Vegan Dinner Rolls (Healthy, Whole Wheat Rolls)

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Soft and pillowy on the inside, golden brown on the outside, this whole wheat vegan dinner rolls recipe is the ultimate healthy side dish. Once you try these mouth-watering vegan bread rolls, you’ll never be able to look at store-bought rolls the same way again!

Let’s get one thing straight before we dive into this glorious recipe. These are not the whole wheat dinner rolls you’ve tried in the past. You know, the ones with a reputation of being dry, dense, and generally unappealing? If that sounds anything like the whole wheat buns you’ve endured before, have I got a treat for you.

These quick healthy dinner rolls are soft and pillowy on the inside, yet perfectly golden brown on the outside. Not only are these fluffy dinner rolls beyond delicious, but they bake in just 15 minutes with the majority of the prep time being hands-off as they rise in the fridge before baking. That’s one of the many reasons why this is one of my favorite dinner roll recipes of all time!

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After being consistently let down by store-bought buns, I finally decided to make them from scratch. Now that I have, I’ll never do it any other way. This vegan bread roll recipe is easy to make, healthier than the store-bought versions, and way more fun to eat.

Serve them alongside your favorite pasta dishes, soups, and salads for an ultra-satisfying meal that you’ll be dying to enjoy again and again. Whether you’re enjoying a family dinner or hosting a dinner party, these delicious vegan dinner rolls are guarantee to be a hit!

👩🏽‍🍳 Why This Recipe Works

• Easy and healthy recipe
• Soft and fluffy rolls
• Golden brown exterior
• Bakes in just 15 minutes
• Made with simple ingredients
• Kid-friendly
• Can be made gluten-free
• Best vegan dinner rolls ever!

🥘 Ingredients

For the full list of ingredients and exact measurements for these vegan yeast rolls, check out the recipe card below!

• Whole Wheat Flour: Any whole wheat flour you prefer will work fine for these easy vegan dinner rolls. If you want lighter bread, you can try using a combination of equal parts whole wheat flour and regular all-purpose flour.
• Instant Yeast: This is my personal preference, but you could use active dry yeast in its place if that’s what you have at home. If you choose to use dry yeast over rapid rise yeast, just keep in mind that you may need to give the dough more time to rise.
• Soy Milk: When mixed into bread dough, milk adds flavor and enriches the dough, helping it develop a softer texture and more golden crust. You can swap out the soy milk for another vegan milk like almond milk or coconut milk if preferred.
• Oil: This acts as a tenderizer in bread dough and enhances both the texture and moisture. Feel free to swap it out with refined coconut oil or avocado oil if needed.
• Brown Sugar: Because the bran included in whole wheat flour can result in a slightly bitter taste, we balance it out with a subtle touch of sweetness. You can use brown sugar or pure maple syrup for these vegan bread rolls.
• Salt: A small amount of salt helps the bread to rise more slowly, leading to a more developed flavor and bread structure.

📖 Variations

• Choose Your Toppings: Switch up this vegan dinner roll recipe with toppings! I love topping this bread with sesame seeds, rolled oats, or pumpkin seeds depending on what I’m in the mood for. You can use any combination of seeds and oats that you like for some added texture and flavor.
• Flour Swap: Don’t have whole wheat bread flour? Feel free to use regular all-purpose flour in its place. For a gluten-free dinner roll recipe, swap for your favorite gluten-free flour.
• Not Vegan: If you’re not worried about keeping this bread recipe vegan, you can use whole milk and regular butter in place of the vegan alternatives we use here.
• Add Compound Butter: For tons of rich and delicious flavor, try brushing the tops of your dinner rolls with compound butter before baking them. You can make your own at home by mixing softened vegan butter (I like Earth Balance), fresh chopped herbs, and minced garlic. Alternatively, try swapping the vegan butter for olive oil!
• Fun With Seasonings: A delicious and easy way to switch up this easy vegan yeast rolls recipe is by adding a few of your favorite seasonings to the mix. This could mean adding some garlic powder to the dough or topping the vegan rolls off with sea salt or everything bagel seasoning. Yum!

🔪 Instructions

Mix Dry Ingredients: Mix the flour, sugar, salt, and instant yeast in a large bowl.

Mix Wet + Dry Ingedients: Add the oil and milk to the yeast mixture and mix until just combined.

Knead Dough: Transfer the dough from the large mixing bowl onto a floured surface and knead for 4-5 minutes to activate the yeast. Form into a ball.

First Rise: Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap. For the first time the dough rises, let it rise in a warm area for 1 -2 hours until it doubles in size.

Cut Dough: Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces and shape it into little balls.

Prep Dough Balls: Place the prepared balls onto a baking dish or pan (I used a baking sheet).

Second Rise: Cover with a kitchen towel and let it rise for another 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 370ºF / 180ºC 10 minutes before baking. After the dough has risen for 1 hour, using a pastry brush, brush the dinner rolls with melted butter or soy milk and sprinkle with your chosen toppings.

Bake: Bake the homemade rolls in your preheated oven for 15 minutes until brown on top.

Cool & Serve: Let the rolls cool down for 10 minutes in a pan and then transfer on a cooling rack to cool completely. Serve these whole wheat vegan dinner rolls warm, or at room temperature. Store in an airtight container or wrapped tightly in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 3 days.

❓Recipe FAQs

💭 Expert Tips

• Rise time is everything and patience is the key to soft and fluffy vegan dinner rolls. It’s essential to let the dough rise at room temperature (in a warm place) both before and after forming it into your dough balls.
• As with any baking recipe, I highly recommend using a kitchen scale to measure your dry ingredients if you can. This is the best way to get accurate portions which will ultimately lead to the best vegan bread rolls.
• Yeast thrives when it’s in a warm place, so make sure your soy milk is lukewarm before mixing it into your dough. You can achieve warm milk by leaving it on the counter for 10-15 minutes or microwaving it for 15-30 seconds.
• Make sure you’re using melted vegan butter (rather than pulling it straight from the fridge) to brush these easy dinner rolls with. You can easily melt it by placing the butter in a small saucepan or cast-iron skillet and heating it until melted.

🍞 More Vegan Bread Recipes!

• Vegan Fruit Loaf
• Vegan Arepas
• Vegan Zucchini Muffins
• Healthy Pumpkin Scones
• Vegan French Toast
• Vegan Graham Crackers

📋 Recipe Card