Make this decadent gluten free dairy free chocolate cake without any dairy-free butter or milk substitutes for a cake that's designed to be made without dairy. It's rich in chocolate flavor, stays fresh at room temperature for days, and is even tender when chilled.

Why this recipe works

This rich chocolate cake doesn't call for any nondairy substitutes that you may not already have, so you can bake it for a dairy free friend without having to buy something special at the store. Plus, the flavor of vegan butter can have an artificial taste due to added culturing agents.

Since this cake was originally made with mayonnaise instead of a combination of an egg and oil, it's easily adapted to being made with vegan mayonnaise for an egg-free, dairy-free cake with deep cocoa flavor.

Recipe ingredients

Here are a few things to keep in mind about each of the ingredients in this cake and what role they play in a successful result:

• Boiling water: Water of course adds moisture to bring the cake together. We use boiling water to dissolve the cocoa in boiling water in a process called “blooming,” which deepens the chocolate flavor.
• Cocoa powder: Adds lots of rich chocolate flavor. Since this cake has baking soda in it to neutralize any acid in your natural cocoa powder, you can use natural cocoa powder or Dutch-processed, or even Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder, which is a blend of the two.
• Brewed coffee: Deepens the chocolate flavor without adding any noticeable coffee taste. You can use decaf or caffeinated coffee, or replace it with more water.
• Dairy free chocolate: Adds more chocolate flavor and creates a fudgier, more dense and rich texture. You can use vegan chocolate disks or chopped chocolate. Be sure to use melting chocolate that is made for baking, and avoid chocolate chips which contain added wax to prevent them from melting in the oven.
• Egg: Adds structure, some lift and keeps the cake from falling as it cools.
• Oil: Adds fat for richness and mouthfeel, and keeps the cake moist for longer at room temperature and even when chilled.
• Sugar: Adds sweetness and tenderizes the cake's crumb by locking in moisture.
• Salt: Enhances the other flavors.
• Vanilla extract: Vanilla extract is as delicious in chocolate cake as it is in our gluten free vanilla cake, deepening all the other flavors. Use vanilla bean paste for extra flavor.
• Gluten free flour blend: Any well-balanced gluten free flour blend that is designed to work well to make cakes should work, as long as it has finely ground rice flour or the cake will be gritty. I like Better Batter's classic blend, Bob's Red Mill's 1-to-1 blend with an additional 1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum (the blend has some gum but not enough), or Vitacost's Multi-Blend gluten free flour with added xanthan gum as listed in the recipe. Avoid Nicole's Best here, since it contains dairy.
• Baking soda – Helps give the cake lift, and neutralizes acidic ingredients like natural cocoa powder, if you're using it.

How to make gluten free dairy free chocolate cake (step by step photos)

This visual guide demonstrates how to make this cake in your own kitchen and includes an explanation for each step. For the exact ingredient amounts and instruction, please see the recipe card below.

Make the hot chocolate mixture
In a 4 cup/950 ml heat-safe measuring cup or medium-size bowl, whisk boiling water, hot brewed coffee and 1/2 cup cocoa powder. The cocoa powder will resist combining so keep whisking until it's smooth.

Add chopped dairy free chocolate to the hot mixture and whisk it in so it melts, then let the mixture sit for 5 minutes so the cocoa powder blooms, or develops its full flavor potential.

Add the remaining wet ingredients
The chocolate mixture should be warm, but no longer hot, so it's cool enough enough that it won't cook the egg when you add it. Add an egg, oil, sugar and vanilla. Whisk vigorously to emulsify the egg, oil and water together into a stable mixture that ensures even moisture distribution in the cake. This creates a glossy mixture that won't turn greasy.

Whisk the dry ingredients
In a large separate mixing bowl, whisk together gluten free flour, xanthan gum, salt and baking soda to avoid any pockets of leaveners.

Combine wet and dry ingredients
Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredient mixture so you can incorporate them together gradually, decreasing mess and creating a more uniform batter quickly and easily.

Finish the cake batter
Whisk together the dry and wet ingredients. As you mix, it will turn smooth and glossy. Make sure to scrape the bottom of mixing bowl to incorporate any dry patches into the batter.

If you'd like to add chocolate chips, you can mix in up to 4 ounces of dairy free chocolate chips now using a spatula. You can also scatter up to 1 ounce more on top of the raw cake after transferring it to the pan.

Transfer the batter
Scrape the batter into a lined baking pan, and smooth it into an even layer with a small spatula. The batter will be thick enough to spread, but not so thick that spreading is difficult.

Bake the cake
Bake at 350°F until the cake is rounded at the edges, and a tester inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs attached, at most. If the tester comes out wet but you're concerned you may overbake the cake, reduce the oven temperature to 325°F or even lower until done.

Cool in the pan
Let the cake cool completely in the pan while it rests on a wire rack. The cake is so moist that, if you try to turn the cake over onto a wire rack and remove the pan before it's completely cool, it will stick to the rack.

Expert tips

Avoid olive oil

Olive oil has a distinct fruity and earthy flavor that will compete with the chocolate flavor of this cake. Any neutral oil without any flavor of its own will work though. Try canola, vegetable, grapeseed, avocado, or peanut oil.

Try canned dairy free frosting

I love the taste of shelf stable frosting in the can, and many of them are gluten free and dairy free. Miss Jones brand canned frostings are gluten free and dairy free; so are many Pillsbury and Duncan Hines frostings, but always read labels to be sure. To give canned frosting more of a homemade consistency, attach one beater to a handheld mixer, insert it in the can, and beat until smooth before using to frost the cooled cake.

Don't skip the coffee

Brewed coffee deepens the chocolate flavor and we use so little that you really don't taste it, so I recommend using it even if you don't like the taste of coffee. You can also double down on the coffee and replace some more or all of the hot water with more coffee. Espresso granules dissolved in the boiling water should also work well.

Ingredient substitutions

Egg free

You can try using a 150 grams of a vegan mayonnaise in place of the egg and oil, or try an egg replacer like Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer, a chia or flax egg, or JustEgg liquid egg replacer (in the refrigerated case).

Oil

This recipe was originally developed to use mayonnaise in place of oil and eggs. I found that the crumb of the cake was too fragile, so I reworked it for a cake made with 2/3 cup of oil and 1 egg. The result is a more tender cake with a crumb that's still very moist but less fragile. If you'd like to avoid using oil as an individual ingredient, though, you can replace the oil and the egg with 2/3 cup (150 grams) full-fat mayonnaise at room temperature.

Coffee

If you want to avoid coffee altogether, you can use more boiling water in its place. Decaffeinated coffee works just as well. Keep in mind that chocolate and cocoa powder also add some caffeine.

Chocolate

You can't leave out the cocoa powder and chocolate to make this into a vanilla cake, but if you'd like, you can leave out the chocolate as a separate ingredient. The cake will have a more mild chocolate flavor and will be overall less rich. For a vanilla version, try our vanilla-flavored gluten free dairy free cake.

Storage instructions

This cake is moist enough that it will stay fresh on the counter, covered well, for a couple of days. Wrap the cooled and unfrosted cake tightly in plastic wrap, and store it at room temperature for 3 to 5 days. Once you frost the cake, it's really hard to wrap it tightly, so it's best to serve it the same day after frosting.

For longer storage, wrap this cake tightly in freezer-safe wrap like Glad Press ‘n' Seal. You can freeze it frosted or unfrosted, but it's easiest to store the uncut cake unfrosted.

If you have leftover cake that's already been frosted, slice it into squares and wrap each frosted square tightly on its own, then freeze. Defrost at room temperature, or in the refrigerator.

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Gluten Free Dairy Free Chocolate Cake Recipe

This gluten free dairy free chocolate cake is rich in chocolate flavor with a soft, tender crumb and a rich chocolate frosting.

Course Cake, Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword dairy free gluten free chocolate cake, gluten free dairy free chocolate cake

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Setting time for frosting 20 minutes minutes

Servings 9 slices

Calories 586kcal

Author Nicole Hunn

Ingredients

For the cake

• ¾ cup boiling water
• ¼ cup strong brewed coffee hot (See Recipe Notes)
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-processed)
• 2 ounces dairy-free chocolate discs, or chopped
• 1 egg at room temperature (See Recipe Notes)
• ⅔ cup neutral oil vegetable, canola, peanut, grapeseed, and avocado all work (See Recipe Notes)
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
• 1 ¼ cups all purpose gluten free flour blend (See Recipe Notes)
• ½ teaspoon xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
• 1 /4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

For chocolate frosting (optional)

• 10 ounces dairy-free dark chocolate chopped
• ¾ cup canned coconut cream (See Recipe Notes)

Customary – Metric

Instructions

For the cake.

• Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease and line an 8-inch square or 9-inch round baking pan. Set the pan aside.
• In a medium-size, heat-safe mixing bowl or measuring cup, place the boiling water and brewed coffee and the cocoa powder, and whisk until well-combined. The cocoa powder will resist combining, so just keep whisking.
• Add the chocolate discs or pieces to the hot mixture and whisk until melted and smooth. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes to deepen the chocolate flavor.
• To the chocolate mixture, add the egg, oil, sugar, and vanilla, and whisk until smooth and well-combined.
• In a separate large mixing bowl, place the flour blend, xanthan gum, salt, and baking soda, and whisk to combine well.
• Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and add the wet mixture.
• Whisk until very smooth and well-combined. Keep whisking until the batter begins to thicken.
• Transfer the cake batter to the prepared pan, and smooth into an even layer using a spatula or broad, flat knife.
• Place the pan in the center of the preheated oven and bake for about 30 minutes, or until done.
• Doneness should be determined by a few things: the cake should be puffed and rounded at the edges. It also shouldn’t jiggle when moved back and forth, and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out mostly clean (and certainly not wet).
• Place the cake pan on a wire rack and allow it to cool completely in the pan. If you've used mayonnaise instead of an egg and oil, chill the cake pan in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes for cleaner slices.

For the topping

• Place the chopped dark chocolate in a small, heat-safe bowl.
• Place the coconut cream in a small, heavy-bottom saucepan and over a low flame just until melted and then simmering. Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate.
• Allow the chocolate and hot cream to sit, undisturbed, for about 5 minutes before whisking until completely smooth.
• Pour the glaze directly over the cooled cake, and allow it to set at room temperature.
• To whip the chocolate ganache into frosting, allow it to cool at room temperature, then cover and refrigerate it until beginning to set (about 20 minutes).
• Using a handheld mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the frosting until lighter in color and relatively fluffy (about 3 minutes).
• Frost the cakes as desired, then slice into 9 equal pieces and serve.

Notes

Flour blend notes
I recommend Better Batter's original all purpose blend, Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 (in the blue bag) with an additional 1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum (it contains gum but not enough), or Vitacost's Multi-Blend Gluten Free Flour with added xanthan gum. Nicole's Best doesn't work here because it contains dairy. 

If you'd like to make your own blend, please see my all purpose gluten free flour blends page. 

About the brewed coffee 
You can use decaffeinated coffee. You can also replace the brewed coffee with more water.

Egg and oil
In place of the egg and oil, you can use 2/3 cup (150 grams) regular, full fat mayonnaise. I can only recommend Hellmann's brand regular mayonnaise. Avoid anything flavored, any sort of light mayo, or mayo made using olive oil (which is really just light mayo by another name). The cake will rise a bit less and be a bit more fragile. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 586kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 412mg | Potassium: 374mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 39IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 5mg

FAQs

These tender, flexible gluten free crêpes always bend and roll without breaking, and are even better than conventional ones. Made with only 5 ingredients (including salt!), they're so easy to make, and turn an everyday meal into something extraordinary!

Why this recipe works

Gluten free crêpes are simple, French-style pancakes. Light, airy and delicate but never fragile, these pancakes can be served sweet or savory.

The simplest recipes are frequently the trickiest, and the ones most likely to frustrate you when you're new at making them. That's why the method and ingredients here are clear, concise, and specific. And since gluten works against tenderness here, gluten free crepes are actually than “regular” ones.

The consistency of the crepe batter should be like half and half: thicker than whole milk, thinner than heavy cream. To cook the batter, you swirl it around in a hot, lightly greased pan just like regular crepe batter. I promise you'll get good at it fast!

Recipe ingredients

Here's everything you need to make crepes at home, plus some information on what each ingredient does in the recipe:

• Gluten free flour blend: This recipe calls for our gum-free gluten free flour blend, made with superfine white rice flour, potato starch, and tapioca starch. Anything with xanthan gum or a substitute will lead to rubbery pancakes. You can also use a gum-free blend as long as it has a finely ground rice flour, like Nicole's Best.
• Eggs: Serve as a binder, adding leavening and elasticity.
• Butter: Butter adds richness, flavor, and tenderness.
• Milk: Adds moisture to hydrate the batter and make it pourable. Whole milk works best because the fat makes the crepes more tender.
• Salt: Brightens the other flavors.

They're a great alternative to traditional gluten free pancakes, and more versatile, too!

How to make gluten free crêpes (step by step photos)

This visual guide for how to make these pancakes at home in your kitchen includes an explanation of the reason behind each step. For full ingredient amounts, see the recipe card below.

Place all the ingredients in a blender
In a simple blender or in a tall jar, place the milk, eggs, butter and salt, then top with the flour blend in an even layer. Be sure to place the wet ingredients closest to the blade so the dry flour doesn't get stuck to it. If you're using a blender like the Nutribullet with the blade in the lid, reverse the order of the ingredients.

Blend until smooth
Use a spoon or spatula to mix the ingredients just enough to moisten the flour so it doesn't fly out of the blender when you turn it on.

Switch on the blender at medium speed and blend for 2 to 3 minutes or until very smooth so all the flour is moistened and the eggs are fully beaten. Stop halfway through to scrape down the sides of the blender to make sure everything is evenly mixed.

Transfer and refrigerate the batter
The batter should be pale yellow from the fully emulsified eggs and milk. Transfer it to a container with a tight-fitting lid. A 32 ounce or 1 liter mason jar is ideal. Refrigerate the batter for at least 12 hours and up to 3 days to allow the liquids to fully hydrate the flour for smooth crepes. This steps is often used to relax the gluten in the flour, but that isn't our problem to solve here!

After the batter has chilled
Before cooking with the batter, allow it come to room temperature, which could take about 45 minutes. Since some of the flour will have dropped out of solution, place an immersion blender or tall whisk in the jar and blend or whisk until smooth and well-combined again. The batter should be thicker than milk, thinner than cream (like half and half).

Prepare the pan
Heat a 9 or 10 inch nonstick skillet (a crepe pan with low sides is easiest, but it's not at all necessary) over medium heat for about 1 minute or until it feels almost too warm to hold your open palm right above the pan. Grease it lightly but evenly with cooking oil with a high smoke point like canola, vegetable, grapeseed, avocado or peanut oil.

Cook the first side
Transfer the batter to a large measuring cup or bowl with a pour spout, or use a large ladle. Hold the pan just above the heat at a 45° angle (with the handle pointing up) and pour or ladle about 5 tablespoons or 75 ml of batter in the center of the hot pan.

Working quickly, move your wrist in a circular motion to swirl the batter evenly around the pan, and place the pan down on the heat source. As you swirl, you'll create a very thin layer of batter around the edges, which is what turns the lacy and crispy. Let the crepe cook for about 90 seconds.

Finish cooking
Use a large spatula or your fingers to flip the pancake over and press it down gently onto the pan. Let it cook for another 30 seconds until you can tell it's brown on the second side. Flip again to add more color to the first side if necessary.

Stack the crêpes
Repeat with the rest of the batter, stacking the pancakes right on top of one another on a parchment paper-lined plate to prevent them from sticking to the plate.

Expert tips

Use the right gluten free flour blend

A rice flour-based gum-free gluten free flour blend without any xanthan gum or substitutes is essential here to avoid rubbery pancakes. And, as always, measuring flour by weight, not volume is needed for precise, reliable results.

Rest the batter first

Allowing your batter to rest in the refrigerator first gives the flours time to absorb the milk. Your batter will be more stable and your crêpes more tear-resistant.

Use the right pan

A non stick pan works best here, but if you have a crêpe pan (which is really just a nonstick skillet with low sides), use that. A well-seasoned cast iron 9-inch skillet is great, too. There are even electric crepe skillets that come with a wooden spreader, but I find that the batter begins to set before you've spread it out evenly if the skillet is hot enough to brown the pancakes.

Preheat the pan for even browning

Warm your pan over medium heat before you begin to swirl in the batter. You'll know from the first crepe pour whether your pan was hot enough.

Keep your pan well-greased

Even nonstick pans should be lightly greased and stay that way, so the batter slides around smoothly before it sets.

Ingredient substitutions

Dairy free

In place of cow's milk, I recommend coconut milk in the carton or unsweetened and unflavored soy milk. Just make sure to use something with fat that has a similar consistency to regular milk. In place of butter, try block-style vegan butter like Miyoko's, Melt, or Trader Joe's brands.

Egg free

There are 3 eggs in this simple recipe, which is a lot to replace. I'm not sure if any of my usual recommendations like chia eggs or flax eggs would work. You might be able to use JustEgg refrigerated plant based eggs.

Storage instructions

Fresh crêpes can be made a few hours ahead of time. Just cover the plate, and serve them at room temperature. They’ll still be soft and pliable.

You can also place them in a stack in an air-tight zip-top bag, and refrigerate on a flat surface for up to 3 days. Freeze them the same way for up to 3 months, and then defrost by in the refrigerator or at room temperature.

To refresh unfrozen but still cold pancakes, warm them in a hot, dry skillet, or warm them in the microwave for about 10 seconds.

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Gluten Free Crêpes Recipe

These tender, flexible gluten free crêpes with lacy brown edges are even better than the gluten ones. They stay fresh at room temperature for hours or in the refrigerator for days. Serve them sweet or savory!

Course Pancakes

Cuisine French

Keyword gluten free crêpes

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Resting time for batter 12 hours hours

Servings 12 crepe pancakes

Calories 115kcal

Author Nicole Hunn

Equipment

• Blender or immersion blender optional

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole milk at room temperature
• 3 eggs at room temperature, beaten
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 ¾ cups gum-free gluten free flour blend See Recipe Notes

Customary – Metric

Instructions

• In a blender or large jar if you're using an immersion blender, place the milk, eggs, butter, and salt. Spoon the flour blend on top in an even layer.
• Use a large spoon to mix the batter gently just until the liquid has begun to absorb the loose flour.
• Cover the blender or insert the immersion blender into the jar. Blend for 2 to 3 minutes or until smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender with a spatula about halfway through.
• See the Recipe Notes for how to make the batter without a blender.
• For best results, place the batter in a sealed container and refrigerate overnight or for up to 3 days.
• Before using the batter, remove it from the refrigerator, whisk until smooth, and allow it to come to room temperature. It should be about the consistency of half and half (thicker than milk, thinner than heavy cream).
• Transfer the batter to a large spouted measuring cup for easy pouring into a skillet to cook.
• Heat a heavy-bottom nonstick 9 or 10 inch skillet, well-seasoned cast iron skillet or crepe pan over medium heat for 1 minute or until it feels slightly uncomfortable to hold your open palm right above it. Grease it lightly but evenly with cooking oil.
• Holding the warm skillet at a 45° angle just above the flame, carefully pour about 5 tablespoons (a bit more than 1/4 cup) of batter right into the center of the skillet and swirl the pan to distribute the batter evenly across the entire flat surface of the pan.
• Once you get a rhythm going, you should be able to begin swirling as soon as the first drop of batter hits the pan. Cook over medium heat until the edges and underside of the crêpe are lightly golden brown (about 90 seconds).
• With a wide spatula (and/or your fingers, carefully), turn the pancake over and cook until the other side is lightly golden brown (about another 30 seconds). Slide the crêpe out of the skillet onto a parchment-lined plate.
• Repeat with the remaining batter, stacking the finished crêpes on top of one another.
• The pancakes may be covered well with a moist towel and kept at room temperature for about 3 hours until you are ready to serve them, or wrapped tightly in freezer-safe wrap and frozen until ready to use.
• Defrost at room temperature, and refresh the crêpes in a warm, nonstick skillet for a few moments per side.

Video

Notes

Flour blend

Here are the ingredients you need for 245 grams of the gum-free blend: 162 grams superfine white rice flour + 54 grams potato starch + 29 grams tapioca starch/flour. Since I created Nicole's Best, I use that in place of this blend. 

If you don't have a blender

To make the batter without a blender, beat the eggs. Then place the flour blend in a large bowl, add the milk, beaten eggs, butter and salt, and whisk vigorously until very well combined.

Nutrition

Serving: 1crepe | Calories: 115kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 51mg | Sodium: 80mg | Potassium: 77mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 184IU | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 1mg

FAQs

Ideas for serving sweet crêpes

You can wrap crêpes around fillings, or sprinkle them on top with more than just a simple syrup. Try:

• Powdered sugar or cinnamon and sugar on top, with berries inside
• A smear of nut butter inside, like Nutella or peanut butter—or try heating them a bit and drizzling on top
• Filled with whipped cream and fresh fruit, and topped with chocolate sauce or strawberry syrup

Savory serving ideas

Wrap your pancakes around nearly any savory filling you can imagine. Our favorite is crispy gluten free chicken tenders!

Here are some other ideas:

• Try a cream cheese filling with a sprinkle of everything but the bagel seasoning
• Fill with scrambled eggs and bacon
• Smoked salmon and chives make a hearty breakfast
• Try filling them with sliced lunch meats for a light dinner; ham and cheese savory gf crepes sound just about perfect!

These extra soft, tender gluten free Hawaiian rolls have a lightly sweet, tropical flavor that's just right for savory sandwich fillings, or to serve alongside a salty meal.

They brown deeply in the oven with a generous egg wash that keeps the moisture in and develops a super thin, shiny shell as the rolls cool.

Why this recipe works

These Hawaiian rolls are made with plenty of pineapple juice for a unique lightly sweet, tropical, and tangy flavor. Enriched with butter, an egg, and some sugar, they have an incredibly tender, pillow-soft crumb, and turn deep golden brown in the oven.

Learn my secrets for making perfectly round rolls, then shape them into 8 full-size rounds for sandwich buns. Or try dividing the dough into 12 equal pieces, shaping them into classic rounds rather than pressing them into disks, and serving them as savory-sweet gluten free dinner rolls.

Recipe ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make these rolls at home, plus an explanation of the role that each ingredient plays in the expected results:

• Gluten free flour: Provides most of the structure for the rolls, so be sure to choose a well-balanced blend based on superfinely ground and sifted rice flour as an all purpose gluten free flour blend. I recommend Nicole's Best multipurpose gluten free flour blend or Vitacost's Multi-Blend Gluten Free Flour with added xanthan gum, or Better Batter's original all purpose blend without additional xanthan gum.
• Tapioca starch/flour: Adding additional tapioca starch (the same as tapioca flour) as a separate ingredient in addition to what is already in all my recommended gluten free flour blends adds stretch and chewiness to the rolls.
• Instant yeast: Provides the rise in these rolls. Instant yeast, also called bread machine or rapid rise yeast, has less of a protective shell around each grain than active dry yeast, so it doesn't have to be soaked before adding it to the other ingredients. If you'd prefer to use active dry yeast, you'll need 25% more yeast by weight for a bit below 8 grams, and you'll need to proof it first in some of the pineapple juice.
• Sugar: Adds some added sweetness, locks in moisture for tender rolls, feeds the yeast and helps the rolls brown deeply in the oven.
• Salt: Brightens the other flavors and helps control the activity of the yeast.
• Butter: Adds richness, buttery flavor, and moisture for a tender, flavorful crumb.
• Egg: Helps the rolls rise, and the white helps the rolls hold their rise as they cool. The egg wash we brush on top of the rolls helps browning in the oven and gives the rolls a shine even as they cool.
• Pineapple juice: Adds tanginess, flavor and moisture to bring the roll dough together and hydrate the yeast so it's active. The classic flavor of Hawaiian rolls comes from using pineapple juice in place of milk or water. Make sure you're using pure 100% juice, without additives. I usually buy Trader Joe's brand canned juice, which has a little less than I need for this recipe, so I top it off with just a little water rather than opening a second can.
• Vanilla: Adds depth of flavor, complementing and enhancing the flavor of the pineapple juice.

How to make gluten free Hawaiian rolls (step by step photos)

This is a visual guide for how to make these rolls at home in your kitchen, including an explanation of why the recipe is written as it is. For full ingredient amounts, see the recipe card below.

Combine the dry ingredients
In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the gluten free flour blend including xanthan gum, plus more tapioca starch, yeast, and sugar,. Whisk in the salt separately to avoid any possibility of the salt and yeast clumping together, since they operate at cross purposes.

Add the wet ingredients
To the dry ingredients, add the butter, egg, vanilla and pineapple juice, making sure that everything is at room temperature so everything combines completely and smoothly. Cold liquid will cause softened butter to clump.

Mix the dough
Add the paddle attachment, and mix on low speed first until the flours are moistened so everything stays in the mixing bowl. Increase the speed to medium, and beat until the dough begins to look whipped, like it has had more air incorporated into it. This helps create well-rising, less dense rolls.

Chill the dough
Transfer the dough to a bucket or bowl with a tight-fitting lid that’s large enough for the dough to expand to about double its size, although it won't rise quite that much. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours and up to 3 days. This cold rise is for flavor development and to let the dry ingredients absorb some of the moisture, making the dough easier to shape.

Smooth the dough
When you're ready to work with the dough, turn it out onto a clean surface sprinkled lightly with tapioca flour, and dust the top with more. Turn the dough over a few times until it's no longer sticky.

Divide into equal portions
Use a bench scraper, cake turner, or sharp knife to cut the dough evenly in half, then each half into 4 equal parts for a total of 8 pieces, each weighing about 4 ounces. Equal sized rolls will rise and bake evenly together.

Shape the raw rolls
Pull the edges of each piece of dough toward the center, and pinch between your thumb and forefinger to secure. Flip the dough over so that the gathered edges are on the bottom.

Cup the palm of your dominant hand around the dough with the side nearest your pinky resting on the flat surface. This side of your hand should always maintain contact with the surface.

Move your hand in a tight circle to round the edges, using your fingers to coax the sides upward. Press each round into a round, flat disk with your palm to make rolls with a wider bottom for proper sandwiches.

Let rise covered
Place the shaped pieces of dough on a lined baking sheet, and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Make sure it's secured all around the perimeter so the rolls maintain enough moisture to allow them to rise.

Brush with an egg wash
After 30 minutes, remove the plastic wrap and brush generously with an egg wash. The egg wash will keep them from drying out even without the plastic covering. It also helps the rolls brown in the oven and creates a thin glossy shine during baking.

Finish rising
Let the rolls finish rising uncovered until they're at least 50% bigger in size than when they started. They won't fully double. If the dough begins to dimple or look pockmarked, the rise is breaking through and the rolls are beginning to overproof.

Bake
As soon as the rolls are done rising, or if you see signs of overproofing, place them right into the oven and bake at 375°F. They're done baking when they're golden brown all over, appear tight across the top, and register at least 185°F on an instant read thermometer. Cover the hot rolls loosely in a tea towel to trap moisture as the hot rolls cool, keeping the crust from getting too crispy or drying out.

Expert tips

The first rise has a different purpose

When you first make the dough, you'll seal it in an airtight container and let it chill in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours and up to 3 days. This is a “cold rise,” but don't worry about how much the dough actually rises. As long as the yeast is activated by adding moisture to it, the dough will develop some flavor.

This rest is also designed to give the flour time to absorb some of the moisture in the egg, juice, and butter, making the dough easier to handle and shape. Avoid letting it sit for much longer than 3 days, though, or it will taste too yeasty for Hawaiian rolls and the rise after shaping may be more irregular and uncontrolled.

Handle the dough lightly

As you incorporate additional flour into the raw dough during shaping, you're lowering the overall amount of moisture in the dough, which can prevent a proper rise. To avoid adding too much extra flour, work with the dough cold, handle it more with your fingertips than with your palms, and keep it moving so it doesn't have a chance to stick to anything other than itself.

If you don't have a stand mixer

You can't make a well-incorporated dough that rises smoothly by hand here. A handheld mixer with miniature balloon attachments won't work, and will incorporate too much air into the dough.

If you don't have a stand mixer with a paddle attachment try using a food processor with the plastic, and be careful not to overprocess or heat the dough.

Ingredient substitutions

If you need to eliminate other allergens from the rolls, here are my suggestions for how to do that.

Dairy free

Instead of dairy butter, try block-style vegan butter like Melt, Miyoko's, or Trader Joe's brands.

Egg free

These rolls contain only one egg in the dough, and one egg in an optional egg wash. In place of the egg in the bread dough, try using a chia egg, Bob's Red Mill egg replacer, or JustEgg refrigerated liquid egg replacer. In place of the egg wash on top of the shaped rolls, try brushing them with cream.

Pineapple juice

If you can't have pineapple juice or just don't want to use it, try apple juice for a similar, although more mild, lightly sweet roll. You can also use milk in place of pineapple juice, in equal amounts, for a rich, tender and not really very sweet roll. Nothing else in the recipe has to change.

Storage instructions

Once completely cool, each leftover roll can be wrapped tightly in freezer-safe wrap and frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature, sprinkle lightly with water, and refresh in the microwave or a toaster oven.

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Gluten Free Hawaiian Rolls Recipe

Super soft, lightly sweet gluten free Hawaiian rolls are highly enriched, impossibly tender rolls with the most tender crumb. Use them as sandwich rolls, or just enjoy a toasted roll with butter.

Course Bread, Rolls

Cuisine American

Keyword gluten free Hawaiian rolls

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Rising time 13 hours hours

Servings 8 bun-size rolls

Calories 344kcal

Author Nicole Hunn

Equipment

• Stand mixer with dough hook (gf bread flour) or paddle attachment (all purpose gf flour)

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups all purpose gluten free flour blend See Recipe Notes for help choosing
• 2 teaspoons xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
• ½ cup tapioca starch/flour plus more for sprinkling
• 2 ⅓ teaspoons instant yeast
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
• 1 egg at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 ¼ cups pineapple juice at room temperature
• Egg wash 1 egg, at room temperature, beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Customary – Metric

Instructions

Make the bread dough

• Place the all purpose gluten free flour blend, xanthan gum, and tapioca starch, yeast, and sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer, and use a handheld whisk to combine well. Add the salt, and whisk to combine again.
• Add the butter, egg, vanilla, and pineapple juice, and mix on low speed with the paddle attachment until just combined. Raise the mixer speed to medium and beat for about 3 minutes or until it begins to take on a whipped appearance, sticking to the sides of the bowl and stretching from the paddle to the sides.
• Spray a silicone spatula lightly with cooking oil spray, and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl or proofing bucket large enough for the dough to rise to double its size, and cover with an oiled piece of plastic wrap (or the oiled top of your proofing bucket).
• Place the dough in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours and up to 3 days.

Shape the rolls

• On baking day, line a large rimmed baking sheet and set it aside. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle the dough lightly with more flour, and turn over a few times until it appears smoother and is less sticky.
• Use a floured bench scraper, cake turner or large sharp knife to divide the dough into 8 pieces of equal size, each weighing about 4 ounces.
• Working with one piece of dough at a time, shape it into a round by rolling it with a floured palm in circles on the lightly floured surface. Handle the dough lightly and keep it moving in a circle with your palm, keeping your pinky and that side of your hand in contact with the surface all the time.
• Pinch together any cracks and keep shaping, sprinkling lightly with flour as necessary to prevent sticking. Use your palm or 4 fingers of your hand to press down the round of dough into a disk for even rising.
• Place the first roll in the prepared baking pan. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough, placing the rolls less than an inch apart from one another.

Let the shaped rolls rise

• Cover the baking pan with oiled plastic wrap and set it aside in a warm, draft-free location to rise for 30 minutes.
• Uncover the pan and brush the rolls generously with the egg wash. Allow the rolls to finish rising, uncovered, until at least 50% larger than when you began, about 20 to 30 minutes more.
• Preheat your oven 375°F, while the rolls finish rising. If they begin to take on a dimpled appearance, they have begun to overproof and should begin baking immediately.

Bake

• Place the baking pan on the lower rack of the preheated oven and bake until golden brown all over, appear taut across the top, and the inside of the rolls registers at least 185°F on an instant-read thermometer, about 25 minutes.
• To maintain the softest crust on the rolls, cover them loosely with a tea towel while still hot out of the oven. Allow the rolls to cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Video

Notes

Flour blend choice

I highly recommend Nicole's Best multipurpose gluten free flour blend or Vitacost's Multi-Blend Gluten Free Flour with added xanthan gum, or Better Batter's original all purpose blend without additional xanthan gum. Poorer quality flour blends that aren't balanced well will not work in shaped yeast bread like this.

To build your own blend or learn more about this important subject, please see the all purpose gluten free flour blends page here on the blog. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1roll | Calories: 344kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 132mg | Sodium: 361mg | Potassium: 128mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 385IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 1mg

This easy gluten-free peanut butter cookies recipe, made crispy and crunchy and in the classic crosshatch style, is rich with tons of peanut butter flavor. For peanut butter lovers only!

Why this recipe works

These classic crunchy peanut butter cookies are made with a rich, thick cookie dough that has more peanut butter than anything else. Every batch of 24 cookies has almost a full pound of smooth peanut butter, and over 80% more peanut butter than flour! That gives it the most peanut flavor, makes the best crispy cookies.

The original purpose of the crosshatch pattern in the top of the cookie was to ensure that the cookies bake evenly, all the way to the center. To maintain the round shape of the cookies and keep them from splintering around the edge, I like to press them into disks before adding the crosshatch pattern.

Recipe ingredients

This is what you need to make these cookies, plus an explanation of the role that each plays in the perfect end result:

• Gluten free flour: Provides much of the structure for the cookies. You need a well-balanced blend containing superfine rice flour to avoid any of the grittiness that ruins gluten free baked goods. My favorite blends are Better Batter's original blend, Nicole's Best multipurpose gluten free flour with added xanthan gum. Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 should also work, since it works well in most cookies, but you may need to add an additional 1/4 teaspoon more xanthan gum, since the blend generally has too little.
• Peanut butter: Adds almost all of the flavor of these cookies, and also contributes to the classic crispy, crunchy texture. You'll need almost a whole jar of peanut butter. I usually use Jif, Skippy or Peter Pan brands, which are generally gluten free. Avoid anything with additional flavors, and make sure yours doesn't separate in the jar.
• Butter: Adds buttery flavor, helps the cookies spread in the oven, and keeps the cookies from being chewy.
• Granulated sugar: Adds sweetness and locks in moisture for a crumbly cookies that's still never dry. Also helps the cookies brown in the oven.
• Light brown sugar: Also adds sweetness and locks in moisture, plus color and depth of flavor from the molasses.
• Salt: Brightens other flavors.
• Baking soda: Reacts with the acid in the brown sugar and the peanut butter to create rise. Helps the cookies brown.
• Vanilla: Adds depth of flavor. You can also use an equal amount of vanilla bean paste for more flavor.
• Eggs: Help add rise and structure, keeping the cookies from falling as they cool.

How to make gluten-free peanut butter cookies (step by step photos)

Here's an overview of how to make this recipe, with the “why” behind each step. For ingredient amounts and full details, please see the recipe card below.

Melt the butters
To make it easier to mix everything together and to ensure crunchy cookies, we melt the peanut butter with chopped butter until smooth. Then set it aside to cool so it doesn't scramble the eggs when we combine everything.

Combine the dry ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour (including xanthan gum), baking soda, salt and granulated sugar. Mix in the brown sugar separately, since there will be clumps you have break up. I like to use the back of the mixing spoon to press out the lumps.

Add the peanut butter mixture
Use the mixing spoon again to create a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and then add in the melted butter and sugar. The cookie dough will be very thick and somewhat lumpy.

Add the eggs and vanilla
Adding the beaten eggs will smooth out the cookie dough. It should be soft and sticky, but not oily. If it feels greasy or oily, chill the dough for no more than 10 minutes so it doesn’t become stiff.

Shape the dough into disks
Scoop or pull off pieces of cookie dough about 2 tablespoons in volume, weighing about 1 ounce. Roll them into rounds between your clean palms, then press them into disks by cupping your palm around the dough to help them stay round. Then, use the fingers of your other hand to flatten the dough into a disk. The dough doesn't spread that much in the oven, so this is how we get them into the shape we want.

Make the crosshatch pattern
Wet the tines of a small fork, dip in some sugar for added sparkle, and press it into each disk. Rotate the tines of the fork 90° and press them again onto the cookie in the opposite direction for a # pattern so the cookies bake evenly. It's also nostalgic to give peanut butter cookies that shape.

Bake the cookies
Bake at 350°F for about 15 minutes, or until they’re pale golden all over. To make sure they don't blacken on the bottom before they're browned enough, reduce the oven temperature to about 325°F for the last few minutes of baking. They’ll crisp as they cool, so you have to judge doneness by color, not by touch.

Expert tips

Avoid “natural” peanut butter

Truly “natural peanut butter,” which is made of only peanuts and salt, with oil that separates in the jar and drips off the spoon at room temperature, won't work here. It makes the dough greasy and crumbly, and doesn't bake as expected. You need the no-stir type of peanut butter, which is usually blended with shortening to stabilize the mixture, keeping it creamy.

Shape the dough carefully

The raw cookie dough contains nearly a whole jar of peanut butter, making it very high in fat. That's why it's prone to cracking during shaping and baking. As you shape each ball of dough, cup it gently in the palm of your non-dominant hand. Use the fingers of your dominant hand to shape the dough into a disk and press in the tines of a fork for the crosshatch pattern. That will help it keep its round shape without splintering on the edges.

Ingredient substitutions

If you need to eliminate some allergens other than gluten, here are my recommendations of what to try:

Dairy free

In place of regular butter, try block-style vegan butter like Miyoko's, Melt, or Trader Joe's brand.

Egg free

You can try replacing each egg with 2 “chia eggs”, Bob's Red Mill egg replacer, or JustEgg refrigerated egg replacer. Flax eggs might perform best, but they will add a competing, earthy flavor.

Peanut butter free

If you can't have peanuts, this recipe works well with no-stir almond butter, but make sure it's no-stir creamy almond butter, like Barney Butter brand.

Storage instructions

These cookies will maintain their texture at room temperature for at least 5 days in a sealed glass container. Glass isn't porous, so it keeps out moisture, which would make the cookies soft, not crisp.

For longer storage, place in a freezer-safe container, eliminating as much air as possible to avoid freezer burn, and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature.

You can freeze the raw cookie dough, but only if you shape it fully first. Then, defrost at room temperature and bake as usual.

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Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe

This easy gluten free peanut butter cookies recipe, made in the classic crosshatch style, is rich with tons of peanut butter flavor.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword gluten free peanut butter cookies

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 18 minutes minutes

Optional chilling time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 24 cookies

Calories 184kcal

Author Nicole Hunn

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups smooth, creamy no-stir peanut butter the kind that doesn't separate at room temp
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter chopped
• 1 ½ cups all purpose gluten free flour blend See Recipe Notes
• ½ teaspoon xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 eggs at room temperature, beaten
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Granulated sugar for dipping or sprinkling optional

Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line large rimmed baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper and set them aside.
• In a small, heavy-bottom saucepan or a microwave-safe bowl, place the peanut butter and chopped butter. Place the saucepan over medium-low heat (or in the microwave for about 45 seconds on high) and stir until just melted and smooth (less than 2 minutes). Set aside to cool briefly.
• In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, salt and granulated sugar, and whisk to combine well. Add the light brown sugar, and mix to combine, working out any lumps by pressing down with the back of the spoon.
• Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and pour in the melted peanut butter and butter mixture. Mix to combine.
• Add the beaten eggs and vanilla, and mix again to combine well. The cookie dough will be soft and sticky.
• If the cookie dough is too sticky or soft to handle, or it feels particularly greasy, cover it and refrigerate it for about 10 minutes. You can also cover the mixing bowl and let the dough sit for a few minutes to give the flour a chance to absorb some of the oil.
• Pull or scoop off pieces of dough, each about 2 tablespoons in volume and weighing about 1 ounce. Roll each piece of dough into a round between your palms.
• Press each ball into a disk about 1/2-inch thick, and place about 1 1/2-inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
• Wet the tines of a salad fork, dip in the optional extra sugar, and press the tines firmly into the top of each cookie while you hold the disk in the palm of your other hand. (See Recipe Notes)
• Rotate the dough in your palm 90°, then press the tines into the top of the same cookies in the opposite direction to make a crosshatch pattern. Return each disk to the baking sheet.
• Place the cookies, one baking sheet at a time, in the center of the preheated oven and bake.
• Bake until lightly golden brown all over, about 15 minutes. If the bottoms of the cookies seem to be browning more quickly, reduce the oven temperature to 325°F. For crunchier cookies, continue to bake until more brown (about another 3 minutes).
• Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet until set (at least 5 minutes) before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
• The cookies will be very fragile when they first come out of the oven, so it is very important to let them sit on the baking sheet until they are set. They will crisp as they cool.

Video

Notes

Flour blend options
This recipe works best with Better Batter’s original blend or Nicole’s Best multipurpose flour with added xanthan gum. Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 should work, too, but I'd recommend adding an extra 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum since the blend tends to be too low in gum.

Want to make your own blend? Check out my mock all purpose gluten free flour blends.

About dipping the fork in sugar
When you dip the fork in sugar, it sticks mostly to the top of the fork. I often also sprinkle the tops of the cookies with the additional sugar after shaping.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 184kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 152mg | Potassium: 103mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 78IU | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 0.4mg

FAQs

This gluten free Irish soda bread is a lightly sweet quick bread that tastes best slathered with some extra Irish butter. Celebrate St. Patrick's Day, or any day, the way you remember with this classic, golden brown soda bread!

Why this recipe works

Irish Soda Bread is a quick bread, not a yeast bread, but it's not your typical quick bread. You don't bake it in a loaf pan, to start. Plus, I make it more like a pastry, with clumps of cold butter, chilled buttermilk, and a light touch when handling.

Made this way, the bread is light, tender and buttery. But you can slice it perfectly, either in wedges or more traditional slices.

I first developed this recipe 2015 when my gluten free son's grammar school class was celebrating St. Patrick's Day by sharing Irish soda bread. He still remembers today how I made sure that he could have what everyone else did when he was small. Let's bring it all back, for ourselves and our gluten free loved ones!

Recipe ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make this recipe, including the role each ingredient plays in a successful soda bread:

• Gluten free flour: Provides most of the structure for the soda bread. Choose a well-balanced flour blend with a base of superfine rice flour like Better Batter's original blend or Nicole's Best multipurpose with added xanthan gum. Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 in the blue bag may also work with an additional 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum since it doesn't contain enough to provide the necessary binding.
• Baking soda and baking powder: Provide rise in the oven and help the soda bread brown.
• Salt: Brightens the other flavors.
• Cream of tartar: Along with the acid in the buttermilk, reacts with baking soda to create a full rise in the oven. Adds a slight tangy flavor, too.
• Sugar: Adds sweetness that complements the dried fruit and locks in moisture for a tender crumb.
• Butter: Adds buttery flavor and creates steam as the clumps of cold fat layered between flour expands, lifting the dough. It also helps the bread brown.
• Raisins: Add sweetness, a bit of moisture, and helps make the bread more festive as a special occasion holiday treat.
• Buttermilk: Adds moisture, tanginess, and reacts with baking soda to create rise.
• Eggs: Help bind the dough together and create structure that helps the bread keep its shape as it cools.

How to make gluten free Irish soda bread (step by step photos)

Here's a visual representation of how to make this recipe in your own kitchen. For full instructions and ingredient amounts, please see the recipe card below.

1. Combine dry ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour blend with xanthan gum, baking powder and soda, salt, cream of tartar and sugar. Whisk well to avoid any pockets of leavener and create a cohesive dough.

2. Add butter
Starting with very cold butter, use a coarse grater to shred the butter into the bowl of dry ingredients and toss to coat. You can also dice the butter, toss it in the dry ingredients and flatten the pieces into shards between floured fingers. Either way will scatter cold clumps of butter throughout for an even rise.

3. Mix in raisins
Add the raisins or other dried fruit pieces to the mixing bowl, and mix gently until evenly scattered in the dry ingredients. The mixture will look dry and clumpy.

4. Whisk wet ingredients
In a small bowl or 2 cup or larger measuring cup, whisk together cold eggs and buttermilk. It's best to beat the eggs first for about 30 seconds to ensure the yolks and whites are fully combined for a smooth mixture.

5. Add wet to dry
Create a well in the center of the ingredients in the mixing bowl and pour in the cold buttermilk mixture. That makes it easy to combine with a mixing spoon without overmixing to combine, which can melt the cold butter. If there are any very dry pockets of flour, add a bit more buttermilk sparingly to just those parts until the dough holds together.

6. Shape the loaf
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface (on a piece of parchment if you're baking in a cast iron skillet) and shape gently into a round disk about 9-inches in diameter. Handle lightly so you don't melt the butter and don't compress the dough too much.

7. Score
Use a large, sharp knife and slice a cross or X about 1-inch deep into the center of the loaf, stopping about 1-inch away from the edges of the disk all around. This will allow steam to escape during baking.

8. Bake
Lift the shaped loaf (on parchment if using) into the center of your baking pan or skillet. Bake in a preheated 375°F oven until the loaf is lightly golden brown all over, firm to the touch in the center, and a tester pressed down into the middle comes out with a few moist crumbs (not wet).

Pay attention to all doneness indicators, not the clock, when determining that the loaf is done baking. If you're baking in a cast iron skillet, the baking time may be shorter and the crust will likely be crisper.

9. Let cool, slice and serve
Allow the loaf to cool in the pan until stable enough to transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving. Slide out any paper lining between the loaf and the wire rack so air can circulate all around during cooling.

Expert tips

Keep your ingredients cold

Keep the butter cold to allow it to expand in the oven and lighten the crumb of the bread. Like with gluten free biscuits, handle the dough lightly so the heat of your hands doesn't melt the butter and begin with very cold buttermilk.

Slice the raw bread fully

The deep cross sliced into the raw soda bread dough lets heat escape during baking. Be sure to slice it about 1-inch thick to allow the bread to bake fully all the way in the center of this large loaf, without splitting haphazardly. Also, slicing the shape of cross into the bread was originally thought to let the devil out of your Irish soda bread!

Use real buttermilk or a proper sub

Real buttermilk is not just acidic and slightly curdled, it thicker than milk, so it has less moisture. Adding some lemon juice or other acid to milk only creates acidity, but does not mimic real buttermilk. If you don't have buttermilk, use plain lowfat kefir, or half plain Greek-style yogurt or sour cream and half whole milk, by volume.

Ingredients and substitutions

Dairy free

Try replacing the cold, chopped butter with Melt brand or Miyoko’s Kitchen brand vegan butter. In place of buttermilk, use half plain nondairy yogurt and half unsweetened nondairy milk with a similar texture to cow's milk, by volume. My favorite nondairy milks here are coconut milk in the carton and soy milk.

Egg free

There are two eggs in this recipe. You might be able to replace each with chia eggs, Bob's Red Mill egg replacer, or JustEgg liquid egg replacer. If you choose to use flax eggs, keep in mind that they will add an earthy flavor.

Raisins

You can use currants or chopped dried apricots or prunes in place of raisins. In place of raisins, you can also try chopped raw unsalted walnuts or pecans, but you may need to add a bit more buttermilk since the dried fruit adds a bit of extra moisture. If you omit the raisins entirely, your loaf will be somewhat smaller and will probably bake a bit faster.

Storage instructions

Once cooled, you can wrap leftover Irish soda bread tightly in plastic wrap or Glad Press ‘n' Seal and store it at room temperature for about 2 days. Refresh slices by sprinkling lightly with lukewarm water and toasting lightly.

For longer storage, wrap tightly in freezer-safe wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. I recommend slicing the loaf before freezing it so you can defrost individual slices rather than the whole remaining loaf. Defrost at room temperature or in the toaster.

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Gluten Free Irish Soda Bread Recipe

This authentic-tasting gluten free Irish soda bread, made with baking soda and buttermilk, & no yeast. A classic Irish-American bread!

Course Bread

Cuisine Irish

Keyword gluten free Irish soda bread

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 10 slices

Calories 420kcal

Author Nicole Hunn

Ingredients

• 4 cups all purpose gluten free flour blend plus more for sprinkling (See Recipe Notes for choice of blend)
• 2 teaspoons xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
• 2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter kept very cold
• 1 ½ cups raisins or currants (plus up to 1/2 cup more, if desired)
• 2 eggs chilled and beaten
• 1 ½ cups buttermilk chilled (plus more as necessary)

Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 375°F. Grease and line a 9-inch round baking pan or line a 9-inch or 10-inch cast iron skillet with parchment paper, and set it aside.
• In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cream of tartar, and granulated sugar, and whisk to combine well.
• Using a standard coarse grater, grate the cold butter into the dry ingredients, and mix gently to distribute the butter evenly through the mixture. You can also dice the cold butter, toss it in the dry ingredients to coat in flour, then flatten each piece of butter between floured fingers.
• Add the raisins or currants (or up to 1/2 cup more, as desired), and toss to coat the pieces in the dry ingredients.
• Place 1 1/2 cups of the chilled buttermilk in a large measuring cup or bowl with a pour spout, add the eggs, and whisk to combine well.
• Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients, add the buttermilk and egg mixture and mix gently to combine. The dough should come together.
• With clean hands, knead the dough gently. If there are any spots that are dry and crumbly, add more buttermilk sparingly by the tablespoon as necessary to bring the dough together.
• If using a baking pan, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. If using a cast iron skillet, remove the parchment from the pan, sprinkle it lightly with flour, and turn the dough out onto that. Sprinkle the top lightly with more flour.
• Pat the dough into a round that is approximately 9-inches in diameter, piling it slightly higher toward the center. Sprinkle lightly with more flour as necessary to prevent sticking.
• If using a round baking pan, place the dough gently inside of it. If using a cast iron skillet, lift the paper with the dough on it and place back into the skillet.
• With a very sharp knife, slice a large “X” on the top about 1-inch deep (each slash should be about 6-inches long). If the dough seems to have warmed during handling, place the pan or skillet in the freezer to chill for 10 minutes or until the butter is once again firm.
• Place the baking pan in the center of the preheated oven and bake until lightly golden brown all over, a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs (not wet), and the bread is firm to the touch (about 45 minutes). If you've used a cast iron skillet, the bread may bake faster than if you've used a cast aluminum round baking pan.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the baking pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool until stable (30 to 60 minutes). Remove any paper from below the bread.
• Slice and serve warm, with butter. It's also excellent the next day, toasted.

Video

Notes

Flour blend choices

I recommend Better Batter's original blend gluten free flour and Nicole's Best multipurpose blend with added xanthan gum. Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour may also work, as long as you add 3/4 teaspoon additional xanthan gum since the blend has xanthan gum, but not enough. 

To make your own blend, visit my all purpose gluten free flour blends page for DIY “mock” recipes. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 420kcal | Carbohydrates: 79g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 426mg | Potassium: 257mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 317IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 108mg | Iron: 1mg

These gluten free carrot cake cupcakes are soft, warmly spiced, and packed with real carrot flavor. They have the classic taste you expect from carrot cake in a perfectly portioned cupcake.

They have less flour than gluten free carrot cake needs since they're supported by the muffin wells, so the crumb is extra tender. They strike that ideal balance between sweetness and spice, without being overly rich.

Why this recipe works

The carrots are grated on the larger holes of a box grater, not finely shredded. That small detail changes everything.

The thicker shreds soften in the oven while still holding their shape, so they add sweetness and structure instead of disappearing into the batter. That means we can use almost as much carrot as flour, for a moist, flavorful crumb with visible flecks of carrot throughout.

The balance of oil, brown sugar, and spice keeps the flavor carrot-forward without feeling greasy or overly sweet. It also keeps the cupcakes tender even when chilled.

Recipe ingredients

These are the ingredients you'll need to make these carrot cake cupcakes, including some information about the role each plays in the perfect result.

• Carrots: Add gentle, slightly earthy sweetness to the cupcakes as they soften and their natural sugars and moisture are released in the oven. These cupcakes can hold almost as much grated carrot as gluten free flour without collapsing because we grate the carrots coarsely. That way, they maintain some structure rather than melting into the cake.
• Gluten free flour blend: Provides most of the structure for the cupcakes. Select well-balanced blend with a finely ground rice flour as its base like Better Batter's original gluten free flour blend or Nicole's Best with added xanthan gum. Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 gluten free blend with an additional 1/4 teaspoon gum should also work. We use less flour here than in our gluten free carrot cake recipe since cupcakes bake more quickly and have the support of the muffin wells for baking structure.
• Baking soda & baking powder: Help the cupcakes rise. The baking soda reacts with acid in the brown sugar and buttermilk, and helps the cupcakes brown in the oven.
• Salt: Brightens all the other flavors.
• Ground cinnamon: Adds deep, warm flavor to the cake and enhances the natural flavor of the carrots.
• Granulated & light brown sugars: Lock in moisture, add sweetness, and help the cupcakes brown. The molasses in the brown sugar also adds depth of flavor and reacts with the baking soda to create rise.
• Oil: Creates a velvety crumb and mouthfeel and keeps the cake moist even when cold, unlike butter. Any neutral oil will work, like vegetable, canola, grapeseed, avocado, or peanut oil. Avoid anything with competing flavors like olive oil.
• Eggs: Help bind the cupcakes together. The yolks add richness and the whites help the cupcakes maintain their rise even as they cool.
• Buttermilk: Brings the mixture together with moisture, adds a lightly tangy taste that balances the richness of the oily so the cupcakes don't taste or feel oily. Reacts with baking soda to enhance the rise. If you don't have buttermilk, try plain lowfat kefir or half sour cream and half milk, by volume.
• Vanilla: Adds complex depth of flavor and a touch of sweetness when you use vanilla bean paste. If you don't have vanilla bean paste, you can use pure vanilla extract.
• White chocolate chips: A small amount adds pockets of simple, rich sweetness for an overall more decadent flavor.

How to make gluten free carrot cake cupcakes (step by step photos)

For visual learners like me, here are step by step photos that illustrate how to make these cupcakes in your own kitchen. For exact ingredient amounts, see the recipe card below.

1. Prepare the dry ingredients
Other than a grater for the carrots, you'll only need a single large mixing bowl to make the cupcake batter. In it, whisk together the gluten free flour blend including xanthan gum (plus a bit more if you're using Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1), baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, granulated sugar and brown sugar. You'll need to use the back of a mixing spoon to break up the inevitable lumps in your brown sugar.

2. Add the wet ingredients
Make a well in the center of the well-combined dry ingredients to make it easier to mix in the wet ingredients fully. Add neutral oil, beaten eggs, buttermilk and vanilla bean paste, and mix until combined. The mixture should be smooth and will be soft, especially because of the oil, which is fully liquid at room temperature.

3. Add the mix-ins
Add grated carrots and white chocolate chips (or another mix-in, like chopped pecans), and mix until uniformly mixed throughout the cupcake batter. We add the carrots at the end to make it easier to mix everything else fully first for a uniform batter that bakes evenly.

4. Bake the cupcakes
Fill the wells of standard, lined 12-well cupcake tin about 3/4 of the way with the batter. If your cupcake wells are smaller than mine, you may have some leftover batter. Don't fill the wells more, since you want cupcakes to bake flat, not domed like muffins, so you can frost them easily.

Expert tips

Don't overfill the cupcake tin

Cupcakes are meant to bake flat, not domed, like gluten free muffins, to maximize the surface area available for frosting. That's why we have a thinner raw batter, bake at a lower temperature for less structure and a more delicate crumb, and only fill the wells of the tin no more than 3/4 of the way. If you have extra batter because your muffin tin wells are smaller than mine, make more cupcakes!

Coarsely grate the carrots

Choose the largest regular hole on your box grater, with each hole about 1/4-inch wide, to grate the carrots. They're small enough to fully soften in the oven so the cupcakes are tender, but thick enough to hold their shape without releasing too much moisture. They even help give the cupcakes some of their structure this way.

Use only freshly-grated carrots

Avoid pre-shredded carrots, which are too thick and don't have enough moisture. They may not fully soften in the oven and they won't be sweet enough. In fact, for the sweetest cupcakes, only grate your carrots from the middle to the tapered end, where the carrots are sweetest and most flavorful.

Vary your mix-ins

If you don't like white chocolate chips, don't have them, or have to avoid dairy, try using any other dry mix-ins you like. You can use raisins or other small dried fruit, chopped pecans or walnuts, or another flavor gluten free chocolate chip (cinnamon chips are delicious). Measure by weight, not volume, for precision in this and every other ingredient.

Try canned frosting

For the easiest carrot cupcakes, consider using canned, store-bought frosting rather than making your own. Without butter to soften, these cupcakes are really quick and easy, so you don't necessarily need to complicate them by making your own frosting. Try Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker cream cheese frosting.

Ingredient substitutions

If you have to cater to additional allergens other than gluten, here are my suggestions for how to do that. Keep in mind that chopped pecans are optional, so if you have to be nut-free, just leave those out.

Dairy free

In place of buttermilk in the cupcakes, use 1 1/2 fluid ounces (3 tablespoons) dairy free sour cream or Greek-style yogurt and 1 1/2 fluid ounces unflavored dairy free milk (I like coconut milk in the carton or soy milk). Use dairy free white chocolate chips or replace them with another flavor of dairy free chips, small dried fruit pieces and/or chopped walnuts or pecans.

For the frosting, I recommend using canned cream cheese frosting like Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker, which are usually free of dairy and gluten.

Egg free

In place of the 2 eggs, you can try chia eggs, Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer, or JustEgg liquid egg replacer in the refrigerated section.

Print

Gluten Free Carrot Cake Cupcakes Recipe

These gluten free carrot cake cupcakes are soft, warmly spiced, and have almost as much shredded carrot as flour for tons of flavor!

Course Cupcakes, Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword gluten free carrot cake cupcakes

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 18 minutes minutes

Cooling time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 12 cupcakes

Calories 256kcal

Author Nicole Hunn

Equipment

• Stand mixer or handheld mixer for making the frosting

Ingredients

For the cupcakes

• 1 cup all purpose gluten free flour blend See Recipe Notes
• ½ teaspoon xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ⅜ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
• ¼ cup neutral oil (like sunflower, grapeseed, canola or vegetable oil)
• 2 eggs at room temperature, beaten
• ⅜ cup buttermilk at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups peeled and coarsely-grated carrots (See Recipe Notes) (from about 2 medium carrots)
• ½ cup gluten free white chocolate chips (can replace with any other dry mix-ins)

For cream cheese frosting

• 4 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
• ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar plus more as necessary
• Chopped pecans for decorating (optional)

Customary – Metric

Instructions

Make the cupcakes

• Preheat your oven to 325°F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin, and set it aside.
• In a large bowl, place the flour blend, xanthan gum, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Whisk to combine well. Break up any lumps of brown sugar with the back of a mixing spoon.

• Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and add the oil, beaten eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla, and mix to combine. The mixture will be very soft and quite thin.
• 
Add the grated carrots to the mixture, plus the white chocolate chips, and mix until evenly distributed throughout. The batter will thicken a bit as you mix.
• Fill the wells of the prepared muffin tins about 3/4 of the way full with batter. Shake the pan back and forth to distribute it evenly in each well.
• Place the muffin tin in the center of the preheated oven and bake until they’re uniformly lightly golden brown on top, spring back when pressed gently in the center, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out not wet, but may have a few moist crumbs attached (18 to 20 minutes).
• Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for no more than 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. A small offset spatula slipped underneath each cupcake can help remove them while still hot without burning your fingers.

Make the frosting

• While the cupcakes are cooling, in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large bowl with a handheld mixer), place the cream cheese and butter.
 Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
• Add the salt, and 2 cups of confectioners’ sugar. Mix on low speed until the sugar is absorbed. Turn the mixer to high speed and beat until the frosting is thickened and fluffy, about 2 minutes more.

• Beat in more confectioners’ sugar as necessary to thicken the frosting enough to hold its shape when scooped with a spoon.

Decorate the cupcakes

• To frost the cupcakes, pipe a generous swirl of frosting using a large open piping tip, or snip the corner off a zip-top bag for a homemade version. You can also use an ice cream scoop to place a large dollop of frosting on top of each. Swirl with a spatula or spoon.
• Top with chopped pecans, if desired.

Notes

Choosing a flour blend
For expected results, use one of my recommended all purpose gluten free flour blends (like Better Batter original blend or Nicole’s Best multipurpose with added xanthan gum as directed in the recipe). If you use Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1, add an extra heaping 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum to avoid crumbly cupcakes. 

To make your own blend using one of my “mock” recipes, please see the all purpose gluten free flour blends page.

Grating the carrots
On a standard box grater, use the large holes which are about 1/4-inch in diameter. It's the side you'd use for mozzarella cheese. Do not use the finer grate. You should be able to see each individual shred. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1frosted cupcake | Calories: 256kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 271mg | Potassium: 114mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 2971IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 0.3mg

Storage instructions

Since these cupcakes are made with oil, not butter, you can store them in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Let them come closer to room temperature before serving.

For longer storage, freeze unfrosted cupcakes wrapped tightly for up to 3 months, and defrost at room temperature or in the microwave for about 20 seconds each. Frosted cupcakes can also be frozen, but will have to defrost at room temperature.

This recipe makes truly authentic gluten free bagels that you may have thought you'd never have again. The secret to an easy to handle dough is the cold rise before shaping, and the secret to the chewy crust is boiling them in a molasses bath before baking to perfection.

As a born and raised New Yorker, chewy, crusty New York-style bagels have always been very important to me. Now I bring them to you, gluten free!

Why you'll love this recipe

These bagels are crisp and fully browned on the outside and satisfyingly chewy inside, just like real New York bagels. You can sprinkle them with sesame or poppy seeds, everything seasoning, even top with cinnamon-sugar after brushing with an egg wash.

The recipe has lots of ingredients that aid in browning in the oven, an egg white to help them hold their shape as they cool, and extra tapioca starch to make the bagels super chewy.

Enjoy them plain, toasted and with butter or cream cheese, or use them as the foundation for the perfect sandwich.

Recipe ingredients

Here are the ingredients you'll need to make this recipe, plus a bit about the role each plays in a perfectly round, chewy, browned bagel:

• Gluten free flour: Select your all purpose gluten free flour blend carefully, an important choice for any recipe, but especially important in a shaped yeast bread recipe like this. I highly recommend Nicole's Best multipurpose gluten free flour blend or Vitacost's Multi-Blend Gluten Free Flour with added xanthan gum, or Better Batter's original all purpose blend without additional xanthan gum. I recommend against Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 in the blue bag here, since it just doesn't have enough structure. King Arthur Flour's gluten free bread flour or pizza flour may work, though. 
• Tapioca starch: Adding extra tapioca starch to this recipe, beyond what is already contained in your all purpose gluten free flour blend, adds extensibility and stretch to the dough. Sprinkling the dough lightly with more tapioca during shaping also helps the bagels crisp in the oven.
• Milk powder: Adds richness to the bagels and helps them brown. Use even if your all purpose blend already contains milk powder.
• Instant Yeast (aka rapid rise or breadmaker yeast): Gives these bagels their rise. To use active dry yeast, add 2 grams more for a total of 11 grams yeast, and proof it in some of the recipe's water first. Active dry yeast has a thicker inactive coating that you must dissolve before adding it to the dough or it won't activate.
• Sugar: Helps feed the yeast, adds a very gentle sweetness and helps the bagels brown.
• Salt: Adds flavor, and helps control the rise of the yeast.
• Butter: Adds richness, buttery flavor and helps with browning.
• Egg white: Provides structure to help the bagels hold their rise as they cool after baking. The egg wash (egg + water) brushed on the outside of the boiled bagels helps them turn out evenly brown and shiny.
• Water: Brings the dough together and creates a wet enough environment for the yeast to thrive. Warm water helps the yeast activate quickly. Make sure yours isn't too hot, or it could kill the yeast.
• Molasses bath: Bagels are traditionally boiled in a water bath with barley malt added. Since we can't use that gluten-containing ingredient, we use unsulphured molasses in a boiling water bath instead to add some dark brown color to the bagels.

How to make gluten free bagels

Whisk the dry ingredients
In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together all the dry ingredients except the salt (gluten free flour blend with xanthan gum, tapioca starch, milk powder, yeast and sugar) before whisking in the salt.

This evenly distributes all the dry ingredients and ensures that the unmixed salt and yeast don't come into direct contact, as salt inhibits yeast.

Add the wet ingredients
Add softened butter, a room temperature egg white, and warm water to the whisked dry ingredients. If your mixing bowl is especially large, turn things over a few times with a spatula to begin combining wet and dry ingredients.

Mix well
Place the mixing bowl in the stand mixer and attach the paddle. Mix on medium-low speed for a minute until the flours are moistened. The dough will clump around the paddle. Mix on medium-high speed for about 4 minutes or until the dough sticks to the sides of the bowl and takes on an airy, whipped appearance.

Chill the unshaped dough
Transfer the prepared raw dough to a container or bowl and cover tightly. Place in the refrigerator for at least a 30 minute (and up to 2 day) cold rise. This allows the dough to develop yeasty flavor. It also gives the flours time to absorb moisture and the butter to stiffen, making the dough easier to shape.

Divide the dough
Place the dough on flat surface lightly dusted with extra tapioca starch and sprinkle it lightly with more tapioca. Use a bench scraper or sharp knife to divide it half, then each half into 4 equal portions, each weighing a bit more than 4 ounces. Evenly divided dough will rise and bake evenly together.

Shape into rounds
Work with one piece of dough at a time to shape into a round. Cupping your hand around the dough, resting the pinky edge of your hand on the surface and your hand in a C shape (or a backwards C if you're right handed like I am). Move your hand around in a circle, maintaining contact with the surface on the side of your hand at all times. Only sprinkle with more tapioca as essential to prevent sticking or the dough can dry out, preventing a proper rise.

Create bagel holes
Use your palm to press each round gently into a disk. Poke a floured finger into the center from both sides of the dough. Rotate the dough around that finger in concentric circles to widen the hole. Bagels are sometimes shaped by rolling out a cylinder of dough, about 1 1/2-inches thick and then joining the ends together to create a round. If you shape your bagel like that, the edges may separate during boiling or even during baking.

Let the shaped dough rise
Place the raw shaped bagels about 2 inches apart on lined baking sheets, cover lightly with plastic wrap, and let rise until about 50% larger than they started. This is very temperature and humidity-dependent, so be patient. The dough isn't strong enough to double in size while still holding its shape, but you don't need it to.

Boil the risen bagels
Add unsulphured molasses to water and bring it to a rolling boil. This is the molasses bath that restricts the oven rise a bit and ensures that chewy, classic bagel texture and appearance. Boil each risen bagel for less than 1 minute total, flipping over gently to boil both sides. Return to the baking sheet.

Brush with an egg wash
Brush the boiled bagels with an egg wash to help them brown well and come out shiny.

Bake until golden
Bake at 375°F for about 25 minutes, rotating once after 15 minutes, or until they've reached a beautiful golden brown and measure about 180°F on an instant read thermometer.

When they're done, the bagels will spring back when pressed gently and will feel relatively light for their size. The molasses bath may cause them to blacken a bit on the bottoms, but it won't affect the taste.

Expert tips

Be sure to add extra tapioca starch

Most well balanced all purpose gluten free flour blends have some tapioca starch in the blend. Here the recipe calls for extra tapioca starch as a separate ingredient, and it's essential. It provides structure, stretch and a smoothness to the dough.

If you don't have a stand mixer

You can't make a cohesive raw dough that rises smoothly both raw and during baking without some sort of mechanical mixing. A stand mixer with the paddle attachment is ideal for over-areating the dough a bit, which a handheld mixer would do.

If you don't have a stand mixer, you can try using a large food processor with the plastic dough blade (the metal blade is too aggressive). Pulse the dough a couple times quickly, scrape it down to redistribute the ingredients, then pulse again and repeat until you have a relatively smooth dough. Be careful not to overprocess.

Avoid overproofing the shaped dough

The raw, shaped dough will not double in size, and instead will become about 50% larger than how it began. If the dough begins to take on a dimpled look, it's started to overproof. Over-risen dough will soak up water like a sponge and disintegrate during boiling.

Boil before you bake

Boiling bagels after their shaped rise sets the starches on the outside, keeping them from rising too much in the oven. It's what creates the characteristic chewy crumb that a roll-with-a-hole that just looks like a bagel can't have.

Ingredient substitutions

Dairy free

To replace the milk powder with a dairy-free alternative, coconut milk powder should work. In place of butter, vegan butter should work. I like Miyoko's, Melt, or Trader Joe's brand vegan butters best.

Egg free

If you can’t have egg whites, try replacing the egg white with an equal amount, by weight, of aquafaba, which is the brine from a can of chickpeas. Try beating it until foamy with a whisk before adding it to the dough. In place of the egg wash on the outside of the bagels, try using melted butter or cream.

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Easy Gluten Free Bagels Recipe

These plain gluten free bagels have the authentic chew inside, and thin, crisp shell of a real, boiled bagel. Enjoy them with a schmear of cream cheese, or make the best sandwich of your life!

Course Bagels, Bread

Cuisine American

Keyword gluten free bagels

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Chilling and rising time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings 8 bagels

Calories 309kcal

Author Nicole Hunn

Equipment

• Stand mixer with paddle attachment

Ingredients

• 2 ¾ cups all purpose gluten free flour blend (See Recipe Notes)
• 2 ¾ teaspoons xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
• ⅗ cup tapioca starch/flour plus more for sprinkling
• ¼ cup milk powder
• 1 tablespoon instant yeast (See Recipe Notes)
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 egg white at room temperature
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 ⅜ cups warm water (about 95°F)
• Molasses bath 6 cups water + 1 teaspoon kosher salt + 1 tablespoon unsulphured molasses
• Egg wash 1 egg + 1 tablespoon lukewarm water, beaten

Customary – Metric

Instructions

Make the raw dough

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, place the flour, xanthan gum, tapioca starch/flour, milk powder, instant yeast, and granulated sugar, and whisk to combine well. Add the salt, and whisk again to combine.
• Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the egg white, butter, and warm water.
• Place the bowl in the stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium-low speed. The dough will clump around the paddle at first.
• Once it begins to smooth out, increase the speed to medium-high and continue to beat until the dough sticks to the sides of the bowl and takes on a whipped appearance (3 to 5 minutes).

Chill the unshaped dough

• Transfer the dough to a container with a tight-fitting lid, cover, and chill for about 30 minutes (and up to 2 days) to make the dough easier to work with and help it develop yeasty flavor.

Shape the bagels

• Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
• Sprinkle a clean, flat surface lightly with tapioca starch, and turn out the chilled dough onto it. Sprinkle again lightly with more tapioca starch, and turn the dough over a few times to smooth the surface.
• Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, divide the dough in half, then each half into 4 equal pieces to make 8 pieces total (each a bit more than 4 ounces).
• Working with one piece at a time, sprinkling very lightly with additional tapioca starch to prevent sticking, press the dough into a roughly shaped round, pinching together any cracks.
• Shape the dough into a round by placing it flat on the shaping surface and moving a cupped hand around in a circular motion to coax it into a round. Use your palm to press the top of the dough gently into a disk.
• Sprinkle the top of the dough and your index finger with more tapioca starch. Poke your finger into the center of the dough. Turn the dough over, poke through the same hole all the way through. Move your index finger quickly in a circular motion to increase the size of the hole to about 1 1/2-inches in diameter.
• Repeat with the remaining dough, placing the shaped raw bagels about 2 inches apart.

Let the shaped bagels rise

• Cover the baking sheet with lightly oiled plastic wrap, and set aside to rise until the bagels are about 150% of their original size. They won't fully double, (which would be 200%).
• Rising could take as little as about 40 minutes, or it could take much longer. It depends upon the temperature and humidity in your kitchen. If you see the surface of the bagels begin to become very uneven, with craters forming, stop proofing immediately.

Boil the risen raw bagels

• Toward the end of the rise, preheat your oven to 375°F.
• Place the ingredients for the molasses bath in a heavy-bottom saucepan and bring to a rolling boil over medium heat.
• Place as many of the bagels in the bath as you can fit without crowding them at all, and boil for about 45 seconds to 1 minute total, turning the dough over for even boiling. It's fine if the bagels swell unevenly.
• Remove the bagels from the bath with a slotted spoon or strainer, removing as much excess water as possible. Return them to the baking sheet.
• Brush the tops and sides of the boiled bagels generously with the egg wash. Repeat with any remaining bagels.

Bake the bagels

• Place the baking sheet in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes.
• Rotate the baking sheet in the oven and continue to bake for about another 10 minutes or until golden brown all over, a thermometer inserted into a bagel reads 180°F, and the tops of the bagels spring back when pressed gently with your finger. When they're fully baked, they should seem relatively light for their size.
• Allow the bagels to cool for at least 10 minutes and until they’re no longer too hot to handle before slicing and serving.

Video

Notes

Flour blend choice

I highly recommend Nicole's Best multipurpose gluten free flour blend or Vitacost's Multi-Blend Gluten Free Flour with added xanthan gum, or Better Batter's original all purpose blend without additional xanthan gum. Poorer quality flour blends that aren't balanced well will not work in shaped yeast bread like this. 

To build your own blend or learn more about this important subject, please see the all purpose gluten free flour blends page here on the blog. 

Instant yeast

If you don’t have instant yeast, you can use 11 grams of active dry yeast in place of 9 grams instant yeast. You will need to proof the active dry yeast in some of the recipe's water first. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1bagel | Calories: 309kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 357mg | Potassium: 70mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 300IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 0.1mg

Storage instructions

Boiled and baked bagels will stay fresh for only about a day. If you wrap them very tightly in high-quality plastic wrap, they will still be good toasted the next day or two.

For longer storage, once cool, they freeze exceptionally well. Just slice them in half horizontally, place them in a well-sealed zip-top container with all the air squeezed out, and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature or briefly in the microwave, and toast to perfection.

These gluten free oatmeal cream pies are my from-scratch take on the Little Debbie classic: thin, chewy oatmeal cookies with a sweet swirl of vanilla cream in the center.

Why this recipe works

Many gluten free oatmeal cream pie recipes turn out thick and cakey. These are intentionally thin and chewy, with the lightly crinkled surface and soft texture that feel true to the original Little Debbie snack cake.

The oats are processed just enough to break them down without turning them into a smooth flour. That way, the cookies stay tender and cohesive, and have real oatmeal flavor like they should, but without the extra chewy, hearty texture of classic gluten free oatmeal cookies.

The filling is sweet buttercream with a bit of meringue powder for stability. That way, it stays fluffy and structured at room temperature, instead of softening or separating after a few hours.

Recipe ingredients

Here are the ingredients you'll need to make the oatmeal cookies, and a bit about the role each plays:

• Gluten free flour: Provides structure to the cookies as they cool, and keeps them from spreading too thin. Be sure to use a properly balanced blend without any gritty rice flour, like Better Batter's original blend or Nicole's Best multi-purpose gluten free flour blend with added xanthan gum. Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 should also work, with an additional 1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum.
• Ground oats: Adds some textured chew and gentle sweetness. Pulsing old fashioned gluten free rolled oats in a blender or food processor makes them a bit more finely ground than quick-cooking oats but not as smooth as oat flour.
• Granulated sugar: Adds sweetness, locks in moisture, and helps the cookies brown in the oven.
• Light brown sugar: Adds sweetness and richness, some brown color, and keeps the cookies from spreading too much.
• Baking soda: Helps the cookies brown and reacts with the molasses in the brown sugar for a bit of rise.
• Butter: Adds richness, buttery flavor, and causes the cookies to spread in the oven just the right amount. Adds creaminess to the filling.
• Egg: Adds some rise, chew, richness from the yolk, and the white helps the cookies hold their shape as they cool.
• Vanilla: Adds depth of flavor. Vanilla bean paste, made from vanilla extract, ground vanilla seeds, and a thickener like xanthan gum, adds more flavor than pure vanilla extract, but you can use either. I buy mine at Trader Joe's for a reasonable price, and it adds a ton of extra flavor.
• Confectioners' sugar: Adds sweetness and stiffness to the filling.
• Meringue powder: Helps stiffen the filling, so it holds it shape.
• Milk: Helps smooth and soften the filling.

How to make gluten free oatmeal cream pies (step by step photos)

For full ingredient amounts, please see the recipe card below. Here are step by step photos to guide you visually through making the cookies and filling them.

Combine the dry ingredients
Whisk together the flour blend with xanthan gum, ground oats, granulated and light brown sugars, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl to avoid any pockets of unmixed ingredients.

Mix in the butter
Chop room temperature butter into large chunks, each about a tablespoon, and toss it in the dry ingredients. Press down firmly with the underside of a mixing spoon to work in the pieces of butter until it resembles coarse, moistened crumbs. This helps ensure everything mixes together well, and helps control the spread by coating the butter in the flours.

Add the egg and vanilla
Create a small well in the center of the bowl, add the beaten egg and vanilla, and mix to combine into a smooth, cohesive light brown cookie dough. It should be thick and somewhat stiff, but not at all dry.

Portion the cookies
Fill a medium spring-loaded ice cream scoop, like a #40 scoop (or an OXO medium scoop) all the way to create portions of dough that each weigh about 2 ounces.

Don't chill the cookie dough before baking it. You want the cookie dough to spread in the oven, and you want it to have plenty of chew. If you let the cookie dough sit for too long or you chill it before baking, the ground oats will soften and you'll lose some texture.

Bake the cookies
Place the portions at least 2 inches apart from each other on baking sheets so they have enough room to spread without overlapping. They're done baking when they're lightly golden brown all over and have spread to about 4-inches in diameter.

They'll be fragile at first. Let them cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Make the filling
Cream butter, some milk and vanilla with an electric mixer (handheld is fine) until creamy, then add just enough confectioners' sugar to make a spreadable filling that holds its shape but is soft enough for you to pipe it. I like to add some meringue powder to like we do with our cut-out gluten free sugar cookies to stiffen the filling and make it more stable.

Fill the cookies
Spoon the filling into a piping bag fitted with a large open piping tip, or a zip-top bag and snip off the corner. Pipe a thick layer of filling on the underside of half of the cookies. For an authentic design from the side of each pie, make a 3-leaf clover shape with the filling before pressing the other cookies on top to sandwich.

Ingredient substitutions

If you're avoiding other allergens, here are my suggested workarounds:

Dairy free

In place of butter, try block-style vegan butter like Melt, Miyoko's, or Trader Joe's brand. The cookies will probably spread a bit more, so you can also try adding about 10 grams more gluten free flour blend. In the filling, melting isn't an issue, but don't skip the meringue powder which helps firm it up.

Egg free

Try replacing the one egg with a chia egg, flax egg (which imparts a bitter flavor, but as it's only one it might not matter), or try increasing the gluten free flour blend by 10 grams and adding 25 grams Greek-style plain yogurt. Just leave the meringue powder out of the filling recipe to make it egg-free and use a bit less milk to keep the filling firm enough.

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Gluten Free Oatmeal Cream Pies Recipe

Gluten free oatmeal cream pies with thin, chewy cookies, smooth texture, and sweet vanilla cream, full of real oatmeal flavor.

Course Cookies

Cuisine American

Keyword gluten free oatmeal cream pies

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 14 minutes minutes

Servings 6 pies

Calories 666kcal

Author Nicole Hunn

Equipment

• Handheld mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment, for making filling
• Piping bag with large open piping tip, for piping filling

Ingredients

For the cookies

• 1 ¼ cups all purpose gluten free flour blend (See Recipe Notes)
• ⅜ teaspoon xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
• 1 ¼ cups gluten free rolled oats pulsed in a blender until only a few large pieces remain
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup packed light brown sugar
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 egg at room temperature, beaten
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract

For the filling

• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons milk at room temperature, plus more by the teaspoonful
• 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
• 4 cups confectioners’ sugar plus more, as needed
• 2 tablespoons meringue powder

Customary – Metric

Instructions

Make the cookies

• Preheat your oven to 325°F. Line rimmed baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, processed oats, baking soda, salt, granulated sugar, and brown sugar, and whisk to combine well.
• Chop the butter into large chunks, and work it into the dry ingredients by pressing the butter down with the bottom of the bowl of a mixing spoon. Break up any lumps in the brown sugar at the same time, and keep working until the mixture resembles coarse, moist crumbs.
• Create a well in the center of the mixture, add the egg, and vanilla, and mix to combine. The dough should be thick and relatively stiff.
• Scoop the dough into about 12 pieces of relatively equal size, about 2 ounces each. Roll each into a smooth ball about 1 1/2-inches in diameter.
• Place the pieces of dough 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake in the center of the preheated oven until the cookies are lightly golden brown all over and set in the center (12 to 14 minutes).
• Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets until stable (about 10 minutes) before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the filling

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or a large bowl with a hand mixer, place the butter, milk, and vanilla, and beat on medium speed until well-combined. Raise the speed to high and beat until creamy (about 2 minutes).
• Add the salt and about 3 1/2 cups of the confectioners’ sugar. Mix slowly until the sugar is incorporated.
• Beat at high speed until uniformly thick. It's done when it's soft enough to pipe easily but still stiff enough to hold its shape (about 2 minutes more).
• Beat in the meringue powder and as much of the remaining 1/2 cup of the confectioners’ sugar as necessary to thicken the frosting. If it gets too thick, add add more milk by the teaspoonful, beating well after each addition,

Assemble the pies

• Transfer the filling to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain piping tip.
• Once the cookies are completely cool, place half of them on a flat surface, inverted.
• Pipe about 3 tablespoons of filling on the bottoms of the inverted cookies in the pattern of a 3 leaf clover (or in one large dollop).
• Top with the other cookies to sandwich, and serve.

Notes

Picking a gluten free flour blend
I recommend Better Batter's original blend without adding xanthan gum, Nicole's Best multipurpose plus xanthan gum, Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 gluten free (in the blue bag) with an added 1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum so the cookies don't crumble. 

For a DIY version of Better Batter or the original Cup4Cup blend, which would work well here, too, see our all purpose gluten free flour blends page. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie pie | Calories: 666kcal | Carbohydrates: 155g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 24g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 128mg | Sodium: 250mg | Potassium: 131mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 36g | Vitamin A: 1214IU | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 1mg

Storage instructions

The filled snack cakes can be stored in a sealed glass container at room temperature and should maintain their texture for about 5 days.

For longer storage, seal ideally unfilled cookies tightly in freezer safe wrap or bag, and freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost at room temperature and fill as directed. Or wrap each filled pie tightly in freezer-safe wrap and freeze, then defrost at room temperature.

This classic gluten free baked mac and cheese is made with or without cooked pancetta or bacon in the casserole-style to creamy, crusty perfection. This is our family's go-to gluten free meal when everyone's hungry and the cupboards are nearly bare!

Why this recipe works

Casserole-style mac and cheese is warm and comforting, and it tastes and smells like home. Everyone loves a classic! It's also super easy on the cook, can be assembled ahead of time and baked at the last minute.

For a complete meal, serve this with a quick house-style salad or fold some lightly blanched broccoli right into the dish before baking.

The only ingredient that requires any cooking is the pancetta or bacon. It adds depth of flavor to the dish, but it's optional. Plus, the only fresh ingredients you absolutely need are shredded cheese and eggs. Even the milk is canned, and has a long shelf life.

Recipe ingredients

Here are the ingredients you need to make this recipe in your own kitchen, with a few words about the role of each in a successful result:

• Gluten free pasta: My favorite gluten free elbow macaroni (and current favorite brand in general) is Rummo gluten free. It's the closest to “regular” pasta I've found in texture and taste, maintains its texture when it's no longer warm, and reheats well. Bionaturae pasta is also great. Barilla is cheap and widely available, but it does fall apart easily. Be extra careful not to cook it until very soft.
• Pancetta or bacon: Chopped and sautéed cured pork as either pancetta or bacon adds depth of flavor and richness to the dish. Pancetta is unsmoked, so bacon adds that smokiness, but pancetta is so easy to buy already cubed, so it's less messy. You can leave this out entirely, and add 1 tablespoon dried mustard powder for some extra flavor.
• Eggs: Act as a binder to create a custard that holds the casserole together and make it firm. For a looser casserole, use 2 instead of 3 eggs. For a firm, very sliceable one, try 4.
• Evaporated milk: Combine with the eggs to create the custard that binds the casserole dish together. Adds richness without too much moisture, which regular milk would contain. You can try using half-and-half or 3/5 cream and 2/5 milk in its place, but the dish will bake up less firm.
• Butter: Coats the cooked pasta in buttery flavor and adds richness.
• Cheese: Adds rich cheesy, savory flavor and creates a smooth texture. I use sharp cheese for the most flavor, but a combination of cheddar and better melting cheese like Gruyère or Monterey Jack is great, too.

How to make gluten free baked mac and cheese

Here are some photos to provide an overview of how to make this recipe, with an the reason for each step. For the ingredient amounts and other details, see the recipe card below.

Sauté the pork
The most active cooking is sautéeing any pancetta or bacon first to crisp the pork and render its fat. You'll use some of the fat to coat the pasta and discard and drain the rest so to avoid any greasiness and let the cheese flavor shine.

Whisk the eggs and milk
Whisk eggs with evaporated milk and salt for an evenly mixed custard without any clumps of eggs that will turn into scrambled eggs in the oven.

Boil the pasta
Cook the pasta about 1 minute less than the package directions so it doesn't fall apart as you add the other ingredients. If you're using Barilla pasta, which is very fragile, cook for nearly 2 minutes less. Don't rinse it so it stays warm enough to melt the butter.

Add the butter and cooked pork
Add the butter and any rendered pork fat for a total of 6 tablespoons to the warm, drained and cooked pasta, then the cooked and drained pork, and stir gently to combine. Avoid breaking the pasta. Make sure all the butter is melted or you'll have greasy pockets.

Add the egg mixture
If your egg and milk mixture is at all cold, or the past is still hot, add some of the pasta mixture to the whisked eggs and milk to bring it slowly up in temperature to avoid scrambling the eggs. Pour the egg mixture into the pasta and fold it in gently.

Fold in the cheese
Add most of the shredded cheese, and fold it in until it's almost evenly mixed, taking extra care not to break the pasta, which has been handled a few times already.

Transfer the casserole dish
Pour the mixture into a greased casserole dish, then shake softly and spread carefully into an even layer.

Top with more cheese
Scatter the remaining cheese across the top of the dish to create a bubbly crust during baking.

Bake and serve
Cover the dish with greased or nonstick foil so the custard sets gently and the cheese melts before anything hardens. Uncover and finish baking until the custard is set. You can bake a bit longer to let the top brown, but I prefer a softer crust. Scatter with fresh parsley and serve warm.

Expert tips

Shred your own cheese

If possible, don't use pre-shredded cheese. It contains anti-caking agents that tend to dry out the dish and prevent the cheese from melting into the pasta quite as well. If you are using pre-shredded cheese, add the remaining 2 fluid ounces of evaporated milk in the can to compensate.

Don't overcook the pasta

Dried gluten free pasta has come a long way and tends to be relatively stable. But elbow macaroni cooks very quickly. If you overcook it at all, it may fall apart as you mix in the remaining casserole ingredients, no matter how gently you combine them.

Prep ahead

When my kids were young and had a lot of activities, I always prepared this dish ahead of time through step 10, right before baking it. Just cover the dish tightly and store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or in the freezer for longer. Then, let it sit at room temperature while the oven is preheating, and bake as directed.

Ingredient substitutions

Dairy free

Instead of butter, use block-style vegan butter. Replace the cow's milk evaporated milk with evaporated coconut milk. I think that would work better than evaporated oat milk, which will be sweeter and more textured. For dairy free cheese recommendations, please see our dairy free mac and cheese post.

Egg free

If you need an egg-free dish, I recommend that you use our stovetop gluten free mac and cheese recipe instead rather than trying to replace the eggs in this one.

Vegetarian

Leave out the cured pork (pancetta or bacon), and replace with the full amount of butter, and this dish is vegetarian.

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Gluten Free Baked Mac and Cheese

This classic gluten free baked mac and cheese is made with or without pancetta and baked casserole-style in the oven to creamy, crispy perfection.

Course Pasta

Cuisine American

Keyword gluten free baked mac and cheese

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Calories 1063kcal

Author Nicole Hunn

Ingredients

• 4 ounces cubed pancetta or 4 strips thick-cut smoked bacon (See Recipe Notes)
• 12 ounces dried gluten free elbow pasta my favorite brand is Rummo
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled (or less if using rendered fat)
• 3 eggs at room temperature
• 1 ¼ cups evaporated milk
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 12 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese grated
• Chopped flat-leaf parsley for serving (optional)

Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish and set it aside.
• In a medium-size, heavy-bottom saucepan, cook the pancetta or bacon over medium-high heat until browned and crispy (about 5 minutes).
• Remove the cooked meat from the saucepan and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Drain off the rendered grease and set it aside.
• In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta to al dente texture (about 1 minute less than the package directions).
• Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Set the pot aside.
• In a medium-size measuring cup or bowl with pour spout, beat the eggs with the evaporated milk and salt. Set aside.
• Add a total of 6 tablespoons (84 g) of fat (melted butter, rendered grease or a combination of the two) to the cooked pasta, and toss gently to coat.
• Add the cooked pancetta or bacon and the milk and egg mixture to the pasta, and mix gently to combine.
• Add about 10 ounces of the grated cheese, and mix gently to combine.
• Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Scatter the remaining shredded cheese evenly over the top.
• Cover the dish loosely with aluminum foil and place in the center of the preheated oven. Bake for 20 minutes.
• Remove the foil and continue to bake until the mac and cheese feels firm to the touch when pressed gently in the center, about another 10 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and allow to set for 10 minutes before sprinkling with the optional chopped parsley, and serving warm.

Notes

You can leave out the bacon entirely. Just use the full 6 tablespoons of melted butter rather than a combination of melted butter and bacon grease.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 1063kcal | Carbohydrates: 72g | Protein: 41g | Fat: 69g | Saturated Fat: 36g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 19g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 295mg | Sodium: 1214mg | Potassium: 411mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1754IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 832mg | Iron: 2mg

Storage instructions

You can make the entire dish without baking it, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days (as long as all perishable ingredients are fresh). Then, remove the plastic, cover with foil and bake as instructed. If the dish is cold, you may need to add some baking time before uncovering.

The baked and cooled dish can also be refrigerated as leftovers, in a sealed container, for up to 5 days. Sprinkle lightly with lukewarm water and refresh either in the microwave or a 300°F oven until warmed through.

For longer storage, you can freeze the tightly covered dish, baked or unbaked, for up to 2 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight, then bake as directed.

These gluten free red velvet cupcakes are buttery and rich with light chocolate flavor and a light and super tender crumb.

My vanilla-first, gluten-free son always picked red velvet for his birthday to keep the chocolate lovers happy, too. And the festive red color is ideal for Valentine's Day too!

Why this recipe works

These cupcakes have the modest chocolate flavor and gentle tang you expect from red velvet thanks to a combination of real buttermilk and apple cider vinegar. Their fun red-brown color comes from natural cocoa powder plus highly-pigmented gel food coloring (a little goes a long way).

Rather than just using the batter from our classic gluten free red velvet cake to bake cupcakes, the ingredients here are balanced differently for cupcakes that bake up flat and stay super moist.

The 2-ingredient chocolate glaze is an easy way to dress them up, but you could also frost these with your favorite gluten free frosting.

Recipe ingredients

Here are the ingredient you'll need to make these cupcakes at home, and a bit about the role each one plays in recipe success:

• Gluten free flour blend: Provides much of the cupcakes' structure. Be sure to use a well-balanced blend with a finely ground rice flour as its base for light cupcakes without any grit. I like using Better Batter's original gluten free flour blend or Nicole's Best with added xanthan gum. Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 gluten free blend with an additional 1/2 teaspoon gum should work well, too.
• Cocoa powder: Adds just a hint of chocolate flavor. Using natural cocoa powder, which has a lighter brown color, helps keep the cupcakes red, but Dutch-processed adds more flavor.
• Baking powder and soda: Add rise and help the cupcakes brown lightly in the oven. The baking soda reacts with acidity in the buttermilk, vinegar and natural cocoa powder, if using.
• Salt: Brightens other flavors.
• Buttermilk: Adds the right amount of moisture which brings the mixture together, reacts with the baking soda to create rise, and adds bright tangy flavor. If you don't have buttermilk, you can add 6 tablespoons (or 3/8 cup milk) to 1/2 cup sour cream as a foolproof buttermilk alternative.
• Vanilla: Vanilla extract adds depth of flavor. For more flavor, use vanilla bean paste instead.
• Apple cider vinegar: Helps add some additional tang and reacts with natural cocoa powder to create a reddish color.
• Butter: Adds buttery flavor, and helps lighten the crumb by adding air when creamed with the sugar.
• Sugar: Adds sweetness, locks in moisture for a tender cake, and lighten the crumb when creamed with the butter.
• Eggs: Add binding and leavening, the yolks add richness, the whites add moisture, and the whites help the cupcakes hold their shape as they cool.
• Gel food coloring: Adds more red color than you would get from natural cocoa powder alone. Be sure to use gel food coloring, since liquid food coloring only has enough pigment to add color in quantities so large that the cupcakes will have a bitter taste. Americolor brand “super red” gel food coloring is gluten free and my choice.

How to make gluten free red velvet cupcakes (with step by step photos)

Here's a visual representation of how to make these cupcakes. For full instructions and ingredient amounts, please see the recipe card below.

Whisk the dry ingredients
Whisk together all of the dry ingredients (gluten free flour blend with xanthan gum, baking powder and soda, salt, and cocoa powder) to ensure even combining without any pockets of concentrated leaveners.

Make the buttermilk mixture
To the buttermilk, add vanilla and vinegar, and whisk to combine well. This will also ensure no clumping.

Cream the butter and sugar
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with a handheld mixer, cream the butter and sugar for less than 2 minutes. This will cut the sugar crystals into the butter to add some air for a light and tender crumb, but not so much that the cupcakes rise into a dome. Be sure the butter is at room temperature, between 68°F and 70°F, so it doesn't just create a pebbly, lumpy mixture.

Add the eggs and food coloring
Beat in the 2 eggs and about 1/4 teaspoon super red gel food coloring for a smooth batter that's bright red. The color will fade during baking, so make sure it's brighter than you want the baked cupcakes to be.

Finish the batter
Add the combined dry ingredients in 3 batches and the buttermilk mixture in 2 batches, beginning and ending with dry. This is designed for even combining of all of the ingredients without pockets of the dry mixture.

Divide the batter
The batter will be smooth, soft and reddish brown in color. Fill the lined wells of cupcake tins about 2/3 of the way full with batter. If you overfill the wells, the cupcakes will rise into a muffin-style dome instead of the flat top we want for cupcakes to hold a chocolate glaze or frosting.

Bake the cupcakes
Bake at 325°F, a relatively low temperature, to encourage the cupcakes to bake slowly without doming, and all the way through without burning on the bottom. Let the cupcakes cool very briefly before removing from the tin so they don't steam in the liners and become chewy or shrink.

Add the optional glaze
Melt chopped chocolate and shortening in the microwave for a glaze for added richness and shine without creating a hard shell. Dip the cooled top of each cupcake in the glaze, then turn upright to sit until the chocolate glaze is set.

Expert tips

Don't whip the batter too much

The purpose of beating beat sugar with room temperature butter is to dissolve the sugar for a fluffier and more tender cupcake, and to add some air into the batter. But if you overbeat the mixture to whip it rather than just creaming it, the cupcakes will bake into more of a dome like muffins, rather than baking flat. Stop beating after no more than 2 minutes.

Use only gel food coloring

Avoid liquid food coloring, which is not pigmented enough to work without adding so much that it makes the cupcakes bitter. Americolor brand is gluten free, and their “super red” color is highly pigmented, so a little goes a long way. Remember that the color fades in the oven, so your batter should be redder than you'd like your cupcakes to be after baking.

Nest the cupcake tins

A clever way to fit one full standard 12-cup muffin tin on one rack of the oven with another with empty wells is to nest the full tin in the empty wells of the second tin. See the image gallery above for a visual representation.

You can also let the batter of the second tin rest while the first bakes. The second tin of cupcakes may rise a bit higher than the first, but not too much higher.

Ingredient substitutions

If you need to avoid additional allergens, here are my suggestions for what to use instead:

Dairy free

In place of buttermilk, add 6 tablespoons of nondairy milk to 1/2 cup nondairy sour cream or plain Greek-style yogurt. In place of butter, try block-style vegan butter like Melt or Miyoko's brand. Avoid anything that comes in a tub, which is mostly oil. For the chocolate glaze, be sure your chopped chocolate is dairy-free.

Egg free

You can try replacing the 2 eggs with chia eggs, Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer, or JustEgg liquid egg replacer in the refrigerated section.

Food dye free

You can always just leave out the food coloring if you need to avoid food dye. It won't affect the flavor at all, either way.

Shortening

For the shortening in the chocolate glaze, I recommend either Spectrum or Crisco brand. In its place, you can use virgin coconut oil, the kind that's soft solid at cool room temperature.

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Gluten Free Red Velvet Cupcakes Recipe

These tender, tangy gluten free red velvet cupcakes have a smooth, delicate chocolate flavor that pairs perfectly with a richer chocolate glaze topping.

Course Cupcakes

Cuisine American

Keyword stuffed gluten free red velvet cupcakes

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 18 minutes minutes

Servings 16 cupcakes

Calories 238kcal

Author Nicole Hunn

Equipment

• Stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or handheld mixer

Ingredients

For the cupcakes

• 1 ¾ cups all purpose gluten free flour blend (See Recipe Notes)
• ½ teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (natural works best, but Dutch-processed is fine, too)
• ⅞ cup buttermilk at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
• ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs at room temperature
• Red soft gel paste food coloring (optional) (I recommend Americolor brand)

For the chocolate glaze

• 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate chopped
• 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening

Customary – Metric

Instructions

Make the cupcakes

• Preheat your oven to 325°F. Line one standard 12-cup muffin tin plus 4 more cups along a single row of a second tin, and set them aside.
• In a medium-size bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cocoa powder, and whisk to combine well. Set the bowl aside.
• In a small mixing bowl or measuring cup, whisk the apple cider vinegar and vanilla into the buttermilk. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large bowl with a handheld mixer), beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed just until creamy (about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes).
• Add the eggs and about 1/4 teaspoon of the food coloring, if using, and beat on medium-high speed to combine well. The mixture should look quite bright pink. You can always add more food coloring later for a deeper red.
• Add the dry ingredients in 2 batches, alternating with the buttermilk mixture in 3 batches, mixing to combine after each addition.
• Begin and end with the dry ingredients. The batter should be smooth and relatively thick.
• Fill each well of the prepared muffin cups about 2/3 of the way full, filling each well with about 45 grams of batter
• Shake the pans back and forth to smooth the tops of the batter in each cup.
• To bake all of the cupcakes at the same time, nest the completely full tin in the 3 rows of empty wells of the other tin to make a super-large tin with 16 filled wells.
• Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 17 to 18 minutes, or until the tops spring back when gently pressed in the center. Do not overbake.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the muffin tin for 5 minutes or less before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the glaze

• Place the chopped chocolate in a small heat-safe bowl with the shortening, and melt both either over a double boiler or in the microwave in 30-second bursts until the mixture is melted and smooth.

Glaze the cupcakes

• Dip the top of each cooled cupcake in the chocolate mixture, bob it up and down 3 times before carefully lifting it out of the chocolate and twisting it slightly as you turn it right side up to avoid dripping chocolate.
• Allow the glaze to set at room temperature before serving.

Notes

Flour blends.

For best results, use Better Batter original blend or Nicole’s Best multipurpose blend with added xanthan gum. 

Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 should also work with an extra ½ teaspoon xanthan gum to the dry ingredients to prevent crumbling.

To make your own blend, see the All Purpose Gluten Free Flour Blends page.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupcake | Calories: 238kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 191mg | Potassium: 97mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 231IU | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 1mg

Storage instructions

The baked and cooled cupcakes will stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for about 2 days. Once glazed, the glaze helps seal in moisture, helping them stay fresh for closer to 3 days.

For longer storage, freeze the cupcakes. The chocolate glaze may bloom in the freezer giving it white cast, but that won't affect the taste. Let defrost at room temperature. You can also microwave unglazed frozen cupcakes for 20 seconds to defrost.

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