Sweet Homemade Vegan Hawaiian Rolls

Soft and sweet homemade vegan Hawaiian rolls sweetened with pineapple juice and brown sugar are the perfect vegan copycat recipe of the grocery store favorite! A perfect bread for dinner, snacks, or as the base for other recipes. 

Why You’ll Love these Hawaiian Rolls 

Homemade dinner rolls are some of my favorite things to bake. There is something so comforting about soft and sweet dinner rolls. This recipe is great because with only 8 ingredients that you mostly have in your pantry already you can make the most unreal soft and fluffy rolls. 

If you haven’t made homemade bread rolls before, don’t worry. This recipe is one of the best ones to use to start your bread making journey. The enriched dough calls for a low and slow rise and the shape is super easy to roll together. 

This recipe is based off of my homemade vegan dinner rolls and goes great with a big bowl of roasted tomato soup, minestrone soup, or as the base for a great sandwich! 

Ingredients 

For the full list of ingredients, complete with amounts, please see the recipe box below. 

• Pineapple Juice: Pineapple juice is what gives Hawaiian rolls their distinctive flavor! I use just the canned kind that I keep in my pantry for other recipes like in my homemade vegan BBQ sauce or BBQ lentil burgers. Make sure it is 100% pineapple juice.
• Mashed Potatoes: Potatoes are the secret ingredient for enriched vegan breads! They provide structure, moisture, and make the dough super soft.  I use instant potato flakes that I quickly mix into mashed potatoes so I always have them on hand. 
• All Purpose Flour: You don’t need to use bread flour, just a simple all purpose flour.  
• Active dry yeast: I prefer to use this over instant yeast but use your favorite if you prefer the instant. 

You’ll also need: Canola oil (or other neutral oil), brown sugar, soy milk (or other plant based milk), and salt 

Make the Dough

Begin by proofing the yeast. Combine the yeast with 1 tablespoon of the brown sugar with the soy milk warmed to about 110F/43C. Whisk it together until the yeast and sugar dissolves and then set aside for 10 minutes to allow the yeast to awaken. 

In a big mixing bowl or in the bowl of your stand mixer with the dough hook attachment, place the yeast mixture and add the room temperature pineapple juice, the remaining brown sugar, and oil. Give this a quick stir and add the all purpose flour and salt on top. 

To mix in a mixer: Mix on a low speed for 2 ½ minutes and then on a medium speed for 2 ½ minutes. 

Making by hand: Knead the dough in the bowl or on the clean countertop for up to 10 minutes until a smooth dough ball forms. 

No matter which technique you use, the dough will be slightly tacky but not sticky. Sticky dough will stick to your finger if you touch it, while tacky dough can feel a bit tacky but will never come away on your finger. 

Grease the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm place for about an hour or until doubled in size. Rising time can vary based on both temperature and humidity levels in your kitchen, so if this is your first time making this recipe, you may need to tweak how long this dough needs. 

This bread takes a bit of time to proof, especially if your kitchen is cold (like mine can be in the winter in Michigan!). To counter this, I like to wrap up the bowl in a warm, clean kitchen towel, and place it next to a hot tea kettle on the stove, or simply place it next to a pot of hot water. This really helps with the humidity and the heat that helps the bread rise. Cover the bowl with either plastic wrap or another clean kitchen towel. 

Just make sure that you don’t touch the bowl to the hot kettle/pot. You don’t want to overheat and kill the yeast! 

How to Shape the Rolls 

After the first rise, it’s time to shape them for their second rise in the greased baking dish. 

First up, punch down the dough and place the dough onto a lightly floured surface.

Using a knife or a bench scraper, cut the dough into 12 pieces. Star by making an “X” in the middle to make 4 pieces and then divide each of those into 3 more pieces. You’ll have 12 triangles when done. 

Pick up each dough and begin to tuck the edges under each other to start to form the ball shape. Roll it in your hands and pinch the edges under. Finally, place the dough ball seem side down on the countertop and gently roll it around in a clockwise direction a few times. This creates the tension on the dough ball to help them rise beautifully. 

Make sure that the countertop is clean and has no flour on it when you roll each dough ball on the counter. The dough needs to slightly stick to help create that tautness. 

Place each roll into your prepared pan and gently cover with the clean kitchen towel again. Place it back in a warm spot and let it rise for about another 30 to 45 minutes, depending on how warm your kitchen is. 

Baking the Hawaiian Rolls 

While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 375F/190C. 

Place the fully risen rolls in the oven uncovered and bake for about 25 minutes. The rolls will have a beautiful golden brown color on top when done and using a thermometer, will have reached an inside temperature of 195F/90C. 

Remove the rolls from the oven and let them cool in the hot pan for about 10 minutes. You can brush the tops with vegan melted butter if desired. 

Are Hawaiian Rolls vegan? 

The original recipe for Hawaiian rolls is not vegan as they contain eggs and milk. That is why this recipe is here! This recipe is made to taste just like the King’s Hawaiian rolls you can buy (and hopefully better). 

How to Store 

Countertop: Store any leftover rolls in an airtight container on the countertop for up to 3 days. On day 4 I find they start to dry out, but can make some delicious bread pudding. 

Fridge: If you have applied a melted vegan butter top to the rolls, I recommend that you store them in an airtight container in the fridge to keep the butter from going rancid. 

Freezer: Once fully baked and cooled, store the Hawaiian rolls in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Allow the rolls to thaw overnight in the fridge or at room temperature for a few hours. 

How to Reheat Rolls: To reheat the rolls, pop them in a 400F/205C oven for 5 minutes or so until warmed through. You can also place rolls individually on a microwave safe plate and warm in intervals of 15 seconds until warmed through. 

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