Erin’s Recipe Rundown
Texture: Pillowy and golden brown with a tender crumb.
Taste: Mildly buttery — perfect for burgers and sandwiches!
Ease: One of the easiest yeast breads you’ll ever make! Just allow time for rising.
Top Tips: This is a very wet dough so I like to use a mini round cake pan to make shaping and baking easy!
Recommended GF Flour: This recipe was specifically developed to work with King Arthur Gluten-Free Bread Flour. No other gluten-free flour blend will produce the same results!
Would I make these again? Absolutely, yes! This recipe will take you back to the days when hamburgers came on airy, yet sturdy buns. No more dry, crumbly gluten-free disappointments!
xoxo erin
This post is sponsored by King Arthur Baking Company.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are a few notes on some of the key ingredients to make these gluten-free hamburger buns. Jump to the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- Gluten-free bread flour: Gluten-free bread flour is a key for this recipe! I highly recommend King Arthur Gluten-Free Bread Flour to get the perfect rise and texture!
- Milk powder: The whole milk powder does something magical to this dough! It adds flavor and helps the buns to bake up golden brown.
- Eggs: Not all yeast breads use egg, but they’re necessary in these gluten-free buns to bind the dough. Without the eggs, they can easily become dense.
How to Make Gluten-Free Hamburger Buns
Here’s an overview of how to make this recipe. You can jump to the recipe for the full instructions!
I like to make the dough using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Fully mixed, the dough will look like thick cookie dough. That’s totally normal and what you want! That means they’ll bake up nice and light.
Since it is such a wet dough, I’ve found that it works best in mini round cake pans oiled with cooking spray. Once you portion the dough into the pan, wet your fingers and smooth the tops of the buns so they bake evenly rounded on top.
Let the dough rise in a warm place wrapped in oiled plastic wrap until it is visibly puffed up. It will usually take up to 1 hour, then you can move forward topping the buns with the egg wash and sesame seeds (optional).
Just like that, you’ll have delightfully airy gluten-free hamburger buns!
Try this recipe with these gluten-free smashburgers and this gluten-free smashburger sauce! You may also like these Blackstone fried potatoes.
More King Arthur Flour Recipes
- Gluten-Free Dinner Rolls
- Gluten-Free Naan
- Gluten-Free Crescent Rolls
- Gluten-Free Soft Pretzels
- Gluten-Free Artisan Pizza
Gluten-Free Hamburger Buns
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 4 cups (600g) King Arthur Gluten-Free Bread Flour
- ⅓ cup (43g) dried whole milk powder
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2¼ teaspoons instant yeast
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1¼ teaspoons baking powder
Wet Ingredients
- 2 cups (480ml) warm water
- 3 large eggs
- 5 tablespoons (70g) butter melted
Egg Wash
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon water
- pinch of kosher salt
- sesame seeds for topping
Instructions
- Spray a standard mini round cake pan with cooking spray.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the gluten-free bread flour, milk powder, 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 and mix again until well-combined.
- Using an oiled kitchen scoop or large spoon, portion the batter evenly into the prepared mini cake pan. Use wet fingers to smooth the tops of the buns.
- Cover with oiled plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 45-60 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, water and pinch of salt for the egg wash.
- Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the buns with egg wash. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the plastic wrap. Bake for 24-26 minutes, until the buns begin to turn golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and turn the buns out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Slice and serve.
I made these today and they’re quite dense and heavy. What do you think I did wrong? The dough was delicious when I sampled it.
Hi Natalie, did you use the King Arthur GF Bread Flour? This recipe won’t turn out the same with other flour blends. Otherwise, things like under-proofing or overmixing can also lead to a dense/heavy structure. We hope these ideas help and your next batch goes much better!
Do you need milk powder or can you sub something else for it? Thanks
Hi Lisa, we highly recommend the whole milk powder for best results. Coconut or soy milk powder are two dairy-free options as well. We hope you enjoy the recipe!
Hello! Can the sugar be subbed for honey? Thank you!
Hi Jen, we don’t typically bake with sugar substitutes so we’re not sure how honey would do in this recipe. It could mess with the yeast and moisture levels which would impact the texture. If you decide to give it a try, we’d love to hear how it goes!
These were tasty and they were hilariously enormous. I got the recommended pan and made 6 buns. My family called them “giant bread muffins” and we were all cracking up at them. The kids were delighted and got very possessive when I suggested maybe they didn’t need to eat a whole one by themselves. I will definitely make this recipe again but I’ll scoop about half the dough into the pan and then use a regular muffin tin to make some smaller rolls, too. The flavor is good and they held up pretty well for the bbq chicken thigh sandwiches we were having – I think they would do even better with a more tender burger. My husband and I cut out a couple inches of the middle and we’ll toast them another day! (I can’t believe I’m complaining that any GF bread or roll was too big! )
Hi Bet, thank you for taking the time to share your positive experience with us! We’re so happy to hear the whole family enjoyed the hamburger buns and you liked it enough to make them again. Yes, it’s not everyday we can say GF bread is too big lol, but of course your are welcome to make smaller versions. Whatever you like best! Happy baking!
I was running low on flour so I made a half batch and still made 6 buns in the recommended pan. They were still thick and fluffy! 😀
We’re so glad you loved the hamburger buns and that the half batch worked well! Thanks for sharing with us, Bet!
I just looked at the nutritional analysis for this recipe. Is there any way to reduce the saturated fat content? 8 grams of saturated fat out of a daily recommendation of 20 grams is really high when it’s just the bun.
Rose
Hi Rose, it looks like the nutrition calculator is listing that amount of saturated fat due to the butter in the recipe. While it is possible to use dairy-free butter with this one, we haven’t tested out any other swaps for the butter. Without it, both taste and texture will be impacted. We hope this information helps!
Rating is more lI made these yesterday and used them for a sandwich and a teriyaki burger. First off, these were delicious; the flavor and lightness were so much better than any brand from a store. My only issue was that they were very big. During proofing, they grew to be giant muffins. So, I’ll see if I need to tweak it next time. Maybe it’s a matter of less dough per bun. Might be enough to make 7 or 8. But it’s a small complaint, they were delicious!
Hi Adrian, we’re so pleased to hear how much you enjoyed the recipe! The large size could have been due to the size of the wells in the pan or a warm kitchen that caused faster rising. You could definitely try less dough per bun if the texture turned out well or play with these other two factors. We’re so glad you loved the flavor!
Can this recipe be modified in measurements for hot dog buns? Do you have a hot dog pan recommendation? Making the hamburger buns today. Thank you!
Hi Ashley, we haven’t tried to make hot dog buns yet, but we’ll keep that in mind for the future! We hope you enjoy the hamburger buns!
Can these be frozen?
Yes! Let them cool, then individually wrap them in plastic wrap before placing them in a freezer bag or airtight container. They will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. We hope you enjoy the recipe, Jenn!
Any alternatives for the mini cake pan? I’d like to try the recipie before investing in one? Thanks!
Hi Teresa, thank you for your question! Muffin pans would be too small. Ramekins may work, though we haven’t tested them out (and they would need to be sprayed well). If you happen to have a jumbo muffin pan or something similar that might be your best bet, but the mini cake pan is really the best size. If you try it out in another pan, we’d love to hear how it goes! Happy baking!
I am ready to make this recipe today (6/11/25) but I need verification on the amount of flour. King Arthur says the gram weight per cup of their gf bread flour is 120g. The recipe is using 150g. That would be 5 cups. Should I use 4 or 5 cups? Yes, I weigh my ingredients. I just want to be sure I am using the right amount before I get started.
Hi Margaret, the measurements in the recipe are correct despite King Arthur’s label. We find that 1 cup of KAF weighs much closer to 150 grams. At the end of the day a cup measurement is subjective – and we think the manufacturer doesn’t realize gluten-free flour is denser than traditional wheat flour (traditional wheat flour is 120 grams/cup) so they provide that generalized measurement that really isn’t accurate for gluten-free flour. Erin likes to make her recipes so they will turn out for both people using cup measurements and grams measurements. Her measurement for the KAF flour is consistent across all of her recipes, even though it’s not the same as KAF. Happy baking!
What brand of whole milk powder do you recommend?
Hi Devin, any brand of whole milk powder will work! We just recommend whole milk powder over nonfat for the best texture/browning. We hope you enjoy the recipe!
I am just asking if these recipes that call for a stand mixer can be prepared in a food processor if I don’t have a stand mixer?
Hi Ellyn, in place of the stand mixer we would recommend an electric hand mixer or mixing by hand with a sturdy spoon/spatula. A food processor can easily overwork the dough. We hope you enjoy the recipe!
Can this recipe be made with nonfat milk powder instead of whole milk?
Hi Ernie, we recommend the whole milk powder since its fat content helps create a softer crumb. With the nonfat milk powder, the rolls could be a little less tender and then dry out faster. If you decide to give it a try, we’d love to hear how it goes! Happy baking!
All I had was nonfat milk powder and Melt brand dairy free butter and they turned out delicious…. I made a sandwich with one about an hour after baking and it was soft and delicious. I froze the rest for later use. Mine browned beautifully.
Hi David, we’re so glad to hear those substitutions worked well! Thank you for sharing your positive baking experience with us. Happy baking!
Hi, In the notes you stated that coconut milk powder could be used.
Curious, have you tried that and what was the difference in the end result?
Hi Deb, the coconut milk powder has been used successfully in some of Erin’s other yeast bread recipes prior to this one. It typically only impacts the taste/texture minimally and is one of the best solutions for those who need dairy-free. Soy milk powder is another DF option that doesn’t change the taste/texture much, if at all. We hope you enjoy the recipe!
Do you have a favorite milk powder? I’ve never used this.
Hi Doreen, any brand should work well! Just make sure it is whole milk powder for the ideal fat content. We hope you enjoy the recipe!