These homemade vegan whole wheat burger buns are fluffy, soft and healthy, and they are perfect for that delicious veggie burger you just grilled up. Vegan, soy-free and nut-free recipe.
Table of Contents
Summer is all about grilling, and you can't find a better bread to cradle a delicious veggie burger than this vegan and whole wheat burger bun.
This is an amazing bun: soft, fluffy, and it slices into half perfectly. You can make it either part whole-wheat or all-whole-wheat, and get a great result either way.
Why you'll love this recipe
- The burger buns are so delicious and flavorful.
- They're partly whole-wheat and so good for you.
- The texture is customizable. Make the buns softer or crustier, depending on how you like them. See recipe FAQs below for more instructions.
- It's an easy recipe, you don't need to be a skilled baker--but follow instructions closely, especially if you are a new baker.
- These buns are great for warming up on the grill--sturdy, and you don't have to worry about them falling apart under your fingers, the way some store-bought buns do.
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Flour: You can make these buns with a mix of whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour, like I did, or with all whole wheat flour. To make all whole wheat buns see recipe FAQs below.
- Active dry yeast. You can also use instant dry yeast. To naturally leaven these buns with sourdough see my sourdough burger buns recipe.
- Baking soda. Although these buns are leavened with yeast adding a pinch of baking soda makes them softer and fluffier.
- Sesame seeds or poppy seeds. These are optional, for topping the buns.
- Oil: You can use a neutral oil or use room temperature vegan butter for even softer burger buns.
- Nondairy milk. Using a higher protein milk like soy milk will yield softer buns.
How to make whole wheat burger buns
- Bloom the yeast: To make the burger buns, begin, as you will most bread recipes, by "blooming" the yeast in lukewarm water with a bit of sugar added in to feed the yeast. You need to wait five minutes and make sure the yeast bubbles and froths, indicating it's alive. If it doesn't, the yeast needs to be replaced.
- Sift in dry ingredients: Once the yeast has bloomed, sift in all the dry ingredients--flour, baking soda and salt. If the bran stays back in the sieve, just add it back in to the flour as you want it in there for a healthier bun.
- Knead the dough: Mix all the ingredients by hand or with a dough hook set to medium speed, then slowly trickle in the remaining lukewarm water until a soft, supple dough forms. You might not need all of the water depending on where you are and the weather outside. I usually use up all of the 1 ½ cups but this time I made the buns on a humid day and needed about 2 tablespoon less.
You just need to knead the dough for three minutes once it comes together, then add the oil, mix it in until incorporated. Form the dough into a ball, put in in a covered bowl coated in oil and set it aside in a warm spot in your kitchen for two hours, during which time it should more than double. - Shape the buns: Once the dough has risen, gently fold it over itself to deflate it. Form into a ball again, then divide into eight pieces. Shape each into a smooth ball. Place the buns on a baking sheet (preferably lined with parchment) side by side with at least two to three inches between each bun. You can flatten the tops of the buns slightly with your fingers, if you wish. Cover loosely with a kitchen towel and return to a warm spot until the buns have doubled, about an hour and a half.
- Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 370 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Sprinkle on the seed topping (optional): You can bake the buns as they are, but if you like a seed topping, make a mix of one teaspoon oil, one tablespoon nondairy milk and a quarter of a teaspoon of maple syrup in a bowl. Brush this on the top of each bun. The sprinkle on sesame or poppy seeds over the top of each bun.
- Bake the buns: Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 25 minutes. Let the buns cool thoroughly on a rack before eating.
More bread rolls and buns
- Soft vegan dinner rolls
- Crusty sourdough dinner rolls
- Whole wheat saffron buns
- Garlic and herb sandwich buns
- Soft sourdough rolls
Top tip
- You need whole wheat flour for this recipe and you can use the regular whole wheat flour you can buy off the shelf or, if you have it, use a softer whole wheat like the durum whole wheat flour sold for rotis. That's because it is finer textured and will create a bun with a more delicate, softer crumb.
Recipe card
Whole Wheat Burger Buns
Yield 8 buns
These homemade vegan whole wheat burger buns are fluffy, soft and healthy, and they are perfect for that delicious veggie burger you just grilled up. Vegan, soy-free and nut-free recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1 ½ cups warm water (sub ½ cup water with nondairy milk for softer buns)
- 1 ½ cups whole-wheat flour
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or any neutral oil (sub with 1 tablespoon room temperature, softened vegan butter for softer crust)
Instructions
- Mix the sugar, ½ cup warm water and the yeast in a mixing bowl and set aside for five minutes or until the mixture starts to froth, indicating the yeast is alive and well.
- Sift all the flours, salt, and baking soda into the bowl. Knead on low speed in a stand mixer or by hand for about 3 minutes, trickling in 1 cup of water until you have a dough that's smooth and supple. You might not need all of the water.
- Add the oil and continue to knead until the oil has been absorbed by the dough, about 1 more minute.
- Place the dough in an oiled bowl, turning over once to coat all over with oil, cover with a kitchen towel, and set aside in a warm spot for 1 ½ hours until the dough has more than doubled.
- Fold the dough over itself to deflate. Form into a ball again, then divide into 8 equal sized pieces. Shape each piece into a smooth ball.
- Place the buns on a baking sheet that's either been lightly greased or is lined with parchment. Space the buns at least a couple of inches apart. Flatten the tops slightly with your fingers, if you like. Cover the buns loosely with a kitchen towel and set them in a warm spot to rise for an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 370 degrees.
- Before the buns go into the oven, you can sprinkle seeds on the tops of the buns if you like. To do this, mix 1 teaspoon vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon nondairy milk and ¼ teaspoon maple syrup in a bowl. Brush the tops with this mixture, then sprinkle sesame seeds or poppy seeds on the tops.
- Place the buns in the oven and bake 25 minutes. Remove the buns to a rack and allow them to cool thoroughly before serving.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1bunCalories: 188kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 6gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 361mgPotassium: 128mgFiber: 4gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 2IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 12mgIron: 2mg
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Recipe FAQs
How can I make the burger buns softer?
To make the buns softer, replace ½ cup of water with lukewarm milk and the vegetable oil with softened vegan butter. You can also use just all purpose flour and leave out the whole wheat flour altogether for a softer bun.
Can I make these buns all whole wheat?
Yes, absolutely. Just use three cups of whole wheat flour, skip the all purpose. Also add a tablespoon of vital wheat gluten along with the whole wheat flour, which will give you fluffier buns.
Can I make the burger buns bigger or smaller?
You can shape these into six larger buns or 12 smaller buns, which will be more like slider buns. If you make smaller buns, cut down baking time to 22 minutes.
Will these hold up on the grill?
These buns are soft but crusty and sturdy and yes, they do beautifully on the grill.
Can you suggest veggie burger patties to pair with these buns?
I serve these burger buns with all of my healthy veggie burgers, including quinoa bean burger, spicy black beans burger, curried jackfruit burger and falafel burger.
Dianna says
My first time making these. I thought they would be lighter and softer. The taste was so good. I followed your directions exactly. I am trying to figure out what I did wrong
Vaishali Honawar says
Did you knead the dough long enough to promote gluten development? Did you follow proofing times accurately? Whole wheat buns will be slightly more dense than buns made entirely with all purpose flour. You can use only purpose flour next time or add a tablespoon of vital wheat gluten along with the flour.