Satisfy your sweet tooth with these delicious Gluten-free Dinner Roll Donuts! The best part about these homemade delectable delights is that they’re ready in about 15 minutes. So you can get your fix of sweetness—fast! Our classic dinner rolls are far too versatile to stay on the sidelines, this easy gluten-free dessert recipe has all your donut cravings covered.
Our dinner roll recipe riffs on all the donut classics. Are jelly donuts your jam? Would a (nut-free) PB&J would make your day? Ready to declare it chocolate o’clock? Or sugar and spice (and everything nice!) is how you roll. With four variations to choose from, warm, allergy-friendly, gluten-free donut joy is minutes away. Try them all to find your favourite!
And while you can’t go wrong with any of these iconic flavours, the fun doesn’t stop there. Get creative and tap into seasonal flavours to open a world of tasty possibilities!
Bite into a burst of summery flavour by substituting your jam for a citrusy marmalade. Swap the cinnamon for pumpkin spice and indulge in a classic fall flavour all year long. Try an eggnog-inspired blend of nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove during the winter holiday season, or go for a gingerbread kick with ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice.
With a bag of our gluten-free classic dinner rolls and a handful of spices and pantry staples, there are so many tasty possibilities with this easy gluten-free dessert recipe, you may never run out of ways to experience the joy of the real thing!
Instructions:
- Prep your donut fillings and/or toppings.
For the Gluten-free Jelly Donut:
- Thick jams or preserves may be difficult to pipe. To thin them to a pipeable consistency, scoop your jam or preserves to a mixing bowl or a mason jar with a lid. Add warm water one tablespoon at a time and whisk (or shake). Your filling is pipeable when it will drip off a spoon with only gravity’s help (about the consistency of plum sauce or thin ketchup (but not runny like a glaze))
- Prepare a piping bag with a ¼-inch tip (#12 or a Bismarck tip if you have one) and fill with jelly or thinned jam/preserves. No piping bag? No problem! Fill a zip-top freezer bag (not a sandwich bag), squeeze out the air, seal, and snip 1/4-inch off one of the bottom corners.
- Set aside icing sugar and a mesh sifter for dusting later.
For the Gluten-free Chocolate-Stuffed Donut:
- Just like jams, spreads can be tough to pipe sometimes. Mix up our delicious and easy nut-free spread (it’s gluten-free and allergy friendly) with about 4 – 5 tablespoons of non-dairy milk. This will thin the spread to a pipe-able, icing-like consistency.
- Prepare piping bag as directed in Gluten-free Jelly Donut instructions (see above).
- Melt the chocolate chips. (Either use a heat-proof glass or metal bowl as a double boiler set over a pot of simmering water and stir until melted, or melt in the microwave in 20 second intervals, stirring between each).
- Add ½ cup non-dairy milk and stir or whisk frequently to combine as chips melt. (If using the microwave method, warm the non-dairy milk for 30 – 45 seconds before mixing into chocolate (don’t use cold milk)).
- Turn heat off and leave bowl over boiling water, this will ensure your chocolate stays melted while you make your donuts. We will use this as the topping.
- Fill one piping bag with chocolate filling (thinned out chocolate spread) and set aside with melted chocolate topping.
For the Gluten-free (Nut-free) Butter and Jam Donut:
- Thin jam by mixing with water one tablespoon at a time until pipe-able consistency (see Gluten-free Jelly Donut instructions above).
- Thin nut butter by mixing with non-dairy milk one tablespoon at a time until similar consistency to jam.
- Fill two piping bags (one of each ingredient) and set aside.
For the Gluten-free Cinnamon Sugar Donut:
- Mix sugar and ground cinnamon (or spices) in a bowl and set aside.
- Preheat your air fryer for 5 minutes at 350° (Don’t have an air fryer? Preheat your oven to 300°F).
- If you’re making filled dinner roll donuts, prep the hole now. Using a butter knife or the handle of a spoon, make a small hole in the side of the dinner roll by pushing the utensil from the side of the donut into centre of each bun. The hole should have the same diameter as your knife or spoon handle. (Skip this step for Cinnamon Sugar option (…unless you’re planning a cinnamon sugar × jelly donut mashup!))
- Brush the top of each dinner roll with a light layer of melted non-dairy butter and sprinkle the tops with granulated sugar.
- Pop your prepped dinner roll donuts into your air fryer for 1 – 3 minutes. Depending on the size of your air fryer (and the number of rolls you can cook at a time), use this guide:
- 1 minute for 3 rolls or less
- 2 minutes for 3 – 4 rolls
- 3 minutes for 5 – 6 rolls
- (If using your oven, bake for 2 – 5 minutes or until just warmed through. (You don’t want them crispy!))
- Remove donuts from air fryer (or oven) and place on a cooling rack or cutting board.
- Once cool enough to touch, fill or dust your dinner roll donuts as desired:
For the Gluten-free Jelly Donut, Gluten-free Chocolate Stuffed Donut, and Gluten-free (Nut-free) Butter and Jam Donut:
- Use your piping bag or filled freezer bag to fill the hole you made in each dinner roll donut. If using a freezer bag, press the cut edge as far into the hole as you can and squeeze gently to fill the hole all the way to the centre.
- Once filled, dust the tops with a generous coating of icing sugar. If you like, flip the donuts and dust the other side, too. (For the Chocolate Stuffed Donut, drizzle with melted chocolate from step 1.) Serve warm and enjoy!
For the Gluten-free Cinnamon Sugar Donut:
- Roll each dinner roll donut in cinnamon sugar until coated on all sides. Serve warm and enjoy!
Serves 6
How will you top your dinner roll donuts? Post your makes to Instagram and tag us @littlenorthernbakehouse. Get more delicious gluten-free recipes delivered straight to your inbox! Sign up for our monthly newsletter at the bottom of this page.