Soft and Fluffy Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls

By: Sarena Shasteen | March 19 2019

Is there anything better than waking up to a soft and fluffy warm cinnamon roll? If there is, I really can't think of what that might be. This recipe came about after I made my soft and fluffy dinner rolls. I started thinking about how this dough is so incredibly easy to work with, that I had to give it a go in a cinnamon roll recipe.

Let's be honest though, the list of ingredients for cinnamon rolls can sometimes seem daunting however this recipe is actually really easy to work with AND it's easier than it looks. The dough can even be made the night before if you want to save time the next morning.

Think about it, soft, fluffy dough rolled around cinnamon, brown sugar, butter and vanilla topped with a deliciously sweet icing...YUM! I hope you enjoy these as much as my group does!

Soft and Fluffy Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls

Makes 8 cinnamon rolls

  • 1 cup Warm Water (237 mL); 105-110°F
  • 4 tsp Active Dry Yeast (13 g)
  • ¼ cup Honey or Sugar

Combine to sit for 5 minutes or until active and bubbly. While waiting, prep dough ingredients.

Dough

  • 2 ½ cups Millet Flour (400 g)
  • ½ cup Brown Rice Flour (80 g)
  • 1 TBSP plus 2 tsp Xanthan Gum (15 g)
  • 2 tsp Baking Powder
  • 1 ¾ tsp Salt
  • ¼ cup Egg Replacer or 4 Whole Eggs (40 g); if using whole eggs, watch the dough to see how much liquid you need to add in the end if any
  • ¼ cup Olive Oil (60 mL)
  • ½ - 1 cup Warm Water; as needed**

Filling

  • ½ cup Brown Sugar (108 g)
  • 1 TBSP Ground Cinnamon
  • 3 TBSP Softened Butter or Dairy Free Butter (42 g)

Icing

  • 2 cups Powdered Sugar (240 g)
  • 2 TBSP Softened Butter or Dairy Free Butter (28 g)
  • 2-3 TBSP Vanilla Almond Milk
  • 2 tsp Vanilla Extract

In a large bowl of a stand mixer, combine the millet flour, rice flour, egg replacer, xanthan gum, baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine. Next add the yeast mixture and oil to the flours. Blend on medium using a dough hook. Add additional water as needed starting with a tablespoon at a time. Knead in your mixer for 5 minutes.

In a small bowl combine the brown sugar and cinnamon.

Cover your work surface with a layer of plastic wrap or silicone sheet pan liner. Lightly flour your work space with rice flour. Place the dough on the floured surface then lightly flour the top of the dough with rice flour. Cover with plastic wrap. Roll the dough into rectangle about ½ to ¾ of an inch depending on how thick you like your rolls. Spread the softened butter on the dough about ½ inch from the end. Evenly sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over the butter.

Using the plastic wrap or silpat to guide the dough, roll the dough away from you making sure you get a good firm roll. Seal at the end. Cut the rolls evenly into 8 rolls. Place in a parchment lined 9 inch baking dish or 9 inch cast iron skillet. Lightly cover the dough with plastic wrap or a light towel. Either leave in a warm draft free place in your kitchen or place in your oven with the light on. Allow to rise until doubled in size. This will take 1 to 2 hours depending on how warm your area is. The oven only takes about an hour. Bake in a preheated 350° oven 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned, but still soft.

Allow the rolls to cool for about 5 minutes while you make the icing.

In a small bowl, combine softened butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and vanilla almond milk. Mix until smooth. Spread evenly over cinnamon rolls and enjoy!

30 Comments

  1. Kiy
    Can these be made with 1 to 1 flour?
    Reply
    1. Sarena Shasteen
      Hi Kiy! Unfortunately, I don't think they would work as well with 1 to 1 flour. That particular blend works exceptionally well with cakes, quickbreads and cookies. Unfortunately, it doesn't work quite as well with yeast recipes without a little tweaking. Trust me, you will be glad you stocked your pantry with the millet and brown rice flour. This combination makes for super fluffy and soft breads.
      Reply
  2. Yvonne
    Oh, they look delicious! What's the oven temperature for these?
    Reply
    1. Whitney Barnes
      Whitney Barnes
      Hi Yvonne! The oven temperature is 350° F. Thanks for catching - we've updated the recipe to reflect this.
      Reply
  3. Jim A
    Just an FYI--the link above for "soft and fluffy dinner rolls" goes instead to "Soft and Foldable Gluten Free Wraps."
    LOVE all the great information on this blog.
    Reply
    1. Whitney Barnes
      Whitney Barnes
      Thanks for the catch, Jim! It's been updated :)
      Reply
  4. Raychell Christopher
    Raychell Christopher
    Hi Whitney,

    Can I use an All-Purpose Gluten free flour instead of using two different kinds of flours?
    Reply
    1. Whitney Barnes
      Hi Raychell - it wouldn't result in the same texture. The two flours we used in this recipe were specifically chosen to attain that perfect soft and fluffy texture in a gluten free roll :)
      Reply
  5. Melissa lenzen
    Can this be made ahead? Like have them rise in the fridge overnight and bake the next day? Can they be frozen at all? Thanks!
    Reply
    1. Sarena Shasteen
      They can! You can make them the night before and place them in a cold oven in the morning. Turn the oven on to 350 degrees and bake for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown. I tried it this week and I think they were even better than an hour rise. I haven't frozen them yet, but I have put the unrisen rolls (of the same recipe) in the freezer and then taken them out, let them rise and baked them off. They worked well, so I imagine the cinnamon rolls would work in the freezer. - Sarena
      Reply
  6. Traci B
    I made these and followed the recipe except I used 3 whole eggs and just a little water they turned out great! Next time I will put a little more butter, cinnamon and sugar in the filling but they still taste great. I do think it's important to use the flour that is called for in this recipe. I've tried using other flours and what I made didn't come out so good.
    Reply
  7. Maritza
    If idont have Millet flour, what can I use to replace it?
    Reply
    1. Whitney Barnes
      Whitney Barnes
      Hi Maritza, this recipe was developed and tested using Millet and Brown Rice Flour to get a specific taste texture. You can substitute it with another gluten free flour, but the results may not be the same.
      Reply
  8. Brooke
    These were fabulous! I want to note I've been on a gluten-free cinnamon roll (self-imposed) challenge: my sister's boss hasn't had a cinnamon roll in 7 years, and I vowed to go through a bunch of bookmarked recipes until I found a keeper. Well. Luckily this was only recipe #2 (recipe #1 was a total flop), and the GF boss told me I don't need to keep trying--these are the winners! I ended up using all eggs (no egg replacer), and I did not need extra liquid. I also added 1 teaspoon cinnamon to the dry ingredients (which really should be added to the original recipe, c'mon people--more cinnamon = more fun!). I subbed canola oil for the olive oil. And finally, I added about 1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans to the filling. DELICIOUS, evreyone went wild for them. It's worth all the special ingredients.
    Reply
  9. Tricia
    How should cooked and frosted rolls be stored? Room temp or in the fridge?
    Reply
    1. Whitney Barnes
      Hi Tricia - Rolls can be kept at room temperature for 2 days. Be sure to cover or keep in an air-tight container so they don't dry out.
      Reply
  10. Sue
    I would echo Brooke's comments above; also, it will take more like an hour to make these and I got 11 rolls, not 8 from recipe. Bob's yeast worked extremely well. When rolling out the dough, make it fairly thin to get a nice long "swirl" inside the roll. These are also much more nutritious than many GF recipes, with about 5-6 grams protein each if using 2 eggs/2 egg whites, millet flour and cutting into 11 rolls, and not too sticky sweet. Will be making these again and again! Thanks for the recipe.
    Reply
  11. Sue
    Addition to my previous comment: I froze some of these, thawed overnight and let them rise in the morning (about 3 hours) and they baked up great! Same for the soft dinner rolls (same recipe)--so now I can have GFree rolls in the freezer ready to go! Thanks again.
    Reply
  12. Vivian Scott
    can they be made in a bread machine
    Reply
    1. Whitney Barnes
      Hi Vivian - No, we have not tested this recipe for cinnamon rolls in a bread machine.

      If you're looking for a gluten free bread recipe to make in the bread machine, I suggest our Gluten Free Homemade Wonderful Bread Mix. The mix is a blank slate and you could always add in some cinnamon, brown sugar or raisins to make it sweet. Enjoy!
      Reply
  13. Nicole Seals
    Hi! I love this recipe! I followed it exactly but could you tell readers what texture the dough should be when mixed fully? Because of the added 1/2 cup to 1 cup of water , I sort of guessed. I made it on the wetter side, knowing that GF dough that is too dry can result in a dry product. It was a dream to work with and proofed well! I baked 8 rolls for 25 min, but I used a 9” springform pan and I noticed that some of the outer parts of the rolls were still raw, especially the center rolls, but the tops were nice and brown. . Is it because the spring form pan is too tall and I had uneven heat distribution ? Was my dough too wet? Should I bake longer? Or did I roll the dough too thick? I had about 2.5 to 3 nice swirls. Thanks so much! The parts that were fully cooked were just like the real thing and my GF family ate it all up!!
    Reply
    1. Whitney Barnes
      Hi Nicole - we have a video showing the texture and prep of these cinnamon rolls. You may find that some of your questions are answered in the video and/or comments, but feel free to ask more on Instagram!

      Bob's Red Mill Instagram: Soft and Fluffy Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls
      Reply
      1. Donna Holt
        I can't find the recipe on your site with the same ingredients as in Sarena's Gluten Free Cinnamon Roll Recipe in her youtube video that calls for Bob's Redmill Gluten Free All Purpose Flour. This recipe calls for Millet and Brown Rice Flour.
        Reply
        1. Elisabeth Allie
          Here you go: https://www.bobsredmill.com/recipes/how-to-make/gluten-free-cranberry-apple-cinnamon-rolls
          Reply
  14. Nancy Stockton
    Hi, I would love to try this recipe, but I can't eat brown rice flour. Can I substitute white rice flour for the brown rice flour?
    Reply
    1. Whitney Barnes
      Whitney Barnes
      Hi Nancy! Yes, that would be a fine substitute. Enjoy!
      Reply
  15. Susan
    Made these for our friend and he couldn’t believe how good they were, being GF. He put some in the refrigerator to save for the weekend and he said they were just as good. Thank you so much for all your recipe development and research. It’s so nice to have a GF baked product turn out so well.
    Reply
  16. KWill
    Ok, THANK YOU sooo much!!!! These are AMAZING!!!! I have been looking for years for a good GF cinnamon roll recipe for my son who has celiac. Made these for Christmas this morning and they were fabulous. Not just “good for GF,” they are just good!
    Reply
  17. Eileen
    Is there a mistake in this recipe somewhere? I have made them twice, always weighing my flours, and even only put three eggs in instead of four but the dough is absurdly wet! Completely unmanageable. Have to add more flour, and then they come out kind of dry. Ive been baking gf for 11 years, so I am super careful about adding more flour and oiling my hands to handle etc..
    Reply
    1. Elisabeth Allie
      Elisabeth Allie
      Hi Eileen! If you're using real eggs instead of our Egg Replacer, you may not need to add the "½ - 1 cup Warm Water; as needed," mentioned in the recipe.
      Reply

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