As an Amazon Associate and Walmart Creator, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
These easy vegan dinner rolls are soft, fluffy, and ‘buttery,’ made with just 6 simple ingredients and rapid-rise yeast. They’re ready in about 1 ½ hours, so they’re perfect for your holiday table or any weeknight dinner. Planning your menu? Find more ideas in my vegan Thanksgiving recipes.
Making your own homemade vegan bread with yeast might seem intimidating, but even beginner bakers can make these super fluffy vegan dinner rolls, stress-free! They’re pillowy, soft, and surprisingly quick and simple to prepare.
We love them as Thanksgiving rolls (instead of or alongside sweet potato biscuits) and on our Christmas table, with vegan mashed potatoes, dairy-free green bean casserole, and plenty of vegan gravy.
Quick Glance
- Recipe Name: Vegan Dinner Rolls
- Why You’ll Love It: Soft, fluffy, ‘buttery’ yeast rolls with just 6 simple ingredients.
- Time and Difficulty: 1 hour of prep (including rising) and 20 minutes of baking, easy.
- Main Ingredients: All-purpose flour, sugar, rapid-rise yeast, salt, soy milk, water, and vegan butter.
- Method: Mix and knead the dough, shape 12 rolls, let them rise once, and bake.
- Texture and Flavor: Pillowy and tender inside, golden on top, and brushed with melted vegan butter.
- Quick Tip: Add the last of the flour a little at a time so the rolls stay soft.
Table of Contents
What Makes These Vegan Dinner Rolls So Good
A warm bread roll is one of the simplest joys of a holiday dinner, and this recipe makes it easy. You only need 6 inexpensive ingredients, and a stand mixer can do most of the kneading for you.
- Beginner-friendly: Simple steps with no special skills needed, even if you’ve never baked with yeast.
- Just 6 ingredients: Flour, sugar, yeast, salt, soy milk, and vegan butter (plus water), all pantry staples.
- Quick rise: Rapid-rise yeast means only one 30-minute rise, so they’re ready in about 1 ½ hours.
- Easy to flavor: Make garlic, ‘cheesy,’ herbed, or pesto rolls with the same dough.
- Make-ahead friendly: Shape them the night before, or freeze them for up to 3 months.
- Reader favorite: They have a 5-star rating from 43 readers, and one said they’re way better than store-bought.
Vegan Dinner Rolls Ingredients
6 ingredients (plus water) come together to make an enriched dough for soft, fluffy rolls. You’ll find the full amounts in the recipe card below.
- All-purpose flour: All you need, though white bread flour makes extra light and fluffy rolls. You can also swap in up to 50% whole wheat flour.
- Sugar: A small amount feeds the yeast without making the rolls sweet. Coconut sugar or maple syrup work too.
- Rapid-rise yeast: Makes these vegan yeast rolls quick, with only one rise. Regular yeast works too (see the PRO TIP below).
- Salt: Use kosher or sea salt rather than table salt to season the dough.
- Soy milk: It works especially well, but any unsweetened, creamy plant-based milk works. A higher-fat milk makes a richer dough and softer rolls.
- Water: For a richer dough, you can replace it with more plant-based milk. Let me know if you try it!
- Vegan butter: Use stick-style vegan butter rather than a spread, ideally unsalted. I love Miyoko’s or Earth Balance.
PRO TIP: To use regular active dry yeast, activate it first in the warm milk and sugar until foamy, then add the flour and salt. The rise will take longer.
Recipe Variations
- Garlic dinner rolls: Mix 4 Tablespoons of vegan butter with 2 minced garlic cloves and some fresh or dried parsley or rosemary. Spread about a third over the rolls before baking and the rest after. Add vegan parmesan, too, if you like.
- ‘Cheesy’ dinner rolls: Knead 1 cup of vegan cheddar into the dough before shaping.
- Herbed dinner rolls: Add 1 to 2 Tablespoons of dried herbs, like rosemary, parsley, oregano, thyme, or basil, with or without 1 to 2 teaspoons of garlic powder.
- Pesto rolls: Swirl sunflower seed pesto into the dough before shaping the rolls.
- Maple ‘butter’ glaze: Brush the baked rolls with a mix of 2 Tablespoons of melted salted vegan butter and maple syrup, then sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
- Different shapes: Make regular, small, or mini rolls, or shape the dough into a bread roll wreath or tree for the holidays.
How to Make Vegan Dinner Rolls
Before you start, grease an 8-inch square baking dish. You’ll find the detailed amounts and times in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk ¾ cup of the flour with the sugar, yeast, and salt in a large bowl.
Step 2: Warm the liquids. Microwave the plant-based milk, water, and vegan butter in 15-second increments until the mixture reaches 100 to 115 degrees F (38 to 46 degrees C).
PRO TIP: No thermometer? The mixture should feel very warm but not hot, like bathwater. Any hotter and you risk killing the yeast.
Step 3: Make the dough. Beat the warm liquid into the dry mixture with an electric mixer for 2 minutes. Beat in another ¼ cup of flour, then stir in just enough of the remaining flour for the dough to form a ball.
Step 4: Knead. Knead the dough by hand on a lightly floured surface for about 8 to 10 minutes, or in a stand mixer with the dough hook for about 5 minutes, until it’s smooth and elastic and springs back when you press it.
PRO TIP: If you’re using a stand mixer, start checking the dough at about 5 minutes. Be careful not to over-knead it, which makes the rolls tough.
Step 5: Rest. Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and let it rest for 10 minutes.
Step 6: Divide. Cut the dough into 12 equal pieces and roll each one into a ball, pinching the bottom to seal it for a smoother top.
Step 7: Rise. Place the rolls seam side down in the pan, cover, and let them rise in a warm spot until doubled, about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Step 8: Bake. Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown. Run a knife around the edges, brush the rolls with melted vegan butter, and let them cool for at least 5 minutes.
PRO TIP: Rising time depends on how warm your kitchen is. An oven with just the light on is a great warm spot for the dough to rise.
Toni’s Recipe Tips
- Check the yeast: Expired yeast won’t rise. If you’re unsure, mix a little with warm water and a pinch of sugar and wait 5 to 8 minutes. If it foams and grows, it’s good to go.
- Use warm liquid: It needs to be warm enough to wake up the yeast but not so hot that it kills it. Aim for 100 to 115 degrees F (38 to 46 degrees C), and a thermometer takes out the guesswork.
- Don’t add too much flour: Spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level the top, then add the last of it a little at a time. You may not need all of it.
- For even rolls: Weigh the dough on a kitchen scale and divide it by weight.
- Pick your pan: An 8-inch square baking dish makes snug, pull-apart rolls, like in the photos. A 9-inch pan gives rounder rolls. A 9×13 baking dish in rows of 3 should work too, but I haven’t tried it.
Make Ahead and Storage
- Make ahead: Shape the rolls in the pan, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. The next day, let them rise at room temperature until doubled (1 to 2 hours), then bake.
- Freeze unbaked: Freeze the shaped, unbaked rolls for 2 to 3 months. Take them out 4 to 5 hours before baking so they can thaw and rise at room temperature.
- Counter: These rolls taste best fresh, but leftovers keep in an airtight container or a cake container on the counter for 3 days.
- Fridge: Refrigerate them for 5 to 7 days.
- Freeze baked: Flash freeze them on a tray for 1 to 2 hours, then move them to a freezer bag or Stasher for up to 3 months. I always label mine with these labels.
- Reheat: Warm a single roll in the microwave in 10 to 15-second bursts, or reheat several in a foil-covered dish at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 5 to 8 minutes.
How to Serve Vegan Dinner Rolls
These fluffy vegan bread rolls are perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, or a Sunday family dinner. Here are a few more ways to enjoy them:
- Holiday sides: Pile your plate with vegan scalloped potatoes, vegan cornbread stuffing, and caramelized Brussels sprouts.
- Soup night: Dunk them in chickpea noodle soup.
- Pasta dinner: Serve them with vegan lasagna instead of garlic bread.
- Comfort food mains: Add them to a plate of lentil shepherd’s pie.
- Snack board: Slice them for a vegan charcuterie board, or slather them with vegan butter and jam.
Vegan Dinner Rolls FAQs
Yes! You can replace up to half of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour. The rolls will be a little denser.
Yes. Activate it in the warm plant-based milk and sugar until it’s foamy, then add the flour and salt. The dough will take longer to rise.
The most common reasons are expired yeast, liquid that was too hot, or a cool kitchen. Test your yeast first, make sure the liquid is 100 to 115 degrees F (38 to 46 degrees C), and let the rolls rise somewhere warm and draft-free.
Yes. Stir the dough together with a wooden spoon, then knead it by hand for about 8 to 10 minutes, until it’s smooth and elastic. With a stand mixer and the dough hook, it takes about 5 minutes.
Some are, but many contain milk, butter, or eggs, so always check the label. Homemade rolls like these are an easy way to know exactly what’s in them.
More Vegan Bread and Bakes
Budget-Friendly Pantry Staples
Basic Sandwich Bread Recipe
Vegan Side Dishes
Jalapeño Cornbread
Vegan Side Dishes
Sage Butternut Squash Biscuits
Vegan Desserts
Vegan Apple Cinnamon Bread
If you tried these vegan dinner rolls or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks!
If you’re loving my recipes and would like a more comprehensive resource, check out my cookbooks!
Vegan Dinner Rolls
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email & get this sent to your inbox! Plus you’ll get great new recipes from us every week!
Ingredients
- 2 to 2 ¼ cups (250 to 280 g) all-purpose flour divided
- 2 Tablespoons (25 g) sugar
- 1 packet (2 ¼ teaspoons, 7 g) rapid-rise yeast
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (120 ml) unsweetened plain soy milk
- ¼ cup (60 ml) water
- 2 Tablespoons (28 g) vegan butter plus 2 Tablespoons (28 g) melted vegan butter for brushing
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk ¾ cup of the flour with the sugar, yeast, and salt. Set aside.
- In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine the soy milk, water, and vegan butter. Microwave in 15-second increments until the mixture reaches 100 to 115 degrees F (38 to 46 degrees C), or feels very warm but not hot to the touch. Add it to the flour mixture.
- Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed. Add ¼ cup of the flour and beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Stir in just enough of the remaining flour (1 to 1 ¼ cups) for the dough to form a ball.
- Knead the dough by hand on a lightly floured surface for about 8 to 10 minutes, or in a stand mixer with the dough hook for about 5 minutes, until it’s smooth and elastic and springs back when lightly pressed. Cover with a towel and let it rest for 10 minutes.
- Cut the dough into 12 equal pieces and shape them into balls. Place them seam side down in a greased 8-inch square baking dish, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and let them rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown. Run a knife around the edges of the pan, turn the rolls out onto a wire rack, and brush them with the melted vegan butter. Let them cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Check the expiration date on your yeast, since expired yeast won’t rise. If you’re unsure, mix a little with warm water and a pinch of sugar. It should foam within 5 to 8 minutes.
- Spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level the top, then add the last of it a little at a time. You may not need all of it.
- For even rolls, weigh the dough and divide it by weight.
- An 8-inch square baking dish makes snug, pull-apart rolls. Use a 9-inch pan for rounder rolls.
- To use regular active dry yeast, activate it in the warm milk mixture with the sugar until foamy before adding the flour and salt. The rise will take longer.
- To make ahead, shape the rolls, cover the pan, and refrigerate overnight. Let them rise at room temperature until doubled (1 to 2 hours), then bake.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days or in the fridge for 5 to 7 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
These easy vegan dinner rolls are so easy and good! Way better than store-bought. Thanks for the amazing recipe!
Right?! Gotta love easy to make dinner rolls!
Have you tried this recipe with some whole wheat flour??
Would it still work well if I just use half white and half wheat?
You could use 50% of whole wheat flour!
Looks so good Toni! Thank you for such a great recipe!
Let us know what you think of them 🙂 They’re a big favorite in our household!
It looks delicious and is so easy to prepare.
Such a perfect after-school snack for my kids today.
These rolls are perfect for snacking! 🙂