Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Dinner Rolls

Fluffy dairy-free and gluten-free dinner rolls? Yes, please! This recipe makes 12 rolls. They’re so good you’ll want to make a double batch for your next holiday or dinner party.

Have you been missing dinner rolls because your diet is plant-based, gluten-free, or egg-free? Well, your wait is over! With this recipe, you can enjoy dinner rolls that are pillowy-soft, fluffy and have just the right amount of chewiness. 

You can have them hot and fresh out of the oven slathered with vegan butter, or keep them for later when they help you mop up the gravy on your plate. 

This recipe is super easy to make. You’ll spend most of your prep time waiting for the dough to rise, so you can get on with your day as your dinner rolls are proofing. You could also prep these rolls ahead of time, keep them in the fridge, and bake them when you’re ready.

Another thing I love about these rolls is the smell permeating the house while they’re baking. It’s that mouthwatering, freshly baked bread smell. 

It reminds me of my grandma’s kitchen when I was a kid and makes me nostalgic about a world where we still bake bread instead of buying mass-made loaves from the grocery store.

Gluten & Dairy-Free Dinner Roll Recipe Benefits

• These dinner rolls are allergy-friendly. They don’t contain eggs, dairy, or gluten, so they’re allergy-friendly for most people. These gluten-free rolls are also naturally vegan and vegetarian. See my related recipe for Dairy-Free Biscuits.
• They freeze quite well, so you can make a couple of batches and keep them in the freezer. Just make sure you bake them first. 
• Even though they’re vegan, gluten-free, and egg-free, these dinner rolls are super fluffy!

What You’ll Need to Make This Recipe

You’ll need an oven and basic kitchen equipment to make a batch of fluffy and delicious dinner rolls. Just about every kitchen will have everything needed. 

1. Mixing Bowl

For this recipe, you should use a glass or plastic mixing bowl. Metal could interact with the reaction of the yeast, and your rolls could turn out flat and dense. 

2. Baking Tray

The baking tray or cookie sheet should fit into the oven and hold 12 dinner rolls. Why not whip up a double batch if you have a larger baking tray? These dinner rolls taste great and they freeze well if you have any leftovers. Grease the tray with vegan butter or cooking spray.

3. Kitchen Cloth

The kitchen cloth should be clean and large enough to cover the dough in the mixing bowl and the baking tray. A cloth is preferable to plastic wrap as it will let the dough breath.

Have another two or three clean kitchen cloths ready if you plan to bake your rolls before dinner and keep them warm.

4. Spatula

You can use any spatula to mix the dough before you knead it. You can use a wooden spoon if you don’t have a suitable spatula.

Ingredients and Substitutes

This recipe has some essential ingredients, but there are a couple of possible substitutions.

As with most bread, there has to be a chemical reaction to make them rise. For this to happen, you have to use the right ingredients. This is particularly important with gluten-free bread! 

Unsweetened Almond Milk

You can use any unsweetened plant-based milk for this dinner roll recipe.

I like unsweetened almond milk because it has the best flavor and consistency, but you can try a gluten-free oat, rice, soy, or coconut milk.

It’s essential to make sure the milk and the water are both warm so they can help activate the yeast.

Vegan Butter

You can use any vegan butter you enjoy. You could also use coconut oil, if you prefer, but your rolls won’t have as buttery of a flavor to them.

Instant Yeast

Sometimes instant yeast becomes bad because it doesn’t have an extremely long shelf life. To test if it’s still okay, add a teaspoon of sugar and 2 ¼ teaspoons of yeast to ¼ cup of warm water and leave it for 10 minutes. If the active dry yeast is still good, it will start to bubble and develop a yeasty aroma. 

Cane Sugar

The sugar in this recipe is essential as it interacts with the yeast and feeds it, so it becomes more active. This means even fluffier rolls!

Sugar also gives the rolls that wonderful balance between saltiness and sweetness that everyone loves in a good dinner roll. You can use any granulated sugar, but I recommend cane sugar for the best results. 

Gluten-Free Flour

You can use any pre-packaged gluten-free flour blend.

As long as it contains xanthan gum, which is essential in gluten-free baking. Without gluten, dough lacks structure, stickiness, and elasticity. The xanthan gum helps with this, so it’s an essential ingredient for gluten-free breads.

Most gluten-free flour blends also usually include tapioca starch or potato starch in place of the gluten that is found in all purpose flour.

I really like the Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour.

Psyllium Husk

Psyllium husk gives these rolls their pillowy-soft texture. Without it, you will struggle to handle and shape the dough, and it may not proof properly. For this reason, psyllium husk is an ingredient you can’t substitute.

Recipe Steps

Step One

Place the warm water and almond milk in a large mixing bowl. Add the melted vegan butter to the liquid and stir.

Add sugar, yeast, salt, flour, and psyllium husk powder. Combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients using a spatula or large spoon until it forms into a dough.

Step Two

Knead the dough for around 6 to 8 minutes. If it’s very sticky, you can add a little more flour or leave it in the fridge for a while and try again.

Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a lightly greased bowl.

Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let it rise for around an hour in a warm place. The warmer the space is, the quicker it will rise, so keep checking your dough ball.

Step Three

Once the doughball has risen, remove it from the bowl and cut it into 12 equal portions.

Roll each portion into a ball and place them in a greased baking pan. Cover the rolls and leave them to rise for another hour while you preheat the oven to 350°F.

Step Four

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the rolls have started to turn a golden brown on the outside.

Step Five

Remove from the oven, let them cool for a few minutes, and enjoy warm or at room temperature. Feel free to brush the tops of the rolls with some melted butter (use more vegan butter).

Recipe Tips & Substitutions

• You can use any pre-packaged gluten-free flour blend. As long as it contains xanthan gum, which is essential in gluten-free baking.
• You can use any unsweetened plant-based milk for this dinner roll recipe. I like unsweetened almond milk because it has the best flavor and consistency, but you can try a gluten-free oat, rice, soy, or coconut milk.
• You can use a stand mixer with a dough hook or paddle attachment if you have one as opposed to kneading the dough with your hands.
• To keep the rolls warm after baking, line a basket with a kitchen cloth. Lay the dinner rolls on the cloth and fold the sides over them. Fold a second cloth over the rolls, and tuck it in. It should keep your rolls warm for around 15 to 20 minutes.
• Store any leftovers in a covered container or resealable bag for up to 2 days at room temperature or 4 days in the refrigerator.
• Making an allergy-friendly holiday meal? Don’t miss my other gluten-free and dairy-free Thanksgiving recipes including my Dairy-Free Gravy Recipe. You may also like these Gluten-Free Crescent Rolls.

Recipe FAQs

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Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Dinner Rolls

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Fluffy dairy-free and gluten-free dinner rolls? Yes, please! This recipe makes 12 rolls. They’re so good you’ll want to make a double batch!

• Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes
• Yield: 12 1x

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1/2 cup warm water (90°F to 100°F)
• 1/2 cup warm unsweetened almond milk (90°F to 100°F)
• 1/4 cup melted vegan butter
• 1 tbsp instant yeast
• 3 tbsp granulated cane sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 cups gluten-free flour (see ingredients and substitutions)
• 1 1/2 tsp psyllium husk powder

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Instructions

1. Place the warm water and milk in a large mixing bowl. 
2. Add the melted butter to the liquid and stir.
3. Add sugar, yeast, salt, flour, and psyllium husk powder. Combine everything using a spatula or large spoon until it forms into a dough.
4. Knead the dough for around 6 to 8 minutes. If it’s very sticky, you can add a little more flour or leave it in the fridge for a while and try again.
5. Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a lightly greased bowl. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let it rise for around an hour in a warm area. The warmer the space is, the quicker it will rise, so keep checking your dough ball. 
6. Once the doughball has risen, remove it from the bowl and cut it into 12 equal portions.
7. Roll each portion into a ball and place them in a greased baking pan. 
8. Cover the rolls and leave them to rise for another hour while you preheat the oven to 350°F.
9. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the rolls have started to turn a golden brown on the outside.
10. Remove from the oven, let them cool for a few minutes, and enjoy warm or at room temperature.

Equipment

Bob’s gluten-free baking flour

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Notes

1. Some testers have reported needing more almond milk to help form the dough. Allow for up to an additional 1/2 cup of almond milk when making the dough. If it seems too dry, add an extra 1/4 cup at a time until the dough is the right consistency.
2. You can use any pre-packaged gluten-free flour blend. As long as it contains xanthan gum, which is essential in gluten-free baking.
3. You can use any unsweetened plant-based milk for this dinner roll recipe. I like unsweetened almond milk because it has the best flavor and consistency, but you can try a gluten-free oat, rice, soy, or coconut milk.
4. You can use a stand mixer with a dough hook if you have one as opposed to kneading the dough with your hands.
5. To keep the rolls warm after baking, line a basket with a kitchen cloth. Lay the dinner rolls on the cloth and fold the sides over them. Fold a second cloth over the rolls, and tuck it in. It should keep your rolls warm for around 15 to 20 minutes.
6. Store any leftovers in a covered container or resealable bag for up to 2 days at room temperature or 4 days in the refrigerator.

• Author: Carrie Forrest, MPH in Nutrition
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Resting Time: 2 hours
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Category: Bread
• Method: Oven
• Cuisine: Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free
• Diet: Gluten Free

Nutrition

• Serving Size:
• Calories: 230
• Sugar: 3.1 g
• Sodium: 336.3 mg
• Fat: 2.1 g
• Saturated Fat: 0.3 g
• Carbohydrates: 48.8 g
• Fiber: 1.9 g
• Protein: 3.5 g
• Cholesterol: 0 mg

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About the Author: Carrie Forrest has a master’s degree in public health with a specialty in nutrition. She is a top wellness and food blogger with nearly 10 million annual visitors to her site. Carrie has an incredible story of recovery from chronic illness and is passionate about helping other women transform their health. Send Carrie a message through her contact form.