Learn how to make super easy Vegan Coffee Pastry Croissants. Vegan puff pastry filled with a coffee pastry cream, whipped cream and dusted with icing sugar! They’re easy, look amazing and are truly too delicious not to make.
Vegan Coffee Pastry Croissants
I LOVE Croissants. Well, I love anything dough-y and flakey! You really can’t beat golden pastry!
Add some coffee into the mix and you have the perfect afternoon snack right there! These croissants are simple to make and have the most amazing coffee pastry cream.
You could use shop-bought whipped cream and add coffee into it, but you really have to try this pastry cream. It’s thick, silky and smooth, it melts in your mouth leaving you with the most incredible coffee flavour. They definitely taste (and look) like they’ve come straight out of a Paris bakery.
What is a Croissant?
A croissant is a flakey and buttery French pastry in the shape of a crescent, inspired by the shape of the ‘Austrian kipferl’.
They are usually made with ‘yeast-risen dough’ but can be made with puff pastry! Thank goodness, as these take a fraction of the time! It’s a quick shortcut to the classic, but they still taste delicious!
Ingredients you’ll need to make these croissants:
Puff pastry: My favourite puff pastry is Jus-Rol. Although you can get supermarket brands that are also vegan friendly and gluten free. Jus-Rol pastry bakes to perfection. It leaves you with a crisp, flakey and ultra tender pastry, which is simply delicious along-side the coffee.
Dairy-free milk: You can use any dairy-free milk you like. My personal favourites for pastry cream are soya and oat milk.
Caster sugar: This is added into the pastry cream for sweetness.
Cornstarch / cornflour: Cornstarch / cornflour is added into the pastry cream to thicken it.
Dairy-free butter: It’s best to use the butter directly from the fridge, so keep it stored in the fridge before using. My favourite vegan block butters are Naturli Vegan Block and Flora Plant Based Alternative.
Coffee: I like to use a mix of brewed coffee and coffee granules. You can use any coffee you like, caffeinated or de-caf! Both will work perfectly.
Whipped cream: My favourite vegan whipped cream is Elmlea Plant based alternative. Whip it up in a stand mixer with balloon whisk attachment and it’s creamy and thick, perfect addition to this dessert. You can use any of your favourite cream as long as it is thick.
Icing sugar: Dust on-top of the croissants before serving.
How to make a coffee croissant?
- Make the coffee pastry cream before making the puff pastry croissants. The pastry cream needs enough time to chill in the fridge before transferring to a piping bag and filling the croissants.
- Remove the pastry from the fridge and roll out. Roll it flat with a rolling pin.
- Cut the pastry into triangles. You can use a knife or a fun and quick way to cut the pastry is with a pizza roller.
- Brush the tops of the pastries with dairy-free milk and sprinkle over some caster sugar (optional, but it gives the pastry a nice golden colour).
- Place rolled croissants on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. Gently shape it on the paper into a crescent. Bake until golden.
- Once baked, remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack to cool fully.
- Once cool, cut the croissants in half vertically with a serrated knife.
- Transfer the thick pastry cream into a piping bag fitted with a star tip nozzle, and pipe a swirl of coffee cream into the middle of each croissant, along with some whipped cream. Place the other half of the pastry on-top.
- Dust with a sprinkling of icing sugar and serve.
Looking for more vegan desserts? Look no further:
Easy Vegan Strawberries and Cream Puff Pastry Parcels
The BEST Vegan Shortbread Brownies
How to make Vegan Caramel Sauce
A few tips for this recipe:
Make sure the pastry is chilled:
There is nothing worse than working with a warm pastry! It will stick to everything and will be a nightmare to roll up. It will also prevent the pastry puffing up and the croissants will be dense and un-cooked. If the pastry feels warm, pop it into the freezer until firm. Alternatively, roll up the croissants, then place onto a tray and pop into the freezer until firm.
Brush with milk and glaze:
Don’t miss the step about brushing the croissants with milk before baking. This is what helps to create the gorgeous golden colour.
Best served day of making:
The pastry is best enjoyed fresh and flakey, which is on the day of making. Alternatively, store the pastry cream in the fridge along with a tube of pastry and bake when ready.
If you make, and love this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below. Thank you & happy baking!
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Vegan Coffee Pastry Croissants
- Total Time: 2-3 hours
- Yield: 10–12 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Vegan puff pastry filled with a coffee pastry cream, whipped cream and dusted with icing sugar! They’re too easy and delicious not to make.
Ingredients
Ingredients for the coffee pastry cream
- 30g of caster sugar
- 20g of cornflour / cornstarch
- 10g of finely ground coffee granules
- 250ml of dairy-free milk
- 60g of dairy-free block butter*
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- 2 sheets of vegan puff pastry (I use Jus-rol)
- Extra caster sugar (for sprinkling)
- Dairy-free milk (for glaze)
Instructions
Method (coffee pastry cream)
- Add the sugar, cornflour / cornstarch and finely ground coffee into a bowl. Stir to combine.
- In a small saucepan, heat the milk over low- medium heat until very lightly simmering
- Add about 1/2 of the milk into the dry ingredients. Whisk to combine, pour that mixture back into the saucepan. Whisk to combine.
- Place the pan back onto the heat. Whisk with a handheld whisk until the mixture turns thick. This will take 1-3 minutes. When you stop stirring, the mixture should be bubbling and popping.
- Remove the pan from the heat and add in the butter. Whisk in the butter until it has completely melted and the coffee cream is smooth.
- Pour into a bowl and cover with clingfilm. Make sure the clingfilm is touching the top of the cream, as this will prevent any skin forming on-top of the cream.
- Place into the fridge for 1-2 hours.
- When it’s ready, transfer it to a bowl (it will be jelly-like). Whisk or stir with a stiff spatula until it returns back to being smooth and creamy. You can also do this with an electric mixer / blender. You want it to be smooth, but thick so it will pipe and hold it’s shape.
- Transfer into a piping bag fitted with a star tip nozzle. Set aside.
Assemble
- Preheat oven to 180°C fan, and line 2 baking trays with greaseproof paper.
- Unfold the puff pastry sheet then lightly dust the top with plain flour. Use a rolling pin, roll the sheet until smooth. Cut pastry sheet into triangles. You should get 5-6 out of each pastry sheet.
- Starting at the wider end, roll each triangle up. Place each croissant seam-side down so that the tip of the triangle is tucked under the rolled croissant.
- Place onto the lined baking tray. Spread them out as they will puff up.
- Brush each croissant with dairy-free milk then sprinkle with some sugar. This helps the pastry turn golden brown and helps with the flakiness.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until they are a deep golden brown. If they’re under baked, the middle could be very doughy, which isn’t what you want!
- Once baked remove from the oven and allow to cool fully before filling.
- Using a serrated knife, slice each croissant in half, horizontally. be careful, as they’re very delicate and flakey.
- Pipe coffee cream into each croissant, along with some dairy-free whipped cream (optional), then place the top of the croissant back on top.
- Finish with a dusting of icing sugar.
Notes
To store: Store on a plate in the fridge, uncovered. Best enjoyed day of making. If they’re in a sealed container, they could become too moist, with moisture!
What dairy-free butter to use? My favourite vegan butters are Naturli Vegan Block and Flora Plant Based Butter alternative.
- Prep Time: 1-2 hours
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Pastry
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: French
