Homemade Gluten-Free Breadcrumbs Recipe With Cooking Tips

Gluten-free breadcrumbs are a versatile ingredient made by grinding, crushing, or blitzing dried gluten-free bread into small granules. These breadcrumbs come from grains—like buckwheat, rice flours, sorghum, and millet—that do not contain gluten, a family of storage proteins that naturally occur in most wheat, barley, and rye products. Mixing glutinous flour with water activates these storage proteins, which act as binding agents, helping foods like pastas, breads, and grains hold their shape. Some gluten-free foods rely on binders like xantham gum and psyllium husk powder to mimic their glutinous counterparts.

Like standard breadcrumbs, gluten-free options come in many shapes and sizes, from the fine breadcrumbs you can find in most grocery stores to the coarser crumbs in homemade varieties.

Use gluten-free breadcrumbs the way you might use regular breadcrumbs in any of your favorite recipes:

1. 1. As a top layer: Use gluten-free breadcrumbs as a crunchy topping on baked pasta casseroles, stuffed peppers, or creamy, cheesy potatoes au gratin.
2. 2. As an outer coating: Use gluten-free breadcrumbs as the final step when building a crunchy, crispy breading on pan-fried proteins. (To help the breadcrumbs adhere, coat the protein or dumpling in corn starch or a gluten-free flour like almond flour, then dip it in a beaten egg.) Use gluten-free breadcrumbs to coat coconut shrimp, pork schnitzel, and fish fillets.
3. 3. As a panade: A panade is a combination of starch and liquid that you can use as a binding agent. (“Panade” is a French word that roughly translates to “bread mash.”) The best examples of a panade are the milk-soaked breadcrumbs in meatballs, meatloaf, or homemade burgers that help the meat mixture hold together and stay moist. Breadcrumbs made from gluten-free bread—rather than glutinous crackers or rice—are the best fit for a panade.

You can make any kind of breadcrumbs without a food processor—you’ll need a rolling pin, meat masher, or box grater, and the gluten-free products of your preference.

• First, chop and toast the bread. Depending on the freshness of the bread, you may need to dry it out further before crushing it, which is easiest to do in the oven. Simply cut the bread into small bite-sized pieces and spread them into an even layer on a baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit and bake the pieces until they are very dry (but not burned), about ten minutes.
• Transfer the crumbs to a heavy-duty freezer bag. Let the bread pieces come to room temperature, then completely seal them in a plastic bag.
• Mash the pieces into your preferred texture. Use a rolling pin or meat masher to crush larger pieces into a uniform, fine texture. For small batches, you can use a large mortar and pestle.
• Use a box grater for stubborn pieces. This method works best if you have stale bread that’s too dry to cut safely into smaller pieces, like a heel. Hold the box grater steady with one hand, and grate the bread on the largest setting. Break up any large remaining pieces by roughly chopping them with a knife.

Here are some tips to consider when making a batch:

1. 1. Choosing the bread or baked goods: Stale bread is the traditional choice for breadcrumbs, and the heels of gluten-free bread are a good fit. If the bread feels too moist to blend in a food processor, pop it into the toaster or oven for a few minutes to crisp it up before grinding. You can also use other gluten-free breakfast and snack foods, like puffed plain rice cereal (to make gluten-free panko breadcrumbs), crackers, and baked pretzels, which tend to be less expensive than gluten-free loaves. Crushed walnuts, almonds, or pecans can also mimic the texture of standard breadcrumbs in the right setting.
2. 2. Seasoning the breadcrumbs: A little salt and pepper are never amiss in homemade breadcrumbs, but there are many other seasonings that you can use. “Italian breadcrumbs,” for example, combine Italian seasoning (a dried spice blend containing basil, oregano, and marjoram, among other spices) with onion and garlic powder. Add heat with red pepper flakes, and use raw grated garlic and fresh herbs to add an aromatic top note to casseroles and gratin. If you’re using breadcrumbs to top a casserole-style dish, toss them with a bit of olive oil when seasoning.
3. 3. Storing the breadcrumbs: Store freshly grated breadcrumbs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for two to three days, or freeze for up to six months. Defrost the breadcrumbs in the refrigerator or at room temperature before seasoning and using.