By Wendy Stoltz / Last Modified On May 21, 2023
A simple tried, and trusted recipe for a buttery, flaky, gluten-free puff pastry that uses only a handful of ingredients. This gluten-free puff pastry recipe is perfect for sweet and savory pastries, and I will show you how to make it perfect every time.
If you need more recipe options, try this gluten-free baked brie pastry or these gluten-free apple turnovers. Our gluten-free cream puffs are always a huge hit. And who doesn't love a gluten-free pie crust too?
Get inspired in the kitchen with Udemy's gluten-free cooking courses for every palate and preference!
GLUTEN-FREE PUFF PASTRY RECIPE
I couldn't wait to share this gluten-free puff pastry dough recipe with you. Gluten-free puff pastry is such a wonderful dough to master as you can make all sorts of delicious treats with it.
This gluten-free puff pastry dough is considered a gluten-free rough puff pastry dough. A gluten-free rough puff pastry dough incorporates butter by adding it into the dough in small pieces. A traditional puff pastry adds a solid layer of butter called a butter block and folds it into the dough.
I tried several variations, some with egg and some with milk, and I kept testing until I produced the BEST gluten-free puff pastry dough that can be used for sweet and savory pastries. Please read this post for all the tips and shortcuts.
Bake Next: Gluten-Free Choux Pastry
WHY YOU’RE GOING TO LOVE THIS GLUTEN-FREE PUFF PASTRY
Tried and tested - I've put in all the hard yards for you with my extensive testing, so all you need to do is follow the recipe and tips!
Versatile - Gluten-free puff pastry is a wonderful dough to master as you can make so many easy desserts and appetizers with it.
Minimal ingredients - I've minimized the steps and ingredients as much as possible while still delivering a delicious, flaky, buttery gluten-free puff pastry dough. This recipe also works great for gluten-free puff pastry sheets.
INGREDIENTS IN GLUTEN-FREE PUFF PASTRY DOUGH
I tested this gluten-free puff pastry dough recipe with variations that included butter, egg, milk, and dried milk powder. The best results were found with a combination of ingredients that didn't include egg or milk.
White rice flour - I found this gluten-free flour blend to work best for gluten-free puff pastry.
Tapioca Starch - You can also use arrowroot starch but cannot substitute potato starch with it too.
Potato Starch - You can also use arrowroot starch but cannot substitute the tapioca starch with it too.
Xanthan Gum - This helps to bind the ingredients together.
Baking Soda - This gives the puff pastry a lighter and fluffier texture.
Salt - Salt adds a bit of flavor to the dough.
Butter - Butter is an important part of puff pastry. When the puff pastry dough bakes, it releases steam, and the butter melts, creating layers that puff up. It's hard to achieve layers of flaky dough without butter.
Water - This is used to add liquid to the dough.
Equipment Needed for This Gluten-Free Puff Pastry
Pastry blender - Pastry blenders are so useful when making GF puff pastry.
Mixing bowls - These Pyrex mixing bowls come in handy.
Rolling pin - I use the traditional wooden rolling pin, but you can choose from the fancier rolling pins too.
Pastry brush - This pastry brush is great for applying egg wash to the GF puff pastry.
If you have any questions about making Gluten-Free Puff Pastry, please leave a comment, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
HOW TO MAKE GLUTEN-FREE PUFF PASTRY
- Add white rice flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, xanthan gum, baking soda, and salt to a large mixing bowl. Stir until combined.
- Grate the cold butter into the gluten-free flour blend mixture, stirring and coating the butter pieces as you go. You can also use a pastry blender and cut the butter pieces into the gluten-free flour blend.
- Once the butter pieces are the size of peas, make a well in the center and add the cold water. Use your hands to work the dough together and put it into a ball covered in plastic wrap. Chill for up to 2 hours.
- Remove the GF puff pastry dough from the refrigerator, remove the plastic wrap, and let it sit for 20 minutes. Place the dough on a piece of wax paper or parchment paper and press the dough into a rectangle. If the dough cracks around the edges and is still too cold, let it sit at room temperature for another 20 minutes. If the dough is too soft, refrigerate it for 20 minutes.
- Place another piece of wax paper or parchment paper on top of the dough and roll the dough out until it's about ¾ inch thick. Turn it vertically and fold the top into the center, then the bottom into the center (like a letter going into an envelope). Rotate it and roll it out again. Do this two more times and a total of three times.
- Roll the dough out to ¼ inch thick and cut it into 12 pieces.
- Fill each piece with your favorite filling.
- Brush the tops with an egg wash and bake as directed.
Tip for making Gluten-Free Puff Pastry
- Start with cold ingredients.
- Don't substitute anything that isn't listed as a tested substitute. If you do, you're doing so at your own risk.
- Make sure your ingredients aren't expired before you begin.
- You can chill the dough in the refrigerator or freezer.
- If the puff pastry dough cracks while you're rolling it out, the dough is too cold.
- If the puff pastry dough is sticky while you're rolling it out, sprinkle rice flour over the surface.
- If the puff pastry dough starts to soften or is hard to handle, place it in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do you grate the butter instead of cutting it in?
Grating the butter is a little less work AND it helps you get uniform-sized pieces of butter.
Remember to pause while grating the butter into the gluten-free flour blend mixture to coat it with gluten-free flour before grating additional butter in.
Why is my gluten-free puff pastry dough oily?
Puff pastry dough has a lot of butter in it, it will be a little buttery/oily.
With that said, if the butter is too cold when it goes into the oven, it won't coat the gluten-free flour the way it's intended to, and the surface of the pastry may be a little oily or buttery.
Why is my gluten-free puff pastry crunchy?
If the butter is too soft, it melts quickly and creates more of a crunchy pastry than a layered pastry dough.
If you want your pastry to be crunchier, don't chill the dough before rolling it out.
If you want it to be like traditional flaky pastry dough, make sure to chill it before working with it, and don't overwork the dough.
Can I make this in advance and freeze this gluten-free puff pastry?
Yes, you can make it in advance. Store it in the fridge overnight and use it the next morning.
Alternatively, freeze it if you intend to make it a few days later. It's best to finish rolling it out into a 15X12 rectangle before you freeze it. After you roll it out, roll the dough up with parchment or wax paper and place it in a zip lock bag and place it in the freezer.
When you're ready to use it, let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before you unroll it. If you unroll it when it's still cold, it will crack.
What substitutions can I use for this gluten-free puff pastry?
- You can substitute the potato starch (not gluten-free flour) or the tapioca starch with arrowroot starch, but not at the same time.
- You can use salted or unsalted butter, but if you use salted butter, you must omit the salt.
- You can use heavy cream instead of egg for the "egg wash".
- I haven't tried dairy-free (vegan) butter in this recipe.
Are there any gluten-free puff pastry brands in stores?
Yes, I've seen Schar Gluten-Free Puff Pastry and GeeFree Puff Pastry Sheets, but I have not tried them.
What size gluten-free puff pastry sheet does this recipe make?
This gluten-free puff pastry recipe makes one 15x12, a ¼-inch-thick sheet of puff pastry dough. It weighs approximately 22 ounces.
Can I use vegan butter in this gluten-free pastry dough recipe to make these vegan?
I haven't tried vegan butter in this recipe. But if you do, let us know.
How do you roll gluten-free pastry?
- Place the dough on a piece of wax paper or parchment paper. Then press the dough into a rectangle. TIPS: If you get cracks on the edges, let the dough sit at room temperature for another 20 minutes. This is caused by the dough being too cold. If the dough is too soft, refrigerate it for 20 minutes.
- Place another piece of wax paper or parchment paper on top of the dough and roll the dough out until it's about ¾ inch thick. Turn it vertically and fold the top into the center. Then the bottom into the center just like a letter going into an envelope. Rotate it and roll it out again. Do this two more times. In total, it will be three times.
- Roll the dough out to ¼ inch thick and cut it into 12 pieces - view the visuals above the recipe directions. TIP: It's best to roll the dough into sheets if you intend on freezing them for later use.
What Substitutions / Replacements Can I Make in This Gluten-Free Puff Pastry?
Dairy-Free - Use dairy-free butter. I have not tried it, however.
Vegan - As above, use a vegan butter alternative. Again, I have not tried it.
Does gluten-free puff pastry taste the same?
I would say it is pretty close to authentic as it comes out buttery and flaky, just like a classic puff pastry does.
Why does gluten-free puff pastry not rise?
There are two reasons. If you placed your dough into the fridge, it needs to be left out for about 10 minutes prior to baking it. Secondly, if you use your rolling pin again, you have compressed the air pockets, which then stops it from rising. So, it's best to roll the dough into sheets and freeze them to avoid this.
What Can You Make With Gluten-Free Puff Pastry?
The sky really is the limit to what you can make with GF puff pastry, from both sweet to savory. Here are some puff pastries you must make to give you ideas:
- Gluten-Free Baked Brie Pastry
- Gluten-Free Baklava - If you don't have gluten-free phyllo dough, you can make it with GF puff pastry.
- Gluten-Free Apple Turnovers
- Puff pastry bites
- Cheese straws
Gluten-Free Puff Pastry
A simple tried and trusted recipe for a buttery, flaky, gluten-free puff pastry that uses only a handful of ingredients. I will show you how to make it perfect every time.
Ingredients
- 1 cup white rice flour
- ½ cup tapioca starch
- ½ cup potato starch
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 16 tablespoons (two sticks) frozen unsalted butter, grated
- ½ cup cold water
- 1 egg, for an egg wash (or heavy cream)
Instructions
- Add white rice flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, xanthan gum, baking soda, and salt to a large mixing bowl. stir until combined.
- Grate cold butter into the flour mixture, stirring and coating the butter pieces as you go. You can also use a pastry blender and cut the butter pieces into the flour.
- Once the butter pieces are the size of peas, make a well in the center and add the cold water. Use your hands to work the dough together and into a ball.
- Chill for up to 2 hours.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it sit for 20 minutes. Pre-heat your oven to 400°F (204°C).
- Place the dough on a piece of wax paper or parchment paper and press the dough into a rectangle. If the dough cracks around the edges the dough is still too cold, let it sit at room temperature for another 20 minutes. If the dough is too soft refrigerate it for 20 minutes.
- Place another piece of wax paper or parchment paper on top of the dough and roll the dough out until it's about ¾ inch thick. Turn it vertical and fold the top into the center, then the bottom into the center (like a letter going into an envelope). Rotate it and roll it out again. Do this two more times for a total of three times.
- Roll the dough out to ¼ inch thick rectangle and cut it into 12 -16 pieces. If you are using this puff pastry for another recipe, follow the instructions for the recipe for cutting, shaping, and baking.
- Fill each piece with your favorite filling. Fold the one corner over the top of the filling, then fold the other.
- Brush the tops with an egg wash.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the pastry puffs up and the tops are golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and cool before serving.
Notes
- This gluten free-puff pastry recipe makes one 15x12, ¼ inch thick sheet of puff pastry dough. It weighs approximately 22 ounces.
- Start with cold ingredients.
- Don't substitute anything that isn't listed as a tested substitute. If you do, you're doing so at your own risk.
- You can chill the dough in the refrigerator or freezer.
- If the puff pastry dough cracks while you're rolling it out, the dough is too cold.
- If the puff pastry dough is sticky while you're rolling it out, sprinkle rice flour over the surface.
- If the puff pastry dough starts to soften or is hard to handle, place it in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases. They never cost you extra.
-
Pyrex Smart Essentials 3-Piece Prepware Mixing Bowl Set -
Fox Run Polished Marble Rolling Pin with Wooden Cradle, 10-Inch Barrel, White
-
Pastry Brush Natural Bristle Wooden, MSART Basting/Food Brush, with Beech Wood Handle and Rope Hook, Great for Butter, Cookies, Oil, Bread, Frosting. Easy to Clean (1 inch)
-
Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free White Rice Flour, 24 Ounce (Pack of 4)
-
Bob's Red Mill Finely Ground Tapioca Flour, 16 OZ
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Bob's Red Mill Potato Starch, 22-ounce
-
StarSun Depot Bobs Red Mill Xanthan Gum (1 Item only)
-
Dough Blender
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 211Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 54mgSodium: 171mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 2g
This nutrition info is based on the exact ingredients and brands that I used a the time. It may not be 100% accurate. Please check your ingredients nutrition labels.
Michelle Duncan
Do you think this might work with dairy free butter such as earth balance or shortening? Looks sooo good.
chrystal
Hi Michelle,
I'm not sure. I haven't tested it myself yet.
Best,
Chrystal
Lisa
Do you have a substitute for the egg wash or heavy cream? Our restrictions include GF, corn free, eggfree-(chicken, duck or quail eggs all included) dairyfree, soyfree. (Praise the Lord somehow organic butter still works)
chrystal
You can leave the egg-wash off or you can use coconut cream.
Best,
Chrystal
Jen
I just made it today with Earth Balance Soy Free and it worked quite well texturally. There’s a slight flax aftertaste, but when the filling is strongly flavored and in good proportion to the crust it’s not really noticeable.
I’m so thrilled because my wife generally misses out on fancier baked treats. This was special and fun. Thanks so much.
Lindsay
We just tried this recipe ourselves. I made one change. My mothers cold dough recipe called for cream cheese and we wanted something similar in flavor. After serve as failed attempts at modifying hers, we found this recipe. We subbed cream cheese for half the butter. If you do this make sure it's cold as it significantly sorted than butter. I chilled it in the freezer for 10- 15 minutes before adding it. It turned out great! It's not the same as the gluten filled version we grew up with, but great none the less. Our gluten sensitive family thanks you!
chrystal
I am so glad you liked it and that you were able to add cream cheese to make it they way you had it growing up. Thank you for sharing.
Best,
Chrystal
Sally
Hi. My pastry didn't puff up at all, just went flat in the oven and when it came out was just crumbly. Do you have any siggestions. Also to check - does 1 stick of American butter weigh 110g? Thanks
chrystal
Hi Sally,
Can you tell me what flour you used? Yes, an American stick of butter weights 110-114gs.
Best,
Chrystal
Sally
Exactly as per the recipe - white rice, tapioca starch and potato starch.
Sheila
I substituted the potatoe starch for more tapioca starch .I also ran out of rice flour and added corn flour
And it still turned out awesome.
Thank u for the recipie.
chrystal
I am so glad! Thank you for sharing what you used.
Best,
Chrystal
patricia
Oh, these look so good. But, I have to be dairy free. Do you think it will work with Spectrum Shortening or Earth Balance Better Sticks?
chrystal
Hi Patricia,
I don't think shortening would work as it coats the flour differently. Dairy-free butter (Earth Balance) might work, but I haven't had a chance to test it yet.
Best,
Chrystal
Mila
Hi! Thank you! Is there a way to replace xantham gum? I have corn allergy
chrystal
I haven't tested psyllium husk powder in this recipe yet, but it would be the first thing I'd try as an alternative.
Best,
Chrystal
Neetu
How much psyllium husk would be used to substitute the xanthan gum? Thank you!
chrystal
Hi Neetu,
I haven't tested it in this recipe. Normally it's a 1 to 3 conversion in recipes that are high fat, such as this puff pastry. You would use 3 times more psyllium as xanthan.
Best,
Chrystal
H
Do you have a suggestion for dairy-free puff pastry?
Thank you
Wendy Stoltz
Hi H,
Dairy-free butter (Earth Balance) might work, but I haven't had a chance to test it yet.
Catherine
Hi, I’ve just stumbled on the tip that Cornflour works well in place of xanthan. I’ve been using it in cakes and they are baking up perfectly.
Julianne
Thank you for that tip! Is masa essentially the same thing? I can’t have gums.
chrystal
Masa is not the same.
Best,
Chrystal
Holly
I used Melt sticks.
Wendy Stoltz
Thanks for sharing Holly!
Suzie,
Can u please tell me if the white rice flour is the very fine one u find in Asian shops or the white rice flour u buy at the supermarket or a health food store thsnks
chrystal
I use the one from the super markets, usually Bob's Red Mill White Rice flour. The super fine version that is like powder won't work well.
Best,
Chrystal
Jennifer
Mmmmm can't wait to try this one, gluten-free baking is so touchy and I haven't been successful with a puff pastry so far. This looks like it turned out perfectly! I might try it as a cherry/apple turnover as well 🙂
chrystal
I hope you love it.
Best,
Chrystal
Shoshonee
Is there anything that I can use in place of the rice flour? I have an intolerance to rice. Could I use cassava flour?
chrystal
I don't have a substitution at this time.
Best,
Chrystal
Krys
If you figure out a rice substitute, please share! I also can't have rice at all.
Zailah
Hi Chrystal. I used this blend to make your apple turnover recipe. The only thing is the top layer of the puff is cracking and the apple filling is bubbling while baking. Other than that its awesome & thank you for creating a lovely pastry.
chrystal
HI Zailah,
If the top is cracking then it could be that it was too dry or there were cracks in the dough after you rolled it out. I'm glad to hear that you like it otherwise.
Best,
Chrystal
Elvana
Hi. What are the measurements of the dry ingredients used, please (the flour blend)? Thank you
chrystal
It's in the printable recipe card in the post.
Best,
Chrystal
Stuart Carter
unless I am missing something, the weights of the ingredients do not appear in the printable card.
chrystal
Hi Stuart,
I just tested the print button on the recipe card and it looks like everything is there. I'm not sure why it wouldn't show for you.
Best,
Chrystal
sam
is it 1/2 cup cold water? the recipe says 1/2 cold water
chrystal
Yes, it's 1/2 cup cold water.
Best,
Chrystal
zebe
I just got to try this. It is so much better than any of the frozen versions I've been able to try from the store. I made "chips" to go with chicken pot pie filling, since it was my first attempt with the recipe, and they go great together. I'm looking forward to trying this rough puff in a lot more recipes. I love that it uses basic GF flours I always have around, so it doesn't require more than a couple hours of planning ahead.
Ronnie
Do you think I could make empanadas with this recipe?
chrystal
Hi Ronnie,
You could try it by I think my pie crust recipe would probably be better for empanadas.
Best,
Chrystal
RF
Hi! Looking forward to trying this recipe. Can the butter be replaced partially or completely with solid coconut oil? Thank you!
chrystal
Hi! I honestly haven't tried coconut oil in this recipe, and I'm not sure it would work. If you decide to try it, make sure it's cold (frozen). You will also most likely need to refrigerate it in between rolling it out to keep it from melting.
Best,
Chrystal
Savannah
I made this recipe to use for pigs in a blanket and it was awesome! Definitely the best recipe I've tried for the crescent roll part and they actually taste buttery. They puffed up more than I was expecting and held their shape. I'm so excited!! I left my dough in the fridge longer than two hours so it took awhile to be rollable and I added a few sprinkles of water when rolling it out to make it easier. Also, I appreciate that this recipe uses basic gf flours I can buy at most grocery stores. It gets expensive ordering random flour blends for specific recipes when sometimes the recipes dont turn out so Im happy I could find all of these flours in Bob's red mill brand!
Elise
Can the dough be chilled overnight?
chrystal
Yes, let it sit out for about 30 minutes before working with it.
Best,
Chrystal
Diana S.
Hi Chrystal! I am excited to try this and will most likely also make it with a keto-friendly flour just to experiment. I will let you know how it comes out. I will do a side-by-side comparison.
-Diana
Bella
I have potato starch just not tapioca starch, could I substitute corn starch for it?
chrystal
I haven't tried it myself. Let me know if you try it and how it turns out.
Best,
Chrystal
Suze
Amazing recipe. The only recipe I have ever used that I made absolutely no changes to because it is perfect as is. I let people in my Facebook groups know about this recipe and provide the link and that it is the only one I have ever used as is. I used it yesterday for apple turnovers for Thanksgiving dinner. They turned out perfect. I added an apple cider cream cheese glaze on them after baking and served with apple compote. I have used this recipe before and put in small muffin tins to make pastry cups to fill with chocolate pie filling for mini pies and they are so cute and perfect. Thank you for an amazing puff pastry recipe.
chrystal
I am so glad you love it. Thank you for taking the time to stop back by and let me know.
Best,
Chrystal
Donna Mehle
Can you freeze the dough?
chrystal
You can freeze it. I recommend freezing in the shape that you're going to use it, to make it easier to handle after you bring it back to temperature.
judith wasserman
thank you. I am an old timer and an old 621 flour maker. This so fits what the flours i have used for 20 years. It took me the longest time to get a good bisquit that is made something like this. I have recently discovered Judy's Expandable Tapioca which has added a nice improvement to everything. I subscribed, hope it if free. If not hope to see your nice recipes on searches.
Diane
Have you tried this recipe using one of the one- to- one flour blends?
chrystal
Yes, it doesn't give the same texture and flakiness, but you're welcome to try it.
Best,
Chrystal
Connie
how come you cant use Gluten Free all purpose flour? since it is made up of potato starch, tapioca start, rice flour and Xanthan gum. Would be simpler to use this instead of having to buy all 4 products with Red Mills Separately.
Lindsay
Hi Connie, You can try it with all-purpose flour. For this recipe we did not use it because the flours used in the amounts in the recipe worked so perfectly. If you decide to try it with AP flour, please come back and let us know how it worked for you!
Thais
Can this be made with Almond Flour instead of rice flour?
Lindsay
This puff pastry recipe won't work with almond flour, it's too heavy. I haven't found a good alternative to rice flour for this particular recipe.
Holly
I did it! I made your recipe fully vegan!
People raved about the crust.
It reheated very well.
I used Just Egg , as the egg substitute.
I used Melt brand butter sticks.
Due to an oversight in my grocery list I had to substitute Sweet rice flour for Potato Starch. Good gawdz that initially made for a really wet gooey mess, however I was determined to have a functional pastry sheet for my Veef Wellington, so I lightly powdered the dough with tapioca flour. It WORKED!!! at least enough to fold the Veef loaf into the pastry. It was ugly, but with some tactical patching/plastering the meal was saved. Moral of the story. Use the potato starch. Maybe dust with tapioca flour?
Thank you, thank you, thank you! You saved Thanksgiving for me.
This is my very first vegan GF pastry! Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Is it possible to add cream cheese to this recipe to make a dessert dough. My family has a fully leaded secret family recipe flour, butter, and cream cheese.
Wendy Stoltz
Hi Holly, well done on your perseverance. I have not tried with those ingredients but give it a go and let us know.
Jazmyne
Hi!
Just wondering if you've tested brown rice flour instead of the white rice flour? Do you think it would make it too heavy?
Thanks!
Wendy Stoltz
Hi Jazmyne,
I have not tested it with this puff pastry. They usually are interchangeable, but they have a different taste. Let us know if you try it.