Making gluten free hamburger buns or hot dog buns might seem like a Herculean task, but I promise you that it’s easy! I can’t wait for you to try this recipe — you’ll never go back to store-bought or frozen gluten free buns again. There’s just no reason to settle when it’s this simple to make amazing gluten free buns.
I love this gluten free hamburger buns recipe because it’s so easy and reliable. Imagine having fluffy and light gluten free hamburger buns anytime you wanted them! No more hockey puck frozen buns for you, my friend. Promise me you’ll leave those sad days behind!
If I asked you to close your eyes and picture the perfect hamburger or hot dog buns, I bet you’d imagine light and fluffy bread with air pockets throughout, a smell of yeasty goodness filling the kitchen and a little touch of crust on the top.
If that’s pretty much your perfect hamburger or hot dog bun, then you’re going to love this gluten free recipe!
I use these little English Muffin rings for my buns, but you could use a bun pan made for this purpose, mason jar rings, or just shape rings out of aluminum foil. A hot dog bun pan is also a great investment if your family really loves their dogs!
*For more information on bun pan options and how to use them to make buns, hop to my blog post all about tricks for making the best gluten free hamburger buns!*
Just look at the rise on these yummy buns!
Once you have the pans you need, you’ll need the best recipe, right? Well you know I’ve got you covered!
It all starts with my light and smooth award winning gfJules Flour. You can’t make light and fluffy buns with gritty or heavy gluten free flours; this isn’t alchemy — it’s baking! So use my gfJules Flour for the results pictured here, or your bread may wind up dense, dry and crumby, and who wants that? (If you’d rather use my gfJules Bread Mix, go here for that recipe!)
Some of the other ingredients I’ve suggested for this recipe include naturally gluten free beer (the bubbles are excellent for making airy breads but feel free to just use your favorite milk instead). I really like the hoppy aroma of gluten-free beer in recipes like this, and the color is gorgeous in bread.
If you’re interested in trying gluten-free beer as a baking ingredient for recipes like this one, check my Gluten Free Beer Tasting Notes to find another option or simply use milk, gingerale or just use sparkling water. The flavor of the bread will change depending on the ingredient you use, so have fun experimenting!
Other surprise ingredients include mashed potato flakes (sometimes called instant mashed potatoes or boxed mashed potatoes) or coconut milk powder (or of course you can just use regular milk powder). You can even use … are you ready for this!!? Instant vanilla pudding powder!! Crazy, right? But it works and you can find it in any grocery store — the instant mashed potatoes are in any grocery store, too, actually. You just have to decide if you want your bread to be on the sweeter side, like a Hawaiian Bread, since the vanilla pudding powder will definitely add some sweetness.
Seriously! They all work really well in this recipe, and if you ever have a hard time finding random ingredients for a gluten free recipe, you’ll appreciate that mashed potato flakes are super easy to find at any grocery store. Just buy the plain ones without extra flavoring (make sure they’re gluten free and dairy free if you need that too). Combined with my soft, grit-free gfJules Flour, you’ll have the best buns on the block!
One other option in the spirit of easy gluten free buns, if you’ve got my gfJules Gluten Free Bread Mix on hand, all you need to add is your choice of liquids — no other dry ingredients necessary! Hop to my recipe for gluten free hamburger buns using my gfJules Bread Mix!
If you need your buns to be egg-free (vegan), that’s totally ok. Check out my article on recommended egg substitutes for more ideas, but I like using flaxseed meal and water in place of eggs in this recipe.
If you’re making this recipe dairy-free and without eggs, when you get to the part about brushing the tops before baking, choose a vegan or dairy-free milk or just use oil. If you can use eggs, a mixture of 1 egg and a tablespoon of water makes a lovely golden sheen on top of the buns and helps any toppings stick.
Brushing the tops of the buns with egg wash, oil or milk makes a huge difference in the final color of this bread. Golden brown is what you’re going for, but don’t over-bake them waiting for them to brown. A convection setting can also help with color, but either way, these buns only take 8-10 minutes to bake.
Look how airy these buns are! Light as a feather!
Another fun way to make these buns is to make them as sliders.
Check out how cute these little guys can be on an appetizer tray — bite sized burgers are the best!
I made these with Hilary’s Eat Well* gluten free and vegan veggie bites. They are the perfect size for homemade gluten free hamburger buns when you make them in mini muffin pans.
If you’d like to see how I made buns of every size, check out this video below of me showing how to make them.
Make them big for large burgers or small for sliders – you choose!
Or yes, you can even make them into gluten free hot dog buns!
However you make them though, these gluten free hamburger or hot dog buns will make every burger (or dog) better!
{Go to this recipe if using my gfJules Bread Mix instead}
Gluten Free Hamburger Buns or Hot Dog Buns Recipe
Gluten Free Hamburger Buns or Hot Dog Buns Recipe
These light and airy gluten free hamburger buns or hot dog buns put the yum back in burgers and dogs!
Ingredients
- 10 oz. milk OR sparkling water OR gluten-free beer OR club soda OR gingerale – room temperature
- 3 large eggs brought to room temperature (or egg substitute)
- 3 Tbs. olive oil
- 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tbs. honey or agave nectar
- 2 3/4 cups (371 gr.) gfJules™ All Purpose Gluten Free Flour
- 1/4 cup dry milk powder/non-dairy milk powder OR coconut milk powder OR plain mashed potato flakes (16 gr.) OR GF instant vanilla pudding powder**
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 1 Tbs. granulated cane sugar
- 2 1/4 tsp. rapid rise or bread machine yeast
- extra olive oil or egg wash or milk (dairy or soy, coconut or hemp work well) for brushing on rolls
- sesame seeds, poppy seeds or other topping of choice (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare English Muffin rings, mason jar lids or bun pans by oiling lightly. Place the rings on a parchment-lined baking sheet and set aside. Or, if you have a hamburger bun pan, oil the pan well and set it aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, apple cider vinegar and honey.
- In another large bowl, whisk all dry ingredients except yeast (gfJules Flour, salt, milk powder/potato flakes and sugar). With mixer on low speed, slowly pour the dry ingredients into the liquids to combine.
- Continue beating while slowly pouring in the milk or sparkling water (or other beverage) to mix. Once incorporated, add the yeast. Beat until the batter is smooth, then increase mixing speed and beat for 3-4 minutes.
- Spoon batter into oiled rings or pans, filling no more than half-way up. Smooth the tops with a wet rubber spatula. Don’t make the buns too large at this stage, unless you’re looking for kaiser rolls!
- Brush all buns lightly with olive oil, egg wash or milk and sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired.
- Cover with oiled wax paper or parchment and let rise in a warm, moist place for 30 minutes (an oven preheated to 200 F, then turned off, with a bowl of water in the oven to add moisture, is a good option). Do not let the rolls rise more than double their size, or they will rise too much to support themselves and may collapse when cooling.
- When the rolls have risen, bake at 375º F (static) or 350º F (convection) for approximately 10-12 minutes (for mini buns, start checking at 7 minutes). The internal temperature of the rolls should be approximately 205 – 210º F and a toothpick inserted into the centers should come out dry with only crumbs attached. The rolls should have risen above the tops of the pans, and will be golden brown with a nice crust.
- Remove to cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then gently remove from the pans and serve with your favorite burger!
Notes
** with any of the milk powder substitutes offered, make sure they are gluten free. Measure out 1/4 cup by spooning into a cup measure and leveling off. The vanilla pudding powder can be found in any grocery store. Jello brand is an option most can find but it will make the buns taste sweeter, like Hawaiian Bread. Mashed potato flakes/instant mashed potatoes can also be found in any grocery store, but opt for plain unless you like the flavors, and be sure they're gluten free!
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Nutrition Information
Yield 9 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 390Total Fat 20gSaturated Fat 9gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 10gCholesterol 99mgSodium 506mgCarbohydrates 40gFiber 2gSugar 18gProtein 10g
Please keep in mind that nutrition information provided is per serving, which may vary. While we have taken care to provide you with the most accurate nutritional values possible, please note that this information may differ significantly depending on the exact ingredients and brands that you choose to use to make this recipe. Additionally, where options are given for ingredients, the resulting calculation may include all ingredient options instead of only one per line, skewing the totals significantly.
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*As with any of my posts, some links may lead to affiliate sites or codes. Purchasing anything through those links will not cost you any more, but some meager percentage of the sale may come back to help fund this site. You can read my full disclosure policy here. *I’ve also partnered with Hilary’s Eat Well to use their products. As always, all opinions are my own. See my disclosure policy for more information. Working with select brands I love allows me to keep bringing you free recipes, and I hope that in the process, you’ll learn about some of the safe gluten free products I choose for my family. Thanks so much for your support!
Jules, I just made hamburger buns from the GF Beer Bread recipe and they are heavenly! I had made the loaf for St. Paddy’s Day and it was delicious. I have been craving a “real” hamburger for ages and decided to try the recipe for hamburger buns. What a treat! My buns are beautiful! Thanks so much for your flour. I tried to make my much requested Almond Puff with it and had great results without a bit of modification. So good I just ordered 2 more bags of your flour! I am a scratch baker and am so excited to be able to once again bake and be able to eat my own creations!
Oh Maey Ellen, that’s music to my ears! I’m thrilled that you are making delicious recipes again and that my flour has helped bring joy back to your baking. Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know. Happy Baking!!!
~jules
I made hamburger buns today and happy to say they not only turned out beautifully but
are lighter, fluffier than other recipes and flour blends I have tried. The recipe as is was great but next time I will add the entire teaspoon of salt since I tend to be cautious and cut back a bit until I’ve tried the recipe. I must have read a slightly different method and did not add the honey since I used ginger ale instead of beer, but next time I will use beer and honey since I think the added flavor of both would be very good. These are just personal tweaks and do not change the recipe as written which is great. Thanks for your efforts to improve gluten free living….much appreciated!!
So glad they turned out so well for you, Betty! I’m thrilled that you didn’t give up on having light and fluffy hamburger buns and now you know you can have them whenever you like! As long as I know people are using my products and recipes and loving the results, I’ll keep working to create more. Thanks for letting me know!
~jules
Jules, I made the hamburger buns today and they are YUMMY!!! Your flour worked great and the recipe was perfect. I did use a different beer in the recipe; New Grist. Can’t wait to purchase the hot dog pan so I can make those rolls. Thanks for all you do to make it easier for us to bake gluten free.
That’s fantastic to hear, Pat! A hot dog bun pan is on my holiday list too (Santa, please?!?!) 🙂
~jules
I’d like to try this recipe, but they don’t recommend xanthum gum for Crohns patients. The GF flour you recommend, is there xanthum (or guar or any type of) gum in the mix?
Hi Jill, in my pre-made gfJules Gluten Free All Purpose Flour there is a small amount of xanthan gum — much less than in most any other GF flour recipe or blend because I am using a modified tapioca starch which allows me to significantly reduce any gums needed. However, there is still some xanthan gum in the blend. I hope that answers your question – you can find out more about it here.
All the best,
~jules
Hey Jules,
When I baked the GF Soda Bread in a loaf pan, it’s pretty yes, but it falls apart when sliced. When you bake your bread, does it fall apart easily as it would in a muffin? I’d like to get it so it can be sliced for toast and as sandwich bread. Thanks, Claire
Hi Claire, it sounds like maybe it was overcooked? It doesn’t fall apart when sliced, but then again, Soda Bread tends to be more crumbly than regular bread (gluten free or not). You can see from the photos that it’s sliceable. Are you using my gfJules Flour for the recipe, because that would definitely make a difference.
Let me know!
~jules
My daughter in law is allergic to nickel which is found in almost everything. She is also allergic to milk. That problem we can overcome. My granddaughter is allergic to milk and egg white. Needless to say we are having a hard time. Can I substitute applesauce for the oil? Will egg replacement be ok. PS I have a wheat allergy. Just ordered your sample flour.
Hi Debby, happy to help however I can, and I’m glad to hear you’ll be trying my flour — I think you’ll find it makes a lot of things much easier and more successful! As for the egg replacer, in yeast breads, I like to use flaxseed meal and water which works well here. Here is more information on egg subs. The applesauce for oil should work, but the bread will be more dense. Is there another oil that will work for your needs?
~jules
I was just wondering what the powdered milk does in gluten free bread/bun recipes? Thanks!
Hi Khandi – the powdered milk helps to give the flour tenderness and structure so that when they rise, they won’t collapse. Hope that helps!
~jules
I prepared hamburger buns today using ginger ale. I can not thank you enough. So tasty and light. I am Celiac and your web page saves me. I also am a weight watcher member and now can enjoy my meals.
Yay! So happy to hear it, Mary Jo!!!!
~jules
Hi Jules
I love all your recipes!! But I’m having sort of a problem getting my brad to rise?? I followed your instructions to a T, several times and just can’t get the hang of it and wondering if it’s the elevation where I live? I’m in Payson, AZ at 5000ft, is this making it difficult to get the recipes to turn out like they should and if so, please give me some pointers as to what I can do to correct this issue.
Hi Sussi – I am copying my response here to your question on the other post, just in case you only see one. I’m sorry you’re having difficulty with the breads rising. This article might help you with some high altitude GF baking tips. Also, this article on baking GF breads. I would first look to your leavening agents: yeast, baking soda, baking powder. Are they fresh? Next time you try a yeast bread recipe, proof the yeast first following the directions in my Top 18 Bread Baking Tips. What kind of pans are you using? Do you let them rise long enough? Is there too much liquid? These are all considerations, particularly at altitude. After reviewing those articles, if you still have problems, please don’t hesitate to email us at Support@gfJules.com and I can walk through your method with you as well, so we can figure out what might be going wrong. Hope all this helps! I want you to have yummy, fluffy breads!
~jules
Just wondering how to use the hot dog pan for hot dog buns, do you just cut them into buns after they are baked?
Hi Loralee – I think most of the hotdog pans bake them in individual buns and you just slice them in half before using them. I hope that helps! ENJOY the recipe!!!
~jules
Hello i was wondering which gluten free non dairy milk powder do you use ? Since i couldn’t find one . Thank you Yafit Gitterman-Tirosh
Hi Yafit, this is the one I prefer: Vance’s DariFree (it’s potato based).
Cocoanut milk powder is lactose free and is sold at “Bulk Barn” in Canada. This is a good substitute for regular powdered milk.
Jules, I met you in Lakeland, Fl. At the gluten free seminar. Imagine my surprise when I discovered you are in my hometown. I ordered your flour, and am anxious to try it. I have several different varieties now, but am looking forward to being able to use just one. Your Hamburg recipe sounds good, I, too hate the hockey puck ones, so I usually eat it without any bread. What are the muffin pans you spoke of? I have some pans that are very shallow, is that what I would use?
Thank you.
Oh my goodness, Doris – what a small world!!!
I can’t wait to hear how you like my flour – it is lifechanging to be able to have one flour to rely on again (it’s like having GF Gold Medal flour on your shelf!). For the pans, you could use muffin top pans or if you have muffin pans the size of the buns you like, just don’t fill them all the way (maybe only 1 1/2 inches deep or so, allowing for rise). You could also use mason jar rings, which make great rings for buns if you lay them out onto parchment lined baking sheets. Get creative and enjoy having delicious bread again!!!
~jules
Jules, as soon as I receive the flour, I shall make the hamburger buns and report back. I was real tempted to come to your establishment when I was there in May, but there was a slight problem in the city. Is it a store where people can make purchases where you are? If so, I shall make an effort to visit it the next time I am up home.
.
Hey, it surely is a small world, as I too am in Lakeland FL. I’ve recently found out that I have a liver disease, stage 2 and the doc’s suggested I go GF as well. I’ve not tried your flour as of yet, I am looking forward to it. Instead of the tins, I have used large tuna cans and they work just great. Jules, I thank you from my heart, you’ve saved me with your cookbook and website, I am not a forever follower.
Thank you.
I was wondering in your experience if these freeze well?
Hi Amy,
They sure do! Just let them cool completely and then freeze in freezer zip-top bags. Thaw at room temp or wrap in a towel and microwave at low power or put into the oven or toaster from the freezer. Enjoy!
~jules
Would this work in a muffin top pan or would they be too big? I am anxious to try it.
Hi Margaret, I think the muffin top pan would work just fine, just be sure not to overfill the muffin cups. Let me know how it works out!
~jules
Any alternate way to make this without yeast? I seem to have terrible reactions whenever I eat anything with yeast, even if gluten-free. I’m wondering about using a sourdough starter but not sure how to go about that. Any suggestions are appreciated.
Good question, Mary! I’m not sure about the sourdough starter, to be honest, as I’m only now working with starters myself, and I’m hesitant to give you advice about subbing one in for this recipe. It’s certainly possible to replace the yeast with 2 tsp. baking powder and 1 tsp. baking soda; the texture will be different from a yeasted texture, but they should still taste good. Another option is to use my yeast-free sandwich bread recipe from my book, Free for All Cooking, and bake as buns. That would be mighty tasty!
Let me know what you decide to do – I’m curious how they’ll turn out for you!
~jules
Jules, just made your hamburger buns and they are awesome! I haven’t had a hamburger on a bun since finding that I was a celiac 12 years ago except for attempting those frozen pucks once – and once was enough. Thanks so much for all your recipes and your flour mixture – everything I’ve tried has turned out delicious.
Oh Michael, that is music to my ears! I’m so happy to hear you’ve found a way to not have to suffer through hockey pucks any longer! Having REAL soft bread is a game changer and I’m so happy for you!!! Thanks for taking the time to share your successes with me!
~jules
Will this work with a New England style hot dog pan? Can I just let them rise, or do I have to cover pan with sheet pan and weight down?
Many sites recommend that, and i have wasted so many ingredients because they are so dense, and too short to allow for a wiener and condiments inside.
Hi Cecilia, one of my readers used this New England style hot dog pan with great success. She recommends making 1 1/2 of this recipe to fill the pan. Don’t know about covering with a sheet pan to weigh it down during the rise — that sounds odd to me and certainly I wouldn’t do that the first time around. If they are rising too much, then it’s time to bake them! Gluten free yeast doughs behave differently from gluten doughs, so I steer clear of directions for gluten yeast breads. This recipe makes light and airy bread, not dense or heavy buns, so I think you’ll really like it in that pan if you use my flour and follow the directions I give. Make sure to come back and let me know how it goes!
~jules
Using beer to aerate bread? Now that’s genius! I feel like I should have known that was possible (I mean, soda for sodabread, right?) but it never occurred to me until I read your post! I’m going to have to remember your muffin rings tip too!
I can’t wait to hear how your new favorite ingredient works out, Pug!
~jules