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.
I found your website and was excited about all the recipes. I was trying to download the one for soft gluten free rolls and could not get it. I was not able to retrieve any of the recipes. Did I miss something. Each time I click on the name of the recipe, I was sent to a blog of response by other readers.
Hi Brenda – I am not sure what’s happening there. I just tried the dinner roll recipe and when I clicked on the “print this recipe” link (under the second photo before the recipe title) it worked just fine. If you haven’t tried getting the recipes that way do so and report back. I will also see if I can get some tech help to see what’s happening. Thanks!
Just made it this evening with egg replacer – turned out great!! Super soft and very delicious. My son ate 3 1/2 rolls for dinner. ^_^. Guess I will have to bake again soon!!.
Thank you soooo much for such a great recipe.
Thanks Linda – so happy you enjoyed it!
Thank you so much for the recipe! It’s so hard to find a dairy free roll option to make. I was wondering, though, could I make this recipe be just dairy free, not gluten free (as I don’t need it to be)? Could I just use regular flour instead of gluten free flour? If so, how much to use? I really don’t need to have Asian White Rice Flour or Asian Sweet Rice Flour (also called glutinous rice flour). I am new at this and just found out that I could have milk allergy. Thanks so much! Looking forward to be trying this out for Easter dinner!
I am pretty sure you can convert these to gluten rolls instead of gluten free, just use 3 1/4 cups of all purpose whaet flour in place of the various flours and starches. You may need to adjust the liquid slightly as sometimes gluten free flours can be more absorbant than regular flour, I would start with just about 1/4 cup less liquid and see what your batter is like, it should be thick and smooth but spoonable. If too thick, add some more liquid. Good luck and please let me know how it worked out – it has been a lot of years since I baked with wheat flour.
So impressed! I made these last night for dinner (used your flour blend) and I couldn’t be happier. These are awesome! My non-GF hubby said that if he didn’t know they were GF he couldn’t have guessed. He said they are ever so slightly denser than regular gluten rolls but he only noticed because I asked him to taste-test them and my non-GF picky teenage daughter who eats like a bird gobbled up a few too.
I sent the recipe and page to my brother and sister-in-law. My brother is definately GF and my sister-in-law is Dairy Free. Cooking for those two is hard! Anyway, these are just Fab! (I write this as I am munching on a couple I rewarmed as suggested in the oven with a little butter and Blueberry Preserves for breakfast with my morning cup-o-Joe.)
Thanks for all the effort!
Heather
Aww thanks Heather! So glad you and your family enjoyed them and thanks so much for the feed back!
xo,
carol
Just tried these with egg substitute and goat’s milk. I am lucky, looks like the bulk white rice flour at my local Fred Meyer’s is fine, after reading around, thought they might turn out gritty. Nope! Thank you so much for going through the hassle of testing and retesting for the GF community!
Yay! Glad it worked with what you could easily get and so good to know they work well with goats milk too!
Carol,
Thank you so much for this recipe. I have never made rolls before, and just found out I have a boatload of other allergies in addition to gluten and dairy. Boo! However, this recipe was easily adapted to fit my needs. They are awesome. I’ve made a post and recommended that people visit your site. I also posted the changes that I made in order to make them gluten, dairy, soy, and egg free.
I cannot thank you enough!
Nikki
https://goodbyegluten.wordpress.com/2012/04/16/gluten-dairy-soy-and-egg-free-dinner-rolls-allergy-friendly/
It is my pleasure Nikki and I am so gratful you made these even more allergy friendly!
Hi Carol
I just opened a commercial gluten free kitchen in Dubai,I’ve been baking for people who are gluten intolerant ,have Celiac or other allergies for many years,I always look for new recipes and this one sounds great ,will definitely try it,thank you ,warm regards from Dubai.
Areej
Thank you Areej. Are there a lot of gluten intolerant people in Arabic countries? I really want to go to Dubai someday and when I do, I will visit your bakery!
I made these rolls because I just recently found out I needed to go gluten free. My family LOVES them.. More so than most of the rolls we used to use. Thank you so much!! I love your site/
So happy you and your family enjoyed them Jody. Thanks for reporting back!
Carol, Can these be made in a bread machine, to which it will obviously be a loaf of bread. I’m looking for a “Great” recipe for the bread machine as it is in the 80’s here and cooking in the oven doesn’t work.
Hi Nadine – I haven’t tried in a bread machine. I am not certain as I formulated them for cooking as rolls but I would say it is worth a try. I would put the liquids in first, then the flour then the yeast on top. If you try and it works, let me know!
Hi Carol — I tried it in the bread machine. It tasted sooo good, but it baked heavy on the bottom and was real sticky. I don’t know if it would be the recipe not being a bread machine recipe, or the bread machine. Do you have any suggestions for bread machines or breadmachine recipes?
Hi Nadine, unfortunatley I am not a bead machine expert. I find that it is just easier for me to bake without a machine but let me do a little reseach and get back to you on this.
I am newly gluten free & learning. I can’t have honey, molasses, brown sugar, maple syrup, or agave. Is there a substitute for the honey?
Can you do coconut palm sugar? The yeast needs something to help it proof. Is there any sweetener you can do?