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!
I was so excited to make these yet I’m really disappointed at how they turned out. I followed everything to a T- no substitutions at all. I took them out at the 11 min mark and they read at 209. The bottoms are nice and brown but the tops are very light. They are SO dense and not at all fluffy- no way I could even cut one in half. Each one will need to be a top or bottom part of the bun. However, the flavor is yum! Tastes like a breadstick or dense dinner roll. What could I have possibly done differently to get a better result?
Hi Kimberly, this almost sounds like they didn’t rise? I’m wondering if maybe your yeast wasn’t active? Next time maybe trying proofing your yeast before adding just to be sure that it’s active because you just never know. The buns should definitely be light and fluffy and certainly not dense. Are you familiar with the process of proofing yeast?
~jules
Can you use this recipe to make a loaf of bread?
Hi Maria, I actually have a very similar recipe to make a loaf of bread! I’ll link to it for you here. It makes a lovely, light gluten free white bread. Enjoy!
~jules
If we can’t get quick rise yeast at this time can we use proofed dry active yeast instead?
Hi Menachem, you absolutely can! Check out this article on yeasts for tips on how to make that substitution in this and other recipes.
~jules
Jules, love your site! I love these buns, but I have to cook almost twice as long. I am at sea level, are you high up?
Hi Julie – thanks so much! I’m thrilled to hear you’re loving my site and recipes! Are you using my flour when you make these gluten free hamburger buns? Variables like ingredients (using eggs v. egg subs), bun size, pans, and even your oven can affect bake times (and yes, elevation!), but as long as you’ve figured out how long it takes to bake them properly for you, that’s really all that matters! Enjoy!
~jules
Julie, I had to bake mine twice as long as well and I live in Phoenix. They turned out AWESOME though!!
Interesting! I’m so glad you kept baking and testing and were able to reap the rewards of your good sense to just let them stay in the oven longer!!!
~jules
The flavor of these is very good, and so is the texture. But portioning out that amount of dough into 8 wide-mouth mason jar lids (a perfect substitute for buying bun molds) results in an overflow that needs to be trimmed once out of the oven. Next time I’ll use 10 lids, and I think the size will be perfect.
Hi Alicia, thanks for taking the time to leave your recipe notes! I’m sure they’ll be instructive for others using the mason jar lids!
So glad you loved the flavor and texture of these gluten free hamburger buns and are looking forward to making them again. And next time, sounds like you’ll get even more buns out of the recipe!
~jules
On a whim, I made this recipe, following all the directions, up to the beer. I beat in sourdough starter instead of the beer. The equal amount of starter to beer initially, but the dough was too stiff. I added enough additional starter to make a dough that was just soft enough to be spreadable. (I would estimate it was about twice the volume in the recipe.) The rest followed the recipe and the family was happy with the results.
I tried this recipe today. They turned out fantastic! Thank you for posting this on your site. So much better than anything you’ll buy at the store. And it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. I don’t know why I felt intimidated by the recipe, but once I made it I realized how easy it was.
That’s the best review to have, Cindy! I want everyone to feel that empowered to give recipes like these a try when they haven’t had the need/chance/gumption! to do so before. Once you do it the first time, you’ll see that making recipes like gluten free hamburger buns isn’t such a difficult task at all, and the rewards are such soft, wonderful bread that it’s so very worth it! Thank you for taking the time to let me know that you went for it and are reaping the yummy rewards! I can’t wait to hear what you try next! Happy baking!
~jules
I noticed that you don’t proof your yeast before you add it to the mix why is that?
Hi Melissa,
When baking gluten free breads, there’s not generally a need to proof the yeast, just as there’s not generally a need to use regular yeast. Quick rise/Rapid rise yeast works just as well and it speeds up the process. Feel free to prove the yeast if you’re more comfortable doing so — there’s no harm in doing that! Check out my article on baking gluten free breads for more information on why we can skip some steps and move more quickly when baking gluten free breads.
~jules
I have noticed there’s no xatham gum, is it already in the flour brand you use?
Hi Karen, yes, it’s all in my gfJules Flour! No need to add anything else! Here’s more information on the gfJules Flour blend and all the customer reviews.
Happy baking!
~jules
Question J – can we also make these using some of your bread mix? I always just use it in the bread machine, but these might be a nice change!
YES! My Bread Mix works great to make buns! Here’s a link to my gluten free hamburger buns recipe using my mix instead!
~jules
OK I see you have hamburger bun pan or form how do I do hot dogs?
Hi Garry, here’s a good hot dog bun pan for you. Enjoy!
~jules
Can I use my muffin top pan for these hamburg buns?
Yes! You’ll likely get more buns out of the recipe since the muffin top pans aren’t very deep. Enjoy!
~jules
Hi …this is amazing. I didn’t have milk powder so I used unflavored whey protein powder. They took almost 40 min to bake. Golden brown and moist.
What a great idea for a substitution, Ruth! So happy they turned out with that ingredient instead – thanks for letting me know!
~jules
Why the club soda etc? What does it do for the recipe? Can I use an alternative to these?
Peggy
Hi Peggy, you can use milk if you’d rather. I just like the airiness that comes with using bubbly liquid in my breads — they rise higher and are even lighter made this way.
~jules
can’t wait to try this
I tried to sign up for email. When I went to choose send all, the screen kept jumping back so I could never select. Also, as I was trying to read your recipes and info on your products, I kept getting ads from grocery stores, making it really hard to read.
Hi Maggie – I’m sorry you had troubles signing up. Who knows what ever goes on with technology?! 🙂 You can send an email to [email protected] and they can probably sign you up from there. Sometimes browsers act funny and it can be frustrating. Thanks for letting me know!
~jules
Hi Jules, I absolutely love your flower. I’ve tried others and it just doesn’t work right. That being said, My husband has celiac disease and I work full-time so I try to do all my baking on the weekends. Have you ever tried to double this recipe?
I forgot to say that my husband loves these buns. So I try to make a batch every weekend. Doubling this recipe would make it so much easier.
Thank you so much for creating such a wonderful flower for those who can no longer eat regular Baked goods.
Hi Christina – I’m so happy to hear that you love my flour and that you both love this recipe! Have you ever baked a double batch and frozen some? I always have some of these buns in the freezer and I pull one out when I want one to heat or toast. I put wax paper between the buns so they don’t stick. 🙂 You can certainly double the recipe if your mixer can handle the volume. Happy baking!
~jules
Hello, I can t wait to try your hot dog buns!My daughter has celiac disease and I want to make them without beer, I ll try soda water. But I read in your other post that you can substitute soda water for yoghurt?If so, how much should I use for this recipe? Will they turn out as good? Also, I don t have a hot dog pan yet, how can I form the dough with or without aluminum foil? From what I know, it s not very healthy to use it directly on food. Sorry for the length of this, but these hot dog buns would make my daughter very happy!
Hi Anna, I’m so glad you’re eager to try this recipe! You can use the same amount of yogurt in place of the sparkling water but the dough will be more dense. It will also stay moist longer, but won’t rise as much. As for shaping them, you could use aluminum foil lined with parchment paper if you don’t have pans. I hope that helps! Let me know what you decide to try and how it goes!
~jules