Soft Gluten-Free Pumpkin Dinner Rolls (Dairy-Free)

Soft, tender and moist, these gluten-free pumpkin dinner rolls are a must-have at your Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas table! Flavored with pumpkin and vibrantly orange, these delicious dinner rolls are perfect for a festive holiday season! Totally dairy-free too, but no one would care! Go bake a batch today!

Jump to:

• Homemade Dinner Rolls Are the Best
• Our Favorite Bread Recipes
• Pumpkin Dinner Rolls for the Holiday Season
• Why This Recipe Works:
• Ingredients You’ll Need:
• Recipes Notes + Substitutions:
• Make Your Own Homemade Pumpkin Puree (so easy!)
• How to Make Gluten-Free Pumpkin Dinner Rolls (Step by Step)
• Dish by Dish Tips/Tricks:
• Recipes FAQs:
• Other Pumpkin Recipes You’ll Love:
• Gluten-Free Bread Recipes to Bake:
• Soft Gluten-Free Pumpkin Dinner Rolls (Dairy-Free)

Homemade Dinner Rolls Are the Best

You might already know my penchant for making homemade bread – especially gluten-free yeast breads.

I have a fascination with preparing bread dough, watching the yeast work its magic and making the dough rise, before placing the dough in a hot oven and baking a loaf of fresh bread.

Ingredients You’ll Need:

Here’s a visual overview of the ingredients required for this gluten-free pumpkin dinner roll recipe.

(For exact measurements and quantities, please scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.)

Recipes Notes + Substitutions:

• Pumpkin Puree: I like using fresh homemade pumpkin puree during pumpkin season (it’s super easy to make!), but feel free to use canned pumpkin too (just make sure you’re using canned pumpkin puree and NOT pumpkin pie filling).
• Eggs: Eggs help to bind the ingredients together, so make sure not to leave them out. If you prefer not to use the yolks, you can use 4 egg whites in place of the 2 whole eggs. I personally have not made this recipe egg-free, but if you are allergic to eggs, I believe you should be able to use acquafaba or an egg-replacer to substitute the eggs. (If you do make this pumpkin dinner roll recipe without eggs, please let me know how it goes in the comments below, I’d love to know!)
• Warm Water: Make sure that the water you use is between 105 to 115F (the yeast requires warmth to be activated, but if the water is too hot the high heat will kill the yeast). You may also use warm non-dairy milk (such as almond milk, cashew milk, rice milk, soy milk, or oat milk). Alternatively, if you are not lactose-intolerant, you may also use warm normal milk.
• Sunflower Oil: I like using sunflower oil because I always have a bottle of it on hand. You may also use melted vegan butter or another vegetable oil such as olive oil, melted coconut oil, or avocado oil. Alternatively, if you are not lactose-intolerant, feel free to use melted butter or ghee instead.
• Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour: I recommend using a good-quality gluten-free all-purpose flour blend that includes lighter flours/starches (such as rice flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, and corn starch) for a lighter and fluffier final texture. I do NOT recommend using a gluten-free flour blend that uses heavier flours (such as garbanzo bean flour) as that will result in a denser final texture.
• Xanthan Gum: Xanthan gum is the replacement for gluten in gluten-free flours and helps the ingredients to bind better together, so make sure you add it if your gluten-free flour blend doesn’t already include it.
• Baking Powder: In addition to the yeast, baking powder helps the dough to rise even more. If you are Celiac or gluten-intolerant, make sure to use certified gluten-free baking powder.
• Psyllium Husk Powder: Psyllium husk powder adds structure and binding power to the dough, and in my opinion, adding psyllium husk powder really makes a big difference in how gluten-free yeast breads turn out. Make sure to use the powdered version. If you only have whole psyllium husks, you can grind the husks into powder using a coffee grinder or your high-speed blender.
• Instant Yeast: I like using instant yeast because there is no prior activation period necessary and you can mix it directly with the other dry ingredients. If you only have active dry yeast, make sure to activate the yeast before you add it to the other ingredients (mix the yeast with the warm water and sugar and let it sit in a warm place for 5 minutes until the mixture is foamy).
• Sugar: Sugar is the “food” for the yeast to feed on in order to be activated. I used white sugar, but you can also use light brown sugar, dark brown sugar or coconut sugar.

Make Your Own Homemade Pumpkin Puree (so easy!)

While you can easily buy canned pumpkin, I highly recommend that you make your own fresh pumpkin puree (especially during the fall season and pumpkins are abundant)!

Not only is it super easy to make, a large pumpkin can also yield various jars of pumpkin puree for your fall baking, which makes it cheaper overall. Plus, homemade pumpkin puree is also healthier and doesn’t have the preservatives that the canned version contains!

Here’s my easy tutorial for how to make your own pumpkin puree at home.

How to Make Gluten-Free Pumpkin Dinner Rolls (Step by Step)

1. Grease and Line

Grease a 7″ x 10″ non-stick baking dish (or line it with parchment paper).

2. Whisk Dry Ingredients

In a large bowl, sift the gluten-free all-purpose flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt, psyllium husk powder, instant yeast, and sugar. Whisk well to combine.

3. Process Pumpkin and Eggs

Place the pumpkin puree and eggs in the bowl of your high-speed blender and process until you get a thick, creamy orange mixture.

4. Add Oil and Water

Transfer the pumpkin-egg mixture to a large mixing bowl and add water and oil. Mix well to get a orange liquid mixture.

5. Add Dry Ingredients to Wet to Form Dough

Add the dry ingredients to the large bowl with the wet ingredients and mix well to get a homogeneous dough (you’ll get a wet and sticky dough that looks more like cake batter but that’s precisely the texture you want).

6. Shape Dough into Balls

Using a regular ice cream scoop, scoop out a ball of dough and use oiled palms to roll the dough into a smooth ball (you should get approximately 12 balls).

7. Place Dough Balls on Baking Dish

Place dough balls in a single layer on the prepared baking dish (they should be barely touching each other).

8. Let Dough Rise

Cover the baking dish with a kitchen towel and let the dough rise for the next 1 hour in a warm place that’s free of drafts of wind (the dough will have increased slightly in size but may not visibly double).

9. Preheat Oven

As the dough is finishing its rise, preheat the oven to 350F and arrange the wire rack to the middle third position.

10. Brush with Oil

Once dough has risen, brush the tops of the dough balls with oil.

11. Bake Until Golden

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven until the gluten-free pumpkin dinner rolls are golden brown on top.

12. Brush with More Oil and Serve

Brush the freshly baked dinner rolls with more oil and serve warm.

Other Pumpkin Recipes You’ll Love:

Gluten-Free Bread Recipes to Bake:

P.S. If you try this recipe, I’d love for you to leave a star rating below, and/or a review in the comment section further down the page. I always appreciate your feedback. Be sure to check out my entire Recipe Index for all the recipes on the blog. You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram! Sign up for my Email List to get fresh recipes in your inbox each week!

Print