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These soft, homemade gluten free dinner rolls are easy enough for a weeknight—and special enough for any holiday table. They bake up golden, tender, and fluffy every time.
Why you’ll love these gluten free rolls:
- Soft, fluffy texture with a golden brown crust
- Quick 20-minute hands-on time with fast rise
- Dough is easy to handle—no stickiness or frustration
- Freezer-friendly for make-ahead convenience
- Simple to make dairy-free with easy swaps
Recipe ingredients
These few ingredients come together to make the softest, most tender gluten free rolls you’ve ever had:
- Gluten free flour – Use a high-quality all purpose gluten free flour blend made with finely ground rice flour. It should be designed for yeast baking.
- Tapioca starch – Even if your blend already includes some, this extra tapioca starch gives the dough stretch and flexibility.
- Instant yeast – Gives the rolls their rise. Also called rapid-rise or breadmaker yeast. Be sure yours is fresh.
- Sugar – Feeds the yeast and adds a subtle sweetness.
- Milk – Warm milk activates the yeast, moistens the dough, and adds richness.
- Butter – Adds moisture and flavor, keeping the rolls soft and tender.
- Egg whites – Provide structure and help bind the dough together.
How to make soft gluten free dinner rolls
Step 1: Mix the dry ingredients
In the bowl of a stand mixer, if possible, whisk together the gluten free flour, xanthan gum (if needed), tapioca starch, yeast, and sugar until well combined. Whisk in salt next.
Step 2: Add wet ingredients and beat the dough
Pour in the warm milk, melted butter, and egg whites. Using the paddle attachment, beat the mixture until it comes together and begins to look whipped—about 6 minutes total.
Step 3: First rise
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled container with a tight-fitting lid. Let it rest at room temperature for about 2 hours, or refrigerate it for up to 24 hours. If chilled, let the dough come back to room temperature before shaping.
Step 4: Divide and shape
Turn the dough onto a very lightly floured surface and divide it in half, then each half into 8 equal pieces. Gently roll each piece into a ball by cupping your hand around the dough and moving it in a circular motion.
Step 5: Arrange and rise again
Place the rolls into a greased and lined baking pan. You can crowd them slightly for pull-apart rolls or leave space for individual ones. Cover with plastic wrap and let them rise in a warm, draft-free spot until at least 150% of their original size (they won't double).
Step 6: Bake
Once risen, brush the tops with melted butter. Bake at 375°F until the rolls are golden and an instant-read thermometer reads around 190°F in the center—about 20 minutes. If the rolls are touching, reduce the oven temp to 350°F after 18 minutes and bake a bit longer.
Step 7: Serve warm
Brush the hot rolls with more melted butter, and serve while warm and soft.
Expert tips for perfect rolls
Use a stand mixer if you can
A stand mixer with the paddle attachment creates the smooth, whipped dough that gives these rolls their signature texture. If needed, a food processor with a plastic blade can work—just pulse carefully and don’t overmix. Avoid hand mixing.
Create a warm, steady rise
Place your dough in a draft-free spot with gentle warmth—like on top of a warm oven, never inside. If the environment is too hot, you risk killing the yeast. Too cool, and the dough will rise very, very slowly. Too dry, and it won't rise.
Adjust for dry climates
If you live in a dry environment and your dough isn’t rising well, try adding 1 extra tablespoon of warm milk or water. But don’t overdo it—too much liquid can cause overproofing and gummy rolls.
Shape gently
Don’t press or knead the dough aggressively. On a lightly floured surface, cup your hand around the dough ball and gently move it in a tight circle on a very lightly floured surface to create a smooth round shape.
Want to make them ahead? Try parbaking
To prep rolls in advance, bake the shaped rolls at 300°F for about 15 minutes—just until puffed and set but not browned. Cool completely, then freeze. When ready to serve, defrost at room temp, then finish baking at 375°F until golden and fully cooked (190°F inside). This method gives you fresh-baked rolls in less time.
Easy ingredient swaps
Dairy free
Replace the melted butter with a block-style dairy-free butter alternative. Melt and Miyoko’s Kitchen brands both work well. For the milk, use any unsweetened nondairy variety with some fat—avoid fat-free options, since richness matters here.
Egg free
You should be able to replace the 2 egg whites with 50 grams of aquafaba (the liquid from a can of unsalted chickpeas).
Yeast
You can’t make these rolls without yeast, but you can swap instant yeast for active dry yeast. Use 15 grams of active dry yeast and be sure to proof it first in some of the warm milk.
Tapioca starch
Even though most good gluten free flour blends already include tapioca starch, this recipe needs extra. If you don’t have it, try replacing it with an equal amount of superfine glutinous rice flour or sweet white rice flour.
Gluten Free Dinner Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 ¼ cups (455 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend, (See Recipe Notes)
- 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
Make the dough
- 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).
Chill the dough
- Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes and up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Do not let the dough rest/rise for too long, or your rolls will rise much more irregularly after shaping.
- If your dough has been refrigerated for more than 1 hour, allow it to sit at room temperature until no longer very cold to the touch before working with it.
Shape the rolls
- Grease a quarter sheet pan or 2 8-inch 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.
- Flour a clean, dry work surface very lightly with tapioca starch. Divide the dough in half, then each half into 8 equal portions, for 16 pieces, each about 2 1/2 ounces in weight.
- Working with one piece of dough at a time, cup your fingers around the dough, keep the side of your palm on the surface, and move your hand in tight circles to coax the dough into a round.
- Place the shaped rounds of dough in your chosen baking pan(s) 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).
Let rise
- Cover the pan(s) with lightly greased plastic wrap, place in a warm, draft-free location, and allow to rise until about 150% of their original size (they won't quite double).
- 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 the rolls begins to look pockmarked.
- 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.
Bake
- 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 center reaches 190°F.
- Remove the pan from the oven, and with the rolls still in the hot pan, brush again with melted butter and serve warm.
Video
Notes
I recommend Better Batter’s original blend or my Nicole’s Best multipurpose blend (with 3 teaspoons added xanthan gum). King Arthur's gluten free bread flour can work but makes denser rolls, so consider adding 2 tablespoons more milk. Avoid Cup4Cup and Measure for Measure here—they won't produce the right texture. Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 isn't ideal, but in a pinch, it can work if you add 1½ teaspoons extra xanthan gum. To make your own blend using one of my “mock” recipes, please see the all purpose gluten free flour blends page. Using active dry yeast:
You can swap instant yeast for active dry yeast—just use 15 grams instead of 12 and proof it in some of the warm milk before adding. No stand mixer?
A food processor with the plastic blade works in a pinch. Don’t use a hand mixer or mix by hand; the dough needs vigorous mixing to whip up properly and create a smooth shaped roll.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Storing & freezing the rolls
Best when fresh
Like all yeast rolls, these are at their best the day they’re baked. But you can still store and reheat them with great results.
Room temperature
Store leftover rolls in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 2 days. To refresh before serving, sprinkle lightly with lukewarm water and warm in a 300°F toaster oven for about 5 minutes.
Freezer storage
Once cooled, place baked and cooled rolls in a freezer-safe zip-top bag and press out as much air as possible. Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature and reheat as above. For parbaking instructions, see the Expert Tips section above.
FAQs
If your rolls didn’t rise, it’s usually a problem with the yeast, hydration, temperature, or timing. Here are the most common causes:
Expired yeast – Test it by mixing with warm water and sugar. If it doesn’t foam in 10 minutes, it’s no longer active. Store opened jars of yeast in the refrigerator.
Too much flour/too little moisture – Overmeasuring flour or starch can reduce hydration and stall rising. The same can happen if the dough rises improperly covered, and loses moisture.
Temperature issues – Milk that’s too hot can kill yeast.
Timing – You simply didn't let them rise long enough. Yeast will reproduce in cooler environments, but will just take longer. Overproofing happens when dough rises too much, not for too long.
No—you still need the additional tapioca starch listed in the recipe. All gluten free blends include some tapioca, but this recipe relies on a larger amount to give the dough its flexibility and the rolls their soft, stretchy texture.
No—this dough won’t hold its shape that long after shaping. It’s best to refrigerate the dough before shaping, then bring it to room temperature and shape right before the second rise.
Not recommended—it's best to bake and freeze the rolls, or use the parbake method above.
Yes, but they won’t have the same pull-apart quality. Bake time may be slightly shorter.
Yes—just cut all ingredients in half. I do this all the time! Rise and bake times stay the same.
I’m trying these to hopefully use on Thanksgiving. My first batch I had no problem kneading the dough, etc. in my hands, but the rolls turned out a little dense and doughy. I just tried again, but the dough was so sticky I couldnt work with it at all. Any ideas? I weighed all ingredients, etc.
I’m afraid it’s impossible for me to know where you deviated from the recipe as written, Kay, since you haven’t given me any details. But if your yeast bread is dense, I would always look to the following: your choice of flour blend, measuring your ingredients carefully, watching the texture of the dough at all times and comparing it to mine, being extremely careful not to incorporate too much flour during shaping (which is particularly important in this recipe). If your raw dough has been different with each batch, you need to figure out where you’re varying your technique, measurements, ingredients, since it’s the same recipe each time.
I’m not seeing the list of recommended flour blends…
It’s linked in every ingredient list where I reference “all purpose gluten free flour blends,” Megan. Here’s another link for your convenience.
These are wonderful. I did a practice run and I will be making these for Thanksgiving. I do have a question, the bottom edges of my rolls were a slightly burned. I did spray the pans with cooking spray and brush butter on the rolls – is there something I did incorrectly to cause the edges to burn?
Hi, Lisa, it sounds like it’s probably something as simple as your having a dark-colored pan and/or your oven running somewhat hot. The outside bakes first, so if it cooks too quickly because of a pan that attracts too much heat too fast, or because the oven is just too hot, it will burn as the rolls bake all the way to the inside. So glad you enjoyed them, and you’re smart to do a practice run, as yeast bread is part art!
I tried making these with Better Batter for flour and they were unedible. I had to throw them out. Extremely hard on the outside and a crumbly good mess on the inside. I checked the internal temperature as suggested in the recipe and it was correct.
I’m not sure how I can help, Doreen, since that sounds frustrating, but you haven’t given me any details that could potentially help you troubleshoot. This recipe has a 65%+ hydration ratio, which would not result in anything dry unless you have severely lowered the hydration by making ingredient substitutions, measuring improperly, incorporating too much flour into the raw dough when you shape it, letting the dough dry out during rising, etc. It works when made as written, and I’m afraid your results don’t represent having done that.
I never know why I’m surprised as everything I’ve tried making on this site is wonderful – but these were really, surprisingly good! My son (a lot of allergies, but not gluten-free) was amazed at how good they were – he is always my tester for gluten-free foods and it passed his test (he ate 5 of them himself).
That’s so wonderful to hear, Jennifer! Thank you so much for sharing that. And that’s big praise from a discerning, gluten-eating taste tester!
I tried these rolls, but it was more like a batter than a dough. I could not work it with my hands. What did I do wrong?
I’m afraid there are so many factors that I couldn’t begin to know, Tori, where you deviated from the recipe as written. I’d take a close look at your gluten free flour blend (you must use one of my recommended blends), measuring by weight, and any other substitutions you may have made.
I have a tapioca allergy as I am allergic to anything in the legume or lentil family. Could I substitute potato starch here?
Please see the text of the post under the heading “What’s the best gluten free flour for these gf dinner rolls?” where I discuss how you might be able to avoid additional tapioca starch, but then you wouldn’t be able to use Better Batter either, so I’m afraid you probably can’t make these rolls.
Hi Nicole. I made these rolls a couple of days ago and didn’t find they came out fluffy at all. I used the Mock Better Batter blend that contains pectin, but all the other ingredients were as listed. I always weigh my ingredients. I baked to an internal temperature to 190 as well, even though traditional doughs are baked until about 205. They taste fine, but they are pretty dense. Could it have been the blend I used? Also, just wanted to ask if you would please also list the weighed measurements of the liquids. You do for the dry ingredients in grams, but the liquids in liquid ounces. Not all liquid measuring cups are created equal either. Weights are more consistent. Thanks for continuing to create recipes for us folks who cannot tolerate wheat and/or gluten.
It’s not possible to list the weight of milk in a meaningful way, Siena, since it varies pretty significantly by weight. That’s why it’s not listed using ounces, but instead using fluid ounces. It also sounds like your yeast wasn’t fresh, or you simply didn’t allow them to rise long enough. Without knowing more, I’m afraid those are my only suggestions. Everyone says that they followed the recipe precisely, but it’s rare that that’s the case, and I can’t know where you deviated from the recipe as written, sometimes with not allowing the bread to rise fully, other times with an oven that runs hot or cold, other times with a different flour blend. There’s no standard internal temperature for yeast bread that works across all types of yeast bread, so I have to disagree with you there.
I made this recipe per instructions and it did rise, but was difficult to form into individual balls. I dusted very lightly with the flour the board and my fingers every time and used a large knife to separate the portions scraping it and cleaning it after each cut. Then I used the powdered sides to tuck the ends in and drop it into a pan (touching each other. It worked and once I got past that baked it and was able to offer it to the family (did not tell them it was GF) for picnic pulled pork sandwiches. It is delicious, and I cut the leftover rolls in ½, wrapped in parchment paper in freezer bag and used them as needed for the the next month out of the freezer pulling out the rolls and letting them sit on the counter for 20 minutes to defrost, then throwing them in the microwave for 15 seconds (for 2) to heat up and they are just as good as when pulled from the oven. I just wish I could have more manageability with the dough but after years of working with GF Flours mixtures, this is the best results I have gotten as well as the taste I was used to from regular bread. Thanks for your efforts to help GF not be a burden.
I’m glad you enjoyed the rolls, Cindy. I’m sure you’ll get there with more practice. There’s a feel to working with yeast bread, especially gluten free since it really is unavoidably somewhat different, that can’t really be taught, but has to be practiced. I would also really caution you to always measure by weight, always avoid substitutions, especially with flour, and be sure your ingredients are at the temperature as instructed.
Just learning to bake and your recipes are so easy to follow. I appreciate your foot notes too and other suggestions.
That’s so kind of you to say, Rebeca, and that’s the best thing I could hear! I’m so happy you find the guidance useful.
thank you so much. I am just learning to back.