Fluffy and moist gluten-free cinnamon rolls recipe. This cinnamon roll recipe was requested by Sarah, and she specifically asked for fluffy cinnamon rolls. So here it is! If you want a specific recipe, feel free to request one here.
Everyone loves cinnamon rolls; I'm yet to meet someone that doesn't. I used to make cinnamon rolls pretty much every month before I found out I was gluten-intolerant. Before we dive in, want to know a little fact? Cinnamon rolls date back to the 18th century!
Gluten-Free Cinnamon Rolls Recipe; Ingredients
I did not want to give up on fluffy and soft cinnamon rolls when developing this gluten-free cinnamon roll recipe. Hence, please avoid substituting any of the ingredients as every ingredient used in the recipe was well-studied.
For the Dough
- White rice flour, Tapioca Flour, Corn Starch, and Brown Rice Flour: to make gluten-free cinnamon rolls fluffy and soft, it is essential to use the flours mentioned above. The use of corn starch in addition to tapioca flour helps make the cinnamon rolls soft.
- Xanthan Gum: Xanthan gum will help the ingredients bind together and make the process of shaping the cinnamon rolls much easier.
- Salt: To provide the gluten-free rolls with flavor. In sweden, they also add a pinch of cardamom. Give it a try if you like.
- Baking Soda: It is difficult to make the gluten-free dough rise. Therefore, the addition of baking soda will aid in making the gluten-free cinnamon rolls rise and expand in the oven.
- Granulated White Sugar: A small amount of sugar will be used to help the yeast activate.
- Instant Active Yeast: This cinnamon roll recipe only have one rise time. Therefore, instant active yeast is essential to achieve the best rise possible in the shortest amount of time. Moreover, instant active yeast is the least intimidating and is pretty easy to use.
- Milk & Water: The use of milk will add flavor to the dough. Moreover, both the milk and water will provide the dough with moisture.
- Egg: The egg provides the dough with structure making it easier to shape.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: Provides moisture to the dough and helps it rise.
- Sour Cream: The use of sour cream makes the dough soft.
- Unsalted Butter at Room Temperature: The primary source of fat.
Cinnamon-Sugar Filling
- Ground Cinnamon
- Granulated White Sugar & Brown Sugar: The use of brown sugar provides the cinnamon rolls with a nice molasses flavor. You can omit the use of brown sugar if you like; however, I highly recommend giving it a try.
Cream Cheese Frosting Cinnabon Style
So there is a debate about which is better, Vanilla icing or cream cheese frosting on cinnamon rolls? I'm team cream cheese frosting. The first time I tried cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting was at Cinnabon. Here is what you need:
- Unsalted Butter at room temperature: The butter should be at a temperature of 20 degrees celsius. Anything above that, and the butter is way too soft, will yield a runny cream cheese frosting.
- Full-Fat Cream Cheese: Use your favorite cream cheese.
- Salt: Only a pinch of salt is needed.
- Granulated White Sugar: You can use icing sugar, but I like the crunch that the granulated sugar provides to the cream cheese frosting.
- 1 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract: I used vanilla beans for this recipe, but vanilla extract works just as well.
- Milk: Milk will be used to control the consistency of the cream cheese frosting.
Making Cinnamon Rolls from Scratch
We will begin by checking if the yeast is active by heating the milk and water to 49-55°C (120-131°F). Then add the sugar and yeast and gently stir. Cover the mixture and let it sit for 10 minutes at room temperature. If bubbles form, it means that the yeast is activated and ready to go.
Meanwhile, prepare the sugar-cinnamon filling by combining the ground cinnamon, granulated sugar, and brown sugar.
Next, mix the dry ingredients such as flour, xanthan gum, salt, and baking soda in a separate bowl. Then add the egg, apple cider vinegar, sour cream, and yeast mixture and combine using a stand-alone mixer with the paddle attachment attached or a hand-held mixer at low-medium speed. You can even try to form the dough with your hand, but it will require a lot of manpower.
Afterward, add the butter one tablespoon at a time and combine. Then, divide the dough into two separate equal parts.
Dust the working area with any gluten-free flour and shape each dough into a rectangle using a rolling pin. If the dough is sticking to the rolling pin or to the working area, sprinkle more flour on each. The thickness of the dough should be around 5-6 mm ( ¼ inch).
Then working with one dough at a time, brush a tablespoon of butter onto the dough, and add the cinnamon-sugar filling.
Next, roll the dough into a log tightly, and cut the dough into 5-6 equal rolls using a sharp knife or floss. Repeat for the other dough.
Cover the cinnamon rolls tightly with plastic wrap and a damp towel, and let the rolls rise for about 60-90 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F), and bake the gluten-free cinnamon rolls for 20-23 minutes or until a thermometer inserted at the center of the rolls read 87°C ( 190°F). I like baking the cinnamon rolls in a glass casserole to see the edges of the rolls clearly. If the edges are golden, it means that the rolls are baked.
Then add the cream cheese frosting to the top of the gluten-free cinnamon rolls and serve while it is warm.
Storing and Reheating Cinnamon Rolls
Store gluten-free cinnamon rolls in an air-tight container in the fridge. The rolls stay soft for up to three days in the refrigerator. To reheat the rolls, heat the oven to 160°C (320°F) and heat the cinnamon rolls for about 5-7 minutes.
Gluten-free Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
Cinnamon-Sugar Filling:
- 50 grams of Granulated White Sugar
- 50 grams of Dark Brown Sugar
- 2 tablespoon of Ground Cinnamon
Cinnamon Roll Dough:
- 145 ml of Full-Fat Milk at 49-55°C (120-131°F)
- 35 ml of Water at 49-55°C (120-131°F)
- 50 grams of Granulated White Sugar
- 7 grams of Yeast
- 172 grams of White Rice Flour
- 35 grams of Tapioca Flour
- 69 grams of Corn Starch
- 69 grams of Brown Rice Flour
- 2 teaspoon of Xanthan Gum
- ½ teaspoon of Salt
- ¼ teaspoon of Baking Soda
- 1 Large Egg
- 1 teaspoon of Apple Cider Vinegar
- 90 grams of Sour Cream at room temperature
- 52 grams of Unsalted Butter at room temperature + 2 tbsp.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 55 grams of Unsalted Butter at room temperature
- 140 grams of Cream Cheese at room temperature
- ⅛ teaspoon of Salt
- 165 grams of Granulated White Sugar or Icing Sugar
- 1 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract or Vanilla beans
Instructions
Cinnamon-Sugar Filling
- In a bowl, combine the white granulated sugar, brown sugar, and ground cinnamon together.
Cinnamon Roll Dough
- First, activate the yeast by combining the warm milk, warm water, sugar, and yeast. Cover the yeast mixture and allow it to sit for 10 minutes. The yeast is activated when bubbles have formed. If after 10 minutes there are no bubbles, discard the mixture and repeat.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, xanthan gum, salt, and baking soda. Whisk the dry ingredients to ensure that all ingredients are well combined.
- Next, add the egg, apple cider vinegar, sour cream, and yeast mixture. Using either a stand-alone mixer with the paddle attachment attached at low-medium speed or your hand, combine the ingredients. Then, add the butter one tablespoon at a time, integrating the butter into the dough after each addition.
- Divide the dough into two equal parts, transfer each dough to a greased bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap to prevent the dough from drying.
- Dust the working area and rolling pin with gluten-free flour. Working with one dough at a time, roll the dough into a rectangle with a thickness of 5-6 mm ( ¼ inch). Then, brush one tablespoon of butter onto the dough and sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar filling.
- Roll the dough tightly into a log, and cut it into 5-6 equal rolls.
- Repeat steps 5-6.
- Transfer the 10-12 cinnamon rolls to a greased casserole and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Then wrap the casserole with a damp kitchen towel and allow the cinnamon rolls to rise at room temperature for 60-90 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F).
- Bake, the gluten-free cinnamon rolls for 20-23 minutes or until a thermometer inserted at the rolls' center reads 87°C ( 190°F).
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Using a stand-alone mixer, with the paddle attachment attached, or using a hand-held mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy at medium-high speed.
- Next, add the granulated sugar and combine until creamy at medium-high speed.
- Then add the vanilla extract, salt, milk and combine at low-medium speed. If the cream cheese frosting is too thick, add more milk as needed.
- Apply the cream cheese frosting to the cinnamon rolls and serve the rolls warm.
Notes
- Store gluten-free cinnamon rolls in an air-tight container in the fridge. The rolls stay soft for up to three days in the refrigerator.
- To reheat the rolls, heat the oven to 160°C (320°F) and heat the cinnamon rolls for about 5-7 minutes.
Daniela says
Fabulous recipe! Can't wait to make again!
Joshua says
Can't wait to make these cinnamon rolls! They look delicious!
Anaiah says
I have just been getting into gluten free baking (husband and son have sensitivities) and I am soo glad to have found your amazing recipe! Cinnamon rolls have always been my fave and these gluten free ones did not disappoint. This will be a new favorite in our family for sure.
Aya says
Thank you, Anaiah, for the kind review! I'm so glad you and your family liked it!
Julia says
These look and sound so yummy! My family love Cinnamon rolls so this is going to be a real treat for them. Thank you for sharing.
Choclette says
Mmmmm, I adore cinnamon rolls. You've done a really good job making these gluten-free cinnamon rolls so fluffy and soft. I have brown rice flour, but none of the others. Obviously need to remedy that situation.
Aya says
Thank you! Most of my recipes include white rice, brown rice, and tapioca flour. I find that baking with these flours is the easiest and yields the best results.
Kayla says
Okayyyy these gf cinnamon rolls were stop drop and roll amazing. Like they tasted exactly like the real deal! I sometimes struggle with gf desserts being grainy but these I couldn't tell a difference!
Aya says
Thank you so much! I'm glad you liked it!