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 says
My son can only eat Gluten Free. He can now enjoy my pizzelles. I used Measure to Measure and they were perfect!
Constance says
I am thrilled with the success of this recipe—I have Celiac and some family members are vegan. Bobs gf flour and Just Egg replacement worked PERFECT! No one can tell the difference! Thank you! Merry Christmas!!
Amie says
First try at gluten free, lactose free, pitzelle. I used this recipe with a dairy free margarine. In the stand mixer I doubled the recipe, used .5 c more gf flour, since it was looking very thin (margarine was half melted from microwave). For flavoring I used 3 tsp anise extract and 3 tps seed (Sprouts has it in bulk). No vanilla at all for these. The canola spray was used much more often with these. They stuck to the top of the iron, so a slow steady gravity peel off was needed. Delicate yet delicious, and most importantly no gutt issues or inflammation to follow!
Tips: Larger ones are easier to remove from the iron. Always put iron on a cookie sheet for easier clean up and to protect the countertop.
(Thank you and Merry Christmas!l
Teri says
These came out so good! You can’t tell the difference between these and ones with gluten!
Sherry Briggs says
I love this recipe. It’s nice that you can use one bowl to mix. My husband is not gluten free and he kept eating them! And he’s picky!
I used “JUST ABOUT” All purpose gluten free 1 to 1 baking flour and one teaspoon of Anise extract. Thank you so much for this recipe ❤️
Andrea Sherman says
How long of a shelf life do these have
Elizabeth says
They last about a week.
Maureen says
I’m pleased as these are so tasty and easy to make as well. I’m gluten intolerant but my family who are not still enjoy!!😊
Mary T Warden says
These are so good. My daughter -in-law and I are both gluten sensitive. But my son and husband are not the cookies disappeared. Thank you so very much!!
Larry Ciummo says
This recipe only makes 30 pizzelles – that’s one serving – double or triple it up!
Elizabeth says
Ha!
ReRe says
I only make Pizzelles with oil like my mother did.
I wanted to make some for my Doctor’s wife as a gift but she is gluten-free.
I was himin and hallen re the butter but thought “follow the recipe”.
I tasted the batter and thought NO, this does not a taste for me, but decided to bake a few.
I was actually very surprised how good they tasted, thin a crip!
I gave a few out to my neighbors and they loved them!
This is a keeper for my Gluten-Free friends!
Thanks
Elizabeth says
Yay! I’m glad you enjoyed this butter-based version!
JgJamsToU2 says
did i miss how much batter to use so it doesn’t over flow?
Elizabeth says
It depends on the pizzelle maker. They are all different. Mine uses about 2 teaspoons of batter.
Loraine says
Can you freeze these?
Elizabeth says
Yes! Just be sure to let them cool before you freeze them. When thawed, they aren’t as crisp but they’re still as tasty!
Tammye L Oldham says
Is it possible to substitute almond flour for GF flour?
Elizabeth says
I haven’t tested the recipe with almond flour. So I can’t say if it works in this one or not.
Kathryn says
These are delicious!
The batter seemed thicker than usual—I only made 20 and they were kinds small, too, because of the thickness.
Any thoughts?
Elizabeth says
Oh bummer! Hmmm…what brand of flour did you use?
Natalie says
The same thing happened to me and I sifted my flour and only used 1 cup as opposed to the 1 ¾.
Then I don’t know what made me do this, but I squeezed the handles together and voila!! Super thin and more spread out!!
Natalie says
The only issue I’m having (no fault but my own) is they are a bit moist and bendy and not crisp. Probably because I used erythritol sweetener instead of sugar free. (Pre-diabetic) Hoping I can dehydrate them‽🤞🏻
Whenever I made my regular pizzelles (old school flour) I always used less flour. For instance with 6 eggs, I’d use 2 cups of sifted flour. Which was perfect. I’m guessing I should’ve used that extra ¾ cup as it’s my first time using gluten free flour. Hopefully I can find a substitute sweetener that works with this and I’ll try it again. Otherwise they, taste great!
Natalie says
Sorry for so many comments, but after dehydrating them in the oven at 170° for about 15 minutes they are crisp! 🤌🏻
Thank you for this recipe. Ever since I got my pre-diabetic diagnosis, I changed my whole life around but in the back of my head, was low key worrying about the holidays and how I’m going to make my pizzelles. I made a batch of my regular and a batch of these and they taste almost identical. 🙌🏻🙌🏻
Bridgette says
I was thrilled to find a gluten free Pizzelle recipe. I haven’t had any in about 7 years. These are so good. I have made them a few times already.
Thank you for sharing.
AJ says
Made them this morning with King Arthur gf flour. My celiac kiddo loved them! So did the hubs! Thanks so much!
Carmela says
I made the recipe exactly as it states, and it was a mess…I even refrigerated the dough like you would with a regular pizzelle recipe…It was a fiasco! It took me an hour to clean the pizzelle iron… I’m going to try my regular pizzelle recipe with gluten-free flour and see what happens… I wouldn’t recommend this recipe.
Elizabeth says
I’m sorry this recipe didn’t work for you. I’ve made it countless times and they always come out nicely. What gluten-free flour did you use?