Vegan Croissants Recipe
These homemade vegan croissants are buttery, flaky, and fluffy. Just as delicious as classic croissants, but with all plant-based ingredients.
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Servings: 10 large, 12 medium or 16 mini croissants
Equipment
- stand mixer optional
- mixing bowl
- Rolling Pin
- large baking tray
- parchment or silicone baking mat
- pastry brush
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 2 (0.25 oz) packets active dry yeast (4 1/2 teaspoons)
- 1 cup lukewarm water about 110°F
- 3 1/2 cups (420g) bread flour
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons (11g) salt (reduce to 1 tsp if your butter is salted)
- 6 tablespoons vegan butter softened
For Lamination
- 1 cup (2 sticks) vegan butter slightly softened
Vegan Egg Wash
- 2 tablespoons nondairy milk
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or agave
Instructions
A Preliminary Note
- If you've never made croissants before, check out the instructional video and the step-by-step photos in the blog post to help you! You can also check out the troubleshooting section if you run into any snags.
Preparing the Dough
- Add the lukewarm water to the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle the yeast over the top, and allow to proof until foamy (about 5-10 minutes).
- Once yeast is bubbly, add in the granulated sugar, bread flour, salt, and the softened vegan butter. Mix with the paddle attachment on medium speed until dough comes together in one large mass. At this point it will look very rough.
- Switch to the dough hook attachment and knead on medium speed for 8-10 minutes until dough is completely smooth and elastic. Dough should bounce back when poked gently. You can use the windowpane test to see if the dough is sufficiently kneaded: rip off a small piece of dough and gently try to stretch it out thin enough to see light through. If it tears before you can stretch it, keep kneading to develop the gluten further.
First Rise
- Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and allow to rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours. Exact time will depend on the temperature in your home. It will normally take closer to 1 hour, but if it's particularly chilly, it may take longer. Go by the size of the dough; it's ready when it has slightly more than doubled in size.
- Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a very lightly floured work surface. Fold it into a rectangular shape. Exact dimensions aren't important; this will just make it easier to roll it out in a rectangle later. Wrap the dough in plastic, or place it in a sealed container and refrigerate overnight to cold ferment.
Make the Butter Slab
- Shape the 1 cup of softened butter into a square about 6"x6". You can use either a sheet of parchment, or place the butter in a small sandwich bag, press out the air, and use your hands or a rolling pin to roll out the butter to the shape of the bag. Refrigerate the shaped butter overnight.
Laminating the Dough
- The following day, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll it out into a large rectangle, roughly 8"x16". (It just needs to be slightly larger than twice the length of the butter slab.) Place the butter slab on one side, leaving a border, then the rest of the dough over to envelop the butter. Pinch around the edges to seal in the butter tightly.
- Roll dough out to roughly 24"x9" and perform a double turn: Fold both ends of the dough into the center, then fold in half again to create 4 layers. Chill dough for 15-20 minutes before proceeding. This will keep the butter firm and allow the gluten to relax a bit. If your kitchen is particularly warm, you may need to chill it a little extra. The key is that the butter should not look too soft or appear to be "oozing" from the dough as you work with it.
- Roll the dough out again to 24"x9" and perform another double turn. Cover dough and refrigerate for 1 hour to allow the gluten to fully relax.
Shaping the Croissants
- Cut the dough in two and work with half at a time, leaving the rest in the refrigerator.
- Lightly dust your work surface with flour and roll dough out to roughly 18"x9" and use a sharp knife to cut into triangles (for classic croissants) or rectangles (for pains au chocolat). For medium-sized croissants, cut each sheet of dough into thirds (6" x 9" rectangles). Then cut each rectangle diagonally, corner-to-corner, to create 6 triangles. Repeat with the other half of the dough for 12 croissants total.
- Cut a small slit at the base of each triangle and roll your croissant, pushing outward gently with your palms while rolling to elongate the croissant.
- Place on a lined baking tray with the point or seam of the croissant on the bottom.
- Optionally, you can whisk together 1 tablespoon agave or maple syrup with 2 tablespoons plant milk to make a vegan egg wash substitute. Lightly brush the croissants with this mixture to help them achieve a glossy finish. (Reserve the extra; you will brush them one more time before baking.)
- Allow croissants to rise at room temperature for 1-2 hours, until at least doubled in size.
Baking
- Preheat oven to 400°F toward the end of the rising time. Brush your croissants once more with the egg wash mixture if you're using it.
- Bake croissants for 10 minutes at 400°F, then lower the temperature to 350°F and bake for another 12-15 minutes. Croissants should be golden brown.
- Allow the croissants to cool on the baking tray for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
- These are best served warm, whether fresh from the oven or reheated slightly in a microwave or toaster oven. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temperature. These also freeze and defrost well.
Notes
Troubleshooting: If you need help troubleshooting anything, please check the blog post! There are plenty of pictures and details and I have done my best to anticipate any questions or hiccups you might run into.
Freezing croissant dough: You can freeze the croissant dough after laminating it in order to have it on-hand later. Simply wrap it tight or place in an airtight container to freeze. Defrost it in the fridge overnight before proceeding with the rest of the recipe.
Freezing shaped croissants: You can also freeze the croissants after shaping them, but before letting them rise. Then, you can defrost and bake them individually or in small batches as needed. Simply place the shaped, un-risen croissants into an airtight container, separated with parchment to keep them from sticking together. Defrost them in the fridge overnight when ready to use. Then, proof and bake as directed.
Adapted from Bruno Albouze's croissant recipe.
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