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plate of gluten free cinnamon rolls

Soft & Plush EASY Gluten Free Vegan Cinnamon Rolls (No Xanthan Gum!)

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 17 reviews
  • Author: Britt Berlin
  • Prep Time: 15
  • Proofing Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30
  • Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Yield: 12 1x
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Gluten Free

Description

You NEED to try these unbelievably gluten free vegan cinnamon rolls!! These gluten free cinnamon rolls are soft, pillowy plush, squishy, EASY, and look, taste, and feel just like a classic cinnamon roll. And you can make these cinnamon rolls in just over an hour! Everyone will love these secretly vegan gluten free cinnamon rolls, whether or not you’re gluten free!


Ingredients

Scale

Gluten free vegan cinnamon rolls:

  • 3 cups (390 g) tapioca flour or starch
  • 2 1/2 cups (330 g) millet flour*
  • 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup (30 g) psyllium husk powder
  • 2 tbsp arrowroot starch (or cornstarch)
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 4 1/2 tsp (2 packets or 14 g) instant yeast (quick rise yeast)
  • 1 3/4 cups (400 mL) Forager Project soy milk*, lukewarm
  • 1/2 cup (143 g) Forager Project Cashewmilk yogurt,* room temperature
  • 1/3 cup (75 g) vegan butter, melted but not hot
  • 1 tbsp (15 mL) apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Cinnamon Roll Filling:

  • 1 cup (200 g) light or dark brown sugar
  • 2 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon
  • 6 tbsp melted vegan butter

Cinnamon Roll Icing (or sub vegan cream cheese frosting):

  • 1/3 cup (75 g) vegan butter, room temperature
  • 2 cups (320 g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla powder

Instructions

  1. Prep: Line a 9×13″ baking dish with parchment paper, and set aside. Measure out all ingredients before beginning. Whisk together the brown sugar and cinnamon for the filling, and set aside. 
  2. Whisk: In the bowl of your kitchenaid stand mixer or in a large bowl if making these by hand, whisk together the tapioca starch and millet flour. Then add in the granulated sugar, psyllium husk powder, arrowroot starch, baking powder, and instant yeast. Whisk vigorously to ensure that everything is evenly distributed throughout the flour.
  3. Make the dough: Attach your bowl to your stand mixer if using, along with the dough attachment. Create a crater in the flour, and add in the soy milk, dairy free yogurt, vegan butter, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla extract. Turn the stand mixer on to medium speed (or mix with a wooden spoon and then your hands) until a smooth dough forms (about 7 minutes by stand mixer, or 15 minutes by hand), kneading the dough until smooth. The dough should not really be sticky or tacky at all. The psyllium husk takes a few minutes to activate, which will help make this dough feel more like traditional dough. If the dough is still sticky after 7 minutes of mixing in your stand mixer, you can safely add in 20 g more of millet flour. 
  4. Roll the dough: On a clean surface or using a large silicone baking mat like I have, lightly dust the surface in tapioca starch, and place the dough in the middle. Gently shape the dough into a small rectangle with your hands, then roll the dough out with a rolling pin to be 12×18″. 
  5. Spread the filling onto the dough: Brush the melted vegan butter onto the dough. Then sprinkle the brown sugar cinnamon filling on top in an even coat. You can use your hands to help spread the sugar mixture to any uneven spots.
  6. Roll the cinnamon rolls:  On the 18″ side (length side), make a slice every 1 1/2 inches. You’ll yield 12 cinnamon rolls then. After you’ve marked the dough, you can take a pizza cutter or large kitchen knife, and slice one cinnamon roll length wise (see photos in blog post). Then roll the cinnamon roll tightly, starting from either end of the strip (see photos in blog post). Transfer the cinnamon roll to your prepared baking pan and repeat. I recommend slicing and rolling each cinnamon roll individually (so make a slice, then roll a cinnamon, make a slice, roll a cinnamon roll, etc.; instead of making 12 slices at once, then rolling 12 cinnamon roll at once). This is because the dough rises quite fast, and will stick together as it waits for you to roll each cinnamon roll, causing you to re-slice the dough anyways.
  7. Allow the cinnamon rolls to rise: Cover the baking pan with a clean kitchen towel, and place the rolls in a warm area to rise for about 30 minutes, until doubled in size. While the rolls are rising, preheat the oven to 350F. 
  8. Bake the cinnamon rolls: After the cinnamon rolls have doubled in size, place the baking pan into the oven to bake for 30-32 minutes, or until the tops are just lightly golden. Remove the cinnamon rolls from the oven.
  9. Make the icing: While the cinnamon rolls are cooling for 5-10 minutes in the baking pan, make the icing. In a bowl, cream together the vegan butter and powdered sugar, either with a hand mixer or a whisk. Add in the vanilla extract. 
  10. Spread the icing onto the cinnamon rolls: Spread the icing onto each of the cinnamon rolls. Slice, serve warm, and enjoy!
  11. Storage: These gluten free cinnamon rolls are best enjoyed the same day they’re made. However, you can store any leftovers in an airtight bag or container for up to 4 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer.


Notes

Please try to use a kitchen scale for the most accurate measurements! I recommend the OXO kitchen scale. If you are using US (cups), then please remember to spoon & level each flour to get the most accurate results. However, using metric (grams) will yield the best cinnamon rolls.

Millet flour: You can sub sorghum flour if you don’t have millet- HOWEVER, these will taste more like a whole wheat cinnamon roll.

Soymilk: If you are soy-free, you can use Forager Project oatmilk or cashewmilk. You can also use almond milk. Any will work in this recipe!

Dairy free yogurt: Please feel free to use your favorite dairy free yogurt if you cannot have nuts. Soy milk yogurt or coconut yogurt have worked great here. Additionally, I have tried these with vegan Greek-style protein packed yogurt with great results!

Instant yeast: Please only use INSTANT yeast, NOT dry active yeast. Dry active yeast will take just too long to rise. Only for the OVERNIGHT option, however, you may use dry active yeast. 

Make ahead/Overnight: To have these rolls close to first thing in the morning, please follow steps 1 through 7, stopping right before the proof. Cover tightly in plastic wrap and store the cinnamon rolls in the fridge overnight. An hour before you’d like to serve the rolls, take them out of the fridge and place them in a warm area to rise while the oven preheats, continuing onto step 8.

Please read the full blog post for all tips and tricks. There are also more extensive descriptions on possible ingredient substitutions.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 cinnamon roll no icing
  • Calories: 249
  • Sugar: 9.2 g
  • Sodium: 32.2 mg
  • Fat: 7.1 g
  • Saturated Fat: 3.6 g
  • Carbohydrates: 42 g
  • Fiber: 2.7 g
  • Protein: 4.1 g
  • Cholesterol: 15 mg