The vegan cocoa pandoro is the ideal choice for bringing a soft, fragrant, and suitable-for-everyone Christmas dessert to the table. A version without butter and eggs of the classic holiday treat, enriched with the intense flavor of cocoa and the citrus scents of orange and lemon. Preparing it at home is a true act of love: the dough slowly rising, the aroma filling the kitchen, and the satisfaction of taking a tall and soft pandoro out of the oven make this recipe perfect for celebrating Christmas in a more mindful way without sacrificing taste. Ideal for sharing with family or as a gift, it will win over even those who don’t follow a vegan diet.
Also try these vegan Christmas desserts:
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 2 Hours
- Preparation time: 1 Hour
- Portions: 8/10
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Christmas, New Year's Eve
Ingredients
- 3.75 cups all-purpose flour
- 0.5 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 0.75 cup sugar
- 1.25 cups plant-based milk
- 2 tsp fresh yeast
- 5.3 oz plant-based margarine
- rum flavor
- vanilla
Steps
To prepare the Vegan Cocoa Pandoro – Soft Recipe Without Butter and Eggs watch the video HERE.
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In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, yeast, orange zest, and lemon zest.
Add the vanilla flavor, rum flavor, cocoa, plant-based milk, and knead for about 10 minutes until well combined.
Gradually add the soft margarine, kneading until fully absorbed. The dough should be smooth, elastic, and soft.
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled work surface, fold it a few times, and form a ball. Place it in a bowl, cover, and let rise until it doubles in size.
After rising, transfer the dough to the oiled work surface, refold a few times, and place it in the well-oiled pandoro mold. Cover and let rise until the dough nearly reaches the mold’s edge.
Bake in a static oven at 356°F for about 60 minutes. If the surface darkens too much, cover it with aluminum foil in the last few minutes of baking. Once baked, remove the pandoro from the oven and let it cool upside down on a rack. Before serving, dust with plenty of powdered sugar.
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Tips & Storage:
This vegan pandoro is perfect as it is, but you can also serve it with a vegan ganache, a chocolate cream, or simply with a cup of hot tea or chocolate.
The vegan cocoa pandoro can be stored:
At room temperature for 3-4 days, well sealed in a food bag or under a cake dome. In the refrigerator for up to 6-7 days, always well covered. It can also be frozen already sliced: just thaw it at room temperature to regain its softness and aroma.
👉 Before serving, you can lightly warm it or dust it again with powdered sugar.
