Mmmm – gluten free cinnamon rolls. Just the name makes me drool a little — how about you?
We hear every day from readers who have used my gfJules® Gluten Free All Purpose Flour in their favorite family recipes, and how overjoyed they are to be able to enjoy these special recipes again with their families.
When Mindy G. wrote in to share these drool-worthy pictures of her gluten free cinnamon roll recipe though, I knew other readers would definitely want to try the recipe too! (What’s the difference between cinnamon rolls and cinnamon buns, by the way? I think these could safely be called either one ….)
What I didn’t know was just how many other readers would be clamoring for the recipe to make these gluten free cinnamon rolls when we shared her yummy pictures!
Lucky for all of us, Mindy was happy to share her family cinnamon rolls recipe. Mindy says she used her tried and true recipe “with only your gfJules Flour subbed in :)”
She also reports, “My gluten free friends I shared them with when I made them are begging for more! I told them to order your flour and they can make their own ;)”
Another reader shared her photo on Instagram (above) and reader Laura O., shared these photos of her before and after cinnamon rolls made from this recipe.
She rolled hers even thinner and loved the results!
I’ve now made this recipe many, many times myself, and have added my notes and some process photos for your reference.
If you’re put off by the large amount of flour required to make this recipe, or you and your thighs don’t want that many cinnamon rolls sitting around begging to be eaten, simply halve the ingredients — it works great!
I’ve added the half recipe amounts I used in (parenthesis) next to each ingredient for your reference….Although, then again, why halve this recipe? You’re just going to wish you’d made more!
How to Make Homemade Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls
Check out my videos to watch me walk you through making these yummy gluten free cinnamon rolls, step-by-step (so there’s no excuses not to make them yourself!)If you need or prefer a yeast-free gluten free cinnamon rolls recipe, I also have a 52-Minute Yeast Free Cinnamon Buns Recipe that will blow your mind! Totally different texture from these yeasty ones, but equally sweet and yummy and the method is very similar.
The steps (as you saw in the video are really simple when you’re using my gfJules Flour because it stretches and makes it easy to roll out and up! (Don’t try this recipe with store-bought rice-based blends or bean-based blends or the rolls won’t taste good and it won’t be easy to roll out and roll up.)
Simply roll out the dough and sprinkle on the fillings. Then roll it up on itself ….
Then you just cut them into the size rolls you prefer ….
Then set them aside to rise ….
Then bake them ….
Then ice them!
Then just look at this gorgeous result!
Many thanks to Mindy for sharing her now famous Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls recipe! I can’t wait to see YOUR gluten free cinnamon rolls! And speaking of sharing, what recipes do you wish you could make again, gluten free? What are you waiting for? With my gfJules Flour, anything is possible!
Do you have a family favorite that you’ve already converted to gluten free just by using my gfJules® Flour? I’d love to hear all about it, or better yet, share a picture in the comments below!
Here’s one more look at these drool-worthy gluten free cinnamon rolls. I whipped these up in no time on Easter morning. They really are just TOO EASY. You’ll see when you make them and wonder where they’ve been all your life!
Two Make Ahead Options for Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls
Refrigerate Unbaked Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls Overnight
For this make ahead option, rise the gluten free cinnamon rolls as the recipe specifies, then cover with oiled cling wrap then foil. Make sure the pan is sealed well to keep moisture in, but don’t smash the rolls! Refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
When ready to bake, remove the pan to come to room temperature for 30 minutes while preheating the oven, then remove the foil and wrap before baking. The rolls may require extra bake time if the dough is still cold, so test with a toothpick before removing from the oven and cover with foil, if necessary, to prevent the tops from over-cooking.
Also Try my Overnight Earl Grey Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls Recipe! The Earl Grey Tea is optional, the overnight part is brilliant!
Freeze Unbaked Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls
For this make ahead option, roll and cut the rolls as the recipe specifies and rise them, then wrap loosely with oiled cling wrap until they come to room temperature (unless you rose them at room temperature). Then wrap on top with foil, sealing well.
Freeze them in the pan (make sure there’s room in your freezer!). They can stay in the freezer for up to 2 weeks. The night before you want to bake them, place the pan in the refrigerator overnight.
The morning you intend to bake the rolls, take the pan out of the refrigerator, remove the foil and loosen the cling wrap so it’s just laying gently on top of the rolls. Set out while you preheat the oven, then bake according to the directions.
The rolls may require extra bake time if the dough is still cold, so test with a toothpick before removing from the oven and cover with foil, if necessary, to prevent the tops from over-cooking.
Mindy’s Famous Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Mindy's Famous Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
There's hardly ANYTHING better than a homemade cinnamon roll. And these gluten free cinnamon rolls are no exception! Light, airy, sweet and melt-in-your-mouth delicious ... just like they're supposed to be! Be sure to use my gfJules Flour so the dough is rollable, never gritty and no one will suspect they're gluten free!
Ingredients
DOUGH {Half Recipe amounts noted in parenthesis}
- 1 cup {1/2 cup} room temp buttermilk (or non-dairy milk with 1/2 Tbs. lemon juice or white vinegar added)
- 1/4 cup {2 Tbs} melted butter (or vegan butter like Earth Balance® Buttery Sticks)
- 3 Tbs* {1 packet} quick rise OR regular yeast like Red Star® or Fleischmann’s® (Jules’ note: do NOT use Red Star® Platinum yeast, as it is not gluten-free)
- 5 1/2 cups (=742 grams) {2 3/4 cup = 371 grams} gfJules® Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
- 1/2 cup {1/4 cup} sugar
- 1/2 Tbs {1 tsp} salt
- 2 eggs OR 2 Tbs. flaxseed meal steeped in 6 Tbs. warm water {1 egg OR 1 Tbs. flaxseed meal steeped in 3 Tbs. warm water}
- 1 cup+ {1/2 cup+ 3 Tbs.} warm water
FILLING
- 4 Tbs butter, melted {2 Tbs} (or vegan butter like Earth Balance® Buttery Sticks)
- 1/2 cup - 3/4 cup {1/4 cup+} brown sugar
- 1/2 cup - 3/4 cup {1/4 cup+} sugar
- 2 Tbs - 3 Tbs. {1 Tbs+} cinnamon
FROSTING
- 1/4 cup {2 Tbs} butter, softened (or vegan butter like Earth Balance® Buttery Sticks)
- 3 cups {1 1/2 cups} sifted powdered sugar
- 1 tsp {1/2 tsp} pure vanilla extract
- enough milk to make spreading consistency
- dried cranberries or raisins (optional)
Instructions
Pro tip: Open a separate window and watch my how-to video to follow along with this recipe!
- Preheat oven to 200 F to rise the rolls.
- To make vegan buttermilk, add lemon juice to vegan milk and set aside.
- If using regular yeast: Mix together buttermilk, 1 Tablespoon sugar, melted butter and yeast in a bowl. Allow to sit for 15 minutes. The mixture should be frothy at this point, if not, discard and start over because the yeast is not active. Then whisk these dry ingredients in a separate bowl: gfJules® Flour; remaining sugar ingredient; salt.
- If using quick rise yeast: Whisk yeast in with these dry ingredients: gfJules® Flour; sugar; salt. In a separate bowl, mix together buttermilk and melted butter.
- Whisk eggs together in a small bowl or prepare flaxseed meal and water egg replacement.
- Slowly stir dry ingredients into liquid ingredients, adding eggs or flax egg together with water ingredient last in order to keep the flour from flying out of the bowl. If needed, add extra tablespoons of water in order to get the dough to be soft and pliable as shown in the video.
- Mix just until ingredients are integrated and the dough is soft, then mix 2 minutes more if using a stand mixer and paddle attachment. If mixing by hand, mix well until the dough is soft and smooth. Do not allow the dough to rest after mixing, but begin the rolling out process immediately afterwards so that the dough can rise in the shape of the rolls.
- Prepare your filling by mixing together brown sugar, sugar, and cinnamon and melt butter to brush on the dough.
- Roll the dough out into a rectangle approximately 12x16 inches on a clean surface floured with gfJules® Flour to keep it from sticking. Knowing that the dough will rise, roll the dough thinner if you prefer less bun and more filling.
- Brush on melted butter then sprinkle sugar + cinnamon across the rolled out dough.
- Roll the dough up into a spiraled log by rolling up from the long end. A bench scraper makes this easier. Cut into 12 rolls (6 -9 if making a 1/2 recipe).
- Place rolls on cookie sheet covered with parchment paper OR into a well-oiled or buttered baking pan or one lined with parchment. Cover rolls loosely and place in preheated 200°F oven TURNED OFF; allow to rise for 30 minutes.
- (If there is any extra melted butter left from the filling, brush it on the rolls before baking to help them brown!} Uncover and bake at 325°F for 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the rolls comes out with only some dry crumbs.
- Remove to cool for a few minutes before icing.
To prepare these gluten free cinnamon rolls in advance, make the dough and rise it according to the recipe. Cover with well-oiled plastic wrap and cover again with foil and place in the refrigerator overnight. Bring to room temperature by removing from the refrigerator for 30 minutes, then remove the plastic wrap and foil and place in preheated oven, baking according to the recipe directions. (It may be necessary to bake longer to fully cook the rolls after they've been in the refrigerator overnight, so be sure the toothpick has dry crumbs on it and/or the rolls are not squishy on the bottom before removing from the oven.)
___
To prepare icing, sift powdered sugar and bring butter to room temperature or soften gently in a microwave. Mix together with vanilla and 1-2 Tablespoons milk, adding more milk as needed to create icing consistency. Spread on rolls just before serving.
Notes
* regarding yeast: I have found that with Mindy's full recipe, 3 packets of yeast is sufficient; with a half recipe, only 1 packet of yeast is actually sufficient.
If using non-rapid rise yeast, proof the yeast first using the proofing methods outlined in this article; if using rapid rise/quick rise yeast, the yeast can be added directly to the dry ingredients.
and I KNOW you’re gonna want to pin this for later!
I am so excited to try these! My soon to be 9 year old who is allergic to wheat wants cinnamon rolls for her bday in 2 days so I don’t have time for the right flour to get here. Do you know if they would turn out ok with the Namaste perfect flour blend? Thanks!
Hi Cami, I’m sorry for my delay in responding to your question. Did you end up making them? I can’t say how this recipe will turn out with another blend, they’re all SO different! I hope you get a chance to make the recipe with my gfJules Flour! They’re so heavenly!!!
~jules
I will never use any other GF flour. I made these cinnamon rolls for my boys and they acted like it was Christmas morning. The dough is a dream to work with. Do NOT be intimidated making these rolls. So easy and so delicious. I have made these and the 52 Min cinnamon rolls. I prefer the yeast rolls with the cream cheese icing from the quicker recipe.
Honestly, stock up on flour. You’ll be so glad you did!
Thank you Jules, from my family to yours💕💕🥰
I’m so happy that you were able to bring such yummy joy to your boys with this recipe! And it’s so great to hear from another reader that the recipe isn’t difficult. Sometimes that’s the hardest thing is to just give a recipe a try! I know if other readers are encouraged to try the recipe from your review, they will be so pleased that they did! May all your baking be happy from here on out!
~jules
Thinking about making these – have you ever substituted aquafaba for the egg? My son cannot eat gluten, dairy, eggs or soy – so I have to substitute so many ingredients and usually the results are sad. 🙁 I have found aquafaba a good sub for eggs in many recipes.
Hi Lauralie, I understand. The more substitutions, usually the less satisfying the results. In this case, I would suggest using flaxseed meal and water or a commercial GF egg replacer. I think the aquafaba will be too light to provide structure, but you could certainly try it. Have a look at my vegan egg substitutions for more ideas and let me know what you decide to go with!
~jules
Fyi, flaxseed is contains a natural amount of estrogen in it and many who aren’t able to have any hormonal foods they may want to know about this too. Although i love this as an egg replacer.
Thanks for chiming in, Lacey! Flaxseed or chia seeds and water are my favorite egg replacers for yeast recipes. Hopefully since it’s only 2 Tbs. for the whole recipe, it won’t bother most people!
~jules
Made these today with gfjules flour. They are amazing! This is the second thing I have made with her flour and they both have been amazing. I didn’t try it before because it is a little pricey compared to what I can get at Walmart but it will be the ONLY flour I buy from on. So worth the money.
I’m SO happy you tried it and now you know how great gluten free can be!!! Better results absolutely come from better gluten free flour!!! May all your baking now be happy!
~jules
The taste of these rolls was great. They didn’t rise as much as recipes made with regular flour have in the past though. Also, they didn’t brown at all. I have a feeling this is because I let them rise in my oven after I warmed it to 200 and then turned it off. Do you agree, or what else would cause this?
I’m giving 5 stars because I’m pretty sure my dissatisfaction was due to user error.
I looked in the grocery stores near me and couldn’t find your flour! I was hoping to make these for Christmas morning. I bought cup4cup since it’s what I could find. Do you think this recipe work with cup4cup? I am also hoping to make them the day before by proofing them and then freezing them over night to bake the next morning. Thoughts?
Thank you!
Hi Megan, we don’t really sell my gfJules Flour in stores, as the cost would be prohibitively expensive if we used a distributor and broker as well (complicated layers, you know?). We try to make my flour accessible to all by delivering right to peoples’ doors through on-line ordering. I can’t tell you if that store-bought blend will work in this recipe, but I hope it does because these rolls are AMAZING! If they don’t turn out as you’d hoped, at least you know that next time you can make them with my award-winning flour and enjoy these perfect rolls in the future.
Regarding proofing and freezing, I think I would recommend proofing, then refrigerating, then baking the next morning instead. I hope that works out for you. Wishing you a sweet holiday!
~jules
Can this recipe be made ahead of time?
I would love to give this recipe a try for Christmas morning, only catch is, I can’t have yeast. Any suggestions on what I could use to help the dough rise besides yeast? Thanks so much!
I have the perfect recipe for you, Stefanie! It’s my 52 Minute Cinnamon Rolls and they’re already yeast-free! Here’s the recipe: https://gfjules.com/recipes/mindys-famous-gluten-free-cinnamon-rolls-recipe/ ENJOY!
~jules
Is your product carried any where in Utah ?
Hi Annie, it’s not, but we deliver right to your door and there’s still time to order for delivery before Thanksgiving! Here’s a link to the shop!
~jules
This turned out terrible. Dough was too runny. Instructions on time was off. Ended up scrapping the entire recipe and going out to eat. Not sure how 5 1/2 cups of flour is enough. Ended up using almost two bags. Never cooked gluten free before was excited to try and There were not enough steps.
Hi Shelby, what kind of gluten free flour were you using? Having never baked gluten free before, I’m sure you’re brand new to the radical differences between gluten free flour blends. If you used 2 bags for 5 1/2 cups of flour, I’m not sure what brand you used, but they are all quite different, requiring different amounts of liquid, fat and sugar to make the end product palatable. My gfJules Flour was used to develop this recipe and it works brilliantly here to produce light and fluffy, soft cinnamon rolls with no grit or funky taste. I hope you don’t give up on gluten free baking. As I tell people all the time, it’s not you, it’s the flour you’re using! 🙂
Here’s more information on the differences between gluten free flour: https://gfjules.com/gluten-free-flour-comparison/
~jules
Oh my, these look amazing! wondering about planning holiday breakfasts a day ahead- will these do a cold rise overnight?
Good thinking to plan ahead! You can do a cold rise, then bring to room temperature and allow to rise a bit more before baking, so just budget your time and make sure to wrap them well for the overnight so they don’t get hard. Enjoy!
~jules
Right before I bake them can I freeze them and cook them later? Will they still turn out good?
Hi Carmen, yes you can freeze them after rising and then bake later. You’d want to let them come to room temperature after freezing and then bake. Enjoy!
~jules
Amazing!! Love that you added in a dairy free version
Glad it helps, Naomi! Just so you know, all my recipes are also dairy-free. Happy baking!
~jules
Hi! Can I ask what the suggested shelf life on these are? They are AMAZING! Tried them last night and will definitely be keeping the recipe!
Hi Sulaine, they will stay soft for a couple days, especially if reheated gently in a microwave…. but they never stick around that long in our house!!! 🙂 SO glad you loved the recipe!
~jules
Jules can we use your pizza mix for cinnamon rolls?
Hi Sue, you could, and I have had customers tell me they have, but you need to know that the pizza crust mix has savory herbs like oregano plus garlic in it for the full-on Italian flavor of pizza that doesn’t go so well with cinnamon and sugar, but I guess with ENOUGH cinnamon and sugar, maybe you wouldn’t notice it? 🙂 Let me know if you try!
~jules
The recipe is more like a biscuit dough made with your instructions. The instructions should also read to leave space between the rolls, as they don’t bake through, making baking time longer & the rolls dry out.
Super impressed with this recipe. I confess I made it just for the dough and didn’t turn it into cinnamon rolls but it was still perfection. I used your gf flour and I agree with others that is the best one out there. I have tried many and gfjules far surpasses. I actually used my bread machine to prep the dough and stopped the machine after 10 minutes of kneading. I baked it at 400 for 12 min after a 30 min rise and it was just right but I like it a bit crispy on the outside. Even my nonGF family commented that these were as good as regular cinnamon rolls.
That makes me so happy to hear, Caroline! I’m so glad you jumped in and tried the recipe, and glad to know it worked out even when the dough was made in a bread machine. Good intel!
Also, thanks so much for sharing your review of my gfJules Flour. I work so hard to make products and recipes that make peoples’ baking lives easier when they go gluten free, so it pleases me to no end when I hear from people who have been able to bake again for their whole families and make everyone happy. Thanks for taking the time to let me know!
~jules
We received our GFJ order on Wednesday and couldn’t wait for Saturday to make these cinnamon rolls. My first attempt at GF cinnamon rolls and also using GFJ. WOW! We are so surprised that they are pretty near perfect! So delicious with our coffee this morning. I used the half recipe and got 12 rolls! I used the whole recipe amount plus a little, of cinnamon too. We LOVE cinnamon 🙂 this recipe and GFJ products will be staples in our kitchen now. Can’t wait to try the bagel recipe next!
I am SO happy to hear it, Momma Branch! It is hard to wait for Saturday baking when you know how good it can be! I’m thrilled that you dove right in and made the cinnamon rolls recipe, and bagels will be the perfect follow up! Thanks so much for letting me know. May all your gluten free baking be happy, from here on out!
~jules
I loved this recipe! My local stores do not carry your products (I just made a request to one of the managers to start carrying), so I made it with a different GF flour blend. It came out quite tender, though a tiny bit grainy (probably just the blend I used). The flavor, though, if fantastic! I did half the recipe and still got 10 rolls, so even half makes A LOT! I’m going to purchase some of your flour blend and try the recipe again. Thank you for sharing such a great recipe!
Hi Cassandra – You can go to this link to download a form to take into your store manager so they can order my flour to carry in the store. But yes, you can always order on line and we deliver right to your door! I admire your determination to make these rolls even without my flour. 🙂 You are a true baker at heart, I can tell! But yes, if they were gritty that would be from the flour. You’ll be happy that there won’t be any grit when you’re using my gfJules Flour. I can’t wait to hear what you think!
~jules