Learn how to make the best vegan dinner rolls! These soft, fluffy, buttery rolls are easy to make and completely irresistible.
Dinner rolls are the perfect side to any meal, but I especially love them with Crispy Tofu Nuggets, Vegan Turkey Roast with Easy Gravy, Vegan Chicken or The Best Vegan Meatloaf.
You won’t believe how easy they are to make, and I’ll teach you a simple trick for making smooth, rounded rolls every time.
Most dinner roll recipes call for eggs, but I’m here to tell you that eggs are totally unnecessary in a dinner roll. Of course, they usually have plenty of dairy butter as well, but that is easy to replace with your favorite vegan butter.
No one will ever guess these fluffy, soft, delicious rolls are vegan. There is nothing better than the smell of fresh rolls out of the oven, and it’s hard to have a holiday meal without them! I love sopping up any leftover gravy on my plate with a roll.
Looking for a biscuit recipe instead? Check out my flaky Southern Style Vegan Buttermilk Biscuits.
Ingredients needed (with substitutions)
- Unsweetened soy milk – While I used soy, other plant milks work just as well. Go for a creamy milk if possible, as it will add richness to the dough. Almond, cashew, coconut or even oat milk is a fine choice. I would avoid rice milk as it’s a bit too watery. Make sure whatever milk you use is unsweetened and unflavored.
- Instant, rapid rise yeast – This helps speed up the process as it works more quickly than regular yeast. I almost always use it when baking bread or cinnamon rolls. But feel free to use regular yeast, they will just need a longer rise time.
- Granulated sugar – I always use organic granulated sugar, as I can be sure it’s vegan friendly. I’m sure coconut sugar would work, but the rolls will come out a bit darker.
- Vegan butter – I used Country Crock sticks here, and I have been loving them lately. Use your favorite vegan butter, such as Miyoko’s, Earth Balance or Melt. Necessary for that buttery flavor.
- Flour – I haven’t tried them using anything but all purpose white flour. They would probably work with whole wheat but they would be very dense. A gluten free mix might work, but I haven’t tested it.
- Salt
How to make vegan dinner rolls
(This is simply an overview with photos, see recipe card below for the complete, printable recipe.)
- Warm your soy milk, then place in a bowl with the yeast and sugar. Let sit for a few minutes until it’s foamy. If it doesn’t get foamy, start again with new yeast.
- Add the softened vegan butter, 4 cups of flour and the salt.
- Mix, either by hand or in a stand mixer, until the flour is all incorporated. Add more flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until a ball of dough is formed that is slightly sticky and soft.
- Transfer to a lightly greased bowl, cover with a towel and place in a warm place to rise for 30 minutes. It should about double in size.
Gently punch down the dough, then pat it down into a rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Cut the dough into 4 long strips, then cut each strip into 6 pieces. You should end up with 24 rolls.
To make them smooth on top, pull the seams downward and place the less-smooth side down.
Cover again with the towel and let rise another 30 minutes. Towards the end of the 30 minutes, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Remove the towel and bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown on top and done in the middle. If the top gets too brown, cover lightly with a piece of foil. Remove from oven and immediately brush on vegan butter. Serve and enjoy!
Can I freeze the dough?
Yes, you can freeze the dough. I recommend cutting the dough and freezing as balls of dough, perhaps in a tray or freezer bag. Make sure the dough is thawed before baking. You can also freeze leftover cooked rolls.
Can I prepare rolls ahead of time?
You can! Prepare the rolls as instructed up until baking, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days before baking. Let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.
More vegan recipes to serve with rolls
- Vegan Ham Roast with Maple Glaze
- Vegan Scalloped Potatoes
- Vegan Pot Pie
- Lentil Loaf
- Easy Vegan Potato Soup
- Vegan Stew – Classic & Hearty
Vegan Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
- 2 cups unsweetened soy milk*
- 2 tablespoons instant rapid rise yeast*
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 8 tablespoons vegan butter, softened
- 5-5 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons melted vegan butter
Instructions
- Warm the soy milk in the microwave for a minute or two until warm, but not too hot or it will kill the yeast. Think bath water temperature.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl), add the warm milk, yeast and sugar. Give it a little stir with a spoon, and let sit for 3 minutes. The mixture should become foamy. If it doesn't, start again with fresh yeast.
- Now add the softened vegan butter, 4 cups of flour and the salt. Use the dough hook and turn the mixer on low, mixing until all the flour is incorporated (Or mix with a spoon and knead by hand, see Notes). Add 1/2 cup of flour at a time, until a ball of dough is formed and the dough is pulling away from the sides of the bowl. It should be slightly sticky and soft, not too dry. Knead with the dough hook for about 5 minutes.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl and cover with a towel. Let it rise for about 30 minutes in a warm place until it's about doubled in size.
- After 30 minutes, punch down the dough gently. To make rounded rolls, pat the dough into a large rectangle on a lightly floured surface and cut into 4 long strips. Next, cut those strips into 6 squares to make them even. To make them as smooth as possible, pull the seams downward so the top is smooth and place the less smooth side down. Then you will end up with very pretty rolls! You can also simply pinch off pieces of the dough and try to make them as round as possible.
- Place the rolls on a quarter baking sheet or 9x13 inch baking dish, touching each other. Cover with the towel again and let rise for another 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Remove the towel and bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown and cooked in the middle. If the tops get too brown, use a piece of foil to cover until they are done.
- Remove from the oven and immediately brush with melted vegan butter. Serve and enjoy! Keep leftovers in a covered container or ziplock bag for about 3 days. They can also be frozen.
Notes
- I love using my stand mixer to make homemade breads, but you don't have to have one to make delicious rolls. Mix with a strong spoon, then knead by hand for about 10 minutes until the dough is soft, sticky and smooth.
- Milk - You may use any unsweetened plant milk, such as almond, cashew or even oat milk. Just make sure it is unsweetened and unflavored.
- Yeast - You can use regular yeast instead of rapid rise if you'd like, but the dough will need to rise longer, probably 1 1/2-2 hours on the first rise, then 30 minutes to an hour for the second rise.
- Butter - I used Country Crock vegan butter sticks, which I am loving lately. Earth balance, Miyoko's or Melt all work as well. Use the one you like best.
- Gluten free - I haven't tested them with gluten free flour, but a mix might work. If you try it, let me know!
Can this recipe be used in a bread machine?
I’ve never tried it so I’m honestly not sure.
Hi,
Can these be made with whole wheat flour instead of white?
I haven’t tried it myself but probably. I’d prefer white whole wheat so they aren’t as dense and “wheaty”.
I love making these. They never fail me. They rise perfectly and taste delicious. We use them to make sliders, dinner rolls and for me I just grab one and eat it. I followed the recipe to the T each time I have made them. Thanks for such an easy dinner rolls recipe.
When you freeze these do you freeze them after you have proofed for the first time and shaped into small balls. Or do you shape them into a ball after the dough comes together, before the first proof?
I freeze them after the first proof and shaping into small balls.
After making these for the first time, they turned out so well that this has become my go-to recipe for dinner rolls. They’re fluffy, super tasty & easy to make – I particularly like them with pumpkin soup … in fact, I’m just about to make a batch right now! 10/10 – highly recommend 🙂
Hi Emma. I’m so honored this is your go to roll recipe! Thanks for your fabulous review and feedback! Enjoy the soup and rolls!
Amazing recipe. My granddaughter has a ton of food allergies. I used unsweetened coconut milk and they were delicious. Made the 24 and there were 4 left. Everyone went back for more!
How do you keep your towel from sticking to the top of the rolls?
I’ve never had trouble with the towel sticking to the rolls actually.
I use a sheet of parchment paper that I lightly oil. Place it between the rising dough and the towel. I re-use it for both proofings
Can I make ahead and bake right before company arrives? I’m thinking make at 12 noon and bake around 5:30.
You can! Prepare the rolls as instructed up until baking, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days before baking. Let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking. Hope this helps!
Thanks for the recipe! I used your recipe as a base but swapped out some of the flour and milk for sourdough discard and they turned out awesome! Added some whole wheat too!
The best roll recipe ever! They’re so delicious. Sometimes we brush with garlic and herb butter and we can’t stop eating them!
Yumm! Thanks your delicious review!
Really love these! I chose to “meet in the middle” regarding flour. The in”Ingredients” says 5 and 1/2 cups of flour, but embedded in the actual recipe it says 4 cups. Could you please let me know which is accurate? Thank you!!
HI Kali. I’m glad you love the rolls! If you read further in step 3, you will see that at first you add 4 cups of flour, then you will add additional flour in 1/2 cup increments, until the dough is pulling away and is slightly sticky, soft and not too dry. Hope that helps!
Thank You Nora.
These dinner rolls made me feel like a good baker.
The Christmas dinner was elevated cause of you!
You are welcome, Patrick! I’m sure you are a good baker! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review! Happy cooking!
Hi there, would I need to make any changes for high altitude?
Thanks!
Is it really supposed to be 2TABLESOONS of yeast?? Or 2 TEASPOONS? I followed but they way overproofed. This is the equivalent of almost 4 packages of instant yeast. Seems like a lot & they ballooned way out & over the pan.
This was second time I made – first time I followed recipe for overnight – other commenter was rib by – do not do second proof before refrigeration – they flopped. Both times were way too yeasty.
Thanks.
2 tablespoons is correct; this recipe makes a lot of rolls. I’ve never had what you are describing happen and I just made them for Thanksgiving for probably the 20th time.
A package of yeast is about 2 1/4 tsp- so two packages should be enough. That’s a pretty typical amount for that many rolls.
This happened to me too! I thought the same thing and the whole bottom half of my rolls weren’t cooked. I popped them back in the oven another 10 min but there was still some uncooked sections. The flavor is so good I’m going to try them again.
I made these twice so far and they have been a huge hit ! Definitely grateful for this yummy recipe
We love this rolls at our house, and am glad you do as well! Thanks for sharing your fabulous review and feedback!
Can I use honey in the rolls instead of sugar? If so how much honey? Will it change the flavor of the rolls?
I’ve never tried it, but I’m guessing it will work fine. It will change the flavor somewhat, yes. I’d probably just swap it 1:1.
These dinner rolls are 5-star rated for a reason! I made them for Thanksgiving dinner and they are just wonderful. Delicious and great texture. Best dinner roll ever, and that includes non-vegan. I had an oven full of casseroles while baking these so I did have to babysit them a bit. They weren’t browning on the middle rack so I moved them to the top rack for another 5 minutes to finish and they browned beautifully. I already had leftovers for breakfast with gravy — like biscuits and gravy only better. Swoon.
I love your comments on your roll baking experience! Thanks for your fabulous review and comments! I’m thrilled you loved the rolls!
FYI do NOT do your second fermentation if you plan on refrigerating the dough — I did and they overproofed in the fridge 🙁
These turned out so well! It was my first time trying to make rolls (and only my second time ever making a recipe using yeast) and they were easy and came together pretty quickly! I made them for Thanksgiving and everyone loved them, plus we have so many leftover. I was really worried I would mess it up since I don’t have a stand maker, but every step went perfectly. I also made your pie crust recipe and the pumpkin pie recipe—mine definitely didn’t turn out as pretty as yours but it was equally delicious and easy! Will be making both recipes again for sure 🙂
Hi Emma. How fabulous the rolls turned out wonderful! Sounds like you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Thank you for taking time to share your amazing review and feedback!
I’ve made these multiple times and everyone loves them! Even the non-vegans :’)
Just wondering if I could freeze half the dough for later in the week?
I’m glad the rolls were a hit! We love them here as well! I have never tried freezing the dough, however, it would probably work. Let me know how it goes for you if you do!