Buttery Vegan Brioche
This buttery vegan brioche bread has a fluffy and tender crumb that melts in your mouth. It’s made with only 7 simple pantry ingredients and is egg-free and dairy-free!
Table of contents
Simple ingredients you’ll need
Notes about the ingredients
Bread flour or all-purpose plain flour. All-purpose flour creates a cakier vegan brioche whereas bread flour gives the brioche a slight ‘chew’.
Vegan butter creates a rich and tender texture that’s typical of traditional brioche and makes it different from sandwich bread.
Dairy-free milk. I prefer soy milk as it’s higher protein and creates a richer brioche. However, any dairy-free milk will work.
Instant-dried yeast because it’s easier and quicker to use than any other yeast. Or you can use dry or fresh yeast, as long as you proof it first.
Traditionally, French brioche bread is enriched with eggs or egg yolks. However, by increasing the amount of fat through butter and rising power through yeast, we can create an eggless and dairy-free brioche that is soft, fluffy and tender.
The full list of ingredient quantities and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Two different kneading methods
You can knead the dough by hand or in a stand mixer. However, there are two different methods for kneading the dough.
- Easy method where you knead all the ingredients at the same time. This takes 5-10 minutes and makes a soft and buttery brioche. If you’re kneading by hand, this is the best method for you (left picture).
- Traditional advanced method where you add the butter later on. This takes at least 20-30 minutes and makes the bread more feathery when you pull it apart (right picture).
For a step-by-step guide on both methods, watch the video earlier in this post.
Kneading tips for the fluffiest brioche
Initially, your dough will be sticky but avoid adding more flour. Kneading the dough strengthens its gluten structure and makes it come together in a smoother ball. If your dough is still sticky after 5-10 minutes, you can add more flour.
For the ‘advanced kneading method’, if your dough is too dry before adding the butter, add a dash of dairy-free milk. The dough may initially resist the butter when you start adding it, but just keep kneading.
The windowpane test is the best way to tell if you’ve kneaded your dough enough. To do this, grab a small piece of dough and stretch it between your fingers. The dough shouldn’t break and you should be able to see its ‘gluten membranes’. If the dough breaks, keep kneading.
Resting the dough
After kneading the vegan brioche dough, let it rest in a WARM place for 1 hour or until it’s doubled. Ideally, it should be somewhere that’s around 25°C (77°F). Brioche dough has a lot of butter which can slow down its rise, but if you keep the dough in a warm place, it’ll rise more efficiently.
If your dough is taking longer to rise, move it to a warmer spot in your home.
Shaping the brioche and second rise
There are a few ways you can shape vegan brioche. These are just for presentation and don’t affect the texture or flavor of the bread:
- As one whole piece. Shape the dough into a large oval shape and place it your loaf pan.
- Divided into 3 to 10 equal pieces and arranged in your loaf pan.
- Braided into challah bread.
If you want to make a fancier shape, check out my cinnamon babka and raspberry jam wreath.
Finally, let your dough rest one more time. It’s ready when it grows in size by about 50% and looks puffy. If you poke the surface of the loaf, it should slowly spring back (known as the poke test).
When is my brioche done baking?
Here are a few ways to tell if your vegan brioche is fully baked:
- Remove the hot brioche from the pan and tap the bottom of the loaf. Your brioche will sound hollow when it’s baked through.
- Insert a toothpick into the middle, and collect some dough. If the dough is fully cooked, your brioche is ready.
- The top of the brioche should be a deep golden brown.
Instead of using egg wash, brush a little maple syrup on top of the brioche while it’s warm. This will give the bread a beautiful golden shine!
See, it is 100% possible to make brioche vegan!
Customizing this recipe
Use whole wheat or spelt flour instead of all-purpose flour for a more wholesome and dense vegan brioche.
Replace vegan butter with extra virgin olive oil for a denser cakey bread.
Use coconut sugar or maple syrup to make this brioche refined sugar-free.
Use a sourdough starter instead of yeast. This recipe works well with 75-150g of an active sourdough starter with 100% hydration. For a stronger sourdough flavor, use more starter. Or make my sourdough cinnamon rolls!
For brioche dinner rolls and burger buns, check out my recipe for vegan brioche buns.
Unfortunately, this recipe won’t work with 1:1 gluten-free flour. I am working on a gluten-free version so watch this space!
Additional Tips
Yes, prepare the dough and store it in an airtight container in the fridge overnight. The next day, when the dough is not too cold, shape it as desired then let it rest. I don’t recommend shaping the brioche and storing it in the fridge because it can overproof which is more difficult to fix.
You can bake the brioche ahead of time. However, it is best enjoyed as close as possible to when it’s baked. To refresh the brioche, warm it up in the oven or microwave.
Make sure your dough is resting in a warm spot. Here are some other causes and fixes:
1. Your vegan brioche dough is too dry, maybe from incorrectly measuring the flour. You can still add more dairy-free milk to your dough and knead it in. Make sure your final dough is smooth and stretchy.
2. Your yeast is old and no longer active. Don’t worry, this is still fixable! Mix some active yeast with warm milk and a pinch of sugar. Wait until it bubbles then knead the mixture into the dough.
Serving suggestions
This vegan brioche is amazing when it’s warm from the oven. However, here are some other ways to enjoy it:
- Toast a slice and serve it with jam, cream, or any sweet spread.
- Use stale leftovers for vegan french toast casserole. You deserve it!
- Crumble the brioche, bake it at low heat and crumble it on ice cream.
More vegan bread recipes
Or check out my other bread recipes that use this brioche as a base!
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Buttery Vegan Brioche
Ingredients
Vegan Brioche Bread
- 3 cups (375g) bread flour, or all-purpose plain flour (note 1)
- ¾ cup (190g) dairy-free milk, warm, plus more if needed
- ⅔ cup (150g) vegan butter, room temperature (note 2 for olive oil version)
- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar, or coconut sugar
- 3 teaspoons instant dry yeast, (note 3 for active dry yeast)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
- ½ teaspoon salt, if using unsalted butter or oil
To glaze
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup, or any other light-coloured liquid sweetener
Instructions
Knead the dough:
- EASY METHOD: Add all the ingredients (except the maple syrup) to the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment. Knead for 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth, soft and elastic. You can also mix the ingredients in a large bowl then knead the dough on a floured surface, but it will take a little longer. The dough is ready when it's smooth and tacky but comes away from the sides of the bowl. If your dough is too dry, add a little more dairy-free milk and knead well.
- ADVANCED METHOD: Add all the ingredients except the butter and maple syrup to a stand mixer with the dough hook. Knead until the mixture is well combined (at least 5 minutes). If your dough isn't coming together, add a little dairy-free milk. While the dough is kneading, gradually add the butter, around 3 tablespoons (40g) at a time. Knead until the dough is very smooth and comes away from the sides of the bowl (at least 15 minutes).
- Place the dough in a clean bowl and cover with a tea towel. Let the dough rest in a WARM spot for at least 1 hour or until it doubles in size (note 4).
Shape the vegan brioche:
- Line an 8-inch (20cm) loaf pan with parchment paper or dust with flour.
- Divide the dough into 4 equal portions, shape each into a ball and arrange them in your loaf pan. Cover the loaf pan with a tea towel and leave it in a warm spot to rest for at least 1 hour. The dough should grow by 50% – 100% and become puffy again.
Bake the vegan brioche:
- When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Bake the brioche for 30-40 minutes or until the top is deep golden brown. The loaf is fully cooked when you can tap the bottom of the loaf and it sounds hollow. If you poke a skewer in the middle, it shouldn't collect any raw dough. If your brioche is browning too quickly but is not baked through, reduce your oven to 160°C (320°F) and tent the brioche with aluminum foil.
- While the brioche is still hot from the oven, brush the top with maple syrup. Rest the bread in the pan for 15 minutes then transfer it to a wire rack to cool.
- Serve the brioche warm. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, in the fridge for 5 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. Leftover brioche is best enjoyed warmed or toasted.
Video
Notes
- Bread flour gives you a chewier brioche whereas all-purpose flour results in a cake-like brioche. You can use whole wheat flour or white spelt flour, but I suggest adding an extra dash of plant milk.
- Instead of vegan butter, you can use ½ cup (125g) of olive oil. This makes a softer dough and you may need to add a little extra flour. And, don’t skip the salt as it mimics a ‘buttery’ taste.
- Instant yeast doesn’t need to be ‘proofed’ beforehand. If you use active dry yeast, mix it with the warm milk from the recipe and a pinch of sugar in a small bowl beforehand. Wait until it bubbles then use it in the recipe.
- The dough can take anywhere from 1-4 hours to rise, depending on the temperature of your home and your dough. If your dough doesn’t grow, place it in a warmer spot in your house. Read my post above for some tips.
This post was originally published in August 2019 and has been updated a few times with an improved recipe that is more similar to traditional French brioche.
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I love it! It did not turn out at is it should have though, but this might have been my fault. I tried using truvia which is a brand that sells brown sugar mixed with stevia so it’ll be less sugar. I also used oatmilk and spreadable butter because it was what I had in hand. One of these, maybe the butter, caused the dough to not rise in both stages. Well in the first stage it did, but only halfway and the second time it did not rise. And in both occasions I left it for as long as possible. Also when baking it the temperature was too much and it did not cook evenly so in the middle it was still raw. I lowered the temperature and cooked it for another 10 minutes and this did the trick. One more thing is that I forgot to spread the maple syrup over it when it was still hot and I don’t know if this affects the moistness. Because it ended up looking stale as if it had been done days ago. Nonetheless it was still good and it’s fixable by heating it in the microwave with a moist towel.
Glad you enjoyed it! Oatmilk and spreadable butter are fine! So I read that stevia can’t really be used in yeasted goods instead of sugar because it doesnt have the glucose to feed the yeast. But the denseness could also be the from temperature or texture of your dough. The dough needs to be placed in a warm place and the dough needs to be soft enough for it to rise (see the pictures in the post).
With the temperature of baking, sometimes ovens are hotter than what they say but it sounds like you did the right thing here. The maple syrup glaze on top does keep some moisture in and 100% changes the appearance of the loaf! But even with the glaze, the brioche is definitely more dry the next day (butter solidifies) like all homemade baked goods. It’s best eaten warmed up so the butter in the bread melts in your mouth. I hope that helps! With a few minor tweaks, your next loaf will be better!
Thank you!! That’s what I was thinking that maybe using that mix of brown sugar and stevia was not enough for the yeast. So next time I’ll just use the recommended sugar. Thank you very much!
This bread tastes fantastic! l had to add a bit more milk to get the dough going, and might cut back on the flour next time. I also added 2g nutritional yeast per one of the other comments and it worked well! I think I should have let the second rise go a bit longer, though, because it was still a bit more dense than I would’ve liked. How can you tell when the dough is ready to put in the oven?
So glad it worked for you! Yes sometimes I have to add a little more milk too – it depends on the day funnily. The dough is ready for the oven when you can press the dough with a finger and it bounces back. It should increase by at least 150% the second time then it’s ready for baking :).
I’m excited to try this recipe! Going to make it with the one tablespoon of sugar and butter. Any recommendations for how to make it as buns (for burgers) instead of a loaf?
Cool! Let me know how you go with less butter and sugar. You might be able to sub some of the 1/4 cup butter for oil too! For buns, do exactly the same thing except in Step 3, shape them into buns and leave them on a baking tray. It’ll need a shorter cooking time too (maybe around 15 minutes depending how big the buns are)
Just want to say it doesn’t work with GF flour (at least for me it doesn’t seem to) which is such a shame. I left it for 2h+ on the first rise and it rose but then eventually stopped and stayed at the level it had risen at the beginning (checked on it before and after a walk)
Also when you prove ‘normal’ dough its usually done if it springs back when you press it. This just left an indentation. And no airbubbles or anything inside, and when i broke it in half was weird and gummy. And it was really quite tricky to work with. I used a commerical gf flour mix, next time I might try a homemade one. It’s really disappointing as I haven’t had brioche since before the beginning of this year, and I can’t eat normal brioche. I can’t even eat vegan brioche because I’m allergic to gluten as well as eggs and dairy ?).
It looks amazing and I do want to try again with a homemade flour mix but I’m slightly discouraged given my first time trying to make GF vegan brioche (also my first time trying to make brioche full stop, but I do have experience in making glutinous enriched doughs, croissants etc from before I went gluten, dairy and egg free at the beginning of this year)
Hi Olivia, oh that’s sad it doesn’t work with your GF flour! Often for vegan recipes, they won’t work if you simply substitute a commercial gf flour. However, they may work with a combination of different gf flours. They often turn out gummy and don’t rise, which is exactly what you experienced. That’s the case for the more popular gf flours we have in Australia at least! I’ll let you know if I perfect a gf flour blend for this recipe :).
This is my favorite recipe ever. I’ve made this loaf three times and love it more each time. It’s so easy to make, no hard to find ingredients, and just perfect. I freeze the loaf (one person household) and heat it up throughout the week and it still tastes as good! Trying it with spelt next time but it’s honestly my favorite vegan brioche recipe, and I have tried a few. I never thought I could bake but I keep making this and it comes out perfect every time. Thank you!
Aw thanks for your kind feedback Danah and I’m soo glad the recipe has worked for you so many times! Love the idea of freezing it – I live in a small household too (2 people) so I’ll do this next time too! Thanks again lovely xo
A simple to follow recipe with an AMAZING and super tasty result!
No way to miss with this one 🙂
Thank you ?
I’m so so glad to hear that Rachel! Thanks for leaving your positive feedback!
I made it this many times an it is delicious and very very easy to make. It is special as a gift to your family and friends.
That’s so amazing that you’ve made it many times and enjoyed it! Thanks for your kind feedback Ani!! Xo
I just made this brioche this morning, and it was amazing! I got such a good rise, and the bread was the perfect balance of flakey and sweet. I’m definitely going to make it again! Thank you for such a great recipe!
I’m so glad to hear Mary and that it rose so well! Thanks so much for the lovely feedback!
Thanks so much for this recipe! I’m French and my boyfriend is vegan so I was really excited to make him taste this and it turned out really well, almost the same as what I would have had for breakfast in France!
I used fresh yeast, and after ‘waking it up’ in the milk + sugar I added to the flour mix. Also I baked it for only 20 min (but I think my oven is quite powerful), and I omitted the vanilla extract because I didn’t have any left but the taste is great nonetheless!
Anyway thanks again! Will be making more.
So glad you liked the recipe and that it worked with fresh yeast! Thanks for your comment!
Hi,
I have made this recipe three times and have loved it more and more each time. My third attempt was the best so far. So lovely.
Thank you for sharing,
Angela
So so glad to hear Angela!! I’m so appreciative of your comments :). Have a lovely day!
I have made this twice. Oh my gosh, I love this recipe. Just perfect for a carb fiend. I used granulated sugar as I had it on hand with easy bake yeast. Can’t wait!
That’s amazing to hear Angela! I love my carbs too haha. Thanks so much for your feedback 🙂
This worked perfectly! It was my first time ever making bread, I used the exact recipe, but proved the dough for 3 hours in a cooler environment and it definitely doubled in size. Had to bake for 45 mins so it was fully cooked and it was delicious! Super fluffy inside with a lovely hard crust, my whole family LOVED it 🙂
That’s so amazing Holly! Glad your dough still proved in 3 hours in a cooler environment and great tip about the baking time! And so glad your family loved it too! Thanks for such a lovely comment 🙂
Hi. Tried your recipe today. I feel it came out good but I just want to show it to you. Is that possible if yes please let me know.
So glad to hear! Yes, feel free to send me a picture of your brioche via my Facebook page or Instagram page :).
I love this recipe so much that I’m making it for the third time today, oops! That’s what lockdown will do to you! I used the dough to make cinnamon buns and they were the best ones I’ve ever made because they were so light and buttery. Thank you for this!! I can’t believe I can finally have vegan brioche!! Xx
Oooh that’s SOOO amazing to hear!! I’ve used this recipe as a base for cinnamon buns and babka so your thinking was completely on point and glad you enjoyed transforming it into buns! Being in lockdown is so interesting isn’t it?! But it makes me smile that this provided some relief xo
This is a great recipe, thank you. I had everything I needed to make it in my cupboards!
I love the flavour (and so do my colleagues!) but I don’t think I have the texture down. It’s a little bit on the the heavy side. I added some finely grated vegan raw chocolate and I feel this may have inhibited the rising process? The crumb is quite close and I ended up leaving it to rise overnight after shaping.
Any tips? I may try again without the chocolate and putting it in the oven on a lower temp, for a longer period?
Hi Jessica, glad you liked the recipe! I’d definitely say that the chocolate inhibited the rising process. With yeast-based goods, unfortunately any additional liquid makes it heavier – that’s why it’s better to use butter instead of oil if you want a fluffier bread! If you try it again, try it without the chocolate and bake it at the temperature mentioned in the recipe. Let me know how you go!
It is amazing! I used nutritional yeast for a little eggy flavor and coconut sugar with less flour and then braided 3 strands instead of 6 pull apart pieces. I was careful to cool down the milk (macadamia) before adding so as to not kill the yeast. This will make great vegan French toast!
Ooh I love that you used nutritional yeast and coconut sugar! Thanks for leaving a lovely comment 🙂
I made this bread yesterday and it turned out GREAT. First time I’ve made bread and I was SOOOOO happy with the end results and everyone thought it was delicious. Definitely will be making this again! I substituted dry yeast for active yeast, and it came out great!
Ooh that’s the best news!!! Thanks for letting me know and leaving such a kind comment :). And good to know active yeast works too xo
It’s perfect! I’ve used fresh yeast (half of cube, so 21g). Also half coconut fat and half vegan butter. Brushed with maple syrup. Heaven.
I’m SO glad to hear that Alex! Good to know a coconut-based vegan butter worked with it and maple syrup. Enjoy the rest of your loaf 🙂