Warm, comforting gluten free yeast free cinnamon buns take no time at all, since they don't have to be left to rise. They're gooey and soft, and taste so sweet!
WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?
Why you'll love these yeast free cinnamon rolls
When you're sad about something and, say, eat your feelings, that works for, like, the moment that you're actually eating. That warm, cinnamon goodness all through the tender dough of the cinnamon roll might feel like love.
But what about baking for someone else? I'm telling you right now, as I've experienced this first hand more times than I can count, that that is love. It's not like every time my kids feel sad, I ply them with sugar. But when I know that cinnamon rolls are a favorite, and that saddest teenage child smells them baking in our kitchen?
LOVE. On both sides of that equation. The fact that you went out of your way to bake for someone feels like love for the baker and the eater. It just does.
And if you're worried about baking with yeast, these yeast free cinnamon rolls are the perfect place to start. Leavened only with baking powder and eggs, they're a sure thing. No finicky yeast to deal with!
Why you'll love these yeast free cinnamon rolls
The dough for these yeast free cinnamon rolls is smooth and even silky. With no more than a sprinkling here and there of flour as you work, it's truly a pleasure to roll out.
In just a few minutes, you're rolling up the dough. Then, all that's left is to slice it into 1-inch sections and nestle them into the wells of a muffin tin.
How to make clean slices for each cinnamon roll
You can slice the roll of dough into individual pieces with a sharp knife, or even a piece of unflavored, unwaxed dental floss. It's a great way to get razor-sharp edges without crushing the roll at all.
After just 25 minutes in the oven, they're done. Classic, fluffy and soft cinnamon buns, with that perfect buttery cinnamon-sugar filling bursting out of the center and making those edges almost crispy. A light drizzle of a simple glaze is all you need.
Yeast Free Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
For the dough
- 3 ½ cups (490 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend plus more as needed (please click thru for info on appropriate blends)
- 1 ½ teaspoons xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons (84 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2 (100 g (weighed out of shell)) eggs at room temperature, lightly beaten
- 1 cup (8 fluid ounces) milk at room temperature
For the filling
- 1 cup (218 g) light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter melted and cooled
For the glaze
- 1 cup (115 g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk plus more by the 1/4 teaspoonful if necessary
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease the wells of a standard twelve-cup muffin tin and set it aside.
Make the roll dough
- In a large bowl, place 3 1/2 cups (490 g) of the flour, the xanthan gum, baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and the granulated sugar, and whisk well.
- Add 6 tablespoons of the butter, the eggs, and the milk, and mix until the dough comes together.
- The dough should be smooth and relatively easy to handle.
- If the dough seems sticky, add more flour by the tablespoon and knead it in with well-floured hands until the dough is smooth.
Shape
- Turn the dough out onto a piece of lightly floured unbleached parchment paper.
- Sprinkle the dough very lightly with extra flour and roll it into a 12-inch by 15-inch rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick (no thinner).
- Trim any especially rough edges.
Make the filling and fill the dough.
- In a medium-size bowl, place all of the filling ingredients and mix to combine well.
- With a small offset spatula or large spoon, spread the filling in an even layer over the top of the rectangle of dough, leaving about 1/4 inch clean around the perimeter.
- Starting at a short side, roll the dough away from you into a tightly formed roll. Slice the roll in cross-section into twelve equal pieces, each about 1 inch thick.
- Place each roll in a well of the prepared muffin tin.
Bake
- Place the tin in the center of the preheated oven, and bake for about 25 minutes, or until the rolls begin to turn golden brown and the filling starts to bubble out of them.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool until the rolls are firm enough to handle (about 10 minutes), then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Be sure to remove the rolls from the muffin tin before they are completely cool, or they will begin to stick to the muffin tin.
Make the icing
- In a small bowl, place the confectioners’ sugar 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.
WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?
Yeast Free Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
For the dough
- 3 ½ cups (490 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend plus more as needed (please click thru for info on appropriate blends)
- 1 ½ teaspoons xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons (84 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2 (100 g (weighed out of shell)) eggs at room temperature, lightly beaten
- 1 cup (8 fluid ounces) milk at room temperature
For the filling
- 1 cup (218 g) light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter melted and cooled
For the glaze
- 1 cup (115 g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk plus more by the 1/4 teaspoonful if necessary
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease the wells of a standard twelve-cup muffin tin and set it aside.
Make the roll dough
- In a large bowl, place 3 1/2 cups (490 g) of the flour, the xanthan gum, baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and the granulated sugar, and whisk well.
- Add 6 tablespoons of the butter, the eggs, and the milk, and mix until the dough comes together.
- The dough should be smooth and relatively easy to handle.
- If the dough seems sticky, add more flour by the tablespoon and knead it in with well-floured hands until the dough is smooth.
Shape
- Turn the dough out onto a piece of lightly floured unbleached parchment paper.
- Sprinkle the dough very lightly with extra flour and roll it into a 12-inch by 15-inch rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick (no thinner).
- Trim any especially rough edges.
Make the filling and fill the dough.
- In a medium-size bowl, place all of the filling ingredients and mix to combine well.
- With a small offset spatula or large spoon, spread the filling in an even layer over the top of the rectangle of dough, leaving about 1/4 inch clean around the perimeter.
- Starting at a short side, roll the dough away from you into a tightly formed roll. Slice the roll in cross-section into twelve equal pieces, each about 1 inch thick.
- Place each roll in a well of the prepared muffin tin.
Bake
- Place the tin in the center of the preheated oven, and bake for about 25 minutes, or until the rolls begin to turn golden brown and the filling starts to bubble out of them.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool until the rolls are firm enough to handle (about 10 minutes), then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Be sure to remove the rolls from the muffin tin before they are completely cool, or they will begin to stick to the muffin tin.
Make the icing
- In a small bowl, place the confectioners’ sugar 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.
WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?
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!
Theresa says
I have all these ingredients sitting out to become room temperature and I’m so excited. Your book came just the other day and I’m so excited to have it!!! If we are dairy-intolerant (can’t do cheese), would a standard confectioner’s sugar icing work well?
gfshoestring says
Absolutely, yes, Theresa! You can try the glaze from the Plain Doughnuts, Yeast-Free, and use a nondairy milk to make a glaze. Thank you so much for picking up a copy of the book – it means a lot to me!
xoxo Nicole
Amee Berecz says
WOW love this idea of putting them in a muffin tin. Sharing on my page and pinning to my breakfast board. Thanks! Amee
phoebe says
holy mole-y, nicole! this look incredible…this weekend’s healthy indulgence, for sure! and i have to tell you…i’ve 2 batches of those pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese molasses frosting in 2 days…they are amazing!!! i didn’t have any molasses so i used a smidgen less of maple syrup…you are a genius!:)…phoebe
Nicole Hunn says
I never know if it’s holy moly or holy moley, Phoebe. Spellcheck prefers the former, but I’m not so sure… So glad you’re loving those cupcakes – mmmm maple syrup cream cheese frosting.
xoxo Nicole
phoebe says
holy mole-y, nicole! this look incredible…this weekend’s healthy indulgence, for sure! and i have to tell you…i’ve 2 batches of those pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese molasses frosting in 2 days…they are amazing!!! i didn’t have any molasses so i used a smidgen less of maple syrup…you are a genius!:)…phoebe
gfshoestring says
I never know if it’s holy moly or holy moley, Phoebe. Spellcheck prefers the former, but I’m not so sure… So glad you’re loving those cupcakes – mmmm maple syrup cream cheese frosting.
xoxo Nicole
Dana Schwartz says
You make it hard to decide what to make first! These are on the top of my list along with those gorgeous donuts on the cover of your new book (which I LOVE), but my little guy’s first birthday is tomorrow and I made your delish pumpkin butter today so I can make those yummy cupcakes with molasses frosting for him! Thanks for all the incredible recipes and encouragement. I’m already dreaming about your bread book, but no rush because I need time to practice from the first two :)
-Dana
gfshoestring says
Oh, happy first birthday to that little guy, Dana! I see you start them young on a love of pumpkin. Wise of you! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the new book, Dana, and thank you for always being so lovely and supportive!
xoxo Nicole
Nicole Hunn says
Oh, happy first birthday to that little guy, Dana! I see you start them young on a love of pumpkin. Wise of you! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the new book, Dana, and thank you for always being so lovely and supportive!
xoxo Nicole
Mariah11justice says
Congratulations on your new book !!!! And congrats to me because I received your new book last week and my entire gf family thanks you. Food has always been about love for me, and now with more yummy recipes I am sharing it with everyone. This week my daughters class had the pleasure of gf chocolate donuts and they all ate them! Every crumb!
gfshoestring says
How wonderful, Mariah! Sounds like a family affair – and being able to share it with her classmates and having them love those doughnuts – is just the best thing ever. :)
xoxo Nicole
kclark says
I see you have my Saturday morning breakfast planned for me. What a great friend you are!
gfshoestring says
I do what I can, friend. :)
xoxo Nik
Levka says
Cinnamon rolls of these kind were my favorite thing before going GF. My family ate them every holiday for breakfast. I love them with a delicious orange juice frosting. This is so on my holiday to-bake list. They look just right.
gfshoestring says
Sounds great, Levka. :)
xoxo Nicole
Cindy says
They look really good. I will have to try the recipe. Is there somewhere else besides Amazon that might have your new cookbook on e-book? I have your other book from there so it is on the kindle. Would like them both in the same place. Thanks for any help locating a e-version or if not, did they mention a how long before it would be available?
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Cindy,
The ebook for Quick & Easy is not available anywhere yet, I’m afraid, Cindy! Since I insisted upon reviewing the file myself before it went live (since ebooks are quite frequently riddled with errors as the current technology is quite awkward), it delayed things a bit. It should be live any minute, now, and I will be sure to let everyone know once I see it available! I’m so sorry for the wait, but I promise it will be worth it.
xoxo Nicole
Gran says
Don’t have problems with yeast-just eggs, dairy, soy, wheat, peanuts. Wish more of your recipes didn’t include eggs. Othe substituions are more easily made with good results.
Brandie G. says
Is this something that could be prepared and refrigerated overnight or even frozen before baking? I love your new book, and your first one, too!
Brandie G. says
Is this something that could be prepared and refrigerated overnight or even frozen before baking? I love your new book, and your first one, too!
Gran says
Don’t have problems with yeast-just eggs, dairy, soy, wheat, peanuts. Wish more of your recipes didn’t include eggs. Othe substituions are more easily made with good results.
Cindy says
They look really good. I will have to try the recipe. Is there somewhere else besides Amazon that might have your new cookbook on e-book? I have your other book from there so it is on the kindle. Would like them both in the same place. Thanks for any help locating a e-version or if not, did they mention a how long before it would be available?
gfshoestring says
Hi, Cindy,
The ebook for Quick & Easy is not available anywhere yet, I’m afraid, Cindy! Since I insisted upon reviewing the file myself before it went live (since ebooks are quite frequently riddled with errors as the current technology is quite awkward), it delayed things a bit. It should be live any minute, now, and I will be sure to let everyone know once I see it available! I’m so sorry for the wait, but I promise it will be worth it.
xoxo Nicole
gfshoestring says
I’m afraid that I am not proficient at all in baking egg-free, Gran. Eggs are extremely useful in gluten-free baking, I’m afraid. There are definitely other recipe-writers who concentrate on avoiding many other allergens, as you have to.
Nicole
gfshoestring says
It can definitely be prepared the night before and refrigerated, Brandie. I haven’t tried freezing it raw, but I can’t see why that wouldn’t work – just defrost it gently in the refrigerator before baking. I have frozen the buns as baked, and they turn out beautifully when they are reheated!
xoxo Nicole
Angela Shira says
LOVE I just have to convert to Dairy free and I will be on my way to devouring this. ♥
Linda says
Looks so yummy! This will be my Saturday morning project this weekend :)
Linda says
Looks so yummy! This will be my Saturday morning project this weekend :)
Angela Shira says
LOVE I just have to convert to Dairy free and I will be on my way to devouring this. ♥
gfshoestring says
Wait ’till you see how much time you have to spare when you make these, Linda!
xoxo Nicole
Jennifer S. says
I’m so excited to hear about your new bread book as I already have the “Quick & Easy” and have made a few things from it already! For the new bread book will you tackle whole grain GF breads as well as a low fat/high fiber GF bread recipe? LOVE YOUR STUFF and HUGS!!!
gfshoestring says
I will, Jennifer. I promise. Even the “whole grain” recipes will have starch in them, though, or they are just too dense, but there will absolutely be breads with plenty of whole grain. I just nailed a recipe for Pumpernickel-style GF bread the other day, and it’s very high in whole grains. :)
xoxo Nicole