Homemade Hamburger Buns in 20 Minutes

Making food from scratch is almost always healthier, but it isn’t always faster. Happily, these homemade whole wheat hamburger buns are both healthy and fast! Made with no yeast and with minimal prep these buns are so easy to whip up for dinner!

Healthy Homemade Burger Buns – Health Benefits

These buns are whole grain and refined sugar free. The chia seed topping even adds omega-3 fats!

The short list of 8 simple, healthy, and affordable ingredients in these buns makes them the clear winner when compared to the lengthy ingredient list from the leading brand of “healthy” whole wheat hamburger buns.

Ingredients in the Leading Brand of Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns:

WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR, WATER, SUGAR, WHEAT GLUTEN, YEAST, SALT, SOYBEAN OIL, MOLASSES, EXTRACT OF RAISINS, CALCIUM PROPIONATE (PRESERVATIVE), WHEAT BRAN, SODIUM STEAROYL LACTYLATE, MONOGLYCERIDES, CALCIUM SULFATE, ETHOXYLATED MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES, ASCORBIC ACID (DOUGH CONDITIONER), SOY LECITHIN, AZODICARBONAMIDE.

I won’t delve into the health concerns of some of these commercial ingredients, but here are a couple of links for further reading if you’re interested:

Nearly 500 ways to make a yoga mat sandwich (How & why to avoid azodicarbonamide) by the Environmental Working Group

What is soy lecithin and why is it found in so many products? from the Fooducate blog

Note: This post contains affiliate links. By making purchases through these links, you pay the same amount for products, but a small portion of the sale will be sent my way to help support the mission of Back To The Book Nutrition. Thank you!

What’s In These Healthy Homemade Hamburger Buns?

• Whole Wheat Flour – high in fiber and B Vitamins
• Plain Whole Milk Yogurt – A rich source of calcium and protein
• Pastured Butter – Rich in antioxidants and good cholesterol
• Raw Honey – A good source of antioxidants and has powerful antibacterial benefits
• Chia Seeds –  A good source of omega 3 fatty acids and fiber
• Baking Powder – There’s no yeast in these buns which makes them super quick to make. Instead I use a little baking powder to help them rise and create a lighter texture.

How To Make Homemade Hamburger Burger Buns In 20 Minutes!

Fast and Easy

In addition to the nutritional quality, this recipe is fast and very flexible.

• You can use white or whole wheat flour. 
• You can make them full size or smaller for sliders. 
• You can sub maple syrup for the honey and sour cream for the yogurt, depending on what you have on hand.
• Since they’re yeast-free, you get healthy, homemade bread buns without waiting for the dough to rest or rise!

I’m usually throwing it together at the last minute and my hurried measuring has resulted in the same texture and taste each time I’ve made them. Kids can even help with this one since a little more or less of an ingredient won’t change the results much.

Yeast Free Buns vs. Traditional Buns

It should be said right up front that, baking without yeast will never get you that light and fluffy texture that a slow rise dough will. BUT, if you’re short on time, this is the next best thing. The baking powder gives it enough lift to feel like a “real” hamburger bun, if slightly more dense. And the flavor is spot on. 

Wasn’t that fast? And easy? And healthy? 😀

If you try this at home, I’d love to hear what you thought of it!

These buns pair well with:

Easy Salmon Burgers in 15 minutes

Easy BBQ Pulled Pork (or beef) in the oven or slow cooker

Rotisserie Chicken Salad

Homemade Hamburger Buns in 20 Minutes

Healthy, no-rise homemade hamburger buns ready in around 20 minutes!

4.37 from 77 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: easy hamburger buns, hamburger buns no yeast

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 8

Author: Dena Norton

Ingredients

• ▢ 3 1/2 cups or more whole wheat flour
• ▢ 4 tsp baking powder
• ▢ 1/2 tsp sea salt
• ▢ 1 1/2 cups plain whole milk yogurt
• ▢ 1/2 cup pastured butter softened (I use salted butter)
• ▢ 3 Tbsp raw honey
• ▢ 1 egg + chia seeds for sprinkling

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and sea salt.
• In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, butter and honey, then add to the dry mixture and stir until just combined.
• Use clean hands to knead the dough until all ingredients are well incorporated. Add additional flour as needed until dough can be rolled into balls.
• Form 8 balls of dough, place on parchment lined baking sheets (I use two sheets for fast, even cooking). Gently press down on the top of each ball to flatten slightly into a bun shape.
• Lightly beat the egg and use a pastry brush to brush over the surface of each bun. Sprinkle chia seeds on top.
• Bake for 15 minutes or until surface is firm and very lightly golden (these won't brown much).
• Remove from oven and allow to cool before slicing.

Notes

This makes 8 medium sized or 6 large buns. The same recipe could be used for dinner rolls or hot dog buns as well!

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