Made with real pumpkin purée and warm seasonal spices, these gluten free pumpkin cinnamon rolls are the perfect fall treat. Top off with the silky cream cheese icing and enjoy!
Gluten Free Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls – Good to Know
- Why it works: the gluten free binders
- Just like in my regular gluten free cinnamon rolls recipe, psyllium husk adds structure to the dough to make it easy to roll like real bread dough and xanthan gum to add flexibility and moisture retention.
- Time Needed: about 4 hours including rest & bake time
- 1 hour to make dough & filling, 1 hour to chill, 1.5 hours to rise, 30 minute cook time.
- Flour Type: you’ve got options
- Use a basic gluten free all purpose flour blend or one of the DIY blends I’ve tested and recommend.
- Pumpkin Additions: purée + spice
- Canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling!) and pumpkin pie spice to enhance the pumpkin flavor.
- Final Taste & Texture: pillowy, sweet with hints of caramel
- Soft and sticky autumnally spiced rolls with a sweet and caramelized flavor.
How to Make these Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Essentially, you just need to whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl, then add the wet ingredients.
Make the Pumpkin Dough
- Psyllium Gel: Whisk water & whole psyllium husk together in a bowl then set aside to thicken up.
- Dry Ingredients: Whisk in a large mixing bowl.
- gf flour, baking powder, xanthan gum, instant yeast, cinnamon, pumpkin spice sugar, salt
- FYI on the yeast: Use quick-rise or rapid-rise yeast so you don’t need to dissolve it in water first.
- gf flour, baking powder, xanthan gum, instant yeast, cinnamon, pumpkin spice sugar, salt
- Wet Ingredients: Add to the dry ingredients.
- pumpkin purée, milk, egg, psyllium gel, butter
- FYI on psyllium: Though psyllium husk is a dry ingredient on its own, we’re counting it as a wet ingredient here because you need to mix it with water first to create a gel.
- pumpkin purée, milk, egg, psyllium gel, butter
- Mix Dough:
- Mix on a medium or medium-high speed about 5 minutes until fully mixed together. Don’t forget to scrape down the bottom & sides of the bowl.
Chill then Knead the Dough
- Chill: Cover & chill in the fridge for at least1 hour or up to 24 hours.
- Flour: With floured hands, smooth the flour over the surface of the dough to make it soft & less sticky.
- Knead: Gently knead the dough and shape into an oval or rectangular disc to prepare for rolling.
Roll, Butter, Fill then Roll Again
- Roll the dough out on a floured surface into a 12×18 inch rectangle.
- Dollop softened butter over the surface then spread out over the top of the dough.
- Sprinkle brown sugar & spice mixture over the butter.
- Slice dough into 12 strips, each 1.5-inch wide.
- Roll each strip, one at a time into spiral rolls.
A Couple of Quick Tips when Rolling & Filling
- As you roll out the dough, rotate and flip the dough to make sure it doesn’t stick to the paper too much.
- Make sure your butter is soft & spreadable so it doesn’t pull and tear the dough as you spread it. If needed, gently warm it up in a microwave or on the stove top to soften.
Let Rise then Add Cream
- Add the baking dish: Place the rolls in a greased or lined baking dish, evenly space apart.
- Proof: Cover and place in a draft free, warm area for 1-1.5 hours or until the rolls have risen and are snug up against each other.
- Add cream: Before baking, drizzle cream around the sides of the cinnamon rolls.
Tips for Proofing & Baking Prep
- Pan type matters. Glass and ceramic pans heat up slower which makes for softer rolls. Metal pans & cast iron pans cook faster and create slightly crispier tops/edges.
- Use your oven to create a warm environment to proof the dough. Preheat your oven on the lowest setting for a few minutes while you roll & fill the dough. Place the rolls in the lightly warm oven to speed up the rise time. Just make sure to turn it off before resting.
- Another option that doesn’t involve turning on the oven – pour some boiled or very hot water in a small baking dish and place in the bottom of the oven along with the rolls.
Bake
Bake in the middle of the oven for about 28-30 minutes. If you have a food thermometer, you know they’re done when the dough is about 190-200°F (88-93°C).
If you want to ensure your rolls are extra soft on the outside, cover the rolls with foil after about 20 minutes of baking. This will stop the outside from over-browning/drying out on top while the insides finish baking.
Finish off with a Cream Cheese Frosting & Enjoy
While the rolls bake, mix together the cream cheese frosting until smooth & lump free.
Let the rolls cool a few minutes after baking, then spread the frosting over the warm cinnamon rolls. You want to add the frosting while they’re still a bit hot so that melts into the buns and down the sides.
Questions You Might Have When Making these GF Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
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)
Can I mix the dough by hand?
Yes, but be thorough.
You can mix the dough by hand, but I recommend using a stand-mixer with a paddle attachment or dough hook to make the process faster and easier.
If mixing by hand, take your time to after mixing in the wet ingredients to ensure everything is well mixed.
Can I leave out the psyllium husk or xanthan gum?
No.
Psyllium husk adds structure to gluten free dough. Without it, the dough would be more like a batter than a dough.
Xanthan gum also adds structure, but it’s use here is more for the way it adds flexibility and stretch to the dough and a little extra binding. Without xanthan the dough would be a bit too sticky to properly roll and shape.
Do I have to chill the dough before rolling?
Yes. Chilled dough is less sticky and much easier to roll without mess.
Enriched doughs like this one need more fat & moisture than standard lean doughs (like pizza dough) to create the soft & pillowy texture.
Without gluten to hold everything together, the dough comes out quite sticky. Chilling the dough before rolling will help solidify the butter and give the flour time to hydrate which firms up the structure.
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.
Can I omit the heavy cream before baking?
Yes!
Ultimately, its purpose is to enhance the final texture meaning you can absolutely leave it out if you prefer.
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.
More Ways to Bake with Pumpkin
Enjoy!
Let me know if you try this Gluten Free Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls recipe! Leave a comment and review with your thoughts. I always appreciate the feedback and serving suggestions that you come up with!
Gluten Free Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Soft and sticky gluten free pumpkin rolls made with real pumpkin & seasonal spices! Use two types of GF binders to make a pliable dough that's easy to handle & roll.
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)
- 2 tsp baking powder (8g)
- 1 ½ tsp xanthan gum (6g)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or more cinnamon)
- 1 tsp salt (8g)
- ½ cup pumpkin puree (110g)
- ¼ cup whole milk, room temp or warm (60g)
- ¼ cup softened butter (56g)
- 1 egg, room temperature
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream (60ml) - optional
Filling
- ¼ cup butter, soft enough to spread (56g)
- ⅔ cup brown sugar - light or dark (150g)
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice (or more cinnamon)
Frosting
- 6 tbsp tbsp cream cheese (82g)
- 3 tbsp salted butter, softened (42g)
- ¾ cup powdered sugar (95g)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch of cinnamon - optional
Instructions
- Pan Prep: Lightly grease a 9x13-inch inch baking dish and/or line with foil or parchment paper. Set aside.
- Psyllium Gel: 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.
- Dry Ingredients: In a stand mixer bowl whisk flour, sugar, yeast, baking powder, xanthan gum, cinnamon, pumpkin spice and salt.
- Wet Ingredients: Add the psyllium gel, pumpkin, milk, butter & 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 thick & sticky at this point.
- Chill Dough: Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover and place in the fridge to chill for at least 1 hour or up to 14 hours. Chilling the dough helps makes it less sticky & easy to roll/handle.
- Knead/Roll: Plop the dough out in the middle of a floured work surface and sprinkle a little extra flour over the top. Gently rub the flour over the outside of the dough to make it soft & smooth. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out into a 12x18-inch rectangle.
- Filling: Spread the softened butter over the surface, all the way to the edges. Mix brown sugar, cinnamon & pumpkin spice together in a small bowl then sprinkle it evenly over the buttered dough.
- Slice & Roll: 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. - Rest & Rise: Loosely cover the dish with foil, cling film or a clean kitchen towel and set aside somewhere warm and draft-free for about 1 - 1 ½ hours to rise or until the rolls have risen and are sung against each other.
- Baking Prep: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Pour the cream around the rolls while the oven warms up. The cream will make your cinnamon rolls extra soft & gooey, but you can skip it if desired.
- Bake: Bake in the middle of the oven for 28-30 minutes. The tops of the rolls should be lightly golden. If the rolls start to darken too much, 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.
- 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.
- Enjoy: 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!
- Psyllium Husk: I recommend whole psyllium husk because it's much easier to work with. If you want to use psyllium husk powder, use 1 tbsp + 1½ tsp psyllium husk powder or about 12 grams. Mix quickly into the waters as the powdered version clumps easily.
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.
Nutrition Information
Serving Size:
1 roll Calories: 372Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 10gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCarbohydrates: 55gFiber: 1gSugar: 27gProtein: 4gShop this Post
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