Paleo & Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls
I’ve been working on a cinnamon roll recipe for quite awhile (more than a year!!!) and I finally got them exactly perfect. Then, hoping it wasn’t just chance, I made them again and they turned out exactly perfect again! I wanted bakery-like cinnamon rolls – cinnamon rolls that are big, fluffy, gooey, and that are just as good as any other gluten and dairy filled cinnamon roll. Period.
cinnabon cinnamon rolls
I recently saw an episode of Top Secret Recipe where he tried to taste and mimic the appearance of Cinnabon cinnamon rolls and I learned a few things that were lacking in my recipe.
The first problem I had was proofing the yeast. I was using the scorched milk method to proof my yeast (heat milk on stove, set aside, and add yeast when warm) but I could never get my milk the perfect temperature for my yeast to get foamy (or proof). I would try sometimes two or three times before getting the milk the perfect temperature… it was very frustrating. Another problem was the filling. While it was good, it oozed all out when I baked them leaving hardly any filling in the roll!
When watching Top Secret Recipe I learned to proof my yeast in the oven with boiling water after they had been rolled – a no fuss method, and to add xanthan gum to the filling to make a nice gooey filling that actually stays in the roll! So after learning a few tricks of the trade and after many trials, here’s my perfect cinnamon roll recipe. It’s not hard, but it is well worth the time and effort. Trust me, you’ll be glad you made them!!!
I’m going to make these next week when my husbands family comes to visit, along with my pecan pie recipe and this fudge recipe MMmmmm….
Helpful Hints and frosting options:
- The dough needs to sit in the the fridge 6 hours to overnight, so plan ahead 🙂
- I haven’t experimented with freezing these or making the dough ahead of time. I’m going to try this method: 1) Bake as directed then let rolls cool 2) Freeze 3) Heat in 250 degree oven for 15 minutes 4) Ice while rolls are hot…. I’m really thinking it will work perfect.
- Instead of the powdered sugar frosting below, sometimes I use my Paleo “Cream Cheese” Frosting and thin it out with a non-dairy milk as needed, it’s awesome too 🙂
- To make your own unrefined powdered sugar: Add Truvia baking mix into a coffee grinder and blend until it’s a fine powder. Stir in 1 Tbsp or arrowroot per cup. I’ve used this homemade powdered sugar with the frosting recipe below and we LOVED it! I’ve heard you can also use xylitol or erythritol but I have not tried either of these. Coconut palm sugar does not work well with this recipe – trust me!
The Best Cinnamon Roll Recipe!!! {Gluten, Grain, & Dairy Free}
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Ingredients
For The Dough:
- 3 C blanched almond flour Honeyville brand
- 2 1/2 C tapioca flour + more for rolling dough I've also successfully used arrowroot
- 2 tsp. pectin on the baking aisle
- 1 tsp. xanthan gum
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp. yeast
- 2 Tbsp Earth Balance butter or ghee softened
- 1 C Non-Dairy Milk
- 1 tsp. distilled white vinegar
- 2 Large eggs
- 1/4 C sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla gluten free
Filling:
- 1/2 C Earth Balance butter or ghee melted
- 2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/4 C brown sugar or coconut palm sugar
- 1 Tbsp. xanthan gum
Frosting (or try my dairy, soy, & refined sugar free cream cheese frosting, link above):
- 1 lb. powdered sugar
- 1/4 C Earth Balance butter or ghee melted
- 3 Tbsp. Non-Dairy Milk
- 1 Tbsp. strong brewed coffee optional
- 1 tsp. vanilla or maple extract
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together the milk alternative with the vinegar (we're making buttermilk). Set aside.
- Whisk together the almond flour, tapioca flour, pectin, xanthan gum, sugar, salt, soda, and yeast... all the dry ingredients.
- Add the eggs, butter, and vanilla to the milk mixture and mix well. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and knead with a dough hook until it comes together, scraping down bowl as needed. If you don't have a dough hook, mix together with a spoon the best you can and then use your hands to knead the dough until it is very well combined. Batter will be thick and sticky.
- Scrape/pour batter into plastic wrap and wrap tightly. Place in refrigerator 6 hours to overnight.
- Tear out a piece of parchment paper that is at least 20 inches long and sprinkle generously with arrowroot or tapioca flour. Using a well-floured rolling pin, roll the dough 15 inches (the height of the parchment paper) by 20 inches long. Use tapioca flour as needed to help prevent sticking.
- Bring a medium to large pot of water to a boil... we'll come back to this 🙂
- Melt the butter and spread over the dough, leaving the bottom 1 inch dry.
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the cinnamon, sugar, and xanthan gum. Spread evenly over the butter.
- Starting on the side farthest away from you, start rolling the dough tightly making at least 4 or 5 rotations. You can lift up the parchment paper to help get the dough up and rolling. When you come to the end, pinch the bottom edge of the dough into the log so it creates a seal.
- Using a very sharp knife, cut the log in half. Then, cut each half in half. Then cut each roll in half again. You should have 16 rolls.
- Transfer rolls to the baking dish and slightly press down on each roll.
- Place rolls in center or top rack of oven with the boiling water on the bottom rack and allow to proof for 1 hour. They won't double in size but they will rise. I covered mine with a clean, damp kitchen towel.
- Remove rolls and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Bake for 16 - 20 minutes, rotating half-way through to ensure even baking. Make sure they are very nicely browned so the centers aren't dough-ey.
- Whisk all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Icing will be thick. Pour over hot rolls.
Nutritional information is approximate and may vary.
pin gluten free cinnamon rolls for later:
step-by-step pictures
Lynn
June 2, 2019 at 4:10 pmWhat Non Dairy milk works to make “Buttermilk” I used Organic Almond milk and it didn’t work. And my cinnamon rolls did not rise. I am thinking that was my problem. The flavor is great but they were more flat and doughy (I did bake them all the way through) They just had no puff. I do understand they will not rise the same as traditional. Any other suggestions to get a bit more rise out of the dough?
Cassidy Stauffer
June 4, 2019 at 2:24 pmHi Lynn!
The buttermilk doesn’t necessarily need to curdle, it just needs to react with the baking soda to give the rolls a bit of rise. As far as “too doughy” is concerned, you can add a little bit more flour to take care of the problem – maybe 1/4 to 1/2 cup more almond flour or a few tbsp to 1/4 cup starch. As far as not rising, you can up the yeast up to a Tbsp. Be sure the yeast is fresh, if it’s been sitting in your cabinet awhile it’s probably gone bad and will not work to make the rolls rise. I hope this helps!!! Please let me know how it goes next time you make them!!!
-Cassidy
Kara Probst
December 25, 2018 at 8:28 pmThese were AMAZING!! Like unbelievable…. so easy and came out PERFECT!! Definitely will make again!!! thank you so much for this gift of a recipe on Christmas!
Cassidy
December 26, 2018 at 2:16 pmOh my goodness, thank you!!! I’m so excited you liked them so much! Thanks for letting me know ?
-Cassidy
Maya Houri
September 15, 2018 at 6:05 pmHi thanks for the data. I ordered pectin online! I could use it in other receipes as well. I’ll let you know what was the final result ?
Maya Houri
September 12, 2018 at 1:25 pmHi! Thank you for the exact receipe! I have a question, how crucial is the pectin? It’s hard to find in EU and wonder what will happen if I skip it or is there a substitute for it? Thanks again! Maya
Cassidy
September 12, 2018 at 1:40 pmHi Maya! The pectin helps the dough hold together. While you could skip it, the dough might be harder to work with and turn out a bit crumbly. I’d try replacing it some gelatin (not collagen)! Let me know what you think!!!
-Cassidy
Erin Crocker
October 11, 2017 at 11:22 pmI want to cry. My oldest went to college and misses my cooking. Only she has POTS and I’ve kinda figured out the gluten free baking thing but not the cinnamon rolls. Note: been baking my whole life I’m a farm girl. You just gave me the missing piece. Never occurred to me to proof a la Bain Marie how very fancy of you even not actually in the water thank you thank you!!! and we freeze regular abs gf and give as xmas gifts with frosting in frosting tubes with xmas ribbon.
Stacy
September 20, 2017 at 8:27 pmGreetings Cassidy!!!
The pectin that you use, is it regular pectin or low/no sugar pectin, also the yeast that you use, is this an instant/fast acting?
Thanks
Cassidy
September 22, 2017 at 2:33 pmHi Stacy! I used regular pectin and the regular active dry yeast, not fast acting. Hope this helps!!!
Jen
July 21, 2017 at 3:49 pmHi there. So far, I’ve really loved your baked goods. They are a far cry from most GF recipes and they turn out delicious; better texture and flavor. I’m in the process of making these and am wondering about the rise. While the dough did get a little lighter, they didn’t puff up much in the oven. I’m wondering how the yeast interacts with the gluten free flours? Does it actually create a rise? Or is it more about the flavor the yeast imparts? I’ve had similar outcomes with other GF recipes made with almond flour. Thanks.
Cassidy
July 23, 2017 at 2:45 pmHi Jen, gluten free flours don’t rise the same as traditional baked goods but the yeast still makes them rise slightly and adds flavor which is why I still use it. I hope that answers your question and you liked the cinnamon rolls!!!!