November 16, 2022

45-Minute Vegan Dinner Rolls

Name: 45-Minute Vegan Dinner Rolls with Cinnamon Maple Butter
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 1 cup Non-dairy Milk (I used oat milk in this recipe); ¼ cup Vegan Butter (cut into 1-inch cubes); 2 Tablespoons Sugar; 2 Tablespoons Active Dry Yeast; 2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup; 1 teaspoon Salt; 4 cups Flour; ¼ cup Vegan Butter (room temperature); 1 Tablespoon Powdered Sugar; ½ Tablespoon Maple Syrup; ¼ teaspoon Vanilla; 1 teaspoon Cinnamon; 1 pinch Salt

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Step up your side dish game with these quick, fluffy 45-minute vegan dinner rolls. Made with a cinnamon maple butter, these egg- and dairy-free dinner rolls take your meal to the next level.

A close up of the golden brown tops of the vegan dinner rolls in a baking dish.

When the weather starts to take on a chill there is nothing I like to make more than comfort food. Give me all the breads, pastas, and baked goodies.

On a particularly crisp fall evening I found myself craving fresh made bread but didn’t want to spend the whole night waiting for dough to rise twice. A quick (read 30-minute) scroll through Pinterest had me convinced I could make some quality bread in under an hour to pair with Mom’s Hamburger Helper and I knew I was sold.

My first attempt at quick rolls lacked a bit of flavor and height. The next time I craved quick rolls, I swapped half the sugar for some maple syrup, gave the dough a 20 minute rest time, added some cinnamon sweet compound butter and the rest you can say is history.

A brown basket with a white and blue towel topped with vegan dinner rolls.

Why We Love These Quick Vegan Dinner Rolls

Hot buttered bread is truly one of my biggest weaknesses so it won’t take too much convincing to get me off the couch and in the kitchen to makes these delightful dinner rolls. Here are some of my top reasons you should make them right now.

Soft and fluffy. Just the way rolls are intended to be made, these quick vegan dinner rolls take on towering heights in a short amount of time.
Made in under an hour. Seriously these big, fluffy vegan rolls are ready in about 45 minutes and there isn’t much stopping me from making them nightly (except maybe my pants…)
Easy to prep for holiday baking. Since you can make, bake, freeze, and reheat these rolls they are a great candidate for baking in advance of the holiday rush! But even if you forget, they come together so quickly they can easily be made day of.

How to Make Vegan Dinner Rolls

Ingredients You’ll Need

Non-Dairy Milk- I used oat milk for the base of these vegan rolls.
Vegan Butter– Used in both the rolls and the vegan compound butter.
Sugar + Maple Syrup– Sweetens the rolls and helps to activate the yeast for soft and fluffy rolls.
Yeast– Active dry yeast works best for getting the dough to rise quickly in this recipe.
Salt– Balances out the sweetness of the dinner roll.
Flour– All purpose flour works perfectly to give structure to these light and fluffy rolls.
Cinnamon maple butter– A blend of vegan butter, powdered sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, and a pinch of salt flavor these delightful vegan rolls.

Ingredients for vegan dinner rolls on a white counter.

Step-by-Step Directions

Let’s break these easy vegan dinner rolls down into the two main steps, making the dinner roll and whipping up some cinnamon maple butter.

Vegan Dinner Rolls

Prepare for baking: Preheat the oven to 400°F and grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
Heat liquid ingredients: In a liquid measuring cup, heat non-dairy milk and plant-based butter until butter melts.
Check temperature: Using an instant-read thermometer, measure the temperature of the melted butter and non-dairy milk. You are looking for a temperature between 110°F and 115°F.
Mix yeast and sugar: In the base of a stand mixer, measure out yeast and sugar.
Activate the yeast: Pour the non-dairy milk mixture over the yeast and sugar and stir to combine. Let the yeast sit and activate for 5 minutes.
Add maple syrup: Once the yeast activates, add maple syrup.
Spoon in dry ingredients: Fitted with the dough hook attachment, turn the mixer onto low and slowly scoop the flour and salt into the mixing bowl until all of the dry ingredients are added.

A liquid measuring cup with vegan butter and non-dairy milk.

A silver mixing bowl with activated yeast.

Knead dough: Once all of the flour has been added crank the speed up and knead the dough for 4 minutes.
Divide dough: Remove the dough from the mixer and divide into 12 balls.
Roll into dinner rolls by pinching the ends and rolling the top into a dome in your hand.
Rest the rolls: Place the rolls into the prepared baking pan and cover. Allow to rest 20 minutes.
Bake 15-20 minutes in the preheated oven or until golden brown. I like to bake 15 minutes, then brush with butter and bake an additional 3 minutes to get that golden brown top.
Butter: Brush the tops with vegan butter and enjoy.

A ball of kneaded vegan dinner roll dough on a wooden counter before being divided into balls.

A white baking dish with vegan dinner rolls after resting but before baking.

Cinnamon Maple Butter

While your rolls are baking whip up this sweet and irresitable vegan compound butter.

Set out plant-based butter: Allow the vegan butter to come to room temperature.
Mix ingredients together: In a small mixing bowl stir together vegan butter, powdered sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt until well combined.
Chill to set and serve with warm dinner rolls.

Ingredients for cinnamon maple butter on a white counter.

A small glass bowl with unmixed ingredients for cinnamon maple butter on a white counter.

Dairy-Free and Vegan Changes to Dinner Rolls

Just a few simple dairy-free ingredients keep these delicious dinner rolls dairy-free and vegan.

Non-dairy Milk– I used oat milk for the base of this vegan dinner roll recipe.
Vegan Butter– I like to use Country Crock’s Plant-Based Butter sticks. I used it for both the dinner roll and the compound butter.
Maple Syrup– Used to sweeten both the dinner rolls and add a little flavor to the cinnamon maple butter.

Helpful Kitchen Tools

Make sure your kitchen is stocked and ready with all of the tools you will need to whip up these moist and fluffy vegan rolls.

Instant Read Thermometer– Used to check the temperature of the melted vegan butter and non-dairy milk to make sure it’s not too hot for the yeast.
Pastry Scraper– This tool helps cut and divide the dough into even chunks.
9×13-inch Baking Dish– I used this Staub baking pan in the photos for this recipe.

A small white plate with a sliced open dinner roll and a small bowl of cinnamon maple butter in the top left.

Serving Suggestions for Dinner Rolls

I would be lying if I didn’t say eating these rolls hot out of the oven is hands down the best way to enjoy them. That said, here are a few other ways you might want to dish them out:

Warm with butter or the cinnamon maple butter
Topped with a little jam
Set them out with your other appetizers for holiday gatherings
Serve them up with a hearty pasta dish
Dish them out with a warm bowl of soup

Storing, Freezing, and Reheating Vegan Rolls

Whether you are looking to make and keep these rolls and vegan compound butter for one day or three months, we’ve got you covered.

Storing– Once cooled, these dinner rolls will keep in an air-tight container for up to 4 days.
Freezing– For longer storage I recommend popping them into the freezer in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
Reheating– Remove the desired amount of rolls from the freezer and reheat in the microwave for about 45 seconds or until heated through.
Cinnamon Maple Butter– Keep this sweet vegan compound butter in the refrigerator for up to a month in an air-tight container.

A small white plate with a dinner roll, a small bowl of cinnamon maple butter to the left and a basket of rolls in the top right.

More Vegan Holiday Side Dish Recipes

If you tried this vegan dinner roll recipe feel free to leave a comment below! I would love to hear how it went! Or, snap a picture and share it with me on Instagram by tagging @mylifeafterdairy to share all your life after dairy adventures!

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