Prepare to be wowed by these gluten free crescent rolls. These warm, buttery rolls are the perfect addition to any meal. Crafted with an artful combination of gluten free flour, they achieve the impossible—they’re flaky, fluffy, and downright divine. They are perfect on their own or used to make chicken salad sandwiches or stuffed with Nutella for a sweet treat.
Each bite is like a warm hug for your taste buds, delivering a taste sensation that defies gluten-free stereotypes. These rolls are more than just a dinner side; they’re an experience.
They are our go to bread for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners as well as for baby showers and other gatherings. Like our easy gluten free soft pretzels, they are a yeasty gluten free treat that will always please!
And if you need more gluten free breads to fill your heart and tummy, our 45-minute homemade gluten free buttermilk biscuits, soft and pliable gluten free naan bread and yeasty sweet and sticky gluten free monkey bread are sure to do the trick.
The options for these easy crescent rolls are almost endless. Make them into the BEST Hawaiian slider rolls or ham and turkey sandwiches. Or really, any other gluten-free sandwiches. If you’re feeding a crowd, serve them up with my viral Tik Tok butter board recipe.
One of the best things about this gluten-free recipe is that you can even make them into gluten-free sourdough crescent rolls. After years of practicing, my mom finally perfected these rolls into the versatile perfection it is today.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- The base of these crescent rolls were developed from the BEST gluten-free cinnamon rolls that get rave reviews.
- They’re safe for those with celiac disease but nobody will ever know this recipe is gluten-free.
- Each bite offers a delightful combination of textures and flavors, from the flaky outer layers to the rich, buttery interior.
- They’re the flakiest, most tender crescent rolls you’ve ever tasted, thanks to a perfectly balanced blend of gluten-free flours and other carefully chosen ingredients.
The ingredients
If you want the authentic taste and texture of these gluten-free crescent rolls, do not swap any of the ingredients. These ingredients, along with a few others listed in the recipe card, are crucial for the perfect flakiness.
- Gluten-free flour – A blend of brown rice flour, white sticky flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, and arrowroot powder makes the best dough.
- Xanthan gum – Xanthan gum acts as a binder to create structure and texture in gluten-free recipes.
- Baking powder – Gives it the perfect rise.
- Sugar – You’ll need white, granulated sugar for the dough and the yeast mixture.
- Yeast – Use rapid rise yeast for BEST results
- Milk – You’ll need milk and/or buttermilk for the dough.
- Eggs – Another great binder for this recipe to make them alike real biscuits.
- Apple cider vinegar – ACV helps these crescent rolls rise and reach their desired texture.
- Butter – You’ll need melted butter and frozen butter for this easy recipe.
Can I make them with gluten-free all-purpose flour?
I am going to say this loud and clear with stars around it. Not to seem abrasive, just so there is no misunderstanding…
**If you want this true crescent roll result, stick to the individual flours and ingredients in this recipe, rather than using a gluten-free flour blend. These measurements have been tested over and over to make the perfect crescent rolls.**
With that being said, I have made them with high quality gluten-free flour like King Arthur flour and both have turned out great. They just aren’t quite as amazing as when you blend your own flours. But to be chill again, yes, you can make them with all-purpose gluten free flour like we do with our gluten free monkey bread.
How to make gluten-free crescent rolls
Step 1 and 2: Get ready
Add milled chia and water to a cup to soak for a few minutes. In the meantime, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm milk.
Step 3 and 4: The dry ingredients
Let the yeast proof and add the dry ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer or mixing bowl.
Step 5 and 6: The wet ingredients
In a large bowl, add the soaked chia, yeast, with the rest of the wet ingredients.
Step 7: Combine
Add the wet ingredients to the stand mixer and combine and combine with the paddle attachment until dough pulls from the side of the bowl.
Step 8 and 9: Roll and Cut
On a floured surface, roll the dough out into a big circle using a rolling pin. Then, using a pizza cutter, cut into long triangles.
Step 10 : Grate
Grate the frozen butter over the dough before rolling it up.
Step 11: Roll (again)
Roll up each piece into a classic crescent shape, rolling from wide end to small end.
Step 12: Bake
Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper at least two inches apart. Let them rise for 1 hour on bread proof (100 degree oven) or warm place covered with plastic wrap.
Bake for approximately 18 minutes until golden brown, depending on how dark you like them.
Tips for making the best crescent rolls
- Rapid rise yeast works best.
- When rolling up the dough, tuck in the grated butter so it doesn’t seep out while baking.
- If you’re a fan of butter, brush on more melted butter when you pull out of the oven. Or grate extra butter on the dough before rolling out. (As shown below).
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 makes them turn out great just like a tasty gluten-free garlic bread.
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.
Yes, I like to make a double batch of these gluten-free croissants and freeze them. 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.
How do I store and freeze them?
Storing – These rolls are fantastic right out of the oven while nice and warm, but they are also good at room temperature the next day. Once they’ve cooled, keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
What to serve with these gluten-free rolls
- Hamburger soup and salad with fresh gluten free bread is the best!
- These are great served at Thanksgiving with non-alcoholic punch or non-alcoholic mulled wine.
- They are great on their own or with the best chicken salad, crockpot chicken enchiladas or with rump roast.
- You can use these rolls to make gluten-free croutons that go great over gluten-free cream of chicken soup.
More gluten-free recipes you’ll love
- Flaky Raspberry Toaster Pastries are a sweeter, breakfast version of these rolls.
- If you’ve never tried my Gluten-Free Biscuits (Fluffy Buttermilk), you’re missing out.
- For something different, try the BEST Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies.
- This gluten free cornbread that has the perfect honey flavor.
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Flaky, Buttery Gluten Free Crescent Rolls (That defy gluten free gravity!)
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 cup brown rice flour
- 1 cup white sticky flour sweet rice flour
- 1 cup tapioca starch
- 1 cup potato starch
- 1/2 cup arrowroot powder
- 3 tsp. xanthan gum
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 2 tsp. salt
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp. gelatin
Yeast Mixture
- 1 T rapid rise yeast regular yeast works but you will have a much longer rise time
- 1 T sugar
- 1 cup warm milk or 1 C water and 3 T buttermilk powder
Wet Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup coconut oil melted
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- 2 T ground or milled chia
- 1/2 cup 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 rapid rise yeast and 1 T sugar in warm milk in another cup, let sit to proof
- Using a bowl combine all flours, starches, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt, sugar and gelatin
- In another small bowl or stand mixer with paddle attachment, mix the soaked milled chia and yeast mixture together with eggs, coconut oil, 1/ C melted butter and apple cider vinegar
- Slowly add 1 cup dry ingredient mixture (THIS IS IMPORTANT) to the wet ingredients in stand and combine until well blended, continue until all dry ingredient mixture has been added, then mix dough for 30 more seconds on medium speed
- Roll the dough out into two discs that are 1/3 inch thick on saran wrap heavily sprinkled with white rice flour to about 12 inches
- 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 with 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 prepared baking 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
Video
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 September 2023.
Here is the original photo from us making them all the way back to 2009…
Heather Yono says
Hi! Can I not use gelatin? Also I don’t understand the whole butter thing? Do you have a video of you making them?
Chandice says
You can leave out the gelatin. You will be adding 1/2 cup of the melted butter with the wet ingredients. Then you will have the the 1 lb of frozen grated butter to the top of the dough after you have cut them into triangles but before rolling for the filling. Please let me know if you need any more help.
Angie Haywood says
These were delicious!! Made these for Thanksgiving dinner. This recipe is a keeper but I definitely need to make them in advance and freeze to make it easier on Thanksgiving Day. It was almost too sweet for us but I’m not sure you can cut back on the sugar with good results. It’s a lot of work and prep but worth it for a special occasion!
Chandice says
Hi Angie,
So glad to hear it! You can cut back sugar by about half no problem. Definitely worth the effort in my opinion as well. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!