Classic British Hamantaschen buns – a vegan Purim treat!

These vegan poppy-seed hamantaschen feature a fluffy soft yeasted dough, a sweet sugar glaze, and plenty of delicious homemade filling. Perfect for Purim!

Sometimes, the original really is the best.

I’m all for hamantaschen mash-ups – see my Eccles cake hamantaschen, fortune cookie hamantaschen, or even savoury pizza hamantaschen if you need proof – but there are times when all you want is a good, old-fashioned, poppy-seed filled, yeasty hamantaschen bun. With a glossy sweet glaze, obviously.

Poppy seed hamantaschen – Old-time treats

When I was little, this was the only kind of hamantaschen available at Purim.

That’s not strictly true, actually. Very occasionally the local Jewish bakeries would also make sweet cheese hamantaschen – a sort of triangular sticky bun filled with a glorious rich cheesecake mixture. OMG. 

Ahem.

Mostly, though, it was poppy seed and sweet, rich yeast-risen dough all the way. I think I was a teenager before I even saw a ‘cookie’ hamantasch. They were considered inferior American imports.

Cookie hamantaschen

Like so many (inferior) American imports though, they have caught on. They’re much easier to make at home for one thing. And they seem to be available with all manner of fillings – strawberry, chocolate, apricot etc – and so have a wide appeal.

Poppy seed hamantaschen – Do It Yourself

We don’t have a kosher bakery here in Cambridge, so if we want fresh and delicious hamantaschen we have to make our own. This year, I decided to go all out and recreate the Classic British Hamantaschen of my youth. And make them vegan, just for good measure.

Poppy Seed Hamantaschen

A sweet poppy-seed paste is the classic filling for hamantaschen, whether it’s inside a yeast dough or a cookie-style one. It’s likely in fact that the name ‘hamantaschen’ is derived from the Yiddish/German mohn-taschen meaning ‘poppy seed pockets’ – an excellent description of these three-cornered, stuffed confections.

Over time, the name evolved and they became associated with Haman – the arch-villain of the Purim story. The triangular shape is said to evoke his hat, or possibly his pointy ears – in Israel hamantaschen are called oznei haman meaning ‘Haman’s ears’.

Delicious filling

The poppy-seed filling here was inspired by several recipes, including those in Leah Koenig’s Jewish Cookbook and Uri Scheft’s Breaking Breads – both terrific books.

Mine uses margarine to keep it vegan (and parve) and also cuts the sugar quite significantly. I don’t think the end product suffers at all as a result.

To make the delicious poppy seed filling you will need:

• poppy seeds – obviously!
• sugar
• plant-based milk
• vegan margarine
• apricot jam
• biscuit crumbs – I used a petit beurre but any plain biscuit is fine

Knead the dough

The dough is a variation on my standard babka dough, veganised. To see it in action in a babka, take a look at this gooey and glorious vegan chocolate babka. So good…

Anyway, back to the hamantaschen.

Yeast-dough hamantaschen aren’t very much more tricky to make than ‘cookie’ hamantaschen, especially if you have a stand mixer to do the kneading for you. The only real difference is that you need to be a bit more organised with your timing, because the dough needs to rest and rise.  

Plan ahead

I like to make my dough in the evening, allow it rise in the fridge overnight, and then shape and bake in the morning. However, you can make the hamantaschen from start to finish on one day if you plan ahead for the rising etc. 

Great British Hamantaschen

These Great British Hamantaschen really took me back! They are so delicious – fluffy soft dough, sticky sweet glaze, and plenty of delicious poppy-seed filling. Even if you didn’t eat them as a child, give them a try! You can’t beat the original and best.

Makes 18-20.

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📖 Recipe

Classic Poppy-Seed Hamantaschen Buns

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These vegan poppy-seed hamantaschen feature a soft and fluffy yeasted dough, a sweet glaze, and plenty of delicious homemade filling.

3.78 from 9 votes

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Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Rising/proofing time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 3 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Course Cake, Dessert

Cuisine British, Jewish

Servings 18 buns

Calories 192 kcal

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

For the poppy seed filling

• 80 g poppy seeds
• 100 ml plant-based milk – I used oat
• 2½ tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon vegan margarine
• 2 teaspoon apricot jam
• 1 plain biscuit (I used a petit beurre) pulverized to crumbs

For the dough

• 200 ml plant-based milk – I used oat
• 2 teaspoon dry active yeast
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 400 g plain (all purpose) flour
• 2 tablespoon sugar
• 6 tablespoon vegetable oil

For the glaze

• 50 g icing (powdered) sugar
• 2-3 teaspoon water or plant-based milk

Instructions

 

To make the poppy seed filling

• Whizz the poppy seeds in a food processor/mini-chopper/spice grinder until powdery. Set aside.
• In a small saucepan, heat the plant-based milk and the sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Add the poppy seeds and slowly bring to the boil, stirring continuously. Reduce the heat and allow to bubble for about a minute, stirring al the time to prevent sticking/burning.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the margarine, the apricot jam and the biscuit crumbs. Transfer to a bowl, cover and allow to cool completely. Store in the fridge until ready to use.

To make the dough

• Microwave the plant-based milk for about 1½ minutes until 'hand hot'. Pour half of it into a small bowl and whisk in the dry active yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour and 2 tablespoon sugar.
• Once the yeast mixture has started to foam (2-3 minutes), add it to the flour together with the remaining milk and the oil. Fit the dough hook to the mixer and set the motor running on a low speed.
• Let the mixer run for 8-10 minutes, stopping the motor to scrape down the bowl as needed. The dough is ready when it forms a smooth, soft, glossy ball that leaves the sides of the bowl clean.
• Remove the dough from the mixer and knead by hand for 1-2 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a lid or plastic wrap. Leave to rise until doubled in size. This will take 1-2 hours in a warm place, or overnight in the refrigerator.

To fill and shape the hamantaschen buns

• Line 2 baking sheets with non-stick silicon liners or baking parchment.
• Remove the dough from the bowl, gently squash out the air, and gently knead for a minute or two. Cut the dough into 2 parts.
• Roll the first piece of dough out to a thickness of about 4mm (about ⅛ inch) – the dough will shrink back as you roll it so be patient and keep moving/turning as you roll. Use a 12cm (5 inch) round cutter to cut circles from the dough. Set aside the offcuts to re-roll.
• Brush the edges of the dough circles with water. Place a generous teaspoon of filling in the centre of each circle.
• Fold the dough over the filling to create a triangle. (See the recipe for Eccles cake hamantaschen if you're unsure how to do this.) Pinch the edges of dough together to seal, and place each hamantaschen seam-side down on a lined baking tray. Leave room between them for rising.
• Allow the hamantaschen to rest/rise for about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
• Brush the hamantaschen buns lightly with plant-based milk (optional). Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 15-18 minutes until risen and golden brown.

Glazing

• While the hamantaschen buns are baking, make the glaze. Mix the icing sugar with 2 teaspoon of water or plant-based milk. The glaze should have a thick but brushable consistency so add a drop more liquid if necessary to acheive the right thickness.
• Remove the buns from the oven and immediately brush them with the glaze. Allow to cool for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
• Eat and enjoy! Happy Purim!

Notes

If you prefer your hamantaschen with a different filling, simply swap the poppy seed filling above for 1 cup of your favourite preserves, chocolate spread, cheesecake mixture, or pie filling.

These hamantaschen are best eaten within 24 hours of baking. 

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Classic Poppy-Seed Hamantaschen Buns

Amount per Serving

Calories

192

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

8

g

12

%

Saturated Fat

 

4

g

25

%

Trans Fat

 

1

g

Cholesterol

 

1

mg

0

%

Sodium

 

19

mg

1

%

Potassium

 

78

mg

2

%

Carbohydrates

 

28

g

9

%

Fiber

 

2

g

8

%

Sugar

 

8

g

9

%

Protein

 

4

g

8

%

Vitamin A

 

67

IU

1

%

Vitamin C

 

1

mg

1

%

Calcium

 

92

mg

9

%

Iron

 

2

mg

11

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Keyword vegan

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

These poppy seed hamantaschen are best eaten within 24 hours of baking but this doesn’t seem to be a problem as they are so delicious! 

More Purim recipes

If you’re looking for more delicious Purim treats, why not try:

• Brown sugar hamantaschen
• Hot magen david buns
• White chocolate and raspberry hamantaschen cookies
• Cheese & vegetable pasty hamantaschen

Or you can browse all my Purim recipes by clicking here.

Wishing you a very happy Purim!