Slightly sweet, soft, and buttery. A gluten-free Hawaiian rolls recipe so delicious and easy to make, you'll be coming back for more! These gluten-free Hawaiian sweet rolls are the perfect complement to your Thanksgiving or Easter dinner. You can also use them as gluten-free slider buns or hamburger buns! Dairy-free options included.
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I'm so excited to share this gluten-free Hawaiian rolls recipe with you! If you're like me, you probably miss those sweet and fluffy King's Hawaiian rolls! There is just something so satisfying about them! While it's hard to get the same exact pillowy soft texture in gluten-free bread, it is possible to get a soft, squishy roll with the same taste as those famous rolls you used to love.
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King's Hawaiian Rolls
Hawaiian rolls were made famous by the brand King's. You've probably seen them as they are in just about every grocery store. Unfortunately, King's Hawaiian Rolls are not gluten-free so we will just have to make our own copycat version!
A lot of recipes for Hawaiian rolls call for pineapple juice, which makes sense because of the tropical nature of the fruit. Given that, I made some batches with pineapple juice but I was honestly not a fan of the flavor. The pineapple was too strong and they didn't taste anything like a King's Hawaiian roll.
Upon further research, I noted that the ingredients for King's Hawaiian rolls don't even contain pineapple juice! The King's roll is most likely based on a type of sweet bread called Portuguese sweet bread.
While that type of bread was traditionally sweetened with pineapple juice or honey, the King's bread does not seem to be sweetened with either, but rather it is sweetened with sugar.
Ingredients
Most of these ingredients are standard pantry items for a gluten-free baker which makes this recipe perfectly accessible anytime you have a hankering! You do not have to make your own flour blend, but I do have recommendations below for store-bought gluten-free flour blends that produced the best results!
- Gluten-free Flour: I highly recommend Caputo Fioreglut Gluten-free Flour or Cup4Cup Multipurpose Flour for this recipe. At this time, I do not have any other flour recommendations. As I continue to test this recipe with other flours, I will add them to the list if they work well.
- Caputo Fioreglut is a special Italian gluten-free flour that I use most notably in my gluten-free pizza dough, you can also read a little bit more about the flour in that post. If you want to make gluten-free bread that is as close to regular bread as possible, use this flour. Please note: Fioreglut does contain gluten-free wheat starch.
- Cup4Cup Multipurpose Flour came in a close second in this recipe. The results were great, although slightly more dense than the rolls made with Fioreglut. Please note: Cup4Cup does contain dairy.
- Psyllium husk powder: Adding psyllium husk powder to yeasted bread recipes helps them to rise a bit more and gives the bread a better structure. Plus we could all use a little extra fiber, right?
- Potato Flour: For this recipe, you'll want potato flour, not potato starch.
- In a pinch, you can grind plain mashed potato flakes into a powder if you have a high-powered blender, like a Vitamix.
- Yeast: The yeast for this bread is rapid rise yeast. It may also be labeled as instant yeast or bread machine yeast. The benefit to this type of yeast is that it is a bit easier to work with. You don't have to dissolve it first. It can be mixed right in with the dry ingredients.
- If you only have regular active dry yeast, sprinkle the yeast in the warm milk (110-120°F) and let it sit for 5 minutes before adding it to the recipe.
- Brown Sugar: The original rolls also have malted barley flour, which is why I chose brown sugar as opposed to white sugar in this recipe. The brown sugar will add a touch more flavor and color to the rolls.
- Milk & butter: For dairy-free, substitute your favorite dairy-free baking substitutes. I tested this recipe with almond milk and canola oil. You can also use Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks.
Equipment
You don't necessarily need any special equipment to make these rolls but they will be much easier to make if you have a stand mixer.
The dough is mixed for 2 minutes to get it very smooth and well combined, which would be a challenge without a stand mixer. Since the dough is also pretty thick, I do not recommend using a hand mixer.
Small Batch
This recipe makes a small batch of 8 rolls and it fits perfectly into a regular loaf pan! If you want to double the recipe for a larger quantity, you can easily do that! In that case, bake the rolls in a 9 x 9-inch pan.
How to Make Gluten-free Hawaiian Rolls
These Hawaiian rolls are fairly easy to make, but they are a bit time-consuming. Most of the time is spent waiting for the dough to rise. (See below for a time-saving variation.)
Part 1: Make the Dough
To make the dough, you're basically just mixing everything together! The only thing of note is that you'll need to warm the milk to about 120°F to activate the yeast.
After you've mixed the dough, let the dough rise in a warm spot until about doubled in size. If your kitchen is cold you can:
- Set the bowl near a sunny window.
- Turn your oven on to 'warm' (or your oven's lowest temperature setting) for a few minutes. Then turn the oven OFF. Place the bowl in the warm oven with the light on. Be sure the oven isn't too warm! You don't want the oven temperature to be more than around 80-ish degrees.
- Use your Instant Pot! You can proof the dough using the yogurt setting. This is usually the fastest method and may only take about 30 minutes for the dough to double in size!
After the dough has risen, the next step is to chill the dough. This is not 100% necessary, but it makes the dough much easier to handle! Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours or overnight.
Note: If you choose to chill the dough overnight, the yeast will ferment and create a slightly stronger flavor to the dough. I found this detracts slightly from the overall sweetness of the rolls.
Part 2: Forming the Rolls
Once the dough has chilled, dump it out on a floured surface. Sprinkle more flour on top.
Then gently knead the dough. You don't want to be too rough here! Knead it just enough so that the dough is smoother and not so sticky on top.
Then divide the dough into 8 portions and roll each one into a ball. Cup your hand over the dough on the counter, then use small circular motions to roll it around into a ball. Or just roll the dough into a ball in between your hands. Whichever is easier!
Again, be gentle. You don't want to undo too much of the work the yeast has already done!
Part 3: The Final Rise and Baking
Now that you have formed your rolls, place them in a lightly greased loaf pan. Allow them to rise again until puffed. They probably won't double in size but they should rise enough to fill in the gaps between them. This will take another hour or two.
Once the rolls have puffed up, it's time to bake! Brush a little melted butter on top before popping them in the oven.
How to Make the Rolls Ahead
- After the first rise: After the dough rises the first time, you can place the covered bowl in the fridge for several hours up to overnight. Then continue to shape the rolls.
- After Shaping: You can refrigerate the rolls after shaping them, either before or after the second rise. Place the rolls in the greased loaf pan and cover with plastic wrap and then refrigerate. Pull the pan out of the refrigerator at least 2 hours before baking to allow them to come to room temperature and go through the second rise.
- Bake One Day Ahead: The rolls can be baked one day in advance and reheated when needed. To reheat, brush the rolls with melted butter. Reheat for 10-15 minutes at 350°F or until warmed through.
A Faster Method
By now, you may have realized this is one of those recipes that takes up most of the day! And while it's not hard... it's just a lot of waiting. If you don't necessarily care how pretty these rolls are, you can skip the second rise.
This will save you several hours because you won't need to chill the dough or let them rise again after you form the rolls. Here's how to do it:
- After you make the dough, scoop 8 portions of dough into a greased loaf pan. The portions are about the size of a heaping ¼th cup. Using a large scoop really helps with this!
- Then cover with plastic wrap and let the rolls rise until doubled in size.
- Once doubled, proceed with baking.
The only difference with this method is that the rolls are not quite as nice looking on top. The tops will not be as smooth and have more of a bubbly-looking texture. The rolls will still taste the same and it will save you a considerable amount of time!
More Gluten-free Bread Recipes
If you enjoyed this recipe be sure to check out my other gluten-free yeast bread recipes! Or check out some yeast-free reader favorites!
As always, if you enjoyed this gluten-free Hawaiian Roll recipe, please share it on Pinterest or Facebook! I'd love to hear from you! Leave a comment and a star rating below!
Recipe
Gluten-free Hawaiian Rolls
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups Caputo Fioreglut Gluten-Free Flour, or Cup4Cup Multipurpose Gluten-free Flour
- ¼ cup brown sugar, increase to ½ cup (100g) for sweeter rolls
- 2 Tablespoons potato flour, not potato starch
- ½ Tablespoon psyllium husk powder
- ½ Tablespoon instant yeast, also known as Rapid Rise or Bread Machine Yeast
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup milk, or dairy-free milk such as almond milk
- 2 tablespoons butter, or Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks or Canola Oil for dairy-free
- 1 egg
Instructions
Make the Dough
- In a stand mixer bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, potato flour, psyllium husk powder, yeast, and salt.
- In a microwave-safe cup, combine the milk and butter. Microwave for 1 minute to melt the butter and heat the mixture to 120-130°F. (Check the temperature with a digital thermometer as this is important to properly activate the yeast.)
- With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture. Then add in the egg.
- Blend on medium speed for 2 minutes. The mixture should be thick and smooth.
Form the Rolls
- Lightly grease your hands with cooking spray or oil. Then scoop ¼ cup of the dough mixture into your hands and gently roll into a ball. Place in a greased loaf pan. Repeat with the remaining dough, to yield 8 rolls total.
- Cover the loaf pan with plastic wrap or a towel. Place in a warm spot to rise for about 1 hour or until rolls are doubled in size and puffy.
Bake the Rolls
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Brush the tops of the rolls with melted butter.
- Bake the rolls for 25-35 minutes or until golden brown on top.
- Brush again with melted butter. Serve warm.
Video
Notes
- After the rise: Form the rolls as indicated and let rise. Keep covered with plastic wrap and place the pan of rolls in the fridge for several hours or up to overnight. Bake as instructed.
- Bake One Day Ahead: The rolls can be baked one day in advance and reheated when needed.
Nutrition
* Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and should be used as an estimate only. See the nutrition policy for more information.
Becky
I just made this today and WOW SO DELICIOUS!!! Very easy to make and I actually feel like we are eating "Real SOFT Bread" for the first time since my husband was diagnosed with Celiac's Disease in 2021! I sure have missed bread, lol. I was thrilled that you offered this recipe with Caputo flour too. This has been the only flour that satisfies my bread cravings. I make LOTS of pizza and Italian bread with it but never thought of doing a sweet SOFT bread. This is definitely a keeper and meow (Cat lover here, lol!) I will be checking out your other bread recipes! Thanks for taking the time and effort to create this for the GF people out there! 🙂
Katie Olesen
I am so happy you enjoyed the recipe!
Sandy
These are really good! We used King Arthur's GF pizza crust flour (which has similar ingredients to Caputo) if you're looking to try another flour. I will try them again with Caputo to compare.
Katie Olesen
Thanks for sharing! I haven't had a chance to try that flour yet so I am glad it worked well in the recipe.
Terry Burnham
These these are amazing and extremely easy. Thank you 😊
Olga
Just made them I’m out of words to describe these! Pillowy, soft yes with body it does resemble Hawaiian rolls but a little bit denser. Flavorwise 10/10! Made with Caputo flour
Gloria
I'm allergic to potatoes. Is there something else I can use? Where do you get psyllium husks powder?
Katie | Wheat by the Wayside
You can likely just omit the potato flakes and sub with more of the fioreglut. I get the psyllium off of amazon but you may be able to find it in a health foods store or similar aisle at your grocery store.
Patrice
Hi Katie,
I'm making these for Easter dinner and have a lot going on that day. Is there any issue with taking all the dry ingredients and putting them in a ziploc bag the day before? I want to be able to basically dump them in like a mix, add the wet ingredients and continue on with the recipe, eliminating some of the dishes and flour residue on the holiday. (I'm not the neatest baker on the block ;))
Katie | Wheat by the Wayside
Of course you could do that! I'd say maybe wait to add the yeast since it needs to stay refrigerated.
Amanda
I made these with the cup 4 cup multipurpose flour. The dough was so moist. Is that normal? I’m awaiting the first rise so we will see how that works
Katie | Wheat by the Wayside
The dough is generally more moist than regular yeast breads. How did they turn out for you?
Wendy
The best gluten free rolls recipe I have tried - great texture and not too sweet. I'm not sure I'd mistake them for King's Hawaiian rolls (although it's been a solid decade since I've had one) but this will be a go-to recipe for me. Thank you!!
Pam
Can I use swerve brown sugar, ( sugar free sub)?
Pam
Can I use Swerve brown sugar substitute?
Pamela Grimes
Can you use swerve brown sugar, zero carb replacement for this recipe? Thanks Pam
Kelsey Ngo
I'll start by saying that this recipe makes a nice roll. I used King Arthur brand 1:1 flour. Perhaps the texture doesn't work exactly like the suggested flours, but it was the taste of a Hawaiian roll that I was looking for. Do these taste like Hawaiian rolls...? I can't say that they do, at least, if we're talking King's Hawaiian or even some close counterparts (I recall Aldi's brand tasting pretty good, but it's been a while since I have had gluten so....). I remember Hawaiian rolls tasting pretty sweet--not like cake, but a delicate background sugar-taste--but these aren't sweet like that. Thus, the four stars. But the roll is nice, just not Hawaiian nice.
Katie | Wheat by the Wayside
Fair enough, Kelsey! I could possibly try making them sweeter next time and see how they taste. Also, King's contain malted barley flour, which is hard to replicate gluten-free, but would add to that distinct flavor. As far as King Arthur Measure for Measure, no it will not give you the same texture as Caputo Fioreglut.
Renee M
I have developed a gluten intolerance and miss dinner rolls so much. I have tried a few different recipes and this is the first one that I am really happy with. The rolls are light and fluffy (as much as a gluten free bread can be 😉 ) and tasted great. Thank you so much for this recipe - it's a keeper!
Katie | Wheat by the Wayside
I'm so happy you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for the kind review!
Emily
Is there a typo in the directions? It says to let them rise for about an hour, but the summary says rising time is 4 hours.
Mine are still sitting in their warm spot, so not sure how they’ll turn out.
🙂
Katie Olesen
One hour in a warm spot should be plenty! About doubled in size.
j
The "buns" were flat and disappointing. Followed the recipe accurately.
Katie | Wheat by the Wayside
Sorry to hear you had trouble. Definitely sounds like something went wrong there. Happy to help if you'd like to provide more details! Based solely on this response, I would ask if you made any substitutions? Also, please double check the freshness and type of yeast used. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
Katie | Wheat by the Wayside
Hi Carol,
1. That is a good point. The back of the bag states, "not processed with wheat or gluten" but I will swap out the links for a better alternative.
2. You can make these in muffin cups! No changes other than bake time, reduce to about 18-20 minutes. It will still make 8 rolls.
3. The fully baked rolls can certainly be frozen. I haven't specifically frozen this dough yet, but I did try that with my other gluten-free dinner rolls recipe and it worked fine (https://wheatbythewayside.com/gluten-free-dinner-rolls/). I went into a bit more detail about freezing in that post. If you want to try freezing them before baking, I would follow the steps through forming the rolls. Then freeze individually. It will take about 4 hours to thaw/rise before baking. Personally, I would bake them first and then freeze.
Emily
How important do you think the brand of flour is? I tried to make this using Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose flour and and the taste was good but the texture was more muffin/biscuit-like. I am wondering if my problem was not using one of the flours you listed. And do you have suggestions for how to approach gf recipes since each of them are probably based on different gf flour? Thanks!!
Katie | Wheat by the Wayside
Yes, the brand of flour makes a HUGE difference, especially in GF baking, even more especially in gluten-free yeast breads. That is why I always list which flours I tested for each recipe. Even within brands, there are differences. For example, Bob's has their All purpose flour, which does not include Xanthan Gum and their 1:1 for baking, which does include it.
I really enjoy Caputo Fioreglut for yeast breads, the results are far superior, but I know there are still some who are not comfortable using it or can't use it. For this reason, I am always thinking about how I can adapt my yeast breads to use different flours. When I come up with a flour that is comparable to Caputo, I will be sure to update the recipes.
As far as other recipes, if you don't have the specific flour listed a good place to start is to compare the list of ingredients on the flour the recipe creator used and your flour. Are they similar? Is the first ingredient rice flour or a starch? Try to choose a flour blend that is as close to the one in the recipe as you can. Also, just bear in mind, that yeast breads are especially finicky when it comes to gluten-free baking, so if you can avoid substitutions, that is the best route to take! Hope that helps! If you have any more questions, I'm always happy to help!
Ethel
We use Anthony's psyllium husk powder because it advertises being batch-tested for gluten. I've never had an issue with Anthony's gluten-free products, and their labelling has always been clear.
Anthony's does make some gluten-containing products as well, but they are generally the obvious culprits (e.g., vital wheat gluten). Anything that one would expect to be gluten-free is generally also marked as batch-tested to be free from gluten.
Carol
1. You link to NOW psyllium husks. Last I checked, they are not certified gluten free. The package did not even have a gluten free claim. As psyllium is processed like flours, I believe the recommendation is that it be certified.
Do you have other recommendations?
2. Can the rolls be made in muffin pans? If so, how many muffin cups are needed? Are there any changes to the recipe or baking time if this is done?
3. Can the dough be frozen? I am 1 person. That is a lot of rolls to eat before they lose freshness. Is there a recommended process for freezing/thawing? Do you freeze before or after rising? Is a re rising period necessary? Any changes to the baking procedure?
Thank you!