Soft and incredibly fluffy, these vegan crescent rolls beat store bought rolls any day, and they couldn't be easier to make!
I dream of soft, fluffy vegan crescent rolls fresh from the oven that I can tear open with my fingers, watch as the smoke dissipates right before my eyes, slather with a dab of vegan butter and raspberry jelly, and then take a huge bite of...now doesn't that sound like heaven?
After making these vegan crescent rolls I definitely was in heaven. Because not only are they are easy to make and impossibly elegant, they are, of course, 100 percent vegan.
As flaky as these rolls are, don't mistake them for their richer French cousins, croissants, which are made with a richer, laminated butter dough. These crescent rolls are more like everyday rolls you can serve for breakfast or lunch or dinner. You can even make the rolls whole wheat!
This recipe makes 16 crescent rolls, which is great if you have company for dinner. But leftover rolls freeze beautifully too and you can pop them in the oven to freshen them up.
Table of Contents
Why you will love these crescent rolls
- Perfect texture. These rolls have a gossamer-soft, feathery texture you are guaranteed to love.
- Easy recipe. The dough comes together quickly and the rolls are fun to shape. I've got a detailed pictorial guide for you below. This is a wonderful project to get kids involved in!
- Make-ahead friendly. You can make these rolls ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze them. Pop them in the oven for a short time to warm them through and serve.
- Soy-free, nut-free and vegan recipe.
Ingredients
- Bread flour. This will give the best, fluffy texture. You can substitute with unbleached all-purpose flour.
- Active dry yeast or instant yeast. You can use either. If using active dry yeast, mix the yeast with the water and milk and sugar and wait a few minutes to make sure it blooms.
- Sugar. You just need a teaspoon to feed the yeast. These are not sweet rolls.
- Extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
- Non-dairy milk. Use any dairy free milk of your choice.
How to make vegan crescent rolls
Place the warm water and non-dairy milk, oil, sugar and yeast in a bowl. If using instant yeast you can proceed directly with the next step. If using active dry yeast, wait a few minutes to make sure the yeast blooms.
Add 3 cups flour to the bowl along with salt. Knead in a stand mixer or by hand until a smooth dough forms. Add more flour as necessary if the dough is too sticky. Once the dough comes together, continue kneading on medium-low speed for eight more minutes, or by hand.
Form the kneaded dough into a smooth ball. Place in an oiled bowl, turning the dough over once to coat the top with oil. Cover the bowl and set it in a warm spot.
After 1 to 1 ½ hours the dough should have doubled. Remove it from the bowl and punch it down.
Divide the dough in half and shape each half in a ball.
Roll out one ball of dough into a disc, 10 inches in diameter. Use a pizza cutter or knife to cut into eight wedges.
Take one wedge and pull the sides with your fingers to lengthen them.
Begin rolling the dough over itself...
..continuing to do so...
...until you form a crescent shape. Tuck the pointed end under the roll and curve the ends toward you to define the crescent.
Repeat for remaining dough until you have 16 rolls. Place the rolls on a lightly oiled baking sheet, cover loosely with a towel and let them rice another hour or until they have doubled in size. To make the optional "egg" wash, mix a teaspoon each of non-dairy milk, oil and maple syrup or sugar. Brush it evenly over the risen rolls. Bake the crescent rolls in a preheated 425-degree Fahrenheit/220-degree Celsius oven for 15-18 minutes. The rolls should be golden-brown on top. Cool on a rack. You can serve the rolls warm or at room temperature.
Storage instructions
- Refrigerate: These rolls will keep in the refrigerator for up to four days.
- Freeze: Freeze the rolls in freezer-safe bags for up to four months.
- Reheat. Reheat the rolls in the microwave or in a 350-degree oven until warmed through.
More bread roll recipes
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and a star rating below. Or tag us on Instagram #HolyCowVegan.
Vegan Crescent Rolls
Equipment
- Stand mixer or large bowl
- Baking sheet(s)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 ¼ teaspoon instant yeast or active dry yeast (1 packet)
- ¼ cup lukewarm water
- 1 ¼ cup non-dairy milk (oat milk, almond milk, soy milk and cashew milk are all good choices),
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (or avocado oil or another vegetable oil of your choice).
- 3 to 4 cups bread flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
Optional "egg" wash
- 1 teaspoon non-dairy milk
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup (or sugar)
Instructions
- Place the warm water and non-dairy milk, sugar, oil and yeast in a bowl. If using instant yeast you can proceed directly with the next step. If using active dry yeast, wait a few minutes to make sure the yeast blooms.
- Add 3 cups flour to the bowl along with salt. Knead in a stand mixer or by hand until a smooth dough forms. Add more flour as necessary if the dough is too sticky. Once the dough comes together, continue kneading on medium-low speed for eight more minutes, or by hand.
- Form the kneaded dough into a smooth ball. Place in an oiled bowl, turning the dough over once to coat the top with oil. Cover the bowl and set it in a warm spot.
- After 1 to 1 ½ hours the dough should have doubled. Remove it from the bowl and punch it down.
- Divide the dough in half and shape each half in a ball. Roll out one ball of dough into a disc, 10 inches in diameter. Use a pizza cutter or knife to cut into eight wedges, like you'd cut a pizza.
- (See pictures above for clarity on this step) Take one wedge and pull the sides with your fingers to lengthen them. Pull the bottom point to a pointed shape. Begin rolling the edge toward the point to form a crescent shape. Tuck the pointed end under the roll and curve the sides toward you to form a crescent.
- Repeat for remaining dough until you have 16 rolls. Place the rolls on a lightly oiled baking sheet, cover loosely with a towel and let them rice another hour or until they have doubled in size.
- About 15 minutes before the rolls have finished rising, preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit/220 degrees Celsius.
- If using the optional "egg" wash, mix the milk, sugar and oil. Brush it on the risen rolls.
- Bake the crescent rolls for 15-18 minutes. The rolls should be golden-brown on top when done. Cool on a rack. You can serve the rolls warm or at room temperature.
Priya
Vegan crescent rolls looks fantastic..
Pavani
Lovely looking vegan crescents.. Will definitely give these a try soon.
Priya Narasimhan
for the past few weeks i have been baking mostly your recipes and here is one more..just awesome.
Vaishali
Jaya, A very happy new year to you. And yes, you could certainly use milk (although you'd make me so much happier if you used soymilk!) 🙂
Mints, Thanks-- hope you like them!
Ms. Chitchat, thanks!
Shreya, a very happy new year to you, my dear. And I'd love some mango jam now!
Voracious-- you're really kind! Thanks!
Bangalorebaker, Laavanya, Thanks!
Maya, yes, you can substitute half the all-purpose with whole-wheat pastry flour or a third with regular whole wheat. More whole-wheat flour would make the rolls too dense and pastry flour is low on gluten so the dough would be difficult to work with if you used too much of it. Does that help?
Preeti, Parita, Thanks!
Parita
Rolls look so soft and delicious!
Preeti Kashyap
lovely pics Vaishali! They look super moist!
Maya Varadan
Looks Inviting.Any idea How would it be if wheat pastry flour or whole wheat flour is substituted?
Laavanya
Wowie! you made these at home? Stunning.
Anonymous
Dear Vaishali
Thank you so much for this simple and wonderful recipe. Will try it soon.
Wish you all a Very Happy New Year.
BangaloreBaker
Nice pictures.
The Voracious Vegan
WOW. That first picture is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen, they are like soft fluffy pillows of YUM! You are such a genius, I can't wait to give this recipe a try.
Shreya
Hi Vaishali, lovely rolls..fresh, fluffy and golden brown..love them any time with butter and home made mango jam:D
Wishing you and your family a happy and prosperous New Year..
Ms.Chitchat
Wow,Wow super crescent rolls. They look so fresh and soft. Easy recipe too. Thanx for sharing such a wonderful recipe.
Chitchat
Ms.Chitchat
Wow,Wow super crescent rolls. They look so fresh and soft. Easy recipe too. Thanx for sharing such a wonderful recipe.
Chitchat
Mints!
oh! I can smell the freshness of these rolls! I will be making these for saturday breakfast.
Jaya Wagle
Vaishali, these rolls do look heavenly, especially as you said with some butter and jelly. Can I substitute regular milk instead of soy for this one?
Also, wish you and Desi and all your lovely pets a very happy and prosperous New Year. 🙂