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Soft, flaky, and filled with chocolate or walnut raisin goodness, this super-reliable vegan rugelach recipe has been a huge hit with my recipe testers. These buttery, maple glazed pastries are so irresistibly good, they could negotiate peace in a family feud. (And if you think that's a stretch, you've clearly never seen a fight over the last rugelach.)
Recipe tips tailored to what matters most to you:
I haven't tested this dough with gluten-free flour. My hunch is it won't rise nicely and will crack when you roll it, so I can't promise you anything here.
The dough needs at least 90 minutes in the fridge anyway, so make it the night before. It also freezes for up to a month, wrapped tight in portions.
Vegan cream cheese is the pricey bit. Use super-cheap homemade cream cheese! Otherwise, the Trader Joe's one is a little stiffer and cheap but works fine here.
Skip the maple glaze and they'll still taste great, that's ¼ cup of powdered sugar you don't need. Bump up the walnuts in the filling for more texture.
Grand Marnier is the only odd one out, and it's optional anyway. Orange juice does the same job if you'd rather not bake with booze in the house.
Make sure your dough stays cool throughout preparation; warm dough can become sticky and challenging to handle, compromising the rugelach's tender, flaky texture.
When rolling up the rugelach, gently press the edges to seal them; this helps prevent the delicious filling from oozing out during baking.
Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper; it prevents sticking and makes cleaning up a breeze.
Oodles more tips, step-by-step recipe photos, info on weird ingredients, and FAQs are all still here. I just tucked 'em out of the way so you can start cooking sooner.
Rugelach (pronounced roo-guh-lahkh, with the chutzpah of a Yiddish grandma) are traditional Jewish pastries, stuffed with raisins, walnuts, poppy seeds, fruit jams or fruit preserves, and like my ancestry, they came outta Eastern Europe. The name means "little twists" in Yiddish, a nod to their crescent shape that's said to symbolize prosperity. They started out as yeast-based pastries, but cream cheese dough took over in the 20th century-because who wouldn't want their rolled cookies extra flaky and melt-in-your-mouth tender?
This laughably-easy vegan version keeps all the buttery goodness of the original recipe, without the dairy or eggs, because compassion just tastes better. And whether you fill them with rich chocolate and/or a fragrant walnut raisin mix, they're sweet little bites of history wrapped in golden, flaky packages.
For more history bites, try my vegan hamantaschen, tied to Purim's heroics, or vegan babka, born from repurposing day-old challah dough. And then there's vegan apple kugel and vegan noodle kugel-no stories, just straight-up deliciousness with roots that go back centuries.
But first, let's twist up some pure rugelach magic.
Great recipe. Never fails me even with my personal no/low sugar substitutions.
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🥰 Why you'll adore this vegan rugelach recipe
Tested and Approved Worldwide: Like all my vegan recipes, this one was tweaked, perfected, and shared with a team of hundreds of recipe testers at different skill levels, who successfully baked these perfect little pastries all around the world.
🧈 Tender, Flaky Dough Every Time: Thanks to the magical blend of vegan butter and vegan cream cheese, the sweet dough is tender, flaky, and melt-in-your-mouth good-just like traditional bakery rugelach but without the dairy and avoidable violence to animals.
✊ Vegan AF: Like all of my vegan Jewish recipes, this eggless rugelach 100% pareve, and contains no cholesterol.
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🥐 Vegan Rugelach Ingredients
Unsweetened Plant-Based Milk
This acts as the liquid base for both the dough and chocolate filling, helping to activate the yeast and create a silky consistency for the vegan chocolate rugelach recipe. Any unsweetened plant-based milk, such as almond, soy, or oat milk, works well, but almond milk provides a slightly nuttier flavor that compliments the walnut raisin filling.
Active Yeast
Yeast ferments sugar, releasing carbon dioxide to make the dough rise and turn airy. This recipe uses active dry yeast, which needs proofing to wake up the yeast and get the dough nice and fluffy. It's the same magic that brings the perfect rise in my vegan bomboloni and pareve sufganiyot.
If you only have instant yeast, don't worry-you can still make this rugelach by mixing it directly with the dry ingredients. No proofing needed, just a quicker rise. This little trick works wonders in my vegan babka and vegan pumpkin cinnamon rolls, giving you that extra fluff without the wait.
Vegan Butter
This provides the rich, flaky texture, almost like puff pastry, that makes rugelach so irresistible. It also adds flavor and tenderness to the dough. Stick-style vegan butter (rather than tub margarine) is ideal because it has a lower water content. Brands like Earth Balance or Miyoko's work well. Want to make your own from scratch? I have a great recipe in my Vegan Dairy Crash Course-it's butter, but with 100% less cow.
Refined coconut oil or palm oil can be used if you don't mess with store bought stuff.
Vegan Cream Cheese
Vegan cream cheese makes the cookie dough tender and melt-in-your-mouth flaky, just like traditional rugelach. My vegan cream cheese recipe brings the perfect balance of flavor and texture with no crappy ingredients. If you prefer store-bought, Tofutti cream cheese is probably my fave option. Trader Joe's has a more budget-friendly version that's slightly stiffer but still works pretty well in these.
If you're in a pinch, you can substitute it with a combination of vegan sour cream and vegan butter for a similar tangy flavor.
Grand Marnier (Optional)
This orange-flavored liqueur adds a subtle citrus note that complements the raisin and walnut filling. It's optional but highly recommended for a more complex flavor that hits right from the first bite. If you avoid even cooking with alcohol, you can absolutely substitute with orange juice.
*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities, nutritional info, and detailed cooking directions.
📖 How to make vegan rugelach cookies
No pastry school required for hand made rugelach-just follow these step-by-step photos and tips, and you'll have golden, flaky twists in no time. Need a printable version? Scroll down to the bottom of the page.
Step One
Foam Alone 2- Lost in New York:
In a small saucepan, warm the plant-based milk over medium heat until it is just lukewarm. Sprinkle the yeast over the milk, then add the sugar. Let it sit for 10-12 minutes in a warm place until it becomes foamy and active.
In addition to helping the fermentation start, this gives you a chance to make sure your yeast isn't old and dead, so you don't waste a whole lot of time and ingredients on sucky rugelach that don't rise.
Step Two
The Dough Abides
In a mixing bowl, use a hand mixer or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment to cream equal parts of vegan butter and vegan cream cheese until smooth. Add the flour and salt, then pour in the yeast mixture. Mix until a dough forms.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead for 3-4 minutes until it becomes smooth. Cover the dough with a plate or a damp kitchen towel, then refrigerate for at least 90 minutes or up to overnight to allow the fats to solidify.
Use a rubber spatula when adding the contents of the saucepan so that you get all of the sugar that tends to settle on the bottom of the pot.
Step Three
Choc the Casbah:
To make the chocolate filling, heat the plant-based milk over low heat until it begins to steam but does not boil. Remove from heat and stir in the chocolate chips and coconut oil until fully melted and smooth.
Chill the mixture to cool until it's semi-solid before using.
Step Four
Raisin Arizona:
For the walnut raisin filling, combine the walnuts, raisins, sugar, cinnamon, Grand Marnier (if using), and salt in a food processor. Run it for 40-60 seconds until well ground up.
Step Five
Dough The Right Thing:
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the chilled dough into a 12-inch (30 cm) circle.
Step Six
Spready Krueger:
Spread the chocolate filling evenly over the dough, leaving a small border around the edges.
Step Seven
No Country for Old Walnuts:
If you are using both, sprinkle the walnut raisin filling evenly over the chocolate filling.
Step Eight
Doughvide and Conquer:
Cut the dough into 16 equal wedges using a pizza cutter or sharp knife.
Step Nine
Crescents and Sensibility:
Starting from the wide end of each wedge, roll tightly toward the pointed tip to form a crescent shape. Place the rolled rugelach on the prepared baking sheet with the tip tucked underneath.
Step Ten
Bake Me Up Before You Go-Go:
Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
Step Eleven
Glazey Suzan:
While the rugelach bakes, whisk together the powdered sugar and maple syrup to make the glaze.
Step Twelve
Glazed and confused:
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and transfer the rugelach to a wire rack. While still warm, brush each piece with the maple glaze. Let the glaze set for at least 8 minutes before serving
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👉 Top tips
- Chill Out for Flaky Goodness: Ensure your dough stays cool throughout preparation; warm dough can become sticky and challenging to handle, compromising the rugelach's tender, flaky texture.
- Seal the Edges to Prevent Leaks: When rolling up the rugelach, gently press the edges to seal them; this helps prevent the delicious filling from oozing out during baking.
- Use Parchment for Easy Cleanup: Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper; it prevents sticking and makes cleaning up a breeze.
🤷♀️ Recipe FAQs
Yes, vegan rugelach dough freezes well and can be prepared in advance. After mixing the dough, divide it into portions, wrap each tightly in plastic wrap, and place them in a freezer-safe bag or container. The dough can be frozen for up to a month. When you're ready to bake, thaw the dough in the refrigerator overnight before rolling it out, filling, and baking as usual.
Vegan rugelach are best enjoyed fresh when they're at their flakiest and most tender. If you have leftovers (unlikely, but let's pretend), store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days to keep them from drying out. If they start to lose crispness, a quick reheat in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 5 minutes will bring back their flaky exterior.
✌️ You'll love these vegan Jewish desserts too
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Easy Vegan Rugelach Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Rugelach Dough:
- ¼ cup unsweetened plant-based milk
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup vegan butter room temperature
- ¼ cup vegan cream cheese room temperature
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Chocolate Rugelach Filling:
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened plant based milk
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 teaspoons refined coconut oil
Walnut Raisin Filling:
Maple Glaze:
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 4 teaspoons maple syrup
Instructions
- In a saucepan over medium heat, warm the plant-based milk in until just lukewarm. Then add the yeast, sprinkling the sugar directly over it. Let sit for 10-12 minutes until foamy.
- In a mixing bowl using a hand mixer or in a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, cream the vegan butter and vegan cream cheese until smooth. Add the flour, and salt, and pour in the yeast mixture. Mix until a dough forms. Knead on a lightly floured surface for 3-4 minutes until smooth. Cover with a plate or damp kitchen towel and refrigerate for at least 90 minutes or up to overnight to solidify the fats.
- For the chocolate filling, warm the plant-based milk over low heat until steaming but not boiling. Remove from heat and stir in the chocolate chips and coconut oil until melted and smooth. Let cool to room temperature before using.
- For the walnut raisin filling, grind the walnuts, raisins, sugar, cinnamon, Grand Marnier (if using), and salt in a food processor until thoroughly ground up.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the chilled dough into a 12-inch (30 cm) circle. Spread the desired filling evenly over the dough, leaving a small border at the edges. I like using both the chocolate AND walnut raisin fillings, but you do you.
- Cut the dough into 16 equal wedges.
- Starting from the wide end, roll each wedge tightly toward the pointed tip to form a crescent shape. Place the rolled rugelach on the prepared baking sheet with the tip tucked underneath.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. While the rugelach bakes, whisk together the powdered sugar and maple syrup to form a glaze.
- Remove the tray from the oven and transfer the rugelach to a wire rack. Brush with the maple glaze while still warm. Allow the glaze to set up for at least 8 minutes before serving.
Notes
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Sue says
Great recipe. Never fails me even with my personal no/low sugar substitutions.
Sue says
I made a batch of chocolate and I made a batch of apple – cinnamon – walnut. They were outstanding! Your recipes are fantastic!
Reshyll says
I didn't know you could make rugelach this good. Flaky, sweet, and full of all the good stuff. Seriously, I think I just found the answer to world peace.
Ines says
Could the rugelach be made with gluten free flour or will it not work because the yeast has to act with the gluten? Thanks for your help.
Adam Sobel says
I haven't tested it with GF flour, and would love to know how your results are if you do that. My feeling is that aside from not rising nicely, the dough might jut crack when you roll it. I would love to know how it goes if you try it (espeically if the results are great!).