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Looking for a recipe for vegan croissants? Then you've come to the right place! I've written this blog post so that each step of the recipe is explained simply and in detail. This way, even those who have never made croissants at home before will be able to make them with ease.
I've always been afraid to make croissants because it's common opinion that making them is complicated… guess what…. it's not true! On the contrary, making them is quite simple and doesn't require much work at all.
In fact, most of the time you simply have to wait for the dough to rise or cool (how cool is that?!). So if you are afraid to venture into the wonderful world of croissants, don't be!
Follow the recipe and in a matter of hours you'll know how to make delicious vegan croissants!
Jump to:
- Butter Substitute
- Time
- Ingredients
- Dough
- Beurrage
- Laminating the Dough: Part 1
- Laminating the Dough: Part 2
- Shaping the Croissants
- Rising
- Final "No-Egg-Wash"
- Baking Time
- How to store the croissants
- More recipes you may like
- Leave a comment
- Pin this recipe on Pinterest
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Reviews
Butter Substitute
I always use "stable" margarine to make croissants. It's important NOT to use a spreadable margarine because we don't want our block of "butter" to melt easily (or the whole recipe is going to be a big mess!).
So any traditional butter substitute that doesn't get hard in the cold cannot be used for this recipe.
Time
There are some recipes that take multiple days to prepare croissants. Mine takes a little over 4 hours of which only 1 we will actually have to "actively work", the other 3 hours are rising or resting times for the dough in the fridge.
Ingredients
You only need a handful of ingredients to make this recipe: yeast, flour, sugar, salt and water.
Also, instead of brushing the croissants with egg we will use a vegan oat-cream or soy milk (use whichever you prefer).
Dough
The dough for our croissants is super easy to make! We just have to mix, flour, salt, sugar, yeast and water.
Then we knead the dough until it's smooth and lumps-free. If you prefer you can of course use a kneading machine (I would too if I had one :)).
Beurrage
The Beurrage is nothing more than a block of butter (or in our case margarine) that will allow us to create the puff pastry with which we will make the croissants.
The block is done by cutting the margarine into slices and placing these on a sheet of baking paper. Then we wrap the margarine with the baking paper and flatten the butter forming a 20 x 20 cm square.
The block of butter should never melt while we are making the pastry. This is why it's important that the block is well chilled before we start making the puff pastry.
Laminating the Dough: Part 1
This is the most fun part of this recipe (after eating the croissants of course ;))! Before we start: It's very useful to have a measuring tape at hand so that we can roll out the dough following the measurements given in the recipe.
We start by taking the dough out of the fridge and to form it (using our hands) into a 25 x 25 cm ( 10 x 10 inches) square.
Then we use a rolling pin to roll out the dough into a 45 x 25 cm (18 x 10 inches) rectangle. We place the block of margarine on one side of the rectangle and fold the other side of the dough up and over the margarine.
Now we gently roll out the dough forming a rectangle of 45 x 25 cm (18 x 10 inches). We grab the bottom of the dough and fold it ¾ of the way up the rectangle.
Then we take the top half and fold it the remaining ¼ of the way until both ends meet.
Next we fold the longer part over the short one, making a long rectangle. We wrap the rectangle in baking paper and let it rest for 1 hour in the fridge. Et voilà! The first lamination is already over! One more to go!
Laminating the Dough: Part 2
The second part of the process is much easier than the first. We only need to roll out the dough into a large 60 x 25 cm (24 x 18 inches) rectangle. We grab the bottom of the dough and fold it ⅓ of the way up the rectangle.
Then we take the top half and fold it over so that it covers completely the other one. We should have a square. We wrap it in baking paper and set in the fridge for 1 hour.
Shaping the Croissants
We can finally start shaping our croissants! YAY! We take the dough out of the fridge and with a rolling pin we shape it carefully into a 30 x 50 cm (12 x 20 inches) rectangle. Then cut the dough into 10 triangles.
Starting at the base of each triangle, we begin rolling, making sure the tip of each triangle ends up tucked under the croissant to hold its shape.
Then we transfer the croissants to a baking tray lined with baking paper leaving some space between each croissant (they will double in size!).
Rising
We don't want our croissants to dry while rising so we brush them with soy milk or water, put them in the oven and close it. Now we let our babies rise for 1 hour, until they've doubled in size.
This is How they'll look once they've double in size and are ready to be baked.
Final "No-Egg-Wash"
Instead of the traditional egg wash I used vegan oat-cream to brush the croissants. It looks just like egg-wash once baked and it smells absolutely delicious!
If you don't have any vegan cream just use soy milk or maple syrup (I love using maple syrup as egg-wash, it's super delish and it gives and amazing color!).
Baking Time
When it comes to baking you really need to know your oven. I baked mine at 200 °C (390 °F) for approx. 15 minutes, until they were golden and crispy. You can do the same, just keep an eye on them to be sure they don't burn.
How to store the croissants
The croissants can be stored either in the refrigerator or in the freezer.
- Refrigerator: Put the croissants in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Before serving, moisten with a little water and bake in the oven at 180 °C for 3-4 minutes until crispy.
- Freezer: put the vegan croissants in an airtight container and place in the freezer. Before serving, take the croissants out of the freezer and defrost them in the refrigerator (preferably overnight). Once defrosted, moisten the croissants with a little water and bake in the oven at 180 °C for 3-4 minutes.
More recipes you may like
- Best Ever Vegan Chocolate Croissants
- Italian Custart Tart (Torta della Nonna)
- Super Creamy Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Extra Fudgy Vegan Butter Beans Brownies
If you tried this recipe and you now know how to make the best vegan croissants ;), let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo#carlocao or #vegaliciouslyon Instagram. Cheers, friends!
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Croissants
Carlo Cao
These vegan croissants are a dream come true. They have a flaky, crispy exterior while the interior is soft, tender, and slightly chewy. This vegan croissants recipe is easy to follow, with step-by-step instructions making it accessible for everyone.
4.98 from 67 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 1 hour hr
Cook Time 25 minutes mins
Resting time 12 hours hrs
Total Time 13 hours hrs 40 minutes mins
Course Breakfast
Cuisine French
Servings 8
Equipment
baking paper
plastic wrap
ruler
stand mixer with dough hook (optional)
Rolling Pin
Ingredients
Dough
- 600 grams all-purpose flour (11.5% protein) plus more for dusting
- 70 grams sugar
- 12 grams salt
- 7 grams active dry yeast
- 220 grams water at room temperature
- 100 grams oat or soy milk at room temperature
- 60 grams stable vegan butter** chilled
Beurrage
- 340 grams stable vegan butter** chilled
- 34 grams all-purpose flour
Brushing
- 3 tablespoons vegan cream
Instructions
Détrempe
Start by making the dough. In a large bowl mix flour, salt, sugar, yeast, oat milk and water. Mix until a dough forms. If you have a stand mixer use it on low speed, fitted with the dough hook. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rest for 20 minutes. Then knead until the dough is smooth and elastic. Add the butter and knead until fully incorporated. The dough should be smooth and shiny.
Form the dough into a ball, cut the surface with a sharp knife forming a +. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled. Then put it in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Beurrage
Add the vegan butter into a large bowl, stir in the flour and using a fork mix until the butter has totally incorporated the flour. This step will prevent the butter from leaking out of the croissants as they bake in the oven. Then allow the butter to rest in the refrigerator for a few minutes until it becomes hard.
Next place the butter on a sheet of baking paper and form a 20x20 centimeters square (8x8 inches). Wrap the butter block with the baking paper and put it in the refrigerator to rest.
First lamination
Take the dough out of the fridge and form it into a 20x20 centimeters (8x8 inches) square. Lay two sheets of plastic wrap on the work surface in a cross shape, and position the dough on the intersection.
Wrap the dough rectangle while keeping its edges squared. Roll your pin over it, just like you did with the butter, ensuring the dough fills the plastic and forms an 8-inch square with straight sides and right angles. Pop it in the freezer for 20 minutes.
Remove the dough from the freezer and the butter from the fridge. Dust the work surface with flour and roll out the dough into a 40x20 cm (16x8 inches) rectangle. Place the vegan butter block in the center of the rectangle. Fold both sides of the dough over the butter towards the center and press it together along all seams, ensuring no butter is visible.
Turn the dough 90 degrees to position the center seam vertically. Roll the dough out lengthwise along the seam until it reaches a length of 60 centimeters (24 inches). Ensure that the width of the dough remains 20 centimeters (8 inches) throughout the rolling process. With a sharp knife, cut off the excess dough at the shorter ends. Square off the corners to create an evenly shaped rectangle with straight edges.
Fold the shorter sides of the rectangle towards the middle of the dough slab, ensuring the sides align seamlessly, allowing a small gap where the ends meet in the center.
Next, fold the entire slab in half crosswise along the gap at the center. This transforms the dough into a rectangular packet with four layers of dough. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Set it 20 minutes in the freezer and then 1 hour in the fridge.
Second lamination
Allow the dough to rest at room temperature for 5 minutes. Dust the work surface with flour, then roll it out into another 60x20 centimeters (32x8 inches) long slab. Perform a tri-fold on the dough, resembling the act of folding a letter. Lower the top third of the slab over the center third, then raise the bottom third up and over. Turn the dough 90 degrees, wrap the square tightly in plastic wrap, freeze for 15 minutes, then refrigerate for 1 hour.
Let the dough sit at room temperature for 5 minutes, then roll it out into a 30x35 centimeters (12x14 inches) slab. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Freeze for 20 minutes, then chill overnight (8 to 12 hours).
Shaping & Proofing
Let the dough sit at room temperature for 5 minutes, then roll it out to 45x35 centimeters (17x14 inches). With a sharp knife cut the shorter sides, creating a rectangle that’s 40x35 centimeters (16x14 inches) long.
Next cut the rectangle into four 10x35 centimeters (4x14 inches) rectangles. Separate the rectangles so that they do not touch, then cut each rectangle diagonally, creating 2 triangles.
Starting at the base of each triangle, roll up the dough, making sure the tip of each triangle ends up tucked under the croissant to hold its shape. Transfer onto a baking tray lined with baking paper leaving some space between each croissant (they will double in size).***
Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow them to rise until doubled in size. This will take around 2-3 hours at 25 degrees Celsius (77 Fahrenheit).
Preheat the oven to 190 Celsius (375 Fahrenheit). Brush the croissants with vegan cream, then bake for about 25-30 minutes in the middle of the oven, until they are golden and crispy. Allow to cool down briefly and serve right away.
Notes
** Use non-spreadable vegan butter, it should turn hard when chilled. Opting for vegan cultured butter is even better—it adds a hint of tanginess to the croissants, making them extra special. As an example, check out Myoko's cultured vegan butter. Try to find something similar.
*** Once the croissants have been formed we have 3 different options for baking them.
We can let them rise and bake them right away, as explained in the recipe above. We can opt for a longer proofing done partly at room temperature and partly in the refrigerator or we can freeze them and bake them another day.
To extend the proving time, let the croissants rise for 1 hour at room temperature covered loosely with plastic wrap. Then place the tray in the refrigerator and allow them to rise for 12 hours. After 12 hours they should be doubled in size and ready for baking. If you want to bake them sooner simply remove the tray from the refrigerator and finish the rising at room temperature.
If you want to bake them another day instead, once the croissants are formed freeze them on a sheet of baking paper, then place them in an airtight container. The night before serving remove them from the freezer, place them on a baking sheet covered with baking paper and let them rise overnight at room temperature covered with plastic wrap. In the early morning, heat the oven and bake them as explained in the recipe.
Nutrition
Calories: 557kcalCarbohydrates: 57gProtein: 7gFat: 34gSaturated Fat: 19gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 2gCholesterol: 73mgSodium: 519mgPotassium: 107mgFiber: 2gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 890IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 33mgIron: 3mg
Keyword Croissants
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