These vegan hot cross buns are the traditional soft and fluffy treat served around Easter just made without eggs or dairy. These slightly sweet buns are filled with warming spices, sweet and juicy sultanas, a hint of orange and that classic sweet and sticky glaze. Make a batch over the long weekend and enjoy them warm with dairy free butter!
It’s that time of the year again when the smell of lightly spiced baked goods fill the air and morning tea becomes the highlight of the day. That’s right, it’s hot cross bun season!
Every year I like to create and publish a new hot cross bun recipe variation and while I had a classic hot cross bun recipe from a couple of years ago, it wasn’t vegan friendly so that’s what we have today. It’s a traditional spiced bun filled with fruit and a sweet, sticky glaze, but without any eggs or dairy.
I love the yearly tradition of baking hot cross buns at Easter. Whether you make them on Good Friday or Easter Sunday, these buns require a little time and patience as we have two rises but I tend to find the process quite relaxing and satisfying. Especially when we get to the part where I get to eat one piping hot straight from the oven!
These vegan hot cross buns are soft and fluffy and best served warm, whether straight from the oven, heated in the microwave or toasted, split in half with some dairy free butter.
Key Ingredients
To make these vegan hot cross buns, we’re not varying too much from a traditional recipe so you wont need any special ingredients. Be sure to stick to the recipe as written however as it’s the ratio of ingredients that is going to give us the expected outcome.
Note all ingredients and their quantities are laid out in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Yeast – instant dry yeast will make your dough light and fluffy, give it rise and give it that bready taste and texture.
- White sugar – the sugar feeds the yeast and also gives the buns a slight sweetness.
- Dairy-free milk – I like to use oat milk but you can use almond milk or soy milk with similar results.
- Plain flour – also known as all purpose flour in the US. You can substitute with bread flour if available as well which has a higher protein content and results in a chewier more bread roll like texture.
- Spices – I’m using a combination of mixed spice, cinnamon and nutmeg for the classic warm hot cross bun flavours.
- Dairy-free butter – keeps the bread soft and adds flavour. I like to use Nuttelex Buttery as I find it’s the best taste and texture to replace butter in my baked goods. As this is an Australian product I believe the closest US alternative is Earth Balance.
- Sultanas – sure you could leave them out if you’re not a fan but they are a defining part of a classic hot cross bun.
- Orange – again optional but really enhances the flavour of the buns when combined with the spices and the sultanas without being a dominant flavour. The zest goes into the buns themselves and the juice is used to make the glaze.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Making vegan hot cross buns isn’t too difficult however you will need to plan ahead as there are two stages to allow the dough to rise making this a little time consuming. I recommend making sure to read all the way through the recipe before starting to make sure you know what to expect next and understand the timings of the steps.
To make the buns, I also recommend a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. This is going to take the majority of the work making it even easier. If you don’t have one, you can mix and knead the dough by hand but it will take a little more time and effort.
To start, I like to bloom my yeast. Technically this isn’t needed as we’re using instant yeast however this step allows me to be sure that my yeast is alive before I get started. It’s also a great step to take if you’re not sure if you have active or instant dry yeast, the former requiring this step.
To do this, warm dairy free milk on the stove or in the microwave (to about the temperature where you can hold your finger in it without being too hot), and add it to your mixing bowl with the sugar and yeast. Give it a whisk to combine and then cover with a clean tea towel and leave for 5-15 minutes. It has bloomed when it’s bubbly and has a strong, bready smell.
From here, add some of the flour and begin to mix using your dough hook attachment. Once coming together, add in more flour, the spices, salt, and dairy-free butter, and continue to mix on medium/low speed until the dough starts to form and the butter starts to combine into the dough.
Add in the final quantity of flour with the sultanas and orange zest and mix until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Knead for a couple of minutes until the dough is soft and stretchy.
The dough is quite sticky at this stage, so use a rubber spatula to remove the dough from the bowl onto a floured surface and using floured hands, shape the dough into a ball. Place the dough back into the bowl and cover with a clean, damp towel and set aside in a warm area for 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
Once the dough has risen, punch down the dough to release the air and turn out onto a floured surface and shape the dough again into a ball. Cut the dough ball into 4 even pieces, and then cut each piece into 3 so that you have 12 pieces in total. Roll each piece into a ball, using your hands to smooth down the top, around to the bottom, and place evenly into the pan with the less smooth side down. Cover again with the kitchen towel and set aside in a warm place for 30-45 minutes or until the buns have risen.
Before the second rise is complete, preheat the oven. Mix together the additional flour and water for the crosses to make a thick paste and place the paste into a zip lock bag and snip off the end. Once the buns have finished rising, pipe crosses onto each and place the buns into the oven for 30 minutes, or until browned on top and they make a hollow sound when you tap the top.
About 5 minutes before the baking time is up, make the glaze by adding the juice of one orange to a half cup measure. If it doesn’t fill to the top, top it with water. Add the orange juice and water to a small saucepan with the sugar and boil together until the sugar is completely dissolved. Brush the glaze over the top of the cooked buns.
Pull the vegan hot cross buns apart and serve warm with some extra dairy-free butter.
Storage and freezing Instructions
Like many homemade bread recipes, as we’re not using any preservatives the shelf life is pretty short for the bread to stay fresh. These are best enjoyed in the first day or two.
If you can’t eat 12 buns in that time – don’t worry! They freeze perfectly. Simply pop them in the freezer and when you want one, zap them in the microwave for about a minute or until soft and warm and they will be just like fresh from the oven.
To freeze, break the buns apart and wrap them individually in plastic wrap and then place in a large ziplock bag. Freezing this way they will last 2-3 months.
If you have left them out for an extra day or two and they have begun to go stale, then toasting is a great way to still enjoy them. Slice in half and place in a sandwich press to toast and then top with dairy free butter – delicious!
More Easter recipes:
Vegan Carrot Cake
Easter Sugar Cookies
Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Rocky Road Cookies
Carrot Cake Pancakes
Chocolate Hot Cross Buns
Vegan Hot Cross Buns
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ teaspoons dry yeast 1 x 7 gram packet
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 1 ½ cup dairy free milk warmed
- 4 ¼ cups plain flour
- 2 teaspoons mixed spice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup (80 grams) dairy free butter
- 1 cup sultanas
- Zest of one orange
For the crosses:
- 4 tablespoons plain flour
- 4 tablespoons water
For the glaze:
- Juice of one orange
- ½ cup white sugar
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer whisk together the yeast, sugar and warmed milk. Cover with a clean, damp kitchen towel and let sit for 10 minutes until the mixture is frothy.
- Add in 2 cups of the flour and begin to mix on low using the dough hook attachment of your stand mixer. Add another cup of flour, the spices, salt, and dairy-free butter, and mix on medium/low speed until the dough starts to form. Add in the final cup + ¼ cup of flour, sultanas and orange zest and mix until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
- Use a rubber spatula to remove the dough from the bowl onto a floured surface and using floured hands, shape the dough into a ball. Place the dough back into the bowl and cover with a clean, damp towel and set aside in a warm area for 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
- Once the dough has risen, punch down the dough to release the air and turn out onto a floured surface and shape the dough into a ball.
- Line a 9 x 13 inch (20cm x 30cm) tray with baking paper and a light spray of cooking oil and set aside. Cut the dough ball into 4 even pieces, and then cut each piece into 3 so that you have 12 pieces in total. Roll each piece into a ball and place evenly into the pan. Cover again with the kitchen towel and set aside in a warm place for 30-45 minutes or until the buns have risen.
- Before the second rise is complete, preheat the oven to 180°C. Mix together the additional flour and water for the crosses to make a thick paste. Place the paste into a zip lock bag and snip off the end. Once the buns have finished rising, pipe crosses onto each and place the buns into the oven for 30 minutes, or until browned on top and they make a hollow sound when you tap the top.
- About 5 minutes before the baking time is up, make the glaze. Add the juice of one orange to a half cup measure. If it doesn’t fill to the top, top it with water. Add the orange juice and water to a small saucepan with the sugar and boil together until the sugar is completely dissolved. Brush the glaze over the cooked buns. Pull apart and serve warm with some extra dairy-free butter.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
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