It took me so long to come up with a recipe for vegan AND gluten-free buns (bread rolls). But finally, it’s here! And I love how the buns turned out. They are soft, oil-free, dairy-free, egg-free, gluten-free, and tasty!
SOFT GLUTEN-FREE BUNS WITHOUT EGGS
Well, it’s not easy to create a vegan and gluten-free recipe for bread buns which actually tastes good and which is furthermore soft. It happens quite often that gluten-free buns (without eggs) turn out like brick and/or taste…well…not too good! If you are a gluten-free vegan, you know what I am talking about.
Most soft gluten-free yeast buns contain eggs which means they aren’t vegan. Most soft vegan yeast buns contain all-purpose flour which means they contain gluten… Ugh! Making soft vegan gluten-free yeast rolls without eggs is a difficult task. But it’s doable!
THE SECRET INGREDIENT FOR SOFT GLUTEN-FREE BUNS?
Is there a secret for soft gluten-free rolls? Well, I don’t know if it’s a secret but I remember I tried this trick for the first time about 10 years ago. I made a pizza and added mashed potatoes to the dough!
The pizza crust came out soft and crispy at the same time. I really loved the result! After countless failed attempts at making soft gluten-free bread rolls which are also vegan I somehow remembered this mashed potato trick.
And it seems this was the missing piece of the puzzle because finally, the buns turned out soft!
PSYLLIUM HUSK POWDER
Gluten-free recipes often contain Xanthan which is a gum that isn’t very healthy. It might make the dough rise a little bit more but I heard that many people have allergies and try to avoid “gums”. Therefore, I don’t use any Xanthan gum, however, I love to add psyllium husk powder.
It is not only a great ingredient for gluten-free doughs, but it’s also very beneficial for our gut health! Psyllium husk powder provides elasticity and structure for gluten-free doughs. It’s basically fiber that’s why it binds a lot of liquid, so you really shouldn’t leave it out.
WHICH FLOUR BLEND?
I rarely use store-bought gluten-free flour blends because they are very expensive where I live. That’s why I make my own gluten-free blend by simply mixing rice flour with tapioca flour, sometimes cornstarch and sometimes oat flour (ground oats).
I also use chickpea flour quite often, which is also the main ingredient of my homemade gluten-free tortillas and homemade gluten-free gnocchi. However, when I used it in these gluten-free buns the result wasn’t too good. The yeast rolls turned out rather dry and brittle. I had the best result with a mixture of oat flour, rice flour, and tapioca flour.
I believe buckwheat flour (and maybe also sorghum flour) would be another good substitute for oat flour, however, I didn’t try it out yet. You could try using a store-bought mixture but the result will probably be different from my result since gluten-free flour blends often contain different gluten-free flours.
But if you try a different blend, then definitely let me know which one it was, as I would love to add it to the recipe notes!
THESE ROLLS ARE:
- Vegan (egg-free, dairy-free)
- Oil-free
- Gum-free (no Xanthan gum)
- Soft
- Easy to make
- Great for a burger or sandwich
HOW TO MAKE GLUTEN-FREE BUNS?
This recipe is fairly easy to make and I hope you will give it a try. Should you recreate these burger buns, please leave a comment below and don’t forget to tag me in your Instagram or Facebook post with @elavegan and #elavegan because I love to see your recreations.
Also, one more thing before we get to the recipe. I have made some recipe testing with soft pretzel buns and I actually included the variation to the recipe notes. So if you love the pretzel taste, definitely check out the recipe notes below.
Here you can see a photo of the pretzel buns. Also, click HERE if you would like to check out my Sloppy Joes recipe.
Gluten-Free Buns
Ingredients
- 1 cup (90 g) oat flour (gluten-free if needed)
- 1/2 cup (80 g) white rice flour
- 1/2 cup (60 g) tapioca flour
- 3 tsp psyllium husk powder
- 2/3 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup (120 g) mashed potatoes
- 2/3 cup (160 ml) plant-based milk lukewarm
- 1 1/2 tsp dry instant yeast
- 3 tsp sugar
Instructions
- Peel a big potato and cut it into 2-inch pieces. Cook it in a pot of salted water until tender (about 15 minutes). Drain the water and mash the potato with a potato masher (you will need 1/2 cup/120 g of mashed potatoes for this recipe). Let cool.
- In a small pot, dissolve the dry yeast with the sugar in the lukewarm milk (about 100°F/38° C). Let the yeast proof for 10 minutes. It should get frothy and rise a little bit.
- Put all flours into a bowl, add the psyllium husk powder and salt and stir with a whisk.
- Pour the yeast mixture into the bowl and also add 1/2 cup of mashed potatoes.
- Mix everything together with a spoon or your hands and knead the dough for a few minutes. It should be moist and not dry. If it's too dry add a little bit of water. If it's too sticky, add a little bit more tapioca flour.
- Divide the dough into 6 equal parts and roll each piece into a ball with your hands.
- Place the buns onto a baking pan, lined with greased parchment paper or into a burger silicone pan (see pictures above in the blog post) and score a cross on the buns.
- Cover the pan with a wet kitchen towel and let them rise in a warm place (e.g. in a 100°F/38°C oven) for about 60 minutes. They will rise a little bit (not as much as a dough made with wheat flour though).
- After 45 minutes, preheat oven to 360°F/180°C. Put a heat resistant container into the oven and fill it with water (it will release steam during baking which will make the buns soft).
- Bake the buns in the oven for about 25 minutes. Enjoy warm!
- They taste best on day one. You can store leftovers in the fridge but since this is a gluten-free buns recipe they will become a bit drier on the second day. That's why it's best to reheat them in the microwave for 30-45 seconds when you eat them the next day. Check the recipe notes below if you want these gluten-free buns to taste like soft pretzels!
Notes
- For the pretzel taste, mix 1 cup (240ml) hot water with 2 tbsp baking soda.
- Pour the mixture into a spray bottle and spray each bun with this mixture before baking! The buns will brown a little and also taste like soft pretzels!
- Make sure to also check out my Gluten-Free Vegan Bread recipe!
- Recipe makes 6 buns. Nutrition facts are for one bun.
Nutrition information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically
Simple and Delicious Vegan Cookbook by ElaVeganCLICK HERE to order!IF YOU ARE USING PINTEREST, FEEL FREE TO PIN THE FOLLOWING PHOTO:
hi Ela, can you please explain step 9; why we add water to the heat resistant container? Do you mean add the batter to the heat resistant container?
The bowl with water will release steam in the oven, which makes the buns soft! Hope this helps.
ohh that makes sense! Do you put the water container and the baking sheet side by side in the oven?
It’s best if you put the water container on the lowest oven rack and the baking sheet above. Hope this helps. 🙂
So yummy! Thank you for a great recipe, Ela!
You are very welcome, Maneesha! I am glad you liked the recipe. 🙂
Do you have a recipe for gluten free bread please?
I am working on it! 🙂
Hello
My son is allergic to wheat, rice, soy and egg. Can you reccomend a substitute for the rice flour. This is the easiest recipe I have found with No eggs but it has rice flour.
Thanks in advance
You could try using quinoa flour or buckwheat flour. 🙂
Hey Ela, did you find any substitute for Yeast? As others mentioned Yeast is not a healthy ingredient as it feeds mold/yeast bacteria in our bodies ;-( It will be great to find an alternative as the recipe sounds amazing!
You can try baking powder and baking soda but the result will be different.
I haven’t continued working on the yeast-free bread recipe but thanks for the reminder! 🙂
Hi! Is there a substitute for oat flour I could try? My sons allergy just came back as oats being the highest sensitivity!
Hi, I would suggest buckwheat flour! I haven’t tried it out, however, I think it should work. 🙂
Ela made these rolls today they are simply fantastic ! Will be making these and keeping some in the freezer Xx
Yay! I am super happy you liked these gluten-free buns, Caroline! Thanks so much for your comment. 🙂
Do these freeze OK? Thanks in advance…. x
Yes, they do! 🙂
Thank you!
THESE ARE AMAZING! thank you for the recipe the whole family enjoyed them. Even the next day they were still good after 20 sec in the microwave. 🙂
That’s awesome! I am so glad your whole family enjoyed them. Thanks for your feedback, Hannah! 🙂
Hello Ela!
Great foods! I liked to use chickpea in these buns.
Can you help me how it works?
Thanks Rami
Hey Rami, I am not sure what you mean. Do mean the filling?
I’ve made them today for my neighbor who is a gluten-free eater and these buns turned out amazing !????
The best gluten-free buns I‘ve ever tried!
Great recipe! ????????????????????????
Awesome! Thank you, Bianca! 🙂
Made the buns and loved them! I posted a photo on Insta (stories) and tagged you. Thanks for this gluten free recipe!
Wonderful! So happy you loved the recipe, Sarah. Thanks for your feedback! 🙂
They did not come out very good, and i had high hopes:(
Did you use exactly the same ingredients? And what did you not like about them?
Ela! OMG, Im in heaven! They are delicious! Mine are much smaller than your and a bit wet inside. I must have messed up something, but I dont care as they are still de-li-cious! Thank you!!!!
So happy you love them, Wanda! Thanks for your feedback. 🙂
Totally forgot to rate them! 5 stars for sure!
Thanks, Wanda! I appreciate it. 🙂
Such a creative recipe, Ela! I love how the little cross marks on the top too, makes them extra cute!
Thank you, Nisha! I am so glad you like them. 🙂
Ela! I love this recipe, so doable!! I’m a bit bread-challenged haha. And the use of psyllium husk is so clever. I think that ingredient is not used enough❤️❤️ Take care, Dee xx
Thank you very much, Dee! Much love, Ela 🙂
Can I use flaxseed instead of psyllium?
I would not omit the psyllium husk powder as already described in the blog post:
“Psyllium husk powder provides elasticity and structure for gluten-free doughs. It’s basically fiber that’s why it binds a lot of liquid, so you really shouldn’t leave it out.”
Flax seeds will definitely not work as good.
Can you use sweet potato?
I didn’t try it but it could work. However, keep in mind that potatoes are higher in starch than sweet potatoes, that’s why you will probably need to add more flour! 🙂
What can you use instead of yeast??? I am highly allergic so any help would be greatly appreciated
You can try leaving it out but the buns probably won’t turn out fluffy. 🙂
What kind of potato is best?
I have used Yukon Gold potatoes! 🙂
OMG! I cant wait to try these! Mymymy! ????????????????
I hope you will like them, Christiane! 🙂 Happy Sunday!
Is there a substitute for yeast? Yeast is highly inflammatory to the body and especially the gut.. Thanks
I once made bread without yeast and it came out pretty good. However, I need to make more recipe testing until I share the recipe on my blog. Please subscribe if you don’t want to miss it. 🙂
Edit: Check out my Gluten-Free, Yeast-Free Bread Recipe
Yes I can’t have yeast. Your bun recipe got me until I saw yeast was in it. I will check in to see what you come up with.
maybe add sourdough starter? To replace the yeast
Sourdough is unfortunately not gluten-free, otherwise great suggestion, Lindsay. 🙂
I created a yeast-free, gluten-free bread recipe which is very popular. Here is the recipe: https://elavegan.com/gluten-free-vegan-bread