Gluten-free crescent rolls that are literally the BEST you have ever tasted! Thanks to a special blend of gluten-free flour, they are flaky, fluffy and so delicious. Nobody would ever know they are gluten-free!
Gluten-Free Crescent Rolls
I can’t even tell you guys how amazing these gluten-free crescent rolls are! You will literally never need another gluten-free roll recipe again.
Do you guys remember our BEST gluten-free cinnamon rolls that are getting rave reviews? Well, these crescent rolls were developed from their base. So you know they are going to be good!
After years and years of working on this gluten-free crescent rolls recipe, my amazing mama finally perfected it!
I can’t say enough about how talented my mom is. In our cookbook, Gluten-Free on a Budget, she created 70% of the recipes. Including her famous flaky pie crust that can be rolled out and sliced into a lattice piecrust.
Now she’s achieved the impossible in creating what is truly the best gluten-free crescent roll. Her secret lies in the technique.
She figured out after many times of trial and error that she just couldn’t get enough buttery filling inside the rolls unless she used frozen butter.
The result of this technique is the best buttery delicious gluten-free crescent rolls. While this is an extra step, it’s the key and totally worth it. They are great on their own or with the best chicken salad from London at Evolving Table.
Can I make them with gluten-free all-purpose flour?
I am going to put this in all caps not to seem abrasive, just so there is no misunderstanding…
IF YOU WANT THIS TRUE CRESCENT ROLL RESULT, YOU MUST NOT EXCHANGE OUT THE INGREDIENTS IN THE RECIPE FOR A GLUTEN-FREE FLOUR BLEND.
These measurements have been tested over and over to get the crescent rolls just perfect.
How to make gluten-free crescent rolls
First, start by making sure to freeze or refrigerate 1 lb of butter that can be grated at least 6 hours before preparing these crescent rolls. If you are here and don’t have 6 hours, you can still grate it cold at a refrigerated temperature.
Place 2 T milled chia and 1/2 C warm water in a cup, let soak 2 minutes (as shown in photo 1). Meanwhile, dissolve yeast and 1 T sugar in warm milk, let sit to proof (as shown in photo 2 and 3).
Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine all flours, starches, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt, sugar and gelatin (as shown in photo 4).
In another bowl, mix the soaked milled chia and yeast mixture together with eggs, coconut oil, 1/ C melted butter and apple cider vinegar (as shown in photo 5 and 6).
Slowly add that mixture to the flour mixture in stand and combine until well blended (as shown in photo 7).
Roll the dough out into a big circle disc shape or divide it in half and roll into two discs on saran wrap heavily sprinkled with white rice flour (as shown in photo 8).
Using a pizza wheel, cut into triangle shaped pieces like you would pizza (as shown in photo 9).
Grate the frozen butter on to the disc before rolling it up (as shown in photo 10). So if you have two discs you’ll do half a pound of butter on each.
Pro Tip: It’s important that it’s grated on after the discs are cut or the pizza wheel will pick up pieces of the butter and make a mess
Rollup each piece into the crescent shape, rolling from large end to small end (as shown in photo 11).
Pro Tip: Tuck the grated butter in as you roll the crescents up
Place on a cookie sheet at least two inches apart (as shown in photo 12). Let them rise for 1 hour on bread proof or 100 degrees.
Bake for approximately 18 minutes at 350 degrees, depending on how dark you like them.
Pro Tip: Brush on more melted butter after they come out of the oven if desired.
Can you make these dairy-free?
Yes, you definitely can make them dairy free! Just be sure to use full-fat canned coconut milk in place of the regular milk. The high fat content in it makes them turn out great.
Also, you will need to use dairy-free butter sticks that have been frozen when grating onto the dough. Earth Balance has some that I’ve heard work very well.
How do I store these gluten-free crescent rolls? Do they freeze well?
These rolls are fantastic right out of the oven nice and warm, but they are also good at room temperature the next day.
Once they have cooled, you can store them in an airtight container. They are good for up to 5 days at room temperature on the counter but are best within the first 3 days.
You can also make a double batch and freeze them. You can also make the crescent rolls up until the point where you are going to let them rise and instead, place them on a baking sheet and flash freeze for 1 hour then place in a freezer bag.
When you are ready to cook them, just pull them out of the freezer and place them in the oven on bread proof or 100 degrees for an hour to an hour and 15 minutes to rise. Then bake them as directed.
If you love this recipe, please let us know below. Consider leaving a comment, a rating or sharing on social media. We are so grateful for wonderful readers like YOU! Here are some other great recipes…
- Flaky Raspberry Toaster Pastries
- Gluten-Free Biscuits (Fluffy Buttermilk)
- BEST Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
And if you need to make rolls alongside these crescents, my friend Michelle of My Gluten-Free Kitchen has a delicious gluten-free pull-apart dinner rolls. Or get baking up a delicious pizza crust with this easy gluten-free pizza crust recipe.
If you’ve been interested in what it means means to do baking gluten-free bread in a bread maker, my friend Jules has a great tutorial!
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Gluten-Free Crescent Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 C brown rice flour
- 1 C white sticky flour sweet rice flour
- 1 C tapioca starch
- 1 C potato starch
- 1/2 C arrowroot powder
- 3 tsp. xanthan gum
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 2 tsp. salt
- 3/4 C sugar
- 1 tsp. gelatin
- 1 T yeast
- 1 T sugar
- 1 C warm milk or 1 C water and 3 T buttermilk powder
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 C coconut oil melted
- 1/2 C butter melted
- 2 T ground or milled chia
- 1/2 C warm water
- 1 lb frozen or cold refrigerated butter
Instructions
- Make sure to freeze or refrigerate 1 lb of butter that can be grated
- Place 2 T milled chia and 1/2 C warm water in a cup, let soak 2 minutes
- Meanwhile, dissolve yeast and 1 T sugar in warm milk, let sit to proof
- Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine all flours, starches, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt, sugar and gelatin
- In another bowl, mix the soaked milled chia and yeast mixture together with eggs, coconut oil, 1/ C melted butter and apple cider vinegar
- Slowly add that mixture to the flour mixture in stand and combine until well blended
- Roll the dough out into a big circle disc shape or divide it in half and roll into two discs on saran wrap heavily sprinkled with white rice flour
- Using a pizza wheel, cut into triangle shaped pieces like you would pizza
- Grate the frozen butter on to the disc before rolling it up
- So if you have two discs you’ll do half a pound of butter on each (It’s important that it’s grated on after the discs are cut or the pizza wheel will pick up pieces of the butter and make a mess)
- Rollup each piece into the crescent shape (rolling from large end to small end tucking the grated butter in as you go)
- Place on a cookie sheet at least two inches apart
- Let rise for 1 hour on bread proof or 100 degrees
- Bake for approximately 18 minutes at 350 degrees, depending on how dark you like them
- Brush on more melted butter after they come out of the oven if desired
Notes
Nutrition
Update Notes: This post was originally published July 26, 2018 but was republished with new step by step instructions, tips, and FAQs in April 2019.
Good friends mine are gluten free, and having them over for dinner always pushed me outside my comfort zone for cooking. I will most definitely make these for them next time (once quarantine and isolation are done). You know these are a home run when all the other comments are from folks who’ve made them multiple times with great success. I know I have a keeper recipe here!
I can’t believe how delicate and flaky these are despite being gluten free! They were super delicious, and I can’t wait to make them again.
Thanks Amanda that makes my day!! So happy to hear 🙂
Love crescent rolls and it’s great that you can make them gluten-free! It’s been awhile since I made them, I feel like I want to make them again this weekend!
Tested and true gluten free recipes can be hard to find and this one is really great! I was so excited to find this recipe and it is one of my favorites.
Thanks Ashley, I am so glad you loved it! It is very versatile. If you love this, I recommend our cinnamon rolls too 🙂
What a blessing it is to have a good baker in the family! I so appreciate how diligently she works to perfect a recipe! This one is great!
Thanks Leslie, she really is amazing!
A good gluten free crescent roll is hard to find, so thank you for sharing! And the step by step photos are super helpful, so thanks!
You bet! 🙂
These crescent rolls look delicious. I am saving your recipe for the next time I’m baking. Thanks for sharing!
I always freeze my butter for pastry – makes it easy to grate for flaky pastry! You can also dip the butter in the flour as you go, to make it grate even easier and keep it manageable! I will definitely try these for my gluten-free friends!
What a great suggestion, thank you! 🙂
I am so excited to have found this recipe. Homemade crescent rolls were one of my signature baked goods at family gatherings before my celiac diagnosis 5 years ago. I have tried many roll recipes with less than desirable results. I have all the ingredients on hand–now I just need a day when I get to stay home and try making them. Can’t wait!
Now is the perfect time to bake while we are all home 🙂
I am so excited to have found this delicious gluten-free crescent rolls recipe! I’ll be making a double batch so I’ll have enough to last all week. Thank you so much for sharing yet another scrumptious recipe!
Hi Denay, thanks for letting us know that you loved it! Double batch is always a good idea 🙂
Oh wow! These are perfect! Just sent this to my sister in law who is gluten free!
Hi! Do you think I can make them egg free? I usually do 1tbls of flax seed and 2.5 tbls of water to replace 1 egg.
Definitely! Let me know how it works. 🙂
Hello,
I can’t find the sweet white rice flour anywhere! Any replacements that might work? Hoping to make them for Thanksgiving tomorrow! 😬
Thank you for any ideas!
Regular white rice flour works just fine. 🙂
Can I bake these completely and then freeze them? If so, how would you recommend warming them for Thanksgiving day. Making them today. 🙂
Thank you in advance!
You can and just warm them up in the microwave so they stay soft but par baking and freezing might be a better option as sometimes after the initial microwave heat bread can get a little hard. Happy Thanksgiving and please, please let me know how it goes 🙂
I made these yesterday but forgot the cider vinegar. 😩 They were DELICIOUS, but didn’t rise quite right, so I’m going to try again. My biggest concern is that when they were done rising they were in a puddle of melted butter. How do you make sure the butter doesn’t leak out as they rise? I thought I had done a good job of keeping the butter “tucked in” so it wasn’t visible when rolled up. Help!
Hi Cindy,
Yes, be sure to add the apple cider vinegar and make sure to do the yeast and everything correctly with rise time. For the butter, I have had that happen too so try to grate the butter on inside most area of the crescent rolls and tuck the butter in as you roll them up nice and tight. Let me know how they work again. They are the best for Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving leftover sandwiches. 🙂
Crescent Rolls and butter-rich Danish type rolls cannot be risen in a warm oven or other very warm lpcation as the butter will melt out during rising as you found out!
We’ve made them over 20 times and they are perfect every time 🙂 Maybe a bit melts out but not much.
They are super buttery and so good! I love love love them!
That’s awesome Brooke, I love hearing that! Thanks for sharing!
My kids were diagnosed with celiac disease last fall and when Thanksgiving came I was determined that they would have good rolls. After trying 6 other recipes I finally tried this one and we haven’t looked back. They are so good that my non gluten free family is jealous of my kids. 😊 We have also used them to recreate our favorite chicken roll up recipe that we used Pillsbury crescent rolls for and they were delicious. I’m so grateful for those who have figured out how to make Gluten Free so yummy so my kids don’t have to miss out!
Awww Brenda this totally made my day!! I am so glad your family and especially your kids, love our recipe. 🙂 I would love to hear more about that delicious chicken roll up recipe. Maybe we can share it here with our crescent rolls! Thanks again Brenda, I appreciate you leaving the review. If you haven’t tried the cinnamon rolls, pancakes or waffles, you would love them too!
This gluten-free flour blend is magic. I am always searching for the best blends and it can feel really overwhelming at times. Thanks for making this so easy!
I’ve been searching for a recipe like this for a long time now! I can’t believe how perfectly they hold their shape!
Thank you so much Erin, they are a family favorite of ours as well so I am glad you love them too!
What if I don’t have the chance stuff? Is there something else I can use?
Chia not chance
I would really invest in the chia as it gives these the most incredible texture. 🙂 It is only a few dollars a bag then you can grind them at home in a blender. It is much cheaper to do that than to buy ground chia which is like three times the cost of regular chia seeds. Hope that helps! 🙂
All growing up my mom would make crescent rolls for thanksgiving. I recently found out I have a gluten allergy and ended up making these amazing gluten-free crescent rolls and they are so yummy! Super fluffy and soft and honestly, probably better than glutinous ones!😍
Yay I am soooo happy to hear this!! What a wonderful compliment, thank you! I hope you enjoy them again and again. 🙂