This gluten free vegan cinnamon rolls are soft, fluffy, and paired perfectly with a rich, vegan buttercream frosting.
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So many have asked for gluten free vegan cinnamon rolls for the longest time and we finally have a recipe for you! We truly hope that you love the recipe.
To be honest, gluten free baking is something that has not been easy for us. There are a lot of texture differences in gluten free baking versus traditional baking and we wanted to give you a great recipe.
Gluten free foods tend to be grainier than their gluten counterparts and that texture has thrown us off for a long time.
We think what we have done is given you the best texture that we can with the knowledge that we currently have without making you wait weeks and weeks for another recipe.
The end result was a super fluffy, super soft gluten free vegan cinnamon roll that actually rose to double in size and cooked perfectly. We think you’ll be happy with the results.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make these gluten free vegan cinnamon rolls Top 8 Allergen Free?
With the omission of the gluten, it’s so easy to make these Top 8 Allergen Free.
You simply need to use whatever dairy free milk is safe for you (any dairy free milk will work) and then use a soy free vegan butter alternative. Our go to is the Soy Free Earth Balance that comes in a red tub.
Quick tip: Double check the gluten free flour blend that you purchase. Make sure that it does not include milk inside the ingredient list as some do.
Can gluten free vegan cinnamon rolls be prepped ahead?
Yes! You can make the recipe as directed and then let cool completely.
Then, either cover the baking dish with foil or plastic wrap, or move them to an air tight container and place in the fridge for up to 5 days.
To reheat, just microwave for 30-40 seconds.
What is the best type of gluten free flour blend to use?
We tried this recipe with both the King Arthur Measure for Measure blend and the Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 blend.
We did find that personally we liked the texture better with the King Arthur version, but both recipes did come out.
It is important to note that if you do try another blend to make sure that it has xanthan gum inside the ingredient list. If it does not, then add 1 ½ teaspoon to your recipe in the dry ingredients.
We have not tried this recipe with any other gluten free blends, so we can not comment on the success of any other blend. We do recommend from our experience to use a higher quality, more popular blend that has been proven successful like the two we tested.
Do gluten free vegan cinnamon rolls really rise?
Yes, they do!
The apple cider vinegar helps to activate the yeast, especially in a gluten free recipe.
You can see in the photos above that the rolls go from barely touching, if not at all, if completely touching on all sides.
Note: It is normal in gluten free baking for the rolls to have some cracks in them as they rise.
Additional Quick Tips for successful gluten free vegan cinnamon rolls:
We just wanted to quickly point out some other tips from our experience in making these:
- Don’t let over proof (or rise). As soon as they have doubled in size and they are touching, get them into the oven.
- Don’t heat higher than 350 degrees F. Overheating with higher temperatures begins to break down the yeast, or inactivate it. You definitely do not want this happening in a gluten free recipe.
- Gluten Free flour is way more sensitive than traditional flours. It is also less forgiving. This means that you needs to accurately measure all the ingredients, but especially the flour. There’s not a lot of room for error here.
Can I make your other vegan cinnamon roll recipes with this dough?
If you’ve been following us for awhile, then you know that we have a ton of other vegan cinnamon roll recipes, this is just the first gluten free version.
We are happy to say that you should be able to use any of the normal recipes with this dough, just swapping out the filling for whichever recipe you want to make.
We hopefully will have a gluten free chocolate version soon.
Pin these gluten free vegan cinnamon rolls for later!
🥳 Get the Full Recipe
Gluten Free Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Dough
- 4 cups gluten free flour blend (we used King Arthur Measure for Measure – see post for more information about flours), + more for sprinkling
- 1 packet active dry yeast (or 2 ¼ tsp)
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups unsweetened dairy free milk
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup vegan butter, softened (not melted)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Cinnamon Roll Filling
- ¾ cup vegan butter, melted
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp cinnamon
Frosting (Choose 1)
- Dairy Free Buttercream (as shown in photos)
- Dairy Free Cream Cheese Frosting
Instructions
- In a large bowl or stand mixing bowl, whisk together gluten free flour, yeast, baking powder, brown sugar, and salt.
- Add in dairy free milk, applesauce, maple syrup, vegan butter, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla.
- Combine together with a spatula, or a dough hook if using stand mixer, until a dough forms. Add 1 tablespoon more gluten free flour at a time until dough is no longer sticky.*If using stand mixer, it should be pulling away from bowl.
- Shape dough into a ball.
- Lay a 20" piece of plastic wrap down and tape the corners down. *This helps gluten free dough not stick to counter as you're rolling without laying down a bunch of gluten free flour.
- Roll dough out to a 15×12 inch rectangle.
Filling
- Spread melted butter across rectangle evenly very gently.
- Then, mix brown sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle over top.
- Carefully roll cinnamon rolls into log from the longest side up. *Note: You have to do this very gently. Gluten free dough will not bounce back like traditional dough.
- One completely rolled, place seam side down. Cut into 9 even pieces with a knife.
- Place into a parchment lined 9×9 baking dish.
- Cover and let rise in a warm, drafted free place for 30-45 minutes until doubled in size and touching.*Do not let over rise.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F 10 minutes before done rising.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes until dough has cooked through.
- Remove, and let cool for 10 minutes.
- While cooling, make frosting. Top and serve.
Can you make the night before and bake the following morning?
We haven’t tried that with these particular ones, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work.
Hi there! I have tried this recipe twice and my dough is so sticky and seems to have already doubled before I can even roll it out to spread the filling. Is there something that I’m missing? I can’t cut a roll out of it and it turns into a gloopy mess. (I still bake the gloopy mess and it’s delicious, but I’d really like it to be a roll!)
Are you adding 1 tablespoon more gluten free flour at a time until dough is no longer sticky? That would be the biggest tip. You can also slightly reduce the amount of liquid used. Make sure you are using the plastic wrap also as this is a crucial step for the gluten free rolls. Let us know if that helps!
These rolls are my new favorite thing! Are they good to freeze to store?
Yes you can 🙂
You say in the post that it’s important to measure the ingredients accurately and that there’s little room for error, but all of the ingredients are measured in cups instead of weight. Do you have any plans to add the weighted amount to the ingredients list? Thank you!
Yes. Hopefully early 2021 all the recipes on our sites will have metric as well
I’d really like to make these, but only have the Bob’s Red Mill. When you say you prefer the texture with the other flour, does that mean they don’t still taste good with Bob’s? Are they still fluffy?
Have you tested refrigerating them before they rise in order to bake them fresh the next morning?
You shouldn’t have any issues with Bob’s! We’ve been testing Bob’s out with a ot of things recently and having good success so we think you’ll like them. We have never tried refrigerating the gluten free version but we have made and warmed up the next day
Definitely the best glutenfree and vegan cinnamon bun recipe we have tried so far. They rise well, are fluffy, and taste delicious. The only substitution we made was swapping agave syrup for maple syrup.
We’re so excited that you loved the recipe! Thanks for taking time to leave a comment, we appreciate that so much!