The biggest key to the best wheat-free dinner rolls? Time and patience!
These gluten free vegan dinner rolls are soft and fluffy! Great for those who cannot have wheat, but still want rolls, sliders and more!
Whether it’s the holidays or a warm summer day in July, dinner rolls make life better and now they can be vegan and gluten free as well. These easy gluten free vegan dinner rolls are still fluffy and soft without the addition of gluten so those with allergies or intolerances can still enjoy!
They are topped with vegan buttery perfection, not once, but twice for just an amazing side dish to any meal you have.
While these are perfect for holidays and get togethers, don’t be afraid to make them and not want to share either. We completely understand that too!
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Ingredients for Gluten Free Vegan Dinner Rolls
Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour
We used a gluten free all-purpose or 1:1 flour blend. We’ve had the best results with the Bob’s Red Mill All-purpose flour (red bag) or the Pillsbury All-Purpose Gluten Free Flour
Xanthan Gum
You only need this if your gluten free flour blend does not contain it. Xanthan gum helps with elasticity, the structure and the binding of the flour.
Instant Yeast
Also know as fast rising or fast acting yeast, this is the best to work with when you aren’t super familiar with gluten free doughs.
Substitute: You can use active dry yeast, but it will take longer to rise.
Vegan Cane Sugar
Cane sugar is what we are using. If you want to learn more about why your sugar may not be vegan, you can learn more by clicking on the link.
Substitute: One of the only substitues we will recommend for this recipe that you could also make this with granulated date or coconut sugar as well.
Salt
Helps brings out the flavors
Baking Powder
Helps give more rise in gluten free baking
Unsweetened Dairy Free Milk
Use your favorite neutral, non-sweetened or flavored variety.
Vegan Butter
For richness and texture, vegan butter is best and easiest to use.
Unsweetened Applesauce
Adds moisture and helps with the softness of the bread.
Substitute: Unflavored Non-dairy yogurt (be mindful of the taste as how tangy/tart it is) or pumpkin puree will also work.
Apple Cider Vinegar
This is working to help tenderize the dough giving us a better texture and taste.
Keep reading for recipe amounts and directions. We do not recommend any substitutes beyond what is listed above.
Other Gluten Free Sides To Make
There are endless possibilities, but here are some of our favorite vegan side dishes, that also happen to be gluten free, that we think everyone will like:
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Gluten Free Vegan Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
For the dough
- 3 ½ cups gluten free all-purpose flour (bag may say 1:1 flour blend) (420g)
- ¼ cup vegan cane sugar (50g)
- 4 teaspoons xanthan gum (omit if your gluten free flour contains it)
- 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast (or 1 packet)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ½ cups unsweetened dairy free milk, warmed to 105˚F-115˚F (340g)
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce (128g)
- ¼ cup vegan butter, melted but not hot (57g)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
For the topping
- ⅔ cup vegan butter, melted, divided (75g)
Instructions
- Into a large bowl, add 3 ½ cups gluten free flour, ¼ cup sugar, 4 teaspoon xanthan gum (if needed), 2 ¼ teaspoon instant yeast, 2 teaspoon salt, and 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder. Whisk together really well.
- Add in 1 ½ cups warmed dairy free milk, ½ cup applesauce, ¼ cup vegan butter, and 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar. Use a spatula to bring together really well.
- Once combined, remove and shape into a ball. Carefully remove dough from bowl, oil bowl and place dough back into bowl. Cover and let rise for 60-90 minutes or until doubled in size.
- Once doubled, use a scale to weight the entire dough ball and then divide by 15. Grease your hands with oil, then pull off pieces in that amount and roll into a ball.
- Place each ball, seam side down, into a greased 9×13 baking pan. Repeat until no dough remains.
- Cover pan and let rise for another 30-60 minutes or until doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 375˚F while rising this second time. Once ready, brush each roll with ⅓ cup of the melted butter.*After this rise, you want the dough balls to slightly be touching each other. If they are not touching, give them a little bit longer.
- Place baking dish in oven for 25-35 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and brush with remaining ⅓ cup melted butter. Best served warmed. Makes 15 dinner rolls.
Notes
Video
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions:
For soy allergies, make sure you use a soy free vegan butter. We like Earth Balance soy free. It comes in a red tub or red sticks.
And for dairy free milk, just use an unflavored and not overpowering milk of your choice, like oat.
Being completely honest, these are best served warm right out of the oven. They can be warmed up, but we recommend eating within 24 hours.
Different gluten free flours have different colors. For example, Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 came out much lighter when we compared.
This post was originally published on 9/17/2021 and updated on 12/20/2025 to include a video.
Great addition to favs!!
Thank you so much!
Delicious!! Thank you! My dough didn’t rise and they still turned out great! I will use this recipe again
Awww thank you so much! Sorry to hear that the dough didn’t rise but we’re happy to hear that they still came out well for you!
I have never made any type of bread at home before – & I’m definitely no expert baker – but my rolls came out a lot more dense than fluffy. I followed the recipe to a t – but did have to add more flour as my dough was too wet to roll initially. It did wind up shaping and rising very well! But after I’ve pulled them out of the oven, they’re very dense and thick. Not bad – but not what I hoped! Any ideas on what I could have done wrong? Did I maybe add too much flour? Thank you for this recipe / my daughter is GF, EF & DF & I’m glad she’ll have some rolls for Thanksgiving!
Do you mind sharing what kind of GF flour you used? GF rolls are definitely dense, but they should have a fluffiness to them
These look great! Is there any way to make these ahead of time or at least make part of the process ahead? Thanks!
Yes! You can make the dough up to 3 days ahead of time. Once mixed together, cover and refrigerate. Then pull out when ready and continue with the recipe.
These were good and I’m determined to make them great (like your images)! The flavor was perfect, but the dough did not come together well and I had to knead in a lot of extra flour. I only use a scale when making bread b/c GF flours vary greatly. Do you have this converted to metric? My guess is it wasn’t weighted precisely. I will make again this weekend and for Thanksgiving!
Hi! Thanks for your feedback. We’ve added metric measurements and a video to hopefully help with your trials! Enjoy
Can I freeze these rolls?
Yes, you can!
My dough came out really wet and I can’t shape it at all. It’s way too sticky.
So sorry it’s not to your expectations. You can add some more flour so it’s not sticky.