Gluten-free Cinnamon Rolls (soft & fluffy)

Name: Gluten-free Flour Blends
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 4 cups super fine brown rice flour; 1 1/3 cups potato starch; 2/3 cups tapioca flour; 1 1/2 cups millet flour; 1 1/2 cups sorghum flour; 1 cup potato starch; 2 cups tapioca flour

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Gluten-free Cinnamon Rolls
gluten-free | tree nut free | refined sugar free
by Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | Dec. 17, 2024
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I love cinnamon rolls. I love big, soft, sweet cinnamon rolls. And these gluten-free cinnamon rolls are just that! They are made from a soft, fluffy gluten-free dough and are filled with a perfectly sweet cinnamon sugar filling. The taste and texture of these rolls is amazing! My whole family loves these cinnamon rolls and we enjoy celebrating special occasions by whipping up a batch of these tasty treats. They are perfect for a cozy, Christmas Eve snack or enjoyed as a warm, sweet breakfast on a cold, snowy winter day. These gluten-free cinnamon rolls make my homestead kitchen smell amazing… and they taste just as good as they smell!

Modern Pioneer Recipe

These gluten-free cinnamon rolls are a modern pioneer recipe made from wholesome, healthy ingredients! I am a huge cinnamon roll fan, and it could be because they are associated with so many fond memories for me. Cinnamon rolls are a Christmas food. Of course, I enjoy them all year round, but they will always be associated with Christmas for me.

Christmas Tradition: One Christmas tradition in our house is to make cinnamon rolls together on Christmas Eve to have as our traditional Christmas morning breakfast. We’ve done this tradition ever since I can remember! After going on a gluten-free and grain-free diet, there was no way I was giving up that Christmas tradition! When we had to be strictly grain-free, I came up with a delicious grain-free cinnamon roll recipe that worked as a substitute. You can find that recipe here!

As our health improved and we were able to incorporate gluten-free foods into our diet on occasion, I set about making the best ever gluten-free cinnamon rolls. My mom and I came up with a pretty good gluten-free cinnamon roll recipe that the whole family enjoyed. However, for me, it was lacking that big, fluffy, monster-size cinnamon roll look. So I continued to do some experimenting and came up with this recipe!

Big & Fluffy: These gluten-free cinnamon rolls are just the size that I like cinnamon rolls to be…. big, soft, fluffy, and bursting with cinnamon sugar flavor! They are the perfect Christmas morning breakfast food that brings back so many cozy, family memories for me!

‘Healthier’ & Homemade: They are also super easy to make and are not loaded with inflammatory-ingredients or tons of refined sugar like store-bought cinnamon rolls. These cinnamon rolls are….

gluten-free
nut free
corn free
refined sugar free

Choosing a Gluten-free Flour Blend

Gluten-free flour blends make gluten-free baking so much easier! When my mom used to bake predominately gluten-free foods she had a homemade gluten-free flour blend that she would use. Since going grain-free, we don’t make that flour blend anymore. Instead, when we want to splurge with a special gluten-free treat (like cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning) we use a gluten-free flour blend from one of our favorite gluten-free brands.

If you are interested in making your own gluten-free flour blend to use, here is our old recipe. It works well in a variety of gluten-free recipes, from cakes to muffins and breads!

Gluten-free Flour Blends

recipe by The Pioneer Chicks

Prep Time 10

Total Time 10

Author Alexa Lehr

Ingredients

GF Baking Blend

4 cups super fine brown rice flour
1 1/3 cups potato starch
2/3 cups tapioca flour

GF Bread Blend

1 1/2 cups millet flour
1 1/2 cups sorghum flour
1 cup potato starch
2 cups tapioca flour

Instructions

Combine the baking blend and store in an airtight container in the refridgerator.
Combine the bread blend and store in an airtight container in the refridgerator.

Notes

Xanthum gum can be added to the baked good to help it stay together and not be crumbly. Here are some basic guidelines:

Breads– add 1 tsp. xanthum gum per 1 cup of GF blend

Cookies & Cakes– add 1/2 tsp. xanthum gum per 1 cup of GF blend

Now that we only bake with gluten-free flours on special occasions, we have found a few quality brands that make excellent gluten-free flour blends. Our favorites include Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free flour blend, Pamela’s gluten-free flour blend, King Arthur gluten-free flour blend, and gfJules gluten-free breakfast flour.

Keep in mind that each gluten-free flour blend is slightly different and may behave differently in a recipe depending on what flour is predominant in the blend. For these gluten-free cinnamon rolls, I used gfJules breakfast flour blend since I find that flour blend to yield the softest, fluffiest results. We have also made a similar cinnamon roll recipe using the Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free flour blend, so I’m fairly confident that blend would work well too.

Serving & Storing Cinnamon Rolls

Gluten-free cinnamon rolls are super easy to serve and store! Our tradition is to make the cinnamon rolls together on Christmas Eve, bake them, and then save them for Christmas morning the next day. Some members of the family like to reheat their cinnamon roll in the toaster oven, and others (read, me and Anna) can’t wait long enough for the cinnamon rolls to reheat up so we just enjoy ours straight out of the pan!

These gluten-free cinnamon rolls can be stored covered at room temperature for 2-3 days. If you plan on making them last longer, store them in an airtight container in the fridge where they will last for 5-6 days. The cinnamon rolls can also be frozen after they are made too! I recommend not frosting or glazing them if you are going to freeze them.

Which brings us to the topic of serving these amazing breakfast rolls! Since cinnamon rolls are classically topped with a sugary glaze, we opt for something similar such as one of these options:

Cinnamon Roll Toppings:

Miss Jones vanilla frosting (dairy-free)
homemade buttercream frosting (check out the recipes in The Pioneer Chicks Cookie Cookbook!)
maple cream
Daiya cream cheese (check out the cream cheese frosting in this recipe)
marshmallow fluff (use the marshmallow recipe in my S’more Pie recipe)

I like to use Miss Jones dairy-free vanilla frosting to top my gluten-free cinnamon rolls with! This frosting is not too sweet and makes the perfect topping for the boldly cinnamon-flavored rolls. Another favorite topping of ours is maple cream. If we can get our hands on some locally made maple cream, then we slather that amazing stuff all over our cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning! We have also made our own maple cream! Seriously, if you haven’t tried maple cream yet, you need to!

However you choose to top and serve these cinnamon rolls, they are sure to be a family-favorite on your homestead!

Recipe Questions

Can I make these cinnamon rolls the night before?

Yes, you can easily make these cinnamon rolls the night before, keep them in the fridge overnight, and bake them in the morning to have fresh cinnamon rolls for breakfast! With gluten-free cinnamon rolls, you will want to shape the cinnamon rolls and then let them proof (rise) a little before putting them in the fridge.

Once you have the cinnamon rolls shaped and in the baking pan, cover them with a lightly oiled piece of plastic wrap and set them in a warm location. You can let them proof for 30-50 minutes. They should look puffy but not quite be doubled in size. You don’t want to let them over-proof since they will slowly proof more in the fridge overnight.

After they have proofed, you should make sure they are securely covered so that they don’t dry out overnight. Place the whole pan in the fridge. While the oven is preheating in the morning, get the cinnamon rolls out (leave them covered) and let them rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. Then proceed with baking them!

What’s the best GF flour blend for cinnamon rolls?

I have found the gfJules gluten-free breakfast flour blend to be the best gluten-free flour blend for baking with. It yields gluten-free baked goods that are fluffy and soft without being dense. It is also corn free, which I always look for in gluten-free flour blends. I have also successfully made gluten-free cinnamon rolls using both the Pamela’s gluten-free flour blend and the Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free flour blend.

I’m pretty sure any other gluten-free flour blend would work just fine in this recipe, you may just want to pay attention to moisture levels of the dough. You want to achieve a soft dough that is workable and slightly sticky, not dry and stiff.

What if my dough is too sticky?

So what happens if your dough is too sticky? That is the biggest problem with making cinnamon rolls. Sticky dough makes rolling the cinnamon rolls super hard and can leave holes where the precious cinnamon sugar filling leaks out.

This dough should be slightly sticky when you go to roll it out. The key is having a generously floured work surface, I sprinkled about 3 T. of flour on my work surface when rolling out the dough. As I rolled up the cinnamon rolls, some spots would stick a little, but I just used floured hands to scrape the dough up and kept rolling. I also generously floured my hands and fingers as I worked the dough.

However, if you feel like your dough is too sticky, add a little more flour. Sprinkle some more gluten-free flour over the dough and gently work it in. Don’t add too much flour since then your cinnamon rolls won’t be as fluffy and you won’t get a nice rise from them.

Can I make these dairy-free?

I have not tried making these gluten-free cinnamon rolls dairy-free. While some of the ingredients are dairy-free, but both Anna and I can have organic, pasture-raised butter so that is what I use in this recipe. You could try using coconut oil or a dairy-free butter substitute but just know that I haven’t tested that yet!

Keep in mind that you should use coconut milk beverage or oat milk beverage in this recipe and not canned coconut milk. Any other dairy-free milk beverage will work too. I like to use homemade oat milk in my cinnamon rolls!

How long do the cinnamon rolls stay soft?

Since we are talking about gluten-free here, you should keep in mind that these cinnamon rolls are best served within 24-48 hours of being made and kept at room temperature in the meantime. They will the fluffiest when they are still warm and the fibers in the gluten-free flour haven’t cooled. However, if your cinnamon rolls do firm up, you can easily reheat them to get back that soft, fluffy texture.

Reheating them in the microwave oven works well and you can also use a toaster oven. Don’t toast the cinnamon rolls, instead, program the toaster oven to the ‘reheat’ setting or set the toaster oven at a low temperature, like 200-250°F.

These gluten-free cinnamon rolls are the perfect Christmas morning breakfast! I love all the warm, cozy feelings I get while baking these cinnamon rolls. Then enjoying them with my family on Christmas morning makes them all the more special!

Gluten-free Cinnamon Rolls

recipe by The Pioneer Chicks

Prep Time 40

Cook Time 30

Total Time 1 40

Servings 6 large cinnamon rolls

Author Alexa Lehr

Ingredients

3/4 cup coconut milk or oat milk beverage
6 T. maple sugar, divided
1 T. active dry yeast
1 large pasture-raised, organic egg room temp.
2 T. organic, grass-fed butter, melted
1/2 cup warm water
2 3/4 cup gfJules gluten-free breakfast flour blend
1 tsp. sea salt
12 tsp. dairy-free heavy cream for baking the rolls

Filling

2 T. organic, grass-fed butter, melted
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1 T. ground cinnamon

Instructions

In a small saucepan, heat the milk beverage and 4 T. of the maple sugar over low heat until the mixture reaches a temperature of 100-110℉. Remove from the heat, sprinkle the yeast over the milk, and gently stir it in. Set it aside for 5-10 minutes until the mixture becomes frothy.
Meanwhile, place the gluten-free flour, salt, and remaining 2 T. of sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix together the flour, salt, and sugar on low.
Line an 8×8" or 7×11" glass baking pan with parchment paper. Cut an additional piece of parchment paper that is about 17" long, this is what you will roll the dough out on.
Once the yeast has proofed, proceed with making the dough. Add the yeast/milk, melted butter, egg, and warm water to the flour in the bowl of the stand mixer. Turn the mixer on low and let it mix for about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Turn the mixer back onto medium speed and allow it to mix the dough for 3-4 minutes. This will create a smooth dough that is slightly sticky.
Prep the cinnamon roll filling ingredients while the dough is mixing. Melt the butter and set it aside. Combine the coconut sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and set it aside.
To roll out the dough, sprinkle about 3 T. of flour on the 17" long piece of parchment paper you cut. Using a soft spatula, scrape the dough out onto the pachment paper. It should hold its shape but still be slightly tacky.
Generously flour your hands and begin to press the dough out into a rectangle that is about 9" tall and 17" long. Make sure there is plenty of flour under the dough as you press it out to prevent it from sticking when you go to roll the dough.
Spread the melted butter over the rectangle. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over the melted butter. Make sure both the butter and cinnamon sugar reach all the way to the edges of the dough.
Use a pizza cutter to cut the rectangle into 6 strips that are 17" long. Each strip will be about 1.5" tall/wide.
Roll each strip into a cinnamon roll. If the strip starts to stick to the parchment paper as you roll it up, just use floured hands to scrape up the dough and keep rolling. Place the roll, swirl side up, in the parchment paper lined baking pan. Repeat with the remaining strips, placing each cinnamon evenly spaced apart in the pan.
Note: If you like tall cinnamon rolls, leave the rolls as they are. If you like fatter, squat cinnamon rolls, gently press down the cinnamon rolls in the pan with the palm of your hand.
Cover the pan with lightly oiled plastic wrap and place it in a warm location (around 70℉ is ideal). Let the rolls proof for 30-90 minutes.**See Notes for overnight option.** The rolls should be puffy and about doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 350°F while the rolls are proofing. Once the rolls have proofed, remove the plastic wrap and spread about 2 tsp. of heavy cream over each roll. Cover the pan with an aluminum foil cover.
Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil cover and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes. The rolls should be puffy and lightly browned. A toothpick inserted into one of the center rolls should come out clean with only a few crumbs.
Remove the rolls from the oven and allow them to cool for 10-15 minutes before topping them and serving them!
Store leftover rolls in an airtight container at room temperature. To get leftover cinnamon rolls to be fluffy again, reheat them in a microwave oven or toaster oven.

Notes

Overnight Option: Allow the cinnamon rolls to proof for 30-50 minutes. The rolls should be puffy but not quite doubled in size. Cover them securely so that they don’t dry out overnight. Place the cinnamon roll pan in the fridge overnight.

In the morning, remove the cinnamon rolls from the fridge and allow them to rest, covered, at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven, spread the heavy cream over the rolls, cover the pan with aluminum foil, and bake like usual. Since the rolls have been chilled, they may need about 5-10 minutes more bake time.

Where to Find the Ingredients

These gluten-free cinnamon rolls are big, soft, fluffy, and bursting with holiday cheer! Of course, you can make them any time of the year and they will still be good, but I like to think of them as Christmas cinnamon rolls. We enjoy having these special treats at Christmas time and I know the cinnamon roll Christmas breakfast tradition will be in the family for a long time! Everyone in my family loves the soft texture of these rolls and the sweet, bold flavor of a classic cinnamon roll. Top them off with some frosting or maple cream, and these cinnamon rolls are the perfect Christmas morning breakfast!

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ThePioneerChicks

We are graphic designers who love to bake & cook, go crazy about chickens, have a passion for photography, are naturally adventurous, each have our own crafty talent, respect nature, strive to live a sustainable lifestyle, and aren't restricted by our dietary limitations! Our goal is to become modern pioneers! Learn more about us and why we started The Pioneer Chicks on our About page.

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