These fluffy vegan dinner rolls are inspired by classic Japanese milk bread and use a simple tangzhong (flour paste) in the base to create a pillowy-soft crumb. They bake up tender and stay fresh for days. Buttery soft and golden, they’re a beautiful addition to any holiday spread or dinner party. A guaranteed crowd pleaser that no one will guess is entirely plant-based.
I adapted this recipe from my Vegan Milk Bread recipe to make 15 pull-apart rolls, perfect for sharing. They can be baked up in a single 9×13″ pan, or across two 9″ round pans or two 8″ square pans.
Make these for a special Sunday dinner or for a holiday meal! Pair with classic sides like Vegan Green Bean Casserole or Vegan Sausage Stuffing and dunk in the best Vegan Gravy.
Fluffy Vegan Dinner Rolls Overview
- 📝 Recipe Name: Fluffy Vegan Dinner Rolls
- 🕒 Ready In: 3 hours (30 minutes prep, 2 hours rising, 30 minutes bake)
- 🍽️ Makes: 15 large or 20 medium rolls
- 🌱 Main Ingredients: Bread flour, soy milk, vegan butter, yeast, sugar, salt
- 📖 Dietary Info: 100% vegan, dairy-free, egg-free
- 😍 Why You’ll Love It: A simple tangzhong keeps them pillowy soft and you can shape them the night before. Your guests will be shocked how fluffy and perfect they are!
Featured Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“These are the BEST dinner rolls you could ever make. They were soft, pillowy, subtly sweet, incredible texture and super easy/approachable to make!” — Britney
Table of Contents
Ingredients for Milk Bread Dinner Rolls
- Bread flour. With a higher gluten content than regular all-purpose flour, bread flour will help you achieve a strong rise — this is crucial if you want extra fluffy bread.
- Active dry yeast. For rising the rolls.
- Soy milk. My preferred type of milk for most vegan baking, because it’s creamy, has a protein content similar to dairy milk, and tends to be quite neutral in flavor.
- Vegan butter. Important for a buttery flavor and super tender crumb.
- Sugar & salt. The perfect dinner roll has just the right amount of sweetness and salt.
How to Make Fluffy Vegan Dinner Rolls
Make the Tangzhong
Whisk together ingredients for tangzhong.
Cook until thickened to a paste consistency.
Mix the Dough
Heat milk till lukewarm.
Add yeast and proof yeast till foamy.
Mix bread flour, salt, and sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer.
Add proofed yeast mixture, softened butter, and slightly cooled tangzhong.
Mix with paddle attachment till everything comes together in a shaggy dough.
Swap to the dough hook and knead until the dough is smooth, elastic, and springs back when poked. It should clear the sides of the bowl. If it’s overly sticky, knead in extra flour a few tablespoons at a time.
Rise the Dough
Shape the Rolls
Divide the risen dough into either 15 or 20 pieces, depending on whether you want large or medium dinner rolls. You can either shape the rolls into balls for a classic look, or shape them into small spirals the way I shape the segments of my Vegan Milk Bread loaf.
To shape into spirals, first pre-shape into balls. Roll the balls out into long ovals, then fold the long sides over one another like a letter. Then roll from the short side into a compact log.
Final Rise & Baking
Whichever shape you choose, arrange the rolls in a greased or buttered 9×13″ baking pan. Alternatively, you can divide them between two 9″ round pans, or two 8″ square pans. Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let the rolls rise until roughly doubled in size. Once proofed, you can brush with an optional soy milk and maple syrup wash.
Bake in a preheated 350°F oven until golden brown (25-30 minutes). For the best texture, allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before enjoying. Optionally, brush with melted butter and top with flaky salt.
Sarah’s Recipe Tips
- Go by feel. When working with bread, it’s helpful to learn how the dough should feel and look at different stages of the process. This comes with practice. No matter how precise your measurements are, there will always be variations between different brands of flour. Things like the temperature and humidity of your environment can also have an impact. When kneading, add more flour if the dough seems overly wet/sticky. When rising, judge by the volume of the bread rather than the length of time that has passed.
- Give the rolls a chance to cool. I know it sucks! You want to dig in to your bread when it’s fresh out of the oven. But bread keeps cooking after it comes out of the oven, and it’s full of steam, which makes your bread gummy. Give it a chance to cool — ideally at least 15 minutes — so that steam can escape and the bread can “set.” That’s how to achieve the perfect soft, fluffy and bouncy texture.
Overnight Dinner Rolls
You can make the dough and shape the rolls a day ahead of time, then allow them to cold proof in the fridge overnight. The following morning, simply let the rolls sit out at room temperature for about 60 to 90 minutes. This will allow them to come back up to room temperature and then finish their final rise.
Exact time will vary depending on the temperature of your kitchen, but you are just looking for the rolls to have almost doubled in size from their original shaping. Then simply bake them as the recipe directs.
This is a great way to make rolls for Thanksgiving or holiday dinners, since it allows you to do a bulk of the work and cleanup a day before, while still enjoying fresh-baked rolls!
Fluffy Vegan Dinner Rolls FAQs
Yes, absolutely! It will just take a bit longer to mix and knead. Simply mix the ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Then turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and knead for 8-12 minutes, until smooth and bouncy, and proceed with the recipe as written. A bench scraper can be a really helpful tool when kneading by hand, in case dough sticks to your work surface.
Sorry, but there is no simple way to make this recipe gluten-free. For yeasted bread recipes, I always recommend looking for a recipe that is specifically formulated to be gluten-free, as simply substituting in a gluten-free flour usually does not work. The Loopy Whisk is a great resource for allergen-friendly baking!
Yes, you can substitute most varieties of plain, unsweetened plant milk. Just don’t use canned coconut milk, as it’s far too fatty and will give the rolls a greasy and dense texture. I would recommend picking a milk with a neutral flavor such as a plain almond or cashew milk.
Technically yes, but I don’t recommend it. The extra gluten content in the bread flour helps makes the rolls extra fluffy and squishy, because those gluten bonds are what trap air. In a pinch, you can use all-purpose flour, but you will likely need to add extra flour to achieve the right texture. You can also make your own higher protein flour by adding about 1 scant tablespoon vital wheat gluten per cup of all-purpose flour.
The rolls don’t taste very sweet; sugar just rounds out the flavor and also helps them to bake up to a nice golden brown. You can definitely reduce the sugar to as few as 2 tablespoons if you like. I wouldn’t omit it entirely because it does help the rolls rise and brown properly.
Storing & Freezing
Store leftover rolls in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Make sure they are fully cooled before storing.
Freeze the baked and cooled rolls for up to 2 months. Rewarm wrapped in foil at 350°F for about 10 minutes. (You can also reheat gently in the microwave.)
More Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes
For more festive ideas, check out all of our vegan Thanksgiving recipes! There, you’ll find everything you need to have a holiday feast that’s 100% plant-based and unbeatably delicious, such as:
Did You Make This Recipe?
If you’ve made this recipe and loved it, please leave a 5-star rating and review below! Also, if you post a picture on Instagram and tag me @sarahsvegankitchen_, I’d love to see your work.
Fluffy Vegan Dinner Rolls
Video
Equipment
- stand mixer (or large bowl if kneading by hand)
- Small saucepan and whisk for the tangzhong
- Bench scraper
- 9×13" Baking pan or two 9" round or two 8" square pans
- Pastry
Ingredients
Tangzhong (Flour Paste)
- 1/2 cup (80 g) water
- 1/3 cup (118 g) soy milk
- 1/3 cup (40 g) bread flour
Dough
- 1 cup (240 g) lukewarm soy milk (about 110°F)
- 4 ½ teaspoons (4.5 teaspoons) active dry yeast (2 standard packets)
- tangzhong from above
- 6 tablespoons (85 g) stick-style vegan butter softened
- 5 cups (625 g) bread flour plus more as needed
- 1/3 cup (67 g) granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons (9 g) fine salt
- vegetable oil or vegan butter for greasing
Vegan "Egg" Wash (optional)
- 1 tablespoon soy milk
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
To Finish (optional)
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter melted
- flaky salt
Instructions
Make & Rise the Dough
- Make the tangzhong: In a small saucepan, whisk together water, soy milk, and bread flour until no lumps remain. Cook over medium, stirring constantly with a heat-proof spatula, until it thickens to the consistency of wallpaper paste, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool until just warm to the touch, about 10 minutes. (Too hot will kill your yeast.)1/2 cup water, 1/3 cup soy milk, 1/3 cup bread flour
- Proof yeast: Add lukewarm soy milk into the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk in the yeast along with 1/4 teaspoon of your sugar and allow to proof for about 5 minutes, until foamy.1 cup lukewarm soy milk, 4 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
- Mix the dough: Add the cooled tangzhong, softened butter, bread flour, sugar, and salt to the bowl. Mix on medium speed with the paddle attachment until a shaggy dough forms.tangzhong, 6 tablespoons stick-style vegan butter, 5 cups bread flour, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 1 ½ teaspoons fine salt
- Knead dough: Switch to the dough hook and knead 6-8 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic. The dough should clear the sides of the bowl and spring back when poked. If it's very wet or sticky, add in more flour 2 tablespoons at a time, mixing fully between additions. (By hand, knead for 8-12 minutes.)
- First rise: Shape the kneaded dough into a ball. Lightly oil the bowl, add the dough, and flip it over to coat with oil. Cover and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in volume, about 1 hour (up to 2 hours in a chilly kitchen, or faster in a warm kitchen).vegetable oil or vegan butter
Shape & Final Rise
- Prep the pans: Grease a 9×13” baking dish, or two 9” round cake pans, or two 8" square pans with vegan butter or vegetable oil.
- Divide the dough: Turn the dough out onto a clean surface. (No flour — the dough needs to stay tacky to be shaped well.) Divide into 15 pieces. (For two 9" round pans, divide into 16 pieces; for two 8" square pans, divide into 18.)
- Shape the rolls: Shape each piece of dough into a ball by tucking the edges underneath and pinching the seam closed. Place it seam-side down on your work surface, cup your hand over it, and roll it in small circles until the ball is tight and smooth.For classic round rolls: That's it! Your rolls are ready for the pans.For milk bread spirals: Use a rolling pin to roll each ball into an oval. Fold the long sides over each other like a letter, then roll it up from the short end into a log, starting loosely and then tighter as you go. (See shaping photos in the post.)
- Final rise: Arrange the rolls into the greased pan(s). For a 9×13" pan, 5 rows of 3. For square pans, 3 rows of 3. For round pans, 1 in the center and 7 around.Cover with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and let rise in a warm spot for 60 to 75 minutes, until very puffy. When poked, the dough should bounce back very slowly and leave only a small dent. If it springs back right away, give it more time. A full rise is the key to fluffy rolls.
Bake
- Preheat: During the last 15 minutes of rising, preheat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the middle.
- "Egg" wash (optional): Whisk together soy milk and maple syrup and gently brush over the rolls.1 tablespoon soy milk, 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- Bake: Bake for 30-35 minutes, until deep golden brown and at least 190°F in the center of a middle roll.
- Cool and enjoy: Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with flaky salt right away, if using. Let the rolls cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. (Bread sets as it cools, and digging in early can leave them gummy.)1 tablespoon vegan butter, flaky salt
Notes
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided on Sarah’s Vegan Kitchen is an estimate and is offered for general informational purposes only. Values will vary depending on the specific brands and amounts used.
I made these rolls earlier today and they are SO DELICIOUS!!! I am usually hesitant to make breads because I don’t have a stand mixer, but I’m so glad I decided to try this recipe. The rolls are so fluffy and look absolutely beautiful! I can’t wait to bring them to a family dinner and impress everyone! 🙂
What vegan butter brand would you recommend?
We like Country Crock, Melt, and Violife. But there are a lot of good options! In fact, we have an entire guide about it.
These were great for thanksgiving! It was my first time making any type of bread and the directions were super easy to follow. In case it matters, I used Country Crock stick butter (brand of butter wasn’t specified so I assumed that meant any butter would work).
Man, these were such a hit at Thanksgiving! At first I was worried because my dough was kind of thick, but I just let them proof nice and long the second time and they turned out perfect. So fluffy with a slight sweetness. Perfect!
Love to hear it!
Delicious—the best bread I’ve ever made! I’m so impressed with this recipe. I followed it exactly as written and will definitely be making again and again.
What a compliment. Thank you!
Made this for thanksgiving, they were more dense than they should have been (definitely error in my part), and my whole non vegan family still devoured them and were sad when they were gone.
These sounded amazing but I wanted to make them non vegan, and they still turned out so good!!! Thank you!
These are the BEST dinner rolls you could ever make. They were soft, pillowy, subtly sweet, incredible texture and super easy/approachable to make!
I filled the instructions for overnight cold proof so I could just take them out of the oven in the morning, wait for them to come to temp, then bake them fresh right before mealtime at thanksgiving! I am the only vegan in the family and it’s not often the entire table is raving about one of the items I brought. This year, everyone was delighted by these dinner rolls and it has already been requested that I make them again next year!
You’re now on roll duty every year…you’re welcome! 😀
Made these to bring to Friendsgiving and I can’t say enough good things about this recipe! The dough is a dream to work with. It was not difficult to make at all. I loved the shape of the rolled dough versus a regular ball, that was a fun new way to make rolls! They turned out perfect, I will definitely be coming back to this recipe. They were all devoured, no left overs. Thanks, Sarah!