If you’ve been dissatisfied with store-bought gluten free hot dog buns, try this recipe for homemade gluten free buns. They’re soft, light, and taste great!
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Gluten Free Hot Dog Buns
When’s the last time you had a soft gluten free hot dog bun? Oh wait…
And when’s the last time you had a gluten free hot dog bun that didn’t fall apart as you were trying to eat it 💁🏻♀️
Unfortunately, the answer might be never but times are changing, my friends!
Behold – SOFT Gluten Free Hot Dog Buns for your summer grilling pleasure. These rolls stand up to whatever you fill them with and won’t crumble and fall apart with each and every bite 🙌🏼
You can load up on your hot dog toppings and not have to worry about them falling into your laps due to shoddy buns (unless you’re just a really messy eater, then there’s just no hope for you 😉).
For this recipe, I tweaked my original recipe for gluten free rolls into gluten free hot dog buns. The dinner roll recipe made a smaller amount of dough, which wouldn’t have been enough to make 8 hot dog buns. If you only want to make 4-6 rolls, go ahead and use the original recipe.
It was worth the experimenting because man, these are good buns!
Did you make this recipe? Leave a star rating and let me know in the comments! You can also leave a photo/comment on this pin for others to see.
While these are side-split hot dog buns, they stand up just fine without falling over. If you want New England Hot Dog Buns, you’ll need a New England Hot Dog Bun Pan for that. It’s on my recipes to try sometime because there’s nothing like a hot buttered and toasted New England Hot Dog Bun!
You guys are going to love these hot dog buns!
Can you make Gluten Free Hamburger Buns with this recipe?
While I haven’t done it myself, I’ve had readers make hamburger and sandwich rolls with my regular roll recipe. Since they’ve had success turning that recipe into hamburger buns, I can say fairly certainly that this recipe will also work since the recipe is essentially the same, it just makes a bit more dough. To shape this dough into hamburger buns, I would use English Muffin Rings, a Hamburger Bun Pan, or shape them and place them on a baking sheet close together like we do with the hot dog buns.
I’ll be experimenting with this soon because Adam has requested a good hamburger roll that doesn’t fall apart when he’s eating it 🍔
Can I make Dairy Free Hot Dog Buns?
Yes! Use dairy free milk (I prefer baking with unsweetened coconut milk beverage) in place of the regular milk. Then, brush the the rolls with vegan butter or oil.
Can I make these Hot Dog Buns without Yeast?
I haven’t tried it, but I had a reader make my dinner rolls without the yeast. If you have a yeast sensitivity, you can try subbing the yeast with 1 1/8 teaspoons baking soda + 1 1/8 teaspoons white vinegar. Add the baking soda to the dry ingredients and the vinegar to the wet ingredients.
Can I make these Gluten Free Rolls without Eggs?
Again, I haven’t tried this but I have had readers comment that they’ve successfully make my dinner rolls and cinnamon rolls with a flax egg. Since this dough is very similar, I’m sure a flax egg would work in place of the regular egg here. If you make these gluten free hot dog buns without eggs, please let me know in the comments! It’s very helpful for other readers as well.
What are the best Gluten Free Hot Dogs?
Now that we’ve got our bun situation straightened out, we need to fill them! I polled the Gluten Free Baking Club to find out what their favorite gluten free hot dogs are and here’s what they said:
- Kayem
- Boar’s Head
- Hofmann
- Black Bear
- Kunzler
- Nathan’s
- Dietz & Watson New York Brand Beef Franks (one of our favorites and pictured in this post)
- Hebrew National
And if you’re not into hot dogs, you can fill your bun with something else. A few of our favorite ways to eat them are Sausage Grinders, Tuna Boats, and Lobster Rolls.
Since I’m from Connecticut, we eat our lobster rolls with hot, buttered lobsters. It’s the best way, IMO. But if you’re eating your lobster roll elsewhere, you’ll probably get it as lobster salad, also known as cold lobster rolls. They’re good but not as good.
Key Ingredients for Homemade Hot Dog Buns
- Arrowroot – sometimes listed as flour, starch, or powder. This is the best starch to use for gluten free yeast rolls. It gives the rolls more chew and “stretch” that helps mimic rolls made with traditional wheat flour.
- Yeast – I use Fleischmann’s Active Dry Yeast, not instant yeast, quick yeast, or bread machine yeast. It comes in individual packets and jars. I prefer the jar.
- Sorghum Flour – I love using “sweet white” Sorghum Flour in yeast roll recipes because it gives the rolls a wheat-like flavor. If you can’t use sorghum, you can replace it with 2 tablespoons brown rice flour plus 1 tablespoon white rice flour.
- Avocado Oil – I use avocado oil for all my baking and high-heat cooking. I prefer Chosen Foods Pure Avocado Oil but Primal Kitchen and BetterBody Foods are also good choices. I don’t recommend Tropical Plantation Avocado Oil because a couple of bottles I’ve purchased were rancid. If you don’t have avocado oil, you can use a neutral tasting oil such as canola oil or vegetable oil.
Special Equipment Needed to Make Hot Dog Buns
- Stand Mixer
- Digital Kitchen Scale
- Instant Read Thermometer
- Silicone Pastry Brush
- Ruler or Pastry Mat – you can use a standard ruler to measure the length of your hot dog rolls or roll your rolls out on a pastry mat that has measurements included. I highly suggest a pastry mat, you’ll find it very useful especially if you ever make gluten free pie crust.
- Half Sheet Pan
How to Make Gluten Free Hot Dog Buns
Step 1. Add the yeast, granulated sugar, and warm milk to the bowl of a stand mixer to bloom.
Step 2. Measure the dry ingredients and whisk them together.
Step 3. Mix the egg, oil, and honey into the yeast mixture. Then add the dry ingredients and mix on medium high speed for 1 minute.
Step 4. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a ball and dust with a little flour as necessary if it’s sticky. Gently roll into a log 5 1/2 inches long. Use your whole hand to apply pressure and roll back and forth to give you a nice smooth, evenly rolled hot dog bun.
Step 5. Place the hot dog buns on a lined baking sheet and space them 1/4 inch apart. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a clean towel and allow them to rise for 1 hour in a warm place. On top of the pre-heating oven is perfect.
Step 6. Once risen, brush the buns with melted butter and then bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.
Step 7. Enjoy warm or cool to room temperature. Leftover rolls keep best when frozen. To reheat, wrap them in foil and heat in the oven until warmed through.
Tips for Making Gluten Free Hot Dog Buns from Scratch:
- The dough balls should be pliable like Playdough but they shouldn’t be sticky. As you work with the rolls, dust them with flour as needed.
- Rolling the dough on floured plastic wrap or on a floured pastry mat is the easiest way to roll them.
- Apply gentle even pressure with your whole hand (from palm to finger-tip) to get a roll that is long and uniform. Roll back and forth on the floured plastic wrap then transfer it to the lined baking sheet. Roll it into place or back and forth as necessary to smooth out any lumps.
- Place the rolls very close to each other on the baking tray before they rise. I leave about 1/4 inch between rolls. That way, the rolls will use each other as a wall to help them rise high instead of wide.
- Melted butter gives the rolls flavor and color but you can use a bit of oil instead.
Other Recipes for Gluten Free Yeast Rolls To Try:
- Pull-Apart Gluten Free Dinner Rolls (Parker House style)
- Gluten Free Rolls with Garlic and Herbs – these are loaded with flavor and are a great alternative to garlic bread!
- Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls – a classic breakfast treat made with my soft yeast dough!
- Cinnamon Sticks – sweet bread sticks covered with a mixture of cinnamon sugar complete with a dairy free cream cheese icing for dipping.
- Blueberry Sweet Rolls – like cinnamon rolls but filled with sweet blueberry jam instead of cinnamon. Perfect for Mother’s Day or Easter brunch!
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The Best Recipe for Gluten Free Hot Dog Buns
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 teaspoons Active Dry Yeast
- 3/4 teaspoon Granulated Sugar
- 3/4 cup Milk heated to 100-100ºF
- 82 grams White Rice Flour
- 75 grams Brown Rice Flour
- 97 grams Arrowroot
- 45 grams Tapioca Flour
- 24 grams Sorghum Flour
- 2 teaspoons 6 g Xanthan Gum
- 1 1/2 teaspoons 6 g baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon 4 g fine sea salt
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1/3 cup avocado oil or neutral oil of choice
- 3 tablespoons melted butter divided
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper and set aside.
- Add the yeast and granulated sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Slowly pour in the milk, making sure the yeast is moistened. Let sit for at least 15 minutes to "bloom" as you prepare the other ingredients.
- Add the white rice flour, brown rice flour, Arrowroot, tapioca flour, sorghum flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, and salt to a medium bowl. Whisk well to combine.
- When the yeast has bloomed (is super foamy), add the honey, egg, and avocado oil. Use the paddle attachment to mix on medium low speed until combined.
- Add the flour mixture and mix on low until just combined. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl. Then mix on medium (6 on my KitchenAid Stand Mixer) for 1 minute.
- Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl and form into a ball (dough should easily do this) and turn the dough ball out onto a well floured surface (I usually just flour some plastic wrap and then re-use that to cover the rising rolls). Sprinkle the top of the dough with additional gluten free flour and pat it out into a square then use a knife to cut the dough into 8 equal pieces.
- Use well-floured hands to roll each piece of dough into a ball (best results if you squish/flatten the dough in your hands first THEN roll into a small log). Place the roll on the floured surface and gently and evenly roll into a log 5 1/2 inches long and about 1 inch wide (SEE NOTES for shaping).
- Gently place the roll on the prepared baking pan and repeat with the remaining rolls - DUST YOUR HANDS WITH FLOUR EACH TIME and lightly sprinkle with flour as needed to prevent the dough from sticking. Place the rolls 1/4 inch apart in a line so when they rise, they will be touching.
- Place the dough to rise in a warm spot (I like mine to rise on top of my preheated oven) and cover loosely with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Let rolls rise for 1 hour. When the rolls are halfway done rising, preheat the oven to 350° F.
- After rising, brush the tops of the rolls with 2 tablespoons of melted butter before baking. Then bake for 16-20 minutes (depending on your oven). Mine bake in 18 minutes. After baking, brush with 1 more tablespoon of melted butter and cool on the pan for 10 minutes.
- Serve warm or cool completely on a wire rack before serving.
Notes
- Leftover rolls are best stored in the freezer. To reheat frozen rolls, wrap in aluminum foil and heat in the oven at 400° until warmed through.
Recommended Products
Nutrition Information
Disclaimers
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Facts are estimated and aren't always accurate. Please consult a doctor or nutritionist if you have special dietary needs.
Hi Shay, I want to make these but we can’t have gums. Can you give me a sub that might work (gluccomannon or maybe psyllium??) Thank You!
5 star recipe!!! I was blown away that these turned out soft like store bought buns. What’s funny is I had all the ingredients in my pantry! I will need to work on rolling them out. I didn’t really understand the directions, but I will definitely be making these again. Amazing!!! Thank you so much!
@Shay, I forgot to mention that I did substitute Oat milk for the milk and also substituted a flax egg for the egg and they turned out amazing.
You’re welcome, so glad you enjoyed them! The combination of flour is what truly makes these unique, flavorful, and the perfect texture! I’ll try to make a video of the rolling process but once you get it, it becomes second nature 🙂
I can’t wait to try this recipe. I cannot use Xanthan Gum so I have to make everything myself as most things use Xanthan Gum. I want to try a half recipe first just to see if I have the right amount of Psyllium husk. I will let you know how they turn out.
Fabulous recipe! The roll recipe made 6 perfect size hot dog rolls. They are fresh, soft, and don’t taste gluten free. I’m definitely going to use this dough for homemade hamburger rolls.
Thank you Beverly!
I’m so thrilled I stumbled across this recipe and your blog! These are so wonderful! I love that the recipe doesn’t require a magical flour blend that I need to keep on hand for just one recipe. Even if I don’t have all these flours constantly, substitutions are fairly easy. For that, and of course, the delicious buns, I thank you!
You’re welcome Antoinette, so glad you enjoy them!
Your pull apart dinner rolls are absolutely amazing! I must try these because I really miss a good hot dog bun since becoming GF. Question, the temperature of the milk indicates 100 – 100 degrees F. Should this be 105-110 F similar to the buns? Thanks for the great recipes!
105-110 is ideal but if the milk is between 100-105, the yeast will still bloom 🙂
I’m so glad you’re enjoying the dinner rolls, can’t wait to hear what you think of the hot dog buns!
What if anything can I replace the arrow root starch with. Ran out, thanks for your reply
Potato starch if you can have it.
Hey could I substitute the brown rice flour with cassava almond or more white rice flour perhaps? Thank you
I haven’t tried this recipe with any other combination of flours.
Made these last week – I didn’t have sorghum flour so used extra almond flour – they were delicious. A great hit! My son says I can make them anytime 😂 Bought sorghum the other day and now going to try the proper recipe. Thanks so much 😊👍
Thanks for the feedback, June! I’m so glad the almond flour worked out for you!
These turned out great! i made them into 6 hamburger buns. Everyone loved them. Thank you for the excellent recipe!
I would love to make these but can’t afford a stand mixer. Any options?
If you have a bread machine, you can probably use that to mix.
I was super excited to try this out! The rolls at the store are just not fun and still have egg in them. I substituted oat milk (we are steering away from nuts right now too) and used Bob red Mills egg replaer. I also used the 2 TBSP of brown rice instead of the sorghum (simply because I didn’t have any on hand).
The dough looked, smelled, and felt amazing. Everything turned out fine except they didn’t rise much at all. I decided to bake them and they did rise some as they cooked but didn’t get big enough for a hot dog. They still taste great and our edible.
I was wondering what I might have not done properly?
Thanks! Katy
Hi Katy, these rolls should rise as big as regular hot dog rolls. Did you yeast bloom? It sounds like maybe your yeast was possibly too old or your milk was too hot and it killed the yeast. Also, make sure your rolls are rising in a warm place, I like to let mine rise on top of the pre-heating oven. Hope that helps!
Would love to try this recipe but don’t know how to use grams. Really wished it would have cup sizes instead. Thanks
Hi Judy! For this recipe, using a kitchen scale to measure the flours will give you the best results. If you absolutely have to measure by cup, here are the rough estimates:
1/3 cup + 2 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons white rice flour
1/3 cup + 2 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons brown rice flour
3/4 cup Arrowroot
1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons tapioca flour
1/4 cup sorghum flour