When it comes to special just about all dinners, I’m all about the bread. Bread is the side dish that goes with just about everything. I don’t care if I’m eating pasta and piling carbs on carbs, this girl loves her bread! So it’s no surprise that I’m quite fond of dinner rolls, and pretty discriminating in my taste for them. Well let me tell you, these are not only the best vegan dinner rolls in the whole world, they’re the best dinner rolls period! These soft vegan rolls are also pretty darn easy to make! A little mixing, a little kneading, and bake them up to fluffy perfection.
What You’ll Need
Non-dairy milk. Use any variety that’s unflavored and unsweetened — try soy milk, almond milk, or cashew milk. Maple syrup. I like maple syrup for the flavor that it adds to this recipe, but you could absolutely substitute another sweetener such as agave or granulated sugar (make sure your sugar is organic to keep the recipe vegan). Active dry yeast. Flour. We’re using regular old all-purpose wheat flour. Bread flour can be used but will give you a crustier roll. Spelt or whole wheat pastry flour can also be substituted. Salt. Vegan butter. Look for brands like Earth Balance and Miyoko’s near where the regular butter is sold at your store.
How to Make Vegan Dinner Rolls
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you’d like to skip right to the recipe!
Heat up your milk to between 100°F and 110°F. Use a thermometer to make sure it’s within that range — milk that’s too hot can kill your yeast. Whisk in the maple syrup and yeast, then let the mixture sit for a few minutes until it becomes frothy. Meanwhile, bring your butter to just melting (again, not too hot for the yeast’s sake). Whisk 2 cups of your flour and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Pour the butter and milk mixture into the flour mixture and whisk everything together. Whisk in another cup of flour to make a soft dough. Knead your dough for a few minutes on a floured surface, just until it becomes smooth and elastic.
Place your dough into an oiled mixing bowl, cover it with a damp towel, and place it in a warm spot to rise, letting it double in size. Tip: The time it takes to rise will depend on the air temperature. If I use the bread proofing setting on my oven (which heats it to 95°F) it takes about an hour. At normal room temperature (around 72°F) it can take two hours.
Once the dough has finished rising, punch it down, then divide it into 15 equal(ish) pieces. As you can see, my rolls are never exactly the same size, and that’s fine with me. My strategy for dividing the dough is to dump it onto the counter so it makes a circle. Cut the circle into thirds, then cut each third into fifths. Not perfect, but it gets the job done! Roll your dough pieces into round balls, then arrange them in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Cover the dish and place it back in a warm spot for a second rise, until the rolls are puffy and in contact with each other. This should take 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the temperature.
Bake your vegan rolls for about 20 minutes, until the tops are lightly browned and feeling a little crusty. Place the baking dish on a cooling rack. Brush the rolls with some melted butter and let them cool a bit before removing them from the pan and serving.
Everyone at your table will love these vegan yeast rolls! Serve them alone, with some vegan butter, olive oil, or vegan gravy!
Leftovers & Storage
Vegan dinner rolls are best served the day they’re made, but if you have leftovers you can store them in a sealed container or bag. They’ll keep at room temperature for about 3 days, or in the freezer for about 3 months.
More Vegan Yeast Breads
Vegan Cinnamon Rolls Vegan Naan Vegan Doughnuts Olive Rosemary Focaccia Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
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