If you’ve had to go gluten free for whatever reason, and have a pulse, I’m willing to bet you’d give your left arm for a hot and crispy, chewy, cheesy hand tossed pizza. It’s been so long since I last had one that it took a good five minutes for the term “hand tossed” to come to mind. I wanted to say “pan pizza” but I think that’s just…pizza?
Anyway, save the valuable appendage because today I’m sharing the gluten free equivalent to hand tossed pizza: Gluten Free Pizza Breadsticks! YES – soft and fluffy, chewy breadsticks with the pizza crust texture we all adore(d). They are incredible! They’re also yeast free, ready in under 20 minutes from start to finish, and freezer friendly too. Plus they can be cooked in an Airfryer. I am dying for you to try them!
Gluten Free Pizza Breadsticks
Tapioca flour, baking powder, garlic powder and Italian herbs are mixed with shredded cheese, your favorite pizza toppings, eggs, and butter then shaped into breadsticks and baked in the oven OR the Airfryer. Either way, they don’t take longer than 10 minutes to cook.
If you’ve ever had Brazilian cheese bread, these pizza breadsticks are a riff on those except they’re studded with pizza toppings then shaped into breadsticks for maximum dunkability into warmed pizza or marinara sauce. Did I mention how fluffy and SOFT these breadsticks are? Just like pizza, and breadsticks for that matter, should be! No more cardboard gluten free pizza or worse, gummy gluten free pizza. Girl bye.
How to Freeze For Later
Cam and I had a blast recipe testing these pizza breadsticks this week and between the two of us I think we’ve eaten like, 50. Ok, maybe 48. It’s been…a lot, and we’re still not sick of them. That said, I froze the last batch and they reheat beautifully either in the microwave or Airfyer. Just cook then cool the pizza breadsticks and freeze solid on the baking sheet. Transfer to a Ziplock freezer bag then reheat for 1 minute at 50% power in the microwave, or cook for a few minutes in the Airfryer. The BEST!!
Try Pizza Fries!
How to Make this Recipe
Start by adding tapioca starch (sometimes labeled tapioca flour) to a large bowl with baking powder, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. Tapioca starch has a similar consistency to corn starch in that it will fly everywhere if you’re not careful, so use a whisk to gently stir everything together. Also, I prefer Bob’s Red Mill Tapioca starch!
Next add shredded mozzarella or an Italian blend cheese plus chopped pizza toppings (pepperoni, black olives, cooked Italian sausage, etc.) then whisk to combine.
Lastly, add melted then cooled butter plus whisked eggs. Switch to a wooden spoon then stir everything until combined into somewhat of a thick paste. The mixture shouldn’t be terribly sticky, and it will “dry” slightly after sitting for a minute or two.
Lightly wet your hands with water then scoop 1/4 cup of the dough into your hands and roll into a 3-4″ log (no need to be precise here!) Place onto a parchment paper or silpat lined baking sheet then can cook one of two ways:
Oven Bake Method
Bake the Gluten Free Pizza Breadsticks for 8-10 minutes at 450 degrees or until golden brown, rotating the pan halfway through.
Airfryer Method
Spray the basket of your Airfryer VERY WELL with nonstick spray then place the Gluten Free Pizza Breadsticks inside with 2″ between each breadstick (you’ll need to cook them in batches.) Bake at 390 degrees for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. I have a Philips XL Airfryer for reference.
That’s all she wrote! Dig in IMMEDIATELY for the best, most cheesy and fluffy experience – pizza sauce on the side, of course! I hope you love these absolutely AMAZING Gluten Free Pizza Breadsticks! Enjoy!
More Pizza-Inspired Recipes
- Pizza Fries
- Gluten Free Pizza Crust
- Pizza Chicken
- Pizza Pasta Bake
- Pizza Salad
- Mini Pizza Quinoa Bites
free email bonus
Dinner Made EASY
5 days of simple yet flavorful recipes that take the stress out of dinnertime!
Gluten Free Pizza Breadsticks
Description
Gluten Free Pizza Breadsticks are soft and cheesy, Airfryer-friendly, freezer-friendly, and best of all, EASY! Get your gluten free pizza fix in 20 minutes!
Ingredients
- 1-1/4 cup tapioca flour/starch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- heaping 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 6oz shredded mozzarella or Italian blend cheese (~1-1/2 cups)
- 1 cup pizza toppings (chopped pepperoni, sliced black olives, Italian sausage, etc.)
- 2 eggs, whisked
- 1/4 cup butter, melted and slightly cooled
- marinara or pizza sauce for dipping
Directions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees then line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat and set aside.
- Add tapioca flour, baking powder, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning to a large bowl then whisk slowly to combine. Add cheese and pizza toppings then whisk to combine. Add eggs and butter then switch to a wooden spoon and stir until mixture is thoroughly combined. Mixture will be slightly sticky but shouldn't be impossible to work with - it will become less sticky after sitting for a couple minutes.
- Lightly wet hands then scoop 1/4 cup dough into your hands and roll into a 3-4" log. Place onto prepared baking sheet then bake for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown, rotating the pan halfway through. Serve with marinara or pizza sauce for dipping.
- To cook using an AirFryer: I have a Philips XL AirFryer. Preheat to 390 degrees then spray the basket very well with nonstick spray. Add pizza sticks to basket 2" apart (will need to cook in batches) then cook for 3-5 minutes or until golden brown.
- To freeze and reheat: freeze cooked then cooled Pizza Breadsticks on baking sheet until frozen solid then transfer to a Ziplock freezer bag. To reheat using the microwave: place pizza breadsticks on a plate then cover with a paper towel. Microwave on 50% power for one minute or until heated through. To reheat using an AirFryer: spray basket very well with nonstick spray then cook for 2-3 minutes at 390 degrees or until heated through.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
Elizabeth Ball 05.23.2022
So easy and absolutely incredible! My teenagers, my husband, we all loved them.
Kristin 05.27.2022
Thrilled to hear it, Elizabeth!! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Karine 02.24.2022
These were amazing Kristin! Thank you for such a creative recipe. I make Brazilian cheese bread regularly but never thought that the foundational recipe could be adjusted to something like this – brilliant!
I do have two comments – they really were best right out of the oven, so next time I will time them so they come out at the same time as I am serving up the meal. I kind of worried they would take longer to cook than stated, but they didn’t!
Second, I use weights (instead of volume) when I make the cheese bread, so because your recipe said 6oz of cheese, I weighed it. It was a huge amount – I think way more than 1.5 cups! So after the fact, I wondered if your 6oz was meant as a volume measure, and not weight??!! I am Canadian, so not sure what your usual convention is here! Ooops!
Regardless, they turned out GREAT – albeit a little cheesy :)
Loved them, and will definitely add to my ‘regulars’ list.
Kristin 02.25.2022
Hi Karine! I’m SO glad you loved these breadsticks!! I use 6oz by volume – our “standard” bags of shredded cheese come in 8oz packages, and I use 3/4 of the bag for this recipe. If there’s a discrepancy between your volume and weight measurement, I’d go with 1-1/2 cups volume next time!
Tami 02.14.2022
These were beyond amazing! I just can’t get over how good they were… puffy, cheesy, perfect! Such a nice change from thin crispy crust pizza. Great for everyone regardless of if they need to eat GF or not.
Kristin 02.15.2022
I totally agree! I think the tapioca flour might scare off non-GF eaters, but I desperately wish all people would give them a try!!
Amy Crawford 01.17.2022
Hello! The stores around me were out of the tapioca flour so I used Cup4Cup in a pinch. Wow! I am sad that it was chebe like but these transformed into soft pillows of yum!
Kristin 01.18.2022
So glad you were able to make it work with what you had on hand, Amy!
Marie 01.16.2022
Can any gf flour be substituted for the tapioca flour? Also will this work with all purpose flour as well?
Kristin 01.17.2022
Hi Marie! This type of chewy bread only works with tapioca flour/starch!
Sayward 10.06.2021
These were good, but I feel they needed salt and mine also turned out light looking. Still good but maybe a little salt, we used Turkey pepperoni also so that may have affected the lack of salt.
Kristin 01.17.2022
Hi Sayward! That’s definitely possible – I hope you enjoyed them regardless!
Jessica Lynn Seiter Williams 09.30.2021
YESSSSSS!!!! These are SO good! I used Hormel Mini pepperonis. They are the perfect size! ( no chopping!) My aunt has made pepperoni rolls as an appetizer for family events for eons. This will make a nice GF stand in for us GF peeps. (Fellow Southwest Ohioans-Use LaRosa’s pizza sauce for dipping!)
Kristin 09.30.2021
So cute!! I’m so glad they were a hit, Jessica!!
Jenna 09.30.2021
Can these be made using regular flour?
Kristin 09.30.2021
Hi Jenna! Tapioca starch is what gives the breadsticks their chewy softness that I don’t think AP flour would replicate!
Amy 07.07.2021
Did you happen to brush butter or anything on at the end? I didn’t use the pepperoni, so maybe that’s why, but mine just seemed so dry ????
Kristin 07.23.2021
Hi Amy! I don’t brush the tops with butter. Is it possible any of the dry/wet ingredients were mis-measured. The longer they sit the dryer they become so I usually form into breadsticks and put them right into the oven. Does that help?
Amber 03.22.2021
Absolutely one of the best breadstick recipes I have tried to date! Everyone, GF and not, loved these. As someone who had food allergies hit just last year (gluten and corn), it is refreshing to have found your blog – especially since I’m in the Midwest too!
Kristin 03.23.2021
SO thrilled that it was a hit for ALL, Amber!! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Gina H 02.10.2021
Loved this recipe!! I made it into a pizza using nitrate & nitrite free ham & pineapple. Made homemade pizza sauce & topped with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. What an amazing recipe!!
Kristin 02.11.2021
YUM! I love it – thanks so much for the feedback, Gina! I may have to try this for my oldest – he loves pineapple on his pizza. :)
Chris 02.04.2021
I made these for myself but even my picky boys loved them. They were so easy and quick. Next time it will be a double batch!
Kristin 02.05.2021
Fabulous! Thank you so much for the great feedback!!
Savanna 01.29.2021
Is it possible to use potato starch as a replacement to tapioca starch?
Kristin 02.01.2021
Hi Savanna! In this recipe you need to use tapioca starch to get that light and chewy texture.
Whit 01.11.2021
I’m guessing if GF isn’t needed, the same ratio of all purpose flour would work just fine?
Kristin 01.12.2021
Hi Whit! This is actually one recipe where you wouldn’t be able to swap out the tapioca flour for AP flour.
Melissa 01.03.2021
In the words of my eight-year-old son, “These taste like pizza, one better!”
Mary 12.31.2020
Have you tried making these with fresh mozzarella? Would it work?
Mary 12.31.2020
Have you tried using fresh mozzarella in this recipe? Do you have any thoughts on this if you haven’t?
Meg 10.15.2020
These are SO good. Seriously the best gluten free pizza item I have ever tasted!!
Reena Kaushik 09.16.2020
Gluten Free Pizza Breadsticks is very tasty. I was made this last night. I am very happy with dish. I like pizza but this pizza is very tasty of others. Thanks to tell us this type of pizza.
Kris Evans 08.18.2020
These are one of my family’s favorite things ever! We keep supplies on hand and they are a quick meal or snack.