Soft homemade gluten free dinner rolls that are quick and easy enough for busy weeknights, but still fit for any holiday table or celebration. Never go without bread again!
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Why this is the best gluten free dinner rolls recipe
These rolls are highly enriched, which just means that they have plenty of butter and milk in the recipe. Plus, the addition of nearly 1 full cup of tapioca starch helps provide a lot of stretch to the rolls, as baked, and makes the dough very easy to shape with almost no added flour.
These gluten free dinner rolls are soft and squishy, so they're ideal for serving with any homestyle meal. Imagine them on the side of your plate of gluten free meatballs, since they're easy enough for a weeknight.
They're also perfect for your holiday table. I've made our recipe for gluten free Texas Roadhouse rolls many times for Thanksgiving, but they're more of an appetizer-type roll.
For our next holiday season, I think I'll be making this gluten free rolls recipe as they're made for soaking up the last bits of gluten free gravy from that holiday plate.
What's the best gluten free flour for these gf dinner rolls?
To make gluten free bread, the base blend I recommend is Better Batter or my mock Better Batter all purpose gluten free flour blend.
Even when our bread recipe calls for our gluten free bread flour, which we’re not using here, the base is (mock Better Batter). It has the right balance of gluten free flours when you need a recipe to hold its shape during rising and baking.
Adding nearly a full cup of tapioca starch/flour to the recipe lightens the gluten free rolls without diluting the strength of Better Batter. It also provides elasticity to the raw dough, which makes for easier shaping, and to the baked rolls.
If you can’t have tapioca starch/flour, you can try replacing it both in the mock Better Batter and as a separate ingredient in this recipe with superfine glutinous rice flour (which is just rice flour made from starch, short-grain white rice). I have had some success with that substitution, but can’t promise results.
More gluten free yeast roll ingredient notes
- Instant yeast – This recipe calls for instant yeast, but if you don't have any on hand or would prefer to use active dry yeast, you’ll need to hydrate the yeast first in some of the milk. You’ll also need 15 grams of active dry yeast rather than just 12 grams of instant yeast.
- Sugar – The primary role of the sugar is to “feed” the yeast so that your gf rolls come out big and fluffy. But the sugar also complements the salt in this recipe, giving you that delicious balance of flavors.
- Milk – Warm milk activates the yeast, so it can start feeding and doing its thing. It's important that the milk isn't too hot; otherwise, you'll kill the yeast and won't get your rise.
- Butter – Butter adds richness to these easy gluten free rolls and also helps with their rise.
- Egg whites – These egg whites contribute a lot to the recipe: they add structure, assist with the rise, and they help the gf yeast rolls hold their shape.
How to get gluten free dinner rolls to rise
This is a yeasted gf bread recipe, so you must provide a proper environment for the commercial yeast to reproduce after it’s exposed to the milk in the recipe. Yeast rises at a very high range of temperatures.
The desired dough temperature appears to be 78°F, but I don’t spend much of any time worrying about that. I typically set yeasted dough to rise on top of my oven (never inside), and turn the oven on to about 300°F. The ambient heat provides just enough warmth to help the dough rise uniformly.
Yeasted dough will rise at lower temperatures, even in the refrigerator at 40°F, just more slowly. A slower rise creates more of that somewhat sour, yeasty flavor in the dough, and is best for leaner, non-enriched bread doughs that don’t have much, if any, fat.
The worst placement for getting rolls to rise is somewhere too hot. Slow-rising dough can be very frustrating, but a too-hot temperature risks killing the yeast and preventing any rise at all.
Enrichments like the milk, egg whites, and butter in these gluten free rolls help the dough rise more quickly. But rising times for yeasted dough like these dinner rolls can vary significantly.
A dry climate will also inhibit yeast growth, so you can try adding a tablespoon of additional warm milk or water to the dough if you tend to struggle with getting yeast dough to rise. Don’t add too much, though, or the rolls are likely to overproof and then deflate as they cool (leaving them gummy inside).
More tips for making the best gluten free rolls
Measure out your gluten free flour correctly
If you've tried some of my other gluten free bread recipes, you've likely seen this tip — that's because it's such an important one. The success of your gluten free baking really relies on precision. If you want to achieve the same results I do, you need to do exactly as I do.
When it comes to gluten free flour, you want to ensure you use precisely the amount that I do. That's impossible to achieve with a measuring cup, but it's very easy to do with a kitchen scale.
Definitely use a stand mixer
You really need to use a stand mixer for this gluten free yeast rolls recipe. It's honestly the only way to ensure you get the smooth dough that's necessary for the fluffiest, squishiest rolls.
If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can get away with using a food processor fitted with a steel blade.
Unfortunately, a hand mixer won't work, and there's absolutely no way to adequately mix this dough by hand.
Eat your homemade gluten free rolls right away
Eat your gluten free baked goods straight from the oven! That's not something you'll see me say often, if ever. But that's really what you should do with these gluten free rolls.
Unlike other gluten free bread recipes, these rolls are meant to be eaten quickly. They come out of the oven maintaining their shape, so you don't have to worry about them deflating or falling apart.
Worried that you won't be able to scarf down all these rolls in one sitting? Consider halving the recipe by cutting every single ingredient amount in half.
If you make 8 rolls instead of 16, you probably won't have any trouble eating them all before night's end. Only baking for 1 or 2? Try cutting the recipe down to 25%.
Gluten free bread rolls: storage tips
Storing leftover gf dinner rolls
While I don't recommend it, you can store leftover rolls if you made too many. Because yeast breads tend to get harder the longer they sit around, you want to take care to make sure you store your rolls in an airtight container.
They'll stay good at room temperature for around 2 days, and I suggest sprinkling them lightly with water and then popping them into the microwave for 10 or 15 seconds or the toaster oven at 300°F for a few minutes to refresh them before eating.
Making gluten free yeast rolls in advance
From start to finish, this gluten free bread rolls recipe takes about 2 hours to complete. This means these rolls aren't something you can whip up last minute.
I know what you're thinking: “I'll just make the dough and freeze it until I need it!” But I don’t ever recommend freezing raw yeast dough. It may not rise after having been frozen.
“That's okay,” you say. “I'll leave the dough in the fridge until I need it!” I also don’t recommend letting the dough rise in the refrigerator for more than 24 hours, as the oven rise tends to be very irregular during baking when you do that.
So what do you do when you want to make gluten free rolls ahead of time? Parbake and freeze. Using this method, your dinner rolls will last at least a month.
How to parbake these gf rolls
To parbake the rolls, follow the recipe through baking (be sure to separate the raw rolls, leaving about 2-inches between one another), but only set the oven to 300°F. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the rolls appear puffed and are no longer wet inside.
Remove the rolls from the oven, and allow them to cool completely. Freeze in a single layer, and then wrap tightly in freezer-safe wrap. Eliminate as much air as possible, as air is what causes freezer burn.
When you're ready for your dinner rolls, just defrost them at room temperature and then finish baking them at the original 375°F until fully browned and 190°F inside.
Gluten free dinner rolls: substitutions
Gluten free, dairy free dinner rolls
If you can’t have dairy, try replacing the melted butter with melted vegan butter. Melt and Miyoko’s Kitchen brands are my favorite.
In place of dairy milk, any unsweetened nondairy milk should work. Avoid using anything nonfat, though, as richness is the goal.
Gluten free, egg free dinner rolls
There are 2 egg whites in this recipe, and they provide structure to the rolls. You may be able to replace them with aquafaba, or the brine from a can of unsalted chickpeas.
Sometimes aquafaba is a perfect substitute for egg whites in baking, and other times it appears not to work. I’m afraid I’m not experienced enough in this sort of substitution to predict the likelihood of success.
How to use active dry yeast instead of instant yeast in these gf rolls
I always bake with instant yeast (which is also called bread maker or rapid rise yeast) in yeasted recipes like this one. You cannot eliminate the yeast in this recipe, but you can make dinner rolls with our recipe for yeast free gluten free dinner rolls.
You cannot replace the yeast in this recipe with wild yeast sourdough. Sourdough recipes are entirely distinct.
If you prefer to use active dry yeast, you’ll need to use more, and to “proof” the yeast in some of the milk first. The general rule of thumb is to use 25% more active dry yeast than instant yeast, by weight. Here, that’s 15 grams of active dry yeast in place of 12 grams of instant yeast.
FAQs
there are a lot of reasons why your gf dinner rolls may not have risen. Most can be traced back to not following my recipe to a point. Here are some examples:
– Using too much flour will reduce the hydration ratio of the dough, preventing the yeast from activating; not using enough sugar won't give the yeast the food it needs to do its job.
– Improper temperatures: If your milk is too cold, it will slow down activation of the yeast; if it's too hot, it will kill it. You also won't get a good rise if you leave your gluten free yeast dough in the fridge without a tight-fitting lid or in a drafty part of the kitchen.
– Expired yeast: Bad yeast can also be a culprit. If you're not sure whether yours is good, add a bit to a mixture of warm water and sugar. If it's not frothy after 10 minutes, your yeast is no good
Dense gluten free rolls are usually the result of too much flour. This is why I always suggest that you measure yours out using a kitchen scale rather than rely on a measuring cup. Be careful, as well, about incorporating too much flour into your rolls during shaping, which will also lower the hydration ration and reduce or eliminate yeast activity.
Yes, making and freezing gluten free buns is a great way to save time.
To do this, follow my instructions above for shaping and parbaking your rolls. Freeze them once they're completely cool, and then let them defrost before popping them back into the oven to finish baking before dinner.
If you only have active dry yeast, you can use it here but you'll need to use 25% more per recipe, and to dissolve it in some of the milk before combining the milk into the other ingredients. Here, the recipe calls for 12 grams of instant yeast, so you'd need 15 grams active dry yeast.
Yes, yeast absolutely can and does work with gluten free flours. The secret to getting your gluten free dough to rise is to take exacting care when measuring out ingredients and use the proper gluten free flour blend, as specified in the recipe.
No! The recipe calls for both the amount of flour blend stated plus additional tapioca starch as an additional ingredient. You can never just leave out any ingredient in any recipe and expect results, unless that ingredient is listed as optional. All good quality all purpose gluten free flour blends contain tapioca starch; this recipe calls for more than the average, all purpose amount.
No, these rolls will not hold their shape if you shape and then let them rise for that long, even in the refrigerator.
Gluten Free Dinner Rolls Recipe | Soft, Squishy Yeast Rolls
Ingredients
- 3 ¼ cups (455 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend Better Batter is ideal here; click through for recommended flour blends
- 3 ¼ teaspoons xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
- ⅞ cup (105 g) tapioca starch/flour plus more for sprinkling
- 4 teaspoons (12 g) instant yeast See Recipe Notes
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ⅝ cup (13 fluid ounces) warm milk (about 90°F)
- 8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter melted and cooled (plus more for brushing)
- 2 (50 g) egg whites at room temperature
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (See Recipe Notes), place the flour, xanthan gum, tapioca starch/flour, instant yeast, and granulated sugar, and whisk to combine well. Add the salt, and whisk again to combine.
- Add the milk, melted butter, and egg whites. Using the paddle attachment, beat vigorously. The mixture will come together in a clump and clear the sides of the bowl. Keep beating until it begins to look whipped, and sticks to the side of the mixing bowl again (about 6 minutes total).
- Transfer the mixture to a lightly oiled bucket or bowl with a very tight-fitting lid. The container should be large enough for the dough to nearly double (although it won’t double fully).
- Set the container aside for at least 2 hours at room temperature, and up to 24 hours in the refrigerator. Do not let the dough rest/rise for too long, or your rolls will rise much more irregularly after shaping.
- If you’ve let the dough rest in the refrigerator, remove it from the cold and place it, still covered, on the kitchen counter. Allow it to warm to room temperature before working with it.
- Grease a quarter sheet pan or multiple round cake pans for baking, and set them aside. You will later decide if you’d like to crowd the rolls, and have them rise then bake touching, or have them separate.
- Divide the dough into 16 equal portions, each 2 1/2 ounces in weight. Working with one piece at a time, knead the dough in your clean, dry hands, without adding any additional flour of any kind, pinching any seams that separate.
- Flour a clean, dry work surface very lightly with tapioca starch, and coax the dough into a round. The dough should be firm, but easy to work with.
- Place the shaped rounds of dough in your chosen baking pan either touching (they will rise mostly up), or a bit more than 1-inch apart, taking care not to crowd them (the will rise up and out).
- Cover the pan with lightly greased plastic wrap, place in a warm, draft-free location, and allow to rise until about 150% of their original size.
- This rise can take anywhere from 45 minutes to hours, depending upon the ambient temperature in your kitchen. Overproofing is not very likely, and can be detected when the surface of your raw rolls begins to take on a pockmarked appearance.
- When the rolls are nearing the end of their rise, preheat your oven to 375°F. Once the rolls are properly risen, remove the plastic wrap from the pan(s), and brush generously on all exposed sides with melted butter.
- Place the baking pan(s) in the center of the preheated oven and bake until an instant read thermometer inserted into the center of each roll reads about 190°F.
- If there is any space between the rolls after they’ve risen, they will take around 20 minutes until fully baked.
- If the rolls are touching one another, lower the oven temperature to about 350°F at 18 minutes and continue to bake for about another 5 minutes or until the proper internal temperature is reached in the center roll.
- Remove the pan from the oven, and with the rolls still in the hot pan, brush again with melted butter and serve immediately.
Notes
If you’d like use active dry yeast in place of instant yeast, you’ll need to hydrate the yeast first in some of the milk. You’ll also need 15 grams active dry yeast to replace 12 grams of instant yeast. For the stand mixer
If you don’t have a stand mixer, I recommend making the dough in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. I don’t recommend a hand mixer, or trying to mix by hand. Originally published on the blog in 2021; in 2022, some text resources added, but recipe, photos, video unchanged. Nutrition information. Nutrition information is an estimate, per roll, and is provided as a courtesy created using an online nutrition calculator. It should not be relied upon.
Nutrition
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Thanks for stopping by!
Hi, I’m Nicole. I create gluten free recipes that really work and taste as good as you remember. No more making separate meals when someone is GF, or buying packaged foods that aren’t good enough to justify the price. At Gluten Free on a Shoestring, “good, for gluten free” just isn’t good enough! Come visit my bio!
Gaby says
Would I be able to replace the sugar for honey?
Nicole Hunn says
No, I’m afraid you can’t replace a granulated sugar with a liquid one, like honey. Sorry, Gabby!
Shari says
My dinner rolls tasted great, but did not come out looking like dinner rolls….they were all kinda flat. My first comment is below about how sticky the dough was. Any thoughts?
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Shari, my guess would be if you didn’t use one of my recommended flour blends and/or if you didn’t add additional tapioca starch as listed in the recipe. I’m afraid I only recommend a few, and recommend against many, including Bob’s Red Mill and King Arthur Flour. Please click through to the all purpose gluten free flour blends page for full info. I hope that’s helpful!
Shari says
I just started making these rolls that look fabulous. I had great success until I thought the first rise was done. It had been an hour and 15 minutes of the dough rising and the dough had more than double in size. I thought I had better make the rolls. The dough was way too sticky to form into a ball (I even tried using the tapioca flour on my hands which you did not recommend. This was a total failure). I finally used two spoons and dished out the rolls into round balls. Right now the rolls are doing their second rise. HELP!! Why were my rolls way too sticky to form and create a nice looking roll? I am now waiting for them to come out of the oven.
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Shari, I understand how frustrating it can be when a recipe doesn’t turn out as expected. I’m sorry you’re having that experience. Even though we intend to faithfully follow a recipe carefully, we all have habits in the kitchen that we think don’t matter, but do end up affecting the end result.
Here are some of the ways that I’ve found over the years it’s common to run into trouble:
Did you make ingredient substitutions, particularly the gf flour blend? Unfortunately, they’re not all created equal, and some I actively recommend against. Sadly, some of the most readily available, most affordable blends like Bob’s Red Mill create poor or at best inconsistent results. Please see the AP GF flour blends page on the blog, which is linked in every recipe that calls for one for full info on what blends I recommend, which to avoid, and how to make your own “mock” version of my favorite blends if you can’t access the readymade ones.
Did you measure by weight, not volume? I wish we could get accurate measurements by volume, but I’d get a different amount every time, even using the same measuring cups. It’s just not possible to avoid human error that way, and cup sizes are just not standardized in the U.S., at least.
Again, I really hope these troubleshooting tips are helpful, and that you’re able to use the recipe successfully. I know how much we all miss our old favorites, and I work really hard to try to help bring them all back. I hope this is helpful!
Sheila Bond says
I recenly bought the Expandex that you have in some of your recipies, can I use that insyead of the tapioca?
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Sheila, I’m really glad you asked, since they are definitely not interchangeable. Expandex is a chemically modified tapioca starch, and it behaves completely differently in baking than regular tapioca starch. In this recipe, you use were to use Expandex, the rolls would turn out dry and hard.
Mirta Cruz says
Can less yeast be used in this recipe?
Nicole Hunn says
No, Mirta, I’m afraid you can’t reduce the yeast in the recipe and have it turn out as expected. The amount of yeast is perfectly balanced to get just enough, but not too much rise, along with the right balance of other ingredients in the recipe.
Sarah Thomas says
In your shaped bread recipes it frequently says to put the dough in a well-oiled bucket or bowl with tight fitting lid. Do you have recommendations for a bucket or bowl? I don’t have much space, so I’d love to get just one that would work for most things.
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Sarah, actually yes! I use 2 quart Cambro buckets that I buy on Amazon, but right now the Amazon price looks really high so I’m not going to even link to it. Here are the buckets on the Cambro website, but just search around and I’m sure you can find a good price. There are available in many kitchen supply stores too.
Sarah Thomas says
Thank you! Do the lids really need to be pretty air tight? I have pyrex bowls with lids that fit pretty well, but I wouldn’t say they are liquid spill proof. Would those work? If not, I’m curious why not?
Thanks!
Nicole Hunn says
Those sound like they would work fine, Sarah. I like the Cambro buckets because they have flat sides and and it’s easy to see exactly how much the dough has risen. But I have those bowls I think you’re describing, too, and they should be fine. Just seal it well so air doesn’t get in an dry out the dough. If the moisture inside evaporates outside the bucket, you’re lowering the hydration ratio and the yeast won’t have enough liquid to divide properly.
Peggy Robertson says
So, when I started this recipe a few nights ago I was so afraid I wouldn’t get the timing right with the soup I was making. I began the rolls first and then cooked the chicken rice soup that I had planned and everything ended up perfectly timed – I believe around two hours for everything. The rolls are absolutely decadent and I’ll be making them for Thanksgiving! You were right Nicole, the leftover rolls made it about two days on the counter wrapped tight until we needed them. I toasted them and they were still wonderful.
Nicole Hunn says
I’m so happy to hear it, Peggy! A little trick for when fresh yeast rolls are just past their prime is to run them under water then pop them in a toaster at 300°F. The water gets absorbed back into the bread and toasts the outside a bit and they’re good as new! Thanks so much for sharing your experience!
Peggy Robertson says
Oh thank you for this info Nicole! I will definitely do that :)
Peggy
Linda says
I’m making progress with the dinner roll recipe. I used better batter flour and used a kitchen scale to measure ingredients. The dough was fluffy and had a good rise after 2 hours. Then I formed the rolls and let them rise but they did not rise much after 3 hours of proofing. I brushed them with butter and baked them to 190 degrees internal temp. They smelled amazing but did not get any more raise during baking and they did not get any browning. The taste is ok and the rolls were heavy. Do you have suggestions how to get the rolls brown and not so heavy.
Linda
Nicole Hunn says
If they rose before shaping and not afterward, Linda, you almost for sure incorporated too much flour into them during shaping. You need a light touch, and very light flouring of the surface or you’re effectively lowering the hydration, which prevents the yeast from working. That would account for the heaviness as well. It’s not all that common that I’m this sure about what happened, but you gave me enough info to go by, and I’m 90% sure that’s what happened.
Linda says
Thank you for the help and reducing the moisture with too much flour makes sense. When I’m at the point of shaping the rolls the dough is very sticky. How do I shape the dough without it sticking to my hands. With wet hands or oil and do I kneed the air bubbles out to form the rolls? This shaping step has me baffled.
Linda
Nicole Hunn says
I’m afraid all I can really offer is the how-to video you’ll see on the screen as long as you’re not using an ad-blocker to demonstrate the motion, and be sure that you’re using a good flour blend and measuring by weight or no matter what you do, the dough will be hard to handle as not all flour blends are created alike. And if you’re concerned that you might have a tendency to add too much flour to shape, then favor less shaping and more of a freeform roll to get the proper rise.
Toni says
Hello, can I turn this dough into a bread pan for a loaf instead of buns?
Thank you
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Toni, this isn’t the right recipe to make into a loaf. Instead, I recommend our classic gluten free bread recipe for a perfect beginner loaf. I hope that helps!
Abby says
I liked these rolls. I actually prepared them with my children as Pani Popo for a school luau, and they were great. My kids found them ‘spongey,’ but I can’t wait to try them as buttery dinner rolls. The dough was beautiful for a GF dough, and I used Nicole’s Mock Better Batter as the flour. I didn’t divide the dough into as many rolls as suggested, and I would recommend doing the full batch, as making them larger might have added to the texture. Thanks for the recipe!!
Claire says
A quick question about partaking- in the regular bake you spread the melted butter on before and after the baking, do you spread on butter before the par bake as well, or just for the final bake? Thanks!
Nicole Hunn says
Good question, Claire! You can brush the rolls very lightly with melted butter before parbaking to help add some flavor, but it’s not really necessary since the main function of the butter is to help the rolls brown in the oven.
Linda says
Made this recipe two times
The first time the dough was soupy so I poured into muffin tins and the rolls turned into bricks inedible.
Second time I had better dough and good rise the first time then after forming the buns and letting them rise a second time they were pasty and heavy after baking for 45 minutes.
What am I doing wrong?
The only good thing was the fantastic smell of baking bread.
Nicole Hunn says
Since you didn’t provide any details, Linda, I’m going to guess that it’s your choice of all purpose gluten free flour blend, plus I assume you didn’t add the additional tapioca flour, both of which will lead to a failed result. Please see the flour blend page that is linked in the recipe and see the discussion under the heading “What’s the best gluten free flour for these gf dinner rolls?” in the text of the post. Beyond that, I’m afraid I can’t know without having any details about whether you made ingredient substitutions, and many other places where you might have deviated from the recipe as written.
Linda says
Thank you for helping. I used King Arthur bread flour and also used the bobs red mill tapioca flour.
The smell was amazing and the flavor was good.
Thinking I didn’t let the buns raise enough on the second rise? Maybe then they would be lighter fluffier?
Nicole Hunn says
I’m afraid it’s your primary flour blend. I recommend against the King Arthur Flour blends as they are poorly balanced and use gritty rice flour in my experience. I suggest you don’t try again using King Arthur Flour, unfortunately. I know they’re widely available and I wish I could recommend them, but I haven’t had success with them.
Myra Brophy says
Can lactose free milk be used here thank you
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Myra, I haven’t tried this recipe with lactose free milk, but if you normally don’t have any problems baking with it, I don’t see why not.
Matthew S Gluck says
Can these rolls be stored in refrigerator or can they be kept in freezer?
Nicole Hunn says
I don’t recommend refrigerating bread ever, Matthew. You can always freeze them. For more info, please see the text of the post under the heading “Gluten free bread rolls: storage tips”
Matthew S Gluck says
Thank you. I check out the tips.
Amber says
We wanted to use these for bierocks, we haven’t had them since I was diagnosed in 2015, but I’m not sure where I would incorporate the meat and cheese? And would I let them rise the second time before or after the mix goes in?
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Amber, I’m afraid I can’t say for sure since I haven’t used this recipe in that way. I’m honestly not sure how it would do stuffed. I’d for sure make at least a half recipe without stuffing it first, to make sure you’re familiar with the dough, then go with your experience.
Ree says
HI Nicole, What can I substitute the cornstarch with?
Nicole Hunn says
There is no added cornstarch in this recipe, Ree.