The Best Gluten-Free Focaccia (Vegan)
This Gluten-Free Focaccia Bread has the perfect focaccia texture! You would never suspect that it is gluten-free. Naturally vegan and xanthan gum free!
Here’s a recipe I worked nearly a year on! I went through much trial and error to finally achieve the texture and flavors I was after in a gluten-free focaccia bread and I’m thrilled to finally be sharing this recipe with you! I so hope you love it as much as we do!
📖 Features
- Super simple ingredients and method. Very easy to make!
- Reminiscent of conventional gluten-filled focaccia bread.
- Packed with beautiful flavors and textures.
- Gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, soy-free, vegan.
🥖 Ingredient Notes (+ 1 Secret Ingredient!)
Gluten-free flour: The trick to this perfect focaccia is using a gluten-free all purpose flour blend without xanthan gum. I tested many different store-bought and homemade blends and while I was able to create some tasty breads, none of the tests using blends with xanthan gum came even close to the texture you would come to expect from a true focaccia. I’ll share some of my favorite flour blends in the recipe card toward the bottom of the post!
Yeast + sweetener: This is mandatory for a nice risen focaccia dough!
Olive oil: No focaccia would be complete without a little olive oil thrown into the mix! This adds both flavor and a nice golden, crispy exterior.
Baking powder: This adds a little extra lift and browning power.
Salt + Rosemary: This simple combo adds a lot of flavor!
For full ingredients list and instructions, refer to the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.
🥣 How-to Make
Step 1: Combine water, yeast and sweetener. Let sit to ‘bloom’ for 5 minutes.
Step 2: Add flour, salt, baking powder and oil. Mix well.
Step 3: Cover and let rise until doubled in size.
Step 4: Pour into prepared baking pan. Let rise for 30 minutes longer.
Step 5: Make holes in the dough, drizzle with oil, sprinkle with rosemary and bake.
Step 6: Enjoy!
💭 FAQ and Top Tips
Use the Right Flour Blend
In case you missed it further up in the post or in the recipe card, it is imperative you use a gluten-free flour blend without xanthan gum for best results. I tested with xanthan gum numerous times and while I was able to create tasty bread, it did not produce the lovely texture you would come to expect from focaccia. I recommend some of my favorite store-bought blends as well as a DIY blend in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Yeast
Letting the yeast/water/sweetener mixture sit for 5 minutes and get foamy is indicative of the yeast being healthy and active. If your yeast mixture does not begin to bubble or get foamy, then you may want to start again with a newly purchased batch of yeast for to ensure your dough rises as intended.
Let it Rise
Rising times can vary due to brands used, altitude, temperature, etc. Just make sure it doubles in size during both rising times, regardless of how long it takes. Patience serves you well here! If it does not rise for some reason, you either used a blend with xanthan gum (which is not advised!), you did not wait long enough for it to rise, the ambient temperature is not warm enough (move to a warmer location), or your yeast is mostly like old or inactive for some reason and you should start again with new yeast.
Toppings
Simple dried rosemary, olive oil and flaked salt makes for a divine combo, but you can certainly top your focaccia off however you would prefer! Some other ideas:
- Sliced onions.
- Sliced cherry tomatoes.
- Fresh or dried thyme.
- Fresh or dried basil.
- Fresh or dried oregano.
- Sliced olives.
- Roasted red peppers.
- Sun-dried tomatoes.
How do I store and reheat this Gluten-Free Focaccia?
This focaccia tastes best fresh from the oven but it does keep well lightly covered at room temperature for up to about 24 hours. Otherwise, I recommend freezing it over refrigerating it, if storing. To freeze, store in freezer safe containers for up to one month. To reheat, whether kept at room temperature or the freezer, place the bread into a 400F oven and heat until crisp and warmed throughout.
🧂 How-to Serve
This is the kind of bread that doesn’t need anything else but itself! It is that delightful. But if you’re looking for ways to mix it up a little, here are some great ways to enjoy this bread:
- Dipped into olive oil with or without dried herbs.
- Slathered with a healthy dose of butter or ghee.
- Dipped into marinara sauce.
- Topped off like a pizza and reheated until toppings are melted.
- Dipped into soup.
- Sliced and used as sandwich bread.
🍞 More Delicious Gluten-Free Bread Recipes
The Best Gluten-Free Vegan Bread
Gluten-Free Vegan Banana Bread
Gluten-Free Focaccia
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar or any granulated or liquid sweetener of choice
- 1 ½ cups warm water
- 3 cups gluten-free all purpose flour blend without xanthan gum
- 1 teaspoon sea salt or pink salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil plus more for topping and pan
- 1 tablespoon crushed dried rosemary optional, for topping
- coarse or flaked sea salt optional, for topping
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl combine yeast, sweetener and warm water. Whisk well and let sit 5 minutes or until appearing foamy.
- To the same bowl add flour, salt, baking powder and oil. Mix well. Cover with a damp cloth and let sit in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size (it will be a rather wet batter, do not fret!).
- Grease a 9"x13" pan and line with parchment paper (greasing helps the paper stick and hold shape).
- Pour the risen batter into the center of the pan. Cover and let sit to rise for 30 minutes longer, or until the entire pan has filled with batter (see how-to photos in post for reference).
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Press a wet finger into the batter to make small indents throughout. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with dried rosemary (if using). Bake for 17 minutes, or until the bread is firm and golden brown.
- Let cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing. Optionally, sprinkle with a little coarse or flaked sea salt before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Recommended Products
Hi — do you have any tips on measuring flour? I think mine came out too wet, first time trying to make any bread recipe! Thanks!
Hi, Tara! So, compared to most bread recipes, the batter for this focaccia is supposed to be rather wet and loose but should bake up perfectly, so long as you are using a xanthan gum-free flour blend. As for measuring, just be certain to pack a measuring cup and give it a little tap on the counter to let it settle and measure accurately. I hope this helps!
This bread is delectable! I had given up hope finding a truly delicious gf bread recipe. I used deglutenized Caputo brand flour. It was so easy to make!
Thank you for creating such a perfect recipe.
I’m in heaven!!
I’m so very happy to hear it! It’s great to know that that flour works well with this recipe. Thank you for taking the time to share! 🙂
I appreciate anyone who takes the time to share their favorite recipes, so thanks for this. Very confusing information though re: flour. “Secret is using a gluten-free flour blend WITHOUT xanthum gum. If you use one, you will end up with dense and gummy bread, so I do not advise it”. ?? If we use what’s recommended we’ll get gummy bread? The note then goes on to recommend two gluten free flours, but one is free of xanthum gum and the other one has xanthum added – I looked them up. King Arthur (without) and Bob’s Red Mill (with). I asked in the store and was told that they can only get Bob’s gluten-free flour with xanthum. So what does this baker recommend re: xanthum gum for this recipe? Why recommend one flour that has it and one that doesn’t? Yes or no to xanthum gum?
I was looking for a foccacia recipe that doesn’t state a mixer has to be used because I don’t have one. But the information given here isn’t confidence-inspiring.
Hi, Dru! Sorry for any confusion. Both flours that are recommended and linked to in the post do not contain xanthan gum. There are two types of Bob’s Red Mill all purpose flour blends on the market, one with (the 1:1 in a blue bag) and one without. The one I link to throughout the post and in the recipe card (this one in a red bag: https://amzn.to/432wxZF) is without xanthan gum and is the one I recommend using in this recipe. I hope this helps!
Hi Kristen, How kind you are to respond to comments. For some reason a friend thought it would be funny to submit a snarky review using my name. Sorry! I’ll have to try my hand at your focaccia.
AMAZING. It’s actually better than my soughdough wheat focaccia. Thanks so much
I’m so happy to hear it. 🙂 Thank you for taking the time to share!
Any idea if an 18-24 hr fridge ferment or making a poolish would give it a more artisan taste like it does with the gluten focaccia? I might try the fridge ferment. Unsure how to adjust the measurements for a poolish.
Hi! I’ve never tested it, but I think the fridge ferment would definitely be worth a try for developing the flavor further. I would just make sure it is covered well to prevent any drying out, as gluten-free flour is more prone to drying out. As for a poolish, I’ve never tested it, so I can’t say much there, but I do think it would be worth a try as well! I would remove the added yeast and use a poolish in its place. If you give it a try, I would love to hear! 🙂
Followed the recipe and turned out perfectly! I used a 50:50 blend of buckwheat and tapioca. So fluffy and satisfying. We used minced garlic and dried herbs and flaky sea salt.
I’m so happy to hear it! Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by and share. 🙂
Hello,
Do you think this recipe would work with brown rice flour, buckwheat flour, and oat flour?
Hi! Thank you for visiting. I haven’t tested it with that particular blend, but I do think it would work well. If you try it, I would love to hear about it! 🙂
Thanks! I do have one more question. I cannot do much oil in my diet, is there a way I could sub the oil in the bread and just use it for the topping? Have you tried this before or know of a good oil substitute. Or would it be easier to take away the oil on top and just put it in the batter.
While I haven’t tested it, I think the bread would turn out fine with it omitted altogether or simply a small drizzle on the top. It really contributes to the browning of the bread more than anything else, so as long as you are okay with the bread being a touch pale, I think it will be okay. I hope this helps!
Thank you for all the advice! I made this recipe this evening with oat,brown rice, and buckwheat flour. I also used avocado oil and date syrup. This was so good and didn’t even taste gluten free.
I’m so very happy to hear it! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back here and share. 🙂
I’ve made this recipe twice now, and I think the measurements are off – my mix is nothing like a wet batter, but dough straight away. the water to flour ratio is off….
Hi, Erin! I’m sorry to hear that. It definitely should not be thick in any way. What flour brand/blend are you using?
I made this last night and it’s a shockingly huge hit! I create my own simple GF flour blend with almond, tapioca, and coconut flours, which works well for my needs. Thought I’d give this recipe a try with my blend since a specific GF flour blend was not crucial. The dough was more like batter (my blend needed a little more flour than recipe states), no kneading was necessary, and yet it turned out with a great texture and such good flavor. I look forward to trying different spices and flavors. This is an immediate favorite in my house!
I’m so happy to hear this! Thank you so much for taking the time to share here. 🙂
Hi Liisa, could you please share your flour ratios? I’d love to try this recipe with the same combo you did… Thank you!
This was so delicious. I know how hard it is making gluten free breads and I love using this Bob’s Red Mill brand. Such a great recipe thank you!
I love that this doesn’t use xanthan gum so gave it a try! It was fantastic. My son had never had focaccia before, and he was in love. I used the KAF flour you mentioned. Thank you for the great recipe!
I used all herbs I had in the pantry – oregano, thyme, marjoram and basil and it turned out delicious. Great recipe, thanks.
I made this with xanthan free gluten free flour as suggested, and the texture was amazing! We had it with olive oil and it was just like regular focaccia. I couldn’t believe it was gluten-free!
This foccacia looks amazing. It is gluten free too and such an easy recipe. Saved it to make it over the weekend.
This bread was easy to make and had great texture, but I used the Bob’s flour blend you recommended and I’m just not a fan of the strong chickpea flavor. It goes well for some recipes, but for focaccia, I wasn’t a fan. TBH, I knew better but had some on hand and just thought I’d give it a try. Overall a good recipe but next time I’ll use a different flour.
Have not made this yet because I hate the BRM GF AP Flour because of the strong bean taste. Does the KA GF Flour work as well? TIA
From my experience, yes it does (the xanthan gum-free KA blend)! The flavor is just slightly different, but they are both tasty.
Wow finally a gluten free bread that I love. Weird the way the dough is more like batter but it works and no kneading. Brought it to a dinner party and everyone wanted it over the regular garlic bread. I did put the fresh blend of herbs and a sprinkle of salt on top. Look forward to more of your recipes.
I’m so very happy to hear that! Thank you for taking the time to share here. 🙂
Just made this bread using Tapioca and Brown rice flour as you suggested as I couldn’t find the flour without Xantham gum. It did look promising to begin with however after initially rising and almost doubling in size it then shrunk. Continued on following the recipe – however the result was a dense,rubbery texture. Just wondering if anyone else has used this combo of flour? I did not give a bad rating as it was probably my fault. I do lots and lots of gluten free baking but have never used the brown rice flour -usually it is almond meal, coconut flour and tapioca. Really keen to have another go as it looks so good and lots of positive comments. I am in Australia so not always easy to get the same ingredients in recipes.
Many thanks,
Jan.
I haven’t had focaccia bread in almost 10 years! I’ve pinned this recipe and I’m putting it on my list. I can’t wait to try it.
Thank you so much, Nina! I hope you love it. 🙂
Focaccia bread is one of my favorites and this recipe is so tasty! Thank you for sharing so many great tips!
So light and fluffy I can’t even tell it is gluten-free!
This focaccia turned out perfectly! You would never know it was gluten free and everyone else loved it too!
I love focaccia bread and this was no exception! Turned out perfectly light, fluffy and flavorful! Easily, a new favorite recipe!
We served this focaccia with our soup and salad and it was delicious! My family loved it!
This is an amazing recipe, finally can enjoy foccacia again.
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing. 🙂
I’ve never commented on a recipe I found online but this was just too good. Just like real focaccia! I didn’t get the dimples bc I was too impatient. I think I let it rise slightly less time than I was supposed to and my yeast was old, but it was so great! No one knows it’s gluten free. I put grey salt, oregano, shallots, and high end olive oil on top. Perfection. I’m gonna make more and freeze it bc it does take time to make. But it’s so easy.
Your version sounds delicious! I’m so very happy you enjoyed this recipe. 🙂 Thank you so much for taking the time to share here!
This was so good! We entertained some friends, one needing GF food, so I made this and it was a hit for everyone!
Thank you! I’ve been looking for a good focaccia bread that’s gluten free. Delicious and easy to make.
Loved your recipe and tips along the way, following your ingredients and method exact and it turned out delicious, loved the texture!
This turned out great. There’s almost no difference from my usual all-purpose flour focaccia.
Had some friends over for a girls night out the other night and made this focaccia as the birthday girl loves bread but is gluten-free! OH wow was I amazed, I couldn’t tell the difference, I added flaky sea salt, tomatoes, red onions and some fresh rosemary. We could have eaten just the bread! All of your tips were so helpful, read the packages of premade GF flours!
I followed the recipe exactly, using Bob’s All-purpose Gluten Free Flour. It turned out great, and browned up very nicely. I will be making this often. The only thing is that it didn’t produce a batter, but rather a more biscuit-like dough. I just pressed it into the pan and drizzled on the olive oil. It turned out perfect as far as I can tell, but why the different texture of the batter/dough?
Hi, Kay! I’m so happy to hear that. That is very interesting! The only thing I could guess is that the yeast impacted the structure a bit (as it does have a mind of its own), or maybe slight differences in the measuring tools we use.
Thank you for the tips on toppings for this delicious focaccia! I added in cherry tomatoes and onions – so tasty!!
I’m so happy to hear! Thank you for sharing. 🙂
Always intrigued when I see gf and vegan in a baking recipe as it’s so hard to find good ones. Can’t believe how great this focaccia recipe is. Satisfies all those carby cravings in a way I can enjoy!
What a great focaccia recipe! Loved how easy it was to make and we devoured it in a day!
Delicious focaccia recipe, loved the flavour and texture.
So happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing. 🙂
I love that I have another gluten-free option to add to my tool kit!
Holy. moly. YUM. I’ve found that recipes claiming to be the best often aren’t, but was happily proved wrong with this recipe! This is going straight to the recipe book!
I used 1:1 red sorghum flour to tapioca/potato starch. I followed the metric measurements and ended up with a very dry crumbly dough. Read in the comments that it was a known issue, so added more water, yeast, salt, and baking powder until it was like a pancake batter. I didn’t have time for a second rise so just popped it in the oven after the first rise, but it was still perfect.
Bubbly and bready inside, salty and crisp on the outside. My kids loved it and requested I make it regularly which is a big win!
I used King Arthur gluten free measure for measure flower, but my bread comes out with never browning at all, so it looks so unappetizing, what am I doing wrong?
Hi, Amber! If you read through the post, that kind of flour isn’t recommended for this particular recipe. Measure for measure flour contains xanthan gum and other additives that will impact the rising and browning of this bread recipe. I recommend using a gluten free blend without xanthan gum for best results. Also, brushing the top of the bread with olive oil prior to baking will help with browning process as well. I hope this helps!
I did everything you said except I use rice flour instead of brown rice flour. I also use arrowroot. Same 1.1 ratio. Mine had a looser consistency & was gummy. It’s not bad but it’s not bread. What did I do wrong?
Hi Anita – Unfortunately, the culprit here would be you using rice flour over brown rice flour. Brown rice flour gives a thicker consistency, hence the looser results you experienced with regular rice flour. To use regular rice flour, you would need to cut down on the liquids. They have quite a few differences despite both being rice! I hope this helps.
I followed the recipe almost exactly…save that I used instant yeast that I didn’t let bloom. When I mixed all the ingredients, it was a dry, sandy mess. I had to add almost twice as much water to get a batter. I used King Arthur GF All-Purpose Mix, and measured it by weight. After doing some digging and measuring, I figured out that 3 cups of KA GF AP flour only weighs 468 g, not 710 g as is stated in the metric recipe.
Hi Julie – can you confirm if you used King Arthur’s All Purpose Mix or All Purpose Flour? If you used the mix, then that will not work in this recipe as it contains xanthan gum and baking powder. If you used their flour blend without xanthan gum, that should definitely work just fine. As for the yeast, instant should hypothetically work in this recipe but I have not tested it. And I apologize if the metric measurements were incorrect, I will look into. It is a feature of the recipe card and calculated automatically. I appreciate you bringing that to my attention! I’m sorry you had this experience!
Thanks for the reply! My comment was confusing; I used the AP Flour not the baking mix. The good news is that thankfully it turned out ok! I’d be curious to know if you find that the flour measurement by weight is inaccurate. Although I understand that different flour blends will vary by weight.
I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to make this but it turned out great. Thanks for all of the tips and recommendations!
I had always wanted to make focaccia and was intimidated at first. It came out delicious for my first try with this recipe! Can’t wait to make it again 🙂
Focaccia is one of my all time favorites! This recipe is wonderful. I got such good air bubbles and my bread came out great!
Oh, I really want to try this GF focaccia bread, it looks just as fluffy and delicious.
That looks so good. I will be able to point my gluten-free group members to your recipe
I am all about this focaccia! The step by step photos are awesome and I can’t wait to make the. The flavours sound incredible and my mouth is watering at the pics too!! Thanks for sharing.
I recently went gluten free and I’m so happy to have found this recipe! I love that you have spent the time to test and create this tasty bread – Thank you!!
delicious – great to have the recos on the gluten free flour to use
I had no idea it was possible to make gluten free focaccia! So good and so easy to make!
This has been on my mind since you posted it and I finally got around to making it tonight. Seriously the best GF focaccia I could ever hope for. Followed your directions and let things rise etc. Turned out really well. I used a homemade blend of GF flour so I didn’t get quite the browning on top that you did, but will try Bob’s next time and see how it goes. Thank you for this lovely recipe. It will be a go-to in our house, I can already tell.
Hi, McCall!! I’m so very happy to hear this! It makes my day. Thank you for taking the time to share here. 🙂
hey! could you please share the gluten free flour blend you used. I intend on making my own GF flour blend as well
I used better batter cup for cup artesian flour (no gums) ( and seriously my GF peeps go check out betterbatter.com nothing compares to their pre-made blends) and needed 3 cups of water instead of 1.5 to get the same consistency. It took 27 minutes to cook. Overall quite happy with the recipe though. Thank you!
I think I could eat this focaccia bread all to myself!! Love how easily you broke down the steps to make it, I’ve never tried before, but can’t wait to try it!
Thank you so much!!
A big favourite of mine. Thanks for sharing an awesome recipe.
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing. 🙂
What a great recipe. You have really done a great job of testing everything for us. Your tips were just what I needed. I will make it again and again.
Thank you so much! I appreciate you taking the time to share. 🙂
Love this recipe! With some many GF family members, it’s great to have such a delicious recipe on hand. And focaccia is always a favorite in my house!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you! 🙂
I have been searching for a gluten-free focaccia recipe, so can’t wait to try this!
Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy. 🙂
Hi there, could I use some of my sourdough starter for the yeast? This looks delicious!
I would think that would work just fine, but I haven’t tested it, so I couldn’t say for certain. It sounds delicious and if you try it, I would love to hear how it went!
Complete nutrition facts would have been great
Hi Cat — what nutrition facts are you looking for that aren’t currently listed there in the recipe card? Thanks!
Normally three strikes and you’re out. Your recipe is my third try and it is a. delicious success. Used Bob’s Red Mill – all purpose flour no xanthan gum that did the trick. This will be enjoyed and become a family favorite. The previous two attempts had to be trashed.. Gluten free is expensive enough without having to throw out entire batches. Again thank you for a recipe when followed really results in a delicious success.
This makes my day! Yes, yeast and xanthan are not best friends haha! I’m so happy to hear you enjoy this recipe as much as we do! Thank you for taking the time to stop by. 🙂
I was wondering if you had recommendations for prepping ahead. Is it possible to have the dough ready to bake the next day?
Hi! Yes. You can just pop it in the fridge overnight for the second rise. It will slowly rise to a suitable level by morning! I hope this helps! 🙂
Made this recipe this morning using the America’s Test Kitchen flour blend, it turned out lovely! How did you get the browning on top? My blend has milk powder in it which is supposed to help, but even after broiling a few minutes I couldn’t get a nice brown color. Still delicious, and a wonderful texture. Love that no mixer is required as well. Will make again!
I’m so happy to hear that! The drizzle of olive oil before baking really helps with the browning, however, I have found that some gluten-free flour blends simply do not brown as well as others. If the oil isn’t cutting it, brushing with milk (even plant-based milk) can encourage browning as well. I hope this helps! And I appreciate you taking the time to share. 🙂
This recipe worked really well for me. I’ve never had or made GF focaccia before. I made my own flour mixture using your suggested 1:1 ratio of tapioca flour and sorghum flour. I was really surprised that such a loose batter could turn out something this bready. I ended up with some cracking on top, and the holes I poked didn’t remain after baking, but otherwise it came out great. Thank you for this recipe!
I’m so happy to hear this and I really appreciate you taking the time to stop by and share! 🙂