These mochi cinnamon rolls are crisp on the outside, mochi chewy on the inside, and so scrumptious! They are easy to make, require no rising time, and are delicious with a hot cup of tea or coffee. These gluten-free rolls are perfect for breakfast, an afternoon snack, or even dessert! The combination of cinnamon, sugar and the chewy bread texture makes them totally morish and addictive!
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This recipe was inspired by my Cheesy Korean Mochi Bread, thinking that if I could make a chewy dough that I could handle and shape, perhaps I could do a mochi version of cinnamon rolls! It turned out to be such a hit with my family and friends that I make them all the time!
Ingredients
- Glutinous rice flour (sweet rice flour, Mochiko brand rice flour)
- Baking powder
- Sugar
- Milk
- Unsalted butter
- Egg
- Cinnamon
- Icing sugar
Instructions
Combine glutinous rice flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl. Whisk to combine.
In a small pot or saucepan, heat the milk and unsalted butter until butter is completely melted and the mixture is just starting to steam. Do not allow to boil. Add the hot milk and butter to the glutinous rice flour mixture.
Mix the wet and dry ingredients well with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, "cutting" into the dry ingredients. Mixture should look like pebbles and there should no (or very little) loose flour remaining.
Add the beaten egg to the bowl and mix well until a cohesive dough forms.
Transfer the dough to a work surface lightly dusted with glutinous rice flour. Shape into a rectangular block.
Dust a rolling pin and roll the dough out into a rectangle, 6"x10". Melt 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter and brush just enough on the dough to cover the surface. (You will use about ¼ of the melted butter; set aside the remainder.)
Combine the cinnamon and sugar in a bowl and sprinkle all of it over the entire surface of the dough.
Starting with the short edge closest to you, fold the edge over and start to roll the dough away from you. As you roll, press in on the sides of the roll to keep it to 6" wide. Do not worry if there are cracks in the dough.
Shimmy a strand of dental floss under the log until halfway. Cross the two ends of the floss over the top and pull to cut the log in half.
Shimmy the dental floss underneath the log again and repeat to cut each half into thirds, giving you 6 pieces.
Take the remaining melted butter you set aside earlier and divide evenly among 6 cups in a standard muffin tin, brushing the butter up the sides of the cups.
Place the rolls in the buttered cups of the muffin tin. Bake in a preheated 375F/190C oven for 25 minutes.
The cinnamon rolls will be puffed up when they first come out of the oven and will sink a bit when they cool. This is completely normal. Allow the cinnamon rolls to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, and then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely, about 30 minutes. If the rolls are a bit stuck in the tin, use a toothpick to loosen the edges and "spin" the roll before lifting them out.
Once the rolls are cooled, combine the icing sugar and milk in a small bowl, mixing until you have a thick smooth glaze. Adjust the amount of icing sugar or milk until you get a syrupy consistency similar to maple syrup. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cinnamon rolls.
Note: When the mochi cinnamon rolls first come out of the oven, there will be butter bubbling up around them, but don't worry! That butter will get quickly absorbed back into the rolls and besides helping with non-sticking, the butter is what helps with browning, crispness, and flavor!
Commonly Asked Questions
What is glutinous rice flour?
Glutinous rice flour (or sweet or Mochiko brand) is made from short-grain rice and "glutinous" describes the the sticky, chewy, "glue"-like texture the flour takes on when cooked. It is also called sweet rice (although it is not sweet at all) and Mochiko is a common brand, but not the only one available for glutinous rice flour.
Can they be made dairy-free?
No problem! Substitute the butter in the recipe with oil, and substitute the milk with a non-dairy milk or water.
How long do they last?
They are best eaten soon after baking, but if they last until the following day, warm them in the toaster oven or microwave. They won't be as crisp as when they're first baked, but they will still be soft and delicious! I do not recommend keeping them past one day as the quality decreases.
Can the baked rolls be frozen?
No, I do not recommend freezing them because the texture will not be the same after reheating them. The cinnamon rolls are best eaten fresh.
Can I top them with cream cheese frosting?
Yes, if you want to make them more like traditional cinnamon rolls, go for it! I, personally, prefer the icing glaze because it is lighter, but either one works!
Beverage Pairings
To balance the sweetness of the cinnamon rolls, I prefer enjoying them with drinks that either aren't that sweet or aren't sweet at all. Here are some ideas you can check out:
More Mochi Recipes...
If you're interested in more gluten-free baking recipes that use glutinous rice flour, check out these other easy delicious treats!
These mochi cinnamon rolls are a huge hit with my family...and one of my sons who isn't even much of a mochi fan loves when I make these! They're definitely not your traditional bready cinnamon roll, but I'd say that considering how quick and easy they are to make, they're a great substitute, especially if you like mochi texture!
~ Lisa.
Recipe
Mochi Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
THE DOUGH:
Dry Ingredients:
- 220 grams glutinous rice flour
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients:
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 1 egg, beaten
THE ROLLS:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and divided
Basic Icing Sugar Glaze (optional):
- ¼ cup icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon milk or water
Instructions
- Preheat oven 375F/190C.
Making the dough:
- Combine glutinous rice flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl. Whisk to combine.
- In a small pot or saucepan, heat the milk and unsalted butter until butter is completely melted and the mixture is just starting to steam. Do not allow to boil. Add the hot milk and butter to the glutinous rice flour mixture.
- Mix the wet and dry ingredients well with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, "cutting" into the dry ingredients. Mixture should look like pebbles and there should no (or very little) loose flour remaining.
- Add the beaten egg to the bowl and mix well until mixture comes together into a dough.
Making the rolls:
- Transfer the dough to a work surface lightly dusted with glutinous rice flour. Shape into a rectangular block.
- Dust a rolling pin and roll the dough out into a rectangle, 6"x10".
- Melt 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter and brush just enough on the dough to cover the surface. (You will use about ¼ of the melted butter; set aside the remainder.)
- Combine the cinnamon and sugar in a bowl and sprinkle all of it over the entire surface of the dough.
- Starting with the short edge closest to you, fold the edge over and start to roll the dough away from you. As you roll, press in on the sides of the roll to keep it to 6" wide. Do not worry if there are cracks in the dough.
- Shimmy a strand of dental floss under the log until halfway. Cross the two ends of the floss over the top and pull to cut the log in half.
- Shimmy the dental floss underneath the log again and repeat to cut each half into thirds, giving you 6 pieces.
- Take the remaining melted butter you set aside earlier and divide evenly among 6 cups in a standard muffin tin, brushing the butter up the sides of the cups.
- Place the rolls in the buttered cups of the muffin tin. Bake for 25 minutes.
- The cinnamon rolls will be puffed up when they first come out of the oven and will sink a bit when they cool. This is completely normal. Allow them to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, and then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely, about 30 minutes. If the rolls are a bit stuck in the tin, use a toothpick to loosen the edges and "spin" the roll before lifting them out.
Basic Icing Sugar Glaze:
- Once the rolls are cooled, combine the icing sugar and milk in a small bowl, mixing until you have a thick smooth glaze. Adjust the amount of icing sugar or milk until you get a syrupy consistency similar to maple syrup. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cinnamon rolls.
Notes
- Glutinous rice flour = sweet rice flour = Mochiko rice flour.
- Do not use regular rice flour for this recipe because it does not have the chewy, sticky quality for mochi.
- Unit Conversions:
- ½ cup milk/water = 125mL = 125 grams
- ¼ cup butter = 56 grams
- 1 tablespoon butter = 14 grams
- For a dairy-free version, substitute the milk with water or a non-dairy milk, and substitute the butter with oil.
- The rolls will sink slightly in the middle after coming out of the oven, but this is totally okay!
- Present the rolls right side up or upside down on your plate!
- Best eaten soon after baking, but they can be warmed in the microwave or toaster oven briefly if necessary.
- If warming in the microwave, heat for 10-20 seconds. The rolls will lose their crispness, but will soften nicely and still be delicious!
- If using the icing sugar glaze, drizzle it on the rolls before serving.
Thanks for stopping by! If you make this dish or any of my other recipes, I would love it if you could take the time to comment and rate it below. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
**This post was originally published February 16th, 2022 and republished August 3rd, 2025 with an updated recipe, new photos, and new writing.
Irene says
Can't wait to try these!
Wondering if anybody has frozen them once they are cooked? Thank you.
Hi Irene! I would not recommend freezing the cinnamon rolls. The texture will not be the same at all; they are best eaten fresh. Thanks for the question and I hope you like them!
Aubrey says
This recipe looks great for my friend with allergies! Any suggestions for an egg substitute?
Thanks for the question, Aubrey! Unfortunately, I have no experience using an egg substitute with this recipe and don't know if it would work. I guess you try experimenting with half the recipe to see how it turns out. Sorry I can't be of more help.
Val says
How would you recommend troubleshooting a dry dough? It came together as a dough but a bit similar to dry play dough and when it came time to roll it it crumbled and became more of a fold each time. Could be due to my cold kitchen but I wasn’t sure which wet ingredient to add more of to get the right consistency
Thank you!
Hi Val! You can mix in a bit more milk or water to the dough, one teaspoon at a time if it seems a bit dry after mixing the egg in. I have also had it where the dough can seem a bit dry and I simply press together any cracks and squeeze the dough as I'm rolling it. It all works out in the end. Thank you for the question!
Mary says
How long will they keep at room temp or refrigerated?
Thanks for the question, Mary! These are best eaten the same day they are made. Otherwise, they are best kept at room temperature for one day and warmed up before eating. I would not recommend putting them in the fridge as they will get hard. I hope that helps!
Nicole says
Made these and we all loved them - will make again. Thank u!
Hi Nicole! Thanks so much for making the recipe and I'm so happy that you liked them! Yay!
Sara says
Newbie to trying gluten-free cinnamon rolls and would need to also make these dairy free. Would coconut milk and "Melt" work? Or palm oil shortening? Also, why is it called "glutinous" rice flour? I'm not sure I can find that.
Hi Sara! Thanks for the questions. I think coconut milk would work fine, but I am not familiar at all with "Melt", so I can't say if it would work or not. You could try using palm oil or shortening, but I do not know if or how they might affect the final result. These are mochi cinnamon rolls, which means that they have a chewy texture and that is why you need glutinous rice flour. This recipe will not make the more typical bread-like cinnamon rolls. I hope that helps.
Robyn says
Delicious. I had the benefit of watching Lisa cook these in person, but the recipe is easy to follow. Have made twice this weekend - second time I rolled the dough out further/ longer and rolled tighter - it actually made 10 smaller rolls! Might try dairy free next time
Hi, Robyn! Thanks for your comments and for sharing how you were able to get 10 rolls out of the recipe. I'm thrilled that you made them twice in one weekend and so glad that you liked them!
Ryan says
I'm excited to try this!
Can the rolls be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated until it's time to bake?
Hey, Ryan! Thanks for the question! I'm not sure since I haven't done it, but I wouldn't hesitate to try and see how it turns out. If you do try it, please report back!