Baking & Breads
Gluten-Free Cinnamon Rolls with Vanilla Icing
Soft gluten-free cinnamon rolls with a brown sugar and cinnamon swirl, finished with vanilla butter icing.
Adapted from King Arthur Baking's gluten-free cinnamon rolls.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Rest
- 4 hr 15 min
- Total
- 5 hr 10 min
- Makes
- 8 rolls
Times are estimates.
Let’s Get Cooking
Ingredients
For 8 rolls
You’ll Need
- Kitchen scale
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Parchment paper
- Baking sheet
- Sharp knife or unflavored dental floss
- Pastry brush
Method
Mix the Dough
In a stand mixer bowl, or a large bowl if using a hand mixer, combine the flour, sugar, salt, xanthan gum and yeast. Add the softened butter, oil, warm milk and egg and beat with the paddle or beaters on medium-high for 3 minutes. The dough will be soft and sticky.
First Rise
Cover the bowl and let the dough rise until puffy, 60 to 90 minutes.
Press Out the Dough
Brush a large sheet of parchment with the 1 tsp oil. Scrape the dough onto it and, with wet hands, press it into a 10 x 12-inch rectangle.
Add the Filling
Stir the 1 tbsp melted butter, brown sugar, 2 tbsp flour blend, cinnamon and pinch of salt together until crumbly. Sprinkle it evenly over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch strip bare along one long edge.
Roll and Chill
Starting from the other long edge, lift the parchment to help roll the dough into a log, ending at the bare strip. Freeze the log, still in the parchment, for 20 to 30 minutes.
Cut and Second Rise
Line a baking sheet with parchment. Cut the log into 8 rolls and set them 2 inches apart on the sheet. Cover and let rise until puffy, 90 to 120 minutes. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) toward the end of the rise.
Bake
Brush the rolls with the 1 tbsp milk. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden and the center of a roll reaches about 205°F.
Ice and Serve
Brush the hot rolls with half of the 3 tbsp melted butter and let them cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Mix the rest of the butter with the confectioners' sugar, vanilla and 1 tbsp milk until smooth, then spread it over the rolls.
A Little Extra Guidance
Recipe Notes
Ingredient checks, storage, and food handling guidance.
Before You Cook
Gluten-free roll dough is soft and sticky, so it is pressed out with wet hands and rolled up using the parchment underneath rather than kneaded. A short spell in the freezer firms the log so it slices cleanly.
The flour matters. This formula uses King Arthur Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour, the blend sold without gum, plus xanthan gum added separately. Measure-for-measure blends behave differently in yeast doughs, so results with them will vary. Weighing the flour and milk gives the most consistent rolls.
Plan for most of a morning: two rises and a chill add up to about 4 hours, though only about 30 minutes of that is hands-on.
Choosing Gluten-Free Ingredients
Check the labels on the flour blend, xanthan gum, yeast, cinnamon and confectioners' sugar. Roll the dough on fresh parchment, not a counter or towel that has been dusted with wheat flour. See the FDA guide to gluten-free labels.
More Recipes to Try
You might also like our gluten-free blueberry muffins, banana bread and waffles.
Food Handling and Leftovers
Use a food thermometer and the safe cooking temperature chart. Refrigerate perishable food within two hours, or one hour above 90°F, in shallow containers. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below. Use refrigerated cooked leftovers within 3–4 days; reheat cooked leftovers to 165°F. See USDA leftover guidance.
Browse the gluten-free recipe collection.
Storage and Leftovers
Best the day they are baked. Keep leftovers covered at room temperature for up to 1 day, or freeze un-iced rolls for up to 2 months. Warm in a 300°F oven for about 10 minutes before serving.
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