Erin’s Recipe Rundown
Texture: Soft and pillowy with golden brown tops.
Taste: Rich, buttery and such great flavor.
Ease: The easiest gluten-free rolls you’ll ever make! They only require 1 rise and come together in less than 90 minutes.
Top Tips: I bake the gluten-free rolls in a muffin pan because the sticky dough is hard to shape, but that extra moisture is essential for soft, tender rolls. I also like to add whole milk powder for flavor and browning.
Recommended GF Flour: This recipe works best with King Arthur Gluten-Free Bread Flour. You can also use King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure-for-Measure Flour, if you prefer.
Would I make these again? 100% yes! These rolls are so delicious that everyone will love them—not just those who eat gluten-free! They’re a great way to simplify prep for big holiday meals.
xoxo erin
This post is sponsored by King Arthur Baking Company.
These easy, soft gluten-free dinner rolls are just what your next gathering needs. Whether for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or a simple family dinner, these dinner rolls are so easy to make and absolutely worth the effort!
Thanks to gluten-free bread flour, they are decadently light and fluffy, never dense, and achieve that perfect golden brown crust that makes every bite satisfying. Gluten-free doesn’t have to mean missing out!
Featured Comment
From Kate: “These rolls were amazing! I can’t believe how simple and delicious they were. My son has had celiac for 3 years, and he said these were the best ones I’ve made. Soft, and fluffy, I couldn’t believe it. Easy to make, too!”
Table of Contents
- Erin’s Recipe Rundown
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- How to Make Easy, Soft Gluten-Free Dinner Rolls
- Make-Ahead/Storage/Freezing Instructions
- Can these gluten-free dinner rolls be made dairy-free?
- King Arthur Gluten-Free Bread Flour contains wheat starch. Is it safe for celiacs?
- Is the dough supposed to be sticky?
- More Recipes Using Gluten-Free Bread Flour
- Easy, Soft Gluten-Free Dinner Rolls Recipe
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are a few notes on some of the key ingredients to make these gluten-free dinner rolls. See the recipe card below for exact measurements.
- Gluten-free flour: I highly recommend King Arthur Gluten-Free Bread Flour. It’s the only way to get the perfect rise and texture!
- Whole milk powder: The milk powder adds richness and helps them bake up soft and golden brown. Use whole milk powder, rather than nonfat. The extra milk fat keeps them from drying out and becoming crumbly. For dairy-free, use coconut or soy milk powder.
- Instant yeast: The rolls need the instant yeast to rise properly so that they turn out fluffy and light. Using instant yeast means it can go straight into the dry mix, making this recipe as easy as ever!
- Warm water: Using warm water specifically helps the yeast to activate and allows the dough to become workable so that it has the right structure when baked.
- Eggs: Not all yeast breads use egg, but when baking gluten-free, the eggs are necessary to bind the dough so that the rolls have the right texture and moisture. Without the eggs, they can easily become dense.
- Butter: The melted butter adds rich, buttery flavor to the rolls for a greater depth of flavor while also adding moisture and fat so that the rolls become soft and tender. For dairy-free, use your favorite vegan butter.
How to Make Easy, Soft Gluten-Free Dinner Rolls
Here’s an overview of how to make this recipe. You can jump to the recipe for the full instructions!
- In a stand mixer bowl: Use the paddle attachment and mix together the flour, milk powder, sugar, yeast, salt, and baking powder.
- With the mixer on low: Slowly add the water, eggs, and melted butter to the dry mix. Bump up the speed to medium and mix the dough for 3 minutes. You want it to look like thick cookie dough. Use an oiled rubber spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Mix for another 30 seconds.
- Scoop into pan: I like to use an oiled kitchen scoop or large spoon to portion the dough into the prepped muffin pan. Wet your fingers before smoothing the tops of the rolls.
- Cover and rise: Cover the muffin pan with oiled plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place for 45-60 minutes.
- Bake: Remove the plastic wrap, then bake the rolls on 350°F for 22-26 minutes. You want the rolls to turn golden brown.
- Enjoy: Brush the rolls with melted butter right after removing them from the oven. You can add flaky salt too for a little something extra. They’re best served warm right away.
Make-Ahead/Storage/Freezing Instructions
To Make-Ahead: The dough can be made up to 16 hours ahead, but don’t let them rise until right before baking. Portion the dough into the prepared muffin pan, wrap with oiled plastic wrap, and then refrigerate. When ready to bake, let the dough rise at room temperature for 30 minutes then pop them in the oven.
To Store: The baked dinner rolls are best served warm right after baking. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. I like to reheat them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds before serving.
To Freeze: Let them cool completely, then store in an airtight container or freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Warm in the oven at 350°F for 10-15 minutes, or until heated through.
Can these gluten-free dinner rolls be made dairy-free?
Yes! No need to miss out on these amazing rolls because of dairy. Use coconut or soy milk powder in place of the whole milk powder. And swap out the butter for your favorite vegan butter.
King Arthur Gluten-Free Bread Flour contains wheat starch. Is it safe for celiacs?
King Arthur Gluten-Free Bread Flour is safe for people with celiac disease because the wheat starch it contains has been specially processed to remove gluten, the protein that triggers celiac reactions. This flour is tested to meet strict gluten-free standards, ensuring it has less than 20 parts per million (ppm) of gluten, which is considered safe for most people with celiac disease. It not, however, safe for people with a wheat allergy (which is different than celiac disease). I have celiac and eat this flour with no problems!
Is the dough supposed to be sticky?
It’s perfectly normal for gluten-free roll dough to feel sticky—that extra moisture is key to achieving soft, fluffy rolls. Because the dough is difficult to shape by hand, I recommend using a muffin pan to keep the rolls contained as they bake. This way, you’ll get the perfect texture without the hassle of trying to form the dough!
More Recipes Using Gluten-Free Bread Flour
Easy, Soft Gluten-Free Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 3 cups (450g) King Arthur Gluten-Free Bread Flour
- ¼ cup (32g) dried whole milk powder
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2¼ teaspoons instant yeast
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Wet Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (360ml) water warm
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup (56g) butter melted
Topping
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- Flaky salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- Spray a standard 12-count muffin pan with cooking spray.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the gluten-free bread flour, milk powder, granulated sugar, instant yeast, salt and baking powder. Mix to combine.
- With the mixer running on low, slowly add the water, eggs and melted butter. Increase the speed to medium and mix for 3 minutes. The dough will resemble thick cookie dough, this is normal.
- Using an oiled rubber spatula, scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl. Mix for another 30 seconds.
- Using an oiled kitchen scoop or large spoon, portion the batter evenly into the prepared muffin pan. Use wet fingers to smooth the tops of the rolls if desired.
- Cover with oiled plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 45-60 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the plastic wrap. Bake for 22-26 minutes, until the rolls begin to turn golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and immediately brush the rolls with melted butter. These rolls are best served warm right after baking.
I made this recipe and did a substitute of buttermilk powder as I didn’t have whole milk powder. Using buttermilk, which is acidic, I made a few more changes and reduced the baking powder to 1/2 tsp and added baking soda , 1/4 tsp, to compensate for the buttermilk. Additionally I reduces the water to 350mL. It all turned out great! The rolls were fluffy and delicious.
I have NEVER left a food blog review. I was emotional after baking these. There have been so many failed attempts and other recipes have so many blends and binders- I just don’t have time for it. I made two changes: I replaced the powdered milk/water completely with whole milk that I scalded on the stove in a pot on medium low heat, and I also let the ingredients sit together for about 10 minutes before mixing the first time. I used KA bread flour.
This was a complete success. I am so grateful. Thank you for giving me bread again.
Hi there, we absolutely love hearing stories like this! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review, it means a lot. So happy you could enjoy these!
Unfortunately these did not turn out well for me. I followed the recipe in your cook book. And used the weight measurement instead of the cups. So most likely to much flour. I also made them the night before and let them rise about 45 minutes. The directions above say 30 minutes if they have been refrigerated. ..the rose a bit, but maybe not enough. They were dry and just….bland.
Made these for the first time on Thanksgiving. Easy and delicious! Not gritty or crumbly.
Hi Carrie, we’re happy to hear you enjoyed them! Thanks for the review!
One of the easiest recipes I’ve ever made. The rolls came out beautiful!
Hi Stephanie, thanks so much for your review! Glad the recipe lived up to its name!
Just made these for Thanksgiving dinner and I’m genuinely so impressed at how easy and tasty these are! Even my gluten-eating family thought they were amazing, which we all know is saying something with a GF bread. Highly recommend this and will be sending it to all the gluten-free people in my life! I did have to use active dry yeast instead of instant, but since the recipe calls for warm water, I just let it bloom in there with a little bit of the sugar. Turned out amazing! Massive thank you to Erin and the team at Meaningful Eats, these are definitely going to be staples in my holiday recipes.
Hi Abby, thanks so much for taking the time to leave a thoughtful review! We love hearing this!!
I made my dough the night before and stored in the fridge. Do the rolls have to come to room temperature before they rise for 30 mins? I set them out to rise straight from the fridge and 30 mins later they haven’t risen at all yet
Hi Jane, these rolls typically need to rise in a warm place 45-60 minutes, as mentioned in step 6. If they were in the fridge beforehand, they’ll need a bit longer. If you need a warmer spot, you could try proofing them in the oven at 80–100°F with the door open. You can also add a bowl of warm water to the lower rack to keep it humid. Hope they turn out for you!
Well, I tried making this and I ended up with pancake batter. I remade the recipe, this time I got out my kitchen scale and measured the dry and wet ingredients except for the butter. I had to add more flour and not all of the water. I started addeding the water first and realized it was going to be too wet again. Are the measurements correctly written? I will bake the rolls tomorrow.
Hi Jennifer, sorry these aren’t turning out as expected! The measurements are correct, but many factors can affect how they turn out, such as altitude or humidity. We recommend reducing the liquid if the batter seems runny, so hopefully these turn out for you!
These turned out really great, but ours were a little bland. Can we safely add salt without it messing anything up?
Hi Kati, we haven’t tried this recipe with more salt, but you can likely add up to 1/2 teaspoon more salt without affecting the composition of the rolls. If you try it, let us know how they turn out!
Our favorite rolls! We even make larger rolls to use for sandwiches too.
Hi Bonnie, thanks so much for your review! That’s a great idea to use them for sandwiches.