I think that one of the worst things about transitioning to a gluten free diet was wondering what the heck I was going to do to replace bread crumbs! It totally baffled my mind because suddenly the gluten free bread that I bought was too expensive to turn into bread crumbs and the gluten free bread crumb alternatives in the store tasted awful. I am a huge believer in seasoning every layer of a dish to build a depth of flavor and in my opinion, if one of the main components of a dish is lack-luster it will bring everything else down with it. Just because we are gluten free doesn’t mean we can’t have tasty bread crumbs, it just means we have to think out of the bread box a little. (Like what I did there?! ) Today I am sharing my (3) go-to gluten free bread crumb alternatives that I use ALL of the time without fail. I never ever use actual gluten free bread and they are ready in about a minute or less. Grab your food processors friends and let’s get to work!
Types of gluten free bread crumbs:
In this post I am going to share with you how I make seasoned bread crumbs, plain bread crumbs, and my version of panko. I think you will be shocked once you see how simple these little gluten free bread crumb recipes are because when I figured them out it was a “Duh!” moment for me. The ingredients had literally been staring at me from my pantry for as long as we had been gluten free and I am sure at least one of these will resonate with you too or possibly get your gears turning about what gluten free products are hanging out in your cabinets that could stand in for the bread in bread crumbs.
Gluten Free Seasoned Bread Crumbs:
I make gluten free seasoned bread crumbs with gluten free pretzels and Italian seasoning. Sometimes I even use the pretzels as bread crumbs without the added seasoning too like in my Tex Mex Beet Burgers. It is important to remember when using these bread crumbs that you need to adjust for the salt in the rest of the dish since pretzels tend to be pretty salty to begin with.
Print
Seasoned Bread Crumbs (Gluten Free & Vegan)
- Prep Time: 2 mins
- Total Time: 2 mins
- Yield: 1/2 cup bread crumbs 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup gluten free pretzel twists
- 1/2 tablespoon Italian seasoning (optional)
Instructions
- Process the pretzels in a food processor fitted with the “S” blade for 1 1/2 minutes until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Transfer to a bowl and stir in 1/2 tablespoon of Italian seasoning if desired.
Plain Gluten Free Bread Crumbs:
To make unseasoned gluten free bread crumbs I use Crispy Brown Rice Cereal. I adjust the size of the crumbs based on what I am making. For instance, my Artichoke Gratinata uses these bread crumbs, but I crushed them by hand instead of in the food processor so that the topping for my dish would have a nice texture to it.
PrintUnseasoned Bread Crumbs (Gluten Free and Vegan)
- Prep Time: 1 min
- Total Time: 1 min
- Yield: 1/2 cup 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup crispy brown rice cereal
Instructions
- Process the crispy brown rice cereal in a food processor fitted with the “S” blade for 30 seconds until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs.
Gluten Free Panko:
To make my gluten free panko I use plain Rice Chex cereal. It isn’t a perfect substitute for breading although it works, but it is great for topping casseroles when panko is called for. I have been known to sprinkle a few handfuls over the top of my White Bean, Spinach, and Brown Rice Couscous Bake and it always receives rave reviews from our friends and family!
PrintGluten Free Panko Bread Crumbs (Gluten Free and Vegan)
- Prep Time: 1 min
- Total Time: 1 min
- Yield: 1/2 cup 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup Rice Chex
Instructions
- Process the Rice Chex cereal in a food processor fitted with the “S” blade for 15-20 seconds until the mixture resembles panko. It should have texture left to it rather than being ground fine.
What types of breading do you use in your gluten-free cooking?
I love your solutions! I’ve been using rice cakes since you first mentioned using rice chex. I always have them around to snack on, anyway. My favorite is an organic millet rice cake. Throw a couple in my processor and voila! Thank you for the brilliant idea!
I’m so glad you posted this! I kept thinking I had to buy crispy rice cereal, completely forgetting that I always have brown rice cakes in my pantry! Yay!
Yay Amanda!!! I am for using what you have on hand. 😉
Such a great idea Megan!!! I love that you got inventive in the kitchen with rice cakes. Such a great idea!
Very clever, makes you look at your whole pantry different. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much Cheri!!!
I literally went “Ohhhh yahhh” that makes total sense : ) Thanks for your wisdom!!
Haha! Thanks Joy. That is exactly how it went for me too.
YES!! Love this post lady, so many great ideas.
Thanks Beth!
I’m so happy that you included Chex cereal! I ALWAYS use this because it gives the best crunch for my crumb needs. Love your post!
Thanks Cara! Yep, Rice Chex are brilliant!
So BRILLIANT! We have to make the transition to a gluten-free menu in my house and I had no idea how to GF-itize breadcrumbs in my recipe. This is perfect! Thank you!!
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Yay Rebecca! I am so go glad this is helpful for you:)
Brilliant! Thank you!
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I am on the Fast Metabolism Diet and was trying to figure out a way to make a bread crumb substitute to use with baked vegetables..your idea is simple, inexpensive and tasty. Thank you ..now..where do I find your recipes?
Glad to find this blog…new to GF! Big help!
I have three boys who absolutely love chicken fingers and since one son was diagnosed we have stopped making anything coated with breadcrumbs. My husband found a Gluten free Italian breadcrumbs and brought it home to try. Although skeptical at first I was pleasantly surprised by the nice coarse texture and light crispy taste.
I wonder if my corn waffle pizza crust would work. I don’t like pizza dough subs. so I just for years have made simple corn waffles a little undercooked. Then I top them as I would pizza dough and bake them. Everybody likes them as much as any homemade pizza I make. So I would further cook and dry the waffles then turn them into bread crumbs seasoned or otherwise.
Hi, I used to make spinach burgers that were so good, now I tried to make them with GF panko and they came out mushy tasting on the inside. What would be the best to try? The pretzels or the cereal or what?
Thank you
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hmmm….you should definitely try the cereal first since it resembles panko the most! Good luck 🙂
Thanks for the tip Meg! I look forward to trying these. I don’t have a food processor though, I think I will try using my blender maybe?
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A blender could work or if I am really desperate I have been known to use a ziploc bag and a rolling pin 😉
My wife, daughter, and son are all gluten free eaters. But they all love sandwiches. We buy the Franz “Mountain White” and the “7 Grain”. Between the three of them, we go though 2+ loaves a week. But none of them like the heels. So I take the heels and save them in a Ziploc bag, in the refrigerator. At the end of the month we usually end up with anywhere between 8-14 heels. I then turn them into toasted bread crumbs, and store in an air tight container, until their needed.
That is such a great idea Troy! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I’m a baby GF, 3rd week in! I have been finding it hard as a lot of GF cereals here in the UK are pretty gross. But my biggest stumbling block was the other day when I realised I “can’t have” onion rings or breaded mushrooms. Your ideas are fab, cannot wait to try them and get my onion ring back!
Do you have any ideas for good batter mixes? Like for fish n chips or fish sticks (our household prefers battered over crumbed when it comes to fish).
Many Thanks
Thanks for sharing- can’t wait to try it
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brilliant! Who would have thought? Obviously not me. Thanks!
I have a recipe for chicken meatballs and calls for 1/2cup whole wheat crumbs -what would you suggest?
I would try unsalted pretzel “bread crumbs” first – they’re a bit more dense. Let me know how it turns out!
Thank goodness for cleaver people like you. I have most of these things in my pantry too and never thought of this!! I’m only three years into the Celiac eating and am just now starting to do some scratch baking! Finding alternatives for pretty much everything in all areas of eating and cooking has been a real learning process. Can’t wait to use the “panko” crumbs in a salmon patty recipe I just found that appeals to me. This is a real help. Thanks so very much.
Thank you so much for taking the time to comment! I am really glad that these tips will be helpful for you, it just makes my day!
I realized after your comment that this post had some issues when we migrated to the new version of our website. I cleaned it up a bit so its a little easier to follow, but will definitely get some new images in here for you for reference ASAP! Let me know how your salmon patty turns out!