Gluten Free Dairy Free Soft Dinner Rolls Recipe
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.
Table of Contents
- Soft, Fluffy, and Finally Worth the Effort
- Why These Gluten-Free Rolls Actually Work
- A Balanced, Tried-and-Tested Approach
- Why You’ll Love These Dinner Rolls
- What You’ll Need
- The Secret to Soft Gluten-Free Bread
- Tips for Perfect Gluten-Free Dinner Rolls
- Make-Ahead Friendly (A Holiday Lifesaver)
- When to Serve These Rolls
- The Last Bite
- Gluten Free Dairy Free Soft Dinner Rolls Recipe
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.
Gluten Free Dairy Free Soft Dinner Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
- 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
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
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These rolls were an absolute success at our Thanksgiving dinner! Our guests couldn’t believe they were gluten free and I couldn’t believe they were so easy to make. The rolls will now be a staple at our table.
Hi Carol, We just got your flour in the mail and I made these rolls…one word AMAZING !!!!!! My hubby and I have been GF & DF since April. Good Bread is one item we miss, not any longer thanks to you :) xo. We first caught you on our local Tampa TV show “Daytime”. We ordered you Desert book. Question for you..Can I half this recipe since it is just the two of us? It makes an ample amount of rolls and we cant eat them up before the suggested time frame. First we had them with Chilli for dinner, next we dipped in our over med eggs for breakfast, and egg sandwhices the next morning. Tomorrow I plan to take the remaining rolls and crumble up and bake on a cookie sheet with garlic and seasoning to make a breadcrumb that I can use for fish or shrimp. I dont want to waste a single morsel of these yummy rolls. Also, are you making any local apperances in Tampa Bay Area anytime soon, I would love to have you sign my book and or take a cooking class from you.
Oh thank you so much! I am happy you enjoyed the rolls. Yes, you can cut the recipe in half and you can also freeze the rolls. Just put in a zip lock, freeze and then you can warm briefly before serving. I am going to be doing some cooking classes at Publix Apron School – still working on the dates but can notify you when I know. It would be lovely to meet you!
Hi Carol, I was wondering if you’ve tried this recipe as a loaf of bread. I really like this receipe and my celiac bf LOVES this recipe. I would really like to make him bread for sandwiches since most store bought gluten-free is terrible. If it wouldn’t work can you suggest another?
Thanks!
I didn;t try this recipe as bread but I did with my french bread recipe – I baked it in a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan and it was great! Here’s the link – https://glutenfreeandmore.com/blog/2011/11/gluten-free-french-bread-recipe-easy-easy-easy.html
I made whole recipe and from that made 6 hamburger buns on one of those shallow muffin pans and put the rest of the batter in a bread pan. Both cooked up great. The bread took quite a bit longer, so I had to cover it so it wouldn’t brown too much on top. However, on the cooling, the loaf of bread collapsed in the middle. :( I think next time I will try it with mini loaf pans. But it’s still YUMMY!
Thanks for reporting back Tara – yes this recipe was formulated for baking in muffin tins, they add extra structure while baking and cooling. A mini loaf pan would probably work fine, just let it cool in the pan. Since I wanted soft rolls, it is a sort of more delicate dough.
We made french toast out of the deflated bread few day old bread and it was YUMMY! Nice and creamy inside!
mmmm, sounds delish! Thanks.
I’ve made this as a regular loaf and only had a little bit of problems with falling. I’ve actually made wheat bread before that fell MUCH easier and tasted nasty, so this usually works out much nicer, IMO. This recipe definitely tastes like “real” bread and slices up quite nicely.
Thanks Anne, glad you enjoyed it!
My sister recently found out that gluten triggers her migraines, so she has gone gluten-free. i’ve been trying recipes lately for her, but none of the bread/roll recipes have been as good as this one! They come out very fluffy and moist- she loves them! I also used soy milk instead of rice milk and it was delicious, thanks!
Thanks for letting me know Alicia – what a great sister you are!
Using a dark muffin pan and 17 minutes gave me burnt bottoms. I was SO disappoinged…. but then I tasted them. Soft and yummy on the inside. I can’t wait to make them again next weekend, but first I have to consume a few more of my mistakes. Thanks for the recipe. Its a keeper.
Hi Kevin – yep when you use a darker pan in baking often you will need to decrease the temp by 25 degrees and just cook a tad longer. The darkness conducts the heat better. I am happy you liked the tatse and with the teaking for dark pans, you should be golden! Thanks for reporting back!
I know it may sound kinda crazy but I don’t have an electric mixer, but we have just purchased a bread maker(!) My housemate have found that a gluten free diet is helping her and I am enjoying trying out new recipes. Can we mix it in the bread maker?
We are also avoiding adding refined sugar… would they work if I increased the honey quantity?
Thanks, appreciate your advice.
If you are wanting to make rolls, I would just do the mixing by hand – it is going to take a bit of elbow grease but its doable. If you want a loaf then I think the bread machine would work but I have not tried it. If there is a gluten free setting on your machine, use that if not just make sure it only does 1 rise. And yes, you can replace the sugar with more honey.
These were just fabulous. Even my bread loving gluten tolerant husband liked these!
Thanks for letting me know! I am married to a bread loving gluten tolerant husband myself and it passed his test too :)
This looks soooo good. Can it be made with egg-free version?? My son is allergic to egg and I’m still on the hunt for good Wheat free, dairy free and egg free dinner roll recipe.
You can alwways try egg substitute or mix 1 tablespoon of flax meal or chia seeds with 3 tablespoons of warm water, let it sit for 5 minutes and use that. I have not tried it but from what I know it should work. Please report back!
Thank you very much, will definitely let you know!! :))
Thank for this recipe. I made them last night and the look and texture of the rolls is perfect but I thought they tasted quite yeasty, I used the 2 TBSP listed in the recipe but it seemed like a lot. Should I reduce the yeast or is their something else I should do different.
If you don’t like the yeasty tatse you can reduce it to no less that 2 1/4 teaspoons, they should still rise well I believe. I wanted a really soft, yeasty roll so….
Hello,
Thanks for the brilliant recipe! We made it with egg substitute (orgran) and it worked out great, just add a little extra moisture or the batter is too thick.. Also makes a great pizza base and garlic bread (just add 2 cloves of fine grated garlic and a teaspoon of parsley to 1/2 the mixture and use the other half to make pizza bases, Voila pizza night!).
your
Thank you so much for letting me know this worked with egg substitute! So many people asked. What a great idea to use as pizza bases! Thank you so much for the idea!