Learn how to make these soft and gooey gluten free cinnamon rolls! They’re rich, buttery, cinnamon-spiced and smothered in a delicious cream cheese glaze. Check the recipe notes for tips on making vegan cinnamon rolls!
Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls – What to Know
- Why it works:
- This recipe is based on my GF dinner rolls recipe which uses psyllium husk to create structure and xanthan gum to add flexibility.
- Flour options:
- Use a basic gluten free all purpose flour blend or one of the DIY blends I’ve tested and recommend.
- Diet & allergy adaptions:
- Dairy free & vegan options included in the notes below the recipe.
- Time needed:
- About 2.5 hours total. 45-ish minutes to make dough rolls, 1 hour rise time, 30 minute cook time.
- Final Texture:
- Soft, fluffy cinnamon buns that feel just like the real deal!
Ingredients You’ll Need to Make the Dough
Wet Ingredients: milk, butter, egg, psyllium gel
- Milk Type: Any type of milk will work, but I recommend whole milk.
- Psyllium Gel: Technically psyllium husk is a dry ingredient, but for the purpose of this recipe you first mix it with water to create a gel-like substance that adds structure to the dough.
Dry Ingredients: gluten free flour, salt, yeast, baking powder, sugar, xanthan gum
- Flour: Use a store bought all purpose gluten-free flour blend or make your own blend. Check the recipe notes for options.
- Yeast: Use instant yeast (AKA: quick-rise or rapid-rise yeast) so there’s no need to dissolve it into water first.
How to Make the Cinnamon Roll Dough
I didn’t want to make this post overly long so I’ve cut out the step-by-step details on making the dough.
If you’d like the see more of the dough-making process, check out my gluten free dinner rolls recipe. This is basically the same gluten-free dough recipe with more sugar so the same rules and steps apply.
Fill, Roll & Proof
Add dough to floured surface & sprinkle more flour on top.
Gently smooth flour across the surface of the dough.
Roll dough into 12×18 inch rectangle.
Spread softened butter over the top.
Cover in cinnamon sugar mixture.
Slice into 1.5 inch strips then roll up.
Transfer rolls to a lightly greased 9×13 inch baking dish.
Loosely cover and let dough rise in a warm place for about 1 hour.
Pour heavy cream over the top & bake.
Recipe Questions
Can I make dairy free and/or egg free cinnamon roll?
Yes!
Dairy Free Option: Use dairy free milk, vegan cream & vegan baking butter (one that comes in a stick or block, not the spreadable kind in a tub) to make the dough. Use vegan butter and cream cheese for the frosting.
Egg Free Option: Add an extra 2 tbsp milk (30ml) and 1 tbsp butter (14g).
What kind of flour should I use?
I tested this recipe with a few different gluten-free flour combos so you’d have some options to choose from.
#1: Use a basic all purpose gluten free flour blend.
#2: 180g tapioca starch (180g) + 120g millet flour + 60g sorghum flour OR buckwheat flour If you go this route, I highly recommend you use a kitchen scale to weigh out the flours.
#3: 1½ cup tapioca starch (180g) + 1¼ cup white rice flour (175g)
Why do these rolls only need 1 rise while other recipes use 2?
Multiple rise times makes sense for gluten-based dough but not so much for gluten-free bread dough.
A second rise is usually meant to strength the gluten proteins to improve the overall bread structure and texture.
Since there’s no gluten to strengthen or reshape here, one proof is all you need to allow the yeast to do its thing.
Can I omit the heavy cream before baking?
Yes!
Heavy cream will make the rolls extra soft and gooey, but its purpose is to enhance the final outcome more than anything. Leave it out if you prefer – you’ll still love the cinnamon rolls!
How to freeze unbaked cinnamon rolls?
Freeze unbaked cinnamon rolls after filling & rolling the dough, before rising up to 3 months.
→Fill and roll cinnamon rolls as usual. Place them in a baking dish and cover tightly with plastic wrap and foil.
→Thaw overnight in the fridge then bring to room temp and let rise 1-2 hours. Bake and frost as normal.
How to freeze partially baked cinnamon rolls?
This is a good option when you don’t want to bake & eat a whole batch of cinnamon rolls right away.
Instead of using a large 9×13-inch baking dish, use two 8inch round or square dishes. Bake 1 dish fully and partially bake the second dish to freeze for later (use within 3 months).
→Follow the recipe as usual, but only bake for 10 minutes to form a basic crust on the outside of the dough.
→Cool completely then cover well with plastic wrap and foil.
→Thaw overnight in the fridge then bring to room temp (about 30 minutes). Bake at 350°F/180°C for about 15-20 minutes.
How to freeze fully baked cinnamon rolls?
→Bake as usual, but do not frost!
→Cool completely, then wrap up tightly in plastic wrap and foil then freeze.
→Thaw overnight in the fridge then bring to room temp (about 30 minutes). Reheat in the oven at 350°F/180°C for about 15-20 minutes until warmed through or in the microwave until piping hot.
How to make overnight cinnamon rolls?
Follow recipe instructions right up until it’s time to let the cinnamon rolls rise. Instead of placing them in a warm place to proof, cover the rolls tightly in plastic wrap and/or foil (so they don’t dry out) and place in the fridge to slow down the yeast activity.
The next day, take the rolls out of the fridge and bring them to room temperature. After they’ve doubled in size (about 1-2 hours) you can proceed with the recipe as usual.
Why add cream to the cinnamon buns before baking?
This will make your gf cinnamon rolls extra soft & gooey! The cream creates steam in the oven which keeps the crust soft & moist while it gradually soaks into the dough as it cooks.
Final Tips Before You Begin
- Use a kitchen scale to weigh ingredients.
- Ingredient amounts vary depending on how tightly they’re packed or scooped into measuring cups. These small variations can make a huge difference to how your baked goods turn out!
- Make sure butter is soft & spreadable.
- Butter that’s too hard & cold will be tricky to spread over the dough without breaking. Melted butter may be easier to spread, but it’s more likely to cause your filling to leak out as it bakes.
- Use your oven to create a warm environment to proof the dough.
- While you roll and fill the dough, preheat your oven on the lowest setting for a few minutes. When you’re ready, cover the rolls with foil and place in the warm oven. Leave the door open so it doesn’t get too hot and make sure to turn the oven off before you add the rolls.
- Pan type makes a difference to final texture & look.
- Metal pans & cast iron pans will cook in less time and create slightly crispier tops/edges.
- Glass and ceramic pans will create slightly softer rolls because they’re slower to heat up.
- Bake, covered with foil during the last 10 minutes for super soft .
- This stops the outside from over-browning on top while the insides finish baking resulting in cinnamon rolls that are soft on the inside AND outside.
And that’s it! Soft, warm and gooey cinnamon rolls you’d never know where gluten free. Save this recipe to make and serve for weekend brunches, holiday mornings, special occasions or whenever the craving hits!
You might also be interested in checking out my pumpkin cinnamon rolls too!
Enjoy!
Let me know if you try this Gluten-Free Cinnamon Roll recipe! Leave a comment and review with your thoughts. I always appreciate the feedback and serving suggestions that you come up with!
Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Rich and buttery, cinnamon-spiced gluten free cinnamon rolls smothered in a cream cheese glaze!
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp whole psyllium husk (15g)
- ⅔ cup water, room temp or warm (160ml)
- 2 ½ cup + 1 tbsp gluten free all purpose flour (360g)
- ¼ cup white sugar (55g)
- 2 ¼ tsp instant yeast (8g)
- 1 tsp salt (8g)
- 1 ½ tsp xanthan gum (6g)
- 2 tsp baking powder (8g)
- ⅔ cup whole milk, room temp or warm (160g)
- 3 tbsp softened butter (42g)
- 1 egg
- ⅓ cup heavy whipping cream (80ml)
Filling
- ¼ cup butter, soft enough to spread (56g)
- ⅔ cup brown sugar (150g)
- 2 tbsp cinnamon
Frosting
- 6 tbsp tbsp cream cheese (82g)
- 3 tbsp salted butter, softened (42g)
- ¾ cup powdered sugar (95g)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Dough Prep
- Lightly grease a 9x13-inch inch baking dish and set aside.
- Mix psyllium husk and water in a small bowl until no lumps remain. Set aside a few minutes to let the mixture thicken into a gel.
- In a stand mixer bowl: Whisk flour, sugar, yeast, salt, xanthan gum and baking powder.
- Add psyllium gel, milk, butter and egg to the flour mixture. Mix on a medium speed with a dough hook or paddle attachment (about 5 minutes) until the dough is evenly combined. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed. It should be a bit sticky, but easily clump together.
- Plop the dough out in the middle of a floured work surface and sprinkle a bit more flour over the top. Gently rub the flour over the outside of the dough to make it soft & smooth. Roll the dough out into a 12x18-inch rectangle. (Tip: If you find the dough is too sticky to easily handle at this point, cover it & place in the fridge for 1 hour. The chilled dough should be much easier to shape.)
Filling & Proof
- Spread the softened butter over the surface, all the way to the edges. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl then sprinkle it evenly over the buttered dough.
- Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut the dough up the long side into 1½-inch-wide strips so you end up with 12 strips of dough that are each about 12 inches long.
- Roll up each strip of dough one at a time then transfer to the prepared baking dish. Space out the rolls evenly so that they are just barely touching each other.
- Loosely cover the dish with foil, cling film or a clean kitchen towel and set aside somewhere warm and draft-free for about 1 hour to rise or until the rolls have risen and are snug against each other.
Bake & Frost
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Pour the cream around the rolls while the oven warms up.
- Bake in the middle of the oven for 27-30 minutes. The tops of the rolls should be lightly golden. If the rolls start to darken too soon, cover with foil during the last 10 minutes of baking. Remove from the oven and let cool for about 5-10 minutes while you make the frosting.
- In a medium bowl with a hand held mixer or in a stand mixer with a whisk attachment: beat cream cheese and butter on high until smooth and creamy. Add sugar and vanilla extract and mix on a medium-low speed until combined. Spread over the rolls while they're still hot/warm so it melts into the buns and along the sides.
- These are best served warm so enjoy ASAP or reheat in the microwave for about 15-30 seconds to soften them up again.
Notes
- For best results: Use a kitchen scale to weight ingredients. Small weight variations can make a big difference!
- Dairy Free: Use softened vegan block butter in place of butter, unsweetened dairy free milk and vegan cream cheese for the frosting. Or make the simple vanilla glaze recipe below with dairy free milk/butter.
- Egg Free: Add 2 tbsp milk (30ml) + 1 tbsp butter (15ml).
- Vegan: Add 2 tbsp dairy free milk (30ml) + 1 tbsp vegan butter (15ml).
- Simple Vanilla Glaze (no cream cheese): Whisk 2 cups (250g) powdered sugar + 3 tbsp (42g) melted butter + 1 tsp vanilla extract until smooth. Add 1-3 tbsp milk to thin out the glaze if needed.
Make Ahead/Freeze
- Overnight Cinnamon Rolls: After you've placed arranged the unbaked rolls in the baking dish, cover tightly in plastic wrap and/or foil (so they don’t dry out) and place in the fridge. The next day, bring the rolls to room temperature and let rise until they’ve doubled in size (about 1-2 hours). Bake & frost as usual.
- Freeze Unbaked Rolls: After rolling and before rising,cover the baking dish tightly in cling film and foil and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge then thaw at room temp 1-2 hours and bake.
- Freeze Baked Rolls (Unfrosted): Cool completely then wrap up in an airtight contain and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or at room temperature. Reheat in oven for 10-15 minutes at 350°F or in the microwave until piping hot. Frost after reheating.
Flour Blends I've Tested That You Can Use Here
- DIY Flour Blend #1: Whisk 1 ½ cup tapioca starch (180g), 1 cup millet flour (120g) and ½ cup sorghum flour (60g).
- DIY Flour Blend #2: 1 ½ cup tapioca starch (180g) + 1 ¼ cup white rice flour (175g)
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Felicity Shaw says
What an amazing recipe!! It worked!! I’ve missed real cinnamon rolls! Thanks for sharing it!!! I replaced the xanthan gum with arrow root powder (one tablespoon per tsp) and they’re amazing!!
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Felicity! I’m SO glad to hear you enjoyed them 🙂 Thank you for taking the time to come back & leave a review letting me know how it went 🙂 I also really appreciate the note about using arrowroot powder in place of xanthan – that’s super helpful to know!