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.
Hi Carol,
Thanks for such an informative website! We are just starting gluten free/dairy free diet at my house and it is so tough, so it was really great to find your website! My son is 8 and tested very high as being allergic to gluten and dairy. He also cannot have eggs or cheese. :( One of his favorite things to eat! When making the rolls, can I use an egg substitute? Thanks!
Hi Nancy. I have had readers say they made these with egg substitute with good result. You should scroll through the comments to make sure but if I remeber correctly you just may need to add a tad more water. Good luck and enjoy!
We made these last night to have with our cheddar potato soup. They were for lack of a better word, DELICIOUS. I’m thinking that with less honey, these would be fantastic hamburger buns. But what would you suggest that i bake a hamburger bun in? Any ideas would be so much appreciated!! Thank you and God bless!!
Thanks fso much Beth. I have made hamburger buns by baking them in ramekins – like a 4 inch ramekin that you would cook custard in. So far it is the best solution I have come up with. Good luck!
Hi Carol,
Can I use brown rice flour and white rice flour, I have all other ingriendients but I have just sweet rice flour and brown rice flour. I do have Pamela`s Products baking mix would that work?
Thanks a bunch,
Megan
Yes, you can use the brown rice flour of white just note that if it is not superfine, you may not get the same results. I haven’t tried this with a baking mix, I am not sure if it would work or not.
Just made these tonight & they were AWESOME! My kids rolled their eyes when they heard I was making GF rolls, but boy were they surprised! I got rave reviews from my four guys, and my hubby said these were the best he’s ever had. I used King Arthur GF flour (best GF flour mix, in my opinion). Skipped the egg wash on top because I didn’t have an extra egg. They came out perfect. THANK YOU!!!
My pleasure Ronna, so happy you all liked them and I know that eye roll!!!
Gluten Free Dairy Free Soft Dinner Rolls Recipe – If I bought cup for cup gluten free flour that contains xanthan gum (Domata recipe ready flour) do I need to add the xanthan gum? I’ve never made anything gluten free, so this is my first attempt. Thanks.
Hi Barb, yes you do beacuse there is yeast in the recipe and the batter will need a little more structure from the extra xantham gum. I have made them with my flour which has xanthan gum and as described in the recipe and I don’t adjust the amount of xanthan gum. The batter is a tad bit thicker when using flour with xanthan gum already.
Is there something else that can be used instead of xanthan gum? Would cornstarch work?
You could use guar gum. I have not tried with corn starch but I don’t think that would do it. You could try pysillium husks powder, I haven’t done this recipe with the pysillium husks so I can’t say for sure. I would try with 1 tablespoon.
I was referred to this recipe by a local bakery who uses it, but makes them with butter. My son is gluten/casein free so the ones from there wouldn’t work for us. Anyway, I made them and we loved them!!! I have been cooking gluten/casein free for 12 years and have NEVER had success with any type of bread. The rolls were light, fluffy and did not have that crumbly, grainy texture.
My question is, will this convert to a loaf of bread? I currently buy bread that he likes, but I think he would like this so much better.
Hi Cassandra,
I have not tried baking this particular recipe as a loaf. You can try or you can use this recipe that I just posted for soft gf bread – https://glutenfreeandmore.com/blog/2013/04/gluten-free-soft-bread-recipe.html
If you do make the rools into a loaf, let me know how it comes out! Good luck and enjoy.
Sorry I missed your reply, I forgot to come back and check for it :). I did try it as a loaf, and it flopped. I had given up on making loaf bread and bought different muffin tins, they look more like hamburger buns and I started making it that way, but I will definitely give the recipe you posted for soft bread a try. Thanks!!
I do not usually comment on recipes, but I had to comment on this. My son has recently discovered he is gluten sensitive. He can eat some, but if he over does it he is sick. I have been experimenting with the different flours and combinations. He is a breadaholic! I’ve had success with coffee cake type bread and biscuits but we have not like the flavor of any of the yeast breads.
THESE ARE WONDERFUL! The only thing I did different was I used corn starch instead of the tapioca starch. No one would ever know they are gluten free. I love the flavors using the Asian white rice flour and glutenous rice flour. Very nice yeast roll flavor! Thank you so much.
My pleasure Carol, thanks for taking the time to comment and I am so happy you enjoyed the recipe!
I know this is an older post, but I made these today and they came out perfect!! I really, really wanted a dinner roll with a chicken peanut salad I am making for dinner tonight and I can’t tell you how excited I am that I now have some as delicious as the rolls I’ve been craving since going gluten free … thanks a bunch!
You are very welcome and now you have me craving chicken peanut salad :)
Hi- I also know this is an older post, but I made these for a family get together and they got such rave reviews I had to let you know! My sister actually said they were the best gluten free rolls she ever had (that’s a huge complement coming from her) and someone else said they were some of the best rolls they’d had, even if they weren’t gluten free! Thank you :D
Thanks Alison – so happy everyone enjopyed them!