Vegan chocolate croissants made with coconut oil are the ultimate vegan pastry. So flaky and filled with all the perfect melted chocolate, these are a perfect breakfast or treat!
They are HERE. These vegan chocolate croissants have been months in the making. Between multiple trials of the recipe, testing out a few different methods, and using a lot of coconut oil, this is the vegan croissant recipe you have been waiting for (or at least the one I have).
The second time trying out these vegan chocolate croissants worked like a charm, so to the blog it goes! I aimed for this recipe to be made without vegan butter since it’s not accessible for everyone and I wanted to make a base recipe for vegan chocolate croissants that could be made plain, savory, or sweet.
I can’t promise that these are exactly like a French bakery or flake all over like the real deal with butter does, but I can promise that they come pretty darn close.
Don’t miss the list of tips I put below, because once you’ve made this vegan chocolate croissant recipe five times, you pick up a few do’s and don’ts along the way.
The longer recipe looks intimidating, but it’s totally worth it!
How to make vegan chocolate croissants
- In a small bowl, combine the yeast, warm water, and pinch of sugar. Set aside for 5 minutes. (Make sure your water isn’t hot, just warm! Too hot water will kill your yeast and your croissants won’t rise)
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, combine the yeast mixture, salt, 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil, and 1 cup almond milk on medium.
- Gradually add in the all-purpose flour and beat on medium until a dough starts to form. If the dough is really sticky, add 1/4-1/3 cup more flour. Remove from bowl and place onto a well-floured surface.
- Don’t overmix your dough! It will become tough and chewy, resulting in a less than a flaky croissant.
- Roll the dough into a rectangle that is 1/2 inch thick (it will be about 12 inches by 10 inches or so). Transfer to a small cookie sheet and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- After the dough has chilled, we are ready to add the coconut oil package. This makes the dough form the layers and get very tender and flaky.
- Take 1 cup of solid coconut oil and knead in 1/3 cup of all-purpose flour. Form the coconut oil and flour into a small rectangle that is about 6 inches by 4 inches. I had to just use my hands to do this, especially if it’s a warmer day or your kitchen is fairly warm.
- Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and roll it out into a rectangle that is 13 inches by 9 inches.
- Place the coconut oil rectangle into the bottom half of the rolled-out dough. Fold the upper half down over the lower half and press the edges together.
- With the folded side to your left, roll out the dough into a 10 by 24-inch rectangle. Fold the bottom third up and the top third down, as if you were folding a letter.
- Repeat this rolling (into a 10 by a 24-inch rectangle) and folding 3 more times. If the dough gets too warm or the coconut oil starts to melt, chill it in the fridge for 30 minutes and start to work with the dough again.
- After you have rolled out and folded 3 more times, form the croissants for baking.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- To form the croissants, roll out the pastry dough into a 12 by 16-inch rectangle.
- Cut into 3 equal lengthwise strips and then cut each strip into 4 squares, for a total of 12 squares.
- Take each square and slightly stretch it out with your hands (just a bit), place 8-10 chocolate chips in the center of the square, then fold the bottom third up and the top down so it overlaps. Pinch the dough together to seal.
- Place on the prepared baking sheet and repeat until all squares of pastry have been used.
- Lightly whisk together the 1/4 cup almond milk and 1 teaspoon agave nectar and brush the tops of each croissant with the mixture. This will give it that perfect golden brown color.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes, until the tops are golden brown.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.
Tips for making vegan chocolate croissants
- First and foremost, don’t rush it! This is the kind of baking project that you will need to spread out over a day and just kind of enjoy, rather than looking for the easiest/fastest shortcut around.
- The rising and rolling seems like a lot, but really just trust me, it’s worth it!
- I only tried this recipe with coconut oil, so I would NOT recommend using any other oil. The beauty of coconut oil is that it stays fairly solid at room temperature and can be made into a ‘package’ for folding into the dough (see recipe below) without melting all over the place.
- Gluten-free? I don’t know, but if you want to try it and tell me how it works, that would be awesome!
- Have lots of all-purpose flour on hand each time you are rolling out dough. I found that if I thought I had enough flour, put away the bin, then had to pull it back out, I ended up with flour and coconut oil everywhere.
- When making the coconut oil package for the vegan chocolate croissant dough, use more flour than you think you need! That oil is going to start melting if you don’t and no one wants slippery countertops and wasted dough.
- Don’t try to overstuff the chocolate inside the croissant! I know that the rule for chocolate is usually that more is always better, if you overstuff the chocolate inside things will get melty and burned and it’s just all bad news.
- Don’t forget the almond milk/agave vegan ‘egg wash‘. This combo results in a perfectly browned top on your vegan chocolate croissants rather than just a pale-looking pastry.
- Last but not least, follow the recipe! This isn’t the time to improvise, trust me, I tried it.
How to roll a croissant
It’s much easier than it seems! Once you have your squares cut and ready to go, place the chocolate in the middle of the dough and roll up the top half over the chocolate and the bottom half over that section.
Don’t roll the dough too tightly around the chocolate, or the chocolate will burst out while baking.
How to store croissants
You can store croissants like any other pastry! Store them covered, in a container or in a sealed zip-top bag for up to a week. Alternately, you can freeze any leftovers using the directions below.
Can you freeze croissants?
Yes! Allow your croissants to cool completely and then wrap them in a layer of plastic wrap and then a layer of foil. Freeze for up to 3 months.
To thaw the croissants, place them in the fridge to thaw for 24-48 hours and then warm in a 200-degree oven for 5 minutes.
More vegan pastry recipes:
- How to Make Vegan Puff Pastry
- Easy Vegan Pound Cake
- Caramel Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Bourbon Cheesecake Bars
Chocolate-Filled Vegan Croissants
- Prep Time: 90 minutes
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Total Time: 108 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
Description
Chocolate-filled vegan croissants made with coconut oil and no butter are the ultimate vegan pastry. Enjoy for breakfast or as a mid-day snack!
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 3 tablespoons warm water (not hot!)
- Pinch of sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons coconut oil, divided
- 1 1/4 cups almond milk, divided
- 2 1/2 + 1/3 cups all purpose flour, divided
- 2 tablespoons agave nectar
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the yeast, warm water, and pinch of sugar. Set aside for 5 minutes.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, combine the yeast mixture (the one you combined and set aside), salt, 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil, and 1 cup almond milk on medium. Gradually add in the all-purpose flour and beat on medium until a dough starts to form. If dough is really sticky, add 1/4-1/3 cup more of flour. Remove from bowl onto a well floured surface.
- Roll the dough into a rectangle that is 1/2 inch thick (it will be about 12 inches by 10 inches or so). Transfer to a small cookie sheet and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- After the dough has chilled, we are ready to add the coconut oil package. This makes the dough form the layers and get very tender and flaky. Take 1 cup of solid coconut oil and knead in 1/3 cup of all-purpose flour. Form the coconut oil and flour into a small rectangle that is about 6 inches by 4 inches. I had to just use my hands to do this, especially if it’s a warmer day or your kitchen is fairly warm.
- Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and roll out into a rectangle that is 13 inches by 9 inches. Place the coconut oil rectangle into the bottom half of the rolled out dough. Fold the upper half down over the lower half and press the edges together. With the folded side to your left, roll out the dough into a 10 by 24 inch rectangle. Fold the bottom third up and the top third down, as if you were folding a letter. Repeat this rolling (into a 10 by 24 inch rectangle) and folding 3 more times. If the dough gets too warm or the coconut oil starts to melt, chill it in the fridge for 30 minutes and start to work with the dough again. After you have rolled out and folded 3 more times, form the croissants for baking.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- To form the croissants, roll out the pastry dough into a 12 by 16 inch rectangle. Cut into 3 equal lengthwise strips and then cut each strip into 4 squares, for a total of 12 squares. Take each square and slightly stretch it out with your hands (just a bit), place 8-10 chocolate chips in the center of the square, then fold the bottom third up and the top down so it overlaps. Pinch the dough together to seal. Place on the prepared baking sheet and repeat until all squares of pastry have been used. Lightly whisk together the 1/4 cup almond milk and agave nectar and brush the tops of each croissant with the mixture. This will give it that perfect golden brown color.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes, until the tops are golden brown.
Keywords: vegan croissants, chocolate croissants
Kelsey @ Appeasing a Food Geek says
Talk about food science! These babies are the most difficult to nail down. And you’ve succeeded in making them freaking vegan! With easy to find ingredients. MIND BLOWN. I may have to research how this works 😉 Hmm science-y collab when that video comes along? Haha Bravo Abby!
The Frosted Vegan says
I WOULD LOVE THAT SO MUCH!! Man, we need to make this happen! Maybe when you go to MN for the holidays you should stop in Milwaukee 🙂
ava says
These are not croissants… nor croissants dough.
whiskandshout says
These croissants look amazing- I have to try them 🙂 I remember you mentioning these in earlier posts and I’m so excited that they turned out so beautifully!! Pinning!
The Frosted Vegan says
Ha, I’ve been working on them for SO long I wasn’t sure I would actually get them posted before the new year!
Julia says
Holy stromboli, these look perfect! So flaky and crispy-soft. I love that you use coconut oil here – it’s my favorite for baking and I bet these taste soooo rich! I bet my family would eat these up lickety split!
The Frosted Vegan says
Thanks dear! I passed them out to so many of our friends, I can attest that they are popular 🙂
robinsveganlife says
These look amazing! Quite the labor of love, I’m sure. I once had the sweetest customer from work bring me a batch of plain croissants that she’d made vegan for me and it just made my day. I can only imagine how incredible these chocolate filled ones would be!
The Frosted Vegan says
Oh what a lovely gift! I would take those anyday 🙂
Heidi Kokborg says
Thank you so much for this! You won’t believe how long I have been searching for a vegan croissant. I have always loved croissants – especially with chocolate – so this is just perfect! I can’t wait to get baking and taste this beauties.
hipfoodiemom says
Abby, I love these!!! we get chocolate croissants all the time at bakeries. . I need to make them at home!
The Frosted Vegan says
Thank you Alice! I always get chocolate croissants at the bakery by our house (come visit, we can go together!)so I started calling it ‘research’ after a while 🙂
Liza says
By any chance, have you tried making this recipe gluten free? They look so delicious!!
The Frosted Vegan says
Hi Liza! I have not, so I can’t speak to if it would work!
cakespy says
Today is National Croissant day, and I think that is proof positive (get it? Rising joke) that everyone, vegan and non-, should enjoy some sort of croissant. These look perfect!
The Frosted Vegan says
Haha, I love it! Thanks love!
Pipilota says
Hey! I would like to give it a try, but I would like to try some other filling maybe (sometimes too chocolatey for me). What do you think, if maybe sth with peanut butter or maybe apple jam would work also?
It’s a really great site, I love your recepies 🙂
Heart of a Baker says
I think both of those would work great!
Abbey Storms says
Just made these at my place of work yesterday and they were a HUGE success!!!!! Thank you so much for sharing. I was wondering if it’s possible to freeze the dough after you make all the layers in it. Thanks 🙂
Heart of a Baker says
I’m so happy to hear this! I think it would be ok to freeze, but haven’t tried it. Please let me know if you do so I can update the post!
Felicity says
Hi there, these look ah-MAAA-zing! I’ve just gone dairy free and chocolate croissants are my fave dessert so I’ll have to try making these! I think you forgot to add the chocolate chips to the ingredients though – how much will I need for this recipe? Thanks!
Pat says
Question, almond milk sweetened or unsweetened?
Heart of a Baker says
Unsweetened!
Ghulam Mohyudin says
Good to know that works too! I learn so much from you as well! Keep it up great post.
★★★★★
Autumn says
Oh my god! I made these and they turned out amazing!! My family and I all loved them. Will HAVE to make again!
★★★★★
Heart of a Baker says
SO happy to hear that!
Ellie says
it’s really great, i loved making it! i had to use a lot more flour than the recipe called for because my dough was so sticky, so i ended up with more dough and cutting it into smaller pieces. i’d suggest adding more chocolate too, even at half size there’s not a strong chocolate taste. i feel like i did more wrong because i had to cook it for +20 minutes because it wasn’t fully cooked through, but it was amassing none the less! they come out so flakey and in beautiful layers! fantastic recipe!
★★★★★
nimrit says
I am so excited to try this out for my family at Christmas dinner. Hope it turns out really good
Simply Delish says
Holy delish! These croissants look AMAZING! Sometimes the idea of laminating croissant dough can be nerve-wracking, but this recipe makes the process look painless and easy!
★★★★★