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An easy gluten free cheese bun recipe made without yeast, rising, or kneading! Tender on the inside and crispy on the outside, they're the perfect dinner roll alternative, and kids love them!These delicious, satisfying cheese buns are one of my favorite recipes to make for a snack or as a side dish for dinner. Made with just a few simple ingredients, these cheese stuffed bread balls get their dinner-roll like texture from a combination of almond flour, eggs, baking powder and cheese! Think of them as mini buns with crispy cheese on the outside and melted cheese in the middle 🙂
They're fluffy enough that they can be a great alternative to a traditional dinner roll, but they happen to be gluten free, lower in calories and higher in protein than most dinner rolls!
Your whole family is sure to love these garlic cheese buns, and they're easy enough to make that you can get your kids involved in the kitchen to whip them up! Super simple, and so so good!
How to Make Cheese Buns
There are plenty of cheese bun recipes out there, but I wanted to make a gluten-free option that's still as fluffy and soft as regular dinner rolls.
Here's what you'll need to make 20 buns:
Almond flour: The texture of almond flour is perfect for bun recipes. While almond flour can sometimes be crumbly, these cheesebuns are moist and tender. And bonus points - it's keto friendly!
Eggs: Aside from diet restrictions or allergies, I encourage you to stick with the eggs in this recipe. They're necessary to get that addictive bready texture we all know and love. However, you could try flax eggs by mixing 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water.
Mozzarella cheese: Really any cheese will work. Cheddar cheese buns are also great, but I find the taste of mozzarella is a bit better in buns than the sharp tang of cheddar.
Baking powder: Baking powder is the key to this cheese bun recipe with no yeast. With it (combined with the egg and almond flour), you don't need the yeast and therefore you don't have to wait for it to rise - yay!
Seasonings: I chose salt, pepper, garlic powder, and oregano because the combination pairs really well with stuffed cheese buns. You can easily swap the oregano for Italian seasoning, and I bet a little onion powder would be fantastic too!
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1: Preheat oven to 320 degrees F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. In a big bowl beat eggs. Add baking powder, salt, garlic powder and ground pepper. If you prefer any other seasonings, add them here. I'm going to experiment with onion powder or dried parsley next time!
Step 2: Add almond flour and stir to form a dough.
Step 3: Add mozzarella cheese and stir to combine. If you prefer that big clump of oozy cheese in the middle, you can place a chunk of cheese in the center of each ball of dough and pinch the edges around to seal.
Step 4: Roll the dough into 20 balls and place them on the baking sheet, leaving space between each bun. You want adequate air flow to get that crispy exterior.
Step 5: Bake them for 15-20 minutes or until golden-brown. You'll notice they're ready when the cheese is golden and crispy on the top of the buns. Let them cool before transferring as they are fragile when warm.
If you happen to have leftovers, store them in an airtight container. Keep in mind though that almond flour naturally gets harder the longer it sits. So I'd try to enjoy them within 24 hours - definitely not a problem in our house! They usually don't last that long 🙂
Best Cheese to Use in Cheese Buns
The type of cheese you use is totally up to you. Substituting difference cheeses won't change the texture or ingredient ratio at all. We prefer mozzarella cheese rolls in our family, but here are some ideas and tips for different cheeses to try:
- Provolone (the mild Italian style provolone would be best)
- Cheddar (if you're making these to replace your dinner rolls, cheddar cheese buns are a really good option)
- Parmesan (really good sprinkled on top just before baking)
- Pepper jack (for a spicy twist)
What you do with - and when you add - the cheese is equally as customizable. For more of a stuffed cheese bun recipe, pat the dough in the palm of your hand and place a chunk of cheese in the middle, then pinch the dough around the sides to form a "pocket" of cheese. Sooo good!
I also like to garnish each bun with extra cheese on top. During baking, it crisps up and highlights that cheesy flavor even more.
Different Ways to Enjoy Cheese Buns (Beyond Dinner Rolls)
These little cheese stuffed bread balls can be used for so much more than bread rolls. One of the things we love to do is use them in place of regular hamburger buns for our black bean burgers.
And let's face it...sandwiches are a go-to lunchbox staple for kids, but they can get a little boring, right? A quick and easy way to jazz them up is to make little sliders using these cheese buns instead of sandwich bread!
Garlic cheese buns are also the perfect partner for soups and stews. Instead of crackers, try ripping one of these apart and dipping into your soup. The toasted cheese adds so much flavor!
These are our favorite soups to pair them with:
Seriously, cheese buns pair so much better with soup than oyster crackers or saltines!
I hope these ideas inspire you to give this easy cheese bun recipe a go. It just might become your new favorite!
