I have a deep love of flaky, buttery, croissants. This is a love that hasn't been satisfied since I went vegan over 5 years ago... until now. I had considered making croissants the traditional labour intensive way but considered it is all I ever did because, seriously, who has that much time. But then it happened, I discovered the ultimate hack. Super Easy Vegan Croissants are not a myth, they are real!
See, there's photo evidence. ↑↓
What is the magical secret?? PUFF PASTRY! Did you know that a lot (like most) store-bought brands of puff pastry are accidentally vegan? It's true, just take a gander at the ingredients and you will see. Puff pastry is made with tons of layers designed to become flaky and puffy. See where I'm going with this? This recipe is not even a recipe because it's literally just like "buy some puff pastry, roll it into croissants". Yeah, it's almost TOO easy.
The beauty of this easy hack for vegan croissants is that you can not only easily make plain croissants, but you can also stuff them with all sorts of delicious things. I stuffed some of mine with vegan cheddar cheese, and others with chocolate. You could also try vegan nutella or any other scrumptious ideas you have. These are so easy to make you can make them on a lazy Sunday and serve warm from the oven for the ultimate weekend brunch.
To make Super Easy Vegan Croissants: lightly flour a clean work surface. My puff pastry came in two blocks. Taking one block of puff pastry at a time, roll it out to a rectangle about 10" high x 16" wide. Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut the puff pastry into 3 tall rectangles, then cut each rectangle diagonally from corner to corner so that you have 6 triangles.
For plain vegan croissants: roll up the triangles tightly from the wide end of the triangle to the point.
For stuffed croissants: put a bit of your filling along the wide end of a triangle. Roll up the triangle tightly around the filling.
Repeat with the remaining block of puff pastry to make 12 croissants total.
Space the croissants out on the parchment paper lined baking tray bending them into a crescent shape. Mix together the plant-based milk and maple syrup in a small bowl. Liberally brush the tops of all of the croissants with the mixture, and also use it to glue down the points of the croissants. This will help them get golden in the oven. Bake 22 to 27 minutes until lightly golden and browned on the bottom.
Serve warm or cooled with jam if desired. SO YUMMY!
Super Easy Vegan Croissants
Ingredients
For the vegan croissants:
- all-purpose flour for rolling
- 1 397g box frozen puff pastry, thawed (check to make sure it's vegan)
- 1 tablespoon plant-based milk (such as soy or almond)
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or agave
Optional fillings:
- vegan chocolate chips
- Melty Stretchy Gooey Vegan Nacho Cheese or store-bought vegan cheese
- vegan nutella
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F (180C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Lightly flour a clean work surface. My puff pastry came in two blocks. Taking one block of puff pastry at a time, roll it out to a rectangle about 10" high x 16" wide. Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut the puff pastry into 3 tall rectangles, then cut each rectangle diagonally from corner to corner so that you have 6 triangles. For plain vegan croissants: roll up the triangles tightly from the wide end of the triangle to the point. For stuffed croissants: put a bit of your filling along the wide end of a triangle. Roll up the triangle tightly around the filling. Repeat with the remaining block of puff pastry to make 12 croissants total.
- Space the croissants out on the parchment paper lined baking tray bending them into a crescent shape. Mix together the plant-based milk and maple syrup in a small bowl. Liberally brush the tops of all of the croissants with the mixture, and also use it to glue down the points of the croissants. This will help them get golden in the oven. Bake 22 to 27 minutes until lightly golden and browned on the bottom.
Nutrition
Bon appetegan!
Sam.
I had a hankering for vegan croissants and managed to remember to take some puff pastry out of the freezer last night. I made croissants out of half of the package and cut the others into squares, spread some raspberry jam on and sealed up the edges and baked them exactly the same as the croissants. They were amazing Sam! Another winner!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you for all that you do!
Ok, let me get a bit mathematical here.
Sam's puff pastry came in 2 blocks of 198.5g each (totaling 397g).
She rolled each block into a 10"x16" rectangle, which is 160 square inches in area.
If each block has 198.5, that means it's 1.24g per square inch.
The reason I'm saying this is because store-bought puff pastry that comes already rolled is usually not that thin! Check the area of your puff pastry and the weight, and if it's more than 1.24g per square inch, you'll need to roll the pastry more. Otherwise, it won't cook properly (like many here are complaining about).
They look right, but dont cook properly in the middle and the taste isnt right.
Hello-
Which brand(s) of vegan puff pastry would you recommend?
Thanks!
Doug
This was perfect as I had a box of puffed pastry left in the freezer from the holidays. I had some left over kite hill cube cream cheese so I used that. So delicious. And easy. I only had sweetened soy milk at home so I didn’t add any sweetener to the glaze. I’ll definitely be doing this again
Wonderful! So happy you enjoyed!
This looks great! How should I store them, and how long are they good for?
I wouldn’t make too many at a time. I made one of my two sheets and finished it in 3 days. Stored in a plastic bag left over from produce. 3 days was pushing it. With the other sheet I brought it to a small gathering and everyone loved the little finger food ( I made those half size. All better warm and on the first day.
Also, you should check to see if the puff pastry (and any product for that matter) is from a Sustainable Palm oil source, as many aren't. Puff pastry contains a high amount of saturated fat, which if around 50%, is most likely palm oil, listed as one of its many psuedonyms. If it isn't sustainable there are many major negative environmental effects such as deforestation, loss of biodiversity and habitat that most consumers aren't aware of.
Yes, absolutely! Great tip 🙂
I have tried this several times with ready-made puff pastry and they did not turn out very good, but your pictures look so nice I may have to risk wasting yet another box of puff pastry! I can't wait! C'est la vie! Haha!
Oh no I wonder what went wrong? Maybe try a different brand of puff pastry next time. 🙂
Not sure what went wrong with mine but after 27 minutes the rolls were uncooked on the inside
It sounds like your puff pastry might have been too thick or your oven temperature might have been off. Hope that helps!
My teen son (who has several food allergies) and I just made these for a dessert for his French Club party. We used Enjoy Life dark chocolate chips for the filling. For us they baked in exactly 25 minutes They were delicious and couldn’t be easier. Will be making these again!
Wonderful! So happy you enjoyed, Kristin 🙂
Sam, I made these croissants for a Sunday morning treat, stuffing them with vegan chocolate chunks!!! My husband and I ate them up! And they really were easy. Thank you for realizing that, every once in a while, even people who are committed to eating better like to have a treat. I love your cookbook; I share your recipes and blog with everyone who will listen to me. Keep up the awesome work!!!!
Haha that's wonderful, Becky! So happy you enjoyed the croissants so much 😀
I wonder if you could use phyllo dough to make something akin to a croissant?. There is at least one company that makes organic, vegan phyllo dough containing no additives or preservatives.
Phyllo dough is very different than puff pastry. You're welcome to give it a try but the results will be very different. 🙂
The croissants sound absolutely yummy and easy. Do you know if there is a gluten free puff pastry around?
Thanks. Bobbie
Hmmm I had a google around and couldn't find anything that was both gluten-free and vegan, unfortunately. There are several recipes, but that wouldn't make for easy croissants.
Why would a vegan want to eat pre-made pastry sheets filled with all kinds of chemicals and added sugar that is not healthy?
The same reason a non-vegan would want to eat a buttery croissant- it's delicious. Not all vegans are worried about health all the time, it's nice to enjoy treats as well.
I literally cheated yesterday and ate a croissant! I can’t wait to make these!! I immediately sent this recipe to my vegan bro and SIL and they are excited to make them too.
Croissants ARE delicious! Sometimes it’s okay to indulge and bounce back. Thank you for sharing!
You're most welcome, Helen. I hope you enjoy them!
Great answer. You’re the best, Sam!
Haha, thank you, Steph!
Amen! I’m vegan because I don’t want to eat animals. I still try to eat on the healthy side but heck, I’m human and love you vegan goodies!!
why not tho?
Veganism is a moral philosophy not a health diet...
Ditto! Well said.