Flaky and light, these vegan croissant sandwiches prove that good pastries don’t need butter. Vegan croissants are sliced in half and then filled with a handful of spinach, slices of creamy avocado, strips of tangy roasted red pepper, and a thick spread of vegan cream cheese.
These sandwiches are as tasty as they are colorful. This is a brunch dish you can serve to your vegan and non-vegan friends alike.
Looking for more croissant recipes? Here are other recipes you might enjoy: Croissant Muffins (Cruffins), Strawberry Croissants, Tuna Croissant Sandwich, Vegetarian Croissant Sandwich, and Stuffed Croffles (Croissant Waffles).
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Decadent delight: These cheese croissant sandwiches are a simple savory treat that marries the richness of vegan cheese with the lightness of flaky croissants, offering a perfect blend of textures and flavors.
Easy adaptability: Whether you’re adhering to a strict vegan diet or just looking for a delicious sandwich, this recipe offers versatile ingredient substitutions to suit every preference.
Health-conscious: Loaded with fresh ingredients like spinach, avocado, and roasted red peppers, these sandwiches are a wholesome serving of food that fits into your daily diet, without compromising on taste or satisfaction.
Recipe Ingredients
You’ll need the following ingredients to make these meatless croissant sandwiches:
Ingredient Notes
Vegan Butter: It’s important to find a high-quality vegan butter that is made for baking. Using the right kind of vegan butter is key to achieving the flaky French pastries. If you can’t find any, olive oil might work as a replacement, although the texture and taste may vary slightly.
Vegan Cheese: You can use your favorite vegan cheese. If you prefer a cheese-like spread, vegan cream cheese works perfectly. You can also opt for a vegan mozzarella cheese or even a homemade vegan cheese. Whole Foods and similar health-oriented stores often have a good selection.
Vegan Milk: Any kind of vegan milk works just fine here. Almond, oat, and soy are great choices, but you can also use other non-dairy milk like rice or cashew milk, according to your preference.
How To Make a Vegan Croissant Sandwich
Make the croissant dough: Proof the yeast in water warmed to 105ºF-115ºF with a pinch of sugar.
Stir together the flour, cane sugar, salt, and 3 tablespoons of vegan butter, cubed. Put it in the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook on low speed. Slowly add the proofed yeast once it has gotten frothy, followed by vegan milk. Increase the speed of the mixer and allow the machine to knead the dough for 5-6 minutes.
Allow a few extra minutes if using a hand mixer. If you are not using a stand mixer or hand mixer, knead by hand. The dough will be a little sticky. When it is finished, it will be soft and will bounce back when you poke it. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and shape it into a ball.
Cover and refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes. Remove from the fridge and roll out the dough to a 9 x 15-inch rectangle. Make sure to very lightly flour your surface. I recommend doing this on a baking sheet or large cutting board to make it easier to move the dough in and out of the fridge. Put the shaped dough in the fridge, covered, for 4 hours, up to overnight.
Make the vegan butter block: 30 minutes before you remove the dough from the fridge, make the butter block. Beat the vegan butter with a little flour in a stand mixer using a paddle attachment or with egg beaters until the flour and butter are combined.
Place the butter onto a piece of parchment paper and cover it with another piece of parchment. Working quickly, roll the butter into a rectangle, roughly 6 x 11-inches. Allow it to chill for 30 minutes. Remove the block from the fridge and trim the edges so that the block is a rectangle.
Laminate the dough: Remove the dough from the fridge and place the butter in the center of the dough.
Fold the edges of the dough over the butter. Then fold the dough ‘hamburger style’ into thirds. Then roll out the dough again into a 9 x 15-inch rectangle. Fold the dough again in thirds. Chill the dough for 4 hours up to overnight. Roll out the dough again into a 9 x 15-inch rectangle. Fold the dough again in thirds. Roll out the dough again into a 9x 15-inch rectangle, and fold again. Allow the dough to chill for 4 hours up to overnight.
Shape the croissants: Roll out the chilled dough into a 9 x 15-inch rectangle. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, slice the dough in half lengthwise. Slice each half into fourths, creating eight rectangles. Cut each rectangle in half diagonally. This should create 16 right triangles.
Stretch each triangle a bit with your hands. Using your knife, create a 1-inch notch at the base of the triangle. Roll the triangles up from their base to their tip. Refrigerate for 60 minutes up to overnight.
Bake the croissants: Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Remove the croissants from the fridge. Brush a vegan milk wash over the exterior of each croissant. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Allow them to cool.
Prepare the veggies: Slice the avocado into thin wedges and cut the roasted red pepper into strips. Pat the roasted red pepper with a paper towel to remove any excess liquid. Wash and dry the spinach.
Assemble: Slice the croissants in half. Spread the vegan cream cheese on both sides. Add a layer of spinach, followed by roasted red pepper, followed by avocado. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- For an extra touch of flavor, consider lightly sautéing the spinach and roasted red peppers on medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of black pepper before adding them to the sandwich.
- After baking the croissants, let them cool completely before slicing them in half. This ensures that the flaky croissant halves don’t fall apart when filled.
Storage & Reheating
Store any leftover sandwiches in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. When ready to eat, reheat in a toaster oven or regular oven at a low temperature until warmed through. The microwave isn’t recommended as it can make the croissants soggy.
Additions & Substitutions
- For an extra punch of flavor, consider adding sun-dried tomatoes, sweet potatoes, or even some crisp greens. Drizzle a bit of vegan ranch dressing or a squeeze of lemon juice for added tanginess.
- If you want to add some extra protein and a familiar brunch ingredient to these vegan croissant sandwiches, try using Just Egg. This plant-based egg substitute can be lightly scrambled and added to the filling for an extra layer of flavor and texture.
- If vegan cream cheese isn’t your thing, try substituting it with a spread of basil leaves and fresh fruit like juicy tomatoes for a fresh and tangy contrast.
Recipe FAQs
What should I serve with this vegan croissants recipe?
Serve these vegan croissant sandwiches with a side of fresh fruit salad or some crunchy vegetable sticks for a balanced meal. They also pair well with a warm soup on a chilly day or a cool gazpacho on a hot summer afternoon. If you’re in the mood for something more hearty, you can serve it with sweet potato fries or a mixed greens salad dressed with your favorite vinaigrette. Enjoy these delicious sandwiches and keep exploring fresh, fun ways to fill flaky croissant halves with a range of flavors.
I don’t have time to make croissant dough. What can I do?
You can’t beat the taste and satisfaction of homemade pastries, but there is no doubt these are time intensive. If you’re short on time, look for packaged crescent rolls. Many of them are specifically packaged as vegan and/or are not made with any dairy or animal products. You can also visit a local vegan pastry shop and purchase their croissants for the base of this sandwich.
Do you recommend other veggie fillings?
Of course! You can use roasted squash, eggplant, or mushrooms in place of the roasted red peppers if you prefer. I really like the acidity of roasted red peppers, so recommend that you marinate your roasted vegetables if you use them instead. You can also use other greens in the sandwich. Microgreens would add a nice texture to the top if you prefer them to spinach.
What is lamination?
When we roll the dough with the butter block, we laminate the dough to create those flaky layers. Every fold or “turn” in the dough creates more layers of butter and dough.
Here are some other sandwich recipes you might enjoy!
Vegan Croissant Sandwich
Ingredients
- 3 2/3 cups + 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon cane sugar
- 2 teaspoons table salt
- 3 tablespoons + 1 ½ cups of vegan butter
- 2 teaspoons active yeast
- 1 cup + ¼ cup vegan milk (oat, almond, or soy milk)
- 4 oz vegan cream cheese
- 8 oz roasted red pepper
- 2 avocados
- 2 cups of fresh spinach
Instructions
- Proof your yeast with 1 teaspoon of cane sugar and ¼ cup of water heated to 105-115ºF. Wait until the mixture becomes foamy before using.
- Whisk together 3 ⅔ cups of flour, 2 tablespoons of cane sugar, and 2 teaspoons of salt. Mix in 3 tablespoons of vegan butter cubed.
- Place into the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment and start on a low speed.
- Slowly pour in the proofed yeast, then 1 cup of milk into the dough.
- Increase the speed of the mixer and allow it to knead the dough for 5-6 minutes, until the dough pulls away from the bowl and is soft.
- Turn the kneaded dough out onto a floured surface, shape it into a ball, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Remove the dough from the fridge. Roll out the dough to a 9 x 15-inch rectangle, cover, and refrigerate for 4 hours, up to overnight.
- Beat 1 ½ cups vegan butter and 2 tablespoons flour in a stand mixer using a paddle attachment.
- Place the vegan butter onto a piece of parchment paper and cover it with another sheet of parchment paper. Use a rolling pin to roll out the butter into a 6 x 11 rectangle.
- Chill for 30 minutes.
- Remove the vegan butter block and dough from the fridge. Place the butter in the center of the dough and fold the dough over the edges. Fold the dough into thirds.
- Roll out the dough into a 9 x 15-inch rectangle. Fold the dough in thirds. Roll out the dough again into a 9 x 15-inch rectangle, and fold again into thirds.
- Chill for 4 hours to allow the vegan butter to harden, then repeat the folding and rolling process two more times.
- Chill the dough for 4 hours up to overnight.
- Roll out the dough into a 9 x 15-inch rectangle.
- Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, slice the dough in half lengthwise.
- Cut each half of the dough into fourths. Cut each resulting rectangle in half diagonally to create triangles.
- Stretch each triangle a bit. Then create a 1-inch notch at the base of the triangle. Roll the triangles up into crescents starting from the notched base of the triangle.
- Refrigerate for 60 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
- Using ¼ cup vegan milk, glaze the exterior of each croissant.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes until golden brown. Allow the croissants to cool.
- Slice two avocados into thin wedges and cut 8 oz of roasted red pepper into strips.
- Pat the roasted red pepper to remove any excess liquid with paper towels.
- Wash and dry the spinach.
- Slice the croissants in half. Spread the vegan cream cheese on both sides. Add a layer of spinach, then a layer of roasted red pepper, and finally, a few slices of avocado.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Arielle is a food and drink photographer based in Washington, D.C. She was previously a social science researcher before she fell in love with photography.