If you’ve ever seen that vibrant, almost magical purple color in a dessert and wondered what made it so special, you’re about to find out! That color belongs to ube, the wonderful purple yam that’s the heart of so many incredible Filipino treats. I finally cracked the code on making the ultimate soft, sweet treat at home: the Irresistible Vegan Ube Rolls Soft Sweet Delight. Honestly, when I first started experimenting with ube halaya, I was intimidated by the dough, but trust me, these rolls are shockingly easy to make. They come out pillowy soft, packed with that earthy, vanilla-like sweetness, and they happen to be completely plant-based. I’m telling you, these rolls are going to change your favorite weekend breakfast forever!
Why You Need These Irresistible Vegan Ube Rolls Soft Sweet Delight
Seriously, why should this recipe be next on your baking list? Because it hits all the right notes, every single time. If you’ve struggled with vegan doughs sticking together or being crumbly, this recipe is your answer. These soft sweet rolls are pure comfort food, and they just happen to be accidentally perfect for plant-based eating!
- Incredibly Soft Texture: The dough handles beautifully and results in rolls so fluffy they practically melt in your mouth—they are the definition of soft sweet delight.
- Vibrant Natural Color: That stunning, deep purple hue from the ube halaya is totally natural, making every bite a visual treat.
- Fully Vegan Friendly: We swap out all the dairy and eggs using simple tricks like a flax egg, so everyone can enjoy these! You don’t even need any fancy ingredients to keep them plant-based.
- Perfectly Sweet Filling: We layer on that luscious ube jam, so you get pockets of intense flavor in every swirl.
- Simple Glazing: The final drizzle of ube glaze is quick, easy, and seals in all that wonderful moisture, ready in minutes.
- Great for Beginners: My baking tips really shine here; the technique is foolproof for achieving bakery-quality results right on your countertop.
Essential Ingredients for Irresistible Vegan Ube Rolls Soft Sweet Delight
Okay, gathering your supplies is the first big step toward baking these irresistible vegan ube rolls, and I want to make sure you have everything ready to go. Because we aren’t using traditional dairy or eggs, we have a couple of little swaps, but they are super simple! The star is definitely the ube halaya, which is just a rich purple yam jam—it gives us that incredible color and earthy sweetness. Don’t worry if you haven’t heard of it; I put a little note below on what you can do if you can’t find it!
The most crucial thing to check right away is your plant milk temperature. It needs to be warm, but not hot—think bathwater warm, around 105 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit. This wakes up the yeast so we get that fantastic rise!
Also, we need to make our ‘glue’ for the dough: the flax egg. It’s so easy! Just mix one tablespoon of ground flaxseed with three tablespoons of water and let it sit for about five minutes until it gets all gelatinous. It truly works magic in place of chicken eggs. And hey, if you ever need a quick substitute for things like buttermilk in other recipes, I found a great guide on making your own buttermilk substitutes, which is super handy knowledge for vegan baking!
For the Dough
These are the building blocks for our fluffy base. Make sure your yeast is fresh!
- 1 cup warm plant milk (aim for 105-115F—this is important!)
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar, plus 1 teaspoon for the yeast mixture
- 1 large flax egg (That’s 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed mixed with 3 Tbsp water, rested for 5 minutes)
- 1/4 cup melted vegan butter (Make sure it’s cooled slightly before adding to the milk!)
- 1/2 cup ube halaya (purple yam jam—this is your primary flavor!)
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup ube extract (If you want that deep purple color to really pop!)
For the Filling and Glaze
This is where we double down on the ube flavor!
- For the filling: 1/2 cup ube halaya (You need this good stuff spread evenly inside!)
- For the glaze: 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons plant milk (Used to thin the glaze)
- 1 teaspoon ube extract (This keeps the glaze vibrant purple)
Step-by-Step Instructions for Irresistible Vegan Ube Rolls Soft Sweet Delight
Alright, let’s get baking! This recipe moves smoothly, but respecting the dough’s rising time is how we guarantee those unbelievably soft sweet rolls. Don’t rush the resting periods; that’s where the magic happens! When you see that vibrant purple dough puff up, you’ll know you’re doing something right. If you want even more confidence in your baking, definitely check out my general baking tips—they apply perfectly here!
Activating Yeast and Mixing the Dough
First things first, we wake up the yeast! In a large bowl, gently mix your warm plant milk (remember, 105–115°F!), the yeast, and just 1 teaspoon of the sugar. You have to wait about 5 minutes until it gets all foamy and bubbly on top. If nothing happens, your milk was probably too hot or too cold, or the yeast is old—start over! Once it’s happy, stir in your prepped flax egg, the melted (and slightly cooled) vegan butter, the first 1/2 cup of ube halaya, the rest of the sugar, the salt, and the ube extract if you’re using it for extra color.
Now, slowly add your flour. Mix everything until you get a shaggy mass of dough. It’s going to look messy and probably a little sticky at this stage. That’s exactly what we want before we start working it by hand!
Kneading and First Rise for Soft Rolls
Turn that shaggy mess out onto a lightly floured surface. Now, it’s time for some elbow grease! You need to knead this dough for a solid 8 to 10 minutes. Keep pushing, folding, and turning until the dough feels completely smooth and elastic when stretched. It shouldn’t tear easily. When it’s right, it’s beautifully cohesive!
Lightly oil a clean bowl and drop your smooth dough ball in, turning it once to coat. Cover that bowl with plastic wrap or a clean tea towel. Find the warmest, draft-free spot in your kitchen—maybe on top of your fridge or in a slightly warm oven that’s turned off. Let it rise for 1 to 1.5 hours, or until it’s perfectly doubled in size. Don’t peek too often!
Filling, Rolling, and Second Proofing
Gently punch the air out of the risen dough. On your floured surface, roll it out into a big rectangle—aim for about 12 inches by 18 inches. I like to use a rolling pin and just keep turning the dough slightly to keep it even. Now, take that remaining 1/2 cup of ube halaya and spread it evenly across the surface. Here’s the trick: leave a clear 1-inch border on just one of the long edges. This unfrosted edge helps seal everything up nice and tight.
Starting from the long edge *opposite* that border, roll the dough up as tightly as you can into a log. Pinch the seam closed at the end so it doesn’t unravel while baking. Using a sharp, un-floured knife or dental floss (my favorite trick!), slice that log into 12 even pieces. Arrange your rolls cut-side up in a greased 9×13 baking pan. Cover them up again and let them have their second, shorter rest for about 30 to 45 minutes. They should look puffy again before they hit the oven!
Baking and Glazing Your Irresistible Vegan Ube Rolls
Time to bake! Preheat that oven to 375°F (190C). Bake the rolls for 20 to 25 minutes. You’ll know they are done when they look golden brown on top and smell absolutely divine. While they are baking, go ahead and mix up that simple ube glaze: just whisk the powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of plant milk, and 1 teaspoon of that lovely ube extract until it’s totally smooth. If it’s too thick, add milk a half teaspoon at a time. Let the rolls cool down just slightly—you want them warm, not piping hot.
Drizzle that gorgeous purple glaze generously over the warm rolls. Serve immediately and watch them disappear!
Ingredient Substitutions for Your Irresistible Vegan Ube Rolls
Sometimes you’re standing in front of the pantry, and you realize you’re missing that one specific ingredient! Don’t panic! These irresistible vegan ube rolls are flexible, even though I think the ube halaya is truly the best way to go. If you search your local Asian markets and still can’t find the jam, I have a backup plan for you.
You can replicate the flavor by using about 1 cup of mashed, cooked purple sweet potato mixed with sugar to your preferred sweetness level, and a touch of coconut cream to give it that jammy consistency. It won’t be quite as smooth, but the flavor profile is definitely there!
Also, I know good vegan butter can sometimes be pricey or hard to find. If you’re in a pinch for the dough part, you can totally substitute the melted vegan butter with an equal amount of a neutral oil, like refined coconut oil or vegetable oil. It might change the final texture *ever* so slightly, making them maybe a tiny bit less rich, but honestly, they’ll still be fantastic soft sweet delights!
Tips for Perfect Irresistible Vegan Ube Rolls Soft Sweet Delight
You know I always want you to have the best results possible, especially when dealing with yeasted dough like this! Getting that signature soft sweet delight texture in these rolls isn’t just about the ingredients; it’s about how you treat the dough. A few small pointers can make the difference between a good roll and one that makes everyone ask for the recipe immediately. Stick with these little secrets, and I promise your rolls will be bakery-level soft!
If you’re looking for a deeper dive into general dough handling, you should definitely check out my general guide on baking tips—it covers a lot of the fundamentals that make these ube rolls shine.
Here are the absolute must-dos for maximum fluffiness:
- Temperature Control is Everything for Yeast: I mentioned it before, but I’m saying it again because it’s vital! Your plant milk MUST be between 105°F and 115°F. If it’s too cold, the yeast won’t activate, and you get dense hockey pucks. If it’s too hot (over 120°F), you’ll kill the yeast instantly. Use a thermometer, friend, or test it on your wrist until it feels just slightly warmer than lukewarm.
- Don’t Over-Flour While Kneading: When you turn the dough out for that 8-to-10-minute knead, be conservative with the flour you add for dusting. A common mistake is adding too much flour, which dries out the dough right when you need it to be supple and elastic. Only add enough flour so the dough stops blatantly sticking to your counter—it should still feel slightly tacky to the touch before it develops that nice gluten structure.
- Keep Ingredients Cooperative: For the best rise and incorporation, try to ensure your vegan butter and your ube halaya are relatively close to room temperature before mixing them in with the wet ingredients. Cold, stiff ingredients can actually interfere with the yeast activity and make the final dough harder to work with.
- Don’t Under-Rise: Seriously, resist the urge to rush the rising times listed! The 1 to 1.5 hours for the first rise ensures the yeast has enough time to develop those lovely airy pockets that make the rolls light. Then that second proofing makes them pillowy before they bake! Patience pays off huge here, giving you those perfect, irresistible vegan ube rolls soft sweet delight every time.
Storing Your Soft Irresistible Vegan Ube Rolls
These rolls are best devoured straight from the oven, I won’t lie! But if you’re lucky enough to have any leftovers of this soft sweet delight, we have to keep them fresh. You want to store them at room temperature in an airtight container. Don’t put them in the fridge! Refrigeration is the enemy of fluffy baked goods, trust me, it just dries them out faster.
If they start to firm up after the first day, don’t worry! Reheating is simple. Pop one or two rolls onto a microwave-safe plate and hit it for about 10 to 15 seconds. That little burst of steam brings back that just-baked softness instantly. If you have a bunch, wrapping them loosely in foil and warming them in a 300F oven for about five minutes works like a charm too!
Frequently Asked Questions About Irresistible Vegan Ube Rolls
I know when you decide to bake something gorgeous like these rolls, you’ll have questions floating around! It’s normal, especially when incorporating unique ingredients like ube halaya. I’ve gathered a few of the things I get asked most often about achieving that perfect soft sweet delight experience.
Can I use fresh yeast instead of active dry yeast in these vegan rolls?
Oh yes, you certainly can swap those out! Fresh yeast is quite potent compared to the dried stuff. If a recipe calls for 2 1/4 teaspoons of active dry yeast, you generally need about three times that amount in fresh yeast by weight, but weighing yeast can be tricky. A good rule of thumb is to use about three times the volume of fresh yeast. So, if you have 2 1/4 teaspoons of active dry, you’d need roughly 6 3/4 teaspoons of fresh yeast. Since it’s much stronger, make sure you dissolve it really well in your warm milk, and watch it closely—it might foam up faster than the dry version!
How do I get the brightest purple color in my Irresistible Vegan Ube Rolls?
That incredible color is one of the big draws, right? The vibrancy really depends on the quality of the ube halaya you start with. Some jams are a little duller than others. If you’ve mixed in your 1/4 cup of ube extract and it’s still looking a little pale for your taste—especially if you can’t find a super vibrant jam—don’t hesitate to use a few drops of a quality purple food coloring along with the extract during the dough mixing stage. A tiny bit goes a long way, and it helps guarantee those vibrant swirls in your final soft sweet rolls!
Can I make the dough for these soft sweet rolls a day ahead?
Absolutely, and this is a lifesaver on busy weekends! You can definitely make the dough ahead of time and pop it into the fridge after the first rise. After you knead it in Step 4, place it in the oiled bowl, cover it tightly, and put it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. This is called a cold fermentation, and it actually deepens the flavor a bit! You’ll just need to let the dough sit on the counter for about an hour or two until it warms up enough to be pliable before you punch it down, spread the filling, and let it do its second rise. Gives you a head start!
Estimated Nutrition for Irresistible Vegan Ube Rolls Soft Sweet Delight
Now, I know some of you fellow bakers are always counting those macros, even when diving into something as glorious as these soft sweet rolls! While these are homemade, and exact quantities can vary slightly based on how generously you glaze them, I wanted to give you a solid benchmark for what you’re looking at per roll. Remember, since we’re keeping these totally vegan, you won’t find any cholesterol here, which is a win!
Please keep in mind that this is an *estimate* based on the ingredient amounts listed, assuming you make exactly 12 rolls. If you cut them into 10, the numbers will be a little higher, and if you slice them thin, of course, they’ll be less dense. This is what I calculated based on the recipe as written for one of these wonderful irresistible vegan ube rolls soft sweet delight.
| Nutrient | Amount Per Roll (Estimate) |
|---|---|
| Serving Size | 1 roll |
| Calories | 320 |
| Sugar | 25g |
| Fat | 8g |
| Saturated Fat | 3g |
| Carbohydrates | 58g |
| Protein | 5g |
| Sodium | 250mg |
| Fiber | 2g |
| Trans Fat | 0g |
I always tell people, don’t stress too much about the exact numbers when you’re baking for joy—the hard part is making them, and you did that! The important thing is that these soft sweet rolls are made with whole, identifiable ingredients, and you know exactly what went into them, unlike those mystery pastries from the store. Bake happy!
Share Your Soft Sweet Delight
Oh my goodness, I truly hope you loved making these rolls as much as I love talking about them! There is just nothing better than pulling a pan of warm, fragrant, purple-swirled goodness out of the oven. I genuinely can’t wait to hear how your Irresistible Vegan Ube Rolls Soft Sweet Delight turned out!
Baking is so much more fun when we share the results, isn’t it? If you gave this recipe a try, PLEASE come back and leave a star rating right below this section. Your feedback means the world to me and helps other bakers decide to try making these soft sweet delights too. Did your dough rise perfectly? Did you find amazing ube halaya, or did you have to use the sweet potato substitute?
If you snapped a photo of your beautiful, glazed rolls, I would absolutely adore seeing them! You can share them over on social media and tag me—it really makes my day to see my recipes living happily in readers’ kitchens. And if you have any questions at all after reading through everything, please don’t hesitate to reach out through my contact page. Happy baking, and enjoy every single soft bite!
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Irresistible Vegan Ube Rolls
- Total Time: 145 min
- Yield: 12 rolls 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Soft, sweet rolls made with purple yam (ube) for a delightful treat.
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm plant milk (about 105-115F)
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoons water, set aside for 5 minutes)
- 1/4 cup melted vegan butter
- 1/2 cup ube halaya (purple yam jam)
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup ube extract (optional, for color)
- For the filling: 1/2 cup ube halaya
- For the glaze: 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons plant milk
- 1 teaspoon ube extract
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix the warm plant milk, yeast, and 1 teaspoon of the sugar. Let stand for 5 minutes until foamy.
- Add the flax egg, melted vegan butter, 1/2 cup ube halaya, remaining sugar, flour, salt, and ube extract (if using) to the yeast mixture.
- Mix until a shaggy dough forms. Knead on a lightly floured surface for 8-10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turning to coat. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 to 1.5 hours, or until doubled in size.
- Punch down the dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a large rectangle, about 12×18 inches.
- Spread the 1/2 cup of ube halaya evenly over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border on one long edge.
- Starting from the long edge opposite the border, tightly roll the dough into a log. Pinch the seam closed.
- Slice the log into 12 equal rolls. Place the rolls cut-side up in a greased 9×13 inch baking pan.
- Cover the pan and let the rolls rise again for 30-45 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 375F (190C). Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.
- While the rolls cool slightly, whisk together the powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons plant milk, and 1 teaspoon ube extract for the glaze.
- Drizzle the glaze over the warm rolls before serving.
Notes
- If you cannot find ube halaya, you can substitute it with a mixture of mashed cooked purple sweet potato mixed with sugar and a little coconut cream.
- For a richer color, add a few drops of purple food coloring along with the ube extract.
- Prep Time: 45 min
- Cook Time: 25 min
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Filipino
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 roll
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 25
- Sodium: 250
- Fat: 8
- Saturated Fat: 3
- Unsaturated Fat: 5
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 58
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 5
- Cholesterol: 0
Keywords: vegan, ube rolls, purple yam, sweet bread, dessert, soft rolls, plant-based