Garlic and Cheese Jackfruit Rolls (Vegan)
These vegan, fluffy and delicious Garlic and Cheese Jackfruit Rolls are filled with a tasty herby jackfruit and cheese filling all topped with a garlicky cream cheese glaze. They are perfect for sharing and tearing.
It may be the last day of Veganuary 2023 (the challenge to try vegan for the month of January) and I wanted to go out with a bang. This vegan recipe is so cheesy and quite “meaty” that you’d never guess they contained no dairy, no eggs and no animal products. They are light, fluffy, tender and so cheesy while being easy to make. If you are looking for your new favourite savoury snack, say hello to these rolls.
Why will I love these rolls?
These rolls are dreamy, they are:
- Fluffy, pillowy-soft and tender
- Cheesy, garlicky and delicious
- Made with simple ingredients
- Filled with a homemade garlicky jackfruit mix
- Topped with melted vegan cheese
- Spread with garlicky vegan cream cheese glaze
- Easy to make in a few steps
- Naturally nut-free, dairy-free, egg-free and vegan
If you already love the sound of these rolls then skip ahead to the recipe card below. Or, first let’s discuss the recipe in more detail.
What ingredients do I need?
The dough is made of:
- Evaporated oat milk: this adds lots of moisture and softness to the dough and I love the milk from Natures Charm which comes in a tin and is great for sweet and savoury dishes. If you cannot find this, then swap this for extra dairy-free milk.
- Unsweetened plant-based milk: I like oat or almond best but coconut, soya or rice will also work.
- Vegan butter: just a little for the soft texture and buttery taste. This is the block-style of butter but I can imagine vegan margarine would also work. I have not tried these with coconut oil and say it’s best to stick to butter.
- Active yeast: for the rise!
- Sugar: to feed the yeast.
- Olive oil: to add into the dough to make it really supple and delicious.
- Plain flour: to make sure the buns are light and fluffy, make sure to use plain flour. I can imagine they’d work with spelt or wholemeal four while they would not be as soft and fluffy. I would not recommend swapping this for a gluten-free flour. See my notes below for gluten-free options.
- Salt: for flavour.
Extra ingredients we need for the filling and glaze:
- Garlic: this recipe calls for a whole roasted garlic bulb which adds tons of sweet, sticky and delicious garlic flavour without the strong fieriness of raw garlic.
- Jackfruit: I use the jackfruit confit from Natures Charm which comes with herbs in a delicious oil but you can use any jackfruit here.
- Spring onions: for flavour and you can also swap this for finely diced shallots or red onion.
- Vegan cheese: this recipe calls for vegan mozzarella and cheddar cheese for the filling. I like how they melt together with that classic cheesy flavour. using half and half means the flavour doesn’t overpower the garlicky jackfruit but you get enough of the cheesy melt.
- Vegan cream cheese: for the glaze. Make sure this is unsweetened as we are making savoury buns. When mixed with some garlic on top this is perfect.
How do I make these cheesy buns?
These buns are made much like sweet rolls:
- Make the dough: warm the wet ingredients and stir into the dry ingredients.
- Knead for a few minutes until soft: either by hand or using a machine.
- Allow the dough to proof and rise somewhere warm: for about an hour.
- Roast the garlic so it’s nice and sticky: for the filling.
- Prepare the filling: shred the jackfruit using two forks and stir in the garlic and spring onion.
- Punch down and roll out the dough: to a rectangle.
- Layover the jackfruit filling: and sprinkle over the cheese.
- Roll up the rolls: to a log and trim the ends.
- Slice into 6 or 8 rolls: and nestle into a greased dish.
- Brush with oil and bake for 35 minutes: or until golden brown and risen.
- Make the cream cheese glaze: stir together the ingredients.
- Allow to cool and spread with the cream cheese glaze: and sprinkle over extra spring onion and herbs.
How long will they last?
These will keep for 2-3 days in the fridge in a sealed container and you can eat them cold or warm them up in the oven for 10 minutes (covered in a dish). You can also freeze the rolls for 1 month, wrapped well, and allow to defrost before eating.
Are they gluten-free and nut-free?
These are nut-free but sadly not gluten-free. For gluten-free doughs, try my no-yeast dough recipes.
Top tips for the best rolls
These are easy to make, although here are some top tips:
- Make sure the milk and butter mix isn’t too hot or too cold: it should be lukewarm to activate the yeast.
- It is quite a wet dough: so don’t be tempted to add too much extra flour.
- Proofing is very important: so if it doesn’t rise enough, transfer somewhere warmer until it does increase in size.
- No need for a double proof: I found that it doesn’t add too much difference and reduces the time taken to make the rolls by at least 45 minutes.
- You can add more cheese: I’m quite conservative as I don’t like the filling too cheesy so you can add 1-2 handfuls more.
- Don’t worry too much if they are different sizes: they will still taste delicious.
- Roll out the dough to best fit your dish: it doesn’t matter if it is longer or shorter than mine.
What else can I make?
If you are looking for more savour favourites, how about my:
- Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Babka
- Vegan Pesto Feta Filo Pastry Rolls
- No-Yeast Everything Bagels
- Gluten-Free Vegan Buckwheat Bread
- Smashed Chickpea Crunch Wraps
Garlic and Cheese Jackfruit Rolls
These vegan, fluffy and delicious Garlic and Cheese Jackfruit Rolls are filled with a tasty herby jackfruit and cheese filling all topped with a garlicky cream cheese glaze. They are perfect for sharing and tearing.
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 120g evaporated oat milk
- 60ml unsweetened almond/oat milk
- 45g vegan butter, cubed
- 2 ¼ tsp (1 sachet, or 7g) active yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 280g plain flour
- A pinch of salt
For the Filling:
- 1 garlic bulb
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tin jackfruit confit (drained weight 100g)
- 2 spring onions, chopped very small
- 30g vegan mozzarella cheese, grated
- 40g vegan cheddar cheese, grated
For the Glaze:
- 100g vegan cream cheese
- 2 tbsp evaporated oat milk
- Extra spring onion
- Fresh thyme
Instructions
- Make the dough: add the evaporated and unsweetened milk to a saucepan with the butter and slowly warm to melt the butter. Check the milk is lukewarm (you may need to allow the milk to cool down slightly) and sprinkle over the yeast. Leave for 5 minutes to bloom. Now stir in the sugar and olive oil.
- Knead the dough: pour the flour and salt into the bowl of a freestanding mixer (or a large mixing bowl if working by hand) and stir together. Pour in the milky mix and begin to stir to bring the mixture to a shaggy ball of dough. If using a machine, knead on a medium-low setting for 3 minutes or for 5 minutes by hand, until you have a smooth, springy ball of dough.
- Proof the dough: lightly grease a mixing bowl with olive oil and place the dough inside. Cover and leave somewhere warm for 1 hour to rise, it will double in size. I like to put the oven on to 160Fan/180ºC and place the dough in the oven above (the heat from the bottom oven creates the perfect temperature).
- Roast the garlic: slice off the top of the garlic bulb and rub with the olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and wrap up with tin foil. Roast for 30-40 minutes in the oven at 160Fan/180ºC till soft.
- Make the filling: drain the jackfruit confit (saving the oil) and add to a bowl. Shred with two forks and then squeeze in three of the roasted garlic cloves from the bulb. Mash and stir together well. Leave the oven on for the rolls.
- When the dough is ready: punch down the dough and place on a lightly floured work surface. Roll out to a rectangle approximately 28 x 34cm and brush with 1-2 tbsp of the reserved jackfruit oil. Spoon over the jackfruit filling and then the chopped spring onion. Use the long edge to tightly roll up the dough into a log.
- To cut the rolls: trim off the ends and then measure and mark off your rolls, mine were 4-cm each. Use a piece of cotton or a knife to slice into 6-8 rolls and nestle them into a lightly greased oven proof dish. Brush with more jackfruit oil.
- Bake the rolls: transfer the rolls to the oven for 35 minutes, until fluffy, risen and golden brown on top. Allow the buns to cool for 15 minutes.
- Make the glaze: whisk together the cream cheese and evaporated milk. Squeeze in two or three roasted garlic cloves and mash well into the glaze. Season with salt and pepper.
- Glaze the rolls: either while still warm or allow to cool. Spread the cream cheese over the rolls and top with extra spring onion and fresh thyme.
- To store: enjoy straight away or keep leftover rolls in a sealed container for 2-3 days, although best eaten fresh. You can freeze the rolls, wrapped well, for up to 1 month and allow to defrost before enjoying.
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I look forward to hearing what you think of these Garlic and Cheese Jackfruit Rolls so please let me know in the comments below and leave a star review above. If you do make these, I’d love to see so please tag me, I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest – please say hello!
With cheese and garlic jackfruit love x
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