Hot, delicious cinnamon rolls for breakfast on Christmas morning were a mainstay for me before I was gluten-free. It was a most delicious way to start a very special day. My quest to find gluten-free AND dairy-free cinnamon rolls that reminded me of those delicious rolls became a fruitless task, so I just gave up. But this year, I vowed that my family and I would enjoy delicious cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning, so I set out to make my own.
I was excited to get as close as I could to the cinnamon rolls I remembered but wasn’t sure how close I could get. But once I took my first bite, I was immediately reminded of the flavor and texture of the rolls I loved. A soft yet, bready texture filled with sugary, cinnamony deliciousness, topped with a frosting I swear had to contain dairy. It was too good not to!
I could eat these cinnamon rolls every day of my life if I allowed such indulgence. It is so nice to be able to take back something I thought was lost forever.
A few notes on the recipe
- If you are dairyful, substitute the Earth Balance for butter, unsalted, the cashew milk for whole milk, and the Kite Hill cream cheese for plain cream cheese. The same mixing, forming, and baking methods apply.
- If you do not have access to dairy-free cream cheese, there is a basic frosting recipe in the notes after the full recipe. It is very good and works wonderfully with the cinnamon rolls.
- If you want to make the cinnamon rolls the night before and bake them in the morning, there are instructions for that in the recipe.
I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!
discover. cook. enjoy.
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Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Decadant and Delicious Cinnamon Rolls with "Cream Cheese" Frosting
With a terrific bread-like texture, ample amounts of cinnamon, sugar, and "butter," and a decadent frosting, you'll be amazed these delicious cinnamon rolls are gluten and dairy free.
Suggested Tools
Stand Mixer
Probe Thermometer
Precision Scale
Soda Stream
Spatulas
Small Whisks
Glass Measuring Cups
Prep Bowls, 4 inch
Digital Food Scale
Silicone Pastry Brush
Stainless Steel Prep Bowls
9 Inch Cake Pan
Sheet Pans and Cooling Rack
The Ingredients
Dry: Flour and Starch
- 275 g rice flour, White
- 200 g Tapioca flour
Dry: Supplemental
- 60 g sugar, granulated
- 35 g soy milk powder
- 12 g xanthan gum
- 15 g baking powder
- 13 g kosher salt
- 8 g gelatin, unflavored
Wet Ingredients
- 70 g Earth Balance Buttery Spread, melted
- 120 g egg whites , (100%, no fillers) Kirkland brand from Costco
- 9 g distilled white vinegar
Yeast and Milk
- 11 g dry active yeast, NOT instant
- 1.75 cups cashew milk, unsweetened, or your favorite dairy-free milk
The Filling
- .25 cup Earth Balance Buttery Spread
- .25 cup light brown sugar
- .25 cup dark brown sugar
- 2 tbsp cinnamon, ground
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1.5 cup powdered sugar
- .25 cup Earth Balance Buttery Spread
- .25 cup Kite Hill Cream Cheese, or your favorite dairy-free cream cheese
- .5 tsp vanilla
- pinch Kosher salt, very small pinch
Or, Make a Basic Frosting, see recipe in NOTES below
The Process
Mise en Place
- Prepare for baking by setting out your tools: bowls for measuring ingredients, mixer, parchment paper, plastic wrap, cake pans, sheet pan for forming, whisk, measuring cup, mixer with paddle attachment, non-stick spray, spatula, sharp knife for slicing rolls, pastry brush, Gather all your ingredients.
Do this First
- Measure the Earth Balance for the filling into a prep bowl and leave on the counter to soften. Also measure the two sugars and cinnamon for the filling into a pre bowl and mix to combine. Set aside. Now you have your filling ingredients ready. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
The Dry Ingredients
- Set your digital scale to grams and make sure the Tare (clear) after you set the bowl on top of the scale. Measure the rice flour and tapioca into the stand mixer bowl. Measure and add the supplemental ingredients to the same bowl as the flours. I use a small bowl to measure the supplemental ingredients and then add them, one by one, to the mixing bowl.
The Wet Ingredients
- Add 70 grams of Earth Balance to a 1 cup measuring cup. Microwave for 30 seconds or until the butter is melted. Set aside. Measure the egg whites and vinegar and put in a small bowl. You can measure them into one bowl, hitting tare after each ingredient or you can measure each into separate bowls. If you measure each in separate bowls, combine all the wet ingredients (melted earth balance, vinegar, and egg whites) into one bowl when done measuring all three.
Measure the Milk and the Yeast
- Measure 1.75 cups of unsweetened cashew milk into a 4 cup measuring cup. Using a small bowl measure out 11g of dry active yeast.
Activate the Yeast
- First, heat your milk in the microwave to 110 degrees. I should take about a minute, but check the temperature with a probe thermometer at 30 seconds to see where you are at and then heat until you reach 110 degrees. If you go over 110 degrees, let the milk sit until it lowers to 110 degrees. When you have your 110-degree milk ready, begin whisking the milk as you add the yeast slowly to the milk. Keep whisking until nearly all the yeast has dissolved. You should see a bit of foam when you do this. If you do not, your yeast may be out of date.
Time to Mix and Proof (Rise)
- Attach the mixing bowl to the stand mixer, attach the mixer's paddle attachment and raise the bowl into the mixing position. Set to speed 1 for 15 seconds to combine the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients while the mixer is still set at speed 1. Now, add the yeast and water slowly. Once it is all added, increase the speed to 2 until all the water is incorporated into the dry ingredients. Increase the speed to 4 for a minute or so and then 5 another minute or so.
- When the mixing is complete, the dough should be soft and silky, similar to frosting. Lower the bowl and remove the paddle attachment. With a wet spatula, scrape the dough from the sides of the bowl down into the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set it on the top of your stove for 20 minutes (oven is on and set to 350 degrees).
Prepare for Forming and Rolling
- Cut a piece of parchment paper a bit larger than the size of your sheet pan. Place inside the sheet pan and spray with non-stick spray. Fill a bowl with hot water. You will use this to dip your fingers and hands into while you form and roll. Fill a glass with hot water and place your sharp knife inside. You will need this for slicing the rolls.
- If the Earth Balance you measured out earlier for the filling is not softened enough, place the bowl on top of the stove to soften it. You do not want it melted though.
Forming, Filling and Slicing the Roll
- Using a large spoon, disher, or your hands, turn out the dough onto the sprayed parchment paper in the sheet pan. Dip your hands into the bowl of hot water and then start spreading the dough with your fingers throughout the pan. The goal is to spread the dough to all corners and have an even thickness throughout the entire pan of dough.
- When you feel your dough is spread and smooth, slide the parchment paper and dough onto your work area. You will not need the sheet pan anymore. If the edges of the rectangle of dough are rough or high, smooth them out now. You want fairly straight edges on the dough rectangle.
- Using a pastry brush, spread the softened Earth Balance over the dough, covering all areas, expect for about a half-inch on the short sides. Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon mixture evenly over the dough, except for about a half-inch on the short sides, just like the butter.
- Let's Roll! Start on the long side closest to you, roll the parchment/dough away from you over once. Peel away the parchment paper from the dough carefully. You may need a butter knife to assist you. Now roll again and pull away the parchment paper as you roll, gently. Keep rolling until the dough is completely rolled up. Using the pastry brush and the small amount of softened Earth Balance left in the bowl, brush it along the edge of the roll that runs lengthwise to help seal the edge to the rest of the roll. You may also need to use wet fingers to tap down the edge. Gently push in the ends of the roll to seal in the filling.
- Bring the two cake pans near and spray lightly with non-stick spray. Grab the sharp knife from the glass of water and slice your first roll. The thickness should be about an inch or so, yielding 16 rolls. Press down lightly as you slice, letting the knife do much of the work. Flip the roll into your hand and place in the cake pan. Slice the rest of the rolls and add to the cake cans.
Baking the Rolls NOW or LATER
- If baking now, place the pans of rolls in a 350 degree oven and back for about 20-25 minutes. Every oven is different so they could take more or less time. The best way to know for sure is to temp them about 15-20 minutes in. 200 degrees is the goal. If you temp them and they are not at 200 degrees, leave the probe in the roll, close the oven and monitor the temp as they continue to cook.
- If baking later, cover the cake pans of rolls with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for up to one day. When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350 degrees, remove the rolls from the fridge and let sit on the counter for at least 15 minutes. Bake as stated above.
The Frosting
- While the cinnamon rolls are baking, make the cream cheese frosting. Measure and add the Earth Balance, cream cheese, vanilla, powdered sugar, and pinch of Kosher salt to your stand mixer bowl. Mix on the lowest setting to combine and then increase the speed as the ingredients blend together. Mix until you achieve a frosting texture. You can use a hand-mixing instead of a stand mixer if you like.
Finishing the Rolls
- Remove the rolls from the oven when done and place on cooling racks. Let cool at least 5 minutes before frosting. Frost, serve, and enjoy!
Storage and Freezing
- The baked rolls can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Heat in a microwave for 30 seconds or eat cold. For freezing the rolls, you can freeze them frosted or unfrosted, but, if you know for sure you are freezing them, unfrosted would be a better option.
Video
Notes
Although any certified gluten-free flours and starches will work wonderfully, I recommend Bob's Red Mill: https://www.bobsredmill.com/
Soy Milk Powder can be found in most natural food stores and some grocery stores. If you are not dairy-free, you can replace it with milk powder. Find Soy Milk Powder Here: https://www.nowfoods.com/natural-foods/soy-milk-powder-organic
Find Knox Unflavored Gelatin at your grocery store.
Basic Frosting Recipe
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup Earth Balance
- 1 tbsp Ripple Half & Half or your favorite dairy-free creamer
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- pinch of Kosher salt
Nutrition
Serving: 1servingCalories: 355kcalCarbohydrates: 49gProtein: 4gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 642mgPotassium: 51mgFiber: 2gSugar: 22gVitamin A: 3IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 74mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
2 thoughts on “gf df cinnamon rolls with “cream cheese” frosting”
I get excited, then there are always EGGS! My 8 year old grandson cannot have dairy, wheat, gluten, eggs and almonds. I’ll try this with egg substitute. Looks delish!
I have not tried it with egg replacer but I think it will work. The amount of egg whites is equivalent, approximately, to two eggs. Let me know how they turn out!!
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