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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 the best vegan croissants EVER!
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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
Leave a comment
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!
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📖 Recipe/Rezept
How to make the best vegan croissants
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!
Hayley says
Unfortunately this didn't work for me at all. They barely rose after being in the oven for over an hour and a half (probably closer to two hours). I decided to bake them anyway without them rising because I figured they wouldn't rise at all if they hadn't already. I thought they would raise in the oven and get nice and fluffy like regular croissants, but instead they stayed the same shape and I ended up with a pool of butter at the bottom of my pan. This overcooked the bottom of them, and it's basically a dense, much-too-buttery thing that I'd consider only a halfway pastry. However, this was my first time making croissants, and the issue could have been the type of butter I was using or a number of other problems. They taste okay, but not as good as I was hoping. Any tips would be fantastic:)
carlocao says
Hi Hayley, the croissants need to raise before baking. Either your kitchen is cold and they needed more time to rise or the baking powder was dead.
Amanda says
Hi - I look forward to trying this recipe this weekend! Thanks for sharing it.
Two questions though:
1. Is that instant yeast or active yeast?
2. Could I do all the prep through and including step 18, leave the unbaked shaped croissants in the refrigerator overnight, and bake them the next day?
carlocao says
Hi Amanda,
It's active yeast. You can allow them to rise overnight just cover them with plastic foil, I'd line a baking dish with baking paper, place them on top and cover the dish with plastic foild. Then put it in the fridge to rest. If they don't rise too much in the fridge just take them out of the fridge the next day and allow them to rise before baking. I hope this helps. X Carlo
Kate Bin says
Hi there!
How many grams the package of dried yeast that you are using? It's my second time making these and my crossaints don't puff up as much as they should, so I'm thinking it could be because I'm using less yeast
Chris says
I have made these 3 times now. Really tasty and they turn out pretty well! My only issue is that a bunch of the butter melts out onto the tray and then that butter burns the bottom of the croissants. (They still maintain nice lamination and delicious taste!)
Lucia says
Hi Carlo, I have problems with the “stable” margarine. Can you please tell me the ingredients of the one you use, so I can look for something similar? I live in Italy. Thanks
Emma says
Hello! Was wondering how much a package of dry yeest is ?
carlocao says
In Switzerland the normal package has 7g of dry yeast. X, Carlo
Steve Pilarski says
Hi, what brand of vegan margarine did you use?
Thanks,
Steve
carlocao says
Hi, I used V-love vegan butter. X Carlo
Mbabazi says
Preheating the oven as I write this! It was so fun and interesting making these for the first time! I accidentally bought white flour instead of our usual whole wheat, so I thought I'd try a more delicate recipe. Thanks for this, I definitely wanna browse and try out more of your recipes. This one was good for a beginner baker like me to try! Also, they look so cute after proofing 🥺😊
with love,
mbabazi
Jai says
Today was my second time making these - and they were even better than the first!! This recipe is so clear and easy to follow, thank you Carlo!
carlocao says
Dear Jay, thank you so much for the feedback! I'm so glad you love them! Hugs, Carlo
Thi says
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!
carlocao says
Hi Thi, you only can make croissants using a plant-based butter that get's rock hard once chilled or it will end up in a disaster 🙁 maybe you can find one online? Where are you based?
Tomasz Michałowski says
I had to spend decades to look for online, only website unfold the fully details, bookmarked and many thanks.
Chloe says
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.
carlocao says
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!
Ingrid says
When I proof the croissants in the oven, I put a boil of hot water underneath the tray. This prevents them from drying out and also adds the little heat in the oven that the croissants need to rise. You might need to switch out the water after it gets cold again.
Just don't forget to take out the bowl when you bake them 😉
Also you can keep the unbaked croissants in the freezer for up to 2 or 3 weeks. You'll only need to proof them a little longer, but you can have fresh croissants every day if you like or prep ahead for your party.
carlocao says
Hi Ingrid, this is an amazing idea I've never thought of! I'm definitely giving it a try next time I make croissants. Thank you for the input.
Maria & Sons says
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!!
Robert says
Your dough looks so well done!
Alexa Larocque says
What is stable margarine vs spreadable? how do I know the difference
carlocao says
hi Alexa, stable margarine gets rock hard when in the fridge, while spreadable margarine stays spreadable even if cold. I hope this helps 🙂
Nolo says
Really good recipe. Easy to follow and turns out amazing
Marta says
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. 🙂
Dani says
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!!
carlocao says
Hi Dani! Please let me know how they turn out :)!
Gabrielle says
Can’t wait to make this!! Amazing recipe!
carlocao says
Gabrielle, please let me know how they turn out once you make them! I'd love to hear your feedback! Hugs, Carlo