Fluffy Gluten Free Hamburger Buns

These big gluten-free hamburger buns turn out fluffy every time . The dough mixes quickly in a stand mixer, rises well with the right gluten-free flour blend, and bakes into soft buns that hold together without crumbling. You can make them any size you like for burgers, sliders, or even hot dog buns using the same dough.

Gluten free hamburger buns on a baking sheet.

❤️ Sandi’s Summary

  • These gluten-free buns rise tall and bake into a soft, sturdy texture that works for burgers or sliders.
  • These buns are gluten-free and dairy-free if you use dairy-free butter.
  • The dough only needs one rise, and the shaped buns freeze well, so you can keep extras on hand.
  • Use this recipe to make Gluten Free Hot Dog Buns!

I made these using Caputo Fioreglut GF Flour. The dough was super wet, but they rose beautifully and baked perfectly. They were soft and airy on the inside. 10/10 recipe!”

wendy b., blog comment

I am so excited to share my newest recipe with you. These buns do not taste gluten-free. They are big and fluffy and are perfect for burgers and sliders.

The right-sized hamburger bun is important because typical store-bought buns are tiny! Making them from scratch ensures you can have a big burger! If this is your first time making fluffy buns, keep reading, and I will walk you through all the steps to make the perfect gluten free hamburger buns!

Sandi holding a tray of biscuits that are going in the oven to bake.

A Note From My Kitchen

I tested this dough with both Authentic Foods Steve’s GF Bread Blend. Steve’s Blend is the best for shaped gluten-free breads and buns. Cup4Cup and other blends that work in yeast recipes will work, but you will need to adjust the dough’s moisture. The dough should be wetter than traditional dough but still easy to shape with slightly damp hands.

If you use Cup4Cup or another blend, you may need to add up to 1/4 cup of additional flour or start with 1/4 cup less water. Always go by the dough; if it needs more flour or water to shape, add it. If you are having trouble shaping it, my reader, Tina, used my recipe with Caputo flour blend with this silicone hamburger bun mold.

Photos of the buns ingredients.

Ingredient Notes:

For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.

  • ** Gluten-Free Flour Blend – I tested this recipe with Authentic Foods Steve’s GF Bread Blend. It has a higher moisture need than standard gluten-free flour blends. It is the best gluten-free flour blend for gluten-free bread and buns. Guys, this gluten free flour is absolute magic in a bag. (I get it on Amazon, but you can also order from the manufacturer’s website.) If you can not find it or are out of stock, use Cup4Cup or another blend that works in yeast recipes. I have not tested Cup4Cup in this exact recipe, but this blend is also suitable for yeast recipes! See the FAQ for more information on what gluten-free flour blends work in yeast recipes and rising tips.
  • Xanthan Gum – If your blend doesn’t contain xanthan gum or guar gum, add 1 teaspoon to your flour blend.
  • Yeast – I use Fleischman’s Active Dry Yeast. Rapid yeast also works well. Most yeast is gluten-free, but Red Star Platinum is not gluten-free! Be sure to check that your yeast is gluten-free and not expired.
  • Butter – Use unsalted butter. If you are dairy-free, you can use avocado or another light oil.

How to Make Gluten-Free Hamburger Buns (Step-By-Step)

A glass measuring cup with bubbling yeast.

Step 1: In a small bowl, add one tablespoon of sugar, warm water (no hotter than 110º F), and the active dry yeast. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes until it is frothy.

NOTE! If you use Cup4Cup, you will need to use more flour or reduce the starting amount of water. (Up to 1/4 cup or more!) This blend needs more flour than I tested, Authentic Foods Steve’s GF Bread Blend. Start with 1/4 cup less water and add water or flour as needed until your dough is wet but workable.

Step 2: Attach a dough hook or paddle attachment to the stand mixer. Preheat your oven to 175ºF so your buns have a warm place to rise. It will heat quickly, then turn off the oven.

Photos showing the ingredients in a stand mixer and the mixed dough.
This dough was made with Authentic Foods Steve’s GF Bread Blend.

Step 3: Add the wet mixture, including the yeast mixture, eggs, melted butter, and the flour blend, to a standing mixer bowl.

Mix the ingredients at low speed, gradually increasing to medium speed until the wet and dry ingredients are combined and the dough is formed. You can also mix the dough by hand in a large mixing bowl. Note that gluten-dough is going to be a lot wetter than regular wheat dough if you use a different gluten-free flour blend than I tested.

HINT: You will only get one good rise, so shape your dough before it rises!

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Step 4: Move your dough to a silicone mat or parchment paper. Use wet hands to shape the dough into hamburger buns. Make them any size you like. They will be the perfect size. (Steve’s blend dough will be somewhat firm and easy to shape. If you use another flour blend, the dough will be wetter.)

Allow 2 inches between them so they do not overlap. (If you are using the Authentic Foods Steve’s GF Bread Blend, you will love how easy it is to work the dough into shaped rolls!)

Place the shaped rolls on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, or bake them in a muffin pan for sliders if you want them to be the same shape and size.

Photos of the buns rising on a cookie sheet.

Step 5: Cover lightly with plastic wrap, then place the baking sheet into the oven to let the dough rise. Remember, after you heat it to 175°F, turn it off and let the dough rise in a warm oven with the door cracked.

Allow the dough to rise for 45 minutes or until the hamburger buns have doubled in size.

Photos showing adding the egg wash and sesame seeds to the dough buns.

Step 6: Remove the buns from the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Remove the plastic wrap. Beat an egg in a small dish and brush the buns with it.

Step 7: Optional – Sprinkle the top of the buns with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or everything bagel seasoning. Place the baking pan of hamburger buns into the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes, depending on the size.

The buns will turn a nice golden color when finished baking. Remove the gluten free hamburger buns from the oven and place them on a wire cooling rack. Slice them in half when they are cooled. The internal temperature of the buns should be 195 to 205°F, which gives the crumb structure without gumminess.

Do not slice the buns before they are fully cooled. These rolls finish setting as they cool.

Gluten free hamburger buns cooling on a wire rack.

Why are my gluten-free buns sticky or gummy?

If your gluten-free bread dough is too sticky, it likely means you’ve added too much liquid or didn’t bake it long enough. The best way to fix sticky dough is to add more gluten-free flour or bake it for a longer period. Some gluten free flour blends are very starchy, and you need to use more flour with these blends than with other blends.

Why didn’t my gluten-free bread rise?

There are many potential reasons why your gluten-free bread didn’t rise. Here are the three most common issues I have found in my experience with making gluten-free bread:

  1. Was the yeast expired? Did you use the right type of yeast that the recipe called for? (Active dry yeast or Rapid-rise yeast.)
  2. What temperature was the water in which you proofed the yeast? It should be no hotter than 110º F.
  3. Did you use purified water? Chlorine and other chemicals in tap water can kill yeast.

For more bread troubleshooting, read my Gluten-Free Bread Troubleshooting Guide for more information and tips. Also, be sure to store your bread properly. Read How to Store Gluten-Free Bread to see how I store my gluten-free bread to keep it fresh the longest.

Frequently Asked Questions:

How do I store gluten free hamburger buns?

Store these buns in the freezer. To freeze them, slice the cooled buns in half and store them in a zipper-style freezer bag.

Why didn’t my gluten free rolls rise?

If your rolls didn’t rise, check the following: 1. Was the water you used to proof the yeast too hot? 2. Was your yeast expired? 3. Did you shape the buns after the rise?

How long will gluten-free hamburger buns stay fresh?

Gluten free bread tends to spoil quickly. They should be used or frozen to preserve freshness.

More Gluten Free Bread Recipes:

If you loved baking these gluten free burger buns, check out all of my easy gluten free bread recipes.

Love This Recipe?

If you made and enjoyed this recipe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a comment below. Please include which flour blend you used. This will help others know this recipe is delicious. Thank you!

Gluten free hamburger buns on a baking sheet.

Easy Gluten Free Hamburger Buns

Sandi Gaertner
A fluffy soft homemade gluten free hamburger buns recipe.
5 from 18 votes
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Start Cooking
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Rise Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • 3 cups gluten free flour blend * see note
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast * see note
  • 2 tablespoons cane sugar
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons sesame seeds – optional for the top
  • 1 ½ cups water

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 200º F then turn the oven off.
  • In a small bowl, add warm 1 ½ cups water (no hotter than 110º F), 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast, and 2 tablespoons cane sugar Allow the yeast mixture to sit for 5 minutes until it is frothy.
  • Pour the yeast mixture, 2 large eggs, and softened 3 tablespoons unsalted butter into a standing mixer. Mix on low for 30 seconds.
  • Add 3 cups gluten free flour blend and ¼ teaspoon sea salt and turn the mixer on low. Gradually increase the speed until you have formed the dough.
  • You only get one rise so you need to shape your burger buns before rising the dough.
  • Place a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Break the dough into 8 pieces.
  • With wet hands, shape each into a ball then press down slightly so they resemble burger bun shapes.
  • Loosely cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and place the pan into the oven to rise. Rise about 45 minutes, until the buns double in shape.
  • Take the buns out of the oven and preheat the oven to 400º F.
  • Remove the buns from the oven and take off the plastic wrap. If you are doing the egg wash, break a small egg in a bowl and scramble it. Use a pastry brush to brush the egg over each dough ball. If you want to use sesame seeds or poppy seeds, sprinkle some on the top of each bun.
  • Place the baking sheet into the oven and bake the burger buns for 20 minutes. They will get golden if you are using the egg wash. Note the actual baking time can vary depending on the size buns you make.
  • Remove when they are finished baking. Allow them to cool on a wire rack. Slice them in half when they are cooled.

Notes

  1. I highly recommend using Authentic Foods Steve’s GF Bread Blend flour. It is light years ahead of any other gluten free flour blend for making yeast recipes. If you can’t use that, I recommend Cup4Cup, which is also good. Be sure the flour blend you choose works with yeast recipes! Many, like Bob’s 1:1 and King Arthur Measure for Measure, state on their bag not to use their flour in yeast recipes.
  2. If your blend doesn’t contain xanthan or guar gum, add 1 teaspoon.
  3. If you do not use my tested blend, Steve’s GF Bread Blend, you most likely will have to add a lot more flour. If your dough is wet, add more flour.
  4. You can also use this buns recipe to make hoagie rolls and hot dog buns!
  5. Store the buns in an airtight container. If you don’t use them by the next day, you will want to freeze them. Be sure to slice them in half before freezing.

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SPECIAL NOTE

Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, my rule of thumb is to add more flour if your dough or batter is wet and add more liquid if the dough or batter is too dry!

Nutrition

Serving: 1bunCalories: 226kcalCarbohydrates: 37gProtein: 7gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 52mgSodium: 93mgPotassium: 49mgFiber: 5gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 191IUVitamin C: 0.01mgCalcium: 40mgIron: 2mg
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Nutrition Disclaimer

Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.

I truly hope you enjoy this recipe. I have been testing and creating gluten-free recipes for over 15 years. Creating gluten-free recipes that do not taste gluten-free is my goal for every recipe. Sometimes I only have to test a new recipe a couple of times, and others it takes multiple times. I do this so you get reliable, delicious results every time!

5 from 18 votes

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Recipe Rating




84 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    My turned out huge, I will make them smaller in the future. If I freeze them, how long do they take to thaw?

    1. Hi Karrigan, It is hard to guesstimate without knowing the size. I usually heat my frozen burger buns in the microwave for 30-40 seconds, depending on the size.

  2. 5 stars
    Oh my goodness, these were fantastic! My kids and I (ages 11, 5 and 38) made these for a celebration dinner for my husband. They fit the bill and came out beautifully! GF breads are stupid expensive and these are such a great way to work with my loved ones to make something yummy and save money. Five stars! Thank you!

      1. 5 stars
        Really amazing buns. Neither too soft or crumbly. I used Bobs Red Mill all purpose GF flour in the red package with the addition of a teaspoon of Xanthan Gum and am very favorably impressed. Thank you for this easy, practical and delicious recipe.

  3. 5 stars
    Ok I don’t bake but took a chance on these in desperation for a worthy bun. They weren’t pretty but OMG!!!!! Totally doing again! The dough was super wet …. I know what to expect next time! 5 stars

  4. I suggest you change your directions to read taking the risen buns out of the oven before preheating it to 400, in case you have some rookies who want to give it a try . Granted that seems obvious, but it would be a disaster with melted plastic wrap on the dough.

  5. If I use Bob’s Red Mill GF 1 to 1, how would these turn out? It’s the only flour I have, and I’m ok if they don’t rise a ton

    1. Hi Mallory, I haven’t tested Bob’s in this recipe because it doesn’t work well with yeast. That being said, I do have some of my readers write that they have made other yeast recipes with it and said it was okay.

  6. 5 stars
    These turned out very good! They weren’t dense like what we buy at the store, and even after we froze and then thawed them, they were still really good! Tastes like a bun should taste and holds together well.

  7. Mine came out nothing like yours LOL! I used a different GF flour blend and it must make all the difference. I had to add more than an extra 1/2 cup of flour (closer to a cup extra) and they didn’t rise much in 45 mins, then were very dense like a heavy biscuit when cooked. I’ll have to try again but unfortunately had to throw these away!

    1. Hi Brittany, it is very hard to troubleshoot if I don’t know what gluten free flour you used. Please let me know 1. What flour blend, 2. Yeast expiration date, 3. Where you rose the dough (and did you rise it after shaping the buns?) 4. If you didn’t rise at 200º F in an oven, where did you rise the dough buns?

    2. I use my faux pas bread recipes to make either bread crumbs (seasoned and non seasoned) as well as drying the bread in cubes for either stuffing or my new favourite, stove top stuffing mix.

    1. Hi Hanis, it depends on a couple of things. What flour blend do you plan to use? The Authentic Foods blend I use is not good in a bread machine…if you are using Cup4Cup or Better Batter blend, you can use a bread machine to mix up the dough. Gluten Free you only get one good rise, so you want to shape the buns and then rise the batter.

  8. I halved the recipe to test the recipe for 4 buns. My dough was extremely wet and hard to work with and did not resemble your pictures at all. I used Cup4Cup flour and added a little extra flour, but it was still very wet. What could I have done wrong?
    I went ahead and baked them and they seem to have baked fine, but have not tried them yet.

    1. Hi Kathy, I can see that happening with the Cup4Cup. It has milk powder in the mix and I find that I need more compared to my recommended flour, Authentic Foods Steve’s Blend. This blend absorbs liquid very differently. I am glad adding some extra flour was helpful.

      1. The buns tasted great and it was nice to have a good hamburger bun! Next time I will add more flour if I am using Cup4Cup. Maybe an extra 1/2 cup? Should the dough be pliable? I could not even pull the dough apart but had to cut it and have very wet hands to shape it.

      2. Hi Kathy, I haven’t tested Cup4Cup, but it does seem like that blend you need more of the flour blend. I would add 1/4 cup of additional flour and see how wet the dough is…then add another 1/4 if you still need it. Cup4Cup is very different from the Authentic Foods Steve’s GF Bread Blend. Cup4Cup is not as quite as easily workable. I am glad the buns tasted great. I added a note in the post so folks know to add a little more flour using Cup4Cup.