Vegan Hot Cross Buns with a Fluffy Texture

These Vegan Hot Cross Buns are fluffy homemade Easter breakfast buns with fragrant cinnamon and orange flavors to enjoy a comforting family breakfast. A soft, flavorsome, and vegan traditional bun to celebrate Easter!

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I love making plant-based versions of classic recipes, like my Vegan Pecan Pie, 2-Ingredient Fudge, or Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake. This recipe is in the same vein.

Not all hot cross bun recipes are naturally vegan. Many hot cross bun recipes use one egg or butter in the batter. Some grocery stores sell hot cross buns without eggs and dairy, but the list of additives is often long and can hide non-vegan additives.

Ingredients and Substitutions

The ingredients you need to make delicious, fluffy vegan hot cross buns are:

• Flour – All-purpose flour or bread flour. I didn’t try the recipe using a gluten-free flour blend, but it should work with blends containing gum.
• Vegan Butter – Or vegan margarine. Earth balance or at work well in this recipe.
• Plant-Based Milk – Soy milk works the best. It adds a fluffier texture than almond milk.
• Active Dried Yeast – To make the buns super fluffy.
• Sugar – I am using unrefined cane sugar but coconut sugar, caster sugar, or white sugar works as well.
• Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ginger – for great flavors.
• Orange Zest – Make sure you used untreated oranges to avoid pesticide residues.
• Sultanas – Also called raisins.

How To Make Vegan Hot Cross Buns

It’s very easy to make hot cross buns without eggs or dairy. It simply required a little bit of patience, like for my vegan brioche recipe or vegan cinnamon roll recipe, because the dough needs to rise two times.

1. In a small bowl, combine the almond milk and vegan butter, and microwave in 20-second bursts, stirring between each burst until the vegan butter is melted.
2. Let the mixture cool down for 1 minute, then stir in the active dried yeast.
3. In another bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, combine all the dry ingredients.
4. Use a wooden spoon to mix flour, sugar, and mixed spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.
5. Then, make a well in the center of the flours and pour the milk yeast mixture along with orange zest and sultanas.
6. Knead the dough using the dough hook attachment of your stand mixer or your hands. It takes about 6 minutes to form a sticky consistent dough.
7. Transfer the vegan hot cross bun dough into an oiled bowl, wrap with plastic wrap and a clean towel.
8. Then, place the bowl in a cool, dry room until the dough has doubled in size – it takes about 60-90 minutes.
9. Line a large 9-inch x 13-inch baking tray with a lightly oiled piece of parchment paper.
10. Then, push down the dough ball to deflate and transfer it to a lightly floured surface.
11. Roll a long cylinder, and using a sharp knife, divide the dough into 12 even pieces.
12. Finally, roll each piece of dough into a ball and place them in rows onto the prepared baking tray, leaving half a thumb of space in between.
13. Wrap the baking tray with plastic wraps and let rise for another 30 minutes.
14. Meanwhile, prepare the vegan hot cross bun mixture for the cross. In a small mixing bowl, combine flour and water.
15. Place the mixture into a small Ziploc bag, cut out one of the bag’s corners and squeeze on top of each bun to form crosses.
16. Bake the vegan hot cross buns in a preheated oven at 400°F (200°C) for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown on top.

Glazing

Let the hot cross buns cool down in a cooling rack for 20 minutes before glazing. To make the hot cross bun glaze, whisk apricot jam or maple syrup with water. Use a pastry brush to brush the top of each bun. Cool at room temperature for 3 hours before serving.

Serving Vegan Hot Cross Buns

You can eat these hot cross buns plain or cut halfway and spread some:

• Vegan butter
• Peanut butter
• Almond butter
• Jam
• Maple syrup

Storage Instructions

These vegan hot cross buns store well for 5 days at room temperature in an airtight container or wrapped in a clean towel. You can also freeze these hot cross buns and thaw them the day before at room temperature.

Allergy Swaps

If you have any allergies, you can make the following swaps.

• Soy-Free: replace the soy milk with another plant-based milk like oat milk or almond milk.
• Gluten-Free: use a 1:1 Gluten-Free All-Purpose flour to replace the regular flour.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Vegan Buns Recipes

If you love making your own vegan bread, brioche, and buns, I have many other recipes for you to try:

Vegan Brioche Bread

Vegan Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

Vegan Banana Bread

Yeast-Free Cinnamon Rolls

Vegan Hot Cross Buns

Fluffy, homemade Vegan Hot Cross Buns with fragrant cinnamon, orange flavor to enjoy a comforting Easter family breakfast.

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Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

raising: 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total Time: 2 hours hrs

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Servings: 12 buns

Calories: 216 kcal

Author: Carine Claudepierre

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Ingredients

US Customary – Metric

• ▢ 1 ½ cup Soy Milk
• ▢ 4 tablespoons Dairy-Free Butter (Unsalted) - melted, brands like Naturli or Earth Balance
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Active Dried Yeast
• ▢ 4 ¼ cups All-Purpose Flour - scooped, level up
• ▢ ¼ cup Cane Sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon Fresh Ginger
• ▢ ½ teaspoon Salt
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Orange Zest - finely, chopped
• ▢ 1 cup Sultanas

Extra flour to roll dough

• ▢ ⅓ cup All-Purpose Flour

Crosses

• ▢ ⅓ cup All-Purpose Flour
• ▢ 5 tablespoons Water

Glazing

• ▢ 1 tablespoon Apricot Jam
• ▢ 2 teaspoons Water

Instructions

• Add soy milk and vegan butter into a medium microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 20-second bursts (max 60 seconds). Stir between each burst until vegan butter is melted and lukewarm – about 98°F (37°C).
• Set aside to cool for 1-2 minutes, then stir in the active dried yeast. Ensure the mixture is not too hot, think bath temperature, or it can deactivate the yeast!
• In the bowl of your stand mixer or a large mixing bowl, add flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt. Give a quick whisk to combine and make a well in the center.
• Pour the lukewarm soy milk mixture, chopped orange zest, and sultanas into the center of the flour.
• Stand mixer option: Using the dough hook of the stand mixer, knead the dough at low speed (speed 2) for 6 minutes. The dough will form a soft, sticky dough that doesn't stick to the bottom or edges of the bowl. If it does, sprinkle the extra flour, 2 tablespoons at a time, until the dough doesn't stick to the bottom of the bowl, you may have to add up to 6 tablespoons.
• Hand mixing option: stir with a wooden spoon at first, then knead with your hands on a floured surface, working back and forth for 5 minutes until the dough is soft and elastic. Add extra flour if too sticky. Form a ball, and place it in a lightly oiled bowl.

First Rise

• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until it doubles in size. It can take 30 minutes to 90 minutes, depending on the temperature of your room. You can also place the bowl in an oven preheated at 40°C/100°F. This accelerates the process.
•  Line a 9-inch x13-inch baking tray (31 x 23cm) with parchment paper. Set aside.
• When the dough has doubled in size, remove the film wrap and punch down the dough to deflate it.
• Sprinkle some flour on your work surface, and shape it into a long cylinder. Cut into 12 even pieces.
• Press each piece onto the work surface to flatten and deflate. Then shape a ball with each and place each ball in rows on the prepared baking tray, leaving about 1 inch (2 cm) between each.

Second Rise

• Cover the tray with lightly-oiled plastic wrap and rise for 45 minutes.

Crosses

• In a small mixing bowl, combine flour and water.
• Using a piping bag, pipe crosses on top of the buns.

Bake

• Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
• Remove the plastic wrap on top of the baking tray and place it in the center rack of the oven.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
• In a small bowl, whisk jam and water.

Glazing

• Remove the baking sheet from the oven and, using a pastry brush, glaze the buns with the jam.

Storage

• Store in the fridge in a sealed box for up to 3 days or freeze and thaw the day before at room temperature.

Notes

No microwave? If you don’t have a microwave, place the soy milk and vegan butter in a small saucepan and warm up to 98°F/37°C – think bath temperature until vegan butter is melted.

Equipment

Measuring Cups and Spoons

Mixing Bowl

Stand Mixer

Baking Sheet

Parchment Paper

Piping Bag

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Nutrition

Serving: 1Bun | Calories: 216kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 58mg | Potassium: 94mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 142IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 2mg