This vegan panettone is fluffy, super soft, and filled with nuts and sweet dried candied fruit. Dust the gorgeous golden brown exterior with powdered sugar, smear on a dab of vegan butter and enjoy with coffee or tea! This classic Italian sweet bread is perfect for the holidays, as a dessert on Christmas Eve or with breakfast on Christmas morning!
Why you’ll love this vegan panettone recipe
- Flavorful Dough: this enriched, brioche-like dough, is packed with buttery, sweet vanilla, citrus flavor.
- Super Soft Texture: this recipe uses vegan butter, JUST Egg or Dairy Free Yogurt, and oat milk to create an incredibly soft, fluffy, dough. This panettone is dairy free and eggless but just as delicious as the traditional version!
- Easy Recipe: making a panettone often takes many steps and multiple days, but I’ve tried to simplify this recipe as much as possible without sacrificing texture or flavor. This recipe also includes step by step photos, a video, and same-day instructions!
- The Perfect Holiday Breakfast or Dessert: this sweet bread has wonderful winter flavors, reminiscent of the holidays & Christmastime.
All About Panettone
A Panettone is a classic Italian sweet bread, often enjoyed around Christmas time or the New Year. This bread is tall and usually weighs around 1kg!
A traditional panettone usually is filled with candied oranges, lemon or orange zest, and raisins. It’s often topped with icing sugar making it a classic Italian Christmas cake.
Why This Recipe Works
This vegan panettone recipe is adapted from my vegan brioche bun recipe which has a similar, super soft, enriched dough.
After much testing and a few tweaks to my brioche recipe, this vegan sweet bread is ready to share with you all! This recipe has a higher hydration dough, meaning the dough is very soft and doesn’t hold its shape. This helps create the soft fluffy texture we’re going for.
The key to this recipe is to be conservative with how much flour you add when kneading. The more flour added, the less soft the dough will be.
Dairy free butter, oat milk, and JUST Egg help create the perfect enriched dough. I’ve tested a few substitutions as well. Dairy free plain yogurt can be subbed in for the JUST Egg since I know it can be hard to find. Keep reading to see more about what’s inside!
The Ingredients
A classic panettone has a few different components. Those components are: the filling ingredients, the dough, and the topping (or ‘egg’ wash). Below are what you’ll need for each component!
The Dough:
- Dairy Free Milk, like Oat milk or Soy Milk
- Active Dry Yeast
- Granulated Sugar
- JUST Egg, or Vegan Yogurt (see substitutions below)
- All Purpose Flour
- Salt
- Lemon & Orange Zest
- Pure Vanilla Extract
- Salted Vegan Butter, I used Country Crock Plant Butter
The Filling:
- Golden Raisins
- Dark Thompson Raisins
- Candied Orange Peel, or Candied Lemon
- Slivered Almonds
- Dark Rum, or liqueur of choice
The Topping:
- Maple Syrup
- Oat Milk
- Powdered Sugar, or Icing Sugar
Substitutions
- Candied Fruit: I added raisins and candied oranges to the mix, but if you’re not a fan of dried fruit they can be subbed for dark chocolate chips!
- JUST Egg: since JUST Egg can be difficult to find, I’ve tested substituting Dairy Free Plain Yogurt in its place, and it worked very well! The dough was slightly less rich, but still soft & delicious.
- Sub in ¾ cup unsweetened dairy free yogurt (I used Silk Unsweetened Almond Milk Yogurt) + ¼ tsp salt for the JUST Egg. You can also add ½ tsp turmeric for a yellow color.
A note about vegan egg replacers:
Over the years, I’ve tested a few different egg replacers for rich yeasted doughs like this one. Without the egg replacer in this recipe, the dough will have a ‘breadier’ texture and will be less fluffy. With Just Egg, the texture is light and airy, yet rich.
I’ve tried making enriched dough with a Flax Egg instead and the texture comes out breadier. Not bad, but it’s not as rich as the Just Egg.
Vegan Ingredients Used in this Recipe
- Vegan Butter: Country Crock Plant Butter (made with olive oil)
- Dairy Free Milk: Silk Creamy Oat Milk (Unsweetened)
- Egg Substitute: JUST Egg or Silk Unsweetened Almond Milk Yogurt
Helpful Equipment
- Mixer with Dough Hook Attachment (this can also be made by kneading with your hands)
- Panettone Mold or Panettone Pan
- Rolling Pin
Step-by-step Instructions
🎥 *Video Tutorial is in Above the Recipe Card below!*
DAY 1
Prep the Yeast & Fruit
STEP 1: Mix the warm oat milk with half the sugar. Add the yeast and set aside to activate.
STEP 2: Soak the fruit- In a small bowl or air tight container, stir the dark raisins, golden raisins, candied orange peel, rum, and water together. Cover with plastic wrap or a lid and let soak overnight.
Make the Dough
STEP 3: In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt.
STEP 4: In the bowl of your stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl), add the frothed up yeast mixture, the remaining sugar, orange & lemon zest, vanilla, and the JUST Egg (or vegan yogurt). Mix on medium speed with the dough hook (or a wooden spoon) until incorporated.
STEP 5: On low speed, gradually add about 2 ½ cups of the flour mixture. Mix for 2 minutes, scraping the side of the bowl as needed. Gradually add 1 ¼ cup of flour until incorporated. Save the remaining ¼ cup for kneading.
📌 TIP: The dough will look scraggly and a little dry at this point, but will become very soft once the vegan butter is kneaded in.
Knead the Dough
STEP 6: Continue kneading on low speed for 4 minutes, or until the dough is very smooth and elastic. Push down any dough that creeps up on the dough hook, as needed.
STEP 7: On low speed, gradually add the softened vegan butter, 1-2 tablespoons at a time, until incorporated. Continue to mix with the dough hook for 5-6 minutes until the dough is silky and shiny.
📌 TIP: If kneading by hand, and if the dough is very sticky: gradually add ¼ cup additional flour- 1 tablespoon at a time. Knead the dough for 10 minutes or until it passes the ‘windowpane’ test.
The dough should be very soft and still sticky. It should resemble a very, very soft, bread dough. Do not add more flour than needed.
Overnight Rise
STEP 8: Shape the dough into a ball. Spray lightly with cooking spray and place a plastic wrap directly on the dough. Refrigerate overnight, or for 8 hours.
Day Two
Finish the Dough
STEP 9: Place the panettone mold on a baking sheet. Let the dough come to room temperature for 15-20 minutes. Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and roll it into a flat rectangle that is approximately 12- by 14-inches.
STEP 10: Drain the fruit. Spread the drained fruit and the almonds evenly over the top. Use a rolling pin to embed the fruit and nuts into the dough.
Shape the Dough
STEP 11: Fold the short sides (top and bottom) of the fruit-covered dough towards the center. You will end up with a small rectangle. Then fold the left and right sides of the rectangle to form a square. Cup your hands around the dough to round the ball.
STEP 12: Place the dough with the seam side down inside the panettone mold. Cover with plastic and let rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the dough reaches the top edge of the mold.
Baking the Panettone
STEP 13: Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
STEP 14: When the dough has risen, use a sharp, serrated knife to score the top of the dough, in a shallow cross shape. Place a pat of cold vegan butter in the center of the dough. Brush the vegan egg wash mixture on top.
STEP 15: Decrease the oven temperature to 350°F (175°C). Bake the panettone for 30 minutes, uncovered on the middle rack. Then, place a piece of aluminum foil loosely over the top (to prevent it from browning too much). Try not to remove the panettone from the oven.
STEP 16: Bake for another 40 to 45 minutes. The top should be golden, but the center where the cross was cut should still be lighter in color and soft in appearance.
STEP 17: Remove it from the oven, transfer to a rack, and let it cool completely in the mold, for about 3 hours.
Example Timelines
The whole process of making panettone is ideally 2 days, with an overnight rise in the fridge. Letting the dough rise overnight helps slow fermentation of the yeast and helps develop the bread’s flavor.
While a 2 day timeline is recommended, I have made this recipe in 1 day. Below are a few sample timelines to help you plan your bake!
2 day timeline (overnight proof- recommended method)
Day 1:
7:00 PM- Prep the yeast & dried Fruit
7:05 PM- Mix the wet ingredients.
7:10 PM- Add the flour & knead the dough.
7:30 PM- Add the vegan butter & knead.
7:40 PM- Cover and let rise overnight in the fridge (first proof).
Day 2:
8 AM- Roll the dough out with the dried fruit
8:05 AM- Shape the dough.
10:05 AM- Let the dough rise 2-2 ½ hours at room temperature (second proof).
11:45 AM- Bake: 70 to 75 minutes.
1 day timeline (proof in the fridge)
Morning:
8:00 AM – Prep the yeast & dried fruit
8:05 AM – Mix the wet ingredients.
8:10 AM – Add the flour & knead the dough.
8:30 AM – Add the vegan butter & knead.
8:40 AM- Cover and let rise for 8 hours in the fridge.
Night:
5 PM – Roll the dough out with the dried fruit
5:05 PM – Shape the dough.
7:30 PM – Let the dough rise 2-2 ½ hours at room temperature (second proof).
8:45 PM – Bake for 70 to 75 minutes.
1 day timeline (proof at room temperature)
8:00 AM – Prep the yeast & dried fruit
8:05 AM – Mix the wet ingredients.
8:10 AM – Add the flour & knead the dough.
8:30 AM – Add the vegan butter & knead.
8:40 AM- Cover and let rise for 1- ½ hours in a warm place
10:15 AM – Roll the dough out with the dried fruit
10:20 AM – Shape the dough.
12:50 PM – Let the dough rise 2-2 ½ hours (second proof)
2-2:05 PM – Bake for 70 to 75 minutes
How to Serve the Vegan Panettone
After cooling the panettone, remove it from the mold and slice with a sharp serrated knife.
You can dust it with powdered sugar and smear a little vegan butter on the slices.
I love enjoying this bread for breakfast with a cup of coffee on a chilly morning or with some extra icing sugar as a sweet vegan Christmas cake.
If enjoying the panettone on the second or third day, I recommend warming it up in the microwave or the toaster oven with a smear of vegan butter. This will help soften and add some moisture back to the dough.
Storage
Like most baked goods and homemade breads, this panettone is best the first and second day.
Room Temperature: Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and place it in a plastic bag to help prevent it from losing moisture or going stale. Store it at room temperature on the counter for 2-3 days.
Freezer: It also freezes very well. Wrap the whole panettone or individual slices with plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag. Store in the freezer for 2-3 months.
📌 TIP: If you’re planning on freezing this bread, it’s best to do so the first day after it’s cooled. This will lock in the moisture, so it will be just as soft and delicious when thawed.
Pro Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients: try to let the ingredients sit on the counter in a warm room for 1-2 hours before making the dough.
- Less flour is better: the less flour you add while kneading the dough the better. Too much flour will lead to a denser dough that isn’t as soft or fluffy.
- Proof the dough overnight if possible: if you have the time, let the dough proof overnight in the fridge in a greased bowl. This helps the flavors develop.
Troubleshooting
My yeast didn’t froth up.
If the yeast hasn’t frothed up, it’s likely it’s either expired or your milk was too hot and it killed the yeast.
My dough is tearing.
If your dough is tearing while kneading, it’s likely the gluten needs to rest or the dough hasn’t been kneaded enough. Let the dough rest, covered with a damp towel for 10 minutes. Then resume kneading until it passes the “windowpane” test.
My dough is super sticky.
This dough should be very soft but not super sticky. If the dough is very sticky and hard to work with, add a tablespoon of flour at a time as you knead the dough. (I used about 4 tablespoons but depending on your kitchen’s temperature, humidity level, and elevation you may need up to 6 tablespoons.)
The top of my panettone isn’t browning.
If the top of the bread isn’t browning as much as you’d like, reapply more vegan egg wash after about 20 minutes of baking. You can also bake it uncovered for 40 minutes (instead of 30), and covered for 30-35 minutes (for a total of 70-75 minutes).
More Vegan Baking Recipes and Holiday Treats:
- Vegan Brioche Buns
- Vegan Cranberry Almond Shortbread Cookies
- Vegan Italian Pear Almond Cake
- Eggnog Thumbprint Sugar Cookies (Vegan)
- Vegan Cinnamon Raisin Rolls with Vanilla Orange Icing
FAQ
Yes! This panettone is dairy-free since it uses vegan butter to add moisture. I recommend using Country Crock Plant Butter or Earth Balance Buttery Sticks in this recipe. These vegan butters have been tried and true in all my recipes over the years. I don’t recommend using coconut oil instead of vegan butter, since the dough won’t have a buttery taste.
This recipe also calls for Oat Milk instead of dairy-based milk. Of course, you can sub in another dairy-free milk but I’ve found oat milk adds extra richness.
I’ve found that kneading the dough for 8-10 minutes by hand results in a tender texture. Once kneaded, the dough should pass the “windowpane” test.
Yes, you can use paper panettone molds. I used a reusable, metal mold, but paper molds will work as well.
Traditional panettone is sometimes cooled upside down, which can help create a fluffy texture. I haven’t cooled this panettone upside down, and the texture was still very soft, so this step isn’t necessary for this version of vegan panettone.
Did you make This Vegan Panettone recipe?
I’d love to know! Leave a star rating and comment below!
Video Tutorial
Soft and Fluffy Vegan Panettone
This vegan panettone is fluffy, super soft, and filled with nuts and sweet dried candied fruit. Dust the gorgeous golden brown exterior with powdered sugar, smear on a dab of vegan butter and enjoy with coffee or tea! This classic Italian sweet bread is perfect for the holidays, as a dessert on Christmas Eve or with breakfast on Christmas morning!
Ingredients
For the Fruit:
- ½ cup (60g) dark raisins
- ½ cup (60g) golden raisins
- ½ cup candied orange peel
- ¼ cup (50g) dark rum, or liqueur of choice
- ¼ cup (50g) hot water
- ½ cup (60g) slivered almonds, optional
For the Dough:
- 1 tbsp (12g) active dry yeast
- ⅔ cup unsweetened oat or soy milk, warm but not hot
- ½ cup (100g) granulated cane sugar, divided
- 4 - 4 ¼ cups (500-550g) all purpose flour, this includes the flour used to help knead the dough
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- ¾ cup (170 ml) JUST Egg (or sub. ¾ cup (170g) room temperature plain dairy free yogurt + ¼ tsp salt)
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
- grated zest of 1 lemon
- grated zest of 1 orange
- 9 tbsp (130g) vegan butter, room temperature
- 1 tbsp (15g) cold vegan butter, for baking the panettone
For the topping
- 1 tbsp maple syrup + 1 tbsp oat milk
- 1 tbsp icing sugar, powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
Day 1
Prep
- Mix the warm oat milk with half the sugar (¼ cup). Add the yeast and set aside for 5 minutes to froth up and activate.
- Soak the fruit: In a small bowl or air tight container, stir the dark raisins, golden raisins, candied orange peel, rum, and water together. Cover with plastic wrap or a lid and let soak overnight.
Make the Dough
- In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer (fitted with a dough hook attachment), add the frothed up yeast mixture, and the JUST Egg (or vegan yogurt). Mix on medium speed until incorporated.
- Continue at medium speed and add the orange & lemon zest, the remaining sugar, and vanilla.
- Reduce the mixer to low speed, and gradually add about 2 1/2 cups of the flour mixture. Mix for 2 minutes, scraping the side of the bowl as needed. Gradually add the remaining 1 1/4 cups of flour until incorporated. Set the remaining 1/4 cup aside for kneading the dough.
Knead the Dough
- Continue kneading on low speed for 4 minutes, or until the dough is very smooth and elastic. Push down any dough that creeps up on the dough hook, as needed. If kneading by hand skip this step and move straight to kneading in the butter.
- On low speed, gradually add the softened vegan butter, 1-2 tablespoons at a time, until incorporated. Continue to mix with the dough hook for 2-3 minutes until the dough is silky and shiny. (If kneading by hand, knead for a total of 8-10 minutes, or until the dough can be stretched without easily tearing.)
- If the dough is very sticky: gradually add 4 tbsp - 6 tbsp of additional flour- 1 tablespoon at a time. The dough should be very soft and still sticky. It should resemble a mix between a cake batter and bread dough. Do not add more flour than needed.
Overnight Rise
- Shape the dough into a ball. Spray lightly with cooking spray and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the dough. Refrigerate overnight, or for 8 hours. (The dough can also be made in 1 day. Let the dough rise for 1-1/2 hrs at room temperature. See the post above for more info.)
Day Two
Finish the Dough
- Place a greased panettone mold on a baking sheet.
- Let the dough come to room temp. for 10-20 minutes. Transfer the risen dough onto a floured surface and roll it into a flat rectangle that is approximately 12- by 14-inches.
- Drain the fruit. Spread the drained fruit and the almonds evenly over the top. Use a rolling pin to embed the fruit and nuts into the dough.
Shape the Dough
- Fold the short sides (top and bottom) of the fruit-covered dough towards the center. You will end up with a small rectangle. Then fold the left and right sides of the rectangle to form a square. Cup your hands around the dough to round the ball.
- Place the dough with the seam side down inside the panettone mold.
- Cover with plastic and let rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the dough reaches the top edge of the mold.
- Note: your panettone may take longer than 2 hours to rise if your kitchen is cold. To get a light and airy texture, it needs to double in size, even if it takes a bit longer than 2 hours.
Baking the Panettone
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- When the dough has risen, use a sharp, serrated knife to score the top of the dough, in a shallow cross shape.
- Mix together the maple syrup and oat milk. Brush on the top. Place the cold vegan butter in the center of the dough.
- Decrease the oven temperature to 350°F (175°C). Bake the panettone for 30 minutes, uncovered.
- Open the oven door and place a piece of aluminum foil loosely over the top (to prevent it from browning too much). Try not to remove the panettone from the oven.
- Bake for another 40 to 45 minutes. The top should be golden, but the center where the cross was cut should still be lighter in color and soft in appearance.
- Remove it from the oven, transfer to a rack, and let cool completely in the mold.
- To Serve: slice and dust with powdered sugar.
Notes
Troubleshooting
My yeast didn’t froth up.
If the yeast hasn’t frothed up, it’s likely it’s either expired or your milk was too hot and it killed the yeast.
My dough is tearing.
If your dough is tearing while kneading, it’s likely the gluten needs to rest. Let the dough rest, covered with a damp towel for 10 minutes. Then resume kneading until it passes the “windowpane” test.
My dough is super sticky.
This dough should be very soft but not super sticky. If the dough is very sticky and hard to work with, add a tablespoon of flour at a time as you knead the dough. (I used about 4 tablespoons but depending on your kitchen's temperature, humidity level, and elevation you may need up to 6 tablespoons.)
The top of my panettone isn’t browning.
If the top of the bread isn’t browning as much as you’d like, reapply more vegan egg wash after about 20 minutes of baking. You can also bake it uncovered for 40 minutes (instead of 30), and covered for 30 minutes (for a total of 70 minutes).
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 451Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 6mgSodium: 455mgCarbohydrates: 80gFiber: 3gSugar: 8gProtein: 9g
Nutritional info is an estimate.
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Can I bake this in a different pan?
Hi Jeanie, I haven’t tested this recipe in a different pan, so I can’t recommend baking times.
What can we substitute for Rum? Would like to make it without alcohol. Thanks.
You can substitute more hot water for the rum. I hope you enjoy!
Thank you so much for sharing your recent! Can I use spelt flour or any other type?
Hi there! I have only tested this recipe with all-purpose flour. I can’t recommend other flour types at this time!
Hi, I’m baking this as we speak and I’m very excited to try it! I notice that your pictures of the finished bread have fruit showing on the top- if you fold exactly as instructed, all the fruit will be captured inside so did you add more later, or actually end up kneading the fruit in?
Hi Melissa! I did not knead the dough more, however I did press the soaked fruit into the dough very firmly with the rolling pin to make sure all the fruit is embedded well into the dough. This causes the fruit to poke through to the other side in areas where the dough may have been rolled out thinner. Let me know if you have any other questions!
I just made this and it turned out great! Was very fun to make and I used dark chocolate and roasted almonds instead of fruit.
If I were to split the recipe in half how would I have to alter the resting and baking times?
Hi Alex, I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe! I haven’t tested this recipe in a smaller baking pan. However, if you’re letting the dough rise overnight in the fridge, let the dough rise for 45 mins-1 hour after removing from the fridge the next morning. The key is to wait until the dough has doubled in size! For the best results, I recommend using a smaller Panettone mold (3 or 4″ in diameter) instead of baking the halved recipe in the full size pan. As I haven’t tested this, I can only guess how long to bake it for- probably around 15-20 minutes uncovered, and another 20-30 minutes covered.
If you give it a try, I’d love to know how it goes!