Cinnamon Rolls – Gluten Free, Vegan, Refined Sugar Free, & Yeast Free
These gluten free, vegan, refined sugar free, and yeast free Cinnamon Rolls are SO wonderful! They are super easy to make and are the perfect breakfast for any special occasion!
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Before food allergies we had cinnamon rolls at least every other week in my house. Of course they were always the kind you get out of a tube at the store.
I didn’t really cook or bake much back then so homemade cinnamon rolls weren’t even in my vocabulary.
After I had my daughter and realized I was allergic to everything under the sun, cinnamon rolls were out. All of my go to canned dough had to go.
Glorious canned crescent rolls, delicious and oh so convenient canned biscuits, and the always tasty canned cookie dough were no more. What kind of life could I live without all of those things?!
Turns out, a great one!! Have you all ever looked at the ingredients listed in canned dough? Yikes!
As you all probably have already guessed from my other posts (or just the first paragraph of this post), I used to be extremely unhealthy.
My relationship with food was awful and it wasn’t until my food allergies came along that I was finally forced to start caring about what I put in my body.
What I’ve learned is that you can still have the things you enjoyed before, but there are smarter and healthier ways to go about making them. It’s all about balance.
Now these cinnamon rolls are definitely still on the splurge list for me. They are refined sugar free, but they are still made with gluten free flours, coconut sugar, and vegan butter.
So we limit ourselves to only making these for special occasions (or when I just really need a cinnamon roll!).
Let me tell you what though, these cinnamon rolls are what make the occasion special!
I had tried SOOO many homemade cinnamon roll recipes when I found out I had allergies and I was disappointed every single time! Too gummy, hard as a rock, no rise, the results were infuriating.
It wasn’t until I came across a gluten free and vegan bakery in Portland that I knew soft and delicious cinnamon rolls were possible. When we got home I was determined to figure out a recipe that would work.
After TONS of research, I finally landed on a recipe I wanted to try. I was going to have to change quite a few things, but I was optimistic that this was going to be the one that worked.
Insert angelic singing ‘here’! REAL cinnamon rolls people, real ones! They looked like cinnamon rolls, they smelled like cinnamon rolls, and by golly they tasted like cinnamon rolls!
A miracle had just happened in my kitchen and I was ecstatic! The flour blend makes all the difference in the world.
This flour blend is magical. It’s the same flour blend I use for pizza crust, biscuits, scones, pancakes, waffles, and so much more!
What are some recipes you all didn’t think would be possible with food allergies that you have figured out now? I’m always looking for new recipe adventures so I can’t wait to hear about it.
I hope these cinnamon rolls are as amazing for your family as they are for mine!
TIPS FOR MAKING GLUTEN FREE YEAST FREE CINNAMON ROLLS:
1. Weigh the flour!
It is very important to weigh the flour in this recipe as not everyone measures the same using measuring cups.
This is the digital scale I use and it works great.
I just place a bowl on the scale, zero it out, and then measure each flour individually in the bowl.
If you choose not to use a scale, I use the scoop and level method when using measuring cups (not packed). I do not spoon in the flour.
Using too little flour will result in dough that is too sticky to use and using too much flour will result in hard cinnamon rolls.
2. Use the right pan size
Using the right pan size is important when making yeast free cinnamon rolls so that you have more soft areas in the cinnamon rolls.
The more edges that are exposed to the outside of the pan, the more firm areas you will have.
I like to use this round 2 quart casserole dish. It works great and is the perfect size for 8 cinnamon rolls. You could also use a 9″ pie pan.
3. Don’t expect Cinnabon cinnamon rolls
Yeast is what makes Cinnabon cinnamon rolls giant and fluffy. These cinnamon rolls will NOT be like that.
These cinnamon rolls are the best yeast free cinnamon rolls I have had. They will be slightly firm on the outside of the roll and soft on the inside.
If you can have yeast, then I recommend trying a gluten free and dairy free cinnamon roll recipe that uses yeast. That will produce a more Cinnabon like cinnamon roll.
Cinnamon Rolls – Gluten Free, Vegan, Refined Sugar Free, Yeast Free
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 25 min
- Total Time: 45 min
- Yield: 8 1x
Ingredients
For the Filling
- 3/4 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 2 tbsp butter, melted (I use “Earth Balance Soy Free Vegan Buttery Sticks”)
Flour Blend Ingredients*
- 1 1/4 cup (186g) brown rice flour
- 1 1/4 cup (169g) millet flour
- 1/2 cup (66g) arrowroot flour
Remaining Dough Ingredients
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp vegan butter, melted (I use “Earth Balance Soy Free Vegan Buttery Sticks”)
- 1 1/2 c. dairy free milk of choice (I use “So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk”)
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
For the Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar or substitute (I use “Swerve” powdered sweetener)
- 2 tbsp dairy free milk of choice (I use “So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk”)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F and lightly grease a round 2 quart casserole dish or a deep 9″ pie pan.
- Combine all filling ingredients and set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix milk and apple cider vinegar together and set aside
- In a large bowl, add flour blend ingredients and whisk together.*
- Set a piece of parchment paper onto the counter, measure 1/2 cup of the flour mixture, and place onto of the parchment paper.
- Add coconut sugar, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, and salt to the large bowl of flour and whisk together.
- Add 2 tbsp of melted butter to the milk and apple cider vinegar mixture. Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until a sticky dough forms.
- Transfer dough to the floured parchment paper and knead the remaining flour into the dough. Using your hands and a rolling pin, press and roll the dough into a 9×13 rectangle.*
- Spread the remaining 2 tbsp of butter onto the dough and cover in the coconut sugar filling.
- Use the parchment paper to roll the dough.
- Using a very sharp knife, slice the dough roll into 8 pieces.
- Place the cinnamon rolls into the prepared pan and bake for 22-25 minutes.
- While the cinnamon rolls are baking, combine icing ingredients in a small bowl.
- Allow cinnamon rolls to cool slightly before topping with icing.
Notes
Be sure to read the post up above for helpful notes!
I recommend using a digital scale to measure the flour instead of using the cup measurements. The amount of flour used is very important to get right and not everyone uses the same technique when using cup measurements. This is the inexpensive scale I use.
If the dough is still too sticky after you have incorporated all of the flour, add a little more brown rice flour or millet flour until the dough can be handled. You don’t want to add too much flour as it could make the rolls too firm.
SHOP THIS RECIPE:
Look yummy. What could I sub for coconut flour?
Thank you, Cheryl! This recipe doesn’t call for coconut flour. If you are needing a substitute for the coconut sugar in the recipe, you can just use regular brown sugar. I hope this helps. ?
Do you think you could make these the night before and cook in the morning?! These looks amazing!!
Hi Renee, thank you! I have not tried making the dough the night before. I think it should work fine. I will be sure to try this soon and report back!
these look amazing!! I was wondering if I can substitute the vegan butter? I was thing of using coconut oil. Do you think that will work?
Thank you so much! I have not tried making this type of dough with coconut oil. If you do try it, make sure your milk is room temperature before mixing in the coconut oil because it will harden in cold milk.
I tried making this and measured everything out carefully but it was way too sticky to roll out or roll up.
I’m so sorry to hear you had this experience Amberlee! If your dough is too sticky after incorporating all of the flour, I recommend adding more brown rice flour or millet flour until you can work with the dough as expected. I also use the scoop and level method for the flour so it’s possible that the flour didn’t measure out exactly the same depending on the method you used.
Can you do this recipe using only one form of flour? And does it have to be those types of flour, or could you use different types (almond, coconut, etc)?
Hi Jessi, I don’t recommend substituting the flours in this specific recipe. I’ve tried using all purpose gluten free flours in this recipe and the texture is gummy. The flours in this recipe really give it the best texture.
Hello Morgan,
I tried this recipe and had the same issue as Amberlee on your comments section. I added more flour until it wasn’t sticky enough for me to work with and unfortunately the cinnamon rolls came out tough and not as light or soft as yours. I think too much brown rice flour made them tough. Are there any more recommendations you can make?
Hi Soraya, I’m sorry you had a similar experience! I made these again this weekend just to double check everything and they turned out as expected. I went ahead and weighed the flour this time and included the weights in the recipe. I recommend weighing the flour ingredients to make sure the correct amount of flour is being used. I’ve also added more tips for making these cinnamon rolls in the post. I hope this helps!
I made these and they turned out quite well, even though I made some changes. I didn’t have enough brown rice flour so I used sorghum for the remainder of the 186 grams. I am wondering about buttery sticks, I have never seem them in the store. Maybe they don’t sell them in Ontario. I used Earth Balance buttery spread instead. Yours look very light in the picture. Mine are darker – guessing that is the sorghum flour. Dough was somewhat sticky but manageable. I probably should have kneaded it a little more to incorporate the flour but but was afraid to overwork it.
Hi Josephine, I’m happy to hear that these turned out well for you! The change in flour definitely could have darkened the color a bit. It could also just be a difference in ovens. I usually find the buttery sticks at my local grocery store but the spread works just as well so I’m glad you were able to find that. Thank you so much for taking the time to comment! 😊
So, after having tried the pizza recipe (I don’t like millet which I find gives a bitter taste) – I exchanged that part (only) for Red Mill’s gluten free flour. The rest I did exactly as you outlined (no icing), and the result was FANTASTIC.OMG – these are my best vegan, gluten free, yeast free cinnamon rolls EVER. Thank you so much!
★★★★★
Yay! I’m so happy to hear that substitute worked out well! I will have to try that out as well just to compare flavors. Thank you for sharing your experience!
Can you substitute the brown rice for white rice flour.
Hi Mary, I have not tried using white rice flour instead of brown rice flour for this recipe. White rice flour will usually change the texture a bit when I’ve tried doing that in other recipes. I don’t think it would change the texture too much so you could definitely give it a try.