Gluten-Free Pizzelles. Thin and Crisp Recipe. Perfect for Christmas and Easter.
I always joke that my favorite cookie is whichever one I’m eating at the moment. That’s usually true. Then I remember pizzelles. And I know that I’m a liar. (Sorry, gluten-free chocolate chip cookies. I love you but I love pizzelles more.)
Like all cookies, pizzelles come in a wide variety. Some are thick and soft. Some are chocolate and others, like the ones that have my heart, are thin, crisp, and scented with anise.
Growing up, it wasn’t a holiday unless there were pizzelles on the table. Actually, it wasn’t a wedding, bridal or baby shower without pizzelles either. They were our version of sugar cookies. And, like sugar cookies, it’s hard to eat just one.
This recipe is based on the cookies I grew up eating. It makes thin, crisp pizzelles with a light anise flavor. (If you don’t like anise, replace it with vanilla. The cookies will taste just as lovely.)
How Do You Make Gluten-Free Pizzelles?
It’s simple to make the batter for gluten-free pizzelles. Simply whisk together all the dry ingredients, including the sugar, in a large bowl. Then add cooled butter, eggs, and anise extract. Stir everything together with a wooden spoon. Don’t worry about overmixing. There’s no gluten in the batter, so it won’t get tough the way a wheat-based dough would.
The batter will be soft–somewhere between a pancake batter and chocolate chip cookie dough.
Drop the cookies onto a hot, greased pizzelle iron. Close the iron and watch for steam. A good indicator that pizzelles are done is the amount of steam coming from the iron. At first, the steam pours out of the iron, then it slows down. When the steam slows, check the pizzelle. It’s probably done.
Pizzelles only take a minute or two to bake. (cooking time will vary depending on your iron.)
Place the hot pizzelles on a wire rack. Then, as they cool, transfer them to a platter. I usually can fit about 6 pizzelles on the rack at a time. I move the coolest ones to the rack as another batch bakes.
Do I need a pizzelle iron to make pizzelles?
Yes. To get the characteristic shape and thickness of pizzelles, you’ll need an iron.
Can you replace the melted butter?
I think so. I haven’t attempted this recipe without dairy. I’d use a melted dairy-free margarine.
Can you make pizzelles without eggs?
I don’t think so. I haven’t tried the recipe without eggs but I’m not confident it would work.
Gluten-Free Pizzelles: Thin and Crisp
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Baking Flour
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1/2 teaspoon anise extract (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
- nonstick cooking spray
- Powdered sugar, if desired
Instructions
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Whisk together gluten-free baking flour, granulated sugar, and baking powder in a medium bowl. Switch to a wooden spoon and stir in eggs, cooled, melted butter, and anise extract. Batter will be thick and soft.
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Heat pizzelle iron according to manufacturer's directions. Grease with nonstick cooking spray. Spoon batter onto hot iron. Bake until lightly golden brown.
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Remove hot pizzelles from iron. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Dust cooled pizzelles with powdered sugar, if desired.
Linda Tanzini says
Elizabeth, which bob’s red mill flour do you use 1-1 or regular gf? If regular ( I prefer my own home made mix with brown rice, potato starch and tapioca starch) how much if any xanthan gum would be needed? Just wanted to be sure because i have a pizzelle maker begging to be used! Thanks so much for your delicious recipes, Linda
Elizabeth says
Hi Linda,
I use the 1:1 Baking Flour mix. It’s in the blue bag (currently). If you want to use your own blend, a 1/4 teaspoon of xanthan should work great. 🙂
Tara Tulip says
I thought these were delicious. This is the first time I have used my pizzelle maker or pizzelles, for that matter. I didn’t know how much of the “batter” (it’s quite thick) to use so, I started with a teaspoon which was definitely not enough. I ended up using my miniature ice scream scoop that I use for other types of cookie dough and, it was the perfect amount. I used 2 t. of vanilla and, they taste just like vanilla wafers. I thought these were good and pretty easy to make.
Becky says
My question. I’ve made your pizzelles for years, white rice flour, sweet rice and cornstarch. You know the saying, don’t mess with it if it’s not broke! Should I use this recipe! I do use Bobs for other recipes and have been pleased.
Thanks Elizabeth.
Elizabeth says
Hi Becky!
The recipes are very, very similar. If you like the ones with the individual flours, you’ll like these!
Patricia says
Hi Elizabeth or Becky!
I can’t find the pizzelle recipe with rice flour, sweet rice and cornstarch that Becky referred to. I live overseas and i can’t find Bob’s products here.
Thank you!
Elizabeth says
Hi Patrica,
Becky is talking about a version of the recipe that appeared in my cookbook.
You can replace the Bob’s with:
1 1/4 cups white rice flour
1/4 cup sweet rice flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum.
I hope this helps!
Terry says
Turned out very well. Thanks for the recipe.
Vanessa says
If you are vegan and gluten free, I started with my own gluten free flour mix, 1 cup almond flour, 4/3 tapioca flour, 1/3 coconut flour. Out of that mixture, I used the measurements in this recipe for the flour and I used the Red Mill egg replacer for three eggs (1 tbsp of replacer and 2 tbsp of water for each egg)
They came out GREAT!!
Elizabeth says
Thank you for sharing this! G
PamG says
Borrowing a pizzelle iron….if it works out I want to buy my own. Do you recommend any?
Elizabeth says
I don’t. The brand I use discontinued the model that I use.
Johanna says
Hi! I’d like to try your flour mixture for our pizzelles .. is it 4/3 tapioca flour or is that a typo?
Thanks!
Theresa-Maria says
Growing up we always spread a bit of homemade nutella on them and a dash of cinnamon..this is a good recipe & thanks for sharing.
Deneen B. Demourkas says
Excellent! I made them yesterday with my 104 year old Italian grandmother on the iron! She and most of my family make them every year at Christmas time. Having to go “gluten free” a couple of years ago, I am very happy to have found and used your recipe. They came out with perfect texture and tasted as good as grandmas originals!
Elizabeth Nawrocki says
Hello,
These come out awesome. Is there any way to freeze them?? I want to make ahead of time for Christmas.
Elizabeth says
I’ve frozen them. The result is *pretty* good. However, in my experience, they lose some of their crispness. If you’re okay with that, go ahead and freeze. I placed mine in a freezer container and allowed them to thaw at room temp.
Lori says
I have been wanting to make pizzelles for so long…. these are amazing! Thank you.
Deann Berg says
I love pitzelles and I was so happy to find this gluten free version. They were so yummy. I just adjusted a couple of ingredients to mock our family recipe. I replaced anise extract with anise seed. And also added 2 tsp of lemon extract and also juice from half of a lemon. We like the lemon flavor to shine. They were nice and crispy. Thanks so much.
Elizabeth says
Those sound like wonderful additions!
Nancy Guggino says
When making gluten free pizzelles can I use King Arthur cup for cup gluten free flour instead of Bobs Red Mill gf baking flour?
Elizabeth says
Hi Nancy,
I haven’t tested the recipe with King Arthur’s blend. But I just looked at the ingredients and think it should work.
Trac says
I just made this with King Arthur gluten free flour and it was outstanding!! I did have to double the anise extract. First time making these and will continue every year now! Thank you for posting this recipe!
Jan lenihan says
Can you use margarine instead of butter
Elizabeth says
Yes! That will work.
Barb says
I used melted Blue Bonnet margarine. Turned out great.
Jean McLenigan says
I’ve been making pizzelles for decades. I just tried your recipe, to give as a gift to my neighbor with celiac disease. It’s not working. I followed the recipe, even though I’ve always used oil rather than butter for my regular pizzelles. These are sticking to my iron, no matter how much I oil it. The crumbs I can scrape off the iron taste great, but I can’t get a whole cookie off. Any suggestions?
Elizabeth says
That’s so frustrating and, I have to say, I’ve never had this happen. So my suggestions are just guesses. Here’s what I’m thinking:
I’d cook them longer. Look for steam to slow down and almost stop. The only thing that’s coming to mind is that they aren’t done.
A couple of questions for you because I’m really curious about this:
What type (brand) of gluten-free flour blend did you use?
What type of pizzelle iron are you using?
What kind of oil do you use to grease the griddle? (This shouldn’t matter. I’m just curious.)
Jean McLenigan says
Thanks for the prompt response! I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All-Purpose Baking Flour and I use canola oil to grease the iron. I don’t like sprays so I just brush the oil on with a pastry brush, being sure to get in the grooves. My iron is a 45-year-old Rival with Teflon II griddles. I’ve used it every Christmas since getting it. I know about watching the steam and from years of making pizzelles I know it takes 1 1/2 minutes with my regular recipe. So when I tried my first gluten free ones, I watched the steam and checked after one minute. I could see they weren’t done and they ripped apart when I lifted the lid. So I cooled the iron, cleaned the griddles and tried again. This time, I used alot more oil and let them cook for 1 1/2 minutes. They were done but they ripped apart again, sticking to both top and bottom griddles. The only other thing I can think of is that my iron has a clamp on the handle to really squeeze the griddles together for the thinnest pizzelle possible. I’m thinking I should not use this clamp. Now another question. I refrigerated the batter overnight. Is it still usable?
Elizabeth says
Thanks for the reply. Argh! This is perplexing. My pizzelle iron also has a clamp and this doesn’t happen. But I think that’s a good tweak to try.
The only other thing I can think is that it might be oil? I’m hesitating to even type that because it *shouldn’t* be the oil. I use a nonstick cooking spray. In addition to oil, it contains lecithin, a nonstick agent. I wonder if this little change is making the big difference?
I’m not kidding when I say I make 100s of these each Christmas for family. (This year to be dropped off on porches.) And I’ve never had them stick.
As for the batter, as long as you refrigerate it, go ahead and use it. You’ll notice that it might be a bit stiffer today. Gluten-free flour tends to suck up liquids but it will work!
Jean McLenigan says
I’ll try the spray and let you know. Thank you so much!
Jean McLenigan says
Success! I used regular Pam to oil the griddles and didn’t use the handle clamp and they came out perfectly. No problem with the refrigerated batter. Thank you so much for your help!
D says
Made this many times and everyone loves them and never had a “sticking” problem. I noticed the reply about the sticking above, could it be the All purpose flour since recipe calls for 1-to-1?
Cindy says
These turned out just perfect! You’d never know they were gf! Thanks so much! Cindy
Heather Murray says
These are excellent!! Taste just like my grandmother’s, even though gluten free. (Pizzelles are generally best after they have cooled a bit.) Thank you for the recipe!!
Kristina says
I bought a waffle iron at a garage sale and when I took it apart, there were pizzelle stamps on the back of the waffle plates! Mom is hosting an Italian-themed Christmas party and I’m taking these. I used a whole tablespoon of anise extract and they taste great. Plus, my kitchen smells really good!
Jennifer says
These came out like a disaster! They flaked all over, and we’re stuck in my iron. I tried it three times. The only thing I can think of is my flour. I bought Bob Red Mill All-Purpose Baking Flour.
Elizabeth says
Hi Jennifer,
My guess is that it isn’t the flour. It might be your pizzelle maker. Lots of folks have made these and they don’t stick. Batters tend to stick to irons that either aren’t hot enough or don’t have enough oil on them. There’s nothing in this recipe that would cause the cookies to stick to the iron.
Barb Wesle says
Try using less flour. Sounds like the batter is too thick. Sometimes flour is dryer than usual. Also bake the GF batter right away as it tends to absorb more of the liquid as it sits. My GF batter was not as thick as the regular Pizzelle batter and did not spread as much as regular. But they turned out fine. I used melted Blue Bonnet & Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1.
Deb says
I’ve been making traditional pizzelles for years and they always come out crispy. But tried your gluten free recipe yesterday (only change was to use margarine instead of butter) and they look beautiful but are soft, limp and chewy. The flavour is still there but not the crisp texture. Should I try putting them in the oven at a low temp to crisp up? And where did I go wrong? Thanks!
Elizabeth says
Two questions: what type of flour did you use? And what type of margarine? Some low-fat margarines contain a lot of water, which would cause the texture to change.
Let me know and I can help you troubleshoot!
Deb says
I used the Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten-free flour (blue bag) and Imperial margarine. (I put them in the oven at 250 F for 5 minutes and by the time they cooled, they had firmed up a lot, but would love to know where I went wrong.) Thanks so much for trying to help!
Elizabeth says
My guess is that the pizzelles weren’t baked long enough. If there is steam escaping from the machine, they need to bake for a minute or more.
Amy icabone says
Love this recipe! I use 1/4 cup almond flour (+2 1/2 cups gluten free flour). Sadly my pizza old iron ( was my mother in laws and old!) died mid recipr! Used up the dough with waffle iron —— great waffles!
Alyson says
How lovely you are to share this recipe and then to help people out with it. Happy New Year!
Julie says
The recipe is great. What I wanted to comment on is how very helpful and patient you are with helping people figure out a solution when something goes wrong. I was reading through the comments and just had to share what a truly nice person you seem to be. Thanks for helping all us novice gf people.