The world of gluten-free bread has, thankfully, blown up in the past few years. While the idea may have once seemed like a paradox, these days, many supermarkets stock plenty of options and even most bakeries turn out their own artisan grain-free loaves. The result of gluten-free bread’s sudden rise to ubiquity? Loaves that rival the soft and crusty versions we’ve known and loved. So to make life easier for all of us when the avocado toast craving strikes (as it often does), we shook the internet upside down to round up the best gluten-free bread recipes we could find.
If you’ve been turned off by the idea of gluten-free baking before now because of its seeming complexity, we get it. Learning the many ins and outs of all the alternative flour options can be a lot to keep track of. However, in finding the best recipes for our list, we made sure to include breads that simplified the baking process with foolproof techniques. From quick breads to biscuits to the most delicious Mediterranean-inspired Socca you’ve ever sliced into, we’ve got you covered when it comes to (delicious) gluten-free bread-baking.
No-Knead, Gluten-Free Bread from Minimalist Baker
Why We Love It: Sometimes, all the energy and aggression that goes into kneading a ball of bread dough is the best sort of stress reliever we can find. Other times, all we want is to mix together our ingredients and be rewarded with a golden and flavorful loaf. When the latter situation occurs, this is the recipe to turn to. Nine ingredients and a golden-brown crust. What’s not to love?
Hero Ingredient: Potato starch is this recipe’s real MVP. Mixed with the blend of gluten-free flours, the potato starch ensures a light crumb. No bricks of bread here.
Gluten-Free Artisan Bread from Dish by Dish
Why We Love It: This bread is what all of our sandwich dreams are made of. Substantial and hearty, this loaf can hold its own against nearly any filling, making for perfect grilled cheeses and deliciously veggie-packed lunches. And with soup season upon us, we’ll be kneading (too much?) to make this bread on repeat.
Hero Ingredient: While it may sound odd to call water a key ingredient, in this recipe, it’s crucial to the quality of the final result. Warming your water to exactly within the range specified in the recipe ensures that your yeast will be activated. The recipe notes too, that if you want a creamier loaf, swap out the water for the same amount of milk.
Socca from Love & Lemons
Why We Love It: All good things come from France. A naturally gluten-free flatbread, Socca comes from Nice on the French Riviera. If its origin story hasn’t yet convinced you to make this recipe immediately, this will do it: Socca is rich and nutty in flavor and is perfectly served as an appetizer, side, or when piled with any number of toppings for the fanciest pizza you’ve ever eaten.
Hero Ingredient: If your love of chickpeas knows no bounds, then chickpea flour is the grain-free alternative you need to work into your baking repertoire. In this recipe, the flour creates a crisp and thin flatbread that’s beautifully golden and perfectly crisp.
Gluten-Free Banana Bread from Gimme Delicious
Why We Love It: Gluten-free baking, particularly when you’re working with a good amount of wet ingredients as you are in the recipe, can turn gummy real fast. This banana bread takes on the challenge and the result is amazingly moist. Made with super-ripe bananas to maximize their natural sweetness, this loaf only needs a half-cup of sugar to achieve that irresistible banana bread flavor.
Hero Ingredient: Chocolate chips add an extra bit of decadence to this relatively virtuous loaf.
Pandan Coconut Bread from Full of Plants
Why We Love It: When our banana, pumpkin, or zucchini bread craving has run its course, this is the recipe to turn to. The color is vibrant and the flavor is unexpectedly, but deliciously unique. Did we mention it’s vegan too?
Hero Ingredient: A tropical plant that grows in Southeast Asia, Pandan’s fragrant leaves offer a savory-sweet flavor to the cuisines of the region. Steeped in rich coconut milk, the pandan leaves create the show-stopping shade of green that’ll make everyone, gluten-free eaters and non-eaters alike, dive in for a slice.
Gluten-Free Sourdough Cornbread from What the Fork
Why We Love It: With Thanksgiving quickly approaching, finding a go-to cornbread recipe is definitely on our minds. If you never slowed your sourdough roll since the middle of March 2020, this cornbread is a great way to make use of your discard. Even if you’re committed to your tried-and-true cornbread recipe, we recommend giving this one a shot. We guarantee you’ll be amazed by the bright, yeasty, and ever-so-slightly cakey result.
Hero Ingredient: Using your sourdough discard not only prevents food waste, but creates a wonderfully tangy flavor that complements and balances out the bread’s sweetness.
5-Ingredient Gluten-Free Drop Biscuits from The Bettered Blondie
Why We Love It: We never met a biscuit we didn’t love. When they’re soft, fluffy, and at their buttery best, biscuits are a breakfast to lunch to dinner dream. And not gonna lie—when we don’t have the time but all the desire to bake something homemade, five-ingredient recipes are kind of our love language.
Hero Ingredient: Cubed cold butter is 100% essential for baking a biscuit that’s layered with flavor and flaky goodness.
Gluten-Free French Bread from A Saucy Kitchen
Why We Love It: We’re sure we’re not alone in saying that we want a loaf of light and fluffy French bread to accompany all of our meals from now until eternity. This take gives us the French bread we dream of without the long and complicated list of steps and ingredients. Perfection in the form of bread? This recipe turned us into believers.
Hero Ingredient: Xanthan gum is a popular ingredient in many gluten-free recipes. Here, it retains the wet ingredients’ moisture so you don’t end up with a desperately dry loaf.
Healthy Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread from Simply Quinoa
Why We Love It: By now, hopefully we’ve all come around to the fact that zucchini is very much so deserving of a spot in our loaves of quick bread. Moist and sweet, a slice of this bread is a great option for a light breakfast or an afternoon snack. Toast it up, spread a little PB or butter on top, and you have everything you need for a cozy bite.
Hero Ingredient: Torn between your love of banana and zucchini bread? This recipe mixes in two ripe bananas so you don’t have to choose.
Gluten-Free Focaccia With Rosemary from One Lovely Life
Why We Love It: Focaccia was there for us when we needed a simple alternative to the intricate bread everyone seemed to be baking and displaying on Instagram. Since then, we haven’t stopped obsessing over its crispy crust and brilliantly beautiful crumb. If you could subsist on (gluten-free) carbs alone, consider this a recipe to include in your regular rotation.
Hero Ingredient: Rosemary plays well with the sprinkling of coarse sea salt and other herbs that top this focaccia. Aromatic and with a distinctly piney flavor, fresh rosemary is the standout star of this recipe.
Whole Grain Gluten-Free Bread from The Well Co.
Why We Love It: This bread is wholesome baking at its finest. Ideal for any level or lack of bread-baking expertise, slicing into this loaf after its hour in the oven will instill any gluten-free baker with much-deserved confidence. Note that this bread will dry out quickly if left on the counter. To make sure it’s the gluten-free gift that keeps on giving, store fresh slices in the freezer and simply toast before eating.
Hero Ingredient: Psyllium husk acts similarly to xanthan gum in gluten-free baking, helping the dough maintain its shape and structure without having to rely on gluten as a binder.
Gluten-Free Lemon Poppyseed Bread from Butternut Bakery
Why We Love It: There is really nothing not to love in this loaf of Lemon Poppy Seed Bread. While typically associated with the sunnier weather and brighter days of spring, this loaf wouldn’t feel out of place warming us up on a winter morning. Undeniably tender and irresistibly fluffy (trust us, your fork will thank you), this recipe is lemon poppy seed perfection.
Hero Ingredient: While this bread doesn’t require much to make it even more tempting, we’d consider the lemon icing (powdered sugar, lemon juice, almond extract, and the alternative milk of your choosing) absolutely essential.
Gluten-Free Challah Bread from Gluten Free on a Shoestring
Why We Love It: Challah is always a welcome addition to any holiday table. Beautifully braided with a darkened crust that opens up to a tender interior, this grain-free spin sacrifices none of the shape, structure, and slight sweetness of any gluten-containing challah.
Hero Ingredient: The two tablespoons of honey are responsible for this loaf’s hint of light and floral sweetness.
