Soft & Fluffy Gluten-Free Cinnamon Rolls (no xanthan gum)

This Gluten-Free Cinnamon Roll recipe is for the American style rather than the kind of Scandinavian style that you are more inclined to see in British bakeries. American cinnamon rolls are softer and fluffier and sweeter with a cream cheese frosting (this is not the occasion to be calling it 'icing' which is a more British term!). Whereas the Scandinavian style rolls are a little more bready, often spiked with cardamom, they have a crisper crust and don’t usually have a glaze at all.

However, it’s the American version we enjoy more frequently in our house, the first time I tried Cinnabons I couldn’t believe how good they were. Well, this recipe is a wonderful soft and fluffy gluten-free version of those kind of cinnamon buns and now we make them when we really want to spoil ourselves – they are perfect for Christmas morning, Easter brunch or on a lazy Sunday when you just want a cosy baking project.

Easy Gluten-Free Cinnamon Rolls

Actually they are quite simple to make; they do have a few processes though and will take up a happy 3-4 of hours of your day so you do need to set aside a little time. But each of these processes is straightforward and quite foolproof if you follow my tips and tricks.

The part of the recipe you’ll need to pay the most attention to is the 15 minutes where I’ll show you exactly:

• how to handle the pillowy dough after the first proof,
• how to spread the filling,
• how to roll up the dough into a long log,
• how to cut the rolls. 

As long as you take the recipe step by step then I guarantee it’s a breeze to accomplish.

Why You’ll Love These Gluten-Free Cinnamon Rolls

• Perfect combination of soft, fluffy dough with a gooey, sweet cinnamon filling and rich cream cheese frosting.
• Texture of these rolls are tender and pillowy thanks to the choice of gluten-free flours, protein rich ingredients and psyllium husk.
• Easy to handle dough. Rolling it out on the baking parchment avoids it sticking and helps to roll the dough into a tight log. Detailed tips and tricks for rolling out are included below to achieve perfection first time round.
• Dough rises well and stays light (no dense or crumbly gluten-free dough here!).
• Moist dough. Balanced ingredients help achieve this as well as spreading over the frosting immediately after baking.
• Rich classic flavour. Traditional cinnamon flavour which is beautifully buttery.
• No xanthan gum is needed. Instead the soft, fluffy texture and strong structure of the rolls is achieved through using psyllium husk and a high ratio of a protein packed flour (almond flour) and ingredients (egg, milk).
• Perfectly frosted. The frosting we use here includes cream cheese (otherwise is it really a proper American Cinnamon Roll?) but isn’t too sweet and cloying and balances beautifully with the cinnamon.

Ingredients Needed

Gluten-Free Dough

Milk. Use whole milk or a plant based milk if you prefer. 

Brown sugar. Gives lovely gentle molasses flavour, moisture and a slight sweetness to our buns.

Active Dry Yeast. This yeast is easy to use but requires activation by dissolving in warm liquid before incorporating into recipes. If it has been hanging around your larder for a while then you should check it’s still viable by dissolving it in warm water with a pinch of sugar, and if it becomes foamy and doubles in volume within 5-10 minutes, it is still good to use.

Psyllium husk. This is a common ingredient used in gluten-free baking as a binder and texturiser, mimicking the elastic properties of gluten found in traditional wheat flour. To use in recipes, it is typically mixed with water to form a gel-like substance before incorporating it into the recipe. This psyllium gel is used here to help bind the ingredients together, improve the texture, and add some elasticity to the dough. This recipe was tested with whole psyllium husk (not psyllium husk powder).

Water. This is used to mix with the psyllium husk to create the gel. Tap water is fine if you are in the UK.

Almond flour. This is an essential flour for the texture and structure of the rolls due to its high protein content. You are looking for blanched ground almonds. There is a bit of labelling confusion over almond flour which is sold as ‘ground almonds’ in most major UK supermarkets and found in the baking aisle. If you want to know what exactly you are looking for then check out this post >>>Is Almond Flour The Same As Ground Almonds.

Tapioca starch (tapioca flour). Needed to help with the structure of the cinnamon rolls. Tapioca flour is a great starchy flour that is ideal for binding and aids in a lovely golden brown colour on the rolls.

Sorghum flour. This whole grain flour is lovely in gluten-free baking recipes due to its mild, earthy sweet flavour and smooth texture. It blends well with other flours and sits well alongside a variety of flavours so is a versatile choice.

Baking powder. It may sound strange using baking powder in a yeast - based recipe but for gluten-free baking it's a little tip on adding some extra oven spring and lightness to your bake. A lot of baking powders now are double action meaning that they start reacting in the mixing bowl and then are activated again when introduced to heat and after a bit of testing I have found that it does make a difference if you add it into a gluten free baking recipe.

Bicarbonate of soda. Also known as baking soda, this is a white crystalline powder that is commonly used as a leavening agent in baking.

Salt. I like to use kosher salt in my baking as it has a round gentle flavour. Using salt in your baked goods lifts and sharpens all the other flavours.

Butter. Unsalted butter is the best choice here so we can control the salt content of the recipe. We use melted butter to add to the softness of the dough.

Apple cider vinegar. Gluten-free baking needs every help it can to achieve light and fluffy dough and using a bit of acid to activate the bicarbonate of soda really helps. You could substitute with fresh lemon juice.

Egg. This recipe uses 1 medium size, about 60g with shell (50g without shell). These are often classified as large eggs in the US. I recommend weighing your eggs to ensure the correct amount. The egg adds protein which helps with the structure of the rolls and helps to keep them lovely and soft.

Cinnamon Filling

Unsalted butter. You want your butter slightly softened – so that it the filling is light and very soft to spread. You can place in the microwave for just a few seconds if your kitchen is quite cold.

Soft light brown sugar. It gives such a deep rich flavour to the cinnamon filling.

Cinnamon. Let’s not skimp on the quality of the cinnamon, some brands are better than others and have a deeper richer flavour.

Vanilla extract. Use a good quality extract, I like Nielsen Massey.

Salt. Again with the salt, I use kosher salt here for the gentle flavour.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream cheese. You must use a full-fat cream cheese for a better flavour and greater stability for the buttercream and you can’t go wrong with Philadelphia. Keep your tub style/spreadable cream cheese in the fridge until you need to use it. You should only be using room temperature cream cheese if you are using block style (brick).

Icing sugar. (powdered sugar/confectioners sugar). Icing sugar is the best choice for this frosting because it dissolves more easily, resulting in a smoother and less grainy texture, while also contributing to the desired consistency and sweetness of the frosting.

Milk. This is just to loosen the frosting a little as it’s nice to keep it very light and creamy so it spreads easily over the cinnamon rolls.

Vanilla extract. It’s especially important to use a good quality extract in a buttercream or frosting as it is such a key flavour, I like Nielsen Massey.

Salt. Essential for the buttercream to lift the flavours and mellow the sweetness. Use kosher salt if you can (you can buy from Amazon)

Flour Substitutions

Gluten-free flours. I don't recommending using an all purpose flour blend here (like Bob's Red Mill or Doves) as this recipe has been developed to create the perfect texture and consistency for the buns using the flours suggested. However, there are substitutions for the individual flours which I can recommend:

• Almond flour. I really don’t recommend substituting this flour as I haven’t tested it with alternatives and this recipe needs the soft high protein content of the almonds.
• Sorghum flour. You can substitute for oat flour.
• Tapioca flour. You can substitute for cassava flour.

Equipment Needed

Digital scales. I really recommend these for more complicated recipes like this one. There are so many reasons why using digital scales is the best choice for gluten-free baking, and the best one is that you get much more accurate results.

Digital thermometer. This is needed for measuring the temperature of the milk so it can activate the yeast properly.

2 x Medium mixing bowls. One you’ll need for activating the yeast, the second for creating the psyllium husk gel. You can re-purpose these bowls for mixing the filling and the frosting.

Stand mixer. It isn’t essential, you can use electric hand mixer(you'll need a large mixing bowl then to mix the dough) Weigh your flours directly into the stand mixer bowl by placing it on the digital scales.

Tea towel or cling film (plastic wrap). You need these to cover your dough whilst it is proofing. Personally for this job I really do prefer using cling film.

Baking parchment paper. This is essential for helping to roll out your dough and rolling it into a log.

Rolling pin. I like to use a long wooden rolling pin.

Spatula. I recommend a silicone spatula for scraping the dough out of the bowl and also for spreading the cinnamon filling on the dough.

Sharp knife. Use this to score out equal pieces of the dough before cutting with the floss (below).

Dental floss or thread. This really does create the cleanest cut. Use unflavoured dental floss if you are choosing this option (although I didn't have unflavoured and the rolls tasted just fine).

9 x 9 inch (23 x 23cm) baking dish. I like to use a glass baking dish like pyrex as it bakes very evenly.

Electric hand mixer. I used this for mixing the filling and the frosting. But you can do this job by using a firm hand if you need to.

How To Make Gluten-Free Cinnamon Rolls

For full recipe instructions go to the recipe card at the end of this post.

Activate the yeast: Heat the milk to 38-46°C (100-115°F), pour it into a medium mixing bowl, and stir in the yeast and caster sugar. Let it rest for 10 minutes until bubbly.

Create psyllium gel: Stir the water and psyllium husk together in a medium mixing bowl. Let it stand for 2-4 minutes until a gel forms.

Prepare the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the dry ingredients (almond flour, sorghum flour, tapioca flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, and salt).
Add the wet ingredients (yeast mixture, psyllium gel, apple cider vinegar, melted butter, and egg) and mix.

Prove the dough (1st rise): Place the dough in a clean mixing bowl, cover with a tea towel or cling film, and let it rest in a warm place for 1½ hours.

Roll out the dough: Cut a piece of parchment paper to 12” x 18” (30 x 45cm) and dust with tapioca flour. Shape the dough into a ball, place it on the parchment, and roll it out with a floured dusted rolling pin.

Make the filling: Mix all filling ingredients in a medium sized bowl using an electric hand mixer until smooth.

Add the filling: Drop the filling in spoonfuls across the rolled out dough then spread the filling evenly over the dough using a spatula, right to the edges.

Roll up the dough: Roll up the dough, from the long end, tightly using the parchment paper to help. Finish with the seam down.

Cut the rolls: Use dental floss to cut off the raggedy ends. Then score the dough into 9 equal pieces (about 2 inches / 5cm long) and use dental floss to cut the pieces.

Prove the dough (2nd rise): Place the rolls in a 9 x 9 inch (23 x 23cm) buttered baking dish. Cover the dish with a tea towel or cling film and let the rolls rise for final 40 minutes.

Bake: Preheat the oven to 180°C / 160°C fan assisted / gas mark 4 / 350°F and bake for 30 minutes until golden brown. Let the rolls cool in the dish for 10 minutes.

Frost: Mix the frosting ingredients together then spread over the cinnamon rolls and serve.

Expert Tips

Activating the yeast. To activate the yeast effectively, dissolve it in warm milk with the sugar which helps feed the yeast, allow it to sit for 15 minutes until a thick layer of foam forms on top and it froths and rises in size. Try not to let your activated yeast sit for too much longer or it will start to deflate and won’t work as well.

Sticky dough. Since this is an enriched dough it is quite sticky when you are preparing it for its first proof and so I do recommend using a stand mixer rather than mixing by hand with a wooden spoon, it will be less messy.

The dough should still be a little sticky but don't worry as more tapioca flour gets added along the process. Dust the work surface and your hands with tapioca flour as you scrape the dough out of the mixer and shape the dough into a smooth dough. Dust your hands and the work surface a little more if it’s too sticky to smooth together.

Proving the dough. For the best dough rise, place in a clean glass bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel or cling film (plastic wrap) and leave it in a warm and slightly damp spot until it doubles in size (1 - 1 ½ hours). My favourite way which has never failed me is to place the covered dough in the oven on the middle shelf with a tray of just boiled water placed on the bottom of the oven to create a warm, steamy atmosphere that helps the yeast do its job and make the dough rise even faster.

When is the dough ready? You know the dough is ready after its first proofed as it will have risen significantly to almost double its original size.

Dust with tapioca flour. When the dough has finished its first proof dust your hands lightly with tapioca flour to bring it out of the bowl and smooth into a ball on a lightly floured surface before rolling out onto the floured baking parchment.

Rolling out the dough. You should roll the dough into a tight log starting from the long side (18”/45cm side) of the rectangle. Make sure the log is nice and even and whilst you are smoothing the shape try not to pull at the log which will make it misshapen.

Soft dough. This is a very soft dough so needs lightness of touch when you are handling it and that’s why the parchment is such a useful tool as you don’t need to touch it too much.

Cutting the rolls. Measure out 2 inches (5cm) per roll using a ruler, and discarding the raggedy ends. Slide the dental floss (or thread) carefully under the dough, lifting up the dough very carefully (it’s soft so do this gently) so it doesn’t sever the underside, to the point where you want the first cut. Bring both ends of the floss up and over the top of the dough crossing each other and pulling in opposite directions. The floss will cut cleanly through the dough.

Making 24 hours ahead. If you don't want to bake the cinnamon rolls straightaway then place the cut out rolls in the buttered dish as per the recipe but then cover with cling film (plastic wrap) and place in the refrigerator overnight. Remove from the fridge the next morning then place somewhere warm and damp for its second proof for about 40 minutes then bake as instructed, frost and enjoy.

Frosting the rolls. Remove the rolls from the oven once baked and allow to rest for 10 minutes before pouring over the frosting. This allows the frosting to keep the rolls lovely and moist and sink a little bit into the rolls like a glaze. Wait another 20 minutes for them to cool a little (if you can bear the wait!) and then serve them warm.

Flavour Variations

Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Rolls. Add two large handfuls of chocolate chips to the dough an add 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder to the cinnamon-sugar filling. Switch up the cream cheese frosting for an easy chocolate glaze using 60g icing sugar, 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, 2 tablespoons milk and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract and a pinch of salt.

Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls. Melt 2 tablespoons butter then add 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 350g (1 ½ cups) diced apples. Place the lid on and keep the heat low for 10 minutes so the apples can slightly soften. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Then spread the caramelised apples on top of the cinnamon sugar filling before rolling out.

Maple Pecan Coffee Cinnamon Rolls. Add 2 teaspoons instant coffee powder into the cinnamon sugar, along with a generous handful of chopped pecans. Swap out the icing sugar for 2 tablespoons of maple syrup and 1 tablespoon freshly brewed espresso coffee in the frosting.