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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!

A gluten free cinnamon roll served on a white plate with a fork

What Makes This Recipe So Good?

  • 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.
  • These cinnamon rolls taste just like the ones from Cinnabon, but they are 100% gluten-free. 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! Seriously, it’s so good, this is the only cinnamon roll recipe you will need!
  • They can be made ahead of time and reheated for an easy breakfast or brunch option. Keep them in an airtight 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 more moist and more tender reheated cinnamon rolls than the oven.
Gluten free cinnamon rolls in a baking pan with cream cheese frosting

Can You Freeze This Recipe for Later?

Absolutely! I’m all for getting ahead of the game. I recommend doing this one of two ways:

  1. 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.
  2. If you’d rather freeze the cinnamon rolls completely iced and finished, you can do that, too. Just allow them to cool, cover them with plastic wrap and foil, and pop them in the freezer.

Chef’s Tips

  • 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 gluten free cinnamon rolls! It’s easy to do and will throw off the taste and texture.
A cinnamon roll cut in half with a fork

For More Gluten Free Recipes

A cinnamon roll cut in half with a fork
Recipe By: Cheryl Malik
4.74 from 194 votes

Gluten-Free Cinnamon Rolls (Cinnabon Copycat)

Prep 30 minutes
Cook 30 minutes
Rise Time 1 hour
Total 2 hours
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
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12 cinnamon rolls

Equipment

  • Large bowls (2)
  • Stand mixer with bread hook (or knead by hand)
  • Medium bowl
  • Fork
  • 9×13 baking dish
  • parchment paper

Ingredients

For the Dough

  • 1 cup warm milk or alt-milk (like almond, oat, macadamia milk), warmed to 110°-115°F, see Notes
  • 1 packet active dry yeast 2 ¼ teaspoons
  • ½ cup white sugar
  • ½ cup unsalted butter melted and cooled until just warm to the touch, about 110°-115°F, see Notes
  • 2 eggs whisked
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • 3 ½ cups Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour see Notes
  • 1 ½ teaspoons xanthan gum only if flour doesn't contain it already, see Notes
  • 2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

For the Cinnamon Filling

  • 1 packed cup brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons cinnamon
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter softened, or margarine

For the Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
  • 6 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt

Instructions

  • 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 ½” 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

  • IMPORTANT: 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!
  • Flour: I recommend using Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour. Gluten-free flour behaves differently from brand-to-brand, so you may experience different results based on the type of flour you use. Use the recommended flour from Bob’s Red Mill for best results.
  • Xanthan Gum: If your gluten-free all-purpose flour blend does not have xanthan gum, add 1 ½ 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 xanthan gum and does not need this ingredient added.
  • Sticky Dough: 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.
  • Mixer: 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.
  • Frosting: 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!
  • Storage & 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.

Approximate Information for One Serving

Serving Size: 1cinnamon rollCalories: 536calProtein: 6gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 93mgSodium: 245mgPotassium: 56mgTotal Carbs: 74gFiber: 5gSugar: 47gNet Carbs: 69gVitamin A: 632IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 143mgIron: 2mg
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

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Cheryl Malik

In addition to being a certified health coach, certified yoga instructor, and mom of 3, Cheryl is also the recipe developer, editor-in-chief, food photographer, and passionate foodie behind 40 Aprons. Having spent the last 10+ years as a food blogger, she's become known for her flavorful recipes, detailed instructions, gorgeous photography, and down-to-earth approach to food and cooking in general.

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343 Comments

  1. Thank you for sharing such an amazing recipe! I’ve been Celiac for 5 years and and never tasted something so delicious being gluten free.
    Thanks,
    Anna

    Reply

  2. Thanks for sharing such an amazing recipe! I’ve been Celiac for 5 years and and never tasted something so delicious being gluten free.
    Thanks,
    Anna

    Reply

  3. These look so good!! Any chance we might have good results using a flax egg instead? My son has an egg allergy in addition to Celiac disease. Thanks!

    Reply

    1. I would opt for an “egg replacer” here most likely. You’re already working with lack of gluten to hold it together so I’d go for as much of a binder as possible. Let me know if you try it and how it works out!5 stars

      Reply

  4. Can you leave these overnight in the fridge before cooking?
    I am interested in doing the night before, but it is my first time making cinnamon rolls and seems intimidating!

    Reply

  5. I’ve made a very similar recipe for years. I found that you can make them ahead and at the rise stage you can refrigerate them. Pull them out when you’re ready for bed & let them rise overnight at room temperature. Pop in a preheated oven & that’s how I get the best rise for a GF roll. Cheers!

    Reply

  6. Would these stay fresh if I made them 24 hours ahead of when I wanted to bake them and just kept them in the fridge?

    Reply

  7. We have no gluten allergies in our family and although I try to avoid flour as often as possible, is it ok if I use a regular flour?

    Reply

    1. We haven’t tested it with regular flour, but we think it could work since this type of gluten free flour is usually an exact match to regular flour.5 stars

      Reply

  8. I literally just made these this morning! And I never ever bake anything GF from scratch because I never have success.

    Funny story…

    I sent a picture of them baking in the oven to my husband and he literally couldn’t wait to try them. He was riding in a work van with 4 other soldiers, so long story short, I fed these cinnamon rolls to 5 hungry soldiers fresh out of the oven, and they all said they would never know they were GF if I hadn’t told them! And I was so happy to have a warm cinnamon roll for the first time in 7 years. Luckily, they left a few behind for me to freeze for enjoying on Christmas morning.

    I made the recipe as directed except that I only had Silk coconut milk on hand (worked perfectly) and I reduced the powdered sugar in the frosting by 1/2-3/4 cup — DELICIOUS.5 stars

    Reply

  9. Yum! Thank you for this! I can’t wait to make these for my family! We have a cow-dairy sensitivity as well, so we use soft goat cheese as an alternative for cream cheese.

    I love that you SLATHER the frosting on. Who eats cinnamon rolls with a dainty drizzle of frosting? NOBODY. LOL5 stars

    Reply

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