Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls
Gluten free cinnamon rolls that are soft, fluffy with gooey centers. They have a rich buttery flavor and deliciously sweet cream cheese glaze to top them off. These are truly the best homemade cinnamon buns made entirely from scratch!
I have had these gluten free cinnamon rolls on my list for a *very* long time. I’ve tested them, failed, tested again and again and kept on failing (same with my gluten free poptarts).
The flavor was always great (except for the time I used expired yeast- oops!), but I just couldn’t get the texture right.
I tried using gluten free all purpose flour blends, but they never turned out the way I wanted. Instead, I decided to try the Bob’s Red Mill gluten free bread flour which turned out amazing and gave that classic gooey cinnamon roll texture, all without any gluten.
After a lot of trial and error, I finally nailed the perfect soft, fluffy, tender and sweet cinnamon bun. I love making these Christmas morning or just for a fun treat! Don’t be turned off by the total time it takes to make these, most of that is just the dough rising!
Since Cinnabon doesn’t do gluten free, and you can’t find gluten free versions of the Pillsbury ones in the grocery store, we have to take matters into our own hands and make them ourselves! If you love this recipe, try my cinnamon roll blondies, banana bread cinnamon rolls or gluten free soft pretzels next!
How to make gluten free cinnamon rolls
Combine dry ingredients. To the bowl of a stand mixer, add the flour, yeast, sugar, salt and baking powder. Mix on low until combined with the dough hook.
Warm milk. Warm the milk in the microwave for about 1 minute or until warm like bath water. You don’t want it too hot or it will kill the yeast, but too cold and it won’t activate the yeast.
Add wet ingredients. With the mixer running on low, pour in the milk, then the melted/slightly cooled butter, eggs and vanilla extract.
Mix for about 30 seconds, then scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure everything is well combined.
Knead. Turn the mixer to medium/low speed and let knead the dough for about 5 minutes. Let the dough sit for a few minutes.
Prep filling. Meanwhile, whisk together the cinnamon and sugar in a bowl.
Add the 6 tablespoons of butter to a bowl and melt for about 15-20 seconds, then stir so it just looks softened and not fully melted.
Transfer the dough to a floured surface (I usually use parchment paper and flour it to really ensure no sticking).
Roll. Roll into a 12×15 rectangle using a floured rolling pin. Carefully brush the butter on top, then sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar.
There are two methods we can use to slice the rolls, but for this recipe, my preferred is to use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into strips.
Slice. Working from the 15 inch end, cut out 12 strips about 1 1/4 inch wide (so each strip will be 1 1/4 inch x 12 inches). Roll each strip into the roll and place in a greased 9×13 baking pan.
Let rise. Cover with plastic wrap then top with a dish towel and let rise for 1 hour. I will usually just place on top of my oven. You want a slightly warm environment, so if your house is cold, preheat the oven first.
Toward the end of the hour, preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit.
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Bake. Once the rolls have risen (they won’t quite double in size but will puff up a bit), bake for 22-28 minutes, depending on your oven and preference.
Frost and serve. Meanwhile, whisk together the melted butter and cream cheese for the glaze, then slowly add in the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time until smooth. Whisk in the vanilla.
When the rolls are done, let cool for about 5 minutes, then top with the glaze and enjoy! Try my single serve cinnamon roll next!
Substitutions
Flour. This recipe calls for the Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Bread Flour. This is a very specific flour blend and unfortunately, I do not recommend any flour substitutions here. A gluten free all purpose flour blend will not work.
Egg. You need two full eggs for this recipe. Unfortunately, there is not a good substitute for the egg because it is key for that fluffy gooey texture. Instead, try my vegan cinnamon rolls!
Dairy. You can make these dairy free by using dairy free milk (I used almond) and vegan butter like Earth Balance. I usually use regular butter and almond milk because that’s what I have on hand.
Sugar. You can use coconut sugar in the cinnamon sugar filling for a more refined sugar free option, but in the actual cinnamon rolls, I suggest sticking with regular white sugar for best results.
Can I prep these the night before?
Yes! Follow all of the steps as usual. Once the cinnamon rolls have been rolled, sliced and risen for the hour, cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap or foil and place in the fridge overnight. You can also freeze them for longer.
When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 and let the rolls sit on top of the oven while the oven preheats. If they were frozen, let thaw on the counter. Bake as usual for 22-28 minutes and enjoy!
Do I need a stand mixer?
I highly recommend using a stand mixer with the dough hook for this recipe. If you don’t have one, you can mix all ingredients by hand, (you don’t want to use a handheld electric mixer) and then knead by hand.
How long do they keep?
To be honest, these gluten free cinnamon rolls are definitely best served fresh.
If you want to store them, your best bet is to freeze them after they bake, then let thaw and reheat in the oven until warm through the center. Glaze/frost them once they are re-heated for best results.
If you don’t want to freeze them, just store at room temp, keeping them tightly covered and reheat in the microwave for about 15-20 seconds.
Can I make these with no yeast?
No. The yeast is essential for that fluffy texture! Please use instant yeast for best results. The Bob’s Red Mill bread flour comes with a package of active dry yeast, but you want instant yeast instead.
Regular gluten free flour can be used with yeast, but for this recipe, the bread flour is the best approach!
You’ll also love..
- Cinnamon Roll Baked Oatmeal
- Gluten Free Coffee Cake
- Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread
- Cinnamon Roll Blondies
Lastly, if you want more recipes straight to your inbox, be sure to subscribe to my email list. As always, if you make this recipe, be sure to tag me on instagram and leave a comment below so I can see your creation!
Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls
by: claire cary
Ingredients
Rolls
- 1 16 ounce bag Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Bread Mix NOT all purpose flour!
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 packet instant yeast
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cup milk
- 2 eggs room temperature
- ⅓ cup butter melted then cooled slightly
- 2 teapsoons vanilla
- ~ ¼ cup GF all purpose flour for rolling the dough do not add into the dough itself- just for rolling it out!
Filling
- 6 tablespoons softened butter dairy free or regular
- ¾ cup white sugar
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon
Frosting
- ¼ cup melted butter
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoons vanilla
Instructions
- Please read through the recipe and notes section before starting for best results!
- To the bowl of a stand mixer, add the flour, yeast, sugar, salt and baking powder. Be sure to use instant yeast and not the yeast packet from the flour.
- Mix on low until combined with the dough hook.
- Warm the milk in the microwave for about 1 minute or until warm like bath water. You don’t want it too hot or it will kill the yeast, but too cold and it won’t activate the yeast.
- With the mixer running on low, pour in the milk, then the melted/slightly cooled butter, eggs and vanilla extract.
- Mix for about 30 seconds, then scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure everything is well combined.
- Turn the mixer to medium/low speed and let knead the dough for about 5 minutes.
- Let the dough sit for a few minutes.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the cinnamon and sugar in a bowl and set aside.
- Add the 6 tablespoons of butter to a bowl and melt for about 15-20 seconds, then stir so it just looks softened and not fully melted. Set aside.
- Transfer the dough to a floured surface (I usually use parchment paper and flour it generously with GF all purpose flour to really ensure no sticking).
- Roll into a 12×15 rectangle using a floured rolling pin.
- Carefully brush the butter on top, then sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar.
- There are two methods we can use to slice the rolls, but for this recipe, my preferred is to use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into strips.
- Working from the 15 inch end, cut out 12 strips about 1 1/4 inch wide (so each strip will be 1 1/4 inch x 12 inches). You can also make 10 large rolls and cut each 1 1/2 inch wide.
- Roll each strip into the roll and place in a greased 9×13 baking pan. They puff up a lot while they bake, so ensure you have enough space between each.
- Cover with plastic wrap then top with a dish towel and let rise for 1 hour. I will usually just place on top of my oven. You want a slightly warm environment, so if your house is cold, preheat the oven first.
- Toward the end of the hour, preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit.
- Once the rolls have risen (they won’t quite double in size but will puff up a bit), bake for 22-28 minutes, depending on your oven and preference.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the melted butter and cream cheese for the glaze, then slowly add in the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time until smooth. Whisk in the vanilla.
- When the rolls are done, let cool for about 5 minutes, then top with the glaze and enjoy!
Notes
Comments
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Wow! This is a great recipe!!! Thank you for sharing it. I’ve been looking for one like this for years. You are a genius. Thank you for explaining that a flour with higher protein content makes the difference. I’m going to try that flour mix with other recipes that didn’t work with other flours.
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Thank you for the recipe. I added what is slightly less than the equivalent of 2 yeast packets (10 grams) of Red Star instant yeast because I wanted to see if it would help them rise more. It certainly did!
If anyone else is struggling with dough that comes out too wet to work with, I had success by adding 4-5 tablespoons of Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 GF flour. Really though, just add GF flour until the dough is more workable. They are baking out nicely as I type this and I don’t foresee any issues with texture.
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Amazing, glad you made it work for you!
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Am going to make these for the first time. I make cinnamon rolls by the dozens to sell for a church fundraising. I use a bread machine for the dough. Do you think that would work for these? Am so excited that I will be able to offer GF.
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I don’t think you need the bread machine here! I suggest just the stand mixer.
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I was diagnosed with celiac 5 years ago and have failed at gluten free baking ever since… UNTIL TODAY! I came across this recipe in search of a good gf cinnamon roll that tastes normal and doesn’t disintegrate when rolling. This was the one! I decided I’d give it a go since the reviews were so good! I followed the comments recommended 10 mins of resting after mixing and covered every surface of my kitchen in flour. I didn’t stick and the dough rolled perfect! They rose beautifully and cooked to perfection! The taste…. Wow. They tasted like pre-celiac food, I can’t believe they are gf! This was my 1st successful gf baking experience in 5 years! Thank you!!
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Thank you so much, Madison! Makes me so happy to hear!
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This is by far the best gluten free cinnamon buns I have made. Just to let you know I had to order this flour from iherb as it is not available anywhere in Canada. The first time I made this in 2024 I was able to order it on Amazon but it is no longer available in Canada. It is worth the trouble as the cinnamon buns turn out beautifully like it is not gluten free. Best Every recipe!
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Oh bummer it’s not available anymore! So glad you love these though!
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I made it & used Bob’s Red Mill Flour!
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So, I’ve been making the gluten free cinnamon rolls since 2016. Hands down this is the best recipe I’ve ever made. The ease of the recipe, the hack of rolling the strips… This will now be my only recipe. My family raved about it, even the ones who can eat gluten.
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Thank you, Stephanie!
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I am so thrilled I found you, and your recipe for Gluten Free cinnamon rolls last yr! You don’t know how many recipes we’ve tried over the last 10 yrs, my Dad has celiac now . Our holiday tradition has always been homemade cinnamon rolls with family. All the gluten free recipes always tasted like a biscuit, always felt so bad for my Dad! These are the BEST! And taste and look just like regular cinnamon rolls!!! I just love these, Thank you so much !!!
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Amazing! Makes me so happy, thanks Kris!
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