Vegan French Croissant Recipe - Veganosity (2024)

Making homemade croissants can take a full day or two, but it's so worth the time it takes, plus it's pretty easy and quite satisfying to make them.

If you like flaky bread recipes, such as our Homemade Vegan Buttermilk Biscuits, then you're going to love these.

Measurements are included in the recipe card.

• Vegan Butter - We recommend using Miyoko's Cultured Vegan Butter or Earth Balance sticks. Miyoko's has an authentic dairy butter flavor, but it's more expensive than Earth Balance. Don't use spreadable butter in a tub as it contains more water, which could prevent the croissants from developing flaky layers.
• Flour - Bread flour is best for making croissants because it has more gluten, and that will help the croissants develop the best texture. You can use all-purpose flour if you must, but bread flour is best.
• Sugar - We recommend using caster sugar because it's ground into a fine almost powdery texture. This will help the croissants stay light and airy. You can put granulated sugar in a blender or food processor to make caster sugar.
• Yeast - Use active dry yeast for best results.

Step One - Proof the Yeast

Heat the vanilla flavored milk (you can use soy milk, almond milk, or any plant-based milk you like) in the microwave for twenty seconds.

Pour the milk into a room temperature shallow bowl and pour the active dry yeast on top of the milk and stir it for a couple of seconds.

Allow the milk and yeast to proof for approximately five minutes, or until the yeast begins to foam and bubble.

The yeast must foam in order for the croissants to turn out. If the yeast does not foam check the expiration date of the yeast and try again with a fresh package.

It should look like the photo above.

Step Two - Make the Croissant Dough

Put the proofed yeast into a stand mixer and pour the remaining milk into the mixing bowl, along with the caster sugar, and mix briefly to combine.

In a separate bowl, sift the flour to remove any lumps and in quarter cup increments slowly add the flour to the mixing bowl and mix with a dough attachment until the dough is soft and sticky.

Please Note: The amount of flour you have to use can vary. The amount of flour we usually end up using is somewhere between 2 ¼ cups and 2 ½ cups.

After the dough becomes soft and sticky, add the salt and mix to combine.

Step Three - Knead the Dough

Sprinkle a quarter of a cup of the flour onto a clean smooth work surface and prepare a plate that is dusted with about 1 tablespoon of flour.

Place the dough onto the floured surface and knead it for approximately two minutes. Sprinkle with more flour if necessary.

Step Four

Form the dough into a ball. If the ball starts to fall slightly the dough was made correctly.

Step Five

Place the dough on a plate and cut an X into the top of the dough and sprinkle another tablespoon of flour on top of the dough, wrap it in plastic and place it in the refrigerator.

Let the dough rest in the fridge for at least one hour.

Step Six - Prepare the Butter for Lamination

Take the butter out of the refrigerator and bring it between chilled and room temperature.

In the mixer, beat the butter on medium until it is completely smooth. This should only take about a minute or two.

Add 2 tablespoons of flour to the butter and beat until it's fully combined.

Remove the butter from the mixer and place it on a floured surface and shape it into a 4 inch x 4 inch square.

Wrap the butter in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge to cool. The butter-flour block should be hard to the touch when you take it out of the fridge.

Step Seven

Once the dough has been chilled for an hour, remove it from the refrigerator and place it on a lightly floured surface.

Now, get ready to fold the dough in interesting ways.

First, roll the dough out so that the center has enough room to hold the 4x4 inch butter square.

Try to roll it into a large square, twice as large as the block of butter.

Step Eight

Place the butter block in the center of the dough.

Step Nine

Fold one side of the dough over the butter, as shown above.

Step Ten

Fold another side of the dough over the butter, as shown above.

Step 11

Fold the third side over the butter, as shown above.

Step Twelve

Fold the last side over the butter, as shown above.

Step Fourteen

Now it's time to begin folding the butter and dough several times to create layers in the croissants. This is called lamination.

Roll the dough into an 18 X 10-inch rectangle.

Step Fifteen and Sixteen

Now it's time to fold the rectangle into a thick square.

Imagine the rectangle as three sections. Fold the first one third section of the dough toward the middle and follow that with the second third.

Lightly roll the dough with the rolling pin so the layers stick together.

It will look like the photos above.

Wrap the dough in plastic and chill in the refrigerator for 90 minutes.

Step Seventeen

Remove the dough from the fridge and roll it back out into another long rectangle.

One more time, fold the dough into thirds like you did in steps 15 and 16 and chill the dough in the refrigerator overnight, or for a minimum of six hours.

Step Eighteen

Once the dough has chilled overnight, remove it from the refrigerator and roll it out into a rectangle that is ten inches long and as wide as you can roll it out.

Cut the dough into triangles that have a base of approximately four to five inches, depending on how large you want your shaped croissants to be.

Step Nineteen

Gently stretch the triangles until they’re a couple of inches longer.

Step Twenty/Twenty One

Starting from the widest side of the triangle, roll the triangles into crescent roll shapes.

Step Twenty Two

Place the croissants in a warm location and let them rise until they double in size, this should take approximately two hours.

Transfer the croissants to a parchment paper lined baking sheet and brush them with a vegan egg wash or plant-based milk.

Bake them in a completely preheated 400°F (204°C) for ten minutes, then lower the temperature to 375°F (190°C) and bake for approximately 15 minutes or they're lightly golden brown.

Serving and Storage

Serve for breakfast with our Vegan Lemon Curd or your favorite jam and our vegan Maple Pecan Latte or a cup of tea.

They're great for making sandwiches, especially with our Easy Vegan Breakfast Sandwich recipe.

Add your favorite dried herbs and spices to the dough when you're mixing it for a savory croissant.

If you want to make a chocolate croissants, otherwise known as pain au chocolat, spread melted chocolate on the dough before rolling them up.

Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Freeze in a freezer safe container for up to 2 months.

Can you use margarine instead of butter to make croissants?

Vegan butter is made from vegetable oil, so it's essentially margarine, which is fine to use as long as it's stable margarine. Do not use spreadable margarine as it melts too easily and won't work for this recipe.

Why are my croissants heavy and dense?

If the butter is too cold or hard during lamination it can break the dough, conversely, if it's too warm or soft, the dough will absorb it, leading to heavy dense croissants.

Why did butter leak out of the croissants while they were baking?

More than likely they didn't rise, or proof, for enough time. They should double in size before baking so the butter doesn't leak between the layers.

Can you use puff pastry to make croissants?

No, puff pastry is heavier and similar to pie crust, where croissant dough is more like bread dough.