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King cake, also known as “Galette des Rois,” is a classic French pastry that consists of puff pastry filled with a sweet almond paste called frangipane. This vegan king cake tastes just as good as the original without the eggs!
Introducing Vegan King Cake! It’s about time I share my take on this French pastry called Galette des Rois!
⭐️ Why You Should Try It
- A French classic. If you have never tried Galette des rois, you are in for a treat! This classic dessert is super popular during January in France and is loved by people of all ages. The version I am sharing here is eggless and can be made gluten-free if you use gluten-free puff pastry!
- Loaded with sweet almond paste. This king cake is different from some you may come across in certain bakeries, which contain very little filling. Instead, this one is generously filled with almond paste that is both sweet and buttery.
- Not overly sweet. While traditionally, king cake is quite sweet, this homemade version uses less sugar for a more balanced flavor.
📘 What is Galette des Rois
King cake, or “Galette des Rois,” is a traditional pastry famous in France and French-speaking countries. While the origin of this pastry is unclear, it is said that it first appeared during the Middle Ages. Galette des Rois is typically enjoyed during January for the Epiphany. It consists of a sweet almond filling called frangipane, enclosed between two layers of flaky puff pastry. It’s buttery, rich, and delicious!
A “Galette des Rois” usually contains a “fève,” a small ceramic figurine hidden inside the filling. The one who finds it becomes the king or queen for the day! A tradition says the youngest person needs to hide under the table and tell whoever is cutting the galette who gets which slice. This way, he can’t see which slice has the fève, so he is not biased!
🧈 Ingredient Notes
Here are the ingredients you will need to make this vegan king cake:
- Puff pastry – To make it easier, I recommend using store-bought puff pastry. While homemade puff pastry indeed tastes a bit better, it requires a long and tedious process.
- Almond flour – It makes the base of the frangipane filling. Use fine almond flour.
- Sugar – Preferably granulated white sugar. Note that you can also use coconut sugar. The filling will be darker and have a slightly different flavor, but it’s still delicious.
- Butter – You can use store-bought vegan butter or homemade vegan butter.
- Cornstarch – Cornstarch helps thicken the almond filling slightly.
- Flax seeds – Ground flax seeds will help the frangipane filling hold up better. They act as a binder.
- Almond extract – While optional, I believe that almond extract brings that flavor specific to galette des rois.
- Vanilla extract – For freshness and to enhance the overall flavor. Use high-quality store-bought vanilla extract or homemade vanilla extract. Alternatively, you can replace 1/4 cup of the sugar with vanilla sugar.
🥣 How to Make It
Prepare the frangipane
- Cream the butter and sugar. Add the diced butter and sugar to a mixing bowl. Using a wooden spoon, cream the butter with the sugar.
- Make the flax egg. In a small bowl, whisk together the ground flax seeds with the almond milk. Let it sit for 5 minutes or until it has thickened.
Note: Traditionally, the filling contains a mix of frangipane and pastry cream (crème pâtissière). Nowadays, most king cakes sold in bakeries omit the pastry cream. Hence, I didn’t use it here. If you want to use pastry cream, replace 1/4 of the weight of the frangipane filling with vanilla pastry cream. It will yield a lighter texture that is less nutty and stronger on the vanilla flavor.
- Add the remaining ingredients. Next, add the almond flour, cornstarch, and flax egg to the creamed butter. Pour in the almond extract and vanilla extract.
- Mix until combined. Mix until it forms a very thick paste. At this point, you can taste the frangipane and add more almond or vanilla extract if you want.
Assemble the galette
Once your filling is ready, it’s time to assemble the galette.
- Cut two discs of puff pastry. Using the help of a round cake pan, cut two 8-inch discs of puff pastry. Arrange one disc on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Pipe the almond cream. Transfer the frangipane to a piping bag fitted with a large tip. Then, pipe the frangipane in a spiral evenly over the puff pastry disc, leaving about one inch of margin. At this point, you can press a porcelain figurine (fève) into the frangipane.
- Slightly wet the edges. Dip your finger in water and run your finger along the edges of the puff pastry. This will help seal both discs of puff pastry.
- Top with the second disc of puff pastry. Place the second puff pastry disc on top of the frangipane.
- Press to seal. Press down the sides using your fingers to seal the edges. This will prevent the filling from escaping during baking.
- Freeze for 15 minutes. Transfer the baking sheet containing the king cake to the freezer for 15 minutes.
- Flip the cake. After 15 minutes, remove from the freezer and carefully flip the king cake so the bottom ends on top. This is optional but helps enhance the look of your cake.
- Flute the edges. Using a knife, flute the edges.
- Brush with milk. Next, brush the top of the galette with sweetened almond milk. This will give it a nice golden color when baking.
- Refrigerate. Transfer the king cake to the refrigerator and let it chill for 30 minutes.
- Brush once again. Remove from the refrigerator and brush the top of the cake a second time with almond milk.
- Decorate. For the decoration, you can be creative and score a geometrical pattern or draw round lines as I did there.
- Prick the top a few times. To prevent the puff pastry from rising or breaking, prick the top of the pastry 4-5 times using a thin knife. If you don’t do it, your king cake will have a lot of air inside, which you don’t want.
- Bake. Finally, bake the king cake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown.
📔 Tips
- Use thick puff pastry. Any puff pastry will work, but I recommend using a thick one for the best results. The one I am using is about 1/8-inch thick.
- Make it richer. For a more buttery, more decadent filling, add an extra tablespoon of butter.
- Let the galette chill in the refrigerator. Before baking, I recommend chilling the galette in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. The galette will rise more evenly and look better.
- Rotate the baking sheet. For an evenly golden brown color, make sure to rotate the baking sheet once halfway through baking.
- Brush with a simple syrup. To create a glossy finish, brush the galette with syrup. To do the syrup, bring to a boil 2 tablespoons of water, 1 tablespoon of rum, and 3 tablespoons of sugar. Let it simmer for 5 minutes or until the sugar has dissolved.
- Let it cool before serving. Straight from the oven, the filling will be very soft. Let the galette cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.
🥥 Variations
This galette des rois is delicious as is, but feel free to customize it to your liking! Here are a few ideas:
- Use a mix of almond flour and almond meal. For a deeper and nuttier flavor, use a 50/50 combination of blanched almond flour and almond meal. It will also give your frangipane a more rustic look, adding brown specks.
- Add shredded coconut. Replace 1/3 cup of almond flour with shredded coconut for a subtle coconut flavor.
- Infuse with orange blossom water. Add 1 tablespoon of orange blossom to the frangipane for a fruity and citrusy aroma.
🥂 What to Serve It With
We can serve this vegan king cake warm or at room temperature with a glass of apple cider or apple liquor. Galette des rois can be enjoyed as a dessert or an afternoon snack!
❄️ Storing and Reheating
- To store: You can keep this galette des rois for up to 2 days at room temperature or 4 days in the refrigerator.
- To freeze: You can freeze the unbaked galette for up to 6 months. To bake it, remove it from the freezer and bake it for 45-50 minutes in a 350°C (175°C) preheated oven.
- To reheat: Cover with aluminum foil and reheat for about 10 minutes at 300°F (150°C).
💬 FAQ
Yes, both store-bought and homemade puff pastry work.
This galette keeps very well and tastes as good on day 2 as on day 1, so feel free to make it in advance.
The galette should be puffy and golden brown on top and sides. You can also lift the bottom of the galette using a spatula to check the bottom. It should be firm and golden brown.
You didn’t seal the edges well enough and/or you didn’t prick the dough before baking.
Traditionally, galette des rois is served warm, but you can also serve it at room temperature.
This vegan Galette des Rois is a real treat. It’s rich, buttery, and easy to make. If you haven’t yet, I highly recommend giving this French classic a try! Who will be the King/Queen!?
🇫🇷 More French Dessert Recipes
⭐️ Did you like this recipe? Let us know in the comments below, and tag us on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Note: This recipe was first released in January 2019 and was updated in November 2023 with new photos and process shots.
Vegan King Cake (Galette des Rois)
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp vegan butter (homemade or store-bought), at room temperature
- 1/2 cup and 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp ground flax seeds
- 2 tbsp unsweetened almond milk
- 1 and 3/4 cup almond flour
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 8 ounces vegan puff pastry rolls
Instructions
Prepare the frangipane
- Cream the butter and sugar. Add the diced butter and sugar to a mixing bowl. Using a wooden spoon, cream the butter with the sugar.
- Make the flax egg. In a small bowl, whisk together the ground flax seeds with the almond milk. Let it sit for 5 minutes or until it has thickened.
- Add the remaining ingredients. Next, add the almond flour, cornstarch, and flax egg to the creamed butter. Pour in the almond extract and vanilla extract.
- Mix until combined. Mix until it forms a very thick paste. At this point, you can taste the frangipane and add more almond or vanilla extract if you want.
Assemble the galette
- Cut two discs of puff pastry. Using the help of a round cake pan, cut two 8-inch discs of puff pastry. Arrange one disc on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Pipe the almond cream. Transfer the frangipane to a piping bag fitted with a large tip. Then, pipe the frangipane in a spiral evenly over the puff pastry disc, leaving about one inch of margin. At this point, you can press a porcelain figurine (fève) into the frangipane.
- Slightly wet the edges. Dip your finger in water and run your finger along the edges of the puff pastry. This will help seal both discs of puff pastry.
- Top with the second disc of puff pastry. Place the second puff pastry disc on top of the frangipane.
- Press to seal. Press down the sides using your fingers to seal the edges. This will prevent the filling from escaping during baking. Transfer the baking sheet containing the king cake to the freezer for 15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Flip the cake. After 15 minutes, remove from the freezer and carefully flip the king cake so the bottom ends on top. This is optional but helps enhance the look of your cake. Using a knife, flute the edges.
- Brush with milk. Next, brush the top of the galette with sweetened almond milk. This will give it a nice golden color when baking.
- Refrigerate. Transfer the king cake to the refrigerator and let it chill for 30 minutes.
- Brush once again. Remove from the refrigerator and brush the top of the cake a second time with almond milk.
- Decorate. For the decoration, you can be creative and score a geometrical pattern or draw round lines as I did there.
- Prick the top a few times. To prevent the puff pastry from rising or breaking, prick the top of the pastry 4-5 times using a thin knife. If you don’t do it, your king cake will have a lot of air inside, which you don't want.
- Bake. Finally, bake the king cake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown.
Notes
- Use thick puff pastry. Any puff pastry will work, but I recommend using a thick one for the best results. The one I am using is about 1/8-inch thick.
- Make it richer. For a more buttery, more decadent filling, add an extra tablespoon of butter.
- Let the galette chill in the refrigerator. Before baking, I recommend chilling the galette in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. The galette will rise more evenly and look better.
- Rotate the baking sheet. For an evenly golden brown color, make sure to rotate the baking sheet once halfway through baking.
- Brush with a simple syrup. To create a glossy finish, brush the galette with syrup. To do the syrup, bring to a boil 2 tablespoons of water, 1 tablespoon of rum, and 3 tablespoons of sugar. Let it simmer for 5 minutes or until the sugar has dissolved.
- Let it cool before serving. Straight from the oven, the filling will be very soft. Let the galette cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
About the Author
Thomas Pagot is the founder, photographer, and recipe developer behind Full of Plants. He created the blog in 2016 as a personal cookbook for vegan recipes. Through years of recipe development, Thomas has successfully grown Full of Plants into a trusted resource for plant-based recipes.
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