Gluten free pumpkin cinnamon rolls that are made without any yeast, so there's no rising time at all. Celebrate the best of fall with these sweet, perfectly spiced buns!
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The best gluten free pumpkin cinnamon rolls
Once it's still all-pumpkin-all-the-time season, I feel completely comfortable … asking you to make more pumpkin butter. Or, just buy some. Trader Joe's makes a lovely version during the fall. Either way, you're gonna need some.
This is a recipe that I adapted from my Quickest, Yeast-Free Gluten-Free Cinnamon Bun recipe from my second cookbook, which means that we began with a recipe without yeast, unlike our classic gluten free cinnamon rolls. But trust me when I tell you that it doesn't work well to just swap out pumpkin butter for some of the moisture in the original recipe. I mean, they were edible, but not up to snuff.
I've done a lot of tweaking to this recipe to get it just right. Follow my instructions, and you'll end up with fluffy, soft cinnamon rolls that are bursting with delightful pumpkin spice flavor.
Key ingredients
- Gluten free flour – I developed this pumpkin cinnamon rolls recipe using Better Batter, my go-to gluten-free flour blend. You may have success using a different blend, but I can't guarantee any results because I haven't tried any others.
- Pumpkin pie spice – This is an ingredient I like to make myself to save money, but depending on how often you make gluten free pumpkin desserts, you may find it more convenient to just go with a store-bought tin. My recipe for making it myself is in the Notes section of the recipe card below.
- Pumpkin butter – My homemade pumpkin butter is similar to pumpkin pie filling in that the main ingredients are pumpkin puree, spices, and sweetener. But the ratios and even the consistency is different, so you can't swap out this ingredient for one of the others.
- Butter – We use quite a bit of butter in both the dough and the filling, so be sure to stock up before starting.
- Eggs – This recipe calls for three eggs, all of which give the pumpkin cinnamon rolls their structure and lift.
- Sugar -In addition to adding sweetness, sugar also tenderizes. For this pumpkin cinnamon roll recipe, we use granulated sugar for the dough and brown sugar for the filling.
How to make gluten free cinnamon pumpkin rolls
The dough rolls out easily, and then all that’s left to do is to cover it in filling, then roll it tight. For a nice clean edge, I like to trim the rectangle of any irregulars, and then slice the cylinder with a metal bench scraper or some unwaxed dental floss.
I have baked these yeast free gluten free pumpkin cinnamon rolls in a muffin tin, one roll per well, and in a round baking tin. Since they’re yeast-free rolls, they don’t swell like yeasted rolls do. I much prefer the muffin tin, since the wells of the tin help the rolls rise up and the layers press together, so there’s cinnamon-sugar in every corner.
When the pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls are done baking, I love slathering them in my homemade icing. If you prefer a cream cheese icing, you can make the one from my gluten free carrot cake recipe with softened cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar. Prefer a shortcut? You can buy a can of cream cheese frosting from the store. Betty Crocker has a gluten free option.
Whether you’re a fan of spring and summer only or you get “fall fever” every year like I do, the promise of warm, cinnamon-sugar goodness should make everything better. Just think of fall clothes, pumpkin patches, and jumping in a pile leaves. Better make a big batch of that pumpkin butter. You’re going to need it!
Tips for making gf pumpkin cinnamon rolls
Measure flour by weight
I find that in gluten free baking, measuring out ingredients by weight rather than volume can make a huge difference in the end result.
Of all the ingredients you work with, this rule is most important when it comes to gluten free flour. That's because this ingredient is the easiest to go overboard with.
When you use a measuring cup to scoop flour, you're compressing it into the cup as you drag it down and up. So even though it looks like you have one cup of flour, you may actually have much more.
Using too much flour for these gluten free cinnamon pumpkin rolls will cause the baked rolls to come out dryer and tougher.
The best way to prevent this is to measure by weight; that is, use a kitchen scale rather than just a measuring cup.
Flour your work surfaces
The dough for these perfect pumpkin cinnamon rolls can be somewhat to quite sticky. To keep from tearing or stretching out your dough after you rolled it out into a rectangle, be sure to flour your work surface with more Better Batter.
How much flour is enough? You don't have to have piles of it, but you do want to ensure that your entire working area is covered in a very thin layer.
Spread your filling to the edges
As you spread the filling on your cinnamon roll dough, you may be tempted to stay away from the edges to keep clean later when you're ready to roll.
Resist this urge, because covering as much of the surface as possible with filling is the only way to ensure that every inch of your baked cinnamon pumpkin rolls comes out gooey with the good stuff.
Get a clean cut with floss
Dental floss? In the kitchen? You'd be surprised how helpful a strand of unwaxed floss can be when baking.
For this recipe, we use it when portioning out the gluten free cinnamon rolls. Wrapping the dental floss around the roll and then pulling the two ends over one another as if you were about to tie a shoe lace creates a very clean cut. And it’s good, clean fun to be honest.
Of course, you could use a knife for the step, but it would have to be very sharp to keep from squishing your rolls. The floss will never do that.
How to store leftover gluten free pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls
As with many baked goods, these pumpkin cinnamon rolls tend to dry out and become stale after a few days. They're best enjoyed fresh and warm, but if you do have extras you'd like to enjoy tomorrow or the next day, make sure they're completely cool before putting them inside an airtight container.
If you've made more cinnamon rolls then you can eat in a day or two, you can freeze the leftovers to enjoy weeks or even months down the road. Again, make sure they're completely cool before wrapping them tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil before placing them in a zip top bag.
Let them defrost in the fridge overnight, and then heat them up in the microwave for about 20 seconds before eating.
GF pumpkin cinnamon rolls: substitutions
Gluten free, dairy free pumpkin cinnamon rolls
This pumpkin cinnamon rolls recipe calls for butter and milk, but it should be easy to sub out these ingredients to make gf, df pumpkin cinnamon rolls.
In place of the butter, try using vegan butter. My favorite brands are Miyoko's Kitchen and Melt. For the milk, you can substitute an equal amount of dairy free milk, like almond milk or coconut milk.
Gluten free, egg free pumpkin cinnamon rolls
This gluten free pumpkin roll recipe calls for three eggs, which is above my threshold for substituting with chia eggs. Unfortunately, that means I don't have any good suggestions for making this an egg free recipe.
FAQs
Are cinnamon rolls gluten free?
No, regular cinnamon rolls are not gluten free because they're usually made with wheat flour. To make these pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls, we use a gluten free flour blend and a gf recipe that's properly balanced for it so your cinnamon rolls taste just like their conventional counterpart.
Is pumpkin puree gluten free?
Yes, canned pumpkin puree is gluten free, so you won't have any problems making your own pumpkin butter. The only ingredient in puree is pumpkin. If you see other ingredients, like sugar or spices, you're likely holding a can of pumpkin pie filling, which is a different product.
Do I have to use pumpkin butter to make these gluten free cinnamon rolls?
If you want these easy pumpkin cinnamon rolls to come out as good as I know they can be, you do have to use pumpkin butter. Substitutes like pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie filling, while made up of the same base ingredients, don't have same flavors or moisture content.
How do you know when these cinnamon rolls with pumpkin filling are done?
You'll know that these pumpkin cinnamon rolls are done when they're brown on the outside and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
How do you keep gluten free pumpkin cinnamon rolls soft?
These gf pumpkin rolls will start to harden and go stale after a few days. You can save them for tomorrow or the next day by storing them in an airtight container. Keep them on your counter, as putting them in the refrigerator will only speed up the hardening process.
Can you make these gluten free pumpkin rolls in advance?
Yes, there are a couple of ways you can prepare these gluten-free cinnamon rolls to enjoy later.
The first is to prepare them as instructed, and then place the unbaked, shaped rolls in the refrigerator until you're ready to bake. Use this method if you're making the cinnamon rolls the night before. As there's no yeast in recipe, you don't have to worry about proofing these overnight pumpkin cinnamon rolls.
The next option is to bake the cinnamon rolls, allow them to cool completely, and then wrap and freeze them for longer storage. Using this method, you can be sure you always have pumpkin cinnamon rolls on hand for a quick breakfast.
Super Quick Gluten Free Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls, recipe below
Super Quick Gluten Free Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls—Yeast Free, Too!
Ingredients
For the rolls
- 3 ¾ cups (525 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend plus more for sprinkling (I used Better Batter; please click thru for full information on appropriate blends)
- 2 teaspoons xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (See Recipe Notes)
- 8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 5 ounces pumpkin butter store bought or homemade pumpkin butter, at room temperature
- 3 (150 g (weighed out of shell)) eggs at room temperature, beaten
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 3 fluid ounces milk at room temperature
For the filling
- ¾ cup (164 g) packed light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons (18 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend (I used Better Batter; please click thru for full information)
- 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (See Recipe Notes)
- 5 tablespoons (70 g) unsalted butter melted
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
For the icing (optional)
- 1 cup (115 g) confectioners’ sugar
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (See Recipe Notes)
- 1 tablespoon milk plus more by the 1/4 teaspoonful if necessary
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325°F. Grease the wells of a standard 12-cup muffin tin, and set the pan aside.
Make the dough for the rolls.
- In a medium-size bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt and pumpkin pie spice and whisk to combine well. Set the bowl aside.
- In a large bowl, place the butter and pumpkin butter, and beat to combine well with a handheld mixer or by hand.
- Add the eggs and sugar, and beat until smooth. The mixture will be thin.
- Add the flour mixture in two parts, alternating with the milk, beating until just combined after each addition. The dough will be thick and heavy.
Shape the dough.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface, and pat into a thick rectangle.
- Sprinkle the top of the dough lightly with more flour, and roll into a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Fold the dough over on itself into about a 5-inch square packet.
- Sprinkle both sides of the dough lightly with flour, and roll out again into a rectangle that is about 10-inches x 15-inches, and about 1/4-inch thick.
- With a pastry wheel, pizza cutter or a sharp knife, trim each of the four edges slightly, along the perimeter of the dough, to make a clean edge.
Make the filling.
- In a small bowl, place the light brown sugar, flour, pumpkin pie spice and salt, and mix to combine well.
- Add the melted butter, and mix to combine. The filling will be a thick paste.
Fill the roll dough and shape the rolls.
- Spread the filling in an even layer on top of the rectangle of dough, leaving 1/4-inch clean around the perimeter.
- Beginning at one of the 15-inch sides of the rectangle, roll the dough away from you tightly until it forms a cylinder.
- Using a metal bench scraper, sharp knife or unwaxed dental floss, slice the cylinder into 12 cross-sections, each about 1-inch thick.
- Place each cross-section of spiraled dough into a well of the prepared muffin tin and press gently down into the wells.
Bake the rolls.
- Place the pan in the center of the preheated oven and bake until the tops of the buns are lightly golden brown and the filling is bubbling (about 25 minutes).
- Remove the tin from the oven and allow the buns to cool briefly, until you can stand to touch the rolls before twisting the rolls back and forth a bit in each well to prevent them from sticking to the pan.
- Once the rolls have set, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the optional icing.
- In a small bowl, place the confectioners’ sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and 1 tablespoon of milk. Mix well until a thick paste forms.
- Add more milk by the 1/4-teaspoon, mixing to combine well, until the glaze falls off the spoon slowly, in a thick but pourable glaze.
- Add milk very slowly, as it is much easier to thin, than to thicken, the glaze. If you do thin the glaze too much, add more confectioners’ sugar a teaspoon at a time to thicken it.
- Drizzle or spread the icing on the cooled rolls before serving.
Notes
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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!
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