These homemade vegan whole wheat burger buns are fluffy, soft and healthy, and they are perfect for that delicious veggie burger you just grilled up. Vegan, soy-free and nut-free recipe.
Summer is all about grilling, and you can't find a better bread to cradle that delicious veggie burger you just cooked up than this vegan and whole wheat burger bun.
This is an amazing bun: soft, fluffy, and it slices into half perfectly. You can make it either part whole-wheat or all-whole-wheat, and get a great result either way.
You can easily customize this recipe to get the right texture for your bun: soft, or slightly crusty. I'll show you how.
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What you'll love about this vegan burger bun
- It's delicious and flavorful.
- It's half whole-wheat so actually good for you.
- It's customizable for texture--make the buns softer or crustier, depending on how you like them.
- It's easy, you don't need to be a skilled baker--but follow instructions closely, especially if you are a new baker.
- They are great for warming up on the grill--sturdy, and you don't have to worry about them falling apart under your fingers, the way some buns do.
Ingredients
- Whole wheat flour
- All purpose flour
- Active dry yeast
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Sugar
- Vegetable oil
- Sesame seeds or poppy seeds (optional, for topping the buns)
- Vegan butter (optional, instead of the oil, for softer buns)
- Nondairy milk (optional, for softer buns)
Tips and steps for foolproof burger buns
- Follow instructions. I can't repeat this enough. Especially if you are a new baker, and until you understand baking well enough to tweak ingredients, just follow the recipe.
- You need whole wheat flour for this recipe and you can use the regular whole wheat flour you can buy off the shelf or, if you have it, use a softer whole wheat like the durum whole wheat flour sold for rotis. That's because it is finer textured and will create a bun with a more delicate, softer crumb. The buns you see in the photo above were made with regular whole wheat flour and they are soft and fluffy and slightly crusty. The buns in the photo below (from when I posted this recipe earlier 10 years ago) were made with durum whole wheat flour). For softer buns, also check out further instructions in the FAQ section below.
Make the buns
- Bloom the yeast: To make the burger buns, begin, as you will most bread recipes, by "blooming" the yeast in lukewarm water with a bit of sugar added in to feed the yeast. You need to wait five minutes and make sure the yeast bubbles and froths, indicating it's alive. If it doesn't, the yeast needs to be replaced.
- Sift in dry ingredients: Once the yeast has bloomed, sift in all the dry ingredients--flour, baking soda and salt. If the bran stays back in the sieve, just add it back in to the flour as you want it in there for a healthier bun.
- Knead the dough: Mix all the ingredients by hand or with a dough hook set to medium speed, then slowly trickle in the remaining lukewarm water until a soft, supple dough forms. You might not need all of the water depending on where you are and the weather outside. I usually use up all of the 1 ½ cups but this time I made the buns on a humid day and needed about 2 tbsp less.
You just need to knead the dough for three minutes once it comes together, then add the oil, mix it in until incorporated. Form the dough into a ball, put in in a covered bowl coated in oil and set it aside in a warm spot in your kitchen for two hours, during which time it should more than double. - Shape the buns: Once the dough has risen, gently fold it over itself to deflate it. Form into a ball again, then divide into eight pieces. Shape each into a smooth ball. Place the buns on a baking sheet (preferably lined with parchment) side by side with at least two to three inches between each bun. You can flatten the tops of the buns slightly with your fingers, if you wish. Cover loosely with a kitchen towel and return to a warm spot until the buns have doubled, about an hour and a half.
- Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Sprinkle on the seed topping (optional): You can bake the buns as they are, but if you like a seed topping, make a mix of one teaspoon oil, one tablespoon nondairy milk and a quarter of a teaspoon of maple syrup in a bowl. Brush this on the top of each bun. The sprinkle on sesame or poppy seeds over the top of each bun.
- Bake the buns: Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 25 minutes. Let the buns cool thoroughly on a rack before eating.
FAQs
How can I make the buns softer?
To make the buns softer, replace ½ cup of water with lukewarm milk and the vegetable oil with softened vegan butter. You can also use just all purpose flour and leave out the whole wheat flour altogether for a softer bun.
Can I make these buns all whole wheat?
Yes, absolutely. Just use three cups of whole wheat flour, skip the all purpose. Also add a tablespoon of vital wheat gluten along with the whole wheat flour, which will give you fluffier buns.
Can I make the buns bigger or smaller?
You can shape these into six larger buns or 12 smaller buns, which will be more like slider buns. If you make smaller buns, cut down baking time to 22 minutes.
Will these hold up on the grill?
These buns are soft but crusty and sturdy and yes, they do beautifully on the grill.
Veggie burger patty recipes to serve the buns with
- Bean and Oats Burgers
- Vegan Black Bean Burger
- Quinoa and Black Bean Burger
- Curried Jackfruit Burger
- Vegan Sprouted Mung Bean Burgers
Whole Wheat Burger Buns
These homemade vegan whole wheat burger buns are fluffy, soft and healthy, and they are perfect for that delicious veggie burger you just grilled up. Vegan, soy-free and nut-free recipe.
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Servings: 8 buns
Calories: 188kcal
Ingredients
- 1 ½ tsp active dry yeast
- 1 ½ cups warm water (sub ½ cup water with nondairy milk for softer buns)
- 1 ½ cups whole-wheat flour
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil (sub with 1 tbsp room temperature, softened vegan butter for softer crust)
Instructions
- Mix the sugar, ½ cup warm water and the yeast in a mixing bowl and set aside for five minutes or until the mixture starts to froth, indicating the yeast is alive and well.
- Sift all the flours, salt, and baking soda into the bowl. Knead on low speed in a stand mixer or by hand for about 3 minutes, trickling in 1 cup of water until you have a dough that's smooth and supple. You might not need all of the water.
- Add the oil and continue to knead until the oil has been absorbed by the dough, about 1 more minute.
- Place the dough in an oiled bowl, turning over once to coat all over with oil, cover with a kitchen towel, and set aside in a warm spot for 1 ½ hours until the dough has more than doubled.
- Fold the dough over itself to deflate. Form into a ball again, then divide into 8 equal sized pieces. Shape each piece into a smooth ball.
- Place the buns on a baking sheet that's either been lightly greased or is lined with parchment. Space the buns at least a couple of inches apart. Flatten the tops slightly with your fingers, if you like. Cover the buns loosely with a kitchen towel and set them in a warm spot to rise for an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 370 degrees.
- Before the buns go into the oven, you can sprinkle seeds on the tops of the buns if you like. To do this, mix 1 tsp vegetable oil, 1 tbsp nondairy milk and ¼ tsp maple syrup in a bowl. Brush the tops with this mixture, then sprinkle sesame seeds or poppy seeds on the tops.
- Place the buns in the oven and bake 25 minutes. Remove the buns to a rack and allow them to cool thoroughly before serving.
Nutrition
Serving: 1bun | Calories: 188kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 361mg | Potassium: 128mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 2IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?I'd love to see! Tag me on Instagram @holycowvegan and be sure to hashtag it #holycowvegan.
Can you use instant yeast?
Just baked these and they turned out well! I intentionally only used half the sugar but will add the full amount next time to add a light bit of sweet. Came together easily and quickly.
So happy to hear!
Hi thank you for the recipe.
Tried the metric measurement but it does not work. Can u give the metric measurements please.
Regards
Visa
Hi Visa, there seems to be some glitch with the recipe plugin. I'm looking into it. It seems to work for me but a couple of other readers voiced the same concern.
Thank you. I did not see the section with FAQ. Next time I'll read that section more carefully. I will definitely try this recipe it looks awesome. Do you think this recipe will work well to shape the buns to fit vegan hot dogs? I will give that a try, too.
Hi Sandy, no worries at all! And yes, you can definitely make hot dog buns with this recipe--great idea!
Would using 1/2 whole wheat flour and 1/2 whole wheat pastry flour (instead of the white flour) work?
Or even all WW pastry flour? Thanks!
Hi Cath, whole wheat pastry flour has very little gluten so it's not really ideal for bread making, although it works great with cakes and pastries. I wouldn't recommend it for this bun.
In your opinion would using all whole wheat flour work? I stay away from white all-purpose flour.
Hi Sandy, yes, see the FAQs. If using all whole wheat flour use a tablespoon of vital wheat gluten, if possible, to keep them light and fluffy. Otherwise they could be a bit dense.
If I want to make these ahead, at what stage should I refrigerate them?
Hi Amy, refrigerate after baking. Warm in a preheated oven in a paper bag sprayed with water for best results.
these were great. i measured out all the ingredients but when I was making the dough it was REALLY sticky and not really like a dough. i added a bit of flour (probs should have added more) but still worked great. They were a bit flat probably cause the dough was too wet but they were nice and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. will defs be making again! i also baked them for 5 mins less and that was perfect for me!
Awesome to hear. Make sure you only added as much water as needed and not all of it at once.
Is the calorie stated for each bun or that whole lot?
Per bun (the nutrition table states 1 bun per serving).
Can I use bread flour instead of all-purpose flour or combine them 1:1?
Yes, bread flour is fine!
I did these using the bread machine to knead and prove, then did a second prove after forming them, then baked them in the oven.
Best buns yet, I am so pleased with them, I've always had such trouble getting bread to come out right.
Thank you for the recipe!
So happy to hear, Mary!
Could i use just all purpose flour?
Yes!
These were good. I divided the dough into 8 sections and they were a perfect size. Thank you for the recipe!
So happy to hear!
Could I skip baking soda as I would be using instant yeast?
You can always skip the baking soda, but you won't get the benefit of an added spring in the oven. They'll still rise fine though.
Thanks. Could I use the same recipe for bread machine?
Yes you can do the mixing and first rise in a bread machine!
Hi,
This looks great. I'm looking forward to trying them. One question about the sugar... is it possible to leave that out and just depend upon the sugars in the flours to feed the yeast?
Thanks!
Hi Diana, I suppose so, but the sugar really helps the yeast grow fast.
When do I add dissolved yeast ? Does water used to dissolve yeast count in the 1 c water measure ?
Step 1 and 2. Add the flours etc. to the bowl with the yeast.
Tried this recipe for some beyond burgers for my boyfriend and these were amazing. I used all all-purpose flour instead of whole wheat. Turned out amazing! Thanks!
So happy to hear, Richard.
Hooray! I made the recipe again today - this time doing it right. 🙂 The buns came out GREAT! They are a mite too big, however, so I think I can get 7 or 8 buns instead of just 6 the next time I make them. I used bread flour in place of the all-purpose and I did use the vital wheat gluten. I think they are going to be really good, but haven't eaten one yet. 🙂 Thanks for a great recipe!
So awesome to hear, Rita! You can definitely make the buns bigger or smaller.
Awesome recipe! Made it today, came out really well...
So great to hear, Mansi!