Enjoy the best, juicy burgers again with this easy gluten-free hamburger buns recipe! Soft, squishy burger buns taste even better than you remember with a hint of sweet, buttery flavor. Dairy-free option included.
Best gluten-free burger buns
No longer does enjoying a gluten-free bun mean sacrificing a soft, pillowy bun. Not only is this recipe for gluten-free hamburger buns easy to make, but has the same texture of traditional burger buns!
If you’ve ordered gluten-free hamburgers or purchased buns, chances are you’ve experienced some disappointing stand-ins. Since gluten-free bread recipes lack elasticity, a lot of recipes make up for this by adding additional flour, making the end product crumbly, dense and dry.
When researching my gluten-free cookbook and creating the best gluten-free bread recipe, I’ve created ways to shape and structure GF bread dough without drying it out. Fortunately, as in the case for these gluten-free hamburger buns, not only does it make an easier recipe, but yields incredible results!
Learn my favorite tips and tricks below, including the best flour to use, additional secret ingredients, and how to shape the dough.
Ingredient Notes
Using quality ingredients is an essential place to start for the best gluten-free hamburger buns. Through a lot of testing, I’ve found Cup4Cup to be a superior gluten-free flour and I use it for all my gluten-free baking recipes.
- Gluten-free flour blend – I recommend Cup4Cup, which contains xanthan gum. For alternative recommended flours, refer to my best gluten-free flour guide. If making a dairy-free recipe, Cup4Cup does contain milk powder. For dairy-free gluten-free burger buns, I recommend using King Arthur Measure-for-Measure.
- Potato starch (not flour) – Secret ingredient to make gluten-free buns and gluten-free dinner rolls soft, like potato buns. Instead of relying on additional flour to structure the dough, I substituted another gluten-free starch. Use for best results, but tapioca starch or additional GF flour may be substituted.
- Psyllium Husk Powder – An essential gluten-free binding agent ingredient for any dough that needs shaping, such as gluten-free bagels. It helps help mimic the elasticity and crumb structure of wheat baked goods.
- Baking Powder and Yeast – For gluten-free recipes I rely on this two-fold method for a good rise. The yeast activates when the dough is mixed and briefly rests, but the baking powder assists as it bakes.
- Eggs – Use room temperature eggs. If you forget to set them out, place whole eggs in a bowl of hot water for 5 minutes before using.
- Sugar – Adds a sweetness to the dough, like gluten-free challah or brioche, and helps feed the yeast.
- Butter – Adds rich flavor and coats the starches in fat to eliminate grittiness. See dairy-free modifications for a gluten-free dairy-free burger buns recipe.
how to make gluten-free hamburger buns
(Below shows step-by-step photos and modified instructions. For the complete recipe, along with ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card.)
- Line a baking sheet with greased parchment paper.
- Add the yeast and sugar to warm water. I found it helpful to use an instant read thermometer to get an accurate water temperature reading. Stir to combine and let sit for 5 minutes. Add in the melted butter and egg.
- While the yeast sits, use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment to combine the dry ingredients – flour, potato starch, psyllium husk powder, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add the yeast mixture and mix on low speed to combine.
- Once the dough comes together, increase to medium speed and beat for 6 minutes. The dough will be pretty stiff at this point, but still a little sticky.
shaping and baking tips
- For an average sized burger bun, portion the dough into about 3 ounce portions. Use 2 ounces if making slider buns. To do this easily, I sprayed a ⅓ measuring cup with cooking spray and a food scale with a greased piece of plastic wrap on top.
- Use additional cooking spray on your hands to roll the dough into a tight ball. While most recipes use flour to avoid stickiness, I find it dries the dough out more. Nonstick cooking spray works even better!
- Place on the greased baking sheet and press down to flatten. Repeat with the remaining dough.
- Loosely cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and place in the warmed, turned off oven for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let sit at room temperature for 20 more minutes while the oven preheats to 375°F.
- Brush the top and sides with and egg wash and sprinkle on sesame seeds. Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden brown.
dairy-free modification
The recommended gluten-free flour, Cup4Cup, does contain milk powder in the mix. For dairy-free buns, use King Arthur Measure-for-Measure.
Replace the melted butter with vegan, plant-based butter sticks and reduce the salt to ¾ teaspoon.
making gluten-free hot dog buns with this recipe
This dough makes equally delicious gluten-free hot dog buns as well! You will still need 3 ounce portions of dough and cooking spray to shape the dough. Roll the dough into thick 5-inch ropes and bake as directed.
ways to use this recipe
These gluten-free buns work for a lot more than just burgers! They are ideal for sandwiches, BBQ pulled chicken or pork, sloppy joes, and cranberry chicken salad.
If you are looking for sides to serve with burgers, click the link to find over 30 side dishes, including potatoes, salads, veggies, and more!
storing and freezing
Gluten-free baked goods lose moisture quickly, so I recommend serving the day they are made. To make ahead of time, cool the buns completely then wrap in plastic wrap and transfer to a ziplock bag. Freeze up to 2 months.
When ready to serve, make sure they are at room temperature and not chilled. If the buns are cold they will not be soft and have a more crumbly texture.
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step-by-step web story instructions for this recipe!
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Extra Soft Gluten-Free Hamburger Buns (Not Crumbly)
Listen to Recipe Audio
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup warm water (110°F)
- 1 packet (2 ½ tsp) instant dry yeast
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ¼ cup melted butter cooled slightly
- 3 ¼ cup gluten free all purpose flour I recommend Cup4Cup brand
- ⅓ cup + 1 tsp granulated sugar divided
- ½ cup potato starch
- 2 tablespoons psyllium husk powder (what is psyllium husk?)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- egg wash: 1 egg mixed with 1 tbsp water
- (optional) sesame seeds for topping
Instructions
- Before you begin mixing the dough, turn the oven to 200ºF. Once it reaches the temperature, turn it off. Line a baking sheet with greased parchment paper.
- Stir the yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar into the warm water. Let sit for 5 minutes. Add the eggs and butter to the yeast mixture.1 ½ cup warm water (110°F),1 packet (2 ½ tsp) instant dry yeast,2 large eggs,¼ cup melted butter
- While the yeast sits, use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment to combine the dry ingredients – flour, remaining sugar, potato starch, psyllium husk powder, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add the yeast mixture and mix on low speed to combine.3 ¼ cup gluten free all purpose flour,⅓ cup + 1 tsp granulated sugar,½ cup potato starch,2 tablespoons psyllium husk powder,2 teaspoons baking powder,1 teaspoon salt
- Once the dough comes together, increase to medium speed and beat for 6 minutes. The dough will be pretty stiff but still sticky. You may want to stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl once or twice.
- For an average sized burger bun, portion the dough into about 3 ounce portions. To do this easily, spray a ⅓ measuring cup with cooking spray and scoop out a little less. Place greased plastic wrap on top of a food scale. to measure precisely or use the scant ⅓ cup.
- Use additional cooking spray on your hands to roll the dough into a tight ball. The smoother the ball is the better, so the dough doesn't crack during baking, which doesn't affect taste, just appearance. Place on the prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Flatten the dough balls to about 1 inch high. Cover loosely with a piece of plastic wrap and place in the warmed, turned off oven for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let sit at room temperature for 20 more minutes while the oven preheats to 375°F.
- Brush the top and sides with and egg wash and sprinkle on sesame seeds. Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden brown. Cool completely before storing in an airtight container or freezing.egg wash: 1 egg mixed with 1 tbsp water,(optional) sesame seeds
- DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?? DON'T FORGET TO LEAVE FEEDBACK AND RATE BELOW!
Equipment Needed
Nutrition
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Lucy says
I just made these after having horrible luck finding a good recipe (and even worse luck finding a pre-made gluten free bun!) These are phenomenal! They remind me of auntie Anne’s pretzels somehow! Best buns I’ve ever had (even better than regular gluten bread!) Best part is, I won’t get sick 🙂 thank you so much for sharing your recipe! I’ll be trying more of your recipes soon!
Jaz says
I followed the recipe as listed, however after baking they didn’t rise that much and were fairly flat even though they did rise during proofing. Also they were quite hard and dense and had a similar taste to scones than bread. Not sure what went wrong?
Melissa Erdelac says
Hi Jaz,
I’m sorry to hear that! A couple questions for you…How did they rise the second time? Were they risen after they were shaped? Also, what type of GF flour did you use? And there was definitely baking powder mixed in too?
Best,
Melissa
Carrie says
Absolutely delicious! I made these for the first time tonight and it was super easy and the non gluten free husband even thought they were really good! I used expandex instead of psyllium, as I had it on hand and it doesn’t turn the dough purple. These taste better than anything I have purchased in the store and require very little effort to make! Yay for burger night!!! Will be freezing the rest!
Melissa Erdelac says
This makes me so happy, Carrie! You are not the first person that has told me about expandex. I’m going to order some and give it a try!
Best,
Melissa
Pam says
I love this recipe. The buns are delicious! Can you tell me which brand of psyllium husk you use? The bag I have turns purple in everything I bake 😊. It still tastes great, but the appearance is a little off. Thanks!
Melissa Erdelac says
So glad to hear, Pam! Man have I struggled with finding a good brand of psyllium! I’ve bought so many brands because my old favorite changed something and now it’s so dark. But, good news! I found an awesome blonde one and it’s linked in the recipe card under the ingredients!
Best,
Melissa
Dee says
Wonderful buns! I made them with only the sugar for the yeast, omitting the 1/3 cup. They turned out perfectly. Thank you so much
Melissa Erdelac says
Thanks for sharing, Dee! I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Best,
Melissa
Deb F. says
I’ve made this recipe many times now and have reviewed it before, too. A recipe this good is worth repeat comments. I’ve been gluten free since 2005 so I think it’s safe to say I’ve tried every GF bun since then, store bought as well as homemade. In my humble opinion this is seriously the best recipe out there! I use tapioca starch instead of the potato starch only because it’s what I always have on hand. We love Brazilian cheese bites so tapioca starch is a permanent resident in our pantry.
The gf flour I use is GFJules because that, too, is always in my pantry.
I freeze mine individually wrapped in plastic wrap then put all inside a big freezer bag. Anytime I want one, I let it come to room temp then pop it into a 350 oven for a couple of minutes. Those couple of moments brings back that freshly made aroma with no drying out.
I’m literally going in to make another batch after I hit “enter” on this comment. Burgers on the grill for lunch here!
I’ll always be grateful I found this blog! Thanks for all the fantastic recipes,
Melissa Erdelac says
This really made my day, Deb! Thanks so much! Nothing brings me more happiness than creating a bread recipe that doesn’t make you feel like you are missing out. I love my job and being able to share that with all of you! Thanks for the tips and appreciation!
Best,
Melissa
Agnes H says
I made these, and not only are they DELICIOUS, super soft, and are PERFECTLY presentable (mine came out prettier than the pictures!), they can be whipped up in LESS THAN AN HOUR. I doubled the recipe, because I have a big family. All but one was eaten, but I saw my brother was eyeing it after he ate his fair share. I started making them at 3:30, expecting them to take three hours like most rolls and breads, because we eat dinner at 6:30, and we ended up eating dinner at 6! (It would’ve been earlier, but I hadn’t gotten the sloppy joes together because I was missing an ingredient that took a while to find in my pantry) Not only does it take an hour, start to finish, it is largly unattended (only half an hour of actual work!)! I have never been more pleased with a gluten-free bread recipe! HUGE success! Will be ONLY using this recipe from now on, and might use the same dough to make dinner rolls because I love the feeling of the dough and taste of the final product. Thank you SO MUCH! You are exactly what gluten-free bakers need in today’s world full of allergies!
Melissa Erdelac says
Oh Agnes, I appreciate this so much! Have you checked out my gluten-free dinner rolls recipe? I think you will be just as pleasantly surprised by it, and has a very authentic taste and texture. My non-GF family absolutely loves them!
Best,
Melissa
Kalene says
Miraculous! Thanks for this great recipe! I had to sub in corn starch for potato starch, so we may not have even experienced the full greatness, but these were awesome! A gluten free dough that doesn’t coat your hands– no way! The buns were so soft and fluffy, but super super strong. No crumbling, even reheated the next day! Adding this to our regular rotation! Thanks again.
Melissa Erdelac says
I really appreciate this Kalene, and I’m glad to hear the cornstarch worked as well! I considered it, but Cup4Cup flour already contains a fair amount of cornstarch so I was wondering if it would affect it adversely. What GF flour did you use?
Best,
Melissa
Kalene says
I used King Arthur’s Measure for Measure 🙂
Anonymous says
Yes! I used corn starch and King Arthur as well. That is funny.
Agnes H says
That is funny, I used corn starch and King Arthur flour as well!
Melissa Erdelac says
Glad to hear it works!
Best,
Melissa
Tas says
These buns look great, were fairly quick & painless to make, have a nice brown & round top, they rise very well in the oven, have a wonderfully slightly sweet & buttery flavor as described and have an excellent soft texture shortly after taking them out of the oven. Sadly, they were quite dry the next day despite wrapping them in plastic wrap as soon as they cooled, placing them in a Ziplock bag and leaving on the counter overnight. I’ll try freezing them immediately next time, and perhaps use a different flour as well (instead of Better Batter). This was the stiffest/easiest to work with gf bread dough I’ve made so I’m determined to make it work! Thanks for the recipe!!
Melissa Erdelac says
Hello,
I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe! Unfortunately I never let any GF bread hang around at room temp very long. If I’m not eating it that day, I always freeze it because it has such a short life and I don’t want my time or ingredients to go to waste! Yes, I would suggest freezing leftovers and defrosting in the microwave. Make sure the buns are the slightest bit warm after defrosting for best texture. Glad you enjoyed them!
Best,
Melissa
Deb F. says
Hi, Tas,
I’ve found that freezing them is best and when I want to use one I bring it to room temp and put it in a 350 degree oven for a couple of minutes. For me it gives it that fresh out of the oven taste without any drying out.
Enjoy!
Deb F.
Dee says
Outstanding! the best gf buns ever! I made 6 and used my own flour blend
3 c. white rice flour (500g)
1 c. potato starch (150 g)
1/2 c. sweet rice flour (73 g)
1/2 c. tapioca starch/flour (63 g)
Family thought they were regular burger buns! Ha!
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!
Melissa Erdelac says
Thinking these were regular buns is the best compliment ever! Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know!
Best,
Melissa
Bonnie Gilmore says
Thank you for sharing your gf flour mix Dee. Ive been poking around trying to find one that seems legit and cant wait to try the bub recipe using it.
Bonnie
Debi says
These were really good. I also made them dairy free by using vegan butter. I used your instructions for the whole psyllium husks posted in the reviews. Thanks so much!
Melissa Erdelac says
Thanks Debi! I appreciate you taking the time to let me know!
Best,
Melissa
Leah says
Can you use whole psyllium husk verses the powder and what would the measurements be? I’ve read you need to add water to the whole husk.. so confusing
Thank you Leah
Melissa Erdelac says
Hi Leah,
I’d be happy to figure this out with you. So I would use 2 1/2 tablespoons whole psyllium husk mixed with about 1/2 cup water. It should be resemble a gelatinous liquid. Since you are adding more water to the recipe, cut the amount of water mixed with yeast to 1 cup + 2 tablespoons. Once you have the gel, add it with the egg, melted butter, and water. Hope this helps!
Best,
Melissa
Tracie says
I made these today after trying two other bun recipes. These were by far the best! I used King Arthur GF measure for measure flour, due to the Cup4Cup having milk in it. I made 6 burger buns and 4 large hoagie buns.These turned out soft and delicious! This will be my go to recipe for buns. What is the best way to let them cool and prepare to freeze? What is the best way to thaw them out? Looking forward to trying some of your other recipes. Would the King Arthur flour work for the dinner rolls?
Melissa Erdelac says
Hi Tracie,
I’m so glad! To freeze, I cool them completely and wrap each one individually in plastic wrap and then put them in a gallon ziplock freezer bag. When eating them from frozen, make sure they are slightly warmer than room temperature. If they are still cold, they will be crumbly. And yes, the KA will work for the dinner rolls as well!
Best,
Melissa
Claudine says
I am trying this recipe for the first time.
The buns rose nicely….which for me, is a great indicator that they will be so amazing! The recipe was easy to follow! I didn’t have the psyllium husk powder on hand…..I researched and it was recommended that I use ground Flax or Chia seed. I used the flax as a substitute and sprinkled “everything but the bagel” after the egg wash application.
Timer is going off! Cannot wait!
PS** Just sampled one! They are wonderful!!!!
Melissa Erdelac says
So glad to hear, Claudine (beautiful name!). I’m glad to hear the ground flax worked well!
Best,
Melissa
Norman E West says
I have recently gone GF, my wife has been for a while. I was looking at your hamburger bun recipe and I noticed that it has psyllium husk powder in it, I have notice other recipes, including some store bought gf items. My wife has problems with psyllium, can it be left out of the recipe, or is there something else that can be used. Not sure what the purpose of it is.
Melissa Erdelac says
Hi Norman,
Psyllium helps bind the dough together, mimicking gluten. Since it helps with binding, less flour has to be used to make a workable dough, making the breads softer and adding moisture. That being said, I have made them without the psyllium. You may have to add a touch more flour and the texture will be a bit more dry. I add the psyllium to the recipes because it yields better results, but if you can’t have it, you can leave it out. Unfortunately there really isn’t a good substitute for it.
Best,
Melissa
Kristin Racoosin says
Hi Melissa…
I haven’t made these yet , but I plan on it because they look perfect!!
One question, can you use mashed potato flakes instead of the potato starch ?
I can get the starch if necessary, but the potato flakes are more accessible.
Thank you for a great recipe !!!
Melissa Erdelac says
Hi Kristin,
Hmmm, that’s a good question! Unfortunately I don’t know exactly. Potato starch is very fine, though. Kind of the consistency of cornstarch. So I’m guessing from the difference of the two products, they wouldn’t quite work interchangeably. I’m sorry I couldn’t be more of a help! If you decide to give it a shot, I’d love to hear back about the results, though!
Best,
Melissa
Kathy says
Do you bake on the middle oven rack?
Melissa Erdelac says
Yes, middle oven rack. 🙂
DebF says
Wow, wow, wow!!! I just made these and they are fantastic. This will be my go to recipe for buns from now on. I took pics but can’t see how to include them so I’ll head to your FB page to post them. I substituted the potato starch with tapioca flour because it’s what I had on hand. Even my gluten eating husband tried it and loved it.
Melissa Erdelac says
Thanks so much, Deb! Glad even your husband enjoyed them!
Best,
Melissa
Tina says
I’ve made several recipes over the past few months and these are hands down the best buns ever! Followed the recipe exactly and they turned out perfectly!
Melissa Erdelac says
Yay! So happy to hear, Tina! Thank you for taking the time to let me know!
Best,
Melissa