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A Filipino classic-made vegan! These soft, fluffy, and sweet bread rolls are great for a snack or meal, any time of day. They can be enjoyed on their own or with sweet and savory fillings.
Many of you have requested that I share more vegan Filipino recipes from my childhood, and today I am making that happen! Pandesal is a classic Filipino bread roll that I knew I needed to veganize.
I remember when we used to pick up fresh pandesal at Filipino bakeries on the weekend and enjoy them as a family, so I’m excited that I can now do that again when my family visits us here in Washington, but all vegan, of course.
Pandesal (or pan de sal) is a famous yeast-raised bread in the Philippines and is something that always reminds me of my childhood. Pandesal is to the Phillippines as croissants are to France or focaccia is to Italy. It is THE bread of the Philippines. Although its name in Spanish technically translates to salt bread, pandesal is not a salty bread, but it is more on the sweet side!
I thought that these would be hard to veganize, but it was easy to make without eggs and milk.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Lukewarm water: The temperature should be between 105 and 110°F for proofing.
- Active dry yeast: We used active dry yeast which needs to proof separately before mixing with the rest of the ingredients. If you want to use instant yeast, use 25 percent less active dry.
- Granulated sugar: Used to activate the yeast and sweeten up the bread. If you would like sweeter pandesal, increase the sugar to 1 cup. Coconut sugar can be used in place of granulated sugar, but keep in mind that it will create a darker dough/result.
- Vegan Butter: We really enjoy using Country Crock Plant Butter.
- Unsweetened plant-based milk: You can really use any type that you’d prefer, we typically opt for soy or almond.
- Salt: Not only does salt add flavor, but it also works to tighten the gluten strands that are formed, which makes them stronger.
- All-purpose flour: We have not tested this recipe using bread flour or whole wheat flour.
- Plain breadcrumbs: Not all breadcrumbs are vegan, so double-check the ingredients!
There are many ways to serve pandesal, which makes it so great! It pairs well with sweet and savory fillings so that you can enjoy it any time of day.
Here are some ideas for you to try out:
- Dipped into coffee or hot chocolate (this was my favorite as a kid)
- Filled with vegan butter and fresh jam (coconut jam is great in pandesal!)
- Stuffed with vegan cheese slices or a vegan cheese spread
- Used to make a vegan ham and cheese sandwich
- Loaded with peanut butter or any nut butter of your choice!
If you enjoyed this pandesal recipe, you might also like:
- Ube Pandesal
- Filipino Chicken Adobo
- Garlic Fried Rice (Sinangag)
- Vegan Chicken Afritada
- Filipino Barbecue
- Ube Pichi Pichi (Filipino Sticky Cassava Snack)
Vegan Pandesal (Filipino Bread Rolls)
- Total Time: 2 hours 55 minutes
- Yield: 20 rolls
Description
A Filipino classic-made vegan! These soft, fluffy, and sweet bread rolls are great for a snack or meal, any time of day. They can be enjoyed on their own or with sweet and savory fillings.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup lukewarm water
- 2 1/4 teaspoons (1 packet) active dry yeast
- 3/4 cup* + 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, divided
- 6 tablespoons vegan butter, melted
- 1 1/2 cups warm unsweetened plant-based milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5 to 6 cups of all-purpose flour
- Oil, for the pan
- 1/2 cup plain and fine breadcrumbs
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix the lukewarm water and 1 teaspoon of sugar until dissolved. Add in the active dry yeast and gently mix it to combine. Set this mixture aside for 5-10 minutes to activate. You will know it is ready when it is fluffy!
- Stir together the melted butter, warm milk, remaining sugar, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Stir in the yeast mixture.
- Slowly add the flour until a smooth dough forms.
- On a lightly floured work surface or with a standing mixer, knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes.
- Grab another large bowl and lightly coat it with oil. Transfer the dough to the oiled bowl, toss it around, and cover it with a clean and damp kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm area for 1 hour or until doubled in size. We raise ours in the oven with the oven light on (no heat!).
- In the meantime, get your baking dish ready. You can use either a lined baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat or grease a few small glass or metal baking dishes (enough for 20 pieces).
- Punch it down once the dough has risen and portion the dough into 20 even pieces. If you want this to be extra precise, you can use a kitchen scale. Next, shape each dough into balls (see video for how we did ours).
- Add the breadcrumbs to a wide bowl or plate and gently coat each pandesal roll in the breadcrumbs. If the rolls are too dry to cover, you can spray them with cooking oil or water to moisten them up. Transfer the rolls into the prepared dish, reasonably close together (about 1/2″ apart), to help them fluff up as they bake.
- Cover the pan(s) with a clean cloth or plastic wrap and place them in a warm place to rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size. We raise ours in the oven with the oven light on (no heat!).
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. If you are raising the dough in the oven, remove them before preheating! Bake the rolls for 23 to 26 minutes, or until golden. Cool for 10 minutes before serving, and enjoy.
Notes
- If you would like sweeter pandesal, increase the sugar to 1 cup.
- Coconut sugar can be used in place of granulated sugar, but keep in mind that it will create a darker dough/result.
- If you want to make the dough ahead of time, you totally can! Here are two options:1. When you reach step 6, cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a resealable wrap instead of allowing the dough to rise, and then place it into the fridge overnight. Next, remove the dough from the refrigerator, let it come to room temperature, and continue rising (about 1-1.5 hours). Once it has come to room temperature, continue with the recipe.2. The second option is to place the dough into the fridge after step 9. Place the rolls onto your pan of choice, cover it, and place it into the refrigerator overnight. Remove the dough from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature, continue rising (about 1-1.5 hours or so), and continue with the recipe.
- We made this recipe by hand, but it can also be made in the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook.
- We have not tested this recipe using bread flour or whole wheat flour.
- Not all bread crumbs are vegan, so double-check the ingredients!
- Prep Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Breakfast, Side
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Vegan, Filpino
Easy recipe to follow and turned out great! Thanks for the recipe!
I’ve made these, and they are perfect! Fluffy with just the right amount of sweetness! They’re so good my aunt, who’s a great cook, has requested them again.
Sarap!!! Tastes just like the pandesal my inay would make before I went vegan. This was a very easy recipe to follow and results were amazing. Thank you so much! Now I need to find a vegan putok recipe!
I’ve tried many pandesal recipes and yours is the best. Thanks for sharing and just wanted to give feedback that I used bread flour since I was low on APF. They came out perfect and delicious.
This recipe is amazing. I grew up eating pandesal weekly, whenever my Mamang would make it. Eating this now as a vegan an elicits so many good memories for me.
I made these for a Filipino party and received so many compliments on them. Now, I’ve been designated to make and bring it from now on and have been nicknamed “Tita Pandesal.”
This recipe was a hit with my Filipino in-laws (and me)! I haven’t been successful with yeasted recipes, but this one turned out amazing.
Fluffy, a good bite, and great flavor. I’m thinking of making a sweeter version rolled in sugar.
I made this for my Filipino friend, and the rolls got rave reviews! I couldn’t believe how perfect they turned out on the first try. Another friend said it might be the best bread she’s ever had. Thank you, thank you for this recipe! It was so great to be able to make something special for my friend.
Thank you for this recipe. My Filipino mom came to stay with us and she ate this pandesal for breakfast and for supper., and was content. I had to make it at least once a week the way she was tearing it up. Thanks for veganizing Filipino recipes 💜
Hi there Jasmine and Chris!
I have just made this yesterday and today!
My kid’s have enjoyed it as much as I do! Do you think oat flour or chickpea flour will also work?
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe 😘 ❤️
Love, love, love your recipe! tastes so good! I’ll eventually lessen the sugar & experiment.
My regular pandesal recipe has sweet potato in it, lesser sugar. I’ve been searching for a gd vegan pandesal recipe for my 2 vegan kids. Came out perfect. Thank you for sharing.
Oh, I’ve always wanted to make a recipe, and I definitely have to make this and all the recipes. Thanks for the content you share!
Great recipe! Thank you for the work. For all people who measure in grams and like half the sugar:
120g lukewarm water
7g (1 packet) active dry yeast
80g + 5g granulated sugar, divided
85g vegan butter, melted
360g warm unsweetened plant-based milk
5g salt
750g of all-purpose flour
Oil, for the pan
120g plain and fine breadcrumbs
Optional: butter aroma, 1g bread spice
Best Pandisal I ever had! I used half of the sugar as I eat it with sweet toppings. I like them for breakfast, so the fridge overnight raise was a must. Thank you for the tasty recipe!
My son is allergic to dairy and eggs so he’s never had pandesal until my aunt made this for him. This recipe is even better than store bought pandesal. Sooooo delicious and so moist! Thank you so much!!!!!
I made this using the dough mixer, half whole wheat and half Unbleached flour. My non-vegan mom loved it and said taste exactly like regular pandesal. She wants me to make more so she can bring it back to my brother in another state to try. Thanks for the recipe!