Enough teasing. It’s time to share these perfect, fluffy vegan dinner rolls with you guys. Thanksgiving can officially arrive any time now.
I’ve always been a sides kind of girl to be honest. The main dishes are great and all but green bean casserole? Dinner rolls? Mashed potatoes? Yep, that’s where I’m at.
It’s been that way ever since I was a kid. I guess that means I never grew up? Eh, I don’t care much as long as I can have two or three of these rolls to myself come dinner time.
If you’ve ever been intimidated by the idea of making rolls from scratch, don’t be! It’s a really simple process, especially this recipe.
These rolls require just 7 basic ingredients and very easy-to-follow methods. Nothing complicated or exhausting here. You know that’s not our game.
Despite being ridiculously simple, these rolls deliver big time in flavor and texture.
They’re fluffy, buttery, and perfectly tender, just begging to be slathered in some vegan butter and jam. (Don’t act like you’re above butter and jam on a biscuit, Rhonda. You’re not fooling anyone.)
Make these rolls this holiday season and ‘wow’ your family. They’re
Simple
Buttery
Fluffy
Tender
Savory
Flaky on the top
Mega soft in the center
& Perfect for scooping up sauces and jam!
If you guys give these rolls a try, let us know! Leave a comment below, on Facebook, Twitter, Pin it, or take a picture and tag it #minimalistbaker on Instagram! Seriously, we’re all over the internet and we love seeing what you cook up. Cheers!
Simple Vegan Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (sub up to 1/3 with whole-wheat pastry // plus more for kneading)
- 1 packet rapid-rise yeast
- 2 Tbsp organic cane sugar
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup unsweetened plain almond milk
- 2 Tbsp vegan butter + more for topping
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine 3/4 cup flour, yeast, sugar and salt.
- In a separate mixing bowl (or small saucepan over medium heat), microwave the water, almond milk and butter until warm – about 110 – 120 degrees F / 43 – 48 C (~55 seconds). It should be the temperature of bath water. If it’s too hot, it can kill the yeast.
- Add wet to the dry ingredients and whisk or beat for 2 minutes, scraping sides as needed.
- Add 1/4 cup more flour and beat for another 2 minutes. Then, continue adding flour 1/4 cup at a time until you achieve a soft dough (we added the remaining 1 cup, but you can add more if it's too sticky to handle). Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. Then let rest 10 minutes.
- Divide the dough into 12 pieces, shape into balls, and place in a greased 8×8 dish or 8-inch round pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size – about 30-45 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 C) and brush the tops with additional melted vegan butter (optional). Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until fluffy and light golden brown.
- For best results, serve immediately as is, or with vegan butter and jam of choice, such as Orange Thyme. Alternatively, store them loosely covered with a kitchen towel for up to 3 days on the counter. For freezing, we recommend freezing pre-baked, then when ready to prepare, let them thaw, rise, and bake.
Video
Notes
* Heavily adapted from All Recipes
Valerie says
Can I store these in the fridge after baking them? I’d rather not leave them on the counter. Thanks!
Yep!
Mariah says
Delicious! Forgot to grab rolls for Thanksgiving and made these, super easy and quick, beautiful spongey texture inside and smooth outside, perfect yeast flavor.
Woohoo! Thanks, Mariah!
Coby says
Oh my goodness, these rolls! They are so fluffy and soft, and so easy to make. They were a hit at our Thanksgiving dinner!
Woohoo! Thanks, Coby!
Sarah says
These are the BEST rolls out there. I sub water for the almond milk, and sub coconut oil for vegan butter (cutting it into the flour mix before adding in the warm water). Turns out amazing every time. Also brush it with rosemary olive oil right before putting it in the oven.
Aw, thank you SO much for the lovely review, Sarah! We’re so glad you enjoy them! xo
C Perry says
These came out great! Didn’t have rapid yeast. Used Bobs Red Mill Active Yeast. Used slightly more than 2c flour. Ended up with only 11 dough balls. Will definitely make again.
We’re so glad you enjoyed them. Thanks so much for the lovely review!
Amber Shelley says
Subbed the almond milk for canned coconut milk but kept everything else as written and they turned out perfect(the coconut flavor wasn’t noticeable at all)! Hands down the best rolls I’ve ever been able to make and they were so simple to prepare, even someone who doesn’t bake will have good results. This is for sure my go to from now on, thank you!
Whoop! We’re so glad to hear it, Amber! Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Nichole Lutz says
What brand of coconut milk did you use? I’m looking for a nut free option for my son who’s allergic!
Amber Shelley says
I typically buy regular or reduced fat from Goya since it’s the cheapest and most accessible to me.
Sue says
Made these with fine spelt flour and they turned out amazing!
I did use probably about 2 1/2 cups of flour by the time the dough was no longer sticky.
Thank you for this vegan recipe!!
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Sue. Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modification! xo
Rachel says
I used half wheat flour and half all purpose flour. I made them vegan substituting coconut oil since I didn’t have vegan butter and these came out ridiculously good! I glazed them with olive oil and they are so soft and slightly sweet and so soft! Can’t wait to make these next! Oh by the way, these were incredibly easy too!
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Rachel! Thank you for sharing! xo
Alicia says
I live in a very humid climate, and find that most bread/roll recipes will require more flour. Really, best to base in just base it on feel and texture. LOVE this recipe and make them at least 2x a month
Yay! So glad to hear this is a staple recipe for you, Alicia. Thanks for the great review!
Teresa says
These rolls are excellent! My husband is dairy free, but all of us absolutely loved them. They are our new go-to recipe for being easy AND delicious. I made a double batch of dough on Christmas Eve, but only baked half that night. They were good. The other half, I took with me to a Christmas Day dinner. This batch I let sit out all day and let it rise/punch down multiple times before I baked it right before dinner. This batch was absolutely amazing. Light and fluffy with a much better texture than the night before.
Thanks for sharing!
Nice! Thanks so much for the lovely review, Teresa. So glad you all enjoyed!
juliette says
Hi there! Can I sub soy milk for almond milk? Thanks!
Yes!
Katy Bess Stanley says
Can I use gluten free flour instead?
Hi Katy, we haven’t tried a GF version of these, but we don’t think they’d be as fluffy.
Nichole Lutz says
You can try mixing the flour with arrowroot starch to try to get the fluffiness better. I would suggest making this recipe to see how to compare and then using an arrowroot mixture and play around with it.
Jess says
Hi there! Do you think applesauce or banana, or something with minimal fat could potentially replace the oil, assuming one is okay with sweet rolls? Thanks!
Hi Jess, we haven’t tried it but we think applesauce might work? The texture may be slightly different, though. Let us know how it goes if you give it a try!
aubrey says
My family LOVED these dinner rolls, I see a few comments about it not being enough flour? I used as directed and it was not sticky at all. I did add a bit more sugar for our taste and my husband compared them to Texas road houses rolls! We will be making these again! Thank you!
We’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Aubrey! Thank you for sharing your experience! xo
Rali says
I am not sure why the author won’t adjust the recipe. I followed it exactly and got as well a sticky mess. I saw that others gave good score and mentioned that they added extra flour. It would be nice to adjust the recipe, it it such a waste of time, products and effort otherwise.
Hi Rali, sorry to hear you didn’t have success! How much flour did you end up using total? In step 4, you add flour until the dough is formed, so it sounds like you needed to keep going with the flour. We’ll give the recipe another look and see if we can improve the clarity!
TL says
I don’t find you need to add extra flour but just look at the consistency. Why dog the recipe? I have used this for years and it is always loved.
Helen says
What an amazing recipe! Light and fluffy bread rolls! As a keen (probably over-keen) bread enthusiast I have always found making a ‘lighter’ bread challenging – but this recipe was perfect. I don’t have vegan butter, so I used 2 x tablespoons of avocado oil instead. My only challenge now is not eating them all too quickly – but that smell and texture – it takes a serious amount of self-control! My questions are: 1) regarding kneading the dough, is it better to do this more or less to get fluffy rolls? Also, if you divided the mixture into say 4 balls and not 12, would you get larger ‘burger-bun’ style soft rolls? Thank you for this great recipe! I’m off to make some soup now to enjoy these with!
Hi Helen! Thanks so much for the wonderful review, we’re so glad you enjoy this recipe! As you may know kneading is a tricky balancing act, you want to knead long enough that the dough has structure (which helps it rise well and = fluffy rolls) but not so long that it becomes tough. It will vary, but between 5-10 minutes is probably enough time to knead for a dough of this style. You want it to feel very smooth and elastic, if you take a small piece and slowly stretch it, it should stretch easily and not break. If it breaks, you’ve kneaded too little or too much. For the burger bun idea, we haven’t tried it but it could work! They will probably need to bake longer, though. Hope this helps!
Jolyn says
Love it! I used white bread flour.
Yay! Thanks, Jolyn!
Yvonne Mcdonald says
I have made these twice this week already! They are loved by the whole family. I need to add a little more flour than said however flours differ so that’s ok. I also make 6 rolls instead of 12 and still find them too small as they are gone in one evening! I’m going to have to start bulk baking and freezing I think.
Thank you for the brilliant recipe.
Yvonne
Whoop! We’re so glad you and your family enjoy them, Yvonne! Thank you for sharing your experience! xo
ChattyCathy says
Hi Yvonne. What is your baking time and temp when making them bigger? Thanks!
Rachael Wirachowsky says
Hi, can I use water instead of the almond milk? I happen to only have flavoured! 😕
That should work well, yes!
Chris says
How to make this without half the dough ending up stuck to your fingers when kneading? I followed the recipe exactly…but only after I added olive oil could I knead the dough without it sticking to me.
Hi Chris! Did you end up adding the total 2 cups of flour?
Erin says
I have made these a couple of times and they keep coming out harder than fluffy. I feel like I am over-kneading them…could this be the case? I also add all the flour (full second cup). I don’t make bread foods often, so going off of texture is a little foreign to me. I normally knead them for at least 10 minutes while I add the second cup of flour. I will take any help I can get – thanks!
Hi Erin, over-kneading could be the issue or perhaps too much flour. Hope that helps!
PO says
The ingredients say 2 cups of flour but the instructions only stated 3/4 cup and 1/4 cup (1 cup) of the flour being used. Just want to confirm if it’s 1 cup or 2 cups of flour. Thank you!
Hi there! In step 4, you add the 1/4 cup of flour, then you continue to add flour until the dough is formed. You will probably use the full 2 cups in total!
Brittany Rodin says
These are my go-to dinner rolls. I’ve served them many times and everyone loves them! The recipe is easy to follow and works well even when doubled or tripled.
Woohoo! Thanks so much, Brittany, so glad these are a staple for you!
Emily says
These are were so easy and delicious! Amazingly fluffy and perfect for Thanksgiving! I made 6 large rolls instead of 12 and just baked them for a few more minutes. Perfection! I will definitely be saving this recipe to make in the future!
Wonderful! We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Emily! Thank you for sharing! xo
JW says
I’ve made these a few times over the past couple of weeks – they are so simple and turn out beautifully every time. Highly recommend giving these a go.
Amazing! Thank you so much for sharing! xo
OH says
This was so easy and delicious. The only changes I made were due to availability. I used bread flour and oat milk but other than that I followed exactly. I prefer cooking to baking but I found this easy and a huge hit with everyone, not just the vegans. Thanks. Love your recipes.
We’re so glad everyone enjoyed them! Thank you for your kind words and lovely review! Xo
Louise says
Hello Dana, This is the second time I’ve made these dinner rolls and my only regret is, that I haven’t been making them every single week! Man they are SO delicious, easy, and inexpensive to make. We’ve had them with our vegan holiday dinners but seriously I am going to make these dinner rolls a regular in our home. Thanks much :)
Woohoo! Love that, Louise! Thank you for sharing! xo
Ella says
Very tasty! Nobody knows it’s vegan!
Woohoo! We’re so glad everyone enjoys them! Thank you for sharing, Ella! xo
Tammy says
Hello!
I’m excited to try this recipe, however, all I have is coconut oil. Is it possible to use this instead of plant-based butter? Also I have regular yeast instead of rapid rise yeast.
Thanks,
Tammy
Hi Tammy! We haven’t tried this with coconut oil, we think it would work but the flavor might come through slightly in the final rolls. As for the yeast, you can use regular yeast but you will want to add it and the sugar to the warmed liquid ingredients instead of the dry, and let it proof (get foamy) for ~10 minutes before adding the wet ingredients to the dry. Let us know how it goes!
Cierra says
So I want to eat these on thanksgiving day so should I make them the night before and put them in the fridge or freeze them or freeze/ put the dough in the fridge?
Hi Cierra! They should do well in the refrigerator overnight. Let us know how it goes!
Vicky says
So put dough in the fridge to bake the next day?
Yes, that’s correct!
Susan says
For refrigerating overnight, what do you recommend when they come out of the refrigerator? Do they need to rise, come to room temp!
Hi Susan! If they come to room temp for ~20 minutes, then they should be ready to bake!
Nicky says
I haven’t made these yet. I am confused by the different measurements of the flower in the ingredients list verse the recipe description.
Hi Nicky! The recipe calls for 2 cups of all purpose flour, and you add it in slowly. In step 1 you use 3/4 cup, then in the beginning of step 4 you add 1/4 cup more flour, until adding the remaining 1 cup flour at the end of step 4. It says “add just enough flour” but you can add it all. Hope this helps!
Lyrica says
These rolls turned out great! I used white whole wheat flour and subbed maple syrup for the sugar. I accidentally forgot the salt, but I’m not a huge fan of salt anyway. They tasted great, especially with a little honey and more vegan butter!
Amazing! We’re so glad you enjoyed them! Thank you for sharing! xo
Bri says
I was wondering if anyone has made these with gluten free flour (mostly rice and potato starch). Recipe is from allergy awesomeness to be specific. Thank you!
Tracy says
Can I use oatmilk for the vegan biscuits and mac and cheese
Hi Tracy, we think that would be fine, but haven’t tried it ourselves. Let us know how it goes!
Bowie says
I think the liquid proportion is really off because after mixing everything strictly based on the given quantities my dough was a puddle. But I make bread a lot and I know that in this case I just have to add enough flour to make a dough that feels right. I didn’t add more of anything else (like sugar and yeast) after adding more flour and my rolls came out perfect. I did use a lot more whole wheat flour in my mix bc this is how I like my bread in general. Would be my go to recipe for rolls now :)
Thanks for sharing your experience, Bowie! So glad you ended up with a result you were happy with!
Patricia says
A sticky mess that got on everything and had to be tossed…
Oh no! So sorry this happened, Patricia. Can you tell us more about what happened? We’re here to troubleshoot if you would like!
MamaTree says
Fabulous. My food-allergy kindergartener calls these “bun rolls” & they’re his FAVORITE. Made a double batch for Thanksgiving with family; making another batch tonight by Kindergartener’s request. We use 1/3 whole wheat flour, as suggested, & extra-creamy-oat milk instead of almond. [Also, I’m lazy about kneading & find that kneading for a a few folds, resting the dough 5 minutes in a proofing drawer, kneading a few folds & resting again 5 more proofing-minutes, followed by shaping into balls for rising as written works just as well as a full 10-minute knead.] Thank you for this recipe!
Adorable! We’re so glad he enjoys them! Thank you so much for sharing! xo
Tali says
I’m disappointed. Recipe is so small. If this is supposed to get 12 rolls it must be tiny tiny tiny rolls.
Oh no! So sorry you had this experience, Tali. Did you make any modifications? We are here to help trouble-shoot if you’d like!
Nora says
Best tasting rolls! My go-to recipe for burger buns too. Thank you!
Yay! Such a great idea to use them as buns! Thanks so much for the lovely review, Nora!
Christa says
Can these be made grain free?
Hi Christa! We haven’t experimented with making this recipe grain-free so unfortunately we cannot recommended any substitutions. There are certainly some delicious grain-free roll recipes online if you google it! Good luck!
Sabine says
The best bread recipe ever!
xoxo!
Elisabeth says
My husband and I LOVE these! I use avocado oil as a substitute for the vegan butter, brown sugar instead of the cane, and active dry yeast (only because it’s what I happen to have on hand) and 😍 they turn out so good with the perfect amount of moisture and sweetness! I don’t change any of the original measurements when substituting. Here in high-altitude Montana, they need a little more time to get that great golden brown color than the suggested 18-20 minutes. They’re delicious on their own with jam, but we also love them alongside soup or curry.
Yay! Thanks so much for the lovely review and sharing your modifications, Elisabeth! xo
Kaitlin says
This has become my go to bun recipe! I’ve used coconut milk and oat milk and both work perfectly. I’ve also used non-vegan butter and that worked perfectly too. Everyone always asks for a recipe when I make them, thank you!
Wonderful! Thank you for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Kaitlin! xo
Eleanor says
These were amazing! I followed the recipe exactly. They were fluffy and soft, mmmm! Easy to make too!
Woohoo! We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Eleanor. Thanks so much for sharing! xo
John rankin says
hey, Loved this recipe! Also, you’re great!! Hope you keep posting recipes!
Best,
John
Thanks for the kind review, John! xo
JANE says
Just wondering which vegan butter you used and would 100% cashew butter work?
Hi Jane, cashew butter would likely end up more dense and less fluffy, but let us know if you try it. We like Earth Balance buttery sticks or Miyokos.
Christy says
I followed this recipe to the T and it is DELICIOUS!! 100% recommend. This will be my go-to dinner roll recipe from now on, hands down!
Woohoo! Thanks for sharing, Christy! xo
Rain Cloud says
Lovely recipe! I am so excited to make these! I was wondering if Oat milk would be okay instead of almond milk, and if could I make them without sugar?
The oat milk should be fine but you do need some kind of sweetener to feed the yeast.
Stacey says
This recipe is great. I have made with 50 white and 50 wholemeal flour and the rolls are still amazing!
Lovely! Thanks for sharing, Stacey!
Jamillah says
These are the best rolls you will EVER make! I’ve made this recipe countless times and every time my Mom tries to sneak off with the whole batch 😂They’re sooooo good!! I use rice milk as my plant milk of choice and it comes out amazing EVERY TIME. Thank you so so much minimalist! :-))
Whoop! We’re so glad you and your mom enjoy them. Thanks so much for the lovely review, Jamillah! xo
Sana Gilfillan says
I made a double batch, to use half as burger buns. They rose nicely but I found them to be just okay flavour and texture wise. I think they could use a little more butter as I prefer a more enriched dough for a dinner roll/burger bun. I also referred to the original linked recipe on allrecipes and noticed that this is pretty much the same recipe (subbing the same quantities of vegan butter and almond milk for their dairy counterparts) though you have listed it as heavily adapted? I don’t think substituting vegan milk and butter in a recipe would be considered heavily adapting it.
Sana, you’re right. The recipes are very similar. However, there are nuances when it comes to the type of vegan butter and milk you use (something we tested). May I ask which brands of vegan butter and dairy-free milk you used? Perhaps you would have preferred a bit more sugar and/or salt for more flavor?
Katie says
I made these and they were delicious! I stayed true to the recipe and used a stand mixer. The dough is pretty wet so be prepared for a little stickiness.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Katie!
Sana Gilfillan says
Thanks for the response Dana!
I live in the UK so I used Aldi brand almond milk and Flora vegan butter block. I do a lot of veganizing of non vegan recipes by subbing in a dairy free butter and milk of choice with good results and find the milk can be changed based on preference without greatly effecting the outcome (I usually only have soy milk on hand and so general use that), hence my confusion. I wasn’t sure if the original recipe had been tweaked since you posted this. I also make a lot of your recipes but just use regular sugar and AP flour instead of organic or I bleached because that’s what I usually have on hand. Maybe less flour next time would up the flavour. Thanks so much for your response though! You have a fantastic blog and it’s a great resource.
Thanks, Sana! Let us know if you try again!
Allergy Life Mom says
Has anyone tried to make this gluten free? Perhaps with a “one-to-one” gluten free flour blend? I want to try to make these for my family as a slider bun for Superbowl, but we are gluten intolerant.
Hi, we haven’t tried a GF version of these, but we don’t think they’d be as fluffy. The closest recipe we have are these GF/V Biscuits. Hope that helps!
Brysta says
I love your recipes! Also would bread flour work?
That should work, yes! Let us know how it goes.
Nikkitha says
Great recipe, it was super easy to make as well!
Yay! Thanks so much for the lovely review, Nikkitha! xo
Molly says
Straightforward recipe and they came out great. I’ve made many of your recipes and they have all been delicious!
Yay! Thanks so much for the lovely review, Molly! xo
Silver Blackman says
These are wonderful! Easy to make, fluffy and they taste amazing!
Yay! Thanks so much for sharing, Silver!
Teena says
These look great. I’m hoping to make them for Christmas. Do you know if I can make the dough the night before, store it in the fridge and then bake so they’re fresh on the day? Thanks!!
Hi Teena, yes, you can! Follow through step 5, then set in the fridge. The next day, let the pan “rise” on top of the oven while the oven is preheating so they don’t get shocked from cold to super hot.
Shirley says
How long do they take to defrost and rise once they have been frozen?
These were delicious and I want to make ahead for Christmas.
I’d say overnight, or about 6 hours?
Michelle says
The yeast that I have at home is the ones that normally requires proofing in water for ten minutes before. Do I allow it to proof before adding to the flour, or do I go ahead and add it all in there at once?
Hi Michelle, You can use the same amount of dry active yeast, but just let it rise longer.
ingrid says
These really are the best and easiest dinner rolls! By the time you know what you want for dinner, if you start the process for these rolls, you’ll have a complete meal in no time. I had to learn that checking the temp of my liquid is the key to my success when working with yeast. Once I decided that that was the one thing I really need to ensure what absolutely on spot (I stick with 115 degrees for pretty much all yeasted breads), everything is PERFECT! We’re having the rolls with your Curried Potato and Lentil Soup for dinner tonight. Thank you, Dana!
What a lovely dinner! Thanks so much for your kind words, Ingrid! xo
EH says
I have been making these since day one of you posting these bad boys. They are my favorite. Every thanksgiving I make them. Just for fun I make them. I absolutely love them. Today, was a special day of making them. I was making “burgers” and I had no buns! So I thought why not make my favorite dinner rolls into buns. And boy am I glad I did! It turned out great. I make 4 buns with the above recipe. I don’t think I will ever go back to buying hamburger buns again! These are just great! Love them!
Aw, love that! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
Sophia R says
It took me 2 tries to perfect this recipe, but when I got it right it was AMAZING! The trick was not adding too much extra flour when kneading, and using the French Fold method (see youtube!) to knead it properly even if its sticky for 10 full minutes. It took me about 10 full minutes just to get the dough properly elastic. They came out absolutely perfect. Everyone at my Thanksgiving was impressed I made them from scratch. Thanks for the recipe.
Lovely! Thanks for sharing, Sophia!
Caryn Cook says
I made these for Thanksgiving. They turned out wonderful, and everyone loved them. These were so simple to make. But, everyone thought I must have labored over them for hours. I was a rockstar thanks to this recipe.
We’re so glad to hear it! Thanks so much for the lovely review, Caryn! xo
Sharon Chaffee says
These rolls are delicious! I made them the day before and froze them prebaked, as suggested in the recipe. I was concerned that they may not proof because of being frozen. I put them on top of my stove since the stove was warm from the oven in use. Low and behold they thawed & proofed. I did substitute vegan Nutiva shortening for vegan butter. I’ll be making this every holiday and anytime I want rolls. I topped the ones leftover the next morning with cranberry sauce. Yum yum!
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Sharon! Thanks so much for the lovely review!