Pillow Soft Gluten-Free Rolls (2024)

Look no further for the best gluten-free rolls recipe. These fluffy, airy, soft dinner rolls not only have a superior texture, but are easy to make, and ready to serve in one hour! Learn the secret trick to making the best gluten-free dinner rolls ever.

Best Recipe for Gluten-Free Dinner Rolls

Gluten-free dinner rolls recipe has earned a special place in my gluten-free bread Hall of Fame (right up there rivaling soft gluten-free breadsticks). Not only were there delectable oohs and ahhs from me, enjoying these buttery, golden pillows, but my non-gluten-free family couldn’t stop singing the praises as well!

These easy gluten-free rolls meet an unprecedented taste and texture standard, similar to this highly-reviewed gluten-free bread recipe. To meet that level, it had to incorporate all these criteria:

• Easy to make!It mixes together in one bowl, has one short rise, and bake.
• Simple ingredientsI have stocked and ready at all times
• Quick and effortless– No one wants to spend all day making yeast rolls. These are ready to enjoy in one hour.
• Most important –Tastes BETTER thananygluten-free roll recipe out there. Seriously.

These gluten-free yeast rolls have not only won me over, but have earned hundreds of 5-star reviews across the website and Pinterest. They are going up there with one my proudest moments of creating homemade gluten-free bread recipes.

My daughter was diagnosed with Celiac a year ago, and I have been attempting to make edible gluten-free bread for this entire year. As an experienced baker, it has been humbling to see (and taste…blech) the abject failures I have created during this time. Then I discovered this recipe, and EUREKA!!! Everyone at the table raved–even the gluten eaters! We couldn’t believe how spongy and delicious these rolls were! The texture was just like regular bread, and for the first time, there was no gritty aftermath. Just wonderful, comforting bread.

—Kate

These were absolutely amazing. My little family loved them and they were super easy to make. I have tried tons of different recipes from lots of the other popular gluten free websites and these were by far the softest and fluffiest rolls I’ve made.

—Lisa

Ingredient Notes and Subs

• Gluten-free flour – Using a good gluten free flour makes or breaks the quality of dinner rolls. Cup4Cup gluten-free flour is what I recommend in my gluten-free cookbook and use for all my baking. For more info and alternatives see, the Recommended Gluten-Free Flour section.
• Potato Starch (not flour) – Secret ingredient to make gluten-free rolls soft and fluffy. Instead of relying on additional flour to structure the dough, I substituted another gluten-free starch. Use for best results, but tapioca starch or additional GF flour may be substituted.
• Psyllium Husk Powder – Helps maintain moisture and prevents the rolls from becoming crumbly. It also mimics gluten, allowing pull-apart rolls to be shaped. I recommended the linked brand because it will keep the rolls light colored instead of dark or even purple. Weird, I know…
• Baking powder – I like to couple baking powder with yeast to assist the rise and make a light, airy texture, which is harder to achieve in gluten-free breads.
• Instant (Rapid Rise) Yeast – I would suggest buying this is bulk and storing in your refrigerator. It doesn’t require mixing with warm liquids to proof and can be mixed right into dry ingredients. See Best Yeast to Use for how to substitute active dry yeast.
• Butter – Melted butter flavors the dough and is brushed on before and after baking. I typically buy unsalted butter, so I add salt to the butter before brushing. This mimics the taste of famous Parker House rolls. If making gluten-free dairy-free rolls, substitute vegan butter, but cut the total amount of salt in half.
• Milk – Used to elevate taste, especially when mixed with butter and salt. For dairy-free rolls, substitute non-dairy milk, such as almond or soy milk.

Let’s Make GF Dinner Rolls!

(Below shows step-by-step photos and modified instructions. For the complete recipe, along with ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card.)

How a roux changes everything!

Since GF flours do not absorb liquids as well, the roux helps pre-saturate some of the flour, helping absorb more liquid. This makes the texture soft and fluffy, rather than dense and gummy.

Even though the word sounds fancy, it’s easy to make. Combine 2 tablespoons flour with milk and water in a small saucepan. Whisk constantly over medium heat, until a trail separation appears at the bottom of the pan. That’s it. It takes a minute of your life.

Mixing the dough

Now we just dump everything in and mix. First, add the dry ingredients to the bowl. Use a paddle attachment to combine. Follow up with the wet ingredients – the slightly cooled roux, warm milk, egg, and melted butter. Mix on low speed to combine, then increase speed and beat for 5 minutes, stopping to scrape down the bowl once or twice. The dough will be stiff, but still sticky.

Time to shape the rolls

This is where rolls made with gluten-free flour have a massive advantage! They are really easy to shape. If you want to get technical about it, you could portion out the dough into 2 ounce portions using a food scalewith a greased piece of plastic wrap on top. However, I just spray a 1/4 measuring cup with non-stick spray and scoop out slightly less than the cup size.

Quick shape and rise

Take the scooped dough and dump it out onto slightly greased hands. Smooth into a ball and then place in a greased 8X8-inch baking pan.

The rolls only need 30 minutes to rise because first they are placed in a slightly warmed oven for 10 minutes, then taken out to rise at room temp for 20 minutes while the oven preheats. Also, the baking powder in the recipe helps give them a nice loftiness while baking.

The pictures below show what they will look like before rising and after. Brush them with salted butter (Parker house rolls vibes!) and then more when they come out. Enjoy the most seriously heavenly GF recipe ever!

Shaping Yeast Rolls

When making gluten-free rolls, there is a balance between adding enough GF flour blend to make the dough elastic and easy to shape, yet still a yield fluffy, airy texture.

As to not toughen crumb, I add less flour than other gluten free dinner rolls recipe and rely on nonstick cooking spray and a measuring cup to shape the buns. This is similar to the technique used in gluten-free hamburger buns.

Spray a measuring cup liberally with cooking spray, along with your hands. Scoop out a little less than 1/4 cup, which yields about a 2 ounce dough portion. Dump the dough into greased hands and roll into a smooth ball.

Alternatively, use a greased silicone baking mat or parchment paper to dump the dough onto, flatten, then pinch up into a ball. Smooth the top and place pinched ends down in a greased baking pan.

Recommended Gluten-Free Flour

I had already rigorously tested the best-performing gluten-free flour blend through many baking and bread recipes. Therefore, when making dinner rolls I reached for my preferred brand, Cup4Cup.

As far as taste, Cup4Cup was the clear winner.There was nothing “gluten free” tasting about the bread.It was soft, squishy, and slightly sweet.

Although a lot of gluten-free bakers work with Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 GF Flour, I find it to have an unpleasing aftertaste and a denser crumb. On the plus side, it is affordable and easy to work with. Read through the comments below and see what others have used. This recipe has had success across a variety of brands!

Why Use a Roux for GF Rolls

Before beginning the recipe a small amount of flour is combined with water and milk and warmed to make thick paste. It’s an extra step, but it’s quick, easy, and I assure you, makes such a difference in texture with these dinner rolls and in gluten free cinnamon rolls!

Since gluten-free flours do not absorb liquids as well, the roux helps pre-saturate some of the flour, aiding in absorbing more liquid. This makes the texture soft and fluffy, rather than dense and gummy.

It also prevents having to add excess flour to make the dough shapable and elastic. Adding the least amount of flour is key to keep yeast breads light and airy.

Best Yeast to Use

Instant rapid rise yeast, either Red Star or Fleishman’s brand is best. Instant yeast has smaller granules so it does not have to be proofed before using.Just be sure the milk is warm enough to activate the yeast while mixing.

If you only have active dry yeast on hand, activate it by mixing in the warm milk (110ºF) and letting it sit for 5 minutes before adding to the dry ingredients.

Purpose of Psyllium Husk

In traditional wheat flour recipes, gluten acts as a binder, creating elasticity in the dough and soft texture once it bakes.Gluten-free baking recipes, especially breads, need something to mimic the elasticity and bind the starches.

I’ve become such a proponent of using psyllium husk in gluten-free baking because, when coupled with the xanthan gum in GF flour blends, it yields superior results! It doesn’t affect the taste, but it does help maintain moisture and prevents the bread from becoming crumbly.

If you are looking for psyllium husk powder substitutes for bread or other baking needs, unfortunately there isn’t anything that really compares. It’s very affordable to buy, but if you can’t tolerate it leave it out. It will negatively impact the texture, but not the taste.

Serving, Storing, and Freezing Tips

GF rolls do not have the shelf life like normal dinner rolls. Refrigerating will dry it out, and is not recommended. It may be wrapped tightly and left at room temperature, but will lose optimal taste and texture quickly.

For best results, freeze pull-apart rollsafter they completelycooled (at least 2 hours). Pull from the freezer to defrost at room temperature.

Important Note About Serving:

If pulling from the freezer and serving at room temp, thoroughly defrost the rolls first.If they are chilled slightly they will become crumbly when eating. For best taste and texture, warm slightly in the microwave before enjoying again!

Did you make this recipe? I love hearing from you! Leave a star rating and comment below the recipe card. It helps others when searching for recipes and I appreciate feedback from our community. You will always hear back from me! -Melissa