Gluten-free friends, the day is finally here: Meet our EPIC gluten-free hamburger buns! These slightly sweet, perfectly soft buns are sturdy enough to save your hands from condiments yet light and fluffy enough to avoid smashing your favorite veggie burger.
Bonus? They’re vegan and require just 10 ingredients! Get your grills ready — hamburger season is on!
How to Make Gluten-Free Hamburger Buns
These buns begin like any good FLUFFY bread recipe: with yeast! Not only does it allow the dough to rise and prevent the buns from being dense and heavy, but it offers a classic hamburger bun flavor, too.
After activating the yeast in a mixture of warmed dairy-free milk + cane sugar, we add in a magical fiber-filled ingredient that gives these hamburger buns a little gluten-like texture: psyllium husk! It adds elasticity and flexibility to the dough (a.k.a. no crumbly buns here).
Once the psyllium has created a gel-like texture, it’s time to add the dry ingredients (brown rice flour, almond flour, potato starch, and sea salt) plus melted butter and apple cider vinegar.
The result is a sticky dough ready to shape into buns, let rise in a warm spot, and top with sesame seeds for a classic bun look! Bake until lightly golden then let cool before slicing for best texture.
We hope you LOVE these hamburger buns! They’re:
Soft
Fluffy
Light yet sturdy
Neutral in flavor
Vegan + gluten-free
& SO delicious!
Slice them down the middle and enjoy with your favorite burger patty and toppings! Our BEST Vegan Burger, Smoky BBQ Black Bean Burgers, and Pesto Veggie Burgers with Balsamic Aioli are all delicious options.
More Gluten-Free Breads
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Servings 8 (Buns)
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- 1 ½ cups dairy-free milk (heated to 110 degrees F // plain, unsweetened // we used almond)
- 3 Tbsp cane sugar (ensure organic if vegan)
- 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast (1 packet yields ~2 ¼ tsp or 7 g)
- 1 Tbsp psyllium husk powder* (not whole // we like Anthony’s Goods)
- 1 ½ cups brown rice flour
- 2/3 cup almond flour* (we like Wellbee’s)
- 1/2 cup potato starch (NOT potato flour)
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 6 Tbsp melted vegan butter (we like Miyoko’s // dairy butter would work too if not vegan/dairy-free)
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- Sesame seeds (for topping // optional)
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Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
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In a liquid measuring cup or small mixing bowl, whisk together warm dairy-free milk (it should be about 110 degrees F / 43 degrees C), cane sugar, and active dry yeast. Let bloom for 10-20 minutes until the mixture looks frothy. If the yeast hasn’t bloomed at this point, the water might have been too hot or your yeast too old. If your water was the perfect temperature and your yeast was new, you may need to place the bowl into a warmer spot in your kitchen.
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Next, whisk in the psyllium husk powder and let it gel for another 10 minutes.
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Meanwhile, to a medium mixing bowl, add the brown rice flour, almond flour, potato starch, and sea salt. Whisk to thoroughly combine.
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Once the yeast mixture has thickened, add it to the dry ingredients with the melted vegan butter and apple cider vinegar. Stir until the dough is mixed well — this should take about 3 minutes. You can also use your hands to make sure there are no flour pockets remaining. The dough will be very sticky — that’s normal!
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Turn the dough out onto a dry surface and divide it into 8 equal pieces. Use wet hands (to prevent sticking) to shape each piece into a ball and place each one onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. Try to avoid adding any flour. Once the buns are shaped, sprinkle them with optional sesame seeds and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes or until about doubled in size. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (176 C).
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Bake for 25-28 minutes until very lightly golden. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. These buns can be enjoyed slightly warm, but for best results, wait until they are cool to the touch. Slice the buns in half and serve with your favorite burger!
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Best when enjoyed the day of baking, but you can store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or freeze sliced buns for 1 month.
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To reheat frozen buns, we suggest briefly running the still-frozen buns under water then toasting them until warm and fluffy.
*We recommend psyllium husk powder rather than whole husk because it soaks up the moisture better, creating a better texture. Some brands of psyllium husk powder have a purple tint to them. If that’s the case, your buns will be gray/purple in color but still okay to eat. We prefer Anthony’s Goods brand, which is white in color with a very slight pink tint.
*Almond flour sub: Cashew flour might work in this recipe, but we haven’t tried it.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without optional ingredients.
Serving: 1 bun Calories: 301 Carbohydrates: 41.3 g Protein: 4.7 g Fat: 13.6 g Saturated Fat: 6.6 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.5 g Monounsaturated Fat: 3.6 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 377 mg Potassium: 203 mg Fiber: 3.7 g Sugar: 5.7 g Vitamin A: 0 IU Vitamin C: 0 mg Calcium: 112 mg Iron: 1.1 mg