These dreamy Vegan Brioche Buns have a light, yet rich and buttery texture that is deeply satisfying. They are soft and indulgent and pair equally well with sweet and savory fillings.

Brioche bread is typically made with eggs, butter, milk, and sugar and is therefore not vegan by default. However, we’ve had great success experimenting with baking brioche without eggs. It turns out that as long as there is butter (plant-based) in the dough, and the ratio of other ingredients is just right, brioche will be rich and indulgent in flavor and texture.

This is our trusted Vegan Brioche Buns recipe that got a lot of positive feedback on our social media, so we wanted to share the full recipe here as well.

We love brioche because of its delightful combination of sweetness, buttery taste, and fluffy texture. Its ability to complement both sweet and savory flavors makes it a flexible choice, whether you’re making a classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich or indulging in a juicy burger. You can find more info about the brioche type of bread here.

Why you’ll love this Vegan Brioche Buns recipe

Fail-proof recipe – This recipe has a lot of success on social media and has been tested by several people. A part of the success relies on making the starter first giving that gluten development a jump start.
Irresistibly delicious and comforting – The soft texture gives the buns buttery richness, and slight sweetness that is irresistible.
Versatile – Perfect in savory and sweet sandwiches. For the sweet version, we love it with peanut butter and raspberry jam, butter, and any jam. For the savory version, enjoy them with a slice of cheese and plant-based cold cuts, or whatever you enjoy in your sandwich. We love a high-protein plant-based burger with these Swiss chard and quinoa patties.

Burger with vegan brioche buns, swiss chard quinoa patties, vegan cheese and red beet sour sauerkraut

Ingredients to make Vegan Brioche Buns

All-purpose flour – All purpose white flour is best for brioche bread.
Soy milk – Adds a slight sweetness to the buns, but it can be replaced with a different plant milk.
Dried instant yeast – Is easily activated with water and helps the buns to rise and develop a fluffy texture.
Sugar – Adds the signature sweetness to brioche bread.
Salt – Deepens the savory flavor and balances the sweetness.
Plant butter – Any hard plant butter will do. The package normally says if they are meant for spreading, which is not appropriate, or baking, which is appropriate for making this recipe.
Toasted sesame seeds – Sprinkle a few on the top of the brioche for extra texture and flavor.

Step-by-step instructions and key to success

Make the starter

On low heat, warm up the soy milk up to a max 37 degrees Celsius (70 Fahrenheit). Precision is important, as a higher temperature might kill the yeast.
Mix 60 grams of all-purpose flour, 120g of warmed soy milk, and 12 grams of instant yeast. This is the starter that will help to create a strong dough by giving it a jump start at developing gluten.
The starter needs to bloom for 15 to 20 minutes until it has doubled in size and gone foamy.

Make the dough and proof it

In a stand mixer with a hook attachment, mix a bloomed starter with 420 grams of all-purpose flour, 50 grams of sugar, 5 grams of salt, and 200 grams of soy milk. Mix on low heat until a dough has formed, for about 3 minutes
The key to getting the perfect texture in your vegan brioche buns is slowly incorporating the room-temperature butter. With the stand mixer running, gradually add four knobs of butter. Allow that to be incorporated into the mixture before adding more. We suggest splitting the butter knobs into four piles and adding them in four stages, allowing each addition to incorporate before adding more.
Continue mixing for another 5- 7 minutes. Make sure all butter has been well incorporated into the dough. The dough will be soft and buttery, but it should not stick to the sides of the mixing bowl – if that is the case, mix it longer. As the gluten develops, the bread will become smoother and less sticky.
Cover with a kitchen towel and set aside to rise for about 1 hour. The dough should double in size. No need to be alarmed if your dough has tripled in size, that is fine – you’ll punch it down when shaping it and letting it rise again.

dough for the vegan brioche buns before rising

vegan brioche buns dough after the first rise

Make the buns and proof them

Lightly flour a working surface, such as a kitchen countertop or a table.
Using a dough scraper, scrape the sides of the dough and place it on the working surface.
To make six buns, split the dough into six pieces – we like them 160 grams per bun. It does not matter how you cut the dough, as we’ll knead it again and let it rise.
Shape small balls. Pinch them in the bottom. They should be as smooth as possible.
Place them on a baking tray lined with a baking sheet and cover with a kitchen cloth.
Set aside to raise for the second time for cca 30-40 minutes. In this stage just need to plump up, but not double in size. The buns will continue to rise in the oven.

Making dough balls for vegan brioche buns

Bake the dough

Just before baking, give the buns a soy milk wash by brushing soy milk on top of them – little by little, leaving an inch on the bottom unbrushed. This is not a mere stylistic, it will help the sesame seeds stick on the buns, once baked.
Once brushed with milk, sprinkle a few toasted sesame seeds on top. Toasting sesame seeds is easy – throw them in a nonstick pan, with no oil, and brown them on both sides.
Bake at 200 Celsius (400 Fahrenheit) for 15 – 20 minutes. The buns are done when the bottom and top have turned light brown.

Spreading sesame seed on top of milk-washed vegan brioche buns

Storage information for vegan Brioche Buns

Store them at room temperature in a plastic bag or a bread box for three days.
Freeze baked buns for up to three months.
Stale brioche buns are perfect for a french toast or a bread pudding.

For a high-protein plant-based burger, try these buns with our Swiss chard and quinoa patties and be sure to add Fermented Red Cabbage Sauerkraut for extra texture, flavor, and gut health.

If you enjoy this recipe you might also like Easy Vegan Plum Crumble, Vegan Bacon, Easy Creamy Vegan Burrata.

Did you make this recipe? Let us know what you think. Leave us a comment and rate it by clicking the stars below – it really helps us out!

Happy cooking, and thank you for stopping by!

The Best Vegan Brioche Buns

Author: Darja

These dreamy Vegan Brioche Buns have a light, yet rich and buttery texture that is deeply satisfying. They are soft and indulgent and pair equally well with sweet and savory fillings.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1 40

Cook Time 20

Total Time 2

Course Breads

Cuisine French, vegan, Vegetariaan

Servings Buns

Equipment

1 Stand mixer with a hook attachement
1 Dough scraper
1 Large bowl
1 Small bowl

Ingredients

Starter

120 grams soy or other plant milk
60 grams all-purpose flour
12 grams instant yeast

Brioche

420 grams all-purpose flour
50 grams sugar
8 grams salt
200 grams soy or other plan-milk
120 grams plant butter
2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds