Homemade vegan pretzel buns have a nice golden crust, are soft and chewy, salty and buttery, and incredibly delicious! Enjoy them as a snack with mustard, serve them with soup, dip them in melty vegan cheese or use them as a hamburger bun! Fun to make and so delicious!!!!
The vegan pretzel buns take a bit of time to make, but each step is super easy and the end result is totally worth it. It’s the perfect weekend project, and the pretzel buns freeze beautifully so you can enjoy them all week. The technique for making pretzels is somewhat unique in that they must be boiled in a bath of baking soda before being baked. This is what gives the outside of the buns that nice fluffy golden crust.
If you want to use these buns for your burgers, just note that the recipe yields 12 buns which are perfect for slider buns. Or if you want regular sized burger buns, divide the dough into 8 (instead of 12) to get 8 regular sized burger buns.
How to make vegan pretzel buns:
To make the dough:
In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and yeast. Then add lukewarm water and mix. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and leave to rest for 10 minutes. The mixture should be very foamy. If it’s not frothy, your yeast is probably too old, so you should buy new yeast and try again.
Add the melted vegan butter, salt and flour to the yeast mixture and stir until a fluffy dough forms.
Lightly flour a clean work surface and turn the dough out onto the surface. Knead the dough for 3-5 minutes until it comes together into a nice firm ball of dough. If the dough becomes sticky during kneading, dust it with flour as often as needed.
Lightly grease a large, clean bowl with more melted vegan butter. Put the dough in the greased bowl and turn the dough over in the bowl so that the ball of dough is lightly coated in the vegan butter. Cover the bowl with a clean towel. Let rise in a warm place for 1 hour until doubled in size. The oven with just the light on is a great place to proof dough.
To shape the vegan pretzel buns:
Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Once the dough has doubled in size, you can degas it and remove it from the bowl.
Cut into 12 equal pieces if making vegan pretzel buns, or 8 equal pieces if making larger burger buns, and shape each piece into a ball. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheets.
To bake the buns:
For the baking soda bath: Pour the 10 cups of water into a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir in the baking soda, it will foam up a lot and then settle. Drop two buns at a time into the bath and boil for just 20 seconds. Use a slotted spoon or spatula to remove the buns and place them on the baking sheets. Repeat with the remaining buns. The baking soda bath is what gives the buns that dark brown color, without it they would be white and mushy).
To decorate the buns: once all the buns have been in the bath, use a sharp knife to score an “x” on the top of each bun. Lightly brush each loaf with melted vegan butter and sprinkle with flaked salt.
To bake the buns: bake at 400°F (200°C) for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes and enjoy warm or cool completely and store in a resealable bag at room temperature for 2-3 days or you can freeze them. Snack on them with mustard, serve them with soup or salad, or use them as a burger bun.
These vegan pretzel buns are:
- Salty, chewy, buttery, delicious
- Great for snacking or making burgers
- A fun baking project
- Freezer compatible
What to serve with pretzel buns:
Dip them in my Easy Vegan Cheese Sauce
Or Vegan spinach and artichoke dip
Serve them alongside Vegan Zuppa Toscana
Or My Go-To Vegan Soup
Use them as a bun for seitan burgers or vegan beetroot burgers
If you try this recipe, let us know by leaving a comment, rating it and don’t forget to tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Instagram.
Enjoy your food!
Sam Turnbull.
Print recipe
Vegan pretzel buns
Homemade vegan pretzel buns have a nice golden crust, are soft and chewy, salty and buttery, and incredibly delicious! Enjoy them as a snack with mustard, serve them with soup, dip them in vegan cheese dip, or use them as a hamburger bun!
Servings: buns or 8 burger buns
Ingredients
For the vegan pretzel dough:
- 3 teaspoon White sugar
- 2 ¼ coffee spoons instant yeast
- 1 ½ cups Hot water think about the temperature of the bath water
- 1 teaspoon melted vegan butter more more to grease the bowl
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 ¾ cups all purpose flour and more as needed
For the baking soda bath:
- ½ cup baking soda
- ten cups water
For garnish :
- 2 soup spoons melted vegan butter
- flake salt to sprinkle
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Instructions
To shape the buns:
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Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
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Once the dough has doubled in size, you can degas it and remove it from the bowl. Cut into 12 equal pieces if making buns, or 8 equal pieces if making larger hamburger buns, and shape each piece into a ball. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheets.
Nutrition
Portion: 1 bun (recipe makes 12 buns) | calories: 181calories | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 3g | Saturated fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated fats: 1g | Monounsaturated fat: 1g | Trans fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 1985mg | Potassium: 64mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 134UI | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 2mg