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The Spruce Eats / Lecia Landis
If you can't eat gluten or choose not to, that doesn't mean you have to forgo one of the greatest foods in life: bread. If you aren't up for making your own bread from scratch, there are plenty of pre-batched mixes on the market that exclude gluten, and like any other store-bought mix, they merely require pantry staples, like butter, eggs, and milk.
Without gluten, you may be worried about your loaf becoming compromised and losing its elasticity, ending up nothing more than an oddly textured, chewy disaster. Nobody has time for bad bread, which is why we researched top-rated brands to get you tasty results.
Here, the best gluten-free bread mixes on the market.
Best Overall
King Arthur Gluten Free Flour Bread Mix
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Courtesy of King Arthur
King Arthur Flour has been producing high-quality flours and other baking ingredients, including mixes, for home and commercial bakers for many years. While many of its mixes include wheat flour, the brand's line of gluten-free mixes has been growing and quite well-received by consumers. Each box of bread mix makes one large loaf of bread.
Some reviewers have also baked this mix in small pans to make sandwich buns. While this does require butter, eggs, and milk for the standard recipe, the box also includes information on how to make it dairy-free, if necessary. There are also instructions for using the mix for homemade pizza crust. For even more tested modifications, the King Arthur Flour website includes information for making egg-free bread, or for baking it in a bread machine.
Price at time of publish: $8
Size: 18.25 ounces | Servings per container: [1] 9 x 5-inch sandwich loaf or [2] pizza crusts | Other allergens: rice, tapioca
Best for Bread Machine
Williams Sonoma Gluten Free Artisan French Bread Mix
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Courtesy of Williams Sonoma
This tasty 16-ounce mix makes two loaves of French-style bread that can be baked in a variety of ways. You can use your favorite stand mixer with either the paddle or dough hook attachment to do the hard work. Bake your loaf on a sheet pan or in a Dutch oven for an artisan look, or you can bake it in a standard loaf pan to make bread that’s perfect for sandwiches. For more convenience, this can also be baked in a bread machine, so you can just add all the ingredients and retrieve it when it’s done. Williams Sonoma recommends using your bread machine on the “Gluten-Free” setting if it has one to make sure the ingredients don’t get too overworked.
Like some of the other mixes on this list, there are a few add-ins you’ll need to bring the dough to life. The mix also requires butter, eggs, apple cider vinegar, vegetable oil, and whole milk. This max can be made dairy-free, and the bakers at Williams Sonoma recommend using almond milk instead and skipping the brushed-on butter.
Price at time of publish: $15 for Single
Size: 16.2 ounces | Servings per container: 2 Loaves | Other allergens: dairy, eggs, rice, tapioca
Best Dairy-Free
Pamela's Gluten-Free Bread Mix
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Courtesy of Pamela's Products
Many people who can’t have gluten also avoid other common allergens, like dairy products. While some brands of bread mixes include instructions for making the recipe without dairy products, those substitutions can result in a lower-quality loaf because the milk or butter are there to add flavor. This mix was designed to be dairy-free, so there’s no need to worry about substitutions that might not taste as good and might not work as planned.
The recipe on the package does include eggs, but can be made with egg substitutes if needed. This dry mix can also be used for pie crust, breading meats, making gravy, and more. One 19-ounce bag makes one large loaf of bread.
Price at time of publish: $44
Size: 19 ounces | Servings per container: 1 Loaf | Other allergens: rice, tapioca, sorghum, honey, inulin
Best Challah Mix
Blends By Orly Gluten-Free Traditional Challah Mix
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Courtesy of Blends By Orly
Challah can be challenging to make, and is even more challenging when it needs to be gluten-free. This mix makes it easier to make a loaf of kosher challah right at home. This 20.5-ounce bag makes enough dough for two braided challah loaves or 10 rolls.
To make the dough, you’ll need your own yeast, oil, and eggs, as well as a little bit of extra gluten-free flour to keep your workspace floured when you're forming the braids. This mix is available as a single package, a 3-pack, or a 6-pack if you know you’ll be making a lot of bread.
Price at time of publish: $22
Size: 20.5 ounces | Servings per container: [2] Challah loaves, or [10] Rolls | Other allergens: rice, tapioca, sorghum, oat
Best for Banana Bread
Simple Mills Almond Flour Baking Mix Gluten Free Banana Muffin & Bread
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Courtesy of Amazon
While it’s unlikely you’d use banana bread for a sandwich, it’s a very popular type of quick bread, and with this mix, you can have it gluten-free for breakfast, lunch, dessert, or a snack. If you prefer, you can also use the mix to make banana muffins, which can be frozen and warmed up individually whenever you want a quick breakfast or a snack.
This pack includes three 9-ounce boxes of mix. Each box of mix makes one loaf of banana bread or 12 muffins. It’s important to read the instructions since the muffin recipe and the bread recipe require slightly different amounts of eggs and water.
This pre-made mix contains just seven ingredients, all of which you should be able to find in a grocery or health food store. Unlike some bread mixes, this pick contains no preservatives, so you'll need to store your baked goods in the fridge or freezer to keep them fresh.
Price at time of publish: $24
Size: 9 ounces | Servings per container: [1] 8 x 4-inch loaf, or [12] Muffins | Other allergens: almond (tree nuts), coconut
Best Whole Grain
Bobs Red Mill Gluten Free Hearty Whole Grain Bread
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Courtesy of Amazon
If you’re missing the intricate flavors of traditional whole grain bread, or are looking for a bread mix that masks some of the less appetizing flavors and textures of plain gluten-free bread mixes, the King Arthur Gluten-free Hearty Whole Grain bread mix might be exactly what you’re looking for. The mix includes a variety of grains and seeds, including buckwheat and chickpea flour, sunflower and sesame seeds, and molasses — which all help to produce a complex, whole-grain bread with more flavor than a typical loaf of white bread. One bag makes one 9 by 5-inch loaf and requires the addition of eggs, oil, and cider vinegar. The packaging has recently been updated from a previous style, but all of the ingredients are the same as they were in the previous package. If you find you like this particular bread mix, Bob's Red Mill also makes a similar "Homemade Wonderful" plain-style bread mix.
Price at time of publish: $8
Size: 20 ounces | Servings per container: one 9 x 5-inch loaf | Other allergens: tree nuts, sesame seeds, soy
Best Cornbread
Krusteaz Gluten-Free Honey Cornbread
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Courtesy of Walmart
While traditional cornbread is predominantly made of cornmeal, it also includes wheat flour, so it’s not usually gluten-free. This mix eliminates the wheat by including millet and sorghum flours, creating a tasty cornbread that can be baked in a cast-iron skillet, in a square pan, or in a muffin tin. It’s simple to make, too—just add milk, an egg, and oil, stir to combine, and bake. With that said, the mix itself doesn’t include any dairy products, so if you’d like to experiment with plant-based milk, you could feasibly make this cornbread mix dairy-free. This 15-ounce box makes one pan of cornbread or 12 corn muffins.
The mix is also relatively inexpensive in comparison to many other gluten-free mixes, and if it’s something you like, Krusteaz has a nice selection of gluten-free baked goods mixes you might consider adding to your baking repertoire.
Price at time of publish: $5
Size: 15 ounces | Servings per container: one loaf, or 12 muffins | Other allergens: corn, sorghum, dairy, eggs, honey
Best Brazilian Bread
Chebe Bread Original Cheese Bread Mix
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Courtesy of Amazon
Brazilian cheese bread isn’t something that needs to be adapted to be gluten-free—the recipe never had gluten originally. Instead, these little bread balls are made with tapioca flour and no wheat at all. While this mix is designed for making cheese bread, it doesn’t actually include cheese in the mix. While sharp cheese is preferred, you can add your own favorite, or you can leave it out for delicious, cheese-free rolls.
Since the ingredients are limited, this bread also eliminates many other common allergens. It contains no gluten, wheat, soy, corn, rice, nuts, or potatoes. While the recipe does require eggs, an egg substitute can be used. The mix contains milk powder, so the bread cannot be made lactose-free.
Price at time of publish: $49
Size: 7.5 ounces | Servings per container: 16 rolls | Other allergens: dairy, tapioca
Best All-Purpose Flour
Cup4Cup Multipurpose Flour: Gluten-Free
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Courtesy of Cup4Cup
While there are plenty of bread mixes available, sometimes a baker just wants to make their own recipe, whether it’s for a quick bread, yeast bread, batch of muffins, or even dessert. Cup 4 Cup makes that possible since it’s a gluten-free wheat flour substitute that can be used in just about any baking recipe, using the same volume measure as the wheat flour in your recipe.
Sure, it’s not as simple as following the instructions on the back of a box, but if you love to bake other recipes, whether it’s from a cookbook or a family favorite, this is a great choice. Cup 4 Cup has created a small selection of gluten-free baking mixes that includes pizza dough and cornbread mix, but currently not a bread loaf mix.
Price at time of publish: $15
Size: 3 pounds | Servings per container: varies | Other allergens: dairy, tapioca, rice
King Arthur's Gluten-Free Bread and Pizza Mix is incredibly reliable, widely available, and one of the most reasonably-priced gluten-free mixes currently available. For an artisan-style loaf of gluten-free bread that works well with bread machines, try the Williams Sonoma Gluten Free Artisan French Bread Mix.
What to Look for When Buying Gluten-Free Bread Mixes
Ingredients
Not all gluten-free bread mixes are created equally. Generally, you can expect the same results from a wheat-based all-purpose flour, but the world of gluten-free flours is different with every mix.
For the most part, gluten-free mixes are primarily made with rice flour, almond flour, and potato and tapioca starches, as well as stabilizers like guar gum, arrowroot, milk powder, and xanthan gum. If you have a nut or dairy allergy, make sure to pay special attention to the ingredients listed. If you’re not sure which style of gluten-free mixes you’ll like, try a few different ones to find out which texture you like the best.
Add-Ins
You’ll need to provide a few extra ingredients to bring your mix to life, just like you would for nearly any boxed mix on the market. Most of the time the additions are wet and refrigerated ingredients. Some mixes require butter, eggs, milk, oil, and occasionally, even your own yeast.
Once you’re familiar with a mix, you can begin to amend it to fit your tastes. Some popular add-ins include nuts, additional ancient grains, chocolate chips, dried fruits, grated hard cheeses, and spices.
Mixing Method
Like traditional wheat-based mixes, some breads are quickly and easily mixed in a bowl, and some require a stand mixer to help develop the structure of your bread. For the most part, the same rules apply to gluten-free mixes. Quick breads like muffins, banana bread, and cornbread are typically mixed by hand, while hearty and yeasted loaves will benefit from the extra strength of a stand mixer. Also, take note of the baking process and whether you’ll need to allow your dough to proof, and how you’ll shape the final loaves before baking.
FAQs
What bread is naturally gluten free?
Only bread made with gluten-free flours and grains is gluten free. Bread made with wheat, barley, spelt, or rye contains gluten. Some ancient grains such as einkorn contain less gluten than modern wheat varieties, but breads made with those grains still contain gluten. Only breads with non-gluten flours, such as buckwheat, sorghum, amaranth, teff, and brown rice, are gluten free.
Is sourdough a gluten-free bread?
In most cases, sourdough bread is not gluten free. The term sourdough refers to the leavening agent that is used to make the bread rise. Depending on the flours used, sourdough bread can very well contain gluten. Only sourdough breads made with gluten-free flours are gluten free.
Why is gluten-free bread so expensive?
Gluten-free bread is more expensive than regular bread because it requires special gluten-free flours, which are less common and pricier. Also, the production process is more involved. To make sure the bread is 100% gluten free, all ingredients must be traced meticulously from their source to the bakery. It also requires monitoring of the entire production process and handling of the final product to avoid any cross-contamination with gluten products.
Why Trust The Spruce Eats?
Author of "Make Ahead Bread" and writer of this roundup for The Spruce Eats, Donna Currie knows her way around yeasty dough. While she loves baking from scratch, she often relies on mixes when she needs to bake for her gluten-free friends.