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Gluten Free Dairy Free Soft Dinner Rolls Recipe

By Gluten Free & More

Updated Mar 30, 2026, Published Nov 18, 2011

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Soft, Fluffy, and Finally Worth the Effort

Let’s be honest, finding truly soft gluten-free dinner rolls can feel like chasing a unicorn. Too often, they’re dense, crumbly, or just not quite satisfying. That’s exactly why this recipe is such a game-changer.

These rolls are everything you’ve been missing: light, tender, slightly sweet, and perfectly fluffy—even without gluten or dairy. And yes, they actually taste like the classic dinner rolls you remember.

Why These Gluten-Free Rolls Actually Work

The Texture Everyone Misses

Traditional rolls rely on gluten to create structure and softness. Without it, things can fall apart, literally. That’s why gluten-free baking requires a thoughtful combination of flours, starches, and binders to recreate that same soft, cohesive texture.

This recipe does exactly that, resulting in rolls that are:

• Soft and pillowy inside
• Lightly golden on the outside
• Sturdy enough to hold together beautifully

A Balanced, Tried-and-Tested Approach

Instead of relying on just one flour, this recipe uses a blend of rice flours and starches to mimic the structure gluten would normally provide. Combined with eggs for stability and yeast for lift, the result is a dough that behaves much more like traditional bread.

If you do not want to mix flours, you can substitute the flours and starches for THIS GLUTEN FREE FLOUR

Why You’ll Love These Dinner Rolls

Soft, Yeasty, and Comforting

These rolls bring back that classic “warm bread basket” experience, something many people miss when going gluten-free.

Dairy-Free Without Compromise

Even without butter or milk, these rolls are incredibly tender and flavorful. In fact, many testers found the dairy-free version actually let the natural sweetness shine through more clearly.

Perfect for Holidays or Everyday Meals

While they’re especially popular for holiday tables (hello, Thanksgiving!), they’re just as perfect alongside soups, salads, or weeknight dinners.

What You’ll Need

To make these soft gluten-free dinner rolls, you’ll need:

Active dry yeast
Sugar
Warm dairy-free milk (such as rice milk)
Gluten-free flours (white rice flour and sweet rice flour)
Potato starch and tapioca starch
Xanthan gum
Salt
Baking powder
Eggs
Dairy-free butter substitute
Honey
Apple cider vinegar

These ingredients work together to create the perfect balance of structure, softness, and flavor.

The Secret to Soft Gluten-Free Bread

Structure Without Gluten

Since gluten acts like a “glue” in traditional baking, gluten-free recipes rely on starches and gums to hold everything together.

Eggs for Stability and Lift

Eggs play a key role in giving these rolls structure and helping them rise properly, preventing that dense or gummy texture that can happen in gluten-free baking.

Yeast for That Classic Flavor

There’s nothing quite like the aroma of yeast baking in the oven. It gives these rolls that nostalgic, bakery-style flavor and airy texture.

Tips for Perfect Gluten-Free Dinner Rolls

Use Finely Milled Rice Flour

A smoother flour helps avoid the gritty texture sometimes associated with gluten-free baking.

Let the Yeast Fully Activate

If your yeast doesn’t foam during proofing, it won’t give you the rise you need, so don’t skip this step.

Bake in Muffin Tins for Best Shape

Gluten-free dough benefits from extra support while rising and baking, which helps create taller, more uniform rolls.

Make-Ahead Friendly (A Holiday Lifesaver)

One of the best things about this recipe? You can make the rolls ahead of time.

They can be:

• Baked in advance
• Stored in the refrigerator for a couple of days
• Reheated just before serving

And they still taste just as soft and delicious, maybe even better the next day.

When to Serve These Rolls

These soft gluten-free dinner rolls are perfect for:

• Holiday meals like Thanksgiving or Christmas
• Sunday dinners
• Pairing with soups and stews
• Making leftover sandwiches

They’re versatile, comforting, and always a welcome addition to the table.

The Last Bite

These Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Soft Dinner Rolls prove that you don’t have to settle when it comes to gluten-free baking. With the right combination of ingredients and a little know-how, you can recreate that soft, fluffy texture that makes dinner rolls so irresistible.

Whether you’re serving them for a holiday feast or a simple family dinner, these rolls bring back something many people miss, and they do it beautifully.

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4.45 from 9 votes

Gluten Free Dairy Free Soft Dinner Rolls Recipe

By Gluten Free & More

Prep Time: 25 minutes mins

Cook Time: 18 minutes mins

Rising time: 35 minutes mins

Total Time: 43 minutes mins

Servings: 24 rolls

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Ingredients 

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• ▢ 2 tablespoons dry active yeast
• ▢ 2 teaspoons sugar
• ▢ 2 cups rice milk or milk, (warm but not hot)
• ▢ 1½ cups superfine or Asian White Rice Flour*
• ▢ ½ cup superfine or Asian Sweet Rice Flour, (also called glutinous rice flour)*
• ▢ ¾ cup potato starch, (not potato flour)*
• ▢ ½ cup tapioca starch*
• ▢ 3 teaspoons xanthan gum
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons kosher or fine sea salt
• ▢ 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ▢ 3 large eggs, divided
• ▢ ¼ cup butter or non-dairy butter substitute (Earth Balance recommended), (plus more for brushing the pans)
• ▢ ¼ cup honey
• ▢ 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

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Instructions 

• Combine the yeast, sugar and warmed milk in a small bowl and whisk to dissolve the sugar. Let sit for 6-8 minutes or until the mixture is foamy and has increased in volume.
• Combine the flours, starches (or all-purpose gluten free flour blend), xanthan gum, salt and baking powder in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix for 30 seconds on medium-low to combine and break up any lumps in the potato starch.
• Add the yeast mixture, 2 eggs, melted butter substitute (or butter), honey and vinegar. Mix on medium low until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, turn the mixer on high and mix for 3 minutes. You should have a very thick, smooth batter.
• Brush 2 standard muffin pans with melted butter (or butter substitute) or spray with gluten free, non-stick cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pans, filling about ¾ full. Alternately, you can use a small (#60) ice cream scoop and place 3 scoops in each muffin tin (like a clover leaf). Cover with a clean kitchen towel and place in a warm, draft free place to rise. Let rise for 35 minutes or until the dough has almost doubled in size.
• Beat the remaining egg with 1 teaspoon of water very well with a fork. Gently brush the tops of each roll with the beaten egg.
• Bake for 17-18 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool in the pans for 15 minutes.
• The rolls can be made ahead – bake them, let them cool in the pans, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Warm for a few minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Notes

*In place of the various flours and starches you can use 3¼ cups of a good quality, all-purpose gluten free flour blend.

Nutrition

Calories: 124kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 2gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 191mgPotassium: 123mgFiber: 1gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 90IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 32mgIron: 0.3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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