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    Home » Recipes » All Recipes

    Published: Apr 21, 2021 · Modified: Mar 25, 2022 by carlocao · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads

    How To Make The Best Vegan Croissants

    Diesen Beitrag gibt es auch auf: Deutsch

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    image of croissants cut in half

    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 the best vegan croissants EVER!

    Image of  croissants baked on a tray

    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.

    Image of a croissant with a bite in it

    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).

    Image of  the ingredients needed for the croissants: yeast, flour, water, salt and sugar.

    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.

    Image of a croissant getting brushed with water.

    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!).

    Image of  a croissant getting brushed with oat cream

    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.
    Image of croissants baked on a tray

    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 try this recipe...

    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 #vegaliciously on Instagram. Cheers, friends!

    How to make the best vegan croissants

    This recipe is super easy! You'll learn how to make the best vegan croissants in a matter of a few hours! Let’s do it!
    4.96 from 50 votes
    Print Recipe Rate Recipe
    Prep Time: 30 minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes
    resting time: 3 hours 30 minutes
    Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes
    Course: Breakfast
    Cuisine: French
    Keyword: croissant, margarine
    Servings: 10 Croissants
    Author: Carlo Cao

    Ingredients

    • 500 g all-purpose flour ((4 cups))
    • 3 tbsp sugar
    • 1 tbsp salt
    • 1 package dry yeast
    • 300 ml water ((1 ⅕ cups))
    • 2 tbsp oat cream (soy milk or maple syrup work too)
    • 250 g stable margarine (NOT spreadable!) ((1 cup ))

    Instructions

    • Start by making the dough. In a bowl mix flour, sugar, salt, yeast and water. Knead until the dough is elastic and smooth.
    • Set the dough into a bowl, cover and allow to rest for 30 minutes in the fridge.
    • Meanwhile prepare the margarine block. Cut the margarine into thick slices and place them side by side onto a sheet of baking paper to form a 20 x 20 cm (8 x 8 inches) square. Then wrap the margarine with the baking paper (see pictures above) and using a rolling pin, roll out the butter into a perfectly levelled 20 x 20 cm (8 x 8 inches) square. Set in the fridge.
    • Take the dough out of the fridge and form it (using our hands) into a 25 x 25 cm (10 x 10 inches) square.
    • Use a rolling pin to roll it out into a 45 x 25 cm (18 x 10 inches) rectangle.
    • Place the block of margarine on one side of the rectangle.
    • Fold the other side of the dough up and over the margarine.
    • Now gently roll out the dough forming a rectangle of 45 x 25 cm (18 x 10 inches).
    • Grab the bottom of the dough and fold it ¾ of the way up the rectangle. Then take the top half and fold it the remaining ¼ of the way until both ends meet.
    • Then fold the long part over the short one, making a long rectangle.
    • Wrap the rectangle in baking paper and let it rest for 1 hour in the fridge.
    • Unpack the dough and roll it out forming a large 60 x 25 cm (24 x 10 inches) rectangle.
    • Grab the bottom of the dough and fold it ⅓ of the way up the rectangle.
    • Then take the top half and fold it over so that it covers completely the other one.
    • You should now have a square. Wrap it in baking paper and set in the fridge for 1 hour.
    • Then use a rolling pin to shape slowly and carefully the dough into a 30 x 50 cm (12 x 20 inches) rectangle.
    • Cut the dough into 10 triangles. Then starting at the base of each triangle, begin rolling, making sure the tip of each triangle ends up tucked under the croissant to hold in place.
    • Transfer to a baking tray lined with baking paper. Be aware, they will double in size so leave some space between each croissant.
    • Brush the croissants with soy milk or water, put them in the oven and close it. Allow to rise for 1 hour or until they've doubled in size.
    • Brush the croissants with oat cream (or maple syrup/soy milk).
    • Preheat the oven to 200 °C (390 °F) and bake the croissants for 15 minutes in the middle of the oven. Bake until the croissants are golden and crispy.
    • Allow to cool and ENJOY!
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Thi says

      June 24, 2022 at 9:35 pm

      Hi Carlo.
      This recipe looks fantastic. It's difficult finding stable vegan margarine where I'm from. There is only the spreadable widely available. Do you have any suggestions on how I can still make these?
      Thank you!

      Reply
    2. Tomasz Michałowski says

      May 14, 2022 at 10:56 pm

      I had to spend decades to look for online, only website unfold the fully details, bookmarked and many thanks.

      Reply
    3. Chloe says

      March 08, 2022 at 12:30 pm

      5 stars
      I made these and they came out really well! The only step where I stumbled was when it came to putting the croissants in the oven to prove - after two hours, they had still not even started rising and I feared a day of tending to my pastry had been scuppered!

      After some quick and fretful googling, I covered the croissants with lightly oiled clingfilm and set them near a radiator for an hour, which did the trick! The clingfilm is not essential; a clean, damp tea towel would probably work too. The main things to consider are keeping them moist and providing a heat source to activate the yeast.

      Anyway, bottom line is - don't panic if they don't rise! There are things you can do - hope this helps.

      Reply
      • carlocao says

        March 08, 2022 at 12:45 pm

        Hi Chloe, thank you for your comment 🙂 The rising time is different from kitchen to kitchen depending on the temperature you have. So it's totally possible that your croissants needed more time than mine to rise 😀 I'm happy you liked them and that the recipe was a success!

        Reply
    4. Maria & Sons says

      February 21, 2022 at 2:53 pm

      4 stars
      So excited for this recipe and super clear steps! Our croissants (first ones for boys' with dairy, egg and nut allergies) came out well and were fun to make. Next time (there will be a next), I'd bake in a hotter oven so they get crispier. Thank you for the great directions!!

      Reply
    5. Robert says

      February 17, 2022 at 7:02 pm

      Your dough looks so well done!

      Reply
    6. Alexa Larocque says

      February 17, 2022 at 6:14 pm

      What is stable margarine vs spreadable? how do I know the difference

      Reply
      • carlocao says

        February 18, 2022 at 10:17 am

        hi Alexa, stable margarine gets rock hard when in the fridge, while spreadable margarine stays spreadable even if cold. I hope this helps 🙂

        Reply
    7. Nolo says

      December 25, 2021 at 3:22 am

      5 stars
      Really good recipe. Easy to follow and turns out amazing

      Reply
    8. Marta says

      October 22, 2021 at 9:45 am

      Thanks for sharing the recipe, will try it out!
      How many grams of yeast does one package contain? I'm guessing it can differ between countries etc. 🙂

      Reply
    9. Dani says

      August 19, 2021 at 5:02 am

      5 stars
      Sounds amazing, I've made croissants a few years ago, but I wasn't vegan at the time. Now, being vegan for a little over 5 years, I think I must try your recipe.
      I am so exited!!

      Reply
      • carlocao says

        September 01, 2021 at 8:50 am

        Hi Dani! Please let me know how they turn out :)!

        Reply
    10. Gabrielle says

      August 03, 2021 at 4:20 pm

      5 stars
      Can’t wait to make this!! Amazing recipe!

      Reply
      • carlocao says

        August 04, 2021 at 6:14 am

        Gabrielle, please let me know how they turn out once you make them! I'd love to hear your feedback! Hugs, Carlo

        Reply

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