Brioche bread is a versatile loaf, roll or bun that can be used for anything. But is brioche vegan? Can vegans eat brioche buns?
The difference between brioche and normal bread is that brioche is a very rich bread. Whereas normal bread can be made using nothing more than flour, water, salt and yeast, brioche also contains eggs, milk and butter to make it tastier than standard bread.
Unfortunately, brioche buns are not vegan as they contain animal-derived ingredients like milk and eggs. However, it is possible to buy or make vegan brioche.
What is brioche?
Brioche is a type of bread that originates from France. Brioche buns are light and airy with a dark golden, flaky crust.
The ingredients commonly used in brioche are:
- Flour
- Eggs
- Butter
- Milk
- Water
- Yeast
- Salt
- Sugar
Brioche often contains 250g of butter and six eggs per loaf. This makes it very rich, almost akin to pastry, but not vegan-friendly at all.
Most brioche recipes include eggs, butter and milk which makes brioche not suitable for vegans. However, vegan and dairy-free brioche buns are available in various supermarkets and vegan-friendly restaurants.
How to bake vegan brioche bread
When baking vegan brioche you can simply replace the eggs, butter and milk with ingredients that do not come from animals.
- Butter – replace with vegan margarine or olive oil
- Cows milk – replace with a plant-based milk
- Eggs – replace with aquafaba
Vegan brioche with aquafaba
Aquafaba is the name for the water which you get in a tin of chickpeas. Translated from French, it literally means ‘bean water’.
When opening a can of chickpeas, most people pour the water down the drain. But this viscous liquid is actually a great replacer for egg white in recipes such as vegan brioche.
Be sure to scroll down for some vegan brioche recipes.
Where to buy vegan brioche
As a vegan, you’ll obviously want to avoid traditional brioche made with eggs and dairy. Luckily, vegan brioche buns are available to buy in UK supermarkets including Tesco, Asda and Waitrose.
Make No Bones Vegan Brioche Buns
Four packs of Make No Bones vegan brioche buns are available to buy in Tesco and Waitrose.
Asda Free From Brioche Style Rolls
Asda’s brioche rolls come in regular and chocolate chip varieties and are part of the Free From range.
Vegan brioche recipes
If you enjoy baking, making your own vegan brioche rolls at home could be fun to try. Here are some of the best vegan brioche recipes online:
Vegan brioche rolls recipe
For simple vegan brioche rolls that have a solid crust and a light, fluffy centre, check out this recipe from LazyCatKitchen.com.
Vegan brioche burger bun recipe
If you want to bake vegan brioche burger buns topped with poppy seeds, I recommend this recipe from TheGreedyVegan.com
Vegan brioche loaf recipe
This vegan brioche loaf will taste amazing slathered with homemade strawberry jam. Get the recipe from RainbowNourishments.com
Vegan brioche doughnuts recipe
Did you even know that vegan brioche donuts were a thing? I didn’t until I saw this recipe from HolyCowVegan.net and now I really want to make them!
Vegan chocolate brioche buns recipe
The sweetness of brioche is perfectly complemented by chocolate. To make these fluffy, soft vegan chocolate brioche buns, you’ll find the recipe over at VeEatCookBake.com
Tips for making vegan brioche
If you want to bake your own vegan brioche at home, here are some things to look out for when baking…
- Your vegan butter or margarine should be the kind that comes in a solid foil-wrapped block, not the spreadable kind that comes in a tub. Use Naturli Vegan block, Stork block, Tomor block, Vitalite block or Earth Balance buttery sticks
- You can use olive oil instead of butter, but this will create a texture that’s more like a cake than traditional brioche rolls
- If you use olive oil, don’t use extra virgin, as the flavour will be too strong
- If your brioche is too sweet, use a little less sugar next time
- The best milk to use when making vegan brioche is soya milk as it’s the most similar to dairy milk
- The best way to check if your bread is cooked in the middle is with a probe thermometer.