Fluffy gluten free chocolate cinnamon rolls covered in rich chocolate ganache. If you are looking for a spin on the traditional cinnamon rolls this recipe is for you!

The chocolate cinnamon rolls covered with chocolate ganache on a pink marble plate.

I'm a huge fan of cinnamon rolls and love changing the fillings.

If you are looking for different kind of cinnamon rolls check out my apple pie cinnamon rolls recipe. For a traditional cinnamon roll check out my gluten free cinnamon rolls recipe.

The Secret to Rich Chocolate Cinnamon Filling

This cinnamon rolls recipe consists of three major parts: the dough, the filling, and finally, the chocolate ganache.

However, since this recipe is similar to my other cinnamon roll recipes I will only be discussing the fillings in this section.

Chocolate Cinnamon Filling:

Butter: Makes the filling creamy and delicious!
Brown Sugar: Used as a sweetener, and provides the filling with a delicious caramelized flavor.
Cocoa Powder: The cocoa powder is essential as it holds all the chocolate flavor. I used Dutch Cocoa Powder.
Ground Cinnamon: The cinnamon pairs perfectly with chocolate!
Instant Coffee: The instant coffee is optional, but it does bring out the chocolate flavor.
Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: A combination of actual chocolate and cocoa powder is what makes this filling delicious!

The Perfect Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls

To achieve soft gluten free cinnamon rolls, we will be using an Asian technique called Tangzhong. This is the same technique used in the Japanese Milk Bread recipe and other cinnamon roll recipes. Anyways, let's begin making these cinnamon rolls!

Making The Tangzhong

In a medium-sized saucepan, add the flour, milk, and water. Then whisk until no lumps remain.
Set the saucepan over medium-low heat, and cook the Tangzhong until it thickens while continuously stirring. If you stop stirring, then lumps will form, and you will end up with a mess.
Let the Tangzhong cool down to room temperature before using it in your dough.

Milk, water and flour in a saucepan with a pink whisk.

Tangzhong mixture over medium-high heat, being stirred with a pink whisk.

Tangzhong mixture is thick and slurry in a medium-sized saucepan, with a pink whisk.

Prepare The Dough

Activate The Yeast: Add and combine the water, sugar, and instant active yeast. Then cover the mixture and let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, you should see bubbles forming. The bubbles indicate that the yeast is active, and we are ready to go!

Yeast, water and sugar in a glass beaker.

Activated yeast with bubble formation in a glass beaker.

Form The Dough: Start by combining the flours, xanthan gum, baking powder, and salt. Then add the buttermilk, egg, sugar, and melted butter. Using a standalone mixer with the paddle attachment fitted, beat the dough at medium-high speed until formed (3-4 minutes). Then, transfer the dough to a greased bowl and tightly cover it. Allow the dough to rest for 60-90 minutes or until it has doubled in size.

Dry ingredients in a stainless steel bowl with a gray whisk.

The milk, eggs, sugar and melted butter are added to the dry ingredients.

The gluten free cinnamon rolls dough in a stainless steel bowl.

The dough in a greased glass bowl, covered with plastic wrap.

Finalizing The Cinnamon Rolls

Shape The Dough: Transfer the dough to a lightly dusted surface. I like to roll the dough on parchment paper to prevent it from sticking. Roll the dough into a 30 x 45 cm (12 x 18 inch) rectangle. If the dough sticks to the rolling pin, then sprinkle a little bit of gluten-free flour on it and the rolling pin.

The gluten free cinnamon dough on parchment paper.

The gluten free cinnamon dough rolled into a rectangle on parchment paper.

Add The Fillings: Evenly brush the dough with the chocolate cinnamon filling, leaving a 1 cm (¼ inch) of dough exposed at the end for sealing. Then add the semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Dough covered in chocolate cinnamon filling.

Dough covered in chocolate cinnamon filling and semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Roll The Dough: Roll the dough into a 30 cm (12 inches) log. Then cut it into 6-7 equal pieces. I ended up with seven pieces. Place the chocolate cinnamon rolls on a deep baking tray aligned with parchment paper.

Rolling the chocolate cinnamon rolls dough into a log.

Cutting the chocolate cinnamon dough log into 6 equal pieces and setting them on a pyrex aligned with parchment paper.

Second Rise: Cover the baking tray with plastic wrap, and let the cinnamon rolls rise for another 60 minutes. During the second half of the rising hour, preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F).
Bake The Cinnamon Rolls: Bake the chocolate cinnamon rolls for 23-25 minutes or until the edges are golden. Then add the chocolate ganache and serve while it is still warm.

Dairy-Free Option

For a dairy-free option, please see the suggestions below:

Unsalted Butter - I recommend using vegetable shortening as a substitute for the dough. Use 60 grams of Vegetable shortening instead of 60 grams of Unsalted Butter. Meanwhile, you can use vegan butter for brushing and the cream cheese icing.
Milk - use almond or coconut milk instead.
Buttermilk - Substitute the 120 ml of buttermilk with 120 ml of almond or coconut milk. Add ½ tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to the almond or coconut milk and let it sit for 10 minutes until it thickens.

Gluten Free Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls