5 from 162 votes
Prep Time : 1 hour hour
Cook Time : 0 minutes minutes
Make this buttery gluten free puff pastry dough with just four ingredients. Use the flaky gf pastry dough for breakfast, dinner, dessert, and more.
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Making gluten free puff pastry is a snap, when you have the right recipe. If you've ever had trouble understanding the butter packet, or the “turns” that create all those flaky layers, a how-to video is just the thing you need.
Why this is the only gluten free puff pastry recipe you need
This gf puff pastry recipe is not only buttery and flaky, like any proper puff pastry would be. Of course, you can use it anywhere you might have ever thought to use puff pastry, conventional or gluten free. But that's not all.
It calls for only 4 ingredients (gluten free flour blend, butter, water, and salt) in exactly the right proportions—with a thorough explanation of how and why you make the magic happen. Your confidence that you can have this special pastry dough back in your life is in the details.
And this recipe has those details in spades. You can watch me make the dough in the video and try to mimic the technique, but once you understand why we take each step, perfect gf puff pastry will be second nature in no time.
My recipe vs. gluten free rough puff pastry
This recipe is for traditional gluten free puff pastry using a cold butter packet that we wrap in a simple gf pastry dough. It must be rolled and folded multiple times in what are called “turns,” and chilled in between each turn.
So-called “rough puff pastry,” also known as “quick puff pastry” is made with chunks of cold butter scattered over the simple pastry dough. That's essentially the method we use for our traditional gluten free pie crust, and the result is lovely and flaky—but not like laminated, producing almost infinite layers of flaky pastry.
Watch your gf puff pastry dough's temperature
If you can make gluten free pie crust, then you can make gluten free puff pastry. And you can make pie crust. I promise.There are a few basic principles to keep in mind whenever you're making any pastry of any kind. Gluten free or not.
Everything should be kept cold—but not rock solid cold. That is especially true when it comes to puff pastry, as opposed to, say, gluten free biscuits. The larger the piece of butter you're working with, the warmer it can be without causing problems. Let me explain.
Puff pastry is made by creating a simple pie crust, and wrapping it around a packet made entirely of 1 whole cup of butter. Once the large packet of butter is wrapped in the pie crust, it's rolled out into a rectangle. The first “turn” is simply the first time the dough-wrapped butter packet is rolled out into a rectangle and folded in thirds.
How the layers of gf puff pastry multiply, and why they must be cold
After that first turn, the tripled dough is made up of 3 layers of butter surrounded in alternating fashion by 6 layers of dough. When the turns are repeated between 4 and 6 times, the layers multiply exponentially.
In pastry-making, the butter is kept cold before going into the hot oven. Like ice, when butter is cold, it contracts or is made smaller. When it is heated quickly, like in an oven, it expands. When the butter is in many, many layers, and is surrounded on every side by the dough, it pushes out the dough and creates all those flaky layers we love.
Larger pieces of butter can warm, but once chilled will regain their original shape, rather than melting into the surrounding dough. If you try to shape the butter packet when the butter is rock solid, you'll find it almost impossible to shape.
If you begin with slightly warmer butter in creating the packet, you can shape it as you like, and then chill it until it's firm. It will then retain its proper shape during the rest of the shaping—and during baking.
More tips for making gluten free puff pastry
If you've never made a so-called laminated pastry, gluten free or conventional, it can be very useful to have a few goals in mind as you read through the recipe and then begin your work. Here are some of those ideas:
Keep your gluten free puff pastry from cracking
Is your dough cracking either as you wrap it around the butter packet, or after the first turn? It's too cold! Let it warm up just enough to make it pliable (but not so much that the butter melts)
How do deal with sticky gluten free pastry dough
This recipe begins with the absolute minimum amount of all purpose gluten free flour blends in both the gf pastry dough and the butter packet. As you roll the dough, you may find that some butter breaks through and is exposed. Just sprinkle lightly with more gf flour, and keep rolling!
What to do when you gf puff pastry is too hard to handle
You'll find that the recipe calls for frequent refrigeration of the gf puff pastry dough after each step. If your dough is difficult to handle, you probably just rushed one of those steps, so pop the dough back in the refrigerator and begin again.
Making gluten free puff pastry in advance
Once you've finished all the turns, your gf puff pastry is ready to be used. But you don't have to use it right away.
You can wrap it tightly and refrigerate it overnight to use the next day. If you plan to use it within a week, you may want to divide the puff pastry dough in half and roll out sheets that you fold more loosely like a business letter before storing.
This gluten free puff pastry dough can be frozen for months. In my experience, rolled out gluten free puff pastry sheets don't tend to freeze well for longer periods of time, as they tend to crack when you finally work with them.
I think long term storage is best accomplished by freezing the dough in a single block. Then, defrost overnight in the refrigerator before using, and expect to roll the pieces of raw puff pastry dough out a few times until it's easy to work with. Try letting it sit out on the counter for about 10 minutes first, and then work quickly!
Gluten free puff pastry ingredients
Choosing the right gluten free flour blend
It's understandable to think that a recipe that calls for an “all purpose gluten free flour” will work with any all purpose gluten free flour. Unfortunately, that is never the case, as some blends simply aren't good. They can be poorly balanced, have gritty rice flour, or just other poor quality or unnecessary ingredients.
In this recipe, as in all my pastry recipes, you can use any of my recommended all purpose gf flour blends, namely Better Batter classic blend gluten free flour or Cup4Cup gluten free flour (or either of my “mock” blends of each). Cup4Cup works particularly well here, since it's balanced most like a pastry flour itself.
I still get emails from readers who are very frustrated with a recipe, telling me they followed the recipe “to a T” and that it failed. They're angry! But more often than not, they used a flour blend that just won't work, like GFJules or Bob's Red Mill gf blends. Quality in, quality out!
Kosher salt
Kosher salt is most often used in baking since it's harder to over measure, unlike finely grained table salt.
Unsalted butter
Since butter is the star of the gluten free puff pastry show, reach for good quality butter whenever possible. If you'd like, you can try using European style unsalted butter for a really special taste and texture.
Water
To avoid any unpleasant tastes from your water, try using filtered water (not spring water and definitely not sparkling water). And make sure it's been chilled with ice (but add the ice after you've measured the water, since the ice doesn't count in the volume measurement).
Begin with 1/2 cup of ice water, but you may need to increase to 3/4 cup, depending on the precise flour blend you're using, how cold your butter is, and even what the temperature and humidity levels are in your kitchen.
Gluten free puff pastry substitutions
Gluten free, dairy free puff pastry dough
If you'd like to try making this recipe dairy free, I suggest replacing the unsalted butter with vegan butter. Melt and Miyoko's Kitchen are my favorite brands, but they are softer than butter so I can't promise they'll create the precise flaky layers we all love!
Gluten free, vegan puff pastry dough
If you replace the butter with a dairy free alternative, your gluten free puff pastry recipe will be vegan.
Gluten free puff pastry recipe ideas
This recipe is perfect for everything from super easy sweet desserts, like the open apple tart you see in the photo above or as a pie crust replacement in our gluten free strawberry galette.
Or make it savory, like I did by making puff pastry cups. I topped them with the filling from the Spanakopita Bites in my new cookbook, Gluten Free Small Bites.
We've also made a gf asparagus tart with this beautiful, layered gf pastry dough. And it would be a perfect topping for gluten free chicken pot pie.
They’re also lovely just filled with pastry cream or whipped cream and some fresh berries, like an even more special strawberry shortcake.
FAQs
Can I use vegan butter in this gluten free pastry dough recipe?
You can try using Miyoko's Kitchen brand or Melt brand vegan butter in this recipe, but keep in mind that they're softer than conventional butter, so they may not create the proper layered structure.
What size gluten free puff pastry sheet does this recipe make?
This recipe for puff pastry creates about 30% more puff pastry than the 2-sheet Pepperidge Farm puff pastry boxes that you may be familiar with from the grocery store. Each of those two sheets is about 9 ounces, and measures about 9.75-inches x 10.5-inches x ³⁄₁₆-inch. This recipe will make 3 of those sheets, with that weight and size.
Are there any gluten free puff pastry brands in stores?
Yes! There are two brands of gluten free puff pastry that I have seen in grocery stores: Schar Gluten-Free Puff Pastry, and GeeFree Puff Pastry Sheets. I haven't tried any of them, though, so I don't have an opinion about how good they are!
Why isn't my gluten free pastry dough puffing up?
If your puff pastry isn't rising into flaky layers in the oven, the butter most likely wasn't properly distributed throughout the dough. That can happen for many reasons, but the most common is that it melted during preparation, so melted into the dough, rather than being layered alternately, and kept cold.
Is my gf puff pastry supposed to be oily?
No! Puff pastry generally only becomes oily when the butter hasn't remained solid during shaping. It will leak out as any recipe with too much warm butter would.
Can I freeze prepared gluten free puff pastry dough?
Yes! The easiest way to prepare gluten free puff pastry ahead of time is to shape it into its final shape, and freeze it as shaped. You can even fill and bake it right from frozen if it doesn't have to be shaped again.
How to make the best gluten free puff pastry recipe
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Gluten Free Puff Pastry | Authentic, Simple, Endlessly Flaky
Make this buttery gluten free puff pastry dough with just four ingredients. Use the flaky gf pastry dough for breakfast, dinner, dessert, and more.
Course: Pastry
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 1 hour hour
Cook Time: 0 minutes minutes
Chilling time: 2 hours hours
Yield: 1.75 pounds puff pastry dough
Author: Nicole Hunn
Equipment
Rolling Pin
Ingredients
For the dough
- 2 cups (280 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend plus more for sprinkling (my Better Than Cup4Cup Flour work best here; click through for full details)
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter diced and kept cold
- ½ cup (4 fluid ounces) cold water iced (ice doesn’t count in volume measurement), plus more as necessary
For the butter packet
- 4 tablespoons (35 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend any of my recommended blends will do, with or without xanthan gum
- 16 tablespoons (224 g) unsalted butter very cold
Instructions
First, make the dough.
In a large bowl, place the 2 cups flour and salt, and mix or whisk to combine well. Add the chopped unsalted butter and toss to combine. Press each chunk of butter flat between your thumb and forefinger.
Create a well in the dry ingredients, and add 1/2 cup of ice water to the center. Stir the mixture to combine. Add more ice water by the tablespoon until the dough stays together when pressed.
Press the dough into a ball, place it onto a piece of plastic wrap and wrap tightly. Place in the refrigerator to chill until firm while you make the butter packet.
Make the butter packet.
Dust a sheet of parchment paper or bare flat surface with 2 tablespoons of flour. Place the two sticks of butter, side by side and touching one another, in the center of the flour.
Sprinkle the butter with the remaining 2 tablespoons flour. Cover with another sheet of parchment paper (or not), and pound the butter with the rolling pin to begin to flatten it and to press the two sticks of butter together.
Remove the top sheet of parchment, fold the butter in half, and cover once more. Pound again until flat, and repeat the process until you have a butter packet that is about 4-inches square.
Wrap the butter packet tightly in plastic wrap and place it in the freezer to chill for about 5 minutes, or in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes, or until beginning to firm.
Combine dough and butter packet.
Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator, and place it on a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle lightly with more flour, and press and roll the dough until it is smooth, folding it over on itself as necessary.
Press it into about a 6-inch round. Unwrap and place the chilled butter packet in the center of the round of dough.
Lightly score the perimeter of the butter packet, and set the butter packet aside.
Dust the top of the dough once more with flour, and roll out the dough from the 4 scoring marks and out, away from the center of the dough, to create 4 flaps.
Dust with more flour as necessary to prevent the rolling pin from sticking to the dough and move the dough frequently.
Place the butter packet back in the center of the dough, and fold the 4 flaps onto the butter like you would the bottom of a cardboard box. Press the dough around the butter packet to seal it in.
Complete the first “turn.”
Sprinkle the top of the dough with flour, and roll the dough away from you into a long rectangle that is about 1/2 inch thick and about 3 times as long as it is wide.
Shift and turn the dough frequently to prevent sticking. Starting at a short side, fold the rectangle into thirds as you would a business letter.
Beginning from a long side, roll the dough again, into another long rectangle, the same size and shape. Fold in the same manner, once again, starting at a short side and folding into thirds.
You have just completed the first “turn.” With a floured knuckle, make one single impression on the dough, to represent the completion of one turn.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until firm, about 15 minutes.
Once the dough is firm, remove it from the refrigerator. Flour the outside and once again, with a long side of the folded dough facing you, roll away from you and into a long rectangle about 1/2 inch thick.
Fold once more, and mark the dough twice with your knuckle, to represent two completed turns. Refrigerate until firm, and repeat the process of rolling, folding, marking and chilling for at least 4, and up to 6, turns.
After the final turn, fold the “business letter” of dough in half or thirds to create a smaller packet.
Wrap tightly and refrigerate or freeze until ready to use. If you freeze the puff pastry, defrost overnight in the refrigerator before using.
Notes
Originally posted on the blog in 2012. Video added, recipe clarified, more photos added of Spanakopita Puff Pastry Cups in 2016. More text added in 2022.
Print Pin Save
Gluten Free Puff Pastry | Authentic, Simple, Endlessly Flaky
Make this buttery gluten free puff pastry dough with just four ingredients. Use the flaky gf pastry dough for breakfast, dinner, dessert, and more.
Course: Pastry
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 1 hour hour
Cook Time: 0 minutes minutes
Chilling time: 2 hours hours
Yield: 1.75 pounds puff pastry dough
Author: Nicole Hunn
Equipment
Rolling Pin
Ingredients
For the dough
- 2 cups (280 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend plus more for sprinkling (my Better Than Cup4Cup Flour work best here; click through for full details)
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter diced and kept cold
- ½ cup (4 fluid ounces) cold water iced (ice doesn’t count in volume measurement), plus more as necessary
For the butter packet
- 4 tablespoons (35 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend any of my recommended blends will do, with or without xanthan gum
- 16 tablespoons (224 g) unsalted butter very cold
Instructions
First, make the dough.
In a large bowl, place the 2 cups flour and salt, and mix or whisk to combine well. Add the chopped unsalted butter and toss to combine. Press each chunk of butter flat between your thumb and forefinger.
Create a well in the dry ingredients, and add 1/2 cup of ice water to the center. Stir the mixture to combine. Add more ice water by the tablespoon until the dough stays together when pressed.
Press the dough into a ball, place it onto a piece of plastic wrap and wrap tightly. Place in the refrigerator to chill until firm while you make the butter packet.
Make the butter packet.
Dust a sheet of parchment paper or bare flat surface with 2 tablespoons of flour. Place the two sticks of butter, side by side and touching one another, in the center of the flour.
Sprinkle the butter with the remaining 2 tablespoons flour. Cover with another sheet of parchment paper (or not), and pound the butter with the rolling pin to begin to flatten it and to press the two sticks of butter together.
Remove the top sheet of parchment, fold the butter in half, and cover once more. Pound again until flat, and repeat the process until you have a butter packet that is about 4-inches square.
Wrap the butter packet tightly in plastic wrap and place it in the freezer to chill for about 5 minutes, or in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes, or until beginning to firm.
Combine dough and butter packet.
Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator, and place it on a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle lightly with more flour, and press and roll the dough until it is smooth, folding it over on itself as necessary.
Press it into about a 6-inch round. Unwrap and place the chilled butter packet in the center of the round of dough.
Lightly score the perimeter of the butter packet, and set the butter packet aside.
Dust the top of the dough once more with flour, and roll out the dough from the 4 scoring marks and out, away from the center of the dough, to create 4 flaps.
Dust with more flour as necessary to prevent the rolling pin from sticking to the dough and move the dough frequently.
Place the butter packet back in the center of the dough, and fold the 4 flaps onto the butter like you would the bottom of a cardboard box. Press the dough around the butter packet to seal it in.
Complete the first “turn.”
Sprinkle the top of the dough with flour, and roll the dough away from you into a long rectangle that is about 1/2 inch thick and about 3 times as long as it is wide.
Shift and turn the dough frequently to prevent sticking. Starting at a short side, fold the rectangle into thirds as you would a business letter.
Beginning from a long side, roll the dough again, into another long rectangle, the same size and shape. Fold in the same manner, once again, starting at a short side and folding into thirds.
You have just completed the first “turn.” With a floured knuckle, make one single impression on the dough, to represent the completion of one turn.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until firm, about 15 minutes.
Once the dough is firm, remove it from the refrigerator. Flour the outside and once again, with a long side of the folded dough facing you, roll away from you and into a long rectangle about 1/2 inch thick.
Fold once more, and mark the dough twice with your knuckle, to represent two completed turns. Refrigerate until firm, and repeat the process of rolling, folding, marking and chilling for at least 4, and up to 6, turns.
After the final turn, fold the “business letter” of dough in half or thirds to create a smaller packet.
Wrap tightly and refrigerate or freeze until ready to use. If you freeze the puff pastry, defrost overnight in the refrigerator before using.
Notes
Originally posted on the blog in 2012. Video added, recipe clarified, more photos added of Spanakopita Puff Pastry Cups in 2016. More text added in 2022.
