This vegan baked curry potato bun is a simple yet delicious treat for breakfast or snacks.

Potatoes are delicious in any form, agree? They can be pan-fried, steam, baked, or used as a binder in a lot of dishes. Some of my favorite potato dishes include curry potatoes, braised potatoes with carrots, potato balls, and curry puff.
So, when my comfort food mood hits, I want to make a delicious curry potato bun inspired by chicken curry buns from the bakeries in Malaysia.
The filling is simply braised potato with homemade sambal from the nasi lemak bungkus recipe. It’s spicy and flavorful which is tastes so good by itself or with rice. They are then wrapped in a simple bread flour dough which yields fluffy and soft bread after they are baked.

This recipe is easy and perfect for make-ahead breakfast the night before. Please check the Cooking Tips section for ways on how to get the fluffiest buns.
How to Make baked vegan curry potato bun
Part 1: Prepare the dough
To make the dough, combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl of a stand mixer. Fit the mixer with a dough hook and stir to combine.

While the mixer is running, add the water and knead into a soft dough or until there are not dry spots of flour in the bowl.

Add the softened butter and continue to knead until the butter is incorporated about 8 to 10 minutes. Add more flour if the dough is too wet or a tablespoon of water if the dough is too dry.

Cover the bowl with a lid and proof the dough until double its size, about 40-60 minutes depending on the room temperature.
Part 2: Make the filling
First, clean the potato and peel off the skin. Cut the potato into 1cm tiny cubes and soak them in water for 5-10 minutes to remove starch. Drain and wipe them dry with paper towels.
Next, heat a large non-stick skillet and add the oil. Sauté onion until translucent. Then, add the potato cubes and sauté for about 5 minutes or until the potato turns slightly translucent.
Now, add the sambal, salt, sugar, curry powder, and toss to combine. Add the water, seasoning, and fold in the peas and carrots.
Cover the pan with a lid. Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 5 – 10 minutes. Make sure you have enough water to cook the potatoes.
Taste test and season with more sambal or salt if needed. Let it cool completely, then divide into 6 portions. The curry potato mixture should look thick.

Part 3: Assemble
Grease an 8″ X 11” baking pan generously with softened butter and set aside. Next, make the dough. Transfer the proofed dough onto a flour-dusted surface and knead to remove large air bubbles.
Divide into 6 equal pieces. Knead each dough to remove air bubbles (you’ll hear tiny air pops), then roll it into a ball.

To make the bun, rub a rolling pin with flour. Take one ball and flatten it with your palm. Then, roll it into a 5”-6” circular wrapper while keeping the middle thicker. The larger the wrapper, the thinner the bun would be but you can add more filling to it.

Place a portion of the filling in the middle and pinch to seal. Place the buns, seamed side down on the greased baking pan, slightly apart.
Then, cover with a kitchen towel and rest for 15 minutes while you preheat the oven to 375F. Meanwhile, make the vegan egg wash by whisking maple syrup and soy milk until well-combined.
Part 4: Bake and serve
Brush the proofed bun with the wash and bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until the top turns golden brown.
To get a shinier top, brush the cooked buns with a thin layer of melted plant butter.
How to knead without a mixer
1. Place flour in a mound on a working surface. Cup your palm and push the flour with the back of your palm in a circular mode so you get a volcano-like pile.
2. Add the rest of the dry ingredients in the middle. With a claw-like motion, slowly add the water while bringing the ingredients together to the middle. Gather the dough and knead until a soft dough forms.
4. Rub in the softened butter and continue to knead. At first, the dough may be wet, continue to knead for another 8-10 minutes. I like to take the dough and slap it on the working surface a few times. Continue to knead until you get a smooth dough.
5. Transfer the dough to a large bowl and cover. Let it proof until double its size.
Vegan baked Curry Potato Bun Cooking Tips
1. Bread flour vs all-purpose flour – These two types of flour work great in this recipe. As usual, the bread flour yields a fluffier bun and stays soft longer. For the all-purpose flour version, please check out the Vegan sambal tofu bun recipe.
2. How to get fluffy buns –
- Don’t roll out the dough too thin. Thin dough allows you to add more filling but will compensate for the fluffiness, so take your pick.
- Grease a baking pan generously with plant butter, including the sides of the pan. Then, arrange the buns, slightly apart. The 2nd proof will seal the gap. During baking, these gaps will push the buns up instead of sides which will yield fluffier buns. That said, a small baking pan (8X11) works perfectly to achieve this texture.

3. Sambal vs other chile paste – As mentioned above, I’m using homemade sambal that’s already seasoned with just the right spice and sweetness. Alternatively, store-bought brands such as Malaysian curry paste are highly recommended.
Why You need this vegan curry potato bun
- Delicious
- Perfect for make-ahead breakfast
- Easy dough recipe
- Tasty filling made from spicy potatoes
If you try this recipe, I would love to hear your feedback and see your beautiful re-creation. Leave me a comment, rate it, and tag @woon.heng and #woonheng to your photos on Instagram or Facebook. Happy cooking, friends!

Vegan baked curry potato bun
Ingredients
Dough
- 240 g [2 cups] bread flour plus more for rolling
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1½ teaspoons active-dry yeast or instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon baking powder optional
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ⅔ cup lukewarm water
- 1½ tablespoons plant-based butter softened, plus more for greasing
Curry Potato Filling
- 1 pound russet potatoes
- 1½ tablespoons neutral oil
- ½ medium or 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 3 curry leaves thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon homemade sambal or use Malaysian chile paste
- 1 tablespoon yellow or red curry powder
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup room-temperature water
- ⅓ cup frozen peas and carrots
- 1½ teaspoons umami seasoning or vegetable bouillon used mushrooms
Other ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened soy or oat milk
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- White sesame seeds for sprinkling
- Plant-based butter melted, for brushing (optional)
Instructions
Make the dough
- To make the dough, combine the bread flour, sugar, yeast, salt, and baking powder (if using) in the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Fit the mixer with a dough hook and stir to combine at low speed. While the mixer is running, slowly add the water and continue to mix until there are no dry spots of flour in the bowl.
- Add the butter and continue to mix until the butter is incorporated and the dough looks smooth, 8 to 10 minutes. (If the dough is too wet, add flour, one tablespoon at a time; if the dough is too dry, add water in 1 tablespoon increment.)
- Cover the bowl with a tight lid and proof the dough until double in size, 40 to 60 minutes, depending on the weather.
Cook the filling
- Prepare the filling: Clean and peel the potatoes. Cut into tiny cubes (about 1 centimeter) and soak in water for 5 to 10 minutes to remove excess starch. Drain, rinse, and pat dry with a towel.
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and add the oil. Sauté the onion until translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the potatoes to the onion. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the potatoes turn slightly translucent.
- Add the curry leaves, sambal, curry powder, sugar, and salt and toss to combine. Add the water, frozen peas and carrots, and umami seasoning and cover the pan with a lid. Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer until the potatoes are fork tender, 5 to 10 minutes, checking every so often and adding water if needed.
- When the potatoes are cooked, taste and season with more sambal or salt if needed. Fold in the peas and carrots, and turn off the heat. Let it cool completely to thicken a bit.
Assemble and Bake
- Grease an 8×11-inch baking pan generously with softened butter. (The larger the baking pan, the less tall and fluffy the buns will be.)
- Transfer the proofed dough to a flour-dusted surface. Divide into 6 equal pieces. Knead each piece to remove air bubbles, then roll it into a ball.
- Rub a rolling pin with flour. Take one ball and flatten it with your palm.
- Roll into a 5- to 6-inch circle, aiming to keep the middle thicker than the perimeter. (The larger the wrapper, the thinner the bun, so if you prefer to have a more doughy bun, roll a smaller wrapper.)
- Divide the filling evenly between the circles, placing the mound in the middle of the circle. Bring up all the sides and pinch to seal. Place the buns seam side down on the greased baking pan, evenly spaced out. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rest for 15 minutes while you heat the oven to 375°F.
- Meanwhile, make the vegan egg wash by whisking the milk and maple syrup until combined.
- Brush the proofed bun with vegan egg wash and sprinkle some sesame seeds on top.
- Bake the buns for 25 to 35 minutes, until the top turns golden brown. To get a shinier look, if you’d like, you can brush the baked buns with a thin layer of melted butter.
Video
Feel free to pin the below picture on your Pinterest Board for easy reference.

I tried the recipe this weekend and it was a hit. I wanted a doz so I doubled up to make 12. If I need to make a bigger batch (ex: 24 pcs), do you recommend to just multiply everything by 4? I want the bread to look shinier like yours, do I completely skip the milk+maple syrup wash and replace with butter? or should I do both? Thank you for generously sharing your recipe!
These buns were so delicious and fluffy, highly recommend. Pretty easy to make. I halved the recipe and then instantly regretted it when I tried the first bun. You won’t be disappointed!!
What is the role of the baking powder if you’re already using yeast? Can you describe the difference of using/not using it? Thanks!
Hi there, it helps make it fluffier. You can skip it if you like and let the dough rise a little longer. Thanks
At first I was a little hesitant on the task at hand. But the recipe is so easy to follow and helpful, i love them and so did all my friends. Big hit with the crowd!
I’m also oil free. Do you think the dough would be okay without the vegan butter?
Looks really good. I’m planning to make these whole foods plant based and I have plans for all subs but wondering if unsweetened applesauce will be a good sub for plant-based butter? Any other ideas welcome, thanks.
Hi Cheryl, that’s a great question. I have tried applesauce in my other baking but not in this recipe. It definitely will add some good moist to it or you can add a chia egg. Let me know how it goes if you have tried it. Thanks, WoonHeng
Made these today – they turned out perfectly!
Thanks so much Alison. So happy to hear you loved it. Many thanks, WoonHeng
What could I use in place of curry leaves?
Another great recipe. I’m a fan already…tried your char siew rice, noodles and now this and love, love, love your recipes. Thank you so much. Tried this recipe with changes to the filling(made curry potato) and used egg replacer for the egg wash…
If I want to make plain buns without filling, can I make it the same way? Any tips please? Tq.
Hello Priya, thanks so much for your sweet comments. I’m really happy to hear you loved all the recipes you’ve tried. Yes, you can do so and divide it into smaller portions so you’ll get dinner roll. I would wrap a small blob of butter too. 🙂
What is the vegan egg wash?
Can I make and assemble these 8 hours ahead ? I want to prepare these in morning, take away with me and cook for dinner that night. Is that possible ?
Hey Rosie, although I haven’t tried it before. But you should be able to assemble these and transfer them to the fridge immediately. This will slow down the 2nd proof. Proofing too long will have a yeast taste. Hope that helps. Let me know how it goes. Thanks, WoonHeng
Hi! Any tips on what to do if I can’t find curry leaves? Thanks!
Hi Phil, don’t worry, you can skip that. Some curry powder already have curry leaves in the mix. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Looks so yummy !
Thanks a lot, Rosalinda!
Wonderful!! I followed the regular flour bread recipe for the bun (that you linked). I added lentils to the fill while loading the buns. And I included mushrooms and a freshly sliced habanero pepper (to the cooking onions and potatoes) for a bit more spice and substance. I skipped the curry leaves and used green curry paste and a red curry chili powder that I had. It’s a keeper!!
Thank you Bree! I love lentils and what a great sub with mushrooms and some spicy kick from habanero. yum yum! Thanks so much for sharing with me. Have a beautiful day, Bree. 🙂