These protein muffins are soft, tender, and lightly sweet, with 10 grams of protein in each one. They have the texture of a classic muffin, without peanut butter, banana, or another strong flavor taking over.

They’re made with familiar ingredients and taste like muffins first, not protein food. Leave them plain or add mini chocolate chips.

Why this recipe works

I tested this recipe extensively to balance tenderness and structure. The result is muffins with a lightly sweet, tender crumb that's not too moist to rise tall but never tastes dry.

A combination whey/casein protein powder adds plenty of protein without drying them out. Oat flour and eggs create a soft crumb with enough structure to rise and hold its shape as the muffins cool.

Applesauce adds moisture without bringing a strong flavor like banana, and Greek yogurt adds richness and just enough moisture. Brown sugar and a little oil, which is truly optional, help keep the crumb tender and fresh.

Recipe ingredients

Here's what you need to make these muffins, plus a short explanation of the role of each ingredient in an ideal baked result. For full ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card:

• Oat flour: Provides a traditional muffin crumb with a soft, tender texture and mild natural sweetness. The finer the oat flour, the softer the crumb. You can grind your own from rolled oats, but sift it well to remove any larger pieces.
• Protein powder: Adds protein and helps the muffins rise and set without becoming fragile. A whey-casein blend like PEScience gives the best balance of structure from the whey and moisture retention from the casein for a soft crumb. The best balance is about half whey, half casein.
• Baking powder & baking soda: Baking powder adds rise; baking soda reacts with the acidic Greek yogurt for a little extra lift and helps the muffins brown in the oven.
• Salt: Brightens the other flavors.
• Brown sugar: Adds sweetness and helps lock in moisture for a tender crumb.
• Greek yogurt: Provides concentrated moisture without thinning the batter and richness from its fat. Its tangy acidity adds flavor and activates the baking soda for extra lift.
• Applesauce: Provides moisture for the protein powder to absorb; its pectin and fruit solids help give the muffins structure and a soft, uniform crumb.
• Eggs: Add structure so the muffins rise and hold their shape as they cool, plus fat from the yolks for a softer texture and richer mouthfeel.
• Vanilla: Adds depth of flavor. I prefer vanilla bean paste for a richer flavor, but vanilla extract works well, too.
• Oil: Gives the muffins a softer, more tender crumb that tastes moist, and helps them stay fresh longer. Any neutral oil will work, like peanut, grapeseed, canola, vegetable, or avocado. You can leave it out, though, entirely.
• Mini chocolate Chips: Add flavor and texture, but you can leave them out. They also help the muffins bake a little taller by lowering the moisture ratio. Mini chips spread throughout the batter, so you get more chocolate in every bite. Try raisins or chopped pecans or walnuts instead.

How to make protein muffins (step by step photos):

This visual overview of how to make these muffins should help you imagine how to make them at home. I've also included the reasons behind each step:

Prepare the muffin tin
These muffins tend to stick to all paper liners, and even worse to bare muffin wells. Spray 12 greaseproof muffin liners lightly with cooking oil spray to help with release, then place them in the muffin tin.

Steps 1-2: Combine dry ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients (oat flour, protein powder, baking powder and soda, salt) plus brown sugar fully so you don't need to overwork the batter after adding the liquids. Break up the lumps in your brown sugar with the back of a mixing spoon to avoid hard lumps in your muffins.

Step 3: Add wet ingredients
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the applesauce, yogurt, beaten eggs, vanilla and optional oil. Turn over the batter carefully just until everything is combined. The batter is high in protein, so overmixing can make the muffins less tender as they bake.

Step 4: Let the batter rest
The batter will be relatively thin, which can make it harder for the muffins to rise tall. Letting the batter rest in the bowl for just a few minutes lets the dry ingredients absorb some moisture without mixing more for a thicker batter that rises higher.

Add the optional chips
Mix in the optional miniature chocolate chips just until combined, but reserve some to sprinkle on top of the batter so they're visible after baking.

Step 5: Transfer batter
Divide the batter evenly among the wells of the muffin tin. In my muffin tin, the batter fills the wells more than 3/4 of the way full, but that will depend on the size of your wells. Sprinkle any remaining mini chips evenly over the tops of the batter in the wells.

Step 6: Bake
Bake at 350°F for 5 minutes to help boost the muffins into a tall rise, then reduce the oven temperature to 325°F for another 10 minutes to give them time to set without drying out. When they're done, the muffins will mostly feel firm on top, but be careful not to overbake them. Remove them from the pan as soon as possible to stop the baking and let them cool on a wire rack.

Expert tips

Grease the muffin liners

Because these muffins have so much moisture, they tend to stick to even the best cupcake tin liners. Through lots of recipe testing, I learned that reducing the moisture enough to prevent sticking made the muffins taste dry. Instead, I recommend greasing the paper liners with cooking oil spray lightly before filling them to get them to release after cooling.

Don't overbake

Since all protein powders absorbs a lot of moisture in baking, it's important to err on the side of underbaking rather than overbaking these muffins. If you underbake them slightly, the very tops of the domes will collapse a little as they cool but the muffins won't be raw at all. If you overbake, the whole muffin may taste dry.

Ingredient substitutions

If you use oats marked gluten free and source your other ingredients carefully, these muffins are naturally gluten free. If you need to avoid other allergens, here are my suggestions:

Dairy free

In place of the yogurt, try your favorite plain nondairy yogurt, strained of enough moisture to have the texture of Greek-style yogurt. The more difficult replacement is the protein powder, since this recipe was developed for a combination casein and whey protein powder which helps the muffins hold their shape but prevents them from drying out. If you use a vegan protein powder, I'd try using 45 to 50 grams of the powder instead of the 62 called for in the recipe, and increasing the applesauce by an extra 20 grams.

Egg free

In place of the 2 eggs, you can try using 2 “flax eggs” or “chia eggs,” Bob's Red Mill egg replacer, or JustEgg liquid egg replacer in the refrigerated section. You can also try replacing them with 80 grams more plain Greek-style yogurt and 20 grams more oat flour.

Oat free

In place of oat flour, try grinding quinoa flakes into a powder and sifting out any remaining larger pieces. Be sure to measure by weight, not volume, since quinoa flakes are very light.

No applesauce

If you can't have applesauce, try replacing it with an equal amount, by weight, of very ripe mashed bananas. The muffins will taste like banana, though.

Storage instructions

These muffins are best the first day they're baked, but you can store them at room temperature in a sealed container for up to 2 days. Adding oil helps keep them from drying out on day 2. For longer storage, wrap each tightly in freezer-safe wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature or for 20 seconds in the microwave.

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Protein Muffins Recipe with protein powder

Soft, tender protein muffins with 10 g protein each and classic muffin flavor. No banana or nut butter, and never dry or chalky.

Course Breakfast, Muffins, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword protein muffins

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Resting time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 12 muffins

Calories 237kcal

Author Nicole Hunn

Ingredients

• 1 ¾ cups finely ground and sifted oat flour (gluten free if necessary)
• 2 scoops casein-whey protein powder (See Recipe Notes)
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ⅔ cup packed light brown sugar
• ¾ cup smooth applesauce at room temperature
• ¾ cup lowfat plain Greek-style yogurt at room temperature (avoid nonfat; whole milk is fine)
• 2 eggs at room temperature, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons neutral oil optional (See Recipe Notes)
• ⅔ cup mini chocolate chips optional

Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with liners and spray the liners lightly with oil.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together oat flour, protein powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and brown sugar. Break up any lumps in the brown sugar with the back of a spoon.
• Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add applesauce, yogurt, eggs, vanilla and optional oil.
• Mix with a spoon or spatula just until combined. The batter will be relatively thin and soft.
• Let the batter rest in the mixing bowl at room temperature for 10 minutes to thicken.
• Mix in most of the optional chocolate chips, reserving about 2 tablespoons to sprinkle on top.
• Divide the batter evenly among 12 muffin wells. The wells should be nearly full, but that will depend on the size of each muffin well and whether you’ve added the chips.
• Sprinkle any reserved optional mini chocolate chips evenly on the top of the batter in each well. Tap the pan a few times on the counter to break any large bubbles and help the chips adhere.
• Bake in the center of the preheated oven for 5 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F and bake about 10 minutes more. The muffins are done when the tops are mostly firm to the touch and not shiny. The very tops of some of the domes may seem too soft to hold, but it’s important not to overbake or the muffins may dry out.
• Transfer to a wire rack as quickly as possible to stop baking. Let the muffins cool completely before peeling the liners.

Notes

Protein powder
For the best texture, use a whey-casein blend, ideally about half whey and half casein, such as PEScience.

Oil
Optional, but it makes the muffins taste more tender and helps keep them from drying out on the second day. You can use any neutral oil, like grapeseed, canola, avocado, peanut, or vegetable. 

Muffin liners
These muffins tend to stick, so lightly spray even greaseproof liners with cooking oil and let the muffins cool completely before peeling them. 

Approximate nutritional information includes mini chocolate chips and oil. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1muffin | Calories: 237kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 233mg | Potassium: 118mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 88IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 98mg | Iron: 1mg

This gluten free corn casserole is creamy and buttery with a golden brown top. I make it from scratch the easy way, with a DIY corn muffin mixture and two ordinary cans of corn. No hunting down gluten free creamed corn.

Add pancetta, jalapeño, and sharp cheddar to balance the sweet corn, or leave them out (no other changes needed).

Why this recipe works

Pulsing half the corn gives us a creamy base, while the whole kernels add texture. Measuring the reserved corn liquid keeps the center moist without turning wet.

The corn muffin mixture gives the creamy filling enough structure to hold its shape. Let it rest briefly after baking, and you can cut neat squares without losing that soft center.

Baking it gently helps the center set without puffing too high and sinking as it cools. If you’re adding cheese on top, a hotter finish browns it after the casserole is nearly baked.

Recipe ingredients

I like to think of this recipe in two parts (the dry corn muffin “mix” and the casserole), because that makes it seem as simple as it really is. Here's what you need to make both parts:

For the corn muffin mix

• Cornmeal: Adds some structure, texture, and corn flavor to the casserole. Use a medium-grind cornmeal for some, but not too much, texture. Be sure to use a gluten free cornmeal like Bob's Red Mill that's clearly marked gluten free so it's free of cross-contamination.
• Gluten free flour blend: Provides much of the structure for the whole casserole with a neutral flavor and balanced moisture. I recommend Better Batter's original blend gluten free flour without any more xanthan gum, Nicole's Best with 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum (since it has none), or Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 multipurpose gluten free flour (which has some xanthan gum).
• Sugar: Just a touch of white granulated sugar helps enhance the sweetness of the corn.
• Baking powder: Helps the casserole rise in the oven.
• Salt: Enhances other flavors.
• Virgin coconut oil: Enhances tenderness of the crumb without adding more moisture, coating the dry ingredients. This is the kind of coconut oil that's solid at cool room temperature. You need a solid fat without any water, so you can use shortening in its place.

For the casserole

• Pancetta: Adds some savory flavor to help balance the sweetness of the corn. You can use an equal amount, by weight, of diced bacon, bulk sausage, or leave it out entirely.
• Jalapeño: Adds some texture and some heat to the dish. For maximum heat, dice the pepper without removing the ribs and seeds. The ribs contain the most heat, so be sure to leave at least some. If you're not using the pancetta, you'll need to add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to sauté the diced pepper, or add the diced pepper raw for a sharper bite of heat.
• Cheese: Adds some salty, umami flavor, some sharpness to cut through richness, creaminess inside, and a golden crust on top. You can use some, all, or none of the cheese, inside the dish and on top, and not make any other changes.
• Canned corn: Provides the essential sweet, starchy flavor of the dish. Many recipes for corn casserole call for something saucy and starchy like our gluten free creamed corn to use in this dish. But I find it works just as well to process one 15-ounce can of corn with 1/2 cup of reserved starchy liquid to release the starch in the corn and help create a super creamy texture. The other can of corn is drained and used as whole kernels for more crisp texture.
• Sour cream: Adds richness, some moisture without adding too much like milk might, and a slight tangy flavor.
• Butter: Adds buttery flavor, moisture, and helps the dish brown in the oven to create a crust.
• Eggs: Add moisture, and essential structure so the dish keeps its shape as it cools without collapsing even with a lot moisture and a relatively small amount of flour.

How to make gluten free corn casserole (step by step photos)

Here's a visual overview of how to make this recipe in your own kitchen, with an explanation of the reason behind each step. For full recipe amount details, see the recipe card below:

Step 1: Whisk the dry ingredients
Make the corn muffin dry mixture first by whisking together the gluten free flour blend with xanthan gum, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt for even distribution of each ingredient.

Step 2: Cut in the coconut oil
Add the virgin coconut oil to the dry ingredients. Use a fork to cut in the oil, pressing down with the tines all over until the mixture resembles coarse sand. That's how you know that the oil is evenly distributed throughout.

Step 3: Process half the corn
Open one 15-ounce can of corn packed in water and drain it over a small measuring cup to catch the liquid. Place the remaining corn and 1/2 cup of the drained starchy liquid into a small food processor or blender. Pulse about 2 times, until you have a lumpy mixture of partially processed corn. This limits the amount of liquid, and releases much of the starch.

Step 4: Sauté the pancetta mixture
If using pancetta, sauté it over medium heat in a small saucepan until cooked through, since it may not fully cook before the casserole is done. Drain off as much rendered fat as possible to avoid a greasy casserole. Add the diced jalapeño and sauté just until softened to preserve its heat. Set aside to cool so the mixture won’t cook the eggs.

Step 5: Whisk wet ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sour cream, melted butter and eggs until smooth. The mixture will become very creamy when the eggs are fully emulsified, which creates a stable base for the casserole that won't separate during baking.

Step 6: Add corn
Add the processed corn from step 3, and a second can of corn that you've fully drained of its liquid, and mix to combine.

Step 7: Toss dry ingredients with mix-ins
Add the cooled pancetta and jalapeño mixture, plus about 1/2 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese to the corn muffin dry mixture and toss to combine. This will help distribute the mix-ins in the casserole evenly and help prevent them from sinking to the bottom during baking.

Step 8: Finish the batter
Add the full dry ingredient mixture to the creamy liquid sour cream base and mix until just combined to avoid adding more air into the mixture which could cause it to rise too high and then fall like a broken souffle.

Steps 9: Transfer
Transfer the raw mixture to a greased 9-inch square baking dish and spread it into an even layer so it bakes uniformly.

Step 10: Bake
Bake at 325°F for 45 minutes or until the top is light golden brown and mostly firm to the touch. Baking it low and slow prevents it from a rise so high that the structure can't support it.

Steps 11-12: Top (optional) & finish baking
If you are not adding shredded cheese, rotate the dish and continue to bake for about 10 more minutes, or until a tester comes out mostly clean.
If you are adding shredded cheese, sprinkle the remaining 1 cup evenly on top, and finish baking at 350°F so the cheese melts and browns (about 10 minutes more; same doneness test).

Expert tips

To add more heat

Even if you're a bit wimpy about spice/heat like me, include at least the ribs of the jalapeño pepper, or you'll barely taste it. For a bit more heat, include the seeds from the pepper or a dice up a second one.

Pulse, don't puree

Pulse one can of corn with reserved liquid in a blender or food processor just until it’s a loose, lumpy mixture, not a smooth puree. You want to break up the kernels but maintain some texture.

Check beneath the cheese

A golden cheese topping doesn’t always mean the center is done. Insert a tester into the center of the casserole; a few moist crumbs are fine, but wet batter means it needs a bit more baking time.

Ingredient substitutions

Dairy free

To make this recipe dairy free, in place of regular sour cream, try using nondairy sour cream or Greek-style plain yogurt. In place of butter, try an equal amount of block-style vegan butter. You can either use one of the dairy free shredded cheeses I recommend in my dairy free mac and cheese recipe, or just leave the cheese out. All of these substitutions should work well.

Egg free

You can try replacing the eggs with “chia eggs,” Bob's Red Mill egg replacer, or JustEgg liquid egg replacer in the refrigerator section. If you do use an egg replacer and your flour blend is Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1, I recommend adding an additional 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum, since the eggs do a lot of work in keeping the casserole from sinking too much as it cools.

Storage instructions

I wouldn't let this dish sit at room temperature for more than 2 hours, for food safety reasons. It's very moist, with or without the added cheese and pancetta, and won't dry out, but it will spoil. You can store leftover servings in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days, and refresh in a 300°F oven or the microwave before serving.

For longer storage, you can store it in the freezer for up to 3 months, but make sure it's well-sealed so it doesn't get freezer burn and the sour cream doesn't separate. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator, then refresh as when refrigerated.

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Gluten Free Corn Casserole Recipe

Creamy, buttery gluten free corn casserole made from scratch the easy way, no creamed corn or boxed mix needed. Keep it classic or add pancetta, jalapeño and cheese!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword gluten free corn casserole

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Resting time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 9 squares

Calories 406kcal

Author Nicole Hunn

Equipment

• Mini food processor or blender

Ingredients

For the corn muffin mix

• ⅔ cup all purpose gluten free flour blend (See Recipe Notes)
• ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
• ⅝ cup medium ground yellow cornmeal
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons virgin coconut oil (or nonhydrogenated vegetable shortening)

For the casserole

• 2 15-ounce cans whole kernel corn in water
• 4 ounces cubed pancetta (optional)
• 1 jalapeño pepper cut into a small dice (optional)
• 1 cup sour cream or plain Greek-style yogurt
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
• 2 eggs at room temperature
• 1 ½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (optional)
• 1 recipe gluten free corn muffin mix (from above)
• Chopped chives for serving (optional)

Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Butter a 9-inch square baking pan and set it aside. Preheat your oven to 325°F.

Make the corn muffin mix

• In a medium-size bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt, and whisk to combine well.
• Add the shortening and, with the tines of a fork cut the coconut oil into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse sand. There will be some clumps.
• Set the bowl aside.

Make the casserole

• In a small dry pan, sauté the optional pancetta in a hot pan over medium heat until cooked through (about 5 minutes), then drain off the rendered fat.
• Add the optional diced jalapeño and sauté for 1 minute, just until starting to soften. If you're not using the pancetta, add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan to cook the pepper and 1/4 teaspoon extra kosher salt. Set the mixture aside to cool.
• Drain the liquid from one can of corn, reserving 1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces) of the liquid. Place the corn and reserved liquid into a food processor or blender and pulse until the corn is a chunky, loose mixture. Set it aside.
• To a large mixing bowl, add the sour cream, melted butter and eggs, and whisk until well-combined and very pale yellow and smooth.
• Drain as much liquid as possible from the other can of corn, and add it and the processed corn to the large mixing bowl. Mix to combine. The mixture will be loose.
• Add the cooked pancetta and jalapeño to the bowl with the corn muffin mixture. Add about 1/2 cup of the optional shredded cheese, if using, to the same dry ingredient mixture, and toss everything to combine.
• Add everything in the medium mixing bowl to the large mixing bowl with wet ingredients, and mix until just combined. The mixture will be thick but very soft.
• Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking pan, and smooth into an even layer.

Bake

• Bake in the center of the oven for about 45 minutes, or until the top is lightly golden brown and mostly firm to the touch.
• If you’re omitting the cheese, rotate the dish in the oven and continue to bake for another 10 minutes until a tester comes out mostly clean (not wet, but a few moist crumbs are okay).
• If you’re the shredded cheese on top, remove the dish from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 350°F.
• Scatter the cheese on top in an even layer. Return the pan to the center of the oven to bake for about another 10 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a tester comes out mostly clean (not wet, but a few moist crumbs are okay).
• Let the finished casserole stand for at least 10 minutes before sprinkling with chopped chives, slicing into 9 equal pieces, and serving.

Video

Notes

Flour blend choices

I recommend Better Batter's original blend gluten free flour without added xanthan gum, Nicole's Best multipurpose blend with xanthan gum, or Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour. Even though Bob's has less than an average amount of gum, you probably don't need to add any extra.

For full details including how to make your own “mock” Better Batter, see my gluten free flour blends guide. 

Nutrition information is approximate including the optional cheese, pancetta, and jalapeño. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1square | Calories: 406kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 105mg | Sodium: 475mg | Potassium: 128mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 733IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 228mg | Iron: 1mg

This gluten free banana bread is packed with banana flavor and delivers a soft, fork-tender crumb that stays light and moist. It’s quick to make in one bowl and flexible enough for whatever ripe bananas are on your counter.

Why this recipe works

Most gluten free banana breads fail because they have too much banana, too much liquid, or both. The result is a dense or gummy loaf that won’t bake through.

This recipe works with bananas at any stage of ripeness by preparing them differently. Mash very ripe bananas lightly so they don’t turn to liquid, and less ripe ones more fully into a textured paste that softens in the oven.

Sour cream adds richness and acidity for a tender, flavorful crumb. Melted butter, mixed in by hand rather than creamed with sugar, provides moisture and flavor without incorporating too much air, so it doesn't rise too high or sink as it cools.

Recipe ingredients

Here's what you need to make this recipe, plus a few words about the role each ingredient plays in the perfect banana bread.

• Gluten free flour blend: Provides much of the structure of the bread. I recommend Better Batter's original blend, Nicole's Best multipurpose, or Bob's Red Mill's 1-to-1 gluten free baking flour adds structure to keep the bread together without the toughness that mixing a gluten-filled quickbread fully can create. If your flour is Nicole's Best, add 1 teaspoon xanthan gum; Bob's has some xanthan gum but needs 1/2 teaspoon more or the bread may be crumbly.
• Bananas: Very ripe bananas will have more natural sugars that deepen the banana flavor, but any that are ripe enough to smell like bananas will work. Measure 200 grams peeled bananas by weight for consistent results without adding too much moisture, leading to dense bread.
• Sour cream: Adds richness and the acidity also reacts with baking soda to help the bread rise. Avoid fat free for the best mouthfeel. You can also use plain Greek-style yogurt in an equal amount, by weight.
• Butter: Melted butter adds richness, moisture, and keeps the crumb tender by making it easy to mix the batter without incorporating too much air, which leads to a loaf that rises too high and falls as it cools.
• Eggs: Help bind the bread and provide structure to hold the rise as the bread cools, so there's no sunken top.
• Granulated sugar: Enhances the sweetness of the bananas and helps keep the crumb tender. It also adds bulk, so even if your bananas are super sweet, don't reduce the already modest amount of sugar in the batter. If your bananas are less ripe, you can add another 2 tablespoons (24 grams) granulated sugar.
• Baking powder, baking soda & salt: The essentials that round out flavor, provide rise, and help the bread brown in the oven. Fun fact: baking soda reacts with bananas to create those brown flecks in the bread.
• Vanilla extract: Add depth through a complex blend of flavors, unlike artificial vanilla which only has one-note vanillin.

How to gluten free banana bread (step by step photos)

This is a visual overview of how to make this recipe in your own kitchen, with the reasoning behind each step. For exact ingredient amounts, please see the recipe card below:

Step 1: Combine dry
Whisk together the gluten free flour with xanthan gum, baking powder, baking, salt, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. This keeps the leaveners from clumping which creates bitter pockets and leads to an uneven rise.

Step 2: Add wet
Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the the melted butter, beaten eggs, vanilla, and sour cream, but don't mix anything yet. Mash the peeled bananas, then add them on top of the sour cream.

Step 3: Mix
Mix until just combined, since overbeating the batter can lead to tunnels of air in the bread and a dense crumb. The batter should be thick but soft and easy to spread, not stiff.

Step 4: Transfer the batter
Scrape the prepared batter into a greased and lined 9-inch x 5-inch loaf pan. Lining with parchment helps the bread bake evenly without sliding around, and makes it easy to lift the prepared bread from the pan easily. Smooth the top with a spatula for even baking.

Step 5: Bake the bread
Bake at 350°F for 40 minutes, then check to see if the outside is browning very quickly. If so, lower the oven temperature to 325°F and continue to bake until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter, about another 10 to 15 minutes.

Step 6: Cool
Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes to finish baking and become stable enough to transfer with breaking. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing so the starches have time to become firmer and hold their moisture.

Expert tips

I've been making this banana bread for more than 10 years, and I've become an expert by trying it every different way you can imagine. Here's what I've learned:

Mix only by hand

Readers often ask why we mix melted butter into the dry ingredients, rather than creaming room temperature butter and sugar first, like in our gluten free cake recipe. When you use room temperature butter and cream it with sugar, that incorporates extra air into the batter, leading to loaf that rises higher than the structure can support. The loaf falls and compresses into a dense crumb that also tends to have wet spots that require a longer baking time, and a darker crust.

Use any ripe bananas

Yes, the riper your bananas are, the sweeter and more flavorful your loaf will be. But as long as your bananas are ripe enough to be at all fragrant, use what you have. To help them ripen more quickly, place them in a brown paper bag with an apple overnight.

Mash ripe bananas less

If your bananas are super ripe, mash them with a large fork very lightly to maintain some texture. Very ripe bananas that are mashed too much release a lot of liquid which will weigh down the bread and make it harder to bake allt he way through. If they're less ripe, mash them into more of a lumpy paste.

Avoid a too-hot oven

If you know that your oven sometimes spikes in temperature, watch it carefully and lower it to 325°F and just bake for a bit longer until done. A slow, steady rise creates a stable crumb, and there's enough baking soda and sugar in the loaf that it will brown on top eventually.

Cool completely before slicing

Warm banana bread is tempting, but slicing too soon can make it gummy or crumbly. Waiting until the bread is completely cool before slicing makes it more stable, keeping it from drying out by releasing moisture as steam.

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Gluten Free Banana Bread Recipe

Make this gluten free banana bread with just-ripe or overripe bananas. One bowl, no mixer, with expert tips for a tender, flavorful loaf!

Course Quick bread

Cuisine American

Keyword gluten free banana bread, gluten free banana bread recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Servings 10 slices

Calories 208kcal

Author Nicole Hunn

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose gluten free flour blend (See Recipe Notes for Recommendations)
• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ⅔ cup granulated sugar
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled
• 2 eggs at room temperature, beaten
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ⅔ cup sour cream at room temperature (avoid fat-free)
• 200 grams peeled ripe bananas the weight measurement is especially important here
• 1 small slightly less ripe banana sliced thinly lengthwise, for topping (optional)

Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a standard 9-inch x 5-inch loaf pan (or slightly smaller), line it with parchment paper overhanging the two long sides, and set it aside.
• In a large bowl, place the all purpose gluten free flour, xanthan gum, salt, baking powder, baking soda and sugar. Whisk to combine well.
• Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add the melted butter, eggs, and vanilla, then the sour cream. Do not mix yet.
• If your bananas are very ripe and soft, mash them gently with a large fork, maintaining as much texture as possible. If your bananas are less ripe but still fragrant, mash with a fork more fully.
• Add the mashed bananas on top of the other wet ingredients, and mix until just combined.
• Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan, and smooth the top with a spatula dipped in water. If you're using the optional banana as a topping, place very thinly sliced bananas (cut lengthwise) on top of the smooth batter, sparingly.
• Place the pan in the center of the preheated oven. Bake until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter.
• After 40 minutes, check to see if the top is browning too quickly. If so, reduce the oven temperature to 325°F for the rest of the baking time.
• Total baking time will be about 50 minutes without the additional bananas on top, and about 1 hour with them.
• Let the banana bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

Video

Notes

Flour blend recommendations

I suggest using Better Batter's original blend gluten free flour without added xanthan gum, Nicole's Best multipurpose blend with xanthan gum, or Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour with an additional ½ teaspoon xanthan gum to avoid crumbly bread.

For full details including how to make your own “mock” Better Batter or original Cup4Cup, see my gluten free flour blends guide.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 208kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 66mg | Sodium: 314mg | Potassium: 159mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 445IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 0.3mg

FAQs

These soft and chewy peanut butter protein cookies have 10 grams of protein each, with rich peanut butter flavor and plenty of mini chocolate chips.

They’re flourless, naturally gluten free, and taste like a classic chewy peanut butter cookie, not another protein snack.

Why this recipe works

Packaged protein cookies are so expensive and often taste strange somehow. These cookies cost less than half the price to make, and have the soft, chewy texture and rich peanut butter flavor I actually want to eat.

A casein/whey protein powder blend gives the dough enough structure without making the cookies overly dry or firm. A rich emulsion with honey, an extra egg yolk, and Greek yogurt add moisture and richness to balance all that added protein and peanut oil.

The dough is easy to mix and shape, then rests while the oven preheats so it can firm up slightly before baking. A lower oven temperature helps the cookies set without drying out.

Recipe ingredients

Here's what you need to make these cookies, including information on the role that each ingredient plays in a successful result.

• Peanut butter: Adds rich peanut flavor, fat for tenderness, body to the dough, and protein. Use smooth, no-stir peanut butter that doesn't separate. True natural peanut butter tends to release excess oil into the dough and make the cookies greasy.
• Honey: Adds sweetness and flavor, and helps retain moisture for tender cookies.
• Egg and egg yolk: Give the cookies structure and richness. The extra yolk also helps emulsify the wet ingredients and contributes to a softer texture.
• Greek yogurt: Adds moisture and helps balance the sweetness; its acidity also helps activate the baking soda to create rise. You can also use an equal amount of sour cream in its place.
• Flavorings: Vanilla extract adds depth of flavor; optional LorAnn butter bakery emulsion adds buttery flavor without adding more fat.
• Protein powder: Provides structure and increases the protein content. I prefer a casein/whey blend, which gives the cookies enough structure to hold together without the drying, firming effect of too much whey protein. My choice is PEScience brand Select Protein in vanilla, which also adds some mild flavor.
• Milk powder: Helps absorb excess oil from the peanut butter, so the baked cookies taste and feel less greasy.
• Baking soda: Provides some rise and helps the cookies brown gently in the oven.
• Salt: Balances sweetness and brightens other flavors, and keeps the cookies from tasting flat.
• Mini chocolate chips: Add texture and chocolate flavor that pairs so well with peanut butter. Their small size keeps them from weighing down the dough and helps add a little chocolate to every bite.

How to make peanut butter protein cookies (step by step photos)

Here's an overview of how you'll make these cookies in your own kitchen, including the reason behind each step. For the full recipe including ingredient amounts, skip to the recipe card:

Steps 1 & 2: Combine dry ingredients
In a medium-size bowl, whisk together protein powder, milk powder, baking soda and salt. This eliminates any possible bitter pockets of baking soda and a uniform raw dough ensure that we won't overmix the cookie dough once combined.

Then, add in the mini chips and mix so they're coated in the dry ingredients to help prevent them from sinking in the cookie dough.

Steps 3 & 4: Combine wet ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together peanut butter, honey, an egg and an egg yolk, Greek yogurt, and flavorings. Combine vigorously until the mixture is very smooth and glossy, which will mean that it's fully emulsified, which will help it absorb the dry ingredients without seizing up.

Steps 5 & 6: Add dry to wet ingredients
Pour the dry ingredients, including the chips, into the bowl with the peanut butter mixture. Use a silicone spatula to stir and fold the dry ingredients into the wet.

The mixture will thicken quickly as the dry ingredients absorb the moisture and oil. It will be soft enough to scoop and mostly firm enough to hold its shape. Stop mixing when there aren't any obvious dry streaks, and avoid overmixing which can make the cookies tough. The mixture will retain some texture because protein powder won't behave exactly like flour.

Steps 7 & 8: Portion and shape the dough
Use a medium ice cream scoop to divide the dough into 8 equal portions, each weighing about 50 grams. Gently roll each between clean palms to smooth the surface and form a round for cookies that bake evenly. The dough will leave some oily residue on your hands from all that peanut butter, but it should hold its shape easily as you roll it. Place the dough about 1 1/2 inches apart, as the cookies will spread during baking.

Let the cookie dough set while you preheat the oven. This will give the dough a chance to firm up slightly before baking, helping the cookies keep their shape and bake more evenly.

Step 9: Bake the cookies
Bake at 325°F for 8 to 10 minutes, just until the cookies look set and dry on top and are beginning to brown lightly around the edges. Baking them at a low temperature allows them to fully set without burning, since all that fat makes the cookies efficient at baking.

They should still feel somewhat soft if pressed firmly. Avoid overbaking, since the cookies will continue to set as they cool and can become dry if left in the oven too long. The cookies will settle into beautiful craggy tops as they cool. Don't disturb them before they are set or they'll fall apart.

Ingredient substitutions

If you need cookies that are naturally dairy free and peanut free, try my chewy protein cookies made with oats. If you can't have oats, you can substitute every form of oats in baking.

Dairy free

If you'd like to try making these cookies dairy-free, you'll need a dairy free protein powder, dairy free powdered milk, and nondairy plain yogurt or sour cream.

I've tried using Vega protein powder, and the recipe worked but it was much drier and just didn't taste as good. I would try using pea protein isolate, or rice protein. For the milk powder, try coconut milk powder. And use dairy-free miniature chocolate chips, like Enjoy Life brand.

Egg free

You can try replacing the whole egg with a “chia egg” and the egg yolk with some butter for moisture. If you'd like a high protein snack that is naturally egg-free, try the recipe for protein balls, which have 6 grams of protein each without protein powder or eggs.

Nut free

If you find a sunflower seed butter that is smooth and no-stir (the oil doesn't separate in the jar), or Wowbutter, try using it here in place of peanut butter. Or try our chocolate chip protein cookies, which are naturally nut-free.

Storage instructions

You can store these cookies at room temperature, uncovered, for 2 days and they will retain their texture. You can also store them in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. For longer storage, freeze them in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. They defrost quickly at room temperature.

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Peanut Butter Protein Cookies Recipe

These peanut butter protein cookies are genuinely soft and chewy, with the rich flavor and texture of a classic peanut butter cookie.

Course Cookies

Cuisine American

Keyword peanut butter protein cookies

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 8 cookies

Calories 224kcal

Author Nicole Hunn

Ingredients

• 1 ⅓ scoops casein/whey protein powder I like PEScience brand Select Protein (vanilla)
• 2 ½ tablespoons powdered milk
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ cup miniature chocolate chips
• ½ cup smooth no stir peanut butter
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 egg at room temperature
• 1 egg yolk at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon plain Greek yogurt at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon LorAnn butter emulsion optional

Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
• In a medium-size mixing bowl, whisk together the protein powder, dry milk, baking soda, and salt until well combined.
• Add the miniature chocolate chips, and stir to combine. See the bowl aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, place the peanut butter, honey, egg, egg yolk, yogurt, vanilla extract and optional butter emulsion. Whisk until very smooth and well-emulsified. It should be thick but soft and creamy, not stiff.
• Add the dry ingredients with the chocolate chips and mix with a silicone spatula until just combined.
• Use a medium spring-loaded ice cream scoop or 2 spoons to divide the mixture into 8 equal portions, each about 50 grams.
• Roll each piece of cookie dough into a ball between clean palms. Place on the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart from one another.
• Preheat your oven to 325°F.
• Let the dough sit at room temperature on the baking sheet while the oven preheats. This helps the cookies spread and bake more slowly and evenly.
• Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake until the tops of the cookies are no longer shiny and the cookies are a very light matte tan color all over and beginning to brown on the edges, 8 to 10 minutes. The cookies will appear dry on top and reasonably firm on top, but would give way to any real pressure. Do not overbake them.
• Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool for at least 10 minutes or until very stable before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. They will be very fragile when they’re still warm, and will settle into cracks and crevices as they cool.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 224kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 57mg | Sodium: 244mg | Potassium: 155mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 121IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 1mg

These gluten free pumpkin scones are crisp-tender and flaky, with deep pumpkin flavor, warm fall spices, and a sweet double layer of icing.

They’re made with rich, concentrated pumpkin butter instead of plain pumpkin puree, so you get plenty of pumpkin flavor while keeping the scones pleasantly crumbly and still tender.

Why this recipe works

Pumpkin can be tricky in scones because plain puree adds a lot of extra moisture. Baking with pumpkin butter instead gives us the ideal pastry-style scone texture, plus deep pumpkin flavor and aroma without sacrificing texture. You can make it yourself or buy it ready-made, especially in the fall.

Cold butter creates flaky pockets as the scones bake, and a quick cut-and-stack of the dough adds even more layers without complicated lamination. The result is a true pastry-style scone with crisp edges and a tender center.

The scones themselves are only lightly sweet, so the simple icing doesn't overwhelm them. A smooth white glaze adds sweetness, while a second drizzle of maple and cinnamon gives them another layer of fall flavor.

Recipe ingredients

Here's what you need to make these special, fall-inspired scones:

• Gluten free flour blend: Provides the structural support for the pastry and most of the bulk. My favorite blends are Better Batter's original blend and Nicole's Best multipurpose with 1 teaspoon xanthan gum as directed in the recipe. Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 gluten free flour should also work, but it has some xanthan gum but not enough, so I recommend adding another 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum.
• Baking powder: The leavener that helps the scones rise in the oven.
• Salt: Brightens all other flavors and balances sweetness.
• Granulated sugar: Adds sweetness, and locks in moisture so the scones never taste dry.
• Pumpkin pie spice: Adds the flavor and aroma that we associate with pumpkin itself, which is really mostly just earthy. To make your own homemade spice blend, combine 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon + 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger + 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice + 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves + scant 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg.
• Butter: Adds buttery flavor, and when kept cold, releases moisture as steam that makes the scones expand rapidly in the oven, pushing apart the layers of dough for a flaky texture.
• Cream: Adds richness without added flavor that could compete with the pumpkin flavors, and just enough liquid to bring the pastry together without any wateriness that would make the scones cakey.
• Pumpkin butter: Since texture is most important when baking pastry, I like to make these scones with pumpkin butter to main texture. That's just a thickly concentrated mixture of pumpkin puree, maple syrup, spices and a touch of apple juice (since there's no pumpkin juice!). I make a huge batch of my easy pumpkin butter recipe every so often, and it keeps in the refrigerator for weeks. You can also buy it pre-made; my favorite brands are Stonewall Kitchen and Trader Joe's.

For more scones, try our classic gluten free scones recipe for plain pastries with or without mix-ins, or our gluten free bluberry scones.

How to make gluten free pumpkin scones (step by step photos)

This is an overview of how to make these scones step by step, with an explanation of the reason behind each step. For the full recipe including ingredient amounts, please see the recipe card below:

Combine dry ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour blend including xanthan gum, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice and granulated sugar. This ensures even distribution of all ingredients throughout the dough, avoiding bitter pockets of leavener or over- and under-spiced portions.

Add cold butter
Chop cold butter and toss it in the dry ingredients so each piece is coated in the flour mixture, making it less likely to melt as it's handled, which would lead to dense, flat scones. Use clean fingers to flatten each piece of butter into shards to scatter it throughout the dough. This also prevents the butter from poking through the dough as you roll it out in the coming steps.

Add wet ingredients
Create a well in the center of the ingredients in the mixing bowl, and add the cold pumpkin butter and cream. Mix to combine and bring the dough together into moist, stiff clumps.

As the dough begins to combine together, it can be useful to moisten the dry ingredients by pressing down on the mixture with the bowl of your mixing spoon. If any spots of the dough don't hold together well, which can happen if you've measured by volume instead of weight or used a very starchy flour blend, drizzle in a few drops of water just on those spots.

Chill?
If your dough seems sticky or at all warm, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and chill it for up to 30 minutes. Then, pick up the recipe where you left off.

Press and roll
With clean hands, gather the dough together and press it into a disk. Sprinkle lightly with more flour to prevent the dough from sticking to the rolling pin. Roll the dough into a rectangle about 1/4-inch thick.

Cut and stack
Using a metal bench scraper or sharp knife, cut the rectangle from one long side to another into 3 equal rectangles. Stack the 3 pieces on top of one another.

This will laminate the dough slightly, multiplying the layers of dough by 3, to help create flaky layers without much effort. For extra flakiness by a factor of 3 (for a total of 9 layers), repeat the process one more time.

Shape and cut scones
Press down on the stack of dough to help the layers stick to each other, then press and roll it into a disk about 7-inches in diameter. It should be about 1/2-inch thick. To create the trademark scone triangle shape, use a sharp knife or bench scraper in swift downward strokes to cut the dough into 8 equal pieces.

The first cut is across the center and the second cut is perpendicular to the first, creating 4 equal quarters. The final cuts are at an angle to cut each quarter in half for a total of 8 triangles. Sharp edges help the scones rise tall without spreading wide.

Bake, cool, and ice
Place the raw shapes on a parchment-lined baking sheet for even baking, spaced 1 to 2 inches apart. They won't spread much at all, but you want hot oven air to circulate all around them for even baking. They're done baking when they're risen to about 1-inch tall, firm on top to the touch, and lightly brown around the edges and bottom

Let them cool briefly before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Don't decorate them with icing until they're completely cool, or the icing will melt instead of set. Thicker icing will take at least 12 hours to set fully.

Ingredient substitutions

Dairy free

Use a block-style vegan butter like Melt or Miyoko’s in place of butter. For the cream, try using full-fat canned coconut milk to mimic the fat and moisture content of heavy cream. For the milk in the icing, you can use any sort of smooth nondairy milk that has a similar consistency to whole milk, or water.

Pumpkin butter

If you don't have and don't want to make pumpkin butter, try using plain pumpkin puree in its place, but the scones will have a very different, fluffier texture and will have much less flavor. I would recommend at least blotting the puree before measuring it by weight, replacing about 1 ounce with maple syrup, and adding some more spice blend.

Pumpkin pie spice

If you don't have pumpkin pie spice, or you don't have all of the ingredients to make your own, you could use all ground cinnamon for a less complex taste, or 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, and 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg. You could also use apple pie spice, if you have it, which is very similar.

Storage instructions

If you've added the icing, be sure to let it dry overnight so it's very stable, then store the scones in a sealed glass container at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet, then wrap in freezer-safe plastic and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature.

You can also make and shape the raw dough up to 2 months ahead of time and freeze it on a baking sheet, then wrap tightly in freezer-safe plastic. Bake it right from frozen, and mix up the icing while the scones cool.

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Gluten Free Pumpkin Scones Recipe

These gluten free pumpkin scones are crisp-tender with deep pumpkin flavor from pumpkin butter and a sweet maple-spice icing!

Course Pastry, Scones

Cuisine American

Keyword gluten free pumpkin scones

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Chilling time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 8 scones

Calories 275kcal

Author Nicole Hunn

Ingredients

For the scones

• 2 cups all purpose gluten free flour blend (See Recipe Notes)
• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (See Recipe Notes)
• 5 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter roughly chopped and chilled
• 5 ounces pumpkin butter (homemade, or store-bought, chilled)
• ¼ cup heavy whipping cream chilled

For the icing

• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1 ½ tablespoons whole milk plus more as necessary
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup

Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper and set it aside.

Make the dough

• In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice and sugar, and whisk to combine well.
• Add the cold, chopped butter to the dry ingredients and toss to coat each butter piece completely.
• With well-floured hands, flatten each piece of butter between a thumb and forefinger, handling the butter as little as possible.
• Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and butter mixture, and add the pumpkin butter and cream. Mix until the dough comes together, pressing down with the back of the spoon to moisten all the dry parts. Drizzle very lightly with lukewarm water to any stubborn dry spots.

Shape the dough

• Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface press the dough into a round, flat disk.
• Sprinkle the dough lightly with a bit of flour, and use a rolling pin to roll it out into a rectangle about 1/4-inch thick. Use a bench scraper or sharp knife to cut the rectangle into 3 equal-size smaller rectangles, and stack the rectangles on top of one another.
• Press the pieces of dough together firmly so they stick to one another. Roll and press the dough into a circle about 7-inches in diameter and about 1/2-inch thick.
• If the dough seems at all sticky or warm, wrap it in plastic and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 30 minutes.
• With a floured bench scraper or large, sharp knife, slice the dough into 8 triangles (the first two cuts are perpendicular lines through the center of the dough).
• Place the triangles on the prepared baking sheet 1 to 2 inches apart.

Bake

• Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven until lightly golden brown on the bottom and sides and firm to the touch, about 20 minutes. Let the scones cool briefly and then transfer the scones to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the white icing

• Place about 3/4 cup of the confectioners’ sugar in a medium-sized bowl and add 1 tablespoon of milk. Mix to combine.
• It should form a very thick paste. Add more milk by the drop, mixing vigorously until it reaches a very thickly pourable consistency.

Ice the cooled scones

• Dip the top of each cooled scone in the icing, or spoon the icing over the top and place, icing side up, on a flat surface.

Make the spiced icing

• Place the remaining confectioners’ sugar and the cinnamon in a medium-sized bowl, and whisk to combine.
• Add maple syrup, and mix to combine. Again, it will form a thick paste.
• Add milk by the drop, mixing vigorously after each addition, until it reaches a very thickly pourable consistency.

Decorate with the spiced icing

• Drizzle the icing over the glazed scones in a zigzag or straight line pattern. Allow to set at room temperature and serve.

Notes

Flour blend notes

For best results, I recommend Better Batter original blend without additional xanthan, or Nicole’s Best with 1 teaspoon xanthan gum, as listed in the recipe. If using Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1, add another 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum.

For DIY options, see my all purpose gluten free flour blends guide.

Pumpkin pie spice

To make your own pumpkin pie spice, combine 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon + 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger + 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice + 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves + scant 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg. You can also just use 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon + 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger + 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, or all cinnamon. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1scone | Calories: 275kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 339mg | Potassium: 87mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 2261IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 115mg | Iron: 0.4mg

This pumpkin butter recipe concentrates pumpkin puree into a smooth, richly spiced spread with deeper pumpkin flavor and much less moisture.

Cook it until thick and spreadable for toast and pancakes, or reduce it further for baking for plenty of pumpkin flavor without making baked goods overly soft or cakey.

Why this recipe works

Cooking pumpkin puree with apple cider, maple syrup, and warm spices concentrates its sweet, earthy flavor and aroma. As excess liquid evaporates, the mixture becomes thicker, darker, and more deeply flavored.

You can tailor the texture to how you plan to use it. Stop cooking while it still has some moisture for a smooth, spreadable pumpkin butter, or keep going until it’s more concentrated for baking purposes.

That extra reduction is especially useful in baked goods. Plain pumpkin puree adds a lot of moisture without much extra flavor, which can make recipes softer and puffier than intended; pumpkin butter gives you stronger pumpkin flavor without the effects of all that extra moisture.

Recipe ingredients

Here's what you need to make this recipe, including the role of each ingredient in a successful end result:

• Plain pumpkin puree: Provides the base of the butter's structure and texture, plus much of its color. Typically orange in color and thick, canned puree varies in consistency from more watery to less and darker to lighter in color. Libby's pure pumpkin is typically darker in color, a bit more fragrant, and less watery than store brands. But since we are cooking much of the moisture out of the pumpkin, it matters less. In our recipe for gluten free pumpkin pie, though, the quality of the pumpkin puree matters more. You can also use up the leftover pumpkin puree in my amazing gluten free pumpkin muffins.
• Pure maple syrup: Adds sweetness and a rich caramel flavor and earthiness that naturally complements pumpkin flavor from the puree and the spices. Also melts smoothly into the pumpkin puree.
• Apple cider: Apple cider has a richer, thicker, more complex flavor than apple juice, so it makes a more complex pumpkin butter when cooked down with the other ingredients. But you can use apple juice, or even pineapple juice, here. Some recipes use water, but that's a missed opportunity to add flavor and aroma.
• Pumpkin pie spice: A rich-tasting blend of warm fall spices cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg (heavy on the cinnamon), this is what provides much of the pumpkin flavor and aroma we love. To make your own homemade pumpkin pie spice, combine 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice, 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves, and a scant 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg.
• Salt: Enhances and balances the other flavors.
• Brown sugar: For some more sweetness, an extra layer of flavor and to help lock in moisture that won't cook off, add some brown sugar. It's optional.

How to make this pumpkin butter recipe (step by step photos)

Step 1: Mix most ingredients
Place the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, apple cider or juice, pumpkin spice and salt in a large, heavy-bottom pan. Stir to combine well so the mixture cooks evenly for consistent taste and texture throughout. This is how you'll avoid any bitter pockets of concentrated spice and tasteless portions.

Step 2: Begin to cook
Cook the mixture over medium-low heat while stirring frequently for 15 minutes. This reduction will begin to cook off about half of the moisture we intend to remove, and begin to marry and concentrate the flavors. Be sure to use a large enough pot, and stir frequently, to minimize the bubbling and spurting that can burn you.

Steps 3-4: Add (optional) brown sugar and cook
To increase the sweetness and add another layer of flavor, add brown sugar here, and stir until you reach your desired thickness, between 5 and 15 minutes more. Adding brown sugar after much of the cooking prevents much of the issues with burning the mixture is prone to.

The longer you cook, the more moisture from the pumpkin and cider or juice will evaporate. Continue to stir to avoid any burning, and gauge how much moisture remains in the pan, adapting your cooking time accordingly. You can also lower the temperature to slow things down.

Steps 5: Cook for eating
If you'd like to serve the pumpkin butter as a condiment for spread, dipping or topping, cook it down less, like you see in Step 5. The mixture will still glisten with moisture, and will seem smoother and spreadable. Be sure to taste it, and if it's too concentrated or even bitter, mix in more apple cider or juice slowly to restore it.

Step 6: Cook for baking
If you plan to bake with the butter, continue to cook off more moisture until the mixture has no more visible moisture and is a darker orange-brown color. Pumpkin puree alone has more moisture and less flavor than we would generally like in baking, making baked goods too cakey and puffy.

To begin with a whole pumpkin

You can begin by roasting a whole pumpkin rather than opening a can of pumpkin puree to make this recipe. Small sugar pumpkins are inexpensive during the fall baking season are easy to cut in half, pierce the skin, then roast each half, cut side down so they don't dry out, until tender. Scoop the flesh out and puree it in a food processor or blender.

Make the most of your pumpkin, then, and rinse, dry, sprinkle and toast those pumpkin seeds (instructions below in the recipe). They're ridiculously good for you, and my kids loved them even when they were small and extra picky.

Ingredient substitutions

Pumpkin puree

Most pure packed pumpkin is made with another winter squash, not pumpkin. Butternut squash works well, but its baked and pureed flesh will be less orange than had you used a sugar pumpkin.

You will need a starchy winter squash, though, that has flesh that is similar in texture to pumpkin, and ideally something with some flavor, which is why I don't recommend trying acorn squash (not enough flavor) or spaghetti squash (wrong texture). Even kabocha squash should work as a substitute for pumpkin, as it's similar in texture but even a bit sweeter and more fragrant than pumpkin.

Maple syrup

If you don't have maple syrup, you can try using honey, but honey is much thicker and more viscous with a heavier and distinctive flavor. Try using 3 tablespoons instead of 1/4 cup honey, and add a bit more apple cider or juice.

You can also try using granulated coconut palm sugar, and add more cider to compensate for the lack of moisture. You're reducing the moisture by cooking the mixture, but you want to be able to cook the pumpkin puree for long enough to concentrate it without burning it.

Apple cider/apple juice

If you can't have apple cider or apple juice, you can try using pineapple juice in its place. Pineapple juice is slightly more acidic than apple juice, but it adds really nice complexity to the pumpkin butter. If you hate the taste of pineapple, though, try white grape juice instead.

How to use pumpkin butter in baking

Once you make your own pumpkin butter or buy a jar of it, you'll want to find as many ways as possible to use it. Here are some of the best recipes on the blog that make really good use of all the delicious, flavorful pumpkin butter:

Gluten free pumpkin pancakes

These gf pumpkin pancakes are super flavorful and hearty, but still fluffy and too delicious to resist. This recipe calls for 5 ounces of pumpkin butter, which is just over 1/2 cup in volume.

Gluten free pumpkin pancakes

Gluten free pumpkin cornbread

A hint of festive pumpkin pie spice and 6 ounces of pumpkin butter make this moist and tender gf cornbread really special. Serve it with a pat of butter and some maple syrup, or plain alongside a steaming bowl of chili.

Gluten free pumpkin cornbread

Iced gluten free pumpkin scones

These gf pumpkin scones have the delightfully crumbly, but moist, crumb of all good pastry. Made with the customary 5 ounces of pumpkin butter, they put those “regular” Starbucks scones to shame!

Iced gluten free pumpkin scones

Gluten free pumpkin cinnamon rolls

Soft, fluffy, and filled with pumpkin flavor, these still have the texture proper cinnamon rolls thanks to the richness of 5 ounces of pumpkin butter without all the extra moisture of plain pumpkin puree.

Yeast free gluten free pumpkin cinnamon rolls

Gluten free pumpkin oatmeal cookies

These cookies have the satisfying bite and chew of traditional oatmeal cookies plus the added fall flavor and aroma that only 1/2 cup of pumpkin butter can provide.

CLICK FOR RECIPE

Gluten free pumpkin chocolate chip squares

Picture the chewy, satisfying texture of blondies but with all the warm spices and deep flavor of 7 ounces of pumpkin butter, and you've got these gf pumpkin squares. An easy alternative to pumpkin pie!

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Can I buy pumpkin butter?

Yes! Trader Joe's markets usually sell a jar of lovely pumpkin butter during the fall and holiday seasons. Green Jay Gourmet brand also makes gluten free pumpkin butter. Stonewall Kitchen Maple Pumpkin Butter is also gluten free, and really delicious. Be sure you're not buying pumpkin flavored nut butter; this is a fruit butter, not a nut butter.

Storage instructions

Due to the relatively low moisture content and high sugar content, stored in a sealed glass container, the pumpkin butter will keep in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks. For longer storage, I recommend freezing it in an ice cube tray, then in a sealed freezer-safe bag so you can defrost only what you intend to use.

Do not can this recipe

This recipe is not properly formulated to be canned in a shelf-stable way. In fact, homemade pumpkin butter cannot be canned safely at home since it is not acidic enough.

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Pumpkin Butter Recipe

This pumpkin butter recipe builds deep, layered fall flavor as it cooks. Stop when it’s smooth and spreadable, or keep cooking to concentrate it for baking!

Course Basics

Cuisine American

Keyword gluten free pumpkin butter

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Roasting time if using a fresh pumpkin 45 minutes minutes

Servings 2 cups

Calories 350kcal

Author Nicole Hunn

Ingredients

• 1 28-ounce can plain packed pumpkin puree (or 1 (1 1/2 to 2 pound) sugar/baking pumpkin)
• ¼ cup pure maple syrup
• ½ cup apple cider or apple juice, plus more as needed
• 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (See Recipe Notes)
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ cup packed light brown sugar optional

Customary – Metric

Instructions

To roast a fresh pumpkin

• If using a regular sugar/baking pumpkin, preheat your oven to 375°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
• Remove the stem and, with a large, sharp knife, cut the pumpkin in half through the middle. Scoop out all the seeds (see Recipe Notes for toasting the seeds).
• Place the pumpkin halves, cut side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake until the pumpkin halves are fork-tender and the flesh has begun to shrink away from the skin (about 45 minutes).
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool before scooping out the flesh and pureeing in a blender or food processor until smooth.

To make the pumpkin butter

• In a large heavy-bottom stockpot, combine the pumpkin puree with the maple syrup, apple cider (or juice), pumpkin pie spice, and salt.
• Mix to combine well and then simmer over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, for 15 minutes. Add the optional brown sugar, and stir to combine.
• Continue to cook until done. The additional cooking time will vary based on how you plan to use it, and the initial moisture content of your puree.
• Stirring will keep the mixture for splattering, as will cooking in a large pot.

For eating

• If you plan to eat the puree as is, rather than baking with it, continue to cook for about another 5 minutes or until it reaches its desired consistency and taste. It should glisten in the light. If it's thickened too much or tastes too strong, mix in more apple cider or juice to restore the consistency and taste.

For baking

• If you plan to bake with the butter, continue to cook until the mixture is reduced by about half and darkened in color, about another 15 minutes.
• Allow the pumpkin butter to cool completely before baking with it. Store in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator until ready to serve or use.

Video

Notes

For pumpkin pie spice

To make your own homemade spice blend, combine 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon + 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger + 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice + 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves + scant 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg.

To toast pumpkin seeds

Rinse the seeds to remove all traces of pumpkin flesh. Pat them dry with paper towels, toss them with plenty of kosher salt.

Spread them in an even layer and toast them in a dry cast iron skillet over medium heat or in a 300°F oven until lightly golden brown and fragrant.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 350kcal | Carbohydrates: 89g | Protein: 0.2g | Fat: 0.3g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.04g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.02g | Sodium: 313mg | Potassium: 234mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 83g | Vitamin A: 82IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 105mg | Iron: 1mg

This strawberry granola has real strawberry flavor baked right in, with a crisp, chunky texture and plenty of pistachios, oats, and seeds.

A concentrated strawberry syrup coats the oats before baking, then freeze-dried strawberries add another burst of bright berry flavor and crisp texture after the granola cools.

Why this recipe works

This granola starts with real strawberries cooked down into a thick syrup, instead of relying only on freeze-dried fruit for strawberry flavor like other recipes. It coats every oat, nut, and seed, so strawberry flavor and aroma runs through the granola itself.

Our quick cooked strawberry puree adds moisture, which can work against crisp granola. To remove extra moisture and concentrate the fruit flavor, we reduce the syrup quickly on the stovetop first, then finish baking the granola at a low temperature.

Freeze-dried strawberries go in only after the granola is completely cool, so they stay crisp and bright. The smaller pieces and strawberry dust also cling to the clusters for even more berry flavor.

Recipe ingredients

Here's what you need to make this recipe, including what role each ingredient plays in a successful batch of granola:

• Rolled oats: Provide the base structure of the granola, and they absorb sugars and flavors to form clusters with lots of chewy texture.
• Hemp seeds: Add some nutty, earthy flavor, provide some structure, and a much more tender chew than the oats.
• Pistachios: Add a buttery, nutty flavor, some visual interest, and crunchy texture. Their earthy richness is a nice contrast with the sweet-tart flavor of the strawberries.
• Strawberry puree: Adds concentrated natural strawberry flavor and aroma. Made with frozen strawberries, a bit of water to prevent burning, and maple syrup and honey for sweetness and depth of flavor.
• Coconut oil: Adds neutral fat that coats the oats, seeds and nuts, helping them to brown in the oven and trapping and mixing all of the flavors together. Since it's solid at cool room temperature, it resolidifes when the granola cools, helping the granola clusters to hold their shape.
• Honey: Adds flavor and sweetness, and a sticky quality that helps to bind the pieces together.
• Maple syrup: Also adds depth of flavor and sweetness, and the sugar in it helps to bind the clusters together.
• Coconut sugar: Adds sweetness and flavor without adding more moisture that might prevent the granola from becoming crispy.
• Vinegar: Helps release the juices from the strawberries and enhances the fruit's essential flavor.
• Vanilla: Adds depth of flavor and makes the granola taste sweeter without adding more sugar. Vanilla bean paste has vanilla bean seeds for some extra flavor, but pure vanilla extract works well, too.
• Salt: Enhances all the other flavors and balances sweetness.
• Freeze-dried strawberries: Add color, crisp texture, and lots of strawberry flavor. I buy them unsweetened in 1.2 ounce bags from Trader Joe's, and you can also buy them at many health food stores and online.

How to make strawberry granola (step by step photos)

Make the strawberry puree
Start by making the puree with frozen strawberries, some water so they don't burn on the bottom of the pan, salt, and maple syrup instead of refined sugar. Cook all the ingredients in a pan until the strawberries are very soft. For full details on making the puree, see our recipe for strawberry puree and syrup.

Puree the whole mixture in the pan with a stick blender, or allow to cool and use a regular blender. Use a fine mesh sieve to strain the seeds from the strawberry puree only if their presence in your granola will bother you.

Mix dry ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, mix all of the dry ingredients (rolled oats, chopped pistachios, hemp seeds, and salt) to combine well for a uniform granola mixture.

Make strawberry syrup
Cook all of the wet ingredients (1/2 cup of the strawberry puree, honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar, vinegar and coconut oil) over medium heat until the mixture reduces by about 1/4. It will bubble up as the moisture is released, and the mixture should turn thick and jammy. It will turn much darker in color and coat the bottom of the pan. This step concentrates the flavors and reduces moisture so the granola has a nice crispy texture.

Combine wet and dry
Pour the hot strawberry syrup into the bowl of dry ingredients and mix to combine. There's no need to wait for the syrup to cool before combining, since we're going to bake everything right away. Just be sure to mix everything thoroughly so the syrup has coated every small piece of dry ingredients for full flavor.

Bake, stir, bake
Transfer the raw granola mixture onto a half sheet pan lined with parchment paper to prevent sticking. Spread the mixture into a thin layer without any jagged edges for full heat exposure so it bakes evenly, and bake at 325°F for just 10 minutes.

Stir the mixture to redistribute all the ingredients to another part of the baking sheet and bake again for 10 minutes. Stirring halfway through baking ensures that all ingredients get even baking exposure rather than just allowing the edges to get extra crispy before the center bakes all the way through.

Maybe bake again
The granola should be very fragrant now and lightly golden brown all over. Do not stir it again. If you'd like to quit here, you can. But I really encourage you to reduce the oven temperature to 175°F and continue to cook for about an hour to remove as much moisture as possible for maximum crispiness. This is especially important if your house is humid, which can make the granola become sticky.

Let cool completely
Let the granola sit, completely undisturbed, at cool room temperature. Avoid exposure to humidity as much as possible, which will prevent it from setting up dry. The granola will continue to crisp until the last bit of heat has left the tray.

Add freeze-dried strawberries
Add the freeze-dried strawberries at the very end, after baking is done and the granola is completely cool. Otherwise, any residual heat might break down the color of the strawberries, and any remaining moisture would moisten the berries and ruin their texture.

Expert tips

Bake more

Adding real strawberry syrup to this granola adds unwanted moisture that is the enemy of the bet granola. To achieve the ideal crispy strawberry granola clusters, reduce the oven temperature to 175°F after 20 minutes of baking at 325°F and continue to bake for about an hour. I know it's a lot to ask, but using your oven as a dehydrator ensure the crispiest clusters that stay that way literally for weeks. Weeks!

Add the strawberry dust

Don't leave behind any ground freeze-dried strawberries at the bottom of the bag when adding the strawberries after the granola has cooled. Those small pieces coat the granola clusters and adds lots of flavor and beautiful pink color.

Use an immersion blender (if possible)

Never blend hot liquid in a regular blender because it agitates the heat which is released as steam, creating enough pressure to launch the lid off the blender. If you don't have a stick (or immersion) blender to puree the strawberries right in pot you cooked them in, let the mixture cool before using a regular blender.

Ingredient substitutions

As long as you source gluten free ingredients, most importantly oats, this recipe is already gluten free, dairy free, egg free and free of refined sugars. To avoid other allergens or change up some of the flavors, here are some suggestions:

Oats

If you can't have oats, you can replace them most effectively with rolled or flattened buckwheat or millet. If you can find it, you can also replace them with flattened or beaten rice. I also have a full discussion of substitutes for oats in baking.

Pistachios

You can use almost any other nut in place of pistachios, like walnuts, almonds, pecans, cashews, peanuts, or hazelnuts. If you need to avoid nuts completely, you can replace the nuts, by weight, with larger seeds like pumpkin seeds or jumbo sunflower seeds. You can also use more rolled oats, but you'll miss out on the taste and texture variation.

Hemp seeds

The best substitute for the tender texture of hemp seeds is sunflower seeds. I've also made this recipe with basil seeds and chia seeds, and they get pretty hard and it's just not at good. You can also use chopped pumpkin seeds for a nuttier and crunchier flavor.

Honey

If you can't have honey, Lyle's Golden Syrup will mimic the same sticky qualities and similar flavor. You can also just use more coconut sugar.

Coconut oil

It's important to use a fat that's solid at cool room temperature. In place of coconut oil, you can use shortening (Spectrum is my favorite brand, but Crisco will also work).

Strawberries

You can replace the strawberries in the puree and the freeze dried strawberries with another berry, like strawberries, blueberries, or even blackberries. If you're using blackberries in the puree, you must strain out all of the seeds, since blackberry seeds are relatively large and unpleasant.

Storage instructions

Like all crunchy baked goods, this granola is best kept at room temperature in a sealed glass container. Glass is nonporous, unlike plastic, so it won't absorb any moisture from the environment, which would ruin the texture. It will keep at room temperature that way for about 2 weeks since the sugars help preserve it.

For longer storage, you can freeze it in an airtight freezer-safe container for about 3 months. It will likely lose its crispness, though, and the freeze-dried strawberries will most likely lose their texture. To restore the crispness, try baking it in a single layer at about 175°F for 30 to 45 minutes.

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Strawberry Granola Recipe

This crisp strawberry granola has chunky clusters coated in real strawberry syrup, with pistachios and freeze-dried berries for even more flavor.

Course Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword strawberry granola

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Cooling time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 5 cups

Calories 767kcal

Author Nicole Hunn

Equipment

• Blender for the strawberry puree

Ingredients

For the strawberry puree

• 4 ounces frozen strawberries
• 2 tablespoons lukewarm water
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt

For the granola

• 3 cups old fashioned rolled oats (gluten free if necessary)
• 1 cup raw pistachio nut meats roughly chopped
• ½ cup raw hemp seeds
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ cup strawberry puree from above
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 5 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 5 tablespoons coconut sugar
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 4 tablespoons virgin coconut oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
• 2 ounces freeze-dried strawberries (each bag from Trader Joe’s is 1.2 ounces)

Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 325°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet (a half sheet pan works best) with parchment paper, and set it aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, place the oats, pistachios, seeds, and salt, and mix to combine. Set the bowl aside.

Make the strawberry puree

• Place all of the strawberry puree ingredients in a medium-size saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is bubbling. Continue to cook until the strawberries are soft enough to crush.
• Remove the pan from the heat and puree immediately in the pan with a stick blender, or in a regular blender after it’s cooled.
• For a smoother puree, strain out the seeds using a fine mesh sieve. Measure out 1/2 cup of the puree to use in this recipe, and reserve the rest in a sealed container in the refrigerator for other uses.

Make the strawberry syrup

• Place 1/2 cup strawberry puree, honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar, vinegar, and coconut oil in a medium-size, heavy bottom saucepan.
• Cook over medium heat until reduced by about 1/4, stirring occasionally to prevent it from burning. The mixture will bubble as the moisture begins to boil off, and it should take about 3 minutes to reduce.

Make the granola

• Pour the strawberry mixture and vanilla into the mixing bowl with the oats. Mix to combine well with a silicone spatula. Be sure to coat all of the dry ingredients with the wet mixture.
• Scrape the granola onto the prepared baking sheet, and spread into a single layer.
• Place it in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes.
• Remove from the oven, stir with a large mixing spoon until everything is rearranged and spread to the edges of the pan.
• Return the granola to the oven and bake for another 10 minutes. The granola should be fragrant and the oats should be starting to turn lightly golden brown.
• For the crispiest clusters, reduce the oven temperature to 175°F and continue to bake for another 45 minutes to 1 hour. This will help dry out any remaining moisture that might make the granola feel sticky.
• Remove the pan from the oven and allow the granola to cool on the sheet pan, uncovered, for about 45 minutes or until dry to the touch.
• Scatter the freeze-dried strawberries evenly on top of the granola and turn it over with a spoon or spatula until the strawberries are evenly distributed throughout the mixture.
• Transfer the granola to a glass container with a lid. That will keep it crunchy until you are ready to serve it. Store at room temperature.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 767kcal | Carbohydrates: 99g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 12g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Sodium: 441mg | Potassium: 734mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 50g | Vitamin A: 173IU | Vitamin C: 166mg | Calcium: 130mg | Iron: 9mg

These gluten free biscoff cookies are thin, crisp, and deeply spiced, with the caramelized brown sugar flavor of the classic cookies. The one-bowl dough is easy to make and handle, so it's easier to get that familiar taste and texture than you think.

Lots of classic brands now make gluten free snacks inspired by their most popular treats, but until Lotus Bakeries adds Biscoff to that list, we’ll have to make our own!

Why this recipe works

Brown and white sugars, honey, and warm spices build the deep caramelized flavor that makes Biscoff cookies so distinctive, without making them overly sweet.

The dough comes together by hand with no eggs, mixer or food processor. It stays smooth and workable, so you can roll it thin and cut clean rectangles without having to chill it first.

Thin dough plus a few holes in the tops helps the cookies bake evenly, so they come out golden and firm. And then crisp up completely as they cool.

Recipe ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make these cookies at home, plus some information on the role of each element in the cookie recipe. For full ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card below:

• Gluten free flour: With xanthan gum or a substitute for xanthan gum, it provides the structure and most of the texture for these cookies. Be sure to use something that has finely ground and sifted rice flour in a well-balanced blend for structure, taste and performance. I recommend Better Batter's original all purpose blend (which already contains enough xanthan gum), Nicole's Best Multipurpose gluten free flour (plus 1 teaspoon xanthan gum), or Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 gluten free baking flour with an additional 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum (the blend contains some, but not enough to prevent crumbling cookies).
• Cinnamon: The dominant spice flavor, it adds subtle sweetness and warmth.
• Nutmeg: Adds a sharp, slightly bitter and peppery warmth that complements cinnamon.
• Allspice: Similar in flavor to both cinnamon and nutmeg, it acts to balance the other two spices.
• Cardamom: Adds a bright, almost minty flavor to contrast the warmth of the other spices.
• Cloves: Contributes a sharp flavor that adds depth to the balance of spicy flavors.
• Salt: Adds brightness and balances the sweetness of the sugars.
• Baking soda: Adds rise when it reacts with the acid in the brown sugar and honey, and helps the cookies brown in the oven.
• Granulated sugar: Adds sweetness, crispness, and locks in moisture so the cookies don't dry out.
• Light brown sugar: Adds sweetness and depth of flavor from the molasses, and keeps the cookies from becoming too hard in the oven.
• Butter: Adds buttery flavor, moisture, and fat to help the cookies brown in the oven. Keeping it solid at cool room temperature helps keep the cookies from spreading too much during baking.
• Honey: Helps bind the cookies together with its stickiness, plus adds flavor and moisture.

How to make gluten free Biscoff cookies (step by step photos)

Mix the dry ingredients
Whisk together the flour blend including xanthan gum, all the spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cardamom and cloves), salt, baking soda, granulated sugar and brown sugar. This ensures that the base of the recipe is uniform and there are no bitter pockets of leavener.

Add the butter
Chop the butter into cubes to scatter it evenly over the dry ingredients and toss to coat the butter in flour. This will prevent the butter from sticking to itself. Press the tines of a fork or the back of a mixing spoon into the butter pieces to work them into the dry mixture until the mixture resembles brown coarse sand.

Mix in liquids
Mix in 1/4 cup of water and just 1 tablespoon of honey to the dry mixture to form a cohesive light brown cookie dough. If there are any very dry spots in the mixture, add more water by the drop just to those dry spots, like we do with our gluten free pie crust. The dough should be thick and soft, but firm enough that it doesn’t escape between your fingers when you squeeze it.

Roll out the dough
Divide the dough in half, and work with one half at a time so it's easier to roll it evenly. Sprinkling lightly with more flour on a surface and on top of the dough as necessary to prevent the dough from sticking and tearing, use a rolling pin to roll out the dough into a rectangle about 1/8-inch thick.

Test the dough texture
If the dough feels too fragile to lift up even the edges, it may be too wet. That will lead to a too-soft dough that doesn't hold its shape and tends to rise less evenly. To fix it, sprinkle the dough with about 1 tablespoon more flour, fold it over on itself to work in the extra flour, and roll it out again.

Cut out shapes
If you have a cookie cutter that's about 2 1/2 inches x 1 1/2 inches, use it to cut out rectangles in the dough. If not, use a pastry cutter (one that creates a scalloped edge looks pretty) or pizza wheel to cut out as many rectangles about that size as you can. Peel away the dough around the cutouts if you've used a cutter, and gather it to reroll.

Place on the baking sheets
Place the cuts about 1/2-inch apart on the prepared baking sheets, since they won't spread much during baking. If you’re think the cutouts might stretch when you lift them, use an offset spatula to lift them to the prepared baking sheets.

Pierce the tops
Use a toothpick to poke 5 or 6 small holes in each rectangle to help the cookies rise more evenly. My cookie cutter happens to create these holes on its own, but a toothpick works great.

Bake the cookies
Bake the cookies, one baking sheet at a time, at 350°F for about 15 minutes, or until mostly firm to the touch and golden brown. Their color will actually lighten a bit during baking, but they shouldn't burn on the bottoms at all. The more evenly rolled out the cookies are, the less likely they are to burn on the bottom in spots.

Ingredient substitutions

These cookies are already gluten free and egg free. Here's how to avoid other potential allergens.

Dairy free

In place of butter, try block style vegan butter like Miyoko's or Melt brand. They may not become as crispy, though. You can also try virgin coconut oil (the kind that's solid at cool room temperature) or Spectrum brand vegetable shortening, but you'll probably need more water since they're missing the water that's in butter.

Honey

In place of honey, you can try using maple syrup, but you'll probably need less water.

Spices

The spices in these cookies really set them apart from our gluten free graham crackers, but you can still make some changes if necessary. In place of the cinnamon, nutmeg an allspice, you can use 2 teaspoons of apple pie spice. The other spices add a lot of flavor that really makes these cookies taste like the original, but you can also leave out the cardamom and cloves or add another 1/4 teaspoon apple pie spice in their place.

Storage instructions

These cookies will keep stored in a sealed glass container at room temperature for about 2 weeks. Be sure to store them in glass, since plastic is porous and the cookies will absorb moisture from the room and lose their crisp texture.

For longer storage, freeze for up to 3 months. They may lose some crispness in the freezer, but it helps if you can freeze them in tempered glass. Just make sure there's enough headspace for the cookies to expand a bit during freezing.

Can I make these into gluten free Biscoff spread?

Yes! In a blender or food processor, grind about 5 ounces of these gluten free Biscoff cookies (about 18 cookies of this size, or 1/4 of the recipe) into crumbs. Then add 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar, a pinch of baking soda, a pinch of salt, 1 tablespoon of tapioca starch, and 6 tablespoons of melted Spectrum nonhydrogenated vegetable shortening and blend for about 3 minutes or until smooth. Transfer the spread to a container, and allow it to sit uncovered at room temperature until no longer warm (about 30 minutes). Cover and store at room temperature until firm (about 2 hours). It will harden if stored in the refrigerator, but will soften again when it returns to room temperature.

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Gluten Free Biscoff Cookies Recipe

Make crisp gluten free Biscoff cookies with deep caramelized brown sugar flavor and plenty of cinnamon and spice, using an easy one-bowl dough with no chilling!

Course Cookies, Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword gluten free Biscoff cookies

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 72 cookies

Calories 37kcal

Author Nicole Hunn

Equipment

• Rolling Pin
• 2 1/2-inch x 1 1/2-inch rectangular cookie cutter (or pastry or pizza wheel)
• Toothpick for piercing

Ingredients

• 2 ¼ cups all purpose gluten free flour blend (See Recipe Notes), plus more for sprinkling
• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon (See Recipe Notes)
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg (See Recipe Notes)
• ¼ teaspoon ground allspice (See Recipe Notes)
• ⅛ teaspoon ground cardamom
• ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon honey
• ¼ cup lukewarm water plus more as needed

Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line rimmed baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper and set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour blend, xanthan gum, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cardamom, cloves, salt, baking soda, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar to combine well. We’ll work out any lumps in the brown sugar in the next step.
• Chop the butter into tablespoon sized cubes and add it to the mixing bowl. Work the butter into the dry ingredients with the tines of a fork or the back of a spoon until the mixture resembles coarse sand. You’ll naturally break up any lumps in the brown sugar along the way.
• Add the honey and 1/4 cup water, and mix to combine. Add more water by the drop to any especially dry spots and mix to combine. The cookie dough will come together and should be thick but not stiff.
• Divide the cookie dough roughly in half and press each half into a round of dough. Work with one half at a time (draping the other half with plastic or a tea towel so it doesn’t dry out).
• Place the first half of cookie dough on a lightly floured surface, press it into a rough rectangle, and sprinkle the top very lightly with more flour.
• Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a rectangle a bit more than 1/8 inch thick. If the dough feels too fragile to lift up even the edges, you may have added too much water, so work in about 1 tablespoon more flour and roll the dough out again.
• Cut out rectangles about 2 1/2 inches x 1 1/2, and place about 1/2-inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. If you don't have a cookie cutter that's about the right size, use a pastry wheel or pizza cutter to cut out rectangles.
• Peel away the rest of the dough around the cutouts, then place the cutouts about 1/2-inch apart from one another.
• Use a toothpick to poke 5 or 6 small holes in each rectangle while it's on the baking sheet.
• Place the baking sheets in the center of the preheated oven, one at a time, and bake until golden brown and mostly firm to the touch, about 15 minutes. To get a feel for how quickly they will bake, make your first batch in the oven a small one and adjust the baking time appropriately.
• Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. They will crisp as they cool.
• Gather and reroll scraps, and repeat with the remaining cookie dough.

Notes

Flour blend notes

This recipe works best with Better Batter’s original all purpose blend or Nicole’s Best multipurpose with 1 teaspoon xanthan gum. It should also work with Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 gluten free baking flour if you add 1/4 teaspoon more xanthan gum, since that blend has some, but not enough, binder.

To make your own high-quality gluten free flour blend, check out my mock all purpose gluten free flour blends. 

Spices

In place of the cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice, you can use 2 teaspoons apple pie spice for the same taste. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 37kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 0.2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.04g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 24mg | Potassium: 4mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 29IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 0.02mg

These tender, sweet gluten free blueberry muffins can hold plenty of juicy blueberries without sinking or collapsing, whether you use fresh or frozen berries.

They rise high over the pan with big, craggy bakery-style tops without chilling the batter, using a special muffin tin, or even pulling out a mixer!

How to make gluten free blueberry muffins (step by step photos)

Here's a visual overview of how to make these muffins. For full recipe details, including ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card:

Prep the oven and pan
Preheat your oven to 400°F. Grease or line a 12-cup muffin tin and set aside. I like to use muffin liners for extra support that helps the muffins rise tall.

Combine the wet ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted and cooled butter, buttermilk, lemon juice, and eggs until smooth. This breaks up the egg yolks and makes it easier to combine with the dry ingredients without having to overmix and deflate the batter.

Whisk the dry ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour blend, xanthan gum (remember to add more even if your blend already usually has enough), cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and granulated sugar.

Coat the blueberries
Toss the blueberries with about 1 tablespoon of the dry mixture, and set them aside. This will help suspend them in the batter, so they don't sink to the bottom during baking.

Combine wet and dry
Use your mixing spoon to create a hole in the center of the dry ingredients, and pour in the wet mixture. Stir until combined, and expect that the batter will be thick, perfect for holding those berries in place, ensuring plenty of blueberry flavor and moisture in every bite.

Fold in the berries
Gently fold in the coated blueberries just until evenly distributed. Adding them in last makes it easier to avoid them bursting, which will turn the batter blue and make the batter too wet, which could cause them to cave in.

Fill the muffin tin
Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling them completely full for that big muffin dome. Pile the batter a bit toward the center of each well to encourage the shape even more, if possible, evening out the batter in each well as needed.

Add the topping
Brush the top with melted butter and sprinkle with coarse sugar, and/or sprinkle the tops with brown sugar for some extra flavor and a light, crispy shell on top.

Bake
Bake at 400°F for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350°F and bake for another 10 to 12 minutes. Ovens (and gluten free flour blends, even among my recommended ones) are all different, so baking times are always approximate. Pay less attention to the time on a timer and more to doneness cues like a toothpick inserted in the center coming out withe a few moist crumbs attached and the muffins springing back when pressed gently in the center.

Cool
Let the muffins cool in the tin for 10 minutes to allow the starches to reassemble into a more stable structure (called retrogradation!), then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Waiting a bit will help keep the muffins from falling apart, and cooling them on a wire rack will prevent them from steaming in the muffin tin, turning the crumb unpleasantly chewy.

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Gluten Free Blueberry Muffins Recipe

These tender gluten free blueberry muffins have big, craggy tops and plenty of juicy berries, with no chilling, special pan, or mixer needed!

Course Muffins

Cuisine American

Keyword blueberries, butter, buttermilk, eggs, gluten free blueberry muffins, gluten free flour, lemon juice, white sugar

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 12 muffins

Calories 309kcal

Author Nicole Hunn

Ingredients

For the muffin batter

• ¾ cup buttermilk at room temperature
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled
• 3 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice
• 2 eggs at room temperature
• 2 ½ cups all purpose gluten free flour blend (See Recipe Notes)
• 1 ½ teaspoons xanthan gum (See Recipe Notes)
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 ¼ cups fresh or frozen blueberries (See Recipe Notes)

For topping

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter melted, optional
• Coarse sugar for sprinkling, optional
• 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar optional, for sprinkling

Customary – Metric

Instructions

Make the muffin batter

• Preheat your oven to 400°F. Grease and/or line a 12-cup muffin tin with muffins liners. Set it aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, melted butter, lemon juice, and eggs until well combined.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, xanthan gum, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.
• Toss the blueberries in about 1 tablespoon of the dry mixture to coat. Set them aside.
• Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add the wet mixture and mix until just combined. The batter will be thick.
• Use a silicone spatula to gently fold in the floured blueberries until evenly distributed, taking care not to burst the berries.
• Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups, piling it a bit more toward the center of each well, if possible. The cups should be completely full.
• Brush the tops with melted butter and sprinkle with coarse sugar, if using. And/or sprinkling the brown sugar evenly on top.

Bake the muffins

• Bake at 400°F for 10 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 350°F.
• Finish baking the muffins at 350°F until a toothpick inserted in the center (and not in a blueberry) comes out with no more than a few moist crumbs attached (10 to 12 minutes more). When the muffins are done baking, the tops will also spring back when pressed gently in the center.
• Let muffins cool in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Video

Notes

Flour blend/xanthan gum tips
These muffins work best with a well-balanced gluten free flour blend like Better Batter, with an extra 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum for taller muffins, or Nicole’s Best with 1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum (a bit more than usual per cup for muffins, so they rise tall). If using Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1, add 3/4 teaspoon extra xanthan gum to avoid a crumbly texture since the blend has some, but not enough, binder. 

For DIY blend instructions, visit my all purpose GF flour blends guide. 

Using frozen blueberries
Don’t thaw them! Use straight from the freezer and toss in dry ingredients before folding into the batter.

Dairy free version
Use half plain dairy-free yogurt and half unsweetened non-dairy milk, by volume, instead of buttermilk. Swap butter for block-style vegan butter (like Miyoko’s or Melt brand). And be sure to choose a dairy free flour blend. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1muffin | Calories: 309kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 57mg | Sodium: 339mg | Potassium: 54mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 394IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 106mg | Iron: 0.4mg

FAQs

These gluten free breakfast bars taste like a thick, chewy square of brown sugar and cinnamon oatmeal. They keep that familiar oatmeal flavor front and center, with just enough texture and sweetness to make them especially kid-friendly.

Why this recipe works

Oat flour and rolled oats give these bars plenty of oatmeal flavor without loading them up with crunchy mix-ins like nuts. The oat flour creates a smooth, chewy crumb, while the whole oats add just enough texture.

Brown sugar and cinnamon add light caramel flavor and familiar sweetness, while a touch of honey helps bind everything together. The bars stay less sweet and much less sticky than gluten free granola bars.

Baking at a lower temperature keeps them pale, soft, and chewy instead of deeply browned. They’re sturdy enough to take anywhere without crumbling, and they freeze really well for busy mornings.

Recipe ingredients

Here's what you need to make this recipe. For full ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card below:

• Gluten free flour blend (with xanthan gum for binding): Provides most of the structure of these bars. I recommend Better Batter's original blend all purpose gluten free flour without more xanthan gum added, Nicole's Best multipurpose flour with 1 teaspoon xanthan gum, or Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 gluten free baking blend with an additional 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum. Bob's has some binder, but not enough to ensure that the bars aren't too crumbly.
• Oat flour: Adds an earthy flavor, and a mild natural sweetness, and chewiness to the bars. You can grind old fashioned gluten free oats into flour, or use commercially ground and sifted gluten free oat flour for a smoother crumb. I like Gold Medal brand, which is well priced, gluten free, and available in a lot of larger grocery stores.
• Old fashioned rolled oats: Adds some texture, extra chewiness and some more of the earthy flavor of oats. There are lot of brands of gluten free oats available, and I usually buy Bob's Red Mill brand. Just be sure to grab the bag that says “gluten free.”
• Baking powder & baking soda: Baking powder adds rise for a taller bar and more open crumb, and baking soda helps the bars brown gently in the oven.
• Salt: Brightens the other flavors and balances the sweetness.
• Light brown sugar: Adds sweetness and makes the bars more tender by locking in moisture. We use brown sugar instead of white here to add moisture from the added molasses, keep the bars from crisping too much, and for the light caramel flavor that naturally complements the flavor of oatmeal.
• Cinnamon: Adds the perception of more sweetness without adding more sugar, and pairs well with oats and brown sugar.
• Refined coconut oil: Adds tenderness by trapping moisture, keeps the bars dairy free, and keeps them from browning as much as butter would so the bars taste a lot like eating oatmeal. Be sure to use the kind of oil that's solid at cool room temperature, not liquid, so that your bars aren't greasy.
• Eggs: Help bind the bars together so they don't crumble, and help them keep their shape and avoid falling as they cool.
• Vanilla: Adds depth of flavor to these simple bars.

How to make gluten free breakfast bars (step by step photos)

Here's an overview of how to make these bars in your own kitchen.

Combine dry ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients (gluten free flour blend with xanthan gum, oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, light brown sugar and rolled oats). This will prevent any bitter clumps of leaveners or salt, and will lessen the amount of mixing necessary once you add the liquids. Be sure to break up any lumps, since the moisture in brown sugar can make it harden into clumps that won't bake properly.

Mix in wet ingredients
Add the liquids (beaten eggs, melted coconut oil and vanilla extract) to the dry ingredients and mix to combine. The dough isn't very wet, but everything should get moistened enough that the dough holds together when squeezed. If any very dry pockets remain, drizzle in a bit of lukewarm water just to those spots, but go slowly because too much moisture will make the bars spread.

Roll the dough
Turn the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper and press it roughly into a square, about 1-inch thick. Use a rolling pin to roll from the center to the edges to create an 8-inch square that's about 3/4-inch thick. If the dough cracks easily as you're rolling it out, gather it back together with your hands, press it together firmly, and try rolling it again.

Shape and cut the bars
Use a metal bench scraper or other straight edge on each of the 4 sides of the square to sharpen the edges into 3/4-inch tall walls. Like with gluten free biscuits, sharpened edges will help the bars rise up tall, rather than spreading out wide. Cut the bars into 9 equal-size squares with edges that are as sharp as possible. If you're having trouble getting clean edges, try refrigerating the dough for a few minutes.

Bake the bars
Place the bars on a parchment-lined baking sheet about 1-inch apart from one another. Bake in the center of a 325°F oven until the bars have risen about 1/4-inch and are firm to the touch, 12 to 14 minutes. Baking the bars at a low temperature for a bit longer yields pale bars that taste a lot like a bowl of oatmeal with cinnamon and brown sugar. Drizzle lightly with the optional confectioners' sugar glaze, if you like, after the bars cool completely.

Expert tips

Unlike most breakfast bars, these are shaped before baking instead of sliced afterward. That makes them sturdier and easier to take on the go. Here are a few other tips:

Add water sparingly

The dough should be thick and somewhat dry, but it must hold together when squeezed. Add lukewarm water only to visibly dry patches, a little at a time, since excess moisture may make the bars spread instead of holding their shape.

Sharpen the edges

After rolling the dough into a square, use a bench scraper or straight edge to create clean, upright sides before cutting it into bars. Sharp edges encourage the bars to rise upward and stay thick instead of spreading outward.

Use the right coconut oil

Choose refined coconut oil that's solid at cool room temperature, not liquid coconut oil. It will resolidify as the bars cool, which helps them stay tender without becoming greasy.

Ingredient substitutions

Dairy free

The recipe for the bars is already naturally dairy free since it calls for coconut oil, not butter, as the fat. To make the glaze dairy free, just use a nondairy milk or even water, and replace the unsalted butter with Earth Balance buttery sticks or block-style vegan butter like Melt or Miyoko's brand.

Egg free

You can try this recipe with 2 “chia eggs” in place of regular eggs (a “chia egg” is just 1 tablespoon of ground chia seeds mixed with 2 tablespoons of water and allowed to gel). You can also try Bob's Red Mill egg replacer or Just Egg liquid egg replacer, each according to package instructions.

Coconut oil

If you don't like the taste of coconut, try using triple filtered coconut oil, which has no odor or flavor. If you can't have coconut oil, you can use shortening in its place. You can use melted unsalted butter, but the bars will be a bit more dry because butter contains less fat than oil.

Oat free

If you can't have oats, you can probably use a substitute for oats for each type of oat product in this recipe. In place oat flour, try grinding quinoa flakes into a smooth powder. In place of the rolled oats, try using rolled buckwheat.

Storage instructions

These bars will stay fresh in a sealed container, or wrapped in plastic individually, at room temperature for at least 3 days. If it's warm in your kitchen, the glaze may get a bit tacky at room temperature. For longer storage, wrap each in freezer-safe wrap individually and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature or microwave on half power for 30 seconds.

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Gluten Free Breakfast Bars Recipe

These gluten free breakfast bars taste like brown sugar cinnamon oatmeal, with a soft, chewy texture that holds together without crumbling, even on the go!

Course Bars

Cuisine American

Keyword oatmeal bars, oatmeal breakfast bars

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 14 minutes minutes

Servings 9 bars

Calories 369kcal

Author Nicole Hunn

Ingredients

For the bars

• 2 cups all purpose gluten free flour blend (See Recipe Notes)
• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
• 1 cup gluten free oat flour
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¾ cup gluten free old-fashioned rolled oats
• ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 eggs at room temperature, beaten
• 6 tablespoons virgin coconut oil melted and cooled
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• Lukewarm water as needed

For the optional glaze

• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon milk (any kind) plus more as necessary, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter at room temperature
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 325°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper and set it aside.

Make the bars

• In a large bowl, place the flour, oat flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon, and whisk to combine well.
• Add the rolled oats and brown sugar, and mix to combine, working out any lumps in the brown sugar.
• Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and add the beaten eggs, coconut oil and vanilla. Mix until combined, kneading with your hands as necessary to bring the dough together. It will be very thick.
• If the dough has any patches that seem very dry, sprinkle them lightly with only as much lukewarm water as necessary to bring the dough together.
• Transfer the dough to a sheet of unbleached parchment paper and press and pat into a square about 1 inch thick.
• Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough until it is about 8 inches square, and about 3/4-inch thick.
• Sharpen the edges of the square of dough with the sides of your hands and/or a bench scraper.
• Using a bench scraper or a large knife, slice the dough into 9 equal squares.
• Place the squares about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet.
• Place the pan in the center of the preheated oven and bake until the bars are mostly firm to the touch and just beginning to brown on top, 12 to 14 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on the pan.

Make the (optional) glaze

• In a medium-size bowl, place the confectioners’ sugar and salt, and whisk to combine well.
• Add 1 tablespoon of the milk, butter and the vanilla, and mix until a thick, smooth paste forms.
• If it’s too thick to pipe, add more milk by the half-teaspoonful until you reach the proper consistency.
• Once the squares have cooled completely, pipe a zigzag pattern of glaze on top of each.
• Allow to set at room temperature.

Video

Notes

Gluten free flour notes

This recipe works best with Better Batter’s original all purpose blend, Nicole’s Best multipurpose with 1 teaspoon xanthan gum. It should also work with Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 gluten free baking flour if you add 1/4 teaspoon more xanthan gum, since that blend has some, but not enough, binder.

To make your own high-quality gluten free flour blend, check out my mock all purpose gluten free flour blends. 

Nutritional information excludes the glaze.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bar | Calories: 369kcal | Carbohydrates: 71g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 265mg | Potassium: 118mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 95IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 1mg