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These gluten free cinnamon rolls are soft, gooey, and full of cinnamon-sugar flavor—just like the kind you thought you couldn’t have anymore.
The dough is easy to work with, they rise beautifully, and you can even make them ahead.
“OMG! These were incredible. Light, fluffy and the perfect sweet I have been missing. Will definitely make these again.”
my take
Why You'll Love These Rolls
Soft and tender: They rise beautifully and have that classic pillowy texture.
Easy to handle: The dough is simple to shape, especially after a quick chill.
Make-ahead friendly: Parbake and freeze so they’re ready when you are.
Balanced sweetness: Just enough sugar to satisfy without overpowering the cinnamon.
Tastes like the original: No one will guess they’re made without gluten.
Recipe ingredients
Below I break up the ingredients to make these gluten free cinnamon rolls into different parts of the recipe.
For the rolls
- Gluten free flour blend: Use one of my recommended gluten free flour blends. Add xanthan gum only if your mix doesn’t include it.
- Tapioca starch: Adds extra stretch and softness.
- Milk powder: Adds richness and helps with browning.
- Instant yeast: For rise and flavor. Active dry yeast also works—see FAQs.
- Cream of tartar + baking soda: Work together to help the rolls rise and brown.
- Brown sugar + salt: For balanced flavor and tenderness.
- Apple cider vinegar: Adds a slight tang and helps with lift.
- Butter + egg + milk: Enrich the dough and keep it soft. Use full-fat milk.
For the filling
- Butter: Softened so it spreads easily.
- Brown sugar + cinnamon: Classic flavor and gooey center.
For the optional glaze or frosting
- Confectioners’ sugar + milk: For a simple pourable glaze.
- Butter + heavy cream: For a thicker, rich frosting. Use at room temp for best texture.
How to make gluten free cinnamon rolls
Follow along with my directions below to see how to make gluten free cinnamon rolls in your own kitchen.
Make the dough
Whisk together the dry ingredients, then mix in the wet. Beat the dough in a stand mixer until smooth and pulling away from the sides. Chill it for 30 minutes so it’s easier to handle.
Roll it out
Divide the dough in half. Roll each half into a 9×12-inch rectangle about ½-inch thick on a lightly floured surface.
Add the filling
Spread with softened butter, then sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Pat the filling down gently to help it stick.
Shape the rolls
Roll the dough tightly from a short side into a coil. Slice into 6 even pieces using dental floss or a very sharp knife. Repeat with the other half.
Let them rise
Place the rolls cut side up in a greased baking dish, cover, and let rise until puffy—about 50% larger, not doubled.
Bake and frost
Bake at 350°F until risen and lightly golden. While still warm, top with glaze or frosting, if using.
My Pro Tip
Expert tips
Chill the dough before shaping: Cold dough is easier to handle and less likely to absorb too much flour, which can lead to dense rolls.
Don’t let them overproof: They should rise to about 50% bigger—not double. Overproofed rolls lose structure and bake up flat.
Roll evenly and not too thin: A ½-inch thickness gives the best swirl without tearing the dough or losing filling.
Use dental floss to cut cleanly: It slices without compressing the rolls. If using a knife, saw gently with a very sharp blade.
substitutions
Ingredient substitutions
Dairy-free: Use powdered coconut milk in place of milk powder. Substitute vegan butter for dairy butter, and choose a nondairy milk with fat (like almond milk, not fat-free).
Egg-free: Replace the egg with a chia egg (1 tablespoon ground white chia seeds + 1 tablespoon lukewarm water, mixed and gelled).
No apple cider vinegar or cream of tartar: Use white wine vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar, and lemon juice (½ teaspoon) in place of cream of tartar.
make ahead tip
Parbake and freeze
To make fresh cinnamon rolls in the morning without overproofing:
- Shape the rolls and let them rise as usual.
- Bake at 300°F for 15 minutes—until puffed but very pale.
- Let cool completely, then wrap tightly and freeze.
- When ready to serve, defrost at room temp.
- Bake at 350°F for about 10 minutes, until browned and bubbling.
Gluten Free Cinnamon Roll Recipe
Equipment
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment
Ingredients
For the rolls
- 3 cups (420 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend, (See Recipe Notes), plus more for sprinkling
- 2 teaspoons xanthan gum, omit if your blend already contains it
- ¼ cup (36) tapioca starch/flour
- ½ cup (43 g) dry milk powder, or buttermilk powder; make sure it's powder, not liquid!
- 3 teaspoons (6 g) instant yeast
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons (26 g) packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 (50 g (weighed out of shell)) egg, at room temperature, beaten
- 1 ¼ cups (10 ounces) warm milk, about 95°F (plus a bit more, only as necessary)
For the filling
- 4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¾ cup (164 g) packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For an optional glaze
- 1 cup (115 g) confectioners' sugar, sifted
- 1 tablespoon milk, any kind, plus more by the 1/4 teaspoonful
For an optional frosting
- 6 tablespoons (84 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups (230 g) confectioners' sugar, sifted
- 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream, at room temperature, plus more as necessary
Instructions
- Grease a 9-inch x 13-inch casserole dish and set it aside.
Make the dough
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, whisk together the flour, xanthan gum, tapioca starch, milk powder, yeast, cream of tartar, baking soda, and sugar. Add the salt and whisk again.
- Add the vinegar, butter, egg, and milk, and mix to combine.
- Increase the mixer speed to high and beat for about 3 minutes, until the dough is smooth and pulling away from the sides.
- Transfer the dough to a sealed container and refrigerate for 30 minutes to make it easier to handle.
Roll out the dough
- Turn the chilled dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently to smooth.
- Divide in half, keeping one half covered. Roll the other into a 9×12-inch rectangle about ½ inch thick, dusting with flour as needed.
Add the filling and shape
- Spread half the softened butter over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border. Sprinkle with half the brown sugar, pat it down, then sprinkle with cinnamon.
- Starting from a short side, roll the dough tightly into a coil. Slice into 6 rolls using floss or a sharp knife.
- Place in a greased 9×13-inch pan, 1 inch apart. Press each roll down about ⅓ of the way to flatten slightly.
- Repeat with the second half of the dough and filling.
Let rise
- Cover the pan with lightly oiled plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm spot until the rolls are about 50% larger—about 45 minutes.
Bake
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Remove plastic wrap and bake for 20 minutes, until risen, lightly golden, and baked through.
- Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes before icing or frosting, but no longer.
Optional glaze.
- Whisk together confectioners’ sugar and milk until thick but pourable. Add more milk ¼ teaspoon at a time if needed.
- Drizzle over warm rolls.
Optional frosting
- Beat butter and confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Add cream gradually to reach a spreadable consistency.
- Spread generously over warm rolls.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
leftovers
Storage instructions
Let the rolls cool completely before storing. Wrap tightly and freeze in a single layer before adding glaze.
To reheat, defrost at room temp, sprinkle with a bit of water, and warm in a 275°F oven until soft and heated through.
FAQs
Be patient. Gluten free yeast dough takes time to rise and usually won’t double. If they seem stalled, the environment may be too cold.
Most likely causes: too much flour during shaping or not enough proofing time. Make sure to let the dough rise until noticeably puffy.
Check that you used the correct flour blend, measured by weight, and used dry milk powder—not liquid. Sticky dough often means it’s overhydrated.
They may have overbaked, or the flour blend may have absorbed too much moisture. Avoid adding extra flour while shaping.
Yes. Use 25% more (about 8g total) and dissolve it in some of the milk before adding it to the dough.
It was so good I made 20 of them
Very good cinnamon rolls. I followed the recipe exactly, weighing everything. I found the dough was not coming together to “pull away from the sides of the bowl in spots”. After about 6 minutes, I stopped the machine and gathered the dough together to form a ball.
Also, I could either roll the dough to a 9×12″ rectangle and disregard the instructions for the 1/2″ thickness, or I could roll the dough out to 1/2″ thickness and go from there, which is what I opted to do. The dough would have been too thin otherwise.
However, despite all, the result is a very good cinnamon roll. Thank you for the recipe.
The same exact things happened to me. The dough pulled away at first but then after three minutes was sticky. I collected and the flour added during kneading reduced the stickiness. The 9×12 size and 1/2” height conundrum occurred and I chose the 1/2” as well. There wasn’t nearly enough dough for a 9×13 pan, particularly with 2” width strips. I used Bob’s Red Mill flour blend which shouldn’t affect the dough volume.
Yes, Louis, using Bob’s Red Mill flour blends will affect every single aspect of the recipe, including the shape and size of the dough. It simply will not work in my recipes and will perform particularly poorly in yeasted applications like these cinnamon rolls. It simply doesn’t work. Please see the text of the post under the heading “Choosing a gluten free flour blend” and the associated links for a full discussion.
Hi,
I like my cinnamon buns extra everything and it’s Easter, so I added the mixture below to the bottom of the pan prior to proofing the buns.
The measurements are approximate:
5 tablespoons (75g) butter
Heaping 1/2 cup cup (132 g) packed light brown sugar
1/6 cup light corn syrup
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2- 3/4 cups (60-90 g) coarsely chopped pecans
Delicious!
Thanks Nicole!!
I am very excited to try this recipe, but in your early discussion of cinnamon roll recipes, you mentioned cardamom and then it is not included in the list of ingredients. I love the taste of cardamom in baked goods. Would there be a problem adding it? Would it be added to the dough or to the filling? How much do you recommend?
Hi, Glori, yes, that was my late Aunt’s recipe! I haven’t ever done it myself, but you should use it very sparingly because it’s pretty powerful. Maybe try adding a touch to the cinnamon in the filling?
I followed the recipe exactly. My dough never became sticky. Yeast didn’t seem to activate.
Everyone thinks that they followed the recipe 100% faithfully, but this is a well tested recipe and will work when made as written. I’m afraid without any information from you, I’m not able to help you figure out where you deviated from it as written. As always, I would look first to your flour blend and any ingredient substitutions. If you did not use one of my recommended blends, which is my guess, no recipe will turn out as expected. Plus, if your yeast did not activate, there’s nothing in the recipe to point to.
Hi! Merry Christmas! I can’t find buttermilk powder anywhere. Can I substitute for regular powdered milk?
Hi Vicki, no, they’re not a 1:1 substitute. I googled and found one blog that states that you can use 1/2 cup milk powder + 1 tablespoon cream of tartar in place of buttermilk powder, but I can’t promise that will work as I haven’t tried it myself.
We make your gf cinnamon rolls every Christmas—-they’re the best!!
I’m so happy to hear that, Jennifer! When it’s made as written, with the right flour blend handled as described, this is one of my favorite recipes on the site. Thank you so much for sharing your experience.
Is there a way to make these ahead of time?
No, these can’t be shaped and allowed to rise overnight. They’ll overproof and end up being dense.
For making the rolls ahead, you have instructions for freezing, but how about making them the day before? Can I get the rolls completely ready to bake, and just refrigerate them overnight to bake in the morning? Trying to save time on Christmas morning, thanks!
No, these can’t be shaped and allowed to rise overnight. They’ll overproof and end up being dense.
Love Nicole Hunn and Gluten Free on a Shoestring. I have several of her cookbooks. My favorite is the “Bakes Bread”. I make bread at least twice a week and it is as good and sometimes better than wheat bread. Her cinnamon rolls will be on my table this Christmas morning.
I’m so happy to hear that, Doreen. Thank you so much for the kind words, and I’m so glad you’re making so much bread!