Whole Wheat Burger Buns (Healthy & Vegan) – Nutriciously (2024)

These healthy whole wheat burger buns are crusty, tender, vegan and so easy to make! It’s a budget-friendly one-bowl recipe that requires only 10 minutes of prep time.

Skip the store-bought hamburger buns and make these healthy whole wheat burger buns with creamy soy yogurt and crunchy seeds.

This recipe is just too simple not to try: affordable staple ingredients, one bowl and ten minutes of hands-on time.

These whole wheat buns are oil-free and dairy-free, making them vegan-friendly and packed with fiber!

While they don’t replicate fluffy white buns, we’ve grown to enjoy them even more. Use them to make vegan bean burgers and try our buckwheat bread and cornbread for more baked goods!

Recipe overview

• Simple, seeded and soft
• Fiber-rich and fully whole food plant-based
• 10 minutes of hands-on time
• Crusty on the outside, tender on the inside
• Flavorful and slightly nutty
• Chewy, hearty and wonderfully textured

These whole wheat buns can be served sweet or savory and once you’ve fallen in love with the flavor and texture of whole grains, you don’t care for refined flour products anymore!

Ingredients needed

• Whole wheat flour — if you don’t want to go “all whole grain” on your rolls, start with a 50/50 mixture of all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour.
• Baking soda + powder — basic raising agents.
• Soy milk + lemon juice — creating some easy and delicious vegan buttermilk for better texture!
• Soy yogurt + applesauce — adding extra moisture to the buns!
• Toppings — sprinkle with seeds or rolled oats for some texture.

With these basic kitchen staples, you can create a whole array of tasty food — including these whole wheat burger buns.

All you need in terms of equipment are a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, large bowl, brush and measuring equipment.

How to make whole wheat burger buns

1. Preheat your oven to 400 °F (200 °C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Sift flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder into a large bowl.
3. Add wet ingredients: water, almond milk, soy yogurt and lemon juice.
4. Combine with a spoon, then knead with your hands until a smooth but still sticky dough forms.
5. Divide the dough into 6 pieces and shape them into buns.
6. Line them on your prepared baking sheet at about an inch distance.
7. Brush the buns with vegan milk, and top with rolled oats, black sesame and pumpkin seeds.
8. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden on the outside, then remove them from the oven.
9. Let the buns cool slightly before serving!

Storage & serving

Enjoy your whole wheat hamburger buns straight from the oven or over the next 2-3 days. They are best stored at room temperature in a food container or bread bag.

They will keep well in the fridge for about a week. You can also thaw them for up to 3 months!

You can create vegan burgers with them or use the buns to make sandwiches from BLT to PBJ! We like to spread them with hummus, mayo, smashed avocado, ricotta or other vegan spreads and top with veggies.

Serve these whole wheat buns as a side dish with some salad, soup or chili!

Tips & adjustments

Make them sweeter

Use sweetened yogurt, applesauce or milk to make these whole wheat buns sweeter. You can also add a few tablespoons of maple syrup or molasses!

Quantity & size

You can bake larger or smaller buns with the dough but make sure to adjust the baking time to neither burn nor undercook them.

If you want to make a larger batch of these delicious whole wheat buns, simply double or triple the recipe and freeze the baked rolls for up to 2-3 months, thawing and reheating them at your convenience.

Create the best texture

Sifting your whole wheat flour is key to making lofty whole grain baked goods and also eliminates the need for adding any dough enhancers — so it’s highly recommended but can be skipped for convenience and time purposes.

Try to properly combine the ingredients to form a hom*ogeneous mixture but don’t over stir! Handle your dough with some love.

You’re looking for a dough that’s a little tacky as it will absorb more moisture.

Ingredient swaps

• Use aquafaba for the eggwash instead of vegan milk
• Add olive oil or vegan butter to the batter instead of applesauce
• Use any unflavored dairy-free (soy, oat, almond, pea) for this recipe.
• Swap the whole wheat flour for white wheat, rye, spelt or einkorn!

More healthy baked goods

In the mood for some more baking? Try these treats next!

• Blueberry Muffins
• Raspberry Banana Bread
• Veggie Pizza Rolls
• Carrot Cake Squares
• Nutty Cinnamon Rolls

Have you tried our burger buns and liked them? Feel free to comment below and rate our recipe! You can also Pin it here!