. Sprinkle sugar over the top of the palmiers. 
  • Chill. Put the baking sheet of vegan puff pastry palmiers in the freezer. 
  • Heat the oven. Turn your oven on to 450F. 
  • Bake. When the oven is up to temperature, remove the baking sheet from the freezer and place it straight in the oven. Bake the palmiers for 10 minutes, then flip them over and bake until golden and caramelized, about 5-8 minutes. 

Tips for Success

Here are a few of my favorite tricks for making these vegan elephant ears. 

  • Make your own puff pastry. It’s not always easy to find vegan puff pastry at the store. So I just make it! Making your own puff pastry is a little labor intensive, but it’s super rewarding, and makes a product that’s even better than what you could buy at the supermarket. For the best palmiers, make your own Vegan and Gluten Free Puff Pastry dough using my recipe.
  • Keep the palmiers cold. When working with puff pastry you always want to keep the dough cold, as the vegan butter can quickly start to melt and ruin the texture. If you notice the puff pastry dough is starting to get a little warm and sticky, place the dough back in the fridge or freezer. Let it sit for a few minutes, then continue making the elephant ears. 
  • Let them chill. Once the vegan puff pastry palmiers have come out of the oven, resist the temptation to eat them immediately. Instead, place them on a wire rack, and let them cool to room temperature. This allows the cookies to firm up, at which point they’ll get extremely flaky. 
A bunch of puff pastry palmiers next to each other

How to Store Puff Pastry Palmiers

You can store these vegan treats in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days, or in the fridge for a week. If you want to reheat them to make them crispy, place them in a 325F oven for 5 minutes, or heat them in a toaster oven.

Can I Freeze This Recipe? 

You can absolutely freeze these vegan elephant ears. Simply place them in an airtight container and freeze them for up to 3 months. Reheat by placing them in a 325F oven for 10 minutes.

Close up of a plate of puff pastry palmiers

More Vegan Cookie Recipes to Make

Here are a few more vegan cookie recipes for you to try making.

A bunch of puff pastry palmiers next to each other

Vegan Puff Pastry Palmiers

Servings: 24 cookies
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 18 minutes
Chill Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 58 minutes
These vegan puff pastry palmiers (also called elephant ears) are flaky, buttery, and a whole lot of fun. Plus, they only require 2 ingredients!
5 (from 2 ratings)
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Leave a Review

Ingredients

  • 1 batch vegan puff pastry
  • ½ cup sugar, (100 grams)

Instructions 

  • Sprinkle your countertop with a generous amount of sugar.
  • Place the puff pastry on top of the sugar and sprinkle the top side of the dough with sugar as well.
  • Roll the puff pastry out to a rectangle approximately 9” x 15” in size and 1⁄4” thick. The rolling will press the sugar into the surface of the pastry.
  • Flip the pastry over and add more sugar to the top and bottom. Roll gently to press the sugar into the surface.
  • Cut the edges with a sharp knife to have a clean rectangle.
  • Mark a faint line at the center of the dough.
  • Fold one edge in, a little less than 1⁄4 of the way. Then fold over a second time.
  • Repeat with the other side. You should have a small valley between the two folded edges.
  • Fold the dough in half – folding one side over the other. It will make a log shape. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 15-20 minutes.
  • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Remove the chilled dough from the freezer. Cut off the end to make a clean, flat edge.
  • Slice the dough log into pieces a little less than 1⁄4” thick. Place one the prepared baking sheet, opening up the top edge slightly to make a little V. Leave 1 1⁄2” of space between each palmier. Sprinkle the tops of the palmiers with a little more sugar.
  • Place the baking sheet into the freezer while you preheat the oven.
  • Preheat to 450 degrees.
  • Remove the baking sheet from the freezer and place it directly into the oven.
  • Bake for 10 minutes, then working quickly flip the palmiers over. Bake an additional 5-8 minutes on the second side until they are golden and caramelized.

Notes

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days, in the fridge for a week, or in the freezer for 3 months. Reheat in a 325F oven.
Calories: 14kcal, Carbohydrates: 4g, Protein: 0.003g, Fat: 0.02g, Saturated Fat: 0.004g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.002g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g, Sodium: 0.1mg, Potassium: 1mg, Sugar: 4g, Calcium: 0.004mg, Iron: 0.001mg

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.

Cuisine: French
Course: Desserts
Author: Jessica Hylton