Soft and Fluffy Vegan Dinner Rolls. This is by far the best homemade dinner roll recipe you’ll ever make. Trust me and make extras….you’re going to want leftovers because they’re perfect to use as sandwich buns too…you know, the Thanksgiving sandwich with cranberry sauce and all the fixin’s you love. BONUS: this recipe can be made with gluten-free flour with incredible results.

Skillet with herby dinner rolls packed in tightly.

Ok…the truth is that I originally perfected this recipe (and I mean PERFECTed) as a Vegan Thanksgiving Dinner Roll…my kids were so fixated on that leftover Thanksgiving sammie.

It took me a few years to start making them all year round. DUH. These are the best Vegan Dinner Rolls. Why serve them just once a year? They’re simple, tender, savory and irresistible. A batch doesn’t last long around here. Golden, herby soft parker house type rolls…what’s not to like?

I think we enjoy them more as a sandwich roll than anything….. so easy to slather on some pesto, a few sprouts and an assortment of veggies. BAM….a super tasty lunch.

They sure are a perfect gluten-free dinner roll though. Add in a simple salad and a cozy bowl of split pea soup or chili….what a perfect healthy meal.

Ingredient Notes

Ingredient photos with labels for vegan dinner rolls: flour, almond milk, apple cider vinegar, honey, water, yeast, olive oil, salt, herbs

FLOUR: I used King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten-free Flour in these photos. You do you, any all purpose flour will work in this recipe. Use what you have.
ALMOND MILK: I used almond milk in these photos. Use what you have and what works well for your dietary needs.
APPLE CIDER VINEGAR: Vinegar enhances yeasts ability to make the dough rise, even without eggs. Substitute with white vinegar or unsweetened rice vinegar.
HONEY: If you don’t use honey, substitute with ½ maple syrup and ½ sugar of choice.
YEAST: I used active dry yeast. Rapid rise or instant yeast will also work, and may shorten the rise time by about 30 minutes, but I found them less fluffy when I used the rapid rise yeast.
OLIVE OIL: Extra virgin olive oil worked great in this recipe. I have also used avocado oil. I don’t buy processed vegetable oils, though you could probably substitute without issue.
SALT: Without the salt, the yeast will activate too quickly…making for less flavor and structure to your dough. It’s only ½ teaspoon for the entire recipe, I would recommend not skipping for best results.
HERBS: I used a combination of fresh thyme, rosemary and sage, finely chopped. You can use whatever savory spices you have. If you don’t have any fresh, use ⅓ the quantity in dried. Fresh herbs are available in pots in most grocery stores and I highly recommend buying a planted assortment to keep on a sunny windowsill. It will take you through Thanksgiving and beyond. I have one plant that’s lasted over 5 years now.

What’s not to love?

Close up of a sandwich roll stuffed with pesto and in the background a cast iron pan filled with more herby rolls.

They’re soft and fluffy…irresistible!
Meal prep friendly: freeze the dough so you can pop a batch in the oven when you want some fresh homemade rolls.
Thanksgiving dinner rolls are the perfect vessel for all your Thanksgiving leftover sandwiches.
Vegan and gluten-free rolls for those that need it…but you’d never know because they have all the taste and texture of The BEST dinner rolls.
Fresh, homemade rolls take less time and are easier to make than you think.
Exactly what you want to dunk into all your favorite healthy soups.

Yeast 4-1-1

Proofing yeast isn’t hard. It needs something to eat (honey or sugar) and the right temperature to activate it. That and some time is all you need to get the rise you need for fluffy rolls.

Temperature matters! If your liquid is too hot, it will kill the yeast. If it’s not hot enough, it won’t activate the yeast. Heating the liquid on the stove ensures the honey will melt into the liquid and it will be hot enough. Pouring it into the mixing bowl and letting it cool a bit will make sure it won’t be too hot to kill the yeast.

What’s the right water temperature?

If you have a kitchen thermometer, wait until the temperature is between 100 and 110 before sprinkling on the yeast. Without a thermometer you can use your wrist. (The same method used to heat a baby’s bottle to the correct temperature). Spoon a few drops onto the inside of your wrist. If it feels very warm (not HOT), then it’s the right temperature for proofing.

How to make the dough

Small saucepan with a yellow liquid being stirred with a wire whisk.

First you’ll want to mix the oil, water, almond milk, vinegar and honey in a small saucepan over medium heat. Use a whisk to make sure the honey melts and is fully incorporated. DO NOT BOIL. Remove from heat just before it simmers and pour into bowl of mixer.

Stainless steel bowl of stand mixer with yellow liquid. There is a thermometer reading 110.8 degrees inserted into the liquid.

The liquid should be between 100 and 110 degrees to proof the yeast. If you don’t have a thermometer, you can test the water temperature on your wrist. It should feel very warm, but not super hot.

bubbling, foamy yeast that has proofed with some yellow liquid underneath

Pour the yeast into the liquid mixture in the bowl. Stir and then leave it to proof. This is not the time to be impatient. The yeast will start to foam and bubble up in about 5 minutes. If after 5 minutes, there isn’t any action you’ll have to start again. There is no salvaging the yeast if your liquid was too hot.

proofed yeast mixture in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.

Use the paddle attachment, if you have a stand mixer. If you’re doing this by hand, start with a large bowl and a wooden spoon.

Stand mixer with paddle attachment mixing dough

Turn the mixer on low speed and then add in 2 cups of the flour. Mixture will be SUPER sticky. Alternately, continue with the wooden spoon.

Blue stand mixer making dough. Small bowl with flour and chopped fresh herbs in the foreground

Save a couple teaspoons chopped fresh herbs for the topping and add the rest plus the salt to the remaining flour. Add to the sticky dough half at a time, mixing on low after each addition. If mixing by hand, still use the wooden spoon for this step.

Stand mixer with batch of dough that has pulled away from the sides of the bowl, yet stuck onto the paddle attachment.

Continue kneading dough on low speed until soft and smooth. This is where you’ll move from the wooden spoon to your hands, if you’re not using a mixer. Dough will pull away from edges of bowl, yet stick to the paddle, when mixed enough. The perfect dough will be tacky, but not too sticky. You can add additional 1-2 Tablespoons flour if needed for dough to not stick to your hands.

Rough, shaggy looking, blob of dough on a marble counter dusted with flour.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. It will be rough in texture…some call it a shaggy textured dough.

dough shaped into a large round ball. You can see flecks of the fresh herbs in the dough and flour sprinkled onto the counter.

Knead a few times, until smooth and then shape dough into a ball.

ball of dough with light sheen from oil inside of a glass bowl

Pour 1-2 teaspoons olive oil into a large bowl. Place dough ball into bowl and roll it around until coated with the oil. Then cover with a dish towel.

Dough in a glass bowl that has risen to take up the entire bowl.

Leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size. The first rise will take about 90 minutes.

Ball of dough cut into quarters and then one of the quarters is cut into 5 equal portions.

Turn risen dough onto a lightly floured surface. It should be soft and easy to touch. Start by cutting it into 4 equal sections and then cut each quarter into 5 equal parts. You should have 20 pieces. If you made one less or more, it doesn’t really matter. The only way to get perfectly even rolls is to weigh them, they would be just over 2 oz. each. I use the eyeball method, as you can see they are not uniform in size…and that is OK!

How to make the rolls

4 photos each has a bunch of portions of dough being shaped into balls, step by step and then placing into a cast iron skillet

Get a pan ready to place the rolls into. Either use a 9 x 13 baking dish or a 12″ cast iron skillet.

Take one piece of dough, stretch and flatten it with your hands.
Then fold over the sides into the center, tucking in all the corners.
Flip it over so the smooth side is showing.
Place ball into the pan. Continue with remaining dough until pan is full.

Brush remaining Tablespoon olive oil onto tops of rolls.
Sprinkle with fresh herbs that were put aside, and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.
Cover with dish towel and let rise in pan for 30 minutes.
Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 25 minutes.

Blue dish towel inside a bowl and filled with herby dinner rolls.

How to make the rolls ahead of time

Make and shape the dough into balls up to the day before baking. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate in baking pan for 12 hours or overnight. Bring to room temperature and allow to double in size before baking as directed.

HOW TO FREEZE DINNER ROLLS TO BAKE LATER: Place shaped dough balls on a baking tray, spaced apart. Freeze for a minimum 3 hours (so they won’t stick together)and then pop into a zip top bag for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature for 3 hours and then bake as directed.

Debra’s Pro Tips

Use the same measuring cup to first measure the oil, then the honey so it slips right out.
Treat yourself to a fresh pot of herbs. They will grow beautifully in a sunny window and you’ll always have the fresh herbs you need for recipes like this.
Make sure your mixer is on low with each addition of flour to avoid a poofy mess.
If you freeze some of the dough balls, you can bake just the amount you need for super fresh rolls any time.
If your yeast isn’t bubbling after 5 minutes, toss it and begin anew. You’ll get the temperature right the next time and always there after.

📖 Recipe

Cast iron skillet filled with round herby dinner rolls.

Vegan Dinner Rolls

Author: Debra Klein

Soft and fluffy dinner rolls are easy to make with this vegan recipe. These amazing rolls taste incredible and are perfect for sammies, dipping in soup or chili and they're even meal prep friendly.

5 from 82 votes

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 25

Additional Time 2

Total Time 2 35

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Servings rolls

Calories 131 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

In small saucepan, heat ¼ cup olive oil, almond milk, water, vinegar and honey. Whisk as honey melts into liquid. DO NOT BRING TO BOIL. Turn off the heat just before mixture comes to a simmer.
Pour into bowl of stand mixer and test temperature before adding yeast. Thermometer should read between 100 and 110 degrees. OR, test using your inner wrist. Liquid should be very warm, but not hot.
Sprinkle in yeast and allow to sit for about 5 minutes. . Mixture should bubble and become foamy if it has "proofed".
Use paddle attachment to mixer and start by adding 2 cups of flour. Keep mixer on low until incorporated. . It will be very sticky.
Sprinkle in all but 2 teaspoons of the fresh herbs plus the salt to the remaining flour. Add half at a time to mixer, keeping it on low speed. Turn it up to medium until dough is soft and smooth. Dough should be tacky, but not sticky. It will pull away from the sides of the mixing bowl when it's ready.
Turn dough out onto floured surface. Shape dough into a smooth ball and place in a large greased bowl. Cover with a towel and let dough rise in a warm, draft free place until doubled in size. About 90 minutes.
Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Cut into quarters and then cut each quarter into 5 equal pieces. There should be 20 balls in total.
Shape into small balls by spreading each piece out flat, bringing all sides up and flipping over to show smooth side on the top.
Place each ball into a 9×13 baking pan or 12" cast iron skillet. Brush with remaining Tablespoon oil, sprinkle with remaining herbs and sea salt. Cover with dish towel and let rise for 30 minutes.
Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 25 minutes.
Store rolls in airtight container room temperature for 3 days, refrigerated for a week or frozen for 3 months.

Notes

HONEY: You can substitute with 2 Tablespoons maple syrup + 2 Tablespoons sugar of choice.

YEAST: 1 packet of yeast is 2 ¼ Tablespoons. Active dry yeast is preferred, but instant or rapid rise will also work. Initial rise time will be one hour with the instant.

FLOUR: I used King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten-free Flour in the photographed recipe. Any all purpose flour will work in this recipe.

HERBS: any combination of rosemary, thyme sage, oregano or parsley. Finely chopped.

For Thanksgiving rolls, I use double the herbs, with an emphasis on the thyme and sage.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 131kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 3gFat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 55mgFiber: 1gSugar: 4g

Note

The nutrition calculations were done using online tools. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients you used. You are ultimately responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information is accurate, complete and useful.

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag me @dkhealthcoach or use hashtag #dkhealtcoach on Instagram so I can see it!!

Categories

Gluten Free Holidays Side Dish Thanksgiving Vegan Almond Milk

Comments

5 from 82 votes (69 ratings without comment)

Homemade Vegan Dinner Rolls

Ingredient Notes

What’s not to love?