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The 9 Best Gluten-Free Bread Mixes of 2024

You won't miss the gluten in these top choices

Two packages of gluten free bread mix on a green background

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 are the winners.

What We Like
  • Bulk size

  • Versatile

  • Cost-effective

What We Don't Like
  • Requires three extra ingredients

What do buyers say? 87% of 400+ reviews on King Arthur's website rank this product 5 stars.

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.

Size: 18.25 ounces | Servings per container: One 9 x 5-inch sandwich loaf or two pizza crusts | Allergens: Rice, tapioca

What We Like
  • Basic

  • Tastes like traditional bread

  • Yeast packet included

What We Don't Like
  • Doesn't rise as much as others

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, Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Hearty Whole Grain Bread might be exactly what you’re looking for. 

The mix includes a variety of gluten-free ingredients, like whole grain sorghum flour, potato starch, cornstarch, pea protein powder, tapioca flour, and more which all help to produce a complex, whole-grain bread with more flavor than a typical loaf of white bread. One bag makes a 1.5-pound loaf and required the addition of an egg, egg whites, the included yeast packet, and butter or oil. What we love about this gluten-free bread mix is how it is basic but can be customized. Add more eggs for a fuller, fluffier bread, or add cocoa powder for a chocolate loaf.

Size: 16 ounces | Servings per container: One 1.5-pound loaf | Allergens: Tapioca and sorghum

What We Like
  • Lots of options for toppings

  • Fresh lemon flavor

  • Crowns easily

What We Don't Like
  • Can be easy to overmix

Although bread is often used in a savory way, it is still a great option when you are craving something sweet. Thankfully there are gluten-free mixes available, like this Lemon Quick Bread Mix from Williams Sonoma. Once baked this bread is sweet with a fresh lemon flavor and a hint of vanilla. Eat it as is, or add a plethora of toppings, like powdered sugar, a homemade glaze, a berry compote, and more, for more sweetness. 

Like other gluten-free bread mixes, it can be easy to mix this one too much, so keep that in mind as you prepare it by adding milk, butter, and eggs. It should be baked immediately after preparation, and when you pull it out of the oven you should see prefect peaks and cracks in the crown, just like bread made with wheat.

Size: 18 ounces | Servings per container: One loaf or 12 muffins | Allergens: Mix is prepared and packaged by machines that may come into contact with gluten, eggs, milk, soy, and tree nuts

What We Like
  • Fluffy

  • Moist

  • Can be used in a bread machine

What We Don't Like
  • Baking instructions use egg

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.

Size: 19 ounces | Servings per container: One loaf | Allergens: Rice, tapioca, sorghum, honey, inulin

What We Like
  • Mix contains only seven ingredients

  • Requires just over 30 minutes of baking time

  • Moist

What We Don't Like
  • Needs to be stored in the refrigerator

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.

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.

Size: 9 ounces | Servings per container: One 8 x 4-inch loaf, or 12 Muffins | Allergens: Almond (tree nuts), coconut

What We Like
  • Bakes like normal cornbread

  • Can be made dairy-free

  • Inexpensive

What We Don't Like
  • Might be too sweet for some

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. It also includes sugar and honey, so it could be a little too sweet for some. 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.

Size: 15 ounces | Servings per container: One loaf, or 12 muffins | Allergens: Corn, sorghum, dairy, eggs, honey

What We Like
  • Easy to make

  • Enough for 10 rolls

  • Not as sticky as other mixes

What We Don't Like
  • Requires extra gluten-free flour

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.

Size: 20.5 ounces | Servings per container: Two Challah loaves, or 10 rolls | Allergens: Rice, tapioca, sorghum, oat

What We Like
  • Naturally gluten-free

  • No cheese in the mix

  • Does not contain many allergens

What We Don't Like
  • Cannot be made dairy- free

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.

Size: 7.5 ounces | Servings per container: 16 rolls | Allergens: Dairy, tapioca

What We Like
  • Large quantity

  • Can be used in most bread recipes

  • Just a few ingredients

What We Don't Like
  • Not a bread mix, specifically

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.

Size: 3 pounds | Servings per container: Varies | Allergens: Dairy, tapioca, rice

Final Verdict

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 that is sweet, moist, and comes together in a pinch, try the Williams Sonoma Gluten-Free Lemon Quick 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.

How We Researched

To compile this list, our team of editors and contributors spent hours researching the best gluten-free bread mixes on the market, evaluating their key features—like ingredients, baking instructions, and price—in addition to reviews from customers and other trusted sources. We then used this research to assign a star rating from one to five (five being the best; one being the worst) to certain products on the list.

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.

Amanda McDonald is an editor at The Spruce Eats and has over seven years of experience researching, writing, and editing about all things food — from what new products are at the grocery store to chef-approved hacks that keep tricky leftovers fresh for days. She updated this article to include the most up-to-date information.

Updated by
Nadia Hassani
Nadia Hassani
Nadia Hassani is a freelance garden and food writer and editor, translator, and content strategist. 
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Amanda McDonald
Amanda McDonald
Amanda McDonald is a journalist living in New York City and Commerce Updates Editor for The Spruce Eats. She has written and edited health, wellness, food, and fitness content as well as recipes for multiple publications.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
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