This chocolate vegan babka needs just 9 ingredients and is super easy to make despite it’s intricate details. Serve for dessert or breakfast!
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If you have never heard of Babka before, the hold on to your seat, because you’re in for one of the most delicious recipes. This chocolate vegan babka tastes just as delicious without milk and eggs.
Babka is a braided sweet bread that is of Jewish decent. It became widely popular in the United States in the 2010s with the success of Breads Bakery in NYC and Instagram.
Babka means grandmother and refers to grandmothers who made this recipe from leftover challah after Shabbat, from our research. They would twist the bread with seeds and nuts.
Traditionally, it was filled with cinnamon. However, when Jewish people arrived in New York city, chocolate was added.
People have been known to add in apples or cheesecake, or make even savory versions. There are also similar versions to other cultures.
Essentially, it is a made very similar to how you would make cinnamon rolls, but instead of slicing circular pieces and placing them in a cake pan, you slice the roll length wise and do a double braided twist and then place in a loaf pan.
The end result of chocolate vegan babka is this stunning masterpiece of woven chocolate, like marbling, through the bread. Eat it in slices or you can even make french toast with it!
What ingredients do you need to make chocolate vegan babka?
You only need nine ingredients for this super easy vegan babka dough.
The ingredients that you need are:
- Flour
- Instant yeast
- Salt
- Dairy Free Milk (we like Oat)
- Maple Syrup
- Vegan Butter
- Brown Sugar
- Vegan cane sugar
- Cocoa Powder
- Vegan Chocolate Chips, optional
That’s it! Can you believe that’s all you need?
HOW DO YOU MAKE CHOCOLATE VEGAN BABKA?
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, yeast, and salt. Then, add in the dairy free milk and maple syrup.
Using a spatula, fold until mostly combined. Sprinkle a little more flour if you need to not be sticky and form a ball.
Once your ball is formed, you will want to grease the same bowl you mixed in and place the dough ball back into the bowl.
Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let sit for 60-90 minutes in a warm, draft free place.
In a small bowl combine the sugars and cocoa powder together.
Once doubled in size, lightly flour a surface and roll dough out until approximately 12×15 rectangle.
Brush the butter across the entire surface and evenly sprinkle the cocoa sugar mixture across the dough. If adding, sprinkle chocolate chips across.
Starting on one side, roll the dough into a log. Cut the log length wise carefully so you have two long pieces.
Starting at one end, pinch the ends together and then braid the two pieces together and pinch together again at the end.
Carefully place in a well greased loaf pan.
Preheat oven for 350 degrees
Place in oven for 35-40 minutes or until done.
While baking, add sugar and water to a small pot and bring to a boil. Stir and let boil until all sugar is dissolved. Set aside.
When the bread is done, brush the simple sugar syrup onto the bread. Let cool and serve.
Can you make this a Top 8 Allergen Free Babka Bread?
We do not currently have a gluten free dough recipe to recommend, although we are working to create one.
For the remaining ingredients, yes you can. We recommend oat milk which is allergen friendly.
And ensure that you are use a soy free, dairy free butter. We use Earth Balance Soy free that comes in a red tub.
If adding optional chocolate chips, use one like Enjoy Life that is Top 8 Free.
Nothing else included in the recipe contains a Top 8 allergen.
Can I prep vegan babka ahead of time?
This bread can be made and stored in an air tight container for 5-7 days.
Also — when making the dough, once you put cover the bowl to rise, Instead of leaving in a warm place, you can place the bowl in the fridge up to 2 days before you plan to use it.
Just make the recipe as written, cover and place in fridge until ready to use.
Can this dough be used to make other recipes?
For this chocolate vegan babka, we are using our vegan everything dough recipe. The possibilities are really endless for this dough. Some recipes that we have created are:
- Vegan Raspberry Cinnamon Rolls (pictured above)
- Vegan Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread (some places call this Monkey Bread)
- Easy Vegan Soft Pretzel Bites
🥳 Get the Full Recipe
Chocolate Vegan Babka
Ingredients
- 3 ½ – 4 cups flour (we prefer bread, can use all-purpose or whole wheat – see post for details)
- 1 package instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups dairy free milk (we like oat – can use any non-strongly flavored dairy free milk)
- ¼ cup maple syrup (see post about other sugar source options)
For chocolate filling
- ⅓ cup vegan butter, softened
- ⅓ cup vegan cane sugar
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon cocoa powder
- ½ cup vegan chocolate chips, optional
Simple Syrup
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup vegan cane sugar
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together 3 ½ cups flour, yeast, and salt.
- Then, add in the dairy free milk and maple syrup.
- Using a spatula, fold until mostly combined. Sprinkle a little more flour if needed to not be sticky and form a ball.
- Once ball is formed, grease the same bowl mixed in and place the dough ball back into the bowl. *If you are oil free, then just make sure sides of bowl are floured, or use a silicone bowl to easily get it out
- Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let sit for 60-90 minutes in a warm, draft free place until doubled.
For the filling
- Preheat oven for 350 degrees
- In a small bowl combine the sugars and cocoa powder together.
- Once risen, lightly flour a surface and roll dough out until approximately 12×15 rectangle.
- Brush the butter across the entire surface.
- Evenly sprinkle the cocoa powder and sugar mixture across the dough. If adding, chocolate chips, evenly sprinkle across.
- Starting on one side, roll the dough into a log.
- Cut the log length wise carefully so there are two long pieces.
- Starting at one end, pinch the ends together and then braid the two pieces together and pinch together again at the end.
- Carefully place in a well greased loaf pan.*If your babka is not at the top of your pan, cover it and let it rise until it is. If it is, proceed with baking.
- Place in oven for 35-40 minutes or until done.
For Simple Syrup
- While baking, add sugar and water to a small pot and bring to a boil.
- Stir and let boil until all sugar is dissolved. Set aside.
- When the bread is done, brush the simple sugar syrup onto the bread. Let cool and serve.
Notes
Video
Nutrition
I’d love to use this recipe to make a raisin and Christmas spiced Christmas that I grew up with but am unable to find a recipe for. The bread is a bit on the sweet side…and very moist and fluffy. How much can I add in terms of raisins to this recipe or do you have a better benchmark suggestion? TIA!
Sorry for the delayed response. You could add up to 1 cup of raisins
I was always intimidated by using a rolling pin and avoided any recipes requiring using one until I decided to take the plunge and make this babka recipe. It turned out so well that I’ve made it several times since and people cannot believe that it is vegan. Thanks for such a great recipe – it’s so delicious!!! I also just want to say how beautiful your website is and how incredible your recipes always look in your videos and photos.
Thank you so much! We’re so happy to hear that you gave this recipe a try (Especially since the rolling pin was a bit of a hurdle)! It makes us so happy to hear that the recipe has been enjoyed!
This came out absolutely perfectly! It’s easy and a beautiful sight to behold. I’ve never had very good luck getting a nice shine to finish vegan bakes, but the simple syrup did the trick. I did chill the dough for a bit after the first rise and that made it super easy to work with, per your suggestion, and then I also let it sit to plump up a little bit more once in the loaf pan before baking. Delicious on a cool, wintry day– if there is such a thing in Los Angeles. The only true disappointment here is that there won’t be leftovers for French toast!
So glad you enjoyed it! You’ll have to double the recipe next time 😉