QUICK SUMMARY
These gluten-free cinnamon rolls are soft, gooey, naturally sweetened pastries made with a yeast-raised gluten-free dough, a cinnamon filling, and a sticky maple-honey topping. Mama Z created them after discovering her own food allergies, and they have become a family favorite for Easter brunch and race days.
One important label update: these rolls are made without refined white sugar, but they are not technically sugar-free because the recipe uses coconut sugar, honey, and maple syrup. The recipe as written also contains butter, so it should not be described as dairy-free unless you use a tested dairy-free substitution.
For celiac disease, use ingredients that meet gluten-free labeling standards and prevent cross-contact. The gluten-friendly spelt variation is not gluten-free because spelt is a form of wheat. Also note that the King Arthur Gluten-Free Bread Flour mentioned in the recipe notes contains gluten-free wheat starch. It meets gluten-free standards but is not wheat-free, so it is not appropriate for someone with a wheat allergy. (1, 2)
Need a fancy breakfast? Try my Gluten-Free Cinnamon Rolls Recipe! These fluffy, gooey pastries are made without gluten and refined white sugar, and they grace our table at every Easter brunch and all of our race days. We look forward to them each time.
When I grew up, our Easter brunch happened between services, and weeks before, all the ladies would get together to make pecan rolls, cinnamon rolls, and sticky buns. Everyone would make their own versions, but we would spend time together making them to serve in between services on Easter morning.
When I got married and discovered I had food allergies, I wanted to create my own version that wouldn't make me sick. I combined several different recipes to create this delicious but healthy version. My allergy-friendly cinnamon rolls taste just as good, if not better, than any sugar-filled competitor. You won't regret making them!
By “allergy-friendly,” I mean that I developed these rolls around the foods I personally needed to avoid. They are not free of every major allergen. The recipe contains eggs and butter, optional tree nuts, and may contain wheat starch depending on the gluten-free flour you choose. Always match the ingredients to your family's specific needs.
Table of Contents:
Gluten-Free Baking Tips
The great thing about eating healthy is that you don't have to give up your favorite treats. You can enjoy delicious beverages, comforting casseroles, and even cinnamon rolls! There is a learning curve to gluten-free baking, however.
Over the years, I've developed many tricks that make baking nutritious treats a breeze. Here are a few things you should know.
- High-quality, gluten-free all-purpose flour is your best baking friend! I recommend using a cup-for-cup blend because it's specially formulated for baked goods and tastes great in my gluten-free cinnamon rolls. Some flours will require you to add another ingredient, so be sure to look at the label.
- Like all yeast bread, this dough needs to be placed in a warm spot when rising. I like to put my dough on top of the stove while it preheats. This allows the dough to rise faster and appear smoother.
- It's tempting to add more flour at the final mixing stage, but this can affect the rising process. Your dough should be a little moist, not too dry.
- Adding multiple healthy sweeteners is an easy way to give your baked goods a full-bodied flavor.
- Be sure to use fresh yeast. When mixed with water, your yeast should get foamy within 5 minutes.
- You'll notice the filling has a few optional ingredients. Customize it to fit your family's preferences!
- I only use pecans on half of the cinnamon rolls to accommodate guests who don't like nuts.
One thing I want to add for today's gluten-free baker is that gluten-free does not automatically mean minimally processed or nutritionally superior. Many commercial gluten-free breads and flour blends depend heavily on refined starches, and a systematic review found that a majority of gluten-free breads evaluated had a high glycemic index. That does not make a cup-for-cup flour “bad,” but it is one reason we use it as a baking tool rather than making highly processed gluten-free foods the foundation of our diet. (3)
Read the whole ingredient list. Look for a blend that works well in yeast baking without a long list of unnecessary flavors, colors, or additives.
If you are baking for celiac disease, ingredient selection and cross-contact both matter. Use products labeled gluten-free and keep the dough away from shared flour sifters, cutting boards, utensils, and work surfaces contaminated with wheat flour. (1)
There is another important distinction if you use King Arthur Gluten-Free Bread Flour, which the recipe card notes gives these rolls a soft, cohesive texture. The manufacturer states that this flour contains gluten-free wheat starch. It is tested to meet gluten-free standards, but it still contains wheat and is labeled as a wheat allergen. It is therefore not appropriate for someone with a wheat allergy. (2)
Healthy Cinnamon Roll Ingredients 101
Once you've started making healthy changes, you'll find your pantry is stocked with nourishing ingredients. This recipe uses everyday healthy pantry staples to create one stellar cinnamon roll! Here's what you need to add to your shopping cart.
Organic Unsweetened Almond or Coconut Milk Beverage: To avoid cow's milk in the dough, we use almond or coconut milk. Both options create a moist dough. When purchasing almond or coconut milk, be sure to grab the unsweetened kind and read the ingredient label. Sweetened varieties can add unnecessary sugar, and some highly processed plant milks contain gums, emulsifiers, flavors, or other additives you may prefer to avoid.
Grass-fed Organic Sea-Salted Butter: In years past, diet culture eliminated butter in favor of margarine. The strongest historical concern with margarine was partially hydrogenated oil, a major source of artificial trans fat. The FDA determined that partially hydrogenated oils are no longer generally recognized as safe and completed their removal from authorized food uses. Modern margarines are not automatically the same products studied decades ago, but they are still highly processed spreads that may contain refined oils, emulsifiers, flavors, colors, and other additives depending on the brand. (4)
That is why we still prefer a simple, recognizable fat like grass-fed organic butter when it fits your diet. A 2024 study found that increasing pasture in cows' diets changed butter's fatty-acid profile, including higher proportions of several unsaturated fatty acids and pasture-associated compounds such as CLA. That does not make butter an anti-inflammatory treatment, but it helps explain why pasture-fed butter is nutritionally different from butter produced under other feeding systems. (5)
In this recipe, pastured, sea salted butter tastes best.
Vegan Mayonnaise: Many kinds of mayo contain highly refined oils and a long list of additives. We recommend using soy-free Vegenaise or your preferred avocado oil or grapeseed oil vegan mayonnaise.
As consumers learn more about their bodies, these products become easier to find at most well-stocked grocery stores. Check the entire label, not just the front. If avoiding highly processed ingredients is one of your goals, choose a product with the shortest ingredient list that still performs well in the recipe.
Organic Coconut Sugar: I love this natural sweetener because it gives baked goods a deep, dark flavor. It tastes similar to brown sugar! This ingredient is also the base of my Christmas Cookie Blend and Natural Confectioners' Sugar. I use coconut sugar as the rising agent in all of my yeast bread recipes.
Coconut sugar is often marketed as “low glycemic,” but published values vary, and it is still an added sugar made largely of sucrose. It may provide small amounts of minerals and other compounds that refined white sugar lacks, but it can still raise blood glucose. We use it because we prefer the flavor and less-refined source, not because it makes a sweet roll sugar-free. (6)
Pink Himalayan Salt or Sea Salt: I recommend using sea salt because it's hand-harvested and minimally processed. If you don't have sea salt on hand, you can also use pink Himalayan salt.
Refined table salt is more processed and may contain anti-caking agents, which is one reason our family prefers less-processed salts. At the same time, the trace minerals in specialty salts are present in small amounts and should not be treated as a meaningful multivitamin. Also remember that iodized table salt is a reliable source of iodine. If your family avoids it, make sure iodine is coming from another appropriate dietary source. A mineral analysis of pink salts found that the trace nutrients are too low at normal serving sizes to make a meaningful nutritional contribution, and specialty salts are not usually iodized. (11, 12)
Pasture-Raised Organic Eggs: Every baked good needs a binder, and eggs do just that! For best results, I recommend using room-temperature eggs. To quickly bring your eggs to room temperature, fill a small bowl with warm water and let the eggs sit for about 7 minutes.
Raw Organic Local Honey: I love adding a syrupy sweetener to my cinnamon roll filling because it gives it a gooey texture when baked. Local honey is an excellent investment because it's minimally processed and supports local beekeepers.
You may have heard that eating local honey helps seasonal allergies because it contains local pollen. The human evidence is mixed. A small randomized trial using one tablespoon of local honey per day did not find symptom relief beyond placebo, while a different small randomized trial using a much larger amount of honey alongside an antihistamine reported improvement. Neither study proves that ordinary amounts of local honey reliably prevent or treat seasonal allergies. (7, 8)
So enjoy local honey for what it does beautifully in this recipe: natural sweetness, flavor, and that sticky cinnamon-roll texture.
Grade A Dark Maple Syrup, Organic: Instead of synthetic pancake syrup, we recommend using Grade A Dark organic maple syrup. If local, organic is available, that's always my first pick. For this recipe, I often prefer using a mix of honey and maple syrup combined half and half for a richer flavor.
The USDA now classifies retail maple syrup as Grade A Golden, Amber, Dark, or Very Dark based on color and flavor. The older Grade B terminology was replaced, so “Grade A Dark, Robust Taste” is the current language for the dark syrup many longtime cooks remember. (9)
Optional Ingredients: We love adding raw organic nuts to our cinnamon roll recipe. It gives these treats a delightful crunch! If you have nut allergies, you can always leave them out.
Other fantastic filling options include organic chopped dates, currants, and raisins! Experiment with different combinations until you find one that works for your family. As a note, if you have picky people in your family who won't like a certain topping, you can add toppings as you roll the dough up, just on a specific side, so everyone has options they prefer.
Make My Gluten-Free Cinnamon Rolls
Cinnamon rolls look fancy, but are easy to make! You'll have a delicious batch of treats that impress even the harshest critic within no time! Note that this gluten-free cinnamon roll dough requires about 90 minutes to rise, so plan accordingly.
Mama Z’s Gluten-Free Cinnamon Rolls (With Gluten-Friendly Variation)
Servings
Ingredients
Dough
- ¼ cup warm purified OR distilled water (105°F- 115°F)
- 1 rounded tablespoon active dry yeast
- ¾ cup organic unsweetened vanilla-flavored almond OR coconut milk beverage
- 6 tablespoons grass-fed organic sea-salted butter, sliced
- ¼ cup soy-free Vegenaise OR your preferred avocado oil OR grapeseed oil vegan mayonnaise
- 4 pasture-raised organic eggs
- 4½ cups gluten-free all-purpose flour*
- ¼ cup organic coconut sugar OR Christmas Cookie Blend
- 1 tablespoon pink Himalayan salt OR sea salt, ground
Topping
- ½ cup grass-fed organic sea-salted butter, softened
- ¾ cup Grade A Dark Amber maple syrup, organic
- ¼ cup Grade A Dark Amber maple syrup, organic OR raw organic local honey
- Pinch of pink Himalayan salt OR sea salt, ground
- 3 tablespoons purified OR distilled water
- Organic raw halved pecans, to fill the space desired on top of the topping
Filling
- ¼ -½ cup grass-fed organic sea-salted butter, melted (melt the entire half cup to ensure you have enough)
- ½ cup Christmas Cookie Blend**
- 1 teaspoon organic pumpkin pie spice powder**
- 1 teaspoon organic ground Ceylon cinnamon**
- Pinch of pink Himalayan salt OR sea salt, ground
- Organic raw pecans (optional)
- Organic Medjool dates OR organic unsweetened raisins (optional)***
Supplies
- Dough cutter/scraper OR serrated knife
Instructions
For the dough:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together the water and yeast; let stand for 5 minutes, until foamy. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over low heat, heat the almond milk just until it begins to steam. Add the cut-up butter and vegan mayonnaise. Stir until just melted. Remove from heat and let cool. (To speed up this process, I often just cheat and stick the pan in the fridge on a hot pad.)
- Pour the almond milk mixture into the yeast. Add the eggs, 1½ cups of flour, coconut sugar, and sea salt. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping the bowl to ensure all ingredients are incorporated. Gradually beat in the remaining 3 cups of flour for 3-4 minutes until the dough begins to pull away from the side of the bowl and is only slightly sticky. Do not add more flour!
- Transfer the dough to a bowl. Cover the surface of the dough with plastic wrap that has been lightly coated with softened butter or unrefined (non propellant) coconut oil, avocado oil OR olive oil cooking spray, then cover the bowl with the second piece of plastic wrap.
- Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about 90 minutes).
For the topping:
- While the dough rises, butter the sides of a 3-quart rectangular glass baking dish. In a medium bowl, stir the softened butter, maple syrup, honey, and a pinch of salt until well combined.
- Add the water and mix until smooth. Pour the topping into the bottom of the baking dish and smooth it evenly. Line the pecan halves over the topping at an angle with the top side (rounded side) facing down.
For the filling:
- Remove the risen dough from the bowl and gently roll it out on an oiled and very lightly floured surface to an 18 x 15-inch rectangle. Oil your hands and dough scraper to help prevent sticking.
- Spread the melted butter evenly over the dough. In a bowl, combine the Christmas Cookie Blend, pumpkin pie spice, Ceylon cinnamon, and sea salt, or more simply, rounded ½ cup Cinnamon and “Not” Sugar with sea salt sprinkled over top. Sprinkle evenly on the dough.
- Distribute the pecans and dates (if using) over the dough. Tightly roll the dough beginning at one long side, keeping the roll as uniform as possible. Use the scraper to help you and compress the ends to keep the rolls as uniform as possible. Pinch the edges to seal.
- Using a serrated knife or your dough cutter/scraper, trim both ends. Spraying the scraper with your cooking oil will give you neater edges. Then cut the roll into even slices until you fill the pan (usually between 12-20). Arrange rolls in the baking dish, evenly spacing them in 4 rows of 4 each.
- Gently place the rolls into the topping mixture. Cover the dish loosely with buttered plastic wrap and let the rolls rise until fully doubled (about 30-60 minutes).
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Uncover rolls and bake for about 40 minutes****, rotating the dish once and tenting loosely with foil if buns begin to brown too quickly.
- Keep the rolls in the pan, but let them cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Invert onto a serving platter and serve warm.
Cinnamon and “Not” Sugar (Vegan)
Servings
Ingredients
- 2 cups Christmas Cookie Blend
- ¼ cup organic ground Ceylon cinnamon
- ¼ cup organic pumpkin pie spice powder
Instructions
- Place the Christmas Cookie Blend, Ceylon cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice in a gallon-size Ziploc bag. Shake to mix thoroughly. I prefer milling this recipe in the dry goods container of a Vitamix. I start blending on one, then slowly increase until the mixture is fully blended. Then, I open the blender, stir and repeat the process. The final color of your product will differ based on the brand of sweetener you use. Use in place of processed cinnamon & sugar in all your favorite baked goods.
Christmas Cookie Blend (Vegan)
Servings
Ingredients
- 6 ounces organic coconut sugar
- 11-16 ounces organic date sugar (based on your available container sizes)
- 6 ounces organic maple sugar
Instructions
- Place the coconut sugar, date sugar, and maple sugar in a gallon-size Ziploc bag. Shake to mix thoroughly.
- Place mixture in a blender and blend until powdery. I prefer milling this recipe in a Vitamix dry goods container. I start blending on one, then slowly increase until the mixture is fully blended. Then, I open the blender, stir, and repeat the process. The final color of your product will differ based on the brand of sweetener you use. Use in place of regular sugar in all your favorite baked goods. Store in a glass jar.
Step One: Heat the Milk and Sweetener
In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together the water and yeast; let stand for 5 minutes, until foamy. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over low heat, heat the almond milk just until it begins to steam. Add the cut-up butter and vegan mayonnaise. Stir until just melted. Remove from heat and let cool. (To speed up this process, I often just cheat and stick the pan in the fridge on a hot pad.)
Step Two: Make Cinnamon Roll Dough
Pour the almond milk mixture into the yeast. Add the eggs, 1½ cups of flour, coconut sugar, and sea salt. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping the bowl to ensure all ingredients are incorporated. Gradually beat in the remaining 3 cups of flour for 3-4 minutes until the dough begins to pull away from the side of the bowl and is only slightly sticky. Do not add more flour!
Step Three: Let Dough Rise
Transfer the dough to a bowl. Cover the surface of the dough with plastic wrap that has been lightly coated with softened butter or unrefined (non propellant) coconut oil, avocado oil OR olive oil cooking spray, then cover the bowl with the second piece of plastic wrap.
Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about 90 minutes).
Natural-living note: Plastic food-contact materials can release small amounts of chemicals into food, and migration tends to increase with factors such as heat, time, and food composition. The wrap in this recipe is used during rising rather than baking, but we still prefer to minimize unnecessary plastic food contact when practical. If you experiment with a reusable glass or food-safe cover in the future, make sure it still allows the dough to rise properly rather than changing the recipe blindly. (10)
Step Four: Make the Topping
While the dough rises, butter the sides of a 3-quart rectangular glass baking dish. In a medium bowl, stir the softened butter, maple syrup, honey, and a pinch of salt until well combined.
Add the water and mix until smooth. Pour the topping into the bottom of the baking dish and smooth it evenly. Line the pecan halves over the topping at an angle with the top side (rounded side) facing down.
Step Five: Mix the Filling
Remove the risen dough from the bowl and gently roll it out on an oiled and very lightly floured surface to an 18 x 15-inch rectangle. Oil your hands and dough scraper to help prevent sticking.
Spread the melted butter evenly over the dough. In a bowl, combine the Christmas Cookie Blend, pumpkin pie spice, Ceylon cinnamon, and sea salt, or more simply, rounded ½ cup Cinnamon and “Not” Sugar with sea salt sprinkled over top. Sprinkle evenly on the dough.
Step Six: Cut the Cinnamon Rolls
Distribute the pecans and dates (if using) over the dough. Tightly roll the dough beginning at one long side, keeping the roll as uniform as possible. Use the scraper to help you and compress the ends to keep the rolls as uniform as possible. Pinch the edges to seal.
Using a serrated knife or your dough cutter/scraper, trim both ends. Spraying the scraper with your cooking oil will give you neater edges. Then cut the roll into even slices until you fill the pan (usually between 12-20). Arrange rolls in the baking dish, evenly spacing them in 4 rows of 4 each.
Gently place the rolls into the topping mixture. Cover the dish loosely with buttered plastic wrap and let the rolls rise until fully doubled (about 30-60 minutes).
Step Seven: Bake the Treats
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Uncover rolls and bake for about 40 minutes, rotating the dish once and tenting loosely with foil if buns begin to brown too quickly.
Keep the rolls in the pan, but let them cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Invert onto a serving platter and serve warm.
Gluten-Friendly Recipe Variation
Want more healthy options? Try our gluten-friendly variation! This cinnamon roll recipe includes a mix of spelt and gluten-free flour.
These rolls are as soft as a cloud and perfect for morning munching.
Important: Spelt Contains Gluten
Spelt is an ancient variety of wheat, so the gluten-friendly variation is not gluten-free and is not appropriate for someone with celiac disease or a wheat allergy. “Ancient grain” does not mean gluten-free. If you must strictly avoid gluten, make the preserved gluten-free recipe and protect it from cross-contact. (1)
Gluten-Free Cinnamon Roll FAQs
Are these cinnamon rolls really gluten-free?
Yes, the main recipe is designed to be gluten-free when you use ingredients that meet gluten-free standards and prevent cross-contact. Check every packaged ingredient, especially flour blends, yeast products, flavorings, and toppings. The spelt variation is not gluten-free because spelt is wheat. (1)
Are these cinnamon rolls sugar-free?
No. They are made without refined white sugar, but coconut sugar, honey, maple syrup, dates, raisins, and other natural sweeteners still contain sugars. We prefer these natural options for flavor and ingredient quality, but “naturally sweetened” or “made without refined white sugar” is more accurate than “sugar-free.”
Are these cinnamon rolls dairy-free?
Not as written. The dough and topping use grass-fed butter. The almond or coconut milk beverage keeps cow's milk out of the liquid portion, but butter is still dairy. If you need a truly dairy-free version, use a tested substitution that preserves the texture and rise rather than assuming any fat can be swapped one-for-one.
Can someone with a wheat allergy eat these cinnamon rolls?
That depends on the flour. A product can legally meet gluten-free standards and still contain gluten-free wheat starch. The King Arthur Gluten-Free Bread Flour mentioned in the recipe notes contains wheat and is not appropriate for a wheat allergy. Choose a wheat-free gluten-free flour blend if wheat itself must be avoided. (2)
Why is my gluten-free cinnamon-roll dough sticky?
A little moisture is intentional. The original recipe specifically warns against adding extra flour during the final mixing stage because a dry dough can affect the rise and finished texture. Oil your hands and dough scraper as directed rather than automatically adding more flour.
Why didn't my cinnamon rolls rise?
Start with fresh active yeast and water in the temperature range specified in the recipe card. Your yeast should become foamy within about 5 minutes. A cool kitchen can slow the rise, while liquid that is too hot can damage yeast. Give the dough the full rising time and look for the visual cue that it has doubled.
Is coconut sugar better than white sugar?
Coconut sugar is less refined and has a deeper caramel flavor, which is why we prefer it in many recipes. It may contain small amounts of minerals and plant compounds, but it is still predominantly sugar and can raise blood glucose. Use it as a natural sweetener, not as a free food. (6)
Does local honey help seasonal allergies?
The evidence is mixed. One small trial of local honey found no benefit over placebo, while another small trial using a much higher honey intake alongside antihistamine reported improved allergic-rhinitis symptoms. Enjoy local honey as food, but do not rely on ordinary amounts as a proven allergy treatment. (7, 8)
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- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service. “United States Standards for Grades of Maple Syrup.” 2015. USDA.
- Geueke B, Groh KJ, Maffini MV, et al. “Systematic Evidence on Migrating and Extractable Food Contact Chemicals: Most Chemicals Detected in Food Contact Materials Are Not Listed for Use.” Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. 2023;63(28):9425-9435. PubMed.
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