Erin’s Recipe Rundown
Inspired by my family- and reader-favorite gluten-free cinnamon rolls, this pumpkin twist on the classic recipe takes the flavors to a whole new level!
After working hard to get this new fall recipe just right, I’m so excited to share it with everyone. You have to try these gluten-free pumpkin cinnamon rolls. You won’t be disappointed!
Why You’ll Love It: These pillowy cinnamon rolls are filled with warm pumpkin spice, then topped with creamy frosting or a sweet glaze. Whether for breakfast or dessert, they’re such a special treat!
Top Tips: Refrigerate the dough for 20 minutes so it’s easier to roll out. I also like to cut the dough into stripes to roll up the cinnamon rolls.
Here are more gluten-free bread flour recipes you may enjoy: gluten-free cinnamon rolls, gluten-free apple fritters, gluten-free cinnamon roll wreath, gluten-free monkey bread, and gluten-free sticky buns.
xoxo erin
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are a few notes on some of the key ingredients to make these gluten-free pumpkin cinnamon rolls. Jump to the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- Gluten-free bread flour: Using King Arthur Gluten-Free Bread Flour is the only way to get the right results! This flour contains gluten-free wheat starch, which makes the cinnamon rolls easy to shape and creates a similar texture to traditional bread.
- Pumpkin: Be sure you use 100% canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. The pie filling contains added sugar and spices that will throw off the flavor and texture.
- Yeast: Use instant yeast, not active dry yeast. The instant kind can be mixed directly into the dry ingredients without being dissolved in water first.
- Eggs: While not all yeast breads require eggs, they’re essential in these gluten-free cinnamon rolls to bind the dough. Without eggs, the rolls can easily become dense.
- Spices: Ginger, nutmeg, and cloves add the perfect touch of fall warmth to complement the pumpkin flavor. They take the filling from classic to one-of-a-kind!
- Topping: Two options with this recipe! Go with the thick cream cheese frosting for richness with a bit of tang or use the simple glaze for a delicately sweet finish.
How to Make Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Here’s an overview of how to make this recipe. You can jump to the recipe for the full instructions!
Make the dough: Stand mixers are so worth it when working with dough! Use a paddle attachment to mix the dry ingredients, then slowly add the wet. Don’t panic if it doesn’t look like typical dough! It should resemble thick cookie dough.
Chill time: Using an oiled rubber spatula makes it easier to scrape the dough off the sides and bottom of the bowl. Cover tightly and refrigerate. This is key for easy-to-roll dough!
Prep and roll: Make the filling’s cinnamon-sugar mixture and grease your baking pan. Lightly flour your work surface, then turn out the chilled dough and shape it into a ball. Sprinkle more gluten-free flour on top and roll it out. You’re looking for a 15×15″ square.
Add the filling: I’ve tried combining the butter with the cinnamon-sugar first and it just doesn’t work the same! Instead, spread the melted butter across the dough first, then sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture all over.
Make the rolls: I recommend using a pizza cutter to slice the dough into 12 strip, about 1¼” wide. Roll each strip into a cinnamon roll and place in the pan. Before baking, cover the pan with plastic wrap and let the rolls rise in a warm spot for at least 45 minutes. Bake until slightly golden brown. The kitchen will smell amazing!
Cool and frost: Let the rolls cool for 15 minutes and then top while still warm. You get to choose! Frost with the decadent cream cheese frosting or go for a sweet simple glaze to let the rolls shine. Serve immediately (and try not to eat the whole pan)!
MOre Recipes Using KinG aRthur Bread GF Flour
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Dough
- 4½ cups (675g) King Arthur Gluten-Free Bread Flour
- ⅓ cup (67g) granulated sugar
- 2¼ teaspoons instant yeast
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup (240ml) water, warm
- 1 cup (240ml) whole milk, warm
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- 4 tablespoons (56g) butter, melted
Filling
- 1 cup (213g) brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 8 tablespoons (113g) butter, melted
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces (226g) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 4 tablespoons (56g) butter, at room temperature
- 1⅓ cups (160g) powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon optional
Simple Glaze
- 3 cups (360g) powdered sugar
- ⅓ -½ cup milk of choice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of kosher salt
Instructions
- For the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the gluten-free bread flour, granulated sugar, instant yeast, salt and baking powder. Mix to combine.
- With the mixer running on low, slowly add the water, milk, egg, pumpkin 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. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes. (Refrigerating the dough makes it easier to roll out.)
- For the filling: In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves.
- Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
- Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a ball. Sprinkle with a gluten-free flour, then roll the dough out into a 15×15-inch square.
- Spread the melted butter for the filling over the dough. Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar all over the buttered dough.
- Using a pizza cutter, cut the square into twelve 1¼-inch wide strips.
- Roll each dough strip up into a cinnamon roll. Place in the prepared baking pan.
- Cover the pan with plastic wrap and place in a warm place. Allow the rolls to rise for 45-60 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the rolls are slightly golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes before topping with the frosting or glaze.
- For the cream cheese frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer, or using a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla and cinnamon (if using) and mix on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to medium-high speed and whip for 2 minutes. Spread the frosting over the warm rolls. Serve immediately and enjoy!
- For the simple glaze: In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract and pinch of salt until smooth. Pour the glaze over the warm rolls. Serve immediately and enjoy!
These cinnamon rolls are not only tasty, but they’re also super easy to make. Finally, a recipe that I could make at home without the dough crumbling or the texture turning out different every time. After making several delicious Christmas cookie recipes from this site, I decided to try the cinnamon rolls. I made them twice over the holidays, and they were amazing and super easy. You should read the recipe through, so you understand the process (which is not difficult, but it helps to be ready). I also highly recommend the cream cheese/butter frosting, because why not!I will make these again. And again. And…:)
Hi Cate, thanks so much for this great review! Totally agree on all points 🙂
Have you had any success with other GF flours, for those that also have a wheat allergy?
Hi Kymberly, unfortunately this recipe was designed specifically with the King Arthur GF Bread Flour. No other gluten-free flour blend will produce the same results. We’re sorry!
What can we replace the egg with? I am allergic to eggs.
Hi Casey, we don’t typically bake with egg substitutes and haven’t tested how greatly they would change the texture. Typically gluten-free yeast doughs require the egg, otherwise they become dense. If you decide to give it a try with an egg sub, we’d love to hear how it goes!
I have baked these twice now, multiple batches each times. I used King Arthur Flour gluten free flour and had no problems at all.
We’re so pleased you enjoyed the recipe enough to make it more than once! Thank you for sharing your positive experience with us, Elisabeth!
I made these and they were PHENOMENAL. My dough was still quite sticky after refrigerating for 20 mins so I let it chill in the fridge for a few hours. It rolled out perfectly. I also let them rest before baking and added just a touch of heavy cream to the pan prior to baking.
Question: could I make the rolls and freeze them unglazed if I wanted to bake them on a different date?
We’re so happy to hear the recipe was a success! Thank you for sharing your positive baking experience with us, Amanda. For make-ahead, we recommend making them through step 9, covering tightly, then refrigerating for up to 12 hours. We only recommend freezing the rolls if they’ve already been baked, then reheating and frosting after thawing. We hope this helps!
So good!!! Even the not GF family members devoured it!!!
Yay! We’re so happy to hear the recipe was such a hit! Thank you for taking the time to share your positive feedback with us, Erin!
Ten stars if I could. These are absolutely amazing!!!! Fluffy, soft, tender. All words that have never described gluten free before. That flour is magical!
1. I substituted all dairy ingredients to be dairy free. It still worked perfectly.
2. The pumpkin flavor is not very strong. I might add more spice to the filling next time.
Thank you for such a positive review, Asil! We’re so pleased you loved the new cinnamon roll recipe so much! Happy baking!
Could I use almond milk instead of whole milk?
Hi Kelly, yes you can use any dairy-free milk you like. We just recommend using unsweetened. Happy baking!
The only reason I didnt give full stars is because I had to make a tweak to make a more gooey cinnamon roll. Otherwise it is absolutely delicious and pretty easy recipe to follow. Ive never successfully made cinnamon rolls until now! The tweak: i added heavy cream in the baking pan before putting in the oven!
We’re so glad you loved the recipe, Alina! Thank you for sharing your feedback with us. Happy baking!
What if I have ALOT of active dry yeast? Can I sub by adding into the warm milk or water to bloom?? Or is there another way to sub active dry yeast? Thank you! These sound lovely, but I don’t want to make a special trip to the store if I don’t have to!!
Hi Erin, you should be able to with a few adjustments. You’d need to bloom the active dry yeast with some of the sugar from the recipe along with some of the warm water or milk. The dough may also take longer to rise. If you decide to give it a try, we’d love to hear how it goes!
Hi, what would you recommend to substitute for the egg in this? My son is allergic to eggs and I’m Celiac and we would love to have cinnamon rolls again!
Hello! We don’t typically bake with egg substitutes and haven’t tested how greatly they would change the texture. Typically gluten-free yeast doughs require the egg, otherwise they become dense. If you decide to give it a try with an egg sub, we’d love to hear how it goes!