These Vegan Snowman Mantou, otherwise known as Chinese Steamed Buns, require less than 10 ingredients and are easy to make. They are fluffy and lightly sweetened, making them perfect for breakfast or as a snack!
I wouldn’t say I was a big fan of steamed buns when I was little.
They were not my first choice but for some reason, my siblings loved them. On weekends when we are all home, my mom would often steam some for us to have for breakfast. Whenever they were done, you would not find me to be the first to grab one unless there were fillings inside or they were colorful. At that time, they were a bit too plain for me and I would much prefer pancakes over them.
However, I remember there used to be these packages of steamed buns that tasted just like any other steamed buns, but instead of being one fluffy bun, there were fluffy strands of yellow sweet white bread all wrapped inside the bun. When you tear it apart, you can pull out threads of bread. They were always so fun to eat and I wondered why my mom wouldn’t just buy those ones instead of the plain version. If they had character/animal-shaped ones too, I would for sure want them for breakfast every day.
I will have to make a recipe for those golden threaded steamed buns one day but for now since christmas is just around the corner from us, I made these Vegan Snowman-shaped Mantou. There aren’t threads of bread inside but they are fluffy and a joy to make. Who wouldn’t want to eat something this cute? They are not hard to make at all so let’s get baking!
Here is an overview of these Vegan Snowman Mantou.
Ingredients
Flour: If you do not have all-purpose flour, you can also use bread flour. I have not tested the recipe with gluten-free flour, but if gluten-free is needed, you can make this Vegan Snowman Mantou with Bob Red Mill’s 1:1 gluten-free flour, substituting it with the same weight. Note that the bread might not rise as much as regular dough.
Sugar: To make it refined sugar-free you can use coconut sugar. Note that the color of the steamed buns will be darker if you use coconut sugar. I would not recommend using maple syrup as this would change the over amount of weight ingredients to dry ingredients.
Coconut Milk: Make sure you use full-fat coconut milk when you are making these buns. The fat in the coconut oil helps make the dough smooth and elastic.
Coconut Oil: I used unrefined coconut oil but you can use refined coconut oil if you prefer a less coconuty taste. If you do not have coconut oil, substitute the same amount with unsalted, vegan butter.
Natural Vegan Food Coloring: if you do not have vegan food coloring, you can substitute them with matcha powder, a pinch of turmeric or any other spices/powder for the dough.
Tips
What should I do if my dough is too wet or not baked through?
This might happen if you did not weigh the ingredients correctly. This happens to me sometimes too when I get lazy and do not use a scale. If this happens to you, add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time until the dough is smooth to knead.
How do I store these steamed buns? Can I freeze them?
Store the buns in an airtight container or wrap them individually before freezing them. When you are ready to eat one, you can either microwave it for 2-3 minutes until it is soft and warm, or bring a steamer pot to a boil with water over medium heat and steam the buns for 3-5 minutes.
Why are my steamed buns wrinkly in appearance?
This may be a result of over-proofing the dough. Make sure you work as quickly as you can or cover any unused dough in the process with a damp towel and place it in your fridge while you make the buns. It can also be a result of condensation while you are steaming the buns or if you remove the lid of your steamer too quickly after they are done. Make sure you cover the lid with a kitchen towel before putting the lid over the steamer and wait 2-3 minutes before you lift the lid when the buns are done.
Why are my steamed buns not proofing? Why are they not fluffy?
This can be a result of expired yeast or the environment. If you find that the yeast is not activated after you combine it with the warmed coconut milk, the yeast may have expired. If your room is too cold, the dough will take a longer time to rise. Place the dough in a warm area in your home to help with the process.
If you like these Vegan Snowman Mantou, you might also like to try:
Vegan Christmas Tree Steamed Buns
Vegan Chinese Bunny Steamed Buns
Vegan Chinese Rose Steamed Buns
I cannot wait for you to try this Vegan Snowman Mantou! If you do, please tag me on Instagram @_withhelen or leave a comment below letting me know you like it! Happy Baking!
PrintVegan Snowman Mantou (Chinese Steamed Buns)
These Vegan Snowman Mantou, otherwise known as Chinese Steamed Buns, require less than 10 ingredients and are easy to make. They are fluffy and lightly sweetened, making them perfect for breakfast or as a snack!
- Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 38 minutes
- Yield: 6
- Category: Sweets
- Method: Steaming
- Cuisine: Chinese
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
188-250g (¾-1 cup) full-fat coconut milk, warm
3g (1 tsp) active dry yeast
300g (~2 cups) all-purpose flour (or bread flour)
50g (½ cup) cane sugar
15g (1 tbsp) unrefined coconut oil, melted
Red, green, brown, black and orange vegan natural food coloring
Instructions
- Combine the warm coconut milk and the yeast together. Allow it to sit for 5 minutes until the yeast is activated.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour and sugar and mix well. Add in the milk and melted coconut oil. Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic, about 10-15 minutes. If the dough seems too dry and hard to knead smoothly, add 1 tablespoon (15g) of additional full-fat coconut milk and continue to knead the dough until it is smooth. It is important to knead the dough until it is smooth to prevent the dough from being wrinkled in appearance when it is steamed and for allowing the dough to be fluffy inside.
- Once the dough is ready, divide the dough into six 60g pieces, one 15g piece, three 10g pieces, and one 5g piece. Roll the 60g pieces of dough into a circular shape and place them 2 inches apart in a sheet pan or plate. Cover the dough with a damp towel.
- Add 2-3 drops (or more) of green vegan natural food coloring to the 15g piece of dough. Knead the dough until the food coloring is well combined. Add 2-3 drops (or more) of black food coloring to one piece of the 10g dough and knead until the coloring is well combined. Add 2-3 drops of red food coloring to another 10g piece of dough and knead until the coloring is well combined. To the last piece of 10g dough, add in 2-3 drops of brown food coloring and knead until the coloring is well combined with the dough. Add 1-2 drops of orange food coloring to the 5g piece of dough and knead until the orange is well-incorporated. Throughout the process, remember to cover your dough to prevent it from drying out.
- Take one piece of the 60g dough and lightly spray or brush it with water. Make the snowman scarf by rolling out the green dough and cutting it into rectangular shapes. Add one of the rectangular pieces to the middle of the snowman. Roll out the red dough and using a circular piper, make a few small circles to the dough. Add those pieces to the top of the scarf to decorate it. Use the black dough to make the faces of the snowman however you would like it. Add a small orange piece of dough to the upper part of the mouth to make the nose of the snowman. Roll out the brown dough and using a larger circular piper, make larger circles. Place the cut out circular brown dough to the bottom half of the scarf to make the buttons of the snowman. To make the hat, take a small piece of any remaining white dough and cut it into a circular shape. Place that small piece of dough to the upper right corner of the head. Using either the remaining red or orange dough, make a smaller piece of circular dough to put on top of the white dough to make the hat. Repeat this step with the remaining white dough. If you find that the dough is starting to dry, spray them with some water.
- Once ready, allow the dough to sit on the counter to proof for 10 minutes.
- Bring a steamer pot to a boil with some water. Once it starts to boil, turn the heat to medium-high heat. Depending on how big your steamer is, place 3-4 pieces of the dough to the steamer; make sure they are at least 2 inches apart. Cover the lid of the steamer with a kitchen towel and cover the steamer with it. Steam the dough for 8 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the buns to sit for 3 minutes to prevent the skin of the dough from wrinkling. Enjoy!
Keywords: chinese mantou, chinese steamed buns, vegan bread, holiday desserts
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