Vegan Croissants

Make irresistible vegan croissants from scratch! Let me show you how to make homemade French croissants - it's doable, trust me! Bring that tempting smell of a French boulangerie to your home!

Author : Aline Cueni

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Prep Time :1

Cook Time :30

Resting Time :12

Total Time :13 30

Servings : 12 Croissants

Calories : 296kcal

Ingredients

Croissant Dough

"Butter" Layer

▢ 1 cup (250 g) vegan butter cold

Vegan Egg Wash

▢ 1 tbsp oat milk or plant-based milk of choice
▢ ½ tbsp maple syrup or agave nectar

Instructions

Late Afternoon/Early Evening

Mix all-purpose flour, sugar, instant yeast, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add lukewarm milk (warmed in the microwave or over the stove - if you can stick a finger into the milk and the temperature feels good, the milk has the right temperature) and knead for 10 minutes at low speed until you have a smooth dough.
Cover with a damp kitchen towel and let it rise in a warm place for 1 hour until doubled in size.
Place the dough on a floured surface and roll it into a long rectangle (approx. 14x6 inches | 35x15cm) using a rolling pin. The rectangle should be as straight as possible, use your hands to help stretching/forming it.
Aline's Laminating Cheat Step: Cut the cold vegan butter into equal thin pieces and place them in the middle of the dough leaving approx. 1inch/2cm space on each side. → This prevents the butter from leaking when laminating and baking.
Fold the top third into the middle, then fold the upper third into the middle on top of the other.
1st Round: Roll the dough into a long rectangle, fold the top third into the middle, then fold the upper third into the middle on top of the other. Wrap with plastic wrap and place it for 30 minutes in the fridge to chill.
2nd Round: Turn the dough 90° and repeat the steps from the 1st round (↑). Place it for a further 30 minutes in the fridge.
3rd Round: Repeat the steps from the 2nd round (↑). Wrap loosely with plastic wrap and leave overnight in the fridge. → The dough will rise again overnight, don't wrap it too tight.

Next Morning

Place the dough on a floured surface and roll it out into a long rectangle. → The dough is hard, but be gentle, take your time, and don't roll with too much pressure.
Cut into 12 equally sized triangles. Cut a ½ inch (1cm) slit at the wide end of the triangle, then roll up into a croissant. Divide them between two with parchment paper lined baking sheets, cover with a damp kitchen towel, and let the croissant rest for 2 hours at room temperature. → It's important that they prove long enough, otherwise, the butter can leak during baking.
Preheat the oven to 430°F (220°C) 30 minutes before baking.
Brush each croissant with the vegan egg wash, bake the first sheet for 15 minutes until golden brown, then place on a rack to cool. Repeat with the second sheet.

Notes

Eat the croissants within one day and freeze any leftovers.
Freeze Croissants: It's best to freeze the croissants in a freezer bag right after they are cooled for up to 3 months. Reheat: Place frozen in the cold oven and bake for 15 minutes at 355°F (180°C).
Butter Leaking During Baking? It can happen that the butter is leaking during baking. If it's only a little, don't worry too much. Making perfect croissant needs a little practice. It can be that the butter was leaking during laminating, that you have tiny cracks in the dough, or that you under-proofed the croissants.
Not vegan or no vegan butter at hand? Swap the vegan butter with regular butter.