Buttery and fluffy vegan brioche with a tender crumb which just melts in your mouth. I included a 'classic' version using vegan butter and 'healthier' version with spelt flour, olive oil and no refined sugar! This brioche is egg-free, dairy-free and can be made soy free and sugar free!
Conventional brioche bread recipes use butter, eggs and dairy milk. However, with a few easy substitutions you can make brioche vegan. This brioche has no eggs, dairy or animal products!
Video: How to make vegan brioche
Table of contents
- Video: How to make vegan brioche
- Simple ingredients to make this vegan brioche
- Kneading the dough: easy and advanced methods
- How to tell if the brioche dough has been kneaded enough?
- First rise for the brioche
- Shaping and second rise for the brioche
- Baking the vegan brioche
- Customising this recipe
- Troubleshooting baking issues
- How to serve the vegan brioche
- Other easy vegan bread recipes!
Simple ingredients to make this vegan brioche
Traditional French brioche bread use eggs and egg yolks to create a tender and fluffy crumb. However, you can recreate this beautiful texture in vegan brioche with the right ingredient ratios.
First, I'd recommend using bread flour instead of all-purpose (plain) flour. This is higher in protein which creates a more traditional brioche texture.
Even though this is an eggless brioche, you don't need any 1:1 store-bought vegan egg or egg yolk replacers. Eggs normally provide fat so I increased the amount of (vegan) butter and rising power which I compensated through extra yeast. This combination creates a soft, fluffy and tender vegan brioche.
Instead of using conventional butter, I used vegan butter or olive oil for this brioche bread. Vegan butter creates a fluffier and lighter crumb than olive oil (more info in the section about 'customising your loaf').
Even though oil makes bread more dense, the bright yellow colour of some oils (such as olive oil) will give your vegan brioche a beautiful golden hue. I tested an older version of this brioche recipe with olive oil which you can see in this recipe video on my Facebook page.
To make dairy free bread, I simply used dairy free milk! I prefer soy milk as it's higher protein and leaves no aftertaste. However almond, oat, coconut and other types of dairy free milk will work.
Kneading the dough: easy and advanced methods
There are two different ways you can prepare the vegan brioche dough. The easy method takes 5-10 minutes and makes a soft and buttery bread which will melt in your mouth. This is perfect if you just want an easy vegan bread (left picture).
The advanced method takes at least 20-30 minutes and is the traditional way to make brioche. The final bread is incredibly soft, has a tight crumb and will be 'feathery' when you pull it apart (right picture).
Below, you can see the slight difference between a brioche using the easy method (left) versus the advanced method (right). Both methods still produce a delicious vegan bread!
Easy method 
Advanced method
Easy kneading method
For an easy vegan bread, simply add all the ingredients to a stand mixer or bowl and knead until it's soft and stretchy. I used instant dried yeast which does not need to be proved or bloomed beforehand.
If you have a stand mixer, it takes only 5-10 minutes for your dough to be kneaded adequately. Initially the dough will be very sticky and wet so please avoid adding any flour at this stage.
Kneading the dough strengthens its gluten strands which brings the dough together. Over time, the dough will pull away from the side of the bowl.
If you don't have a stand mixer, you can absolutely mix and knead the dough with your hands! It will take a little longer so consider it a free arm and hand exercise ;).
Advanced kneading method
For the advanced method, I'd strongly recommend using a stand mixer. It takes *at least* 20 minutes to sufficiently knead the dough IF you use a stand mixer. If you knead by hand, it'll take longer!
First, we need to knead all the ingredients (except the butter and maple syrup) until it forms the dough. This really helps develop the gluten so the longer you knead, the better!
The dough is ready when there are no bits of flour. It should also look rough but be stretchy. If it's just not coming together, add a dash of milk and knead until it does.
Next, we need to gradually add the butter (around 3 tbsp at a time) while the bread is kneading!
The first time you add the butter, the dough will likely resist it... just keep persisting. When each addition of butter has been incorporated, you can proceed to add more butter. By the time you've used up the butter, your dough should be soft and stretchy.
How to tell if the brioche dough has been kneaded enough?
Regardless of whether you use the simple or advanced method, the best way to tell if your vegan brioche has been kneaded sufficiently is the windowpane test.
This is where you grab a small piece of dough and stretch it between your fingers. The dough shouldn't break and if you hold it against a light, you should be able to see gluten 'membranes' in it.
If the dough tears, simply keep kneading!
First rise for the brioche
Place the vegan brioche dough in a bowl, cover it and place it in a WARM humid area for 1 hour OR until it doubles in size, like below.
If your dough doesn't grow, reposition it in a warm spot in your home and wait until it does. Sometimes when it's cold, I have to place the bowl above or near a steamer for just 3 minutes to kickstart the dough. If it's cold, the dough can take 2+ hours to double in size.
Shaping and second rise for the brioche
To prepare your loaf/cake tin, line it with baking paper OR brush it with butter/oil and dust it with flour.
Place your risen brioche dough on a floured surface and divide it into 4 equal parts. Shape the dough into balls and place them in a cake or loaf tin! For a visual guide on how to shape the brioche/sections, see the video at the top or bottom of this post.
Alternatively, feel free to shape the dough however you like. You can divide it into less or more parts or even braid it to make challah bread!
Next step is, you guessed it - cover the dough and let it rise again. It should increase in size by around 50% and become puffy again. The easiest way to test whether the bread is ready the poke test. Simply, that's where you poke the bread lightly and it springs back slowly.
Baking the vegan brioche
This is my favourite part because the brioche makes your whole home smell AMAZING! This is an easy vegan bread to bake. Just pop it in at 180°C (355°F) for about 30-40 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
If the top of your bread is turning brown but but the middle isn't cooked, simply turn down the oven heat or cover the bread with aluminium foil.
While the bread is still warm, brush it with a little maple syrup to create the most beautiful egg free glaze ever! I tried brushing the brioche with dairy-free milk and aquafaba but they don't leave a lush golden glaze.
See, it is 100% possible to make DELICIOUS vegan french bread!
Customising this recipe
There are a few ways you can customise this vegan brioche bread:
Replace plain flour with white spelt flour. Spelt flour doesn't rise as well as plain flour and creates a more dense brioche but it's still delicious!
Replace vegan butter for olive oil. The texture and colour is probably the biggest difference in the final brioche. Butter helps create a lighter crumb so the bread 'tears' like a traditional brioche. Olive oil creates a crumb which is more similar to cake! Note that if you use oil, it'll take longer to rise and it will be more dense.
Replace organic cane sugar for coconut sugar or maple syrup for a refined sugar free bread. Note that if you use coconut sugar, your brioche may be a little dark and more dense than the pictures.
Replace yeast with a sourdough starter. I made this brioche and a similar recipe using 75-150g of a bubbly active sourdough starter (100% hydration) and it worked wonderfully! 75g was the minimum I needed to use to make the bread rise. For a stronger 'sourdough' taste, I increased the starter.
Alternatively, you can use the recipe to make individual vegan brioche buns.
Or you can make a savoury vegan brioche bread simply by reducing the sugar to 1 tablespoon. The sugar is still needed in the recipe to feed and activate the yeast
Several readers have said this brioche recipe does not work with a 1:1 gluten-free flour. I am working on a gluten-free vegan brioche so watch this space!
Troubleshooting baking issues
Every time I made this brioche, it works well. However, I've had my fair share of 'baking with yeast' fails so here are some fixes:
"My bread didn't double in the first rise (when it's in the bowl)"
Possible issue 1: Your brioche dough needs to be in a WARM place at ~25°C (77°F). This is very important with enriched bread dough because it contains a lot of butter which needs to be soft/warm enough for the dough to rise!
If you live in a cold climate (or your home is cold), you can place the vegan brioche dough in your oven with the light on or reposition the bread in the warmest spot in your home! King Arthur Baking gives some tips on how to keep your dough warm.
Sometimes I even use a double-boiler to gently steam my dough for only 1 minute. Heating your dough to 50°C (120°F) will kill the yeast so don't heat it up too much!
The exception to the temperature issue is if you're proofing the bread overnight. The dough can be cold because it has a longer time (8+ hours) to ferment.
Possible issue 2: Your vegan brioche dough is too dry which may be due to mismeasurements or your ingredients. As Step 1 and 2 say, if your dough is too dry, simply add a little more milk and knead again.
Use the above pictures above as a guide for the consistency of your brioche dough. It should be very smooth and stretchy! If your dough hasn't risen, you can still knead more liquid into it and let it further rest.
Possible issue 3: Your yeast is old and no longer active, especially if you used something apart from instant dried yeast. If you've already made the dough, you may still be able to find an active batch of yeast, combine it with warm milk then knead it into the dough.
"I used a different ingredient and my bread didn't increase in size"
- You used a different type of yeast which may need to be activated beforehand. Simply add it to a small bowl of warm milk with a pinch of sugar and wait until it bubbles. I used instant dried yeast which does not need to be activated before mixing with the other ingredients.
- Different flours and fats will affect how much the brioche dough rises. For example, spelt flour and olive oil will inhibit the rising of the dough!
"My bread didn't bake in the middle"
Before you finish baking, make sure you test your dough by inserting a knife or skewer in it.
If the outside is brown and inside is uncooked, cover it with an oven-proof bowl, plate or aluminium foil. This minimises the oven's radiant heat (which cooks the outside of the brioche) and forces the heat into the middle of the loaf.
If you have any other questions or issues, leave a comment below!
How to serve the vegan brioche
If you don't devour the whole brioche loaf fresh from the oven, you can enjoy it in many ways:
- Toast a slice and smother it with jam, cream or any sweet spread!
- Use stale leftovers for french toast casserole. You deserve it!
- Freeze and enjoy it when the cravings hit.
- Crumble the vegan bread, bake it at a low heat and use it as decadent topping for ice cream or other desserts.
Other easy vegan bread recipes!
Here's a secret: this brioche recipe is used as the foundation for my other yeast-based bread and scroll recipes! Here's a full list of ways to use brioche-like dough. My favourites are:
- Ultimate Blueberry Cinnamon Scrolls
- Double Chocolate Chip Hot Cross Buns
- Vegan Chocolate Babka
- Jam Donut Babka
If you want to make a yeast-free brioche bread, check out my FAQ above on 'Customising the recipe.'
Or if you want to make this brioche into BUNS, check out my Buttery Vegan Brioche Buns recipe.
Enjoy! xo
Buttery Vegan Brioche (classic and healthier options)
Ingredients
- 3 cups (375g) bread flour, plain / all-purpose flour or white spelt flour (note 1)
- ¾ cup (190g) dairy-free milk, such as almond, soy or coconut, warm, plus more if needed
- ⅔ cup (150g) vegan butter or margarine, room temperature or ½ cup (125g) olive oil
- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar, or coconut sugar
- 1 tbsp instant dried yeast, (note 2)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp salt, if using unsalted butter or oil
- 3 tbsp maple syrup, or any other light-coloured liquid sweetener
Instructions
To make the brioche dough:
- EASY METHOD: Add all the ingredients except the maple syrup to a stand mixer bowl with the dough hook. Knead for at least 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth, soft and elastic. You can also do this in a bowl and on a floured surface but it will take a little longer. The dough should be very tacky but should just come away from the sides of the bowl. However, if your dough is too dry, add a little more 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 dough is well combined and stretchy (at least 5 minutes). Add a little milk if needed. While the dough is kneading, gradually add the butter, around 3 tbsp (40g) at a time. Only add more butter when the last bit has been fully incorporated. Knead until the dough is very smooth and comes away from the bowl (at least 15 minutes).
- Shape the dough into a smooth ball, place it back in a clean bowl and cover with a slightly damp tea towel (the moisture prevents the dough from drying out). Place the dough in a WARM area to double in size (or grow by at least 50%) for at least 1 hour (note 3).
To shape the brioche:
- When the dough is puffy, divide it into 4 even sections. Shape each section into a round ball and place them a lined loaf tin (my tin was 12x22 cm or 5x9 inches but any size tin will work). Cover the tin with a tea towel and leave it in a warm area to rest for at least 1 hour. The dough should increase in size by 50% - 100%.
Baking the brioche:
- When the dough is puffy again, preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until the top is golden brown. The loaf is fully cooked when you can tap the bottom and it sounds hollow or if you poke a skewer in the middle and there's no raw dough on it. If the bread is browning too quickly but is not baked in the middle, reduce the oven to 160°C (320°F) or cover the bread with aluminium foil.
- While the brioche is still hot from the oven, brush the top with maple syrup then rest it in the tin for 15 minutes. Turn it onto a wire rack and allow to cool slightly.
- Serve the brioche warm. Store the brioche in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. To serve the brioche, reheat or toast the leftovers.
Video
Notes
- Bread flour results in a more traditional bread like texture whereas all-purpose flour results in a cakier brioche. Spelt flour absorbs more liquid than regular flour so you may need to add a little more milk than specified. Add the specified amount of milk and knead the dough. If needed, add 1 tablespoon milk (15g) at a time until the dough is soft and cohesive.
- I used instant yeast doesn't need to be 'activated' or 'bloomed' beforehand. However, if you use active dry or regular yeast, combine it with warm milk and a pinch of sugar 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 ingredients (i.e. whether you weighed or measured, type of flour and type of butter/margarine). If your dough doesn't increase in size, place it in a warmer spot in your house. Read my post above for some tips. If your dough doesn't increase in size at this stage, it will not bake well.
Nutrition
This post was originally published in August 2019 and has been updated a few times since then to provide more useful information and an improved recipe which is more similar to traditional French brioche.
Please leave a comment below if you made this recipe, have any questions or thoughts! Your comment will help other readers and Rainbow Nourishments.
Amazing vegan brioche! Thank you so much for this recipe!
I used F55 French flour and half/half olive oil and melted vegan butter.
I had to put the dough in the oven at 50 degrees Celsius since next to the heater wasn't enough.
By the end I decided to push into the 4 balls some Callebaut chocolate chips and it became so amazing and authentic tasting!
Definitely a new staple recipe in our house 😉
Thanks so much for all the tips and love your addition of chocolate :). Soo nice to hear that it tasted like authentic French bread too. Thanks again for your feedback xo
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
My pleasure! It keeps for up to 5 days and is best enjoyed warm!
This looks so good! Does one plant milk work better than another?
Aw thank you! I prefer soy milk but any will work 🙂
Can this be made in a breadmaker or do you need to tweak the recipe for that? Thanks!
Hi Helen, yes a breadmaker should be fine! Just keep an eye on it throughout the beginning to make sure the consistency of the dough is right! Let me know how you go :).
Amazing recipe, thank you for sharing! I appreciated a lot also the tips on how to kick-start the rising process of the dough, it's so cold in the house these days! XOXO
Yay, I'm soo glad to hear Paola! And I'm happy that all the little tips helped! Thank you so much xoxo
I made this recipe several times and always worked perfectly. Fluffy and buttery, no way to have any leftover. Thanks so much!
Aw that's the best news Judit! Thanks sooo much for letting me know - it makes my job all worth it xo
What's better on Christmas than warm, delicious Brioche bread? The answer: nothing! I loved this recipe. Thanks for the detailed recipe and instructions. I used unsweetened almond milk and light brown sugar and I topped it with honey instead of maple syrup because that's what I had. So good and easy too.
Aw that's great to hear Brett! It'd be perfect on Christmas :). Glad it worked with those adjustments too. Thanks soo much for leaving your feedback and I hope you had a lovely Christmas/holiday break!
For anyone wondering how this recipe works out with Gluten Free flour - don't ? haha way too dense sadly. Not good turnout at all. Wheat flour so much easier to use dangit
Yes I had the same experience! I'm still trying to figure out a good gluten free blend ratio. Watch this space 🙂
Hello! Have you tried putting the dough in the fridge to ferment overnight? If you did would you do it after the first proof and shape or straight in the fridge overnight then shape and proof?
Hi Ada, I've left the dough rest in the fridge overnight for both stages (different batches) and they both work fine! However, for the brioche, I prefer letting it rise in the fridge after shaping. Just make sure you let it come to room temperature before you bake it!
I am definitely going to make this but wonder if it will make a difference if I use bread flour rather than plain flour?
Hi Louise! Bread flour will work - your brioche will just be slightly chewier (and bread like) rather than cakey and that's fine!
Heya,
I tried a vegan brioche recipe a while ago with olive oil and it wasn’t the best so I nearly gave up til I found this one!
I wanted to use up fresh yeast so doubled the amount (that’s what I’ve been advised before) but I’m worried I’m doing something wrong as the finished product turns into more a bready, denser texture, rather than light, fluffy and tearable!
I either am not kneading for long enough- did it for 5 mins, it went elastic and smooth- or the dough didn’t prove enough (it rose but not by double even above a tumble dryer!).
That being said I added veeg choc chips and it tastes lovely, just would love to know where I’m going wrong?!
Thanks again xxx
Hey Bex
Thanks for your comment. Yep, brioche with olive oil is much more dense and probably like a dry cake!
For this one, if you used olive oil or spelt flour, it'd be a denser loaf no matter what. I know fresh yeast can only be kept for a short time so it's either that or the dough just needed to be proofed for longer (1-4 hours if needed) until it's double or close to double the size. That happens to me sometimes - some days it rises really quickly near a heater and some days it doesn't!
That's great your dough was elastic and smooth though! I know every brand of flour has a different absorbency so sometimes I find adding just a little more milk (to make a softer dough) helps with the rise.
I hope that helps xo
Thanks so much for replying!
I used the butter instead of olive oil and the taste was much better/more briochey than the other one I’d made previously.
Just need to figure out how to get it less cakey!
Will 100% try again though with your tips and tricks. My flatmates and I have eaten it all today!!
Whats the shelf life on these?
Like most home-made breads, it's best eaten within a few days. However, I've kept my brioche for 1 week at room temperature (in Winter) and it's been fine. Just always heat it up before you enjoy the leftovers!
Love this recipe! Wish we could upload a picture. My 7 yr old and husband are pescatarian's and I love baking them items that cannot be found easily out on the street. Thank you
That makes me so happy to hear Roxee! It's great when family enjoys these recipes. Thanks for your lovely comment 🙂
Hi, can I use pure monk fruit extract (sweetener) in place of the organic cane sugar and coconut sugar?
I haven't used monk fruit for this recipe but I heard/read that it won't work to help activate the yeast and rise the bread.
Thank you for posting this recipe. I would really like to use my sourdough starter in this recipe. Apart from replacing the instant yeast with the starter, are there any other adjustments to your original recipe? Many thanks ?
My pleasure! I'm actually experimenting with a sourdough brioche right now which I'm hoping to have ready in a few days! I'd recommend using this recipe but just the 'roll ingredients' and following the instructions on this vegan brioche recipe! I hope that helps 🙂
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 mic 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)