These gluten-free cinnamon rolls are out-of-control delicious! They taste like Cinnabon copycats, but with zero gluten. They’re soft and tender with a perfect swirly filling and cream cheese frosting. Perfect for Christmas morning breakfast or anytime!
Why These Gluten-Free Cinnamon Rolls Are So Good!
- These cinnamon rolls taste just like the ones from Cinnabon, but they are 100% gluten-free.
- They can be made ahead of time and reheated for an easy breakfast or brunch option.
- The cream cheese frosting is so good, this is the only cinnamon roll recipe you will need!
How to Make Gluten-Free Cinnamon Rolls
- Important note: Make sure your warmed milk and melted butter are not too hot; they should feel warm to the touch but not hot. If they’re too hot, they can kill the yeast. Check them with a thermometer before each step in which they come in contact with the yeast for foolproof gluten-free cinnamon rolls!
- Add the white sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer (Or large mixing bowl if you prefer to knead by hand) and pour warm milk over. Stir to combine. Pour the yeast in and set aside until bubbly or frothy; you should see a sort of film on the top of the mixture at least. This will take about 5 minutes.
- Add the melted butter (About 110º F; warm to the touch but not hot) to the yeast mixture. Stir in whisked eggs and apple cider vinegar. Add in gluten-free flour, baking powder, salt, and xantham gum if your gluten-free flour does not contain it (See Note). Attach the bread hook to the mixer and mix on medium speed for about 5 minutes or until dough pulls away from sides of the bowl and is soft. It should not feel dry but a bit sticky. See Note to mix by hand.
- Lightly oil a large mixing bowl and transfer dough to bowl. Cover and place in a warm spot. Let rise for 1 hour. If your spot is cooler, it may take a little longer to rise, but the dough should be a bit puffier and should leave an indentation when poked. It will not double in size.
- Meanwhile, make the cinnamon filling. In a medium bowl, add all ingredients and use a fork to mix very well. Alternately, beat all ingredients together with a stand mixer and paddle attachment.
- Preheat oven to 350º F. Lightly coat a 9×13” baking dish with softened butter or cooking spray.
- Lay a 12×16” piece of parchment paper on the counter. Scrape the dough on top. Press the dough to fit the parchment sheet; the dough should be about 12×16” as well. It’s OK if it doesn’t quite fit the entire sheet.
- Evenly spread the cinnamon filling on the rectangle of dough, leaving 1/2” bare at one end (short side, not long side).
- Carefully, use the parchment sheet to begin tightly rolling the dough. Use the parchment to fold over the first 1” or so of the short side with filling all the way to the edge. Continue rolling the dough by folding the parchment over to the other side. It will roll naturally.
- Cut the roll into 12 equal pieces. Place evenly into a baking dish and bake 25-30 minutes. They will not puff up like cinnamon rolls with gluten in them but will become a bit fuller and should be a little golden brown. Do not overbake!
- Meanwhile, make your cream cheese frosting. Add cream cheese and butter to the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl and beat until completely combined. Cream cheese should be totally smooth with no solid lumps. Add in powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt; beat on medium speed until combined.
- When cinnamon rolls are finished baking, remove from the oven and let stand 10 minutes before slathering tops with cream cheese frosting (A butter knife or offset spatula work well). Serve with additional cream cheese frosting.
Gluten-Free Cinnamon Rolls Are the Perfect Make-Ahead Breakfast For the Holidays
We love having cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning, and these are perfect when you are catering for overnight guests. For a stress-free morning, you can also make these ahead of time.
Keep them in an air-tight container at room temperature up to 3 days; 5 days in the fridge. To reheat, warm in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Microwaving produces moister and more tender reheated cinnamon rolls than the oven.
They Taste Just Like Cinnabon!
Even those these rolls are gluten-free, they taste just like Cinnabon and they are so good! Because they are GF, they won’t rise as much as dough with gluten would, but I promise you they taste exactly the same! The cream cheese frosting is to die for!
Can You Freeze Gluten-Free Cinnamon Rolls?
You can easily get ahead of the game by freezing these rolls…
You can freeze the rolls, baked but unfrosted. Later, you can thaw them out, warm them for just a few minutes in the oven, and ice them while warm.
You can also freeze the rolls completely iced and finished. Just allow them to cool, cover with plastic wrap and foil and pop in the freezer.
Top Tips To Make These Gluten-Free Cinnamon Rolls
- Make sure your warmed milk and melted butter are not too hot; they should feel warm to the touch but not hot.
- Gluten-free flour behaves differently from brand to brand! You may experience different results based on your gluten-free flour. Use the recommended flour from Bob’s Red Mill for the best results.
- If your dough seems overly sticky or unmanageable, gradually add in more flour. Start with just one tablespoon, and add more by the tablespoon as needed.
- Take care not to over bake the rolls!
For More Gluten-Free Recipes:
- Gluten-free Stuffing
- Gluten-free Cornbread with Honey
- Paleo Blueberry Muffins (GF)
- Perfect Paleo Brownies (GF)
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Gluten-Free Cinnamon Rolls (Cinnabon Copycat)
These gluten free cinnamon rolls are out-of-control delicious! They taste like Cinnabon copycats, but with zero gluten. They're soft and tender with a perfect swirly filling and cream cheese frosting
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 cup warm milk or alt-milk like almond, oat, macadamia milk, warmed to 110°-115°F, see Note
- 1 packet active dry yeast 2 1/4 teaspoons
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted and cooled until just warm to the touch, about 110°-115°F, see Note
- 2 eggs whisked
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour See Note
- 2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 12×16” sheet of parchment paper
Cinnamon Filling
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 3 tablespoons cinnamon
- 6 tablespoons butter unsalted softened, or margarine
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 6 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Important note: Make sure your warmed milk and melted butter are not too hot; they should feel warm to the touch but not hot. If they’re too hot, they can kill the yeast. Check them with a thermometer before each step in which they come in contact with the yeast for foolproof gluten-free cinnamon rolls!
- Add the white sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer (Or large mixing bowl if you prefer to knead by hand) and pour warm milk over. Stir to combine. Sprinkle the yeast over and set aside until bubbly or frothy; you should see a sort of film on the top of the mixture at least. This will take about 5 minutes.
- Add the melted butter (About 110º F; warm to the touch but not hot) to the yeast mixture. Stir in whisked eggs and apple cider vinegar. Add in gluten-free flour, baking powder, salt, and xantham gum if your gluten-free flour does not contain it (See Note). Attach the bread hook to the mixer and mix on medium speed for about 5 minutes or until dough pulls away from sides of the bowl and is soft. It should not feel dry but a bit sticky. See Note to mix by hand.
- Lightly oil a large mixing bowl and transfer dough to bowl. Cover and place in a warm spot. Let rise 1 hour. If your spot is cooler, it may take a little longer to rise, but the dough should be a bit puffier and should leave an indentation when poked. It will not double in size.
- Meanwhile, make the cinnamon filling. In a medium bowl, add all ingredients and use a fork to mix very well. Alternately, beat all ingredients together with a stand mixer and paddle attachment.
- Preheat oven to 350º F. Lightly coat a 9×13” baking dish with softened butter or cooking spray.
- Cut a piece of parchment paper to about 12×18” and lay on the counter. Scrape the dough on top. Press the dough to fit the parchment sheet; the dough should be about 12×16” as well. It’s OK if it doesn’t quite fit the entire sheet.
- Evenly spread the cinnamon filling on the rectangle of dough, leaving 1/2” bare at one end (short side, not long side).
- Carefully, use the parchment sheet to begin tightly rolling the dough. Use the parchment to fold over the first 1” or so of the short side with filling all the way to the edge. Continue rolling the dough by folding the parchment over to the other side. It will roll naturally.
- Cut the roll into 12 equal pieces. Place evenly into baking dish and bake 25-30 minutes. They will not puff up like cinnamon rolls with gluten in them but will become a bit fuller and should be a little golden brown. Do not overbake!
- Meanwhile, make your cream cheese frosting. Add cream cheese and butter to the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl and beat until completely combined. Cream cheese should be totally smooth with no solid lumps. Add in powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt; beat on medium speed until combined.
- When cinnamon rolls are finished baking, remove from the oven and let stand 10 minutes before slathering tops with cream cheese frosting (A butter knife or offset spatula work well). Serve with additional cream cheese frosting.
Video
Notes
- I recommend Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour.
- If your gluten-free all-purpose flour blend does not have xantham gum, add 1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum to the mixer when adding flour blend and baking powder. The recommended gluten-free flour (Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour) already has xantham gum and does need this ingredient added.
- Gluten-free flour behaves differently from brand-to-brand! You may experience different results based on your gluten free flour. Use the recommended flour from Bob’s Red Mill for best results.
- If your dough seems overly sticky or unmanageable, gradually increase the amount of flour. Start with one additional tablespoon of flour, adding more as needed to make the dough workable.
- If mixing by hand instead of using a stand mixer, add all ingredients as directed in steps #3 and #4 to a large mixing bowl. Stir with a spatula until mixed well. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for 1-2 minutes. You are not creating gluten by kneading this dough, but kneading will help incorporate all ingredients as smoothly as if you used a stand mixer.
- This recipe makes plenty of cream cheese frosting because I’m pretty sure that’s the best part! You will not need all of the frosting when glazing the cinnamon rolls in the baking dish; keep for serving and reheating!
- Keep in an air-tight container at room temperature up to 3 days; 5 days in the fridge. To reheat, warm in the microwave about 30 seconds. Microwaving produces moister and more tender reheated cinnamon rolls than the oven.
Nutrition
Serving: 1rollCalories: 535kcalCarbohydrates: 75gProtein: 6gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 93mgSodium: 165mgPotassium: 136mgFiber: 5gSugar: 47gVitamin A: 822IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 136mgIron: 2mgNet Carbs: 70g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Thank you for this fabulous recipe! These are the best gf cinnamon rolls I have ever tasted. Also got two thumbs up from my celiac sister and father. Definitely a keeper! I did not have any problem with sticky dough and they rolled easily.
This is the best recipe, the dough is just perfect. Everyone was amazed with those rolls, thank you for this recipe!
Glad y’all liked them!
Hi! If anyone’s made this in the UK and had the conversions please let me know! I’m dying to try this ♥️
Delicious recipe!
A couple modifications I made:
– I reduced the overall sugar by 1/3, its still sweet enough but doesn’t feel like I’ll get diabetes 😂
– I ended up using 5 cups of Bobs Red Mill GF Flour instead of 3.5 cups.
Turned out great the original recipe was just a touch too sweet for me.
I followed directions and all seemed well. Very sticky and difficult, but I managed to roll the dough. However, when it came to cutting it into rounds, it was almost impossible–so soft, mushed together. I baked the unattractive sort of spirals anyway. They were delicious but not pretty. any tips on rolling and cutting? Did you flour the parchment paper? (Photo sort of looks like that.) My dough stuck horribly to it, thus the mess and, perhaps, making cutting the roll of dough so difficult
We’re so sorry to hear you had that experience! Did it get too hot in your kitchen or was the cinnamon roll log out for a while? We’ve noticed that if it sits in a hot kitchen too long, it gets way more sticky.
We’ve tried both ways: flouring the parchment paper and not flouring it. We’ve had success with both ways, but do whatever you have to do in order to get the dough to not be so sticky! We suggest keeping a container of water nearby to dip your hands in to make it more manageable. 🙂
I made this on Christmas Eve! I had a few left over so I made those that night and then the rest the following morning. I got all the way to rolling and cutting the rolls, I stuck them in a pan and then just put them right into the oven the next morning. It worked perfectly! The only changes I made were on accident but worked really well. First I put an extra 2 tablespoons of butter into the cinnamon filling which made them extra gooey. The second I only put in 1.5 cups powdered sugar into the icing recipe which made it a little less sweet (which my family likes plus I only had that amount left ha!). I am the only GF person in my family but everybody loved loved loved this recipe. Thank you!!
That sounds wonderful! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Has anyone tried to make this without using eggs and using some sort of egg replacer?
Oh. My. Goodness. I have tried so many GF cinnamon roll recipes and none of them compare. I have been on a quest for years for GF cinnamon rolls that taste like the regular ones I remember. I could seriously cry, these are that amazing!!!!!!
Aw, we’re so glad to hear that, Sherry! Thanks for sharing your thoughts. 🙂
Can I make these the night before? Prep up until baking?
Thanks!
Helen
Yes! Let us know how it goes!
First time making cinnamon rolls and I enjoyed it! Mixing and kneading dough by hand was very simple. Instructions were very detailed and easy to follow!
These need to be served with a fork because they do fall apart a bit. But overall, a delicious and great recipe! Thanks!!
Thanks for sharing your experience! Honestly, we love a good cinnamon roll that falls apart. 😉
Tried this delicious recipe this morning, it was great! thank so much for sharing :0)
Aww, thanks for sharing your experience!
found this recipe on Pinterest. I have been GF for 15+ years and feel like I have tried every GF Cinnamon roll recipe there is, because cinnamon rolls and donuts are what I miss more than anything once having to go GF.
1. First, this recipe is the BEST GF cinnamon roll recipe I have ever had/made! I highly recommend. While, it may be a bit time consuming (letting dough rise etc), it is actually very simple to follow.
2. B/c of the time it takes to let the dough rise etc, I did not want to have to wake up at 4a on Christmas morning to start making these rolls, so I did a few experiments on my own.
Last night, I made the full recipe. I cut all of the dough into rolls, however, I only baked 1/2 of the rolls. They turned out absolutely delicious!. We did not eat all of them, so I put the uneaten ones in the fridge along with 1/2 of the rolls that were not cooked. I woke up this mooning and cooked the remaining 1/2 of the rolls. They turned out just as good as the ones I made last night! I also, reheated the one rolls that were cooked and not eaten last night (I did not ice all the ones I baked last night – I only iced the ones I planned to eat last night). The reheated rolls seemed a bit drier than the fresh baked rolls. My family voted there was no difference in the fresh baked rolls I made last night and the rolls I baked this morning. However, the feedback was there was a little bit of difference in the rolls I baked last night and reheated this am – but still very delicious!!!!!!
Hope this helps anyone who had the same questions as me! I am going to make the recipe on Christmas Eve, cut my rolls, put in a pan and store in fridge over night. Will remove from fridge and bake Christmas morning! A perfect GF Christmas Breakfast.
also, I used Cup for Cup GF flour, so did not have to add xantham gum.
Thanks for sharing, Courtney!!!
Thanks so much for sharing this! I plan on making these for Christmas morning and will use your experience as a guide. I plan on making the rolls the night before and refrigerating them overnight to bake on Christmas morning!
We hope you’ll like it!
we used Cup 4 Cup Flour . Best GF Cinnamon Rolls by far. We have a Gluten Allergy and have tried so many recipes. We missed our Christmas Morning Rolls. But no more.
In the morning, did you bake the rolls when still chilled (directly out of the refrigerator) or did you bring the unbaked rolls to room temperature prior to baking?
Oh my gosh. Just made these! Made 9 large rolls and a couple small ones in a different baking dish. Will freeze the big pan and then frost and have for Christmas. Have to say I could hardly wait to frost and take a bite of the small one. It was so good! Thank you so much for the recipe. Blessings to you and yours
We are so glad you enjoyed the cinnamon rolls!
Can I use King Arthur gluten free all purpose flour mix?
Sure! Just make sure to check for xanthan gum in the flour mix!
In describing Bob’s Mill GF baking flour it appears that you need to add xanthum gum on one hand and don’t on the other. If you need to, how much? Also, if you warm your oven using the warm setting, could you put the dough in the oven for it to rise?
We recommend adding at least one teaspoon per cup of gluten free flour. 🙂
I made this and it was extremely sticky- any recommendations
The dough is naturally pretty sticky, so we usually keep a bowl of water next to us to prevent our hands from sticking. 🙂
We couldnt wait for an hour so we put it in the oven at lowest temp (170F). Let it sit for about 30 min while prepping the rest. This turned out to be the best ever!! Thank you so much for this recipe.
For sticky dough we just added a little more oil around the dough.
Our dough did not rise at all. We used fast acting yeast. Could that have been the culprit? We need a good gluten free cinnamon roll recipe but ingredients are too expensive to keep experimenting… help!
So sorry to hear that! Was it covered with plastic wrap with enough warmth around it?
Check the temperature of the milk before you add the yeast. Wait to make sure it bubbles before adding the flour. Our fist batch of yeast was a dud so we only wasted 1 cup of mil and 1.2 cup of sugar. Seriously this is the best GF recipe we have ever used.
Is there any point in this recipe I can stop and refrigerate the dough overnight? Or does it need to be baked the same day?
We have not tried it, but let us know how it goes if you do that because we are interested. We will probably test that soon. 🙂
Is this possible to make the dough the night before but not bake until the nect morning, or does it have to be prepared and baked in the same day? Thanks!
We have not tried refrigerating it overnight, but we will be testing that soon! 🙂
Hi! These look delicious!! I’m wondering if I can make my dough ahead of time (night before) and allow it to rise at room temp or in the fridge until the morning when I am ready to bake?
We have not tried refrigerating this gluten free dough overnight, but we will be trying it in the future!
Anyone have insight on using an egg replacer like Just Egg or flax eggs?
We have not tried using egg replacers in this recipe, but curious how it could work! Since the flour is gluten free, it already is a bit more sticky than traditional flour. We worry that the dough will not bind as well with regular eggs, but you can definitely let us know!
Made these and was THRILLED with the results. Had to do some substitution for instant yeast and it was still utterly delicious! Great texture as well.
Thanks for the awesome review!
I’ve tried this recipe for a few times now. My dough stayed really wet after proving. I’m using the same exact flour and the right amount. What is going wrong
This dough is naturally very sticky!
Seriously – these are so good. Have been doing so much GF baking this year and usually have to try several times to get it right, especially with yeast recipes. Got this one on the first try – thank you for the clear instructions. Can’t wait to make these for the holidays! And check out your other recipes!
Allyson, thanks for sharing your wonderful experience!
I’m so glad it worked out, Allyson! And thank you for the compliments 🙂
I am in the process of making this. I am having a hard time with the dough being very sticky when trying to roll it out on the parchment paper. Where did I go wrong? Any suggestions on how to fix this. Thank you 🙂
You might not have measured your flour properly (most people don’t!), resulting in too little flour in the dough. The dough is going to be a bit sticky, though, and you can use parchment or wax paper to help roll it out.
Hi Savannah- can you explain the proper way to measure out gluten free flour? Do we scoop and level off? Pack in? Or perhaps would you have the weight of the flour so I can use my kitchen scale? Thank you!!
Sure! We just made these the other day, and we simply used the scoop and level process. Of course, the scale would be more accurate. 🙂
Can you make these with almond and/or coconut flour? Rice flour does not agree with me and is in most GF flours.
We have not tested that version, but please let us know how it goes so we will know! 🙂
Did you try it successfully with a different flour? My husband can’t have rice flour either and I’m looking for a good cinnamon bun recipe without it.
Thanks!