This Clever Swap Makes Gluten-Free Croissants That Actually Crisp And Flake

If you eat gluten-free or have celiac disease, you are probably well aware of the struggle to find baked goods that have the same texture as products full of the stuff. Gluten allows bread and pastries to stretch and rise and achieve that fluffy, elastic chewiness. As a result, a hallmark of many gluten-free breads is their crumbly and dense textures. Pastries with more complex structures — like delicious French croissants, with their flaky, buttery, chewy layers — are among the hardest to make with gluten-free dough.

Luckily, some very creative people on the video app TikTok have been experimenting with a gluten-free croissant hack that apparently actually makes for a crispy, stretchy dough, and it's pretty out there. They are using rice paper sheets — the same ones you use to make spring rolls! There are lots of creative ways to use rice paper in your cooking, but this innovation takes things to another level.

To make a rice paper croissant, soak them in a mixture to replicate the flavors of a croissant; layer the rice paper sheets to mimic the buttery, layered dough of a glutinous croissant; cut the sheets into a triangle and roll them into crescents; and bake them until they're crispy and golden brown, just like regular croissants. According to at least one Reddit user in the r/Celiac subreddit who tried it out, "They were low effort and tasty AF." That's basically the best combination of things a sweet treat could be.

There are several rice paper croissant recipes out there, but in all of them, the first step is basically to make a French toast-style mixture in which to dredge your rice paper sheets. This is a combo of eggs, butter, milk, a small amount of sugar, and a dash of baking powder. You can also add any other flavorings you might want, like vanilla extract, cinnamon, or orange zest, which will infuse all the layers of your rice paper croissant with an impressive depth of flavor.

After you've stacked, cut, and arranged the rice paper pieces on top of each other in croissant formation, you'll roll them into a perfect shape. But before you do, you have the chance to fill your croissant with anything you want! Chocolate, almond paste, jam, or even ham and cheese would be nice. After you roll and shape them, top with turbinado sugar for another layer of crunch to the gluten-free goodness.

If you want to go completely savory, leave the sugar out of the dredge, and consider filling your croissant with flavored cream cheese, pastrami and pickles, or spinach and cheese. Top with crunchy sesame seeds or everything bagel seasoning for extra flavor and bite. If you're gluten-free, chances are you haven't had a perfect croissant in a long time. This rice paper croissant is inventive, easy to make, and endlessly customizable, making it the perfect addition to your gluten-free repertoire.