Thanksgiving Vegan Dinner Rolls Recipe (2024)

This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.

Best ever light and fluffy Thanksgiving Vegan Dinner Rolls recipe Italian style, perfect for the holiday table, Christmas dinner and any night of the week. Who can resist afreshly baked bread roll?!

Jump to Recipe

Vegan Dinner Rolls

Made from scratch with only 5 ingredients, these easy homemade dinner rolls are like a hybrid between a croissant and a brioche. Sugar, egg and dairy-free, fluffy on the inside, golden on the outside with the perfect thin bottom crust, these rolls are simply irresistible .

Recipe Tips

Make sure your yeast isn’t expired!
Use warm, full fat coconut or cashew milk, don’t worry you won’t taste any coconut at all.
The dough should be sticky, slightly stick to the bottom of the mixer bowl but not to the sides.
After the first rise take good care not to overwork the dough. DO NOT KNEAD a second time or your rolls will become too dense. Simply cut and shape by folding the dough onto itself as shown in the how to video below.
Allow the rolls to rise a second time in the same pan you are going to bake them in until almost doubled in size.
The rolls are done when lightly golden brown on top. I cook mine for 15 minutes inside a cast iron skillet on top of my pizza stone that lives in my oven.
Crust Tip: In order to achieve a nice crisp crust on the bottom of your rolls make sure to cook them in a cast iron skillet or pan. It’s very important that you also allow them to cool off inside the same pan after removing from oven.
Brush with olive oil for that shiny golden finish reminiscent of your favorite Italian restaurant.

Thanksgiving Rolls Dough Ingredients

all purpose flour (or bread flour)
instant yeast
full fat coconut or cashew milk
olive oil
sea salt

How to Shape Dinner Rolls

After the first rise of the dough use a serrated knife to cut the dough into 12 equal pieces. DO NOT KNEAD. Lightly oil your hands and fold each piece of dough onto itself tucking underneath until a round roll is formed. Place inside the pan you are going to bake it in. Watch the video below for the step by step instructions.

Make Ahead & Freezing the Dough

Yes you may freeze the dough balls after the first rise and after shaping them into rolls. Once frozen solid you can store in a plastic bag until ready to bake. Remove from the freezer, place inside a seasoned cast iron baking pan and allow to thaw and rise at room temperature until approximately doubled in size. Bake according to recipe instructions below.

Serving suggestions

mushroom gravy
soups and stews
vegan sausage gravy
butter & jelly
mushroom Wellington
vegan white bean soup
cranberry sauce
creamed spinach
black beans
tomato sauce
vegan mashed potatoes
vegan holiday roast.

How to Make the Best Vegan Dinner Rolls

5 from 4 votes

Vegan Dinner Rolls

Best ever light and fluffy Vegan Dinner Rolls recipe Italian style, perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas and any night of the week.

Print Recipe

Prep Time:10 minutes mins

Cook Time:15 minutes mins

Rise time::1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Total Time:1 hour hr 40 minutes mins

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tbsp instant dry yeast
3/4 cup full fat coconut milk warm
3 tbsp olive oil + more for brushing
1/2 tsp sea salt
Fleur de Sel sea salt flakes for garnish

Instructions

Add the flour, yeast and salt to the bowl of your Kitchen Aid mixer and combine. Pour in the coconut milk and olive oil.
2 cups all purpose flour, 1/2 tbsp instant dry yeast, 3/4 cup full fat coconut milk, 1/2 tsp sea salt, 3 tbsp olive oil
Using the dough hook knead the dough on low speed for 5 minutes or until a sticky smooth dough forms. It should be sticking to the bottom of the bowl but not to the sides.
Cover the bowl with a tea towel and allow to rise at room temperature for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Dump out the dough onto your kitchen counter. Use your hand or a spatula to help it out if needed. DO NOT KNEAD the dough again.
Using a serrated knife cut the dough into 12 fairly equal pieces.
Use your hands (lightly oiled if needed) and carefully fold each piece of dough onto itself creating a miniature round loaf (See the how to video above). Place all the rolls in a 10 -12 inch cast iron skillet without touching each other.
Cover with the tea towel again and allow to rise another 30 minutes. (If you live in a cold climate you might need to increase the second rise to one hour or more until the rolls have almost doubled in size).
Meanwhile preheat your oven to 400”F.
Bake your dinner rolls in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown on top. Do your best not to overcook them so the center stays fluffy and moist.
Remove the rolls from the oven and lightly brush with some olive oil.
Sprinkle with the sea salt flakes and allow to cool in the cast iron skillet. This step will ensure a nice crisp crust forms on the bottom of each roll.
Fleur de Sel sea salt flakes

Video

Notes

You can easily double the recipe to make 24 rolls by simply doubling the ingredients.
A ceramic pan can be used instead of the cast iron, make sure to lightly oil the bottom or line with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
Add 1 tbsp of fresh rosemary or caraways seeds to the dough for different flavors.
If you happen to have pizza stone inside the oven, feel free to leave it in there and place the pan with the rolls on top of it. This will give your rolls an even crisper irresistible bottom.

Nutrition

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: dinner rolls, plant based, Thanksgiving, vegan,

Servings: 12 rolls

Calories: 135kcal

Author: Florentina