Erin’s Recipe Rundown
Growing up, my family always made cornmeal pancakes (with this gluten-free quiche) on Christmas morning, but my husband’s family tradition was sticky buns.
Making a gluten-free version that’s just as good was an absolute must! I’m happy to say these gluten-free sticky buns pass my husband’s sweet roll test with flying colors. They taste just like the classic treat!
Why You’ll Love It: Toasted pecans and rich caramel sauce over soft, fluffy, yeasted rolls make an irresistible combination. This decadent, holiday-worthy recipe is sure to impress both gluten-free and gluten-loving eaters alike.
Top Tip: Take the time to refrigerate the dough before rolling it out. Gluten-free dough can be tricky to handle and chilling it makes it so much easier to work with!
You may also like these gluten-free bread flour recipes: gluten-free cinnamon rolls, gluten-free pumpkin cinnamon rolls, gluten-free apple fritters, gluten-free monkey bread, and gluten-free hot cross buns.
xoxo erin
Featured Comment
From Dyan: “These were fantastic!!! And they tasted JUST like the ones my mom always made, starting back in the 60’s. I’ve tried a few GF recipes for these rolls before, but they never really came out right. Not only were these delicious and the right texture – they were easier and faster (by an hour) to make as well! My non GF family members all loved them too! You would never know they were gluten free. This recipe is definitely a keeper!! Thank you for sharing it.”
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are a few notes on some of the key ingredients to make these gluten-free sticky buns. Jump to the recipe card below for the exact measurements
- Gluten-free bread flour: King Arthur Gluten-Free Bread Flour is the only blend that will work with this recipe! This flour contains gluten-free wheat starch which creates the traditional sticky bun texture and proper structure.
- Yeast: This is 100% necessary to achieve light and fluffy sticky buns. Use instant, not active dry yeast, which can be added directly to the dry mix without activating first.
- Eggs: Eggs are essential in gluten-free yeast recipes to properly bind the dough. Without eggs, the buns can easily become dense and disappointing.
- Corn syrup: The corn syrup is prevents crystallization for smooth caramel.
Serve them with this Sausage Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole.
How to Make Gluten-Free Sticky Buns
Here’s an overview of how to make this recipe. You can jump to the recipe for the full instructions!
Make the glaze: I prefer to use a stand mixer for ease, but a hand mixer works too! Cream the sugars, butter, and salt until light and fluffy, then mix in the corn syrup and vanilla.
In the prepared baking pan: Spread the glaze evenly in the pan and sprinkle with pecans.
Prep the dough: The stand mixer is a huge help with the dough! Combine the dry ingredients, then slowly add the liquid ingredients. Gluten-free dough looks different! The goal is a thick cookie dough consistency. Cover tightly and chill so that it’s easier to roll into a 15×15″ square. Just don’t forget to flour your work surface!
Add the filling: Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a bowl first, then sprinkle it across the dough. Using a pizza cutter to slice the twelve 1¼” wide strips makes the job much easier!
Roll and rise: Roll each dough strip up into a spiral and place on the glaze in the baking pan. Repeat until all twelve are rolled up and evenly placed in the pan. Cover the buns with oiled plastic wrap, then let them rise in a warm place.
Bake and enjoy: Bake until they’re slightly golden brown. Let the sticky buns cool for 15 minutes in the pan before turning them out onto either another pan or serving platter. Take time to spoon any run-off glaze back onto the buns, then cool for another 20 minutes before serving. Now the hard part…try to only eat one!
Gluten-Free Sticky Buns
Ingredients
Caramel-Pecan Glaze
- 1 cup (226g) butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (106g) brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup (120ml) corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup (65g) chopped pecans
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
- 1¼ cups (300ml) water, warm
- 1 cup (240ml) whole milk, warm
- 2 large eggs
- 6 tablespoons (85g) butter, melted
Filling
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
- For the caramel-pecan glaze: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or using a hand mixer, mix together the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and salt on medium speed for 2-3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- Add the corn syrup and vanilla, and continue to mix for 5 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- Spread the glaze into an even layer in the prepared pan. Sprinkle with the chopped pecans.
- For the sticky bun dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the gluten-free bread flour, sugar, instant yeast, salt and baking powder. Mix to combine.
- With the mixer running on low, slowly add the water, milk, 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. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes. (Refrigerating the dough makes it easier to roll out.)
- Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a ball. Sprinkle with a little gluten-free flour, then roll the dough out into a 15×15-inch square.
- For the filling: In a small bowl, mix together the sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar filling all over the dough.
- Using a pizza cutter, cut the square into twelve 1¼-inch-wide strips.
- Roll each dough strip up into a spiral. Place in the prepared baking pan on top of the caramel-pecan glaze.
- Cover the pan with oiled plastic wrap and place in a warm place. Allow the rolls to rise for 45-60 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the plastic wrap. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the rolls are slightly golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and cool in the baking pan for 15 minutes before turning them out onto another pan or serving platter. Spoon any run-off glaze back over the buns. Cool for another 20 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published in August 2014. It was updated with new photos and instructions in October 2025.
Can I make cinnamon rolls out of the dough recipe? With a cinnamon sugar and butter filling? I’ve found several cinnamon roll recipes online but I love the texture of your sandwich bread, and I feel like the psyllium husk has something to do with it! I’m hoping to modify this recipe for cinnamon rolls!
Can these be frozen at any point? before/after baking etc?
Unfortunately this dough is too delicate to freeze at any point. Sorry about that!
Can these be made like cinnamon rolls? Also people in my fam have an almond allergy what can I use instead?
Love your recipes
Since going GF, I’ve been intimidated by yeast. My daughter decided to conquer my fear and made these sticky buns, and they are amazing!!!! We love them and she now makes them for special occasions (Thanksgiving and Christmas Day!). Best of all, it is a recipe easy enough for my daughter to tackle on her own. Thank you!!!
I’m so happy you and your daughter like the recipe! So fun she can make it on her own. Thanks for the comment!
This sounds great and I love using psyllium. Can you use gluten free four to replace the almond flour?
Yes that will work great!
I can’t tell you how exciting this is for me. Sticky Buns on Christmas morning is a lifelong tradition and one I have brought to my own family. Ney diagnosed Celiac, I have been dreading this Xmas thinking I could not eat my homemade Sticky Buns. Then there you were in my inbox today! You came to my rescue. Can’t wait to make these now! Happy Holidays!
I was unable to purchase Pyslllim Husk Powder where I live and googled it and read that I could substitue xamthum gum and I used 3/4 teaspoon, My dough was extremely sticky and not like cookie dough.
I was able to get it into the pan and I had a coffee cake like product but very very tasty.
I just tried making these. The dough rose beautifully, but once I went to cut it the dough was still so sticky that it all fell apart and now all I have is a giant mess of dough gloop. I was going to share a picture, but there is no option to do so. Any idea what I did wrong? I followed the directions exactly as described.
Same. I’m wondering if it’s too humid where we live.
Hello, I’ve made your GF dinner rolls with great success. On that recipe you mention the exchange for eggs with golden ground flaxseed. Is there any reason I couldn’t do that to the sticky bun recipe?
I think it should work to use ground flaxseed in place of the eggs here. The sticky buns might be slightly less fluffy but should still be good! Let me know how it goes if you try it 🙂
It seems unusual that you rise the dough but not the shaped Sticky Buns. Is there a reason for this?
Have you tried rising the buns after shaping, then baking?
If you refrigerate the Buns overnight and then bake the next morning, do you still rise the dough first?
I ask because usually gluten free yeast recipes only rise on rime.
Thanks for your help.
PS I made your GF rolls for Thanksgiving and my daughter-in-law said they were the best part of the meal!
Gluten-free yeasted breads only need one rise as the dough is very fragile. Letting the dough rise before shaping makes it so you can actually roll the dough out. It will be a sticky mess otherwise! I hope this helps!
Made them today and my four-year-old said they were the “goodest” treat I’ve made 🙂 Thanks for another yummy GF recipe!
I’m so glad to hear the turned out for you! Thanks for the comment!
These look delicious! Can’t wait to try them!
Does the psyllium act like the xanthym gym in the flour? If our flour already has it, can I skip that? I have no other use for this and would like to avoid buying something I’ll only use for this recipe. These look amazing though!!
Unfortunately you need the psyllium husk for this recipe! I use it in my dinner rolls and pizza crust too so you can use it again in those recipes. It won’t turn out the same with just xanthan gum.
Hi! These look amazing! Thanks so much for sharing! I was wondering if you can sub active dry Yeast for the instant?
Do you have a suggestion on how to make these without the yeast? Thanks for any advice you have. I’ve used several of your recipes and they’ve all been fabulous. 🙂
I’m so glad you’ve liked the recipes! Unfortunately I don’t think these sticky buns will work without yeast. Sorry about that! Maybe I’ll have to create some yeast-free, gluten-free cinnamon rolls.
I made these a few weeks ago, I thought the recipe was going to be difficult but it wasn’t. Your directions were easy to follow. I didn’t have psyllium husk I subbed it with Xanthum gum. It was very good, even my non gluten friends liked it!
I’m happy to hear they worked out for you!