Vegan Croissants Recipe | Easy Homemade Puff Pastry (2024)

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Learn how to make homemade vegan Croissants with only 7 plant-based baking staple ingredients – This is a dairy-free and egg-free recipe of the popular viennoiseriepastrywith a crisp, flaky crust and buttery ridges that are perfect for breakfast, brunch, or as an afternoon snack with chocolate or jam on top!

If you have always loved delicious baked croissants from your favorite bakery but went vegan, this homemade step-by-step recipe is what you’re looking for! It requires only a few simple budget-friendly staple ingredients, some elbow grease, and patience on your end for you to bite into these fragrant, feather-light, and butter-loaded treats!

Easy Homemade Vegan Croissants

I know the thought of making this on your own can be quite daunting or even intimidating. And it’s quite understandable to feel that way. Just by looking at its curvaceous crescent-shaped form and golden layers within makes even seasoned home bakers hesitate. However, I can quite assure you that it is not an impossible task to make it at home at all! Yes, it will require some muscle work and a total of 2 days to make, but believe me, once you pull out those perfectly baked golden delights from your oven, it’ll all be worth it!

Plus, I added very precise step-by-step photos and a recipe video of each procedure to guide you every step of the way! Please make sure that you read through all the steps first before starting. This will give you an idea of what will happen next and what to do to prepare for it.I am excited to start, I hope you are too! 🙂

What is a Croissant?

A croissant is a crescent-shaped viennoiserie pastry made of multilayered, laminated, slightly sweet yeast dough. While viennoiserie pastry is traditionally made with eggs and sometimes dairy butter, in this vegan recipe I skipped the eggs and used vegan butter (dairy-free margarine) instead.

Contrary to the general belief that croissants are of French origin, they possibly could have been imitated from an Austrian pastry called “Kipferl or Kifli” from Vienna. But regardless of where it came from and how it started, the pastry is now world-renowned and is loved in many countries and regions. It is also known as Hörnchen (Germany), Gipfeli (Switzerland), Kipferl and Beugel (Austria), Cornetto (Italy), to cite a few examples.

How to make Vegan Croissants?

Similar to puff pastry, croissant and viennoiserie pastry are also made by using a baking technique called “laminating“. While the method is similar, unlike viennoiserie pastry, puff pastry does not contain yeast. The lamination process creates many thin layers of dough and butter by folding and rolling them repeatedly. This culinary preparation allows the butter to melt during baking and produces steam within the dough films. This results in the flaky, soft layers. It does not only make it very light and crisp, but the melted butter absorbed by the pastry dough gives it a toasty caramel-y and amazing buttery taste!

By the way, to make croissants yourself with this recipe, you don’t have to take two days off. Most of the time will be spent waiting for the dough to rise and rest. So you’ll have plenty of time to do other stuff. And since you can make the dough ahead, the preparation is even faster than you think! Here’s what it entails:

Day 1: Making the yeast dough and preparing the butter palette (square)
Day 2: Laminating, shaping, and baking

Croissant variations – salty or sweet?

In some countries like Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, sweet chocolate croissant (pain au chocolat), filled with chocolate or nut-nougat fillings are also quite popular. However, croissants can also be served savory by topping them with vegan cheese or filling it with a vegan alternative similar to the traditional ham and cheese croissants. Since this croissant recipe is also perfect for making Danish pastries, feel free to get creative with this basic recipe and try out different fillings and shapes so it never gets boring!

How to make Vegan Croissants

As always, I recommend checking out the recipe video and this step-by-step instruction first. Then you’ll find the full recipe with exact measurements in the recipe card below!

Step 1: Prepare the yeast dough

Start by warming the soy milk to about 104 °F (40 °C) and pour it into a small bowl. Add the sugar and the yeast and stir to dissolve. Then set aside for about 3-5 minutes until the mixture starts to foam.
In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Form a well in the center and pour in the yeast mixture and water. Mix with a wooden spoon until it comes together.
Then transfer to a work surface and knead with your hands for about 5-8 minutes until a smooth dough forms (or use a food processor with the dough hooks attached).
Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover it with a damp tea towel, and let rise for about 60 minutes until the dough has doubled in size. Then cover with plastic wrap or a lid and place it in the refrigerator overnight so you can continue the next day.

Step 2: Prepare the butter square

Cut the butter in even slices and arrange it on a piece of parchment paper or cling foil.
Then fold the parchment paper or foil around the butter to create a 6.5 x 6.5-inch square.
Flip it so the edges are tucked underneath.Using a rolling pin, carefully spread it around evenly until all the corners are filled.
Finally, place it in the refrigerator overnight too.

Step 3: Wrap in the butter

The next day, take the dough and the butter out of the refrigerator and unwrap (if the butter is very hard, leave it at room temperature for a while and allow it to soften slightly).
Lightly sprinkle your work surface with flour and roll out the dough into a 15.5 x 8-inches (40 x 20 cm) rectangle.
Place the butter square on one side of the dough and encase it by folding the other side over and pressing the sides down to completely seal.

Note: During each process, please always brush away excess flour before folding the dough, otherwise, it won’t hold together!

Step 4: Laminating “The first tour”

Roll out the dough lengthwise into a 23.5 x 8-inches (60 x 20 cm) rectangle. Push down first, then roll, so that the dough does not tear as shown in the step-by-step photos. Make sure the butter does not ooze out.
Fold the upper third of the dough down toward the center, then do the same on the lower third of the dough until you end up with 3 equal layers.

Step 5: Laminating “The second & third tour”

Then roll out the dough lengthwise into a 23.5 x 8-inches (60 x 20 cm) rectangle again. Push down and roll as done on the first tour.
This time, fold both ends of the dough toward the center. Press the ends together and roll over the dough briefly.
Then fold one end over the other like a book to make 4 layers.
Wrap the dough in cling wrap or parchment paper and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes (or in the freezer to speed this up).
For the third tour, repeat this process.

Note: I find that 3 tours are sufficient, but you can repeat the process several times to make 4 or even 6 tours. If the dough gets too warm while laminating simply wrap it up and refrigerate it, then continue. Otherwise, you run the risk of the butter combining with the dough. You can also leave the dough in the fridge overnight to make croissants the next day, or freeze it for other days.

Step 6: Shaping croissants

To shape croissants, roll out the dough into a 16 x 16-inch (40 x 40 cm) square and cut in half lengthwise with a pizza cutter or sharp knife to make 2 rectangles.
Cut out 6 triangles per rectangle, so that you get a total of 12 triangles (if you want to make larger croissants, you can roll out the dough into just 1 large rectangle and cut 6 triangles out of it).
Carefully pull the triangle slightly lengthwise and cut a small slit in the middle of the wide side.Pull apart a little and roll up towards the tip.
Place the croissants on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let them rise for another 30-60 minutes covered (to prevent them from drying out you can spray them with a little water or brush with milk beforehand).

Step 7: Bake Croissants

About 10-15 minutes before the end of the resting time, preheat the oven to 428 °F (220 °C).
After the resting time, brush your homemade croissants with non-dairy milk again. Then put them in the preheated oven, turn the temperature down to 392 °F (200 °C) and bake for about 20 minutes, depending on their size.

Ingredient FAQs

What is the best flour to use?

I used all-purpose flour for this homemade croissant recipe. It provided enough gluten to make the dough pliable but sturdy enough to withstand multiple folding and rolling. However, you can also use spelt flour, bread flour, and pastry flour for this recipe. Different flours require different hydration levels, so always check the package instruction for flour to water ratio.

What type of vegan butter to use?

With the variety of vegan butter available in the market, you have quite a few to choose from. However, make sure to pick one that contains around 80% fat so it doesn’t melt right away. Quick melting butter will be absorbed by the dough during laminating which will ruin the consistency of the pasty.

What yeast to use?

You can use either active dry yeast or fresh yeast or instant yeast. The difference is that active dry yeast and fresh yeast need proofing first while instant yeast can be added directly to the flour mixture. Using instant yeast also cuts down the rising time. However, take note that other factors such as room temperature also affect the rising time of your dough.

How to store your Croissants

Once you have baked them, I highly recommend consuming them right away to enjoy them in their optimal state! However, ifyou do have some leftover baked ones though, wrap them individually using freezer bags or Ziplocs. They will last for up to a maximum of 2 days at room temperature, then them in the oven briefly before eating. However, it is even better to freeze the baked croissants. When ready to serve, simply place them frozen in a cold oven and bake for 15 minutes at 356°F (180 °C).

You can store the prepared puff pastry yeast dough in the refrigerator for 2-3 days or freeze both the dough or the unbaked shaped croissants forup to 3 months. When you want to serve them, simply thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then process/bake according to the recipe. So you can always have homemade vegan croissants for breakfast!

This homemade Vegan Croissant Recipe is

Egg-free
Dairy-free
Crispy
Soft and flaky
Light and fluffy
Buttery
Perfect for breakfast and brunch
Simply delicious!

More vegan breakfast and brunch recipes to try

Vegan Keto Bread
Buckwheat Chia Bread
Homemade Bagels
Blueberry Scones
Cashew Ricotta Cheese
Vegan Nutella
Easy Vegan Cheese
Tofu Scramble
Breakfast Burritos With Vegan Egg Salad
Crêpes With Chocolate Cream Filling

If you try this vegan homemade Croissant recipe, please leave me a comment and a review because I always love to hear your feedback! And if you take a photo of your beautiful pastries and share it on Instagram, please tag me @biancazapatka and use the hashtag #biancazapatka to make sure I don’t miss your post! Happy baking!

Homemade Croissants

Author: Bianca Zapatka

Learn how to make homemade vegan Croissants with only 7 plant-based baking staple ingredients - This is a dairy-free and egg-free recipe of the popular viennoiseriepastrywith a crisp, flaky crust and buttery ridges that are perfect for breakfast, brunch, or as an afternoon snack! This recipe makes 6 large or 12 small croissants.

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Prep Time 1 day d

Ingredients

For the yeast dough:

¾ cup (180 ml) soy milk lukewarm approx. 104 °F (40 °C) or use other milk*
½ cup (120 ml) water
¼ cup (50 g) sugar variety of your choice
2 ¼ tsp (7 g) dry yeast 7 g, or 21 g fresh yeast (½ cube)
4 cups (500 g) all-purpose or spelt flour 500 g
1 tsp salt

For the butter square:

2 sticks (250 g) vegan butter or 250 g margarine

For brushing:

2-3 tbsp (2 tbsp) non-dairy milk

Instructions

*Note: Be sure to watch the recipe video + step-by-step photos in the blog post above. Also, I recommend using metric measurements.

Make the yeast dough

In a pot, warm the soy milk to about 104 °F (40 °C) and pour it into a small bowl. Add the sugar and the yeast and stir to dissolve. Then set aside for about 3-5 minutes until the mixture starts to foam. (That way you’ll know the yeast is working).
In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Form a well in the center and pour in the yeast mixture and water. Mix with a wooden spoon until everything comes together. Then transfer to a work surface and knead with your hands for about 5-8 minutes until a smooth dough forms (or use a food processor with the dough hooks attached).
Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover it with a damp tea towel, and let rise for about 60 minutes until the dough has doubled in size. Then place the dough in the refrigerator overnight so you can continue the next day. (Important: cover with plastic wrap or a lid, otherwise the dough may stick to the tea towel as it will rise even more in the fridge!).

Prepare the butter square

Cut the butter in even slices and arrange it on a piece of parchment paper or cling foil. Then fold the parchment paper or foil around the butter to create a 6.5 x 6.5-inch square. Flip it so the edges are tucked underneath. Using a rolling pin, carefully spread it around evenly until all the corners are filled. Then place in the refrigerator overnight too.

Wrap in the butter

The next day, take the dough and the butter out of the refrigerator and unwrap (if the butter is very hard, leave it at room temperature for a while and allow it to soften slightly).
Lightly sprinkle your work surface with flour and roll out the dough into a 15.5 x 8-inches (40 x 20 cm) rectangle. Place the butter square on one side of the dough and encase it by folding the other side over and pressing the sides down to completely seal. (During each process, please always brush away excess flour before folding the dough, otherwise, it won't hold together!).

First tour

Roll out the dough lengthwise into a 23.5 x 8-inches (60 x 20 cm) rectangle. Push down first, then roll, so that the dough does not tear as shown in the step-by-step photos. Make sure the butter does not ooze out. Fold the upper third of the dough down toward the center, then do the same on the lower third of the dough until you end up with 3 equal layers.

Second & third tour

Then roll out the dough lengthwise into a 23.5 x 8-inches (60 x 20 cm) rectangle again. Push down and roll as done on the first tour. This time, fold both ends of the dough toward the center. Press the ends together and roll over the dough briefly. Then fold one end over the other like a book to make 4 layers. Wrap the dough in cling wrap or parchment paper and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes (or in the freezer to speed this up).
For the third tour, repeat this process. (I find that 3 tours are sufficient, but you can repeat the process several times to make 4 or even 6 tours. If the dough gets too warm while laminating simply wrap it up and refrigerate it, then continue. Otherwise, you run the risk of the butter combining with the dough. You can also leave the dough in the fridge overnight to make croissants the next day, or freeze it for other days).

Making croissants

To make croissants, roll out the dough into a 16 x 16-inch (40 x 40 cm) square and cut in half lengthwise with a pizza cutter or sharp knife to make 2 rectangles. Cut out 6 triangles per rectangle, so that you get a total of 12 triangles (if you want to make larger croissants, you can roll out the dough into just 1 large rectangle and cut 6 triangles out of it).
Carefully pull the triangle slightly lengthwise and cut a small slit in the middle of the wide side. Pull apart a little and roll up towards the tip.
Place the croissants on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let them rise for another 30-60 minutes covered (to prevent them from drying out you can spray them with a little water or brush with dairy-free milk beforehand).
In the meantime, preheat the oven to 428 °F (220 °C).
After the resting time, brush the croissants with a little non-dairy milk again. Then put them in the preheated oven, turn the temperature down to 392 °F (200 °C) and bake for about 20 minutes, depending on their size (if they get too dark, you can reduce the temperature to 356°F (180 °C) after 8 minutes).
Enjoy!

Notes

The gluten contained in all-purpose flour makes the dough so flexible that it can easily withstand multiple folding and rolling. Alternatively, you can use light spelt flour, however, then you may need a little more liquid.
Instead of regular sugar, you can use brown sugar, coconut blossom sugar, or another sugar of your choice. Keep in mind, however, that this will affect the color of the croissants.
Soy milk works best for vegan baking, but you can also use another dairy-free milk.
The vegan butter should not become too soft while laminating, otherwise, it can quickly combine with the dough, which then prevents the croissants from developing the typical flaky layers. If some butter accidentally escapes, simply dust the area with a little flour, then wrap and chill the dough for a while before continuing.
For information on make-ahead, storage & freezing as well as many more helpful baking tips, be sure to read the blog post above.
The nutritional information is calculated for 1 croissant of 12.

Nutritions

Nutrition is calculated automatically and should be used as estimate.

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