These super soft and fluffy garlic and herb vegan dinner rolls only need 8 ingredients for the most flavorful, vibrant, and aromatic dinner rolls ever! These easy dinner rolls are a delight to make and eat, and perfect for all eaters, whether or not they’re vegan or dairy free! Gluten free option available!

BEST Garlic and Herb Vegan Dinner Rolls (gluten free option!)

Easy vegan dinner rolls full of flavor

If you’re looking for the best vegan dinner rolls of all time, then look no further. This recipe is it. Based on my best vegan dinner rolls recipe, this garlic and herb dinner roll recipe is full of flavor, vibrantly fresh herbs, and aromatic garlic. Brushed with melted vegan butter, these rolls are soft, tender, and just lightly sweet. 

They’re perfect for any dinner party or for the holidays, like Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, Mother’s Day and more. 

And what’s more, these dinner rolls are just SO EASY! You’ll honestly never want to make another dinner roll recipe again: just this one!

baked dinner rolls

Are dinner rolls vegan?

Dinner rolls are not typically vegan, as they usually contain butter and milk, both of which contain dairy. However, these vegan dinner rolls are so flavorful, rich, soft, and tender, you’d honestly never know they’re vegan. Even I was in disbelief when I tried them for the first time!

Garlic and herb dinner roll ingredients

Here’s all that you need to make these amazing and secretly vegan easy dinner rolls, with some substitutions as needed:

  • Bread flour: You can use all purpose flour as well, but the best results will be with using bread flour. This is because bread flour contains more protein than all purpose flour, which adds to the stretch and pull of the bread. For gluten free, you can use this gluten free dinner rolls recipe as the base dough.
  • Activated dry yeast: I use activated dry yeast rather than instant yeast (also known as rapid rise yeast). I just prefer it, and I don’t feel the instant yeast saves as much time here as would be necessary to use just that. However, if instant yeast is all that you have, no problem! You can still use it.
  • Maple syrup: Many dinner roll recipes use sugar, but I wanted to keep these dinner rolls refined sugar free. A little maple syrup goes a long way with adding that subtle sweetness we associate with dinner rolls.
  • Dairy free milk: You can use soy milk, oat milk, almond milk, or coconut milk here. Just make sure it’s not the vanilla flavored one! I prefer to use unsweetened dairy free milk here. 
  • Vegan butter: Some people call for melted butter, but I actually think that the best results come from room temperature butter. That way it’s more easily kneaded into the dough and yields a super smooth and soft texture. I opt for vegan butter containing salt. This means we don’t have to add it in later on.
  • Rosemary & parsley: This herb combination is perfect for these garlic and herb dinner rolls. The flavor is vibrant, fresh, and lively.
  • Garlic: We’re using freshly minced garlic rather than garlic powder. 

You can use a rectangular or a square baking dish here. Either will work! This dinner rolls recipe will yield 12-16 rolls, and generously sized rolls too. 

vegan dinner roll ingredients

What is an enriched dough?

There are two types of doughs we typically work with: lean dough and enriched dough. Lean dough is typically just flour, water, yeast, and salt. It’s lean before there is no fat to it.

Enriched dough, like cinnamon rolls or brioche, use milk, butter, and occasionally eggs to yield a more plush and soft texture. It also means that the dough will need to rise longer than a lean dough, which rises quite fast. The result? Super soft, fluffy, and melt in your mouth texture that you know as dinner rolls!

However, we can (and always do!) make enriched doughs naturally vegan. How? By swapping in our favorite dairy free milks, vegan butter, and the occasional applesauce or dairy free yogurt or even flax egg replacement. 

Overview: how to make garlic & herb vegan dinner rolls:

The full instructions for this dinner roll recipe is found down below in the recipe card. However, let’s go over a brief overview!

To make these garlic and herb dinner rolls:

  1. Bloom the yeast.

    Heat the dairy free milk either in the microwave or on the stove top. Stir in the maple syrup and a teaspoon of flour, then add in the yeast. Make sure to use a wooden spoon rather than a metal spoon. Some metals react with the yeast and will stop it from fully blooming.how to bloom yeast

  2. Make the dough:

    I opt for using a stand mixer, as it’s much quicker and less messy. Add in the bread flour along with the herbs and garlic to the bowl, and whisk together. Then add in the bloomed yeast mixture. Knead on medium speed until a shaggy dough forms. shaggy dough before butter

  3. Add in the vegan butter:

    Next, you’ll add in the vegan butter. Allow the dough hook to knead the dough until you’re able to perform the window pane test. enriched dough

  4. First proof:

    Allow the dough to rise until doubled in size. Place the dough bowl in a warm place or in your oven on the proof setting. The area should be at least 85F and no more than 110F to rise properly. This is what the dough will look like once it’s ready to be shaped:risen dough

  5. Shape the dinner rolls:

    You can make these dinner rolls into 12 or 16 garlic rolls. We’ll go over how to shape the rolls again in the next sections. Once your vegan dinner rolls are shaped, allow them to rest and rise again while the oven preheats.shaped dinner rolls

  6. The dinner rolls should look like this before going into the oven:

    dinner rolls after resting

  7. Bake the rolls:

    Brush with the vegan butter and garlic mixture and place the rolls in the oven.vegan dinner rolls being brushed with vegan egg wash

  8. Serve and enjoy!

    The tops of the dinner rolls will look golden brown. The aroma is just amazing too!baked dinner rolls

The window pane dough test:

The window pane test is a crucial test to ensure that your dough has been kneaded properly. It’s the best way to determine that you can move onto the first proof.

You’ll pinch the dough between two fingers and pull. If the dough stretches and doesn’t break, and almost looks like a window pane, then your dough has been kneaded enough and you can move onto the first proof. If it breaks, the dough still needs more time kneading.

How to shape dinner rolls:

It can seem hard to shape the dinner rolls into perfectly round balls but there’s actually a trick to it. Once you’ve divided the dough into 12 or 16 even sections, you’ll take one piece of dough, and pinch the corns together. This will help round the other side to create a ball.

Then gently roll the dinner roll ball underneath your palm to further round the roll. Then you’re ready to shape the rest!

how to shape dinner rolls
dinner rolls divided
how to shape dinner rolls
how to shape dinner rolls
how to shape dinner rolls

Can I make these vegan dinner rolls ahead of time?

You can absolutely make these garlic dinner rolls ahead of time! Prep the dough to rise the day before. Once you’ve made the dough, the first dough rise will be in the fridge rather than in a warm area. You can rise the dough overnight in the fridge for a slow fermented rise.

The next day, shape the dinner rolls, and allow them to rest and come to room temperature again as the oven is preheating. 

vegan dinner rolls

You’re just going to absolutely love these amazing and fluffy vegan dinner rolls! The garlic and herb flavor really shines through and makes these soft dinner rolls the perfect side dish to any holiday dinner or dinner party! I love to make them for Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, Mother’s Day, and more.

vegan dinner rolls

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BEST Garlic and Herb Vegan Dinner Rolls (gluten free option!)

If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. This helps others to find the recipes! As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there as well!

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BEST Garlic and Herb Vegan Dinner Rolls (gluten free option!)

Garlic & Herb Vegan Dinner Rolls (Plush & Fluffy!)

★★★★ 4 from 2 reviews
  • Author: Britt Berlin
  • Prep Time: 30
  • Proofing & resting: 90
  • Cook Time: 20
  • Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
  • Yield: 16 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan
Print Recipe

Description

These super soft and fluffy garlic and herb vegan dinner rolls only need 8 ingredients for the most flavorful, vibrant, and aromatic dinner rolls ever! These easy dinner rolls are a delight to make and eat, and perfect for all eaters, whether or not they’re vegan or dairy free! Gluten free option available!

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 1/2 cups (330 mL) unsweetened dairy free milk
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup, room temperature
  • 2 1/4 tsp (7 g) active dry yeast
  • 4 1/2 cups flour (560 g) + 1 tsp bread flour or all-purpose flour*
  • 1/4 cup fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup (113 g) salted vegan butter, room temperature
  • 1 tsp finely ground sea salt
  • 1 tbsp melted vegan butter (vegan bread wash)
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup (vegan bread wash)
  • 1 clove garlic, minced

Instructions

  1. Prep: Measure and weigh out all ingredients before beginning. Grease a large bowl with cooking or coconut oil and set aside (this bowl is for the rising and is different than the bowl you’ll use to mix the dough).
  2. Bloom the yeast: Heat the dairy-free milk to 110F. Use a food thermometer to ensure that it’s exactly 110F. Once heated, stir in the 2 tbsp of maple syrup with 1 tsp of flour. Add the yeast and stir with a wooden spoon and cover. Place the bowl in a warm area (75-80F) to activate for 10-12 minutes. Your yeast may bloom faster or slower depending on the warmth of the area. You’ll know it’s ready when it smells yeast-like and there is foam on the top of the dairy-free milk. If this hasn’t happened, you’ll need to start over.
  3. Make the dough: Add the remaining flour, plus the rosemary, parsley, and garlic to the bowl of a stand mixer. Use the dough hook and gently mix the ingredients together for a minute on medium speed. Turn the stand mixer on to medium-low speed and mix (or use a large spoon to mix if doing by hand). Mix until just combined. The dough will look shaggy. Next, add in the room temperature vegan butter and sea salt, and mix on medium at first until the butter is incorporated into the dough. Then turn the speed up to medium-high, and allow the dough to be kneaded for 10-15 minutes, or until you’re able to do the window pane test without breaking the dough.
  4. First proof: Place the dough ball into the greased bowl, and cover with a thin clean dish towel. Place the bowl in a warm area that’s at least 85F. If your oven has a proof setting, you can use that. You can also heat the oven to 100F, then turn it off and keep the oven light on. Proof the bread until it’s doubled in size, about an hour. If your area is cooler, it will take longer, if it’s warmer, it will be quicker.
  5. Make the dinner rolls: while the dough is rising, you can grease a medium casserole dish with cooking oil. Set aside. Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down lightly and gently pull the dough from the bowl onto a clean surface. Use a pizza cutter or large kitchen knife to divide the dough into 12-16 even pieces. You can weigh them out for a more accurate dough. I measured mine at between 58-60 grams each for 16 dinner rolls. To form round rolls, gently roll a dough ball in between your palms. Then pinch the bottom of the dinner roll together to create a more round top. See video for a visual demonstration. Repeat for the remaining dinner rolls, placing them in the casserole dish when done.
  6. Second rise: cover the dinner rolls with a thin clean dish towel again and place in a warm area (by the oven is fine) to nearly double in size again. Preheat the oven to 375F.
  7. Bake the dinner rolls: once the dinner rolls have risen and the oven is preheated, mix together the tablespoon of melted vegan butter and maple syrup, plus the remaining minced garlic for the bread wash. Use a pastry brush to lightly brush the mixture over the tops of the rolls. Place the dinner rolls into the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes. You might need longer for 12 rolls. The tops should be lightly golden and slightly crusted and hard, but not over baked.
  8. Remove the dinner rolls from the oven. Allow them to cool slightly, but serve warm with vegan butter.
  9. Storage: store any leftover rolls in an airtight container or baggy. They will last at room temperature for 1-2 days, in the fridge for 4-5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Notes

Gluten free: Use this gluten free dinner rolls recipe as the base dough.

Keywords: vegan dinner rolls, garlic rolls, easy dinner rolls, dairy free dinner rolls