October 19, 2019
updated
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Soft, fluffy gluten-free cinnamon rolls that require no yeast or kneading. Best. Day. Ever! Just watch…
Yes, you read that right, this recipe contains no gluten OR nuts, eggs and includes a dairy-free alternative. Find a better allergy friendly recipe for cinnamon rolls. I’ll wait.
Just kidding, there isn’t one!
I used the tube of cinnamon rolls for a while but with two gluten intolerances in our family, it was time to find a better alternative.
After several attempts, I finally created the perfect combo of gluten-free flour, cinnamon, and sugar to create pillowy soft cinnamon rolls!
How to Make Softer Gluten-Free Cinnamon Rolls
The hardest part about gluten-free baking is keeping the cinnamon rolls from turning out hard or crumbly.
This is where I applied a little of my baking expertise and used Greek yogurt in the dough.
Greek yogurt, like buttermilk, has an acidic nature that keeps baked goods, waffles, and pancakes light and fluffy. (Keep scrolling for the dairy-free option that works the same magic on the dough!)
My predictions proved CORRECT! Not only were these rolls soft but they also came out tall and fluffy. I’d give this recipe an 11 out of 10.
Oh, and if you’re looking for the best gluten-free pancake recipe on the internet, it’s right here.
No-Knead Gluten Free Cinnamon Roll Recipe
So who has time for yeast dough, waiting, kneading, thermometers, and more waiting? Not me! And I’m sure you don’t either.
All I’m asking for is an easy to make cinnamon roll recipe with simple ingredients that I have on hand, and this recipe is the one!
How to Make Gluten-Free Cinnamon Rolls Rise
Instead of yeast, these cinnamon rolls get their rise from the baking soda and baking powder, which speeds up the process and yields soft, tall and heavenly cinnamon rolls FASTER!
How to Make These Cinnamon Rolls Dairy Free
Like I promised, this recipe can be made dairy free by swapping the Greek yogurt with 1 ¼ cups canned coconut milk of your choice plus 3 teaspoons lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. Give the mixture a stir and allow to stand for 10 minutes before adding to the dough.
Swap the regular butter with a vegan alternative or coconut oil and you have dairy-free cinnamon rolls!
When any food allergies or intolerances are present, finding recipes the whole family enjoys is TOUGH. Getting a meal plan down pact makes all the difference and many families have had major success with our dairy and grain-free meal plans. Get the full scope on any one of our family meal plans here.
Can you Freeze Gluten-Free Cinnamon Rolls?
This is a great recipe to keep on hand for quick breakfasts and you know what that means! Freeze em!
Prepare the dough as directed up to the rolling the dough into a log and slicing. Instead of baking, place the rolls in a zip bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Whenever you’re ready for a warm, soft cinnamon fix, remove the desired amount from the freezer and bake as directed.
Troubleshooting and Tips for the BEST Gluten-Free Dough
#1 Crumbly Dough
If your dough is “crumbly” and you’re not able to roll it out, add a tablespoon (or two, but one at a time) of water. Re-knead, and try again.
The reason for crumbly dough is because of the differences in gluten-free flour mixes. They do not all contain the same ingredients and ratios of rice to starch. Some use white rice, others brown rice, some use corn starch others tapioca or potato… you get the idea.
#2 Dough is “sticking” to the parchment paper when rolling out
The opposite problem of crumbly dough but the culprit is also the gluten-free flour. To fix this, simply add a tablespoon of additional flour, re-knead, and try again.
The best gluten-free cinnamon rolls are always achieved when you follow the recipe, without substitutions, and then troubleshoot.
Perfect Glaze for Your Gluten-Free Cinnamon Rolls
The sweet, shiny glaze is definitely my kids’ favorite part about these Gluten-Free Cinnamon Rolls and it’s so easy to make! Butter, sugar, vanilla, and water, that’s it!
Next step, is choosing who gets to drizzle the fresh rolls with icing. Anyone else’s kids fight over this job?
More Perfect Cinnamon Breakfast Recipes
You don’t have to stop with these Gluten-Free Cinnamon Rolls. Or you’re in the mood for cinnamon, I have a lot of other kid-friendly breakfasts that your family is going to love.
- Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
- Homemade Cinnamon Syrup
- Cinnamon Roll Smoothie
- Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake Muffins
With recipes like these, you’re sure to have everyone in the family excited to wake up in the morning!
You can print this recipe below to be ready to make these gluten free cinnamon rolls with your family tomorrow morning!
Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Dough:
- 1 ¼ cups plain Greek yogurt*
- 4 tablespoons melted butter*
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose gluten-free flour
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum, omit if your flour has it already
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
Filling:
- ¾ cup packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon melted butter*
Glaze:
- ¼ cup melted butter, see recipe note for a dairy-free version
- 2 cups confectioners sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3-5 tablespoons hot water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425F, and coat either a muffin tin or a 9-inch-round baking dish with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, begin making the dough by mixing the yogurt and 2 tablespoons of the melted butter. Stir in the flour, xanthan gum, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda until absorbed. The dough will look soft and crumbly.
- Move the dough onto a floured work surface and begin to knead with your hands until smooth.
- Form the dough into about a 12×9-inch rectangle, then brush it with the remaining 2 tablespoons of the melted butter.
- In another bowl, make the filling mixture by combining the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter. Spread it evenly onto the dough leaving a ½-inch border. Push the filling firmly into the dough.
- Starting on the long side, begin to slowly roll the dough into a tight log. If your fingers are sticking to the dough, lightly flour or moisten them with water.
- Pinch the seam to seal the log, and slice evenly into 10 rolls. Place the rolls into your greased baking dish and bake until the edges begin to turn golden brown, about 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and move the rolls from the greased dish onto a cooling rack.
- In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, confectioner’s sugar, vanilla extract, and hot water, stir together until smooth.
- Lightly drizzle the glaze over the hot cinnamon rolls and enjoy!
Notes
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons canned coconut milk instead of yogurt
- Use coconut oil or vegan “butter” spread instead of regular butter
- Use 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour instead of the gluten-free flour
- OMIT the xantham gum
Jeannette
Just made these and they are amazing! Incredibly easy and ready to eat in less than an hour. I used vanilla Greek yogurt and they were delicious. Next time, I will only make half the glaze topping since there is plenty of sugar in the rolls. YUM! Will definitely make again.
Emily
I feel like with some tweaks this could be a really amazing recipe :) the dough is simple, but I think it needs a bit of salt added, the flavor wasn’t quite there. And in my opinion there is wayyyy too much filling in these rolls. Don’t get me wrong I like my cinnamon rolls gooey, but I think half the filling would be plenty! I thought of making a cream cheese glaze but didn’t cause this glaze was simpler but I think that would have been where to go with it :) other wise, A+ dough! I used buttermilk cause I have no yogurt and minus the salt thing, I really liked the flavor and consistency!
Meg
My rolls with very crumbly. Any ideas why??
MOMables - Laura
Hi Meg, when the dough is very crumbly, it simply needs a little more liquid as mentioned in the video since all gluten-free mixes are a bit different.
Vonnie
I would really like to successfully make these. Can you share what brand of Greek Yogurt you used? I tried making them with the Fage 0 fat yogurt.
MOMables-Laura
Hi Vonnie, I used the same Greek yogurt but full fat.
James
I loved making this recipe with my mom!
MOMables - Laura
I’m glad you enjoyed these gluten-free cinnamon rolls!
Anna
I used lactose-free greek yogurt and butter; the flour was King Arthur Gluten Free flour. The dough came out crumbly and I was not successful in rolling it. To make the dough stick, should we have added a little bit of water? (Everything else was great. I love the simplicity of this recipe and want to try it again). Thank you!
MOMables - Laura
Hi Anna, for a crumbly dough I suggest you add a bit of liquid (water as you suggested). Sometimes, Greek yogurt thickness vary by brand and the thicker/creamier texture can affect it. I hope this helps!
Aretha
Hello, greetings Laura from Texas. Loved this recipe! I made it 2 ways – as written (mostly) and DF for my grandson. Apparently I was having a senior moments kind of day, because I used all 4 T melted (vegan) butter vs 2 T in the dough recipe. Also, used 5% Fat Fage Greek yogurt and read where another baker felt it didn’t taste as well, SO… I also used 1 T Canola oil to add to fat content of the dough. Happy Accident – tasted GREAT, although the added fat seemed to cause a lot of melting of filling, but without bad result. For the DF version, I used 1 cup Oat Milk + 1 T white vinegar and again 4 T melted vegan butter. This made a very wet dough, so added approx another 1/2 C flour (3 C total). This resulted in an excellent finished product as well – Happy Day! I used Namaste flour blend in both,, which already contains xantham gum. I found this dough to be very forgiving thankfully! Thank you for sharing! ❤
Christina
I want to make these for Christmas morning. Can I prep the night before and then just make them Christmas morning? Thx.
MOMables - Laura
Yes! Prep them the night before and refrigerate. Take them out while the oven preheats and bake.
Mark
Is there another gluten free all purpose flour I can use? I’m allergic to tapioca and Bob’s uses tapioca starch. I know tapioca gives that “stretchy” feeling that gluten has and it’s cheap, but I, unfortunately, can’t have it. I can’t have cassava flour either.
MOMables - Laura
Mark, what gluten-free flour do you typically use? For these to work, the flour mix needs to have some type of starch. Potato?
Ellie
I made this recipe this morning and my family LOVED it! Finally a great recipe for cinnamon rolls that my gluten free body can enjoy! Thank you for posting this!!!
MOMables - Laura
I”m so glad you enjoyed these, Ellie!
Carlie
Do you use the bob red mills gluten free 1 to 1 flour for these? Cause that does have xanthum gum so just making sure! :)
MOMables - Laura
I do. I almost exclusively use it for all my gluten-free baking and cooking. I omit the X-gum when a recipe calls for it.
Marci
WOW! I made these with coconut milk and apple cider vinegar, and they are AMAZING! Just like the real thing – thank you for such a fantastic and SUPER easy recipe!
MOMables - Laura
I’m so glad these were winners, Marci!
Sydney
I want to make these for a friend who is allergic to wheat, dairy and eggs, also xanthan gum. I noticed a comment from someone who used corn starch. She is also allergic to corn. Can I substitute arrowroot and use cashew milk yogurt?
Alison
can I use almond flour
MOMables - Laura
Hi Alison, this recipe is a little tedious when it comes to the flour and I’ve found that the 1:1 gluten-free flour works best. Hope this helps.
Yay
Can I use regular flavored yogurt instead of greek yogurt? Do you think it will work?
MOMables - Laura
Absolutely! Enjoy!
Holli
Hi, I made this recipe exactly as written and my dough was so crumbly that when I went to roll it, it just broke along the roll seams. It’s just a mess of dough and filling now. Any ideas? I’m honestly probably still going to bake it and see how it tastes
Thanks!
MOMables - Laura
Hi Holli! The culprit of crumbly dough is always 1) a substitution, 2) the gluten-free flour used. This is an easy fix: simply add a tablespoon or two of water and re-knead the dough.
Amy P.
I made these tonight & they turned out perfect! I had to substitute one of the cartons of plain yogurt with a pumpkin spice yogurt as that was what I had on hand. It was actually really yummy!! :D
The recipe made 12 good-sized rolls for me & I found I only needed half the amt. filling & glaze that was called for.
I’m taking the rolls to work with me tomorrow as I’ve already eaten 3! They’re dangerous to have in the house!
Thanks again!!
Maddy Walker
My scrolls turned out rock hard and never gained any significant colour
MOMables - Laura
Could possibly be a flour issue, gluten-free flours can do that. Which one did you use?
Kathryn M Davies
Can you use other milk alternatives instead of the canned coconut milk to replace the yogurt? I have almond milk on hand. I also have almond milk yogurt.
MOMables - Laura
Hi Kathryn, I would opt for the almond milk yogurt since it has a richer texture. I can’t guarantee these will turn out since I’ve never used that ingredient but I’m curious to know, keep me posted!
Sofia
Can I use coconut sugar instead of brown sugar ?
MOMables - Laura
Yes! It might not melt as well as the brown sugar, but it should turn out fine.
Sugar
Can I use regular low-fat yogurt?
MOMables - Laura
Yes, you can. Enjoy!
Sugar
Okay, I just tried these. I’m not sure what I did wrong. They were crunchy and dry and I put them in a greased muffin tin and a lot of the filling leaked out. The insides were okay, but felt kinda gummy. Nothing about them were fluffy. Any ideas on what I did wrong?
MOMables - Laura
Sugar, did you make any substitutions? What type of gluten-free flour did you use for this recipe?
Sugar
The only substitution I used was low fat regular yogurt because that’s what I had on hand. I used Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 gluten free all purpose flour which has xanthum gum in it.
MOMables - Laura
Sugar, that should not have been an issue (The low fat yogurt). I’m sorry it did not turn out for you.
Andrea
I made the dairy-free and gluten-free version of these and they were absolutely delicious! I’m not sure if I did something wrong though or if it is just because I did the dairy-free version but they were not quite as light and fluffy as yours look in the video. I still really enjoyed them though and will make them again
MOMables - Laura
I am so glad these gluten-free cinnamon rolls worked for you and were enjoyed by your family, Andrea!
Stephanie
Do you think cup4cup or better batter flour work for these?
MOMables - Laura
They both have similar % of starch in them. I usually only use Cup4Cup for cookies not for any bread/breakfast/pancake recipe. I have not tried Better Batter. I suggest you use the flour you typically use to make pancakes and non-cookie baked goods.
suzanne
Can I substitute regular flour for the gluten-free flour and xanthum gum? I love the simplicity of this recipe, but don’t necessarily need gluten-free.
MOMables - Laura
You can absolutely substitute regular flour 1:1 and omit the xantham gum. They will come out great!
TERRI
If you use regular flour – should I use self rising or all purpose? Then do I need Xantham gum? Thanks! Looks yummy.
MOMables - Laura
Use all purpose flour -self rising will work too but there’s not need. enjoy!
Julia
I made these gluten-free cinnamon rolls today. They were AMAZING!! I almost prefer them to the yeast version. My family devoured them.
MOMables - Laura
I’m so glad! Thank you for sharing with everyone that your family loved these gluten-free cinnamon rolls.
Heather
Do you use xantham gum if you use regular AP flour?
MOMables - Laura
You omit the Xantham gum. I will update the recipe notes so it’s more clear, Heather.
Erin Carter O'Brien
Do you need the xantham gum if you are using a cup for cup flour that already includes it?
MOMables - Laura
You do not.
Julie
Just made them! Easy, fast and finger licking good! I used cornstarch instead of xanthan gum and it came out fine.
Will definitely make again and often!
MOMables - Laura
I am so glad you tried and loved these! We make these nearly many weekends and my kids are thilled!
Katie
What can you substitute for the yogurt? I am allergic to nuts, coconut and soy.
MOMables-Laura
I haven’t made this recipe with anything but Greek or coconut yogurt, so I can’t say for sure. The only other dairy-free option I know of is oat yogurt.