This vegan dinner roll recipe yields fluffy, delicious rolls that you’ll want at every meal.
Warm, fluffy vegan dinner rolls can be yours any day of the week with this easy-as-anything recipe.
I learned how to make this recipe from a vintage cookbook, and I finally got around to creating a vegan version of it. Normally, the recipe uses shortening (which is vegan) and an egg, so I only needed to replace the egg. But I took it a step further and used Melt Organic Vegan Butter to give these vegan dinner rolls an irresistible buttery flavor. The result? A fluffy, flavorful vegan dinner roll that everyone will love. My husband actually loved these better than my original recipe, so we’ll be sticking to this vegan version from here out.
How to make these vegan dinner rolls
The best part about this recipe? These little beauties are SO easy to throw together. If you work from home, take a quick little afternoon break around three o’clock to make the dough, and you’ll have fresh-from-the-oven rolls ready with your dinner.
What you need
You only need a few ingredients, which makes this a great recipe to keep in your repertoire.
- Active dry yeast: You’ll need 1 envelope of yeast. I don’t recommend rapid-rise yeast.
- Vegan butter: I absolutely love Melt Organic for this recipe! It adds a perfectly buttery, salty flavor to the rolls.
- Just Egg: Just Egg makes for a perfect vegan egg substitute in these rolls.
- Sugar and salt: You only need a little sugar and salt.
- Flour: Regular old all-purpose flour does the trick for this recipe!
How to make it
- Step 1: Activate the yeast in lukewarm water. If the water is too cold, it won’t activate. If it’s too hot, it’ll kill the yeast. I recommend getting the water to a temperature of 100ºF to 110ºF. You can test the temperature with an instant-read thermometer.
- Step 2: Make the dough. Place the vegan butter, salt, and sugar in a bowl. Bring 1 cup of water to a boil and pour over the cold butter. Add the vegan egg substitute and the activated yeast mixture.
- Step 3: Add the flour and mix until a raggedy dough forms. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 2 hours. You can allow the dough to rise in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours if you like.
- Step 4: After the dough rises, you can lightly punch it down and then form it into rolls. I recommend greasing your hands with shortening or more of the vegan butter, as the dough can be sticky. Arrange the rolls in a greased 8×8 square cake pan. The dough yields 20 small rolls or 16 large rolls. For this batch, I made 16 larger rolls since we were enjoying them with our vegetable soup. I love to finish the rolls with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt on top before baking.
From there, pop the rolls into the oven for about 20 minutes, and then you’re done! Remove from the oven and let cool a few minutes before transferring them to a breadbasket for serving platter. Enjoy warm!
How long do homemade vegan dinner rolls keep?
Homemade vegan dinner rolls can be kept at room temperature in an airtight container for 3 to 5 days. Alternatively, you can freeze homemade dinner rolls in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Allow them to cool completely before transferring them to the freezer.
Vegan Dinner Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 packet active dry yeast
- ¼ cup lukewarm water between 100ºF and 110ºF
- ¼ cup vegan butter cold
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1¼ teaspoons salt
- 3 tablespoons Just Egg egg replacement
- 2¾ cups all-purpose flour sifted
- Flaky sea salt optional
Instructions
Dissolve the yeast:
- Add the yeast to the lukewarm water. Let stand as you prepare the dough.
Prepare the dough:
- Place the cold vegan butter, granulated sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
Boil the water:
- Place 1 cup of water in a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Turn off the heat and pour the boiling water over the cold shortening. Whisk to dissolve the shortening, sugar, and salt into the water.
Finish the dough:
- Add the Just Egg and dissolved yeast to the mixing bowl and whisk until combined.
- Add the sifted flour and stir with a rubber spatula to incorporate the flour until a soft dough forms.
Rise the dough:
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a plate. Let the dough rise for 2 hours on the counter or up to 12 hours in the refrigerator. See Note 1.
Make the rolls:
- Preheat oven to 425ºF. Lightly grease an 8×8 cake pan.
- Remove the cover from the mixing bowl and gently punch down the dough to form a loose dough bowl. Grease your hands with butter or shortening and begin pinching off the dough into tablespoon-sized balls. Add them to the cake pan. You should have 4 rows of 5 small rolls or 4 rows of 4 larger rolls. It’s okay if the rolls touch.
- If desired, sprinkle flaky sea salt over the rolls.
Bake the rolls:
- Transfer the rolls to the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes.
To serve:
- Turn the rolls out of the cake pan and break them into individual rolls. Transfer them to a serving plate or a breadbasket. Enjoy! You can store homemade rolls in an airtight container on the counter for 3 to 5 days. Alternatively, you can freeze these rolls in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Can you use any egg replacer?
Which one did you have in mind? I think most any vegan egg replacement would work, but I can let you know for sure if you have a specific one in mind.