Surely we’re not the only ones who first experienced biscotti as kids, secretly stolen out of an old tin at grandma’s house? Oh, the memories. Well, prepare to be transported, friends, because these gluten-free biscotti have all the crunchy, sweet goodness of a classic biscotti, but with a sophisticated twist!
Inspired by our Orange Almond Biscotti, these 10-ingredient cookies are sweet and spicy (Hello, chocolate and candied ginger!) and full of all the best delicate flavors of the classic Italian treat. Dip in a warm cup of coffee or hot chocolate, and experience all your biscotti dreams come true! Let us show you how it’s done!
What Is Biscotti?
Biscotti is a sweet, dry, crunchy, oval-shaped cookie that originated in a city in Tuscany, Italy, called Prato. There, it’s more commonly known as cantuccini and is often served with a dessert wine called Vin Santo.
The word “biscotti” comes from the medieval Latin word biscoctus, which means twice-cooked. It was a popular cooking technique during Roman times for food preservation and is what gives the cookie the dry, crunchy texture that makes it perfect for pairing with a beverage.
Though biscotti is traditionally made with flour, sugar, eggs, and almonds or pine nuts, the following is a plant-based, gluten-free, and nut-free adaptation.
How to Make Gluten-Free Biscotti
The base for this dough starts with coconut oil, cane sugar, and applesauce for the wet ingredients. Combining these with brown rice flour, tapioca starch, and finely ground cornmeal results in perfectly crispy but also tender biscotti!
Baking powder adds lightness, while sea salt, chopped candied ginger, and optional vanilla and orange zest infuse the biscotti with complex flavor in every bite.
The dough comes together as a dense ball and we then divide it into two logs that create the foundation for later forming the classic biscotti shape.
After baking for 30 minutes, the logs dry out slightly and are ready to carefully slice into 1-inch sticks.
The sticks are flipped on their sides and baked again to become golden brown and crispy all around.
Lastly, we like to drizzle with (or dip in) melted chocolate to add sweetness to the spice!
We hope you LOVE this biscotti! It’s:
Crunchy
Sweet
Ginger-infused
Chocolate-dipped
Easy to make
& SO delicious!
Enjoy as a snack or dessert, or make a batch as gifts this holiday season. We love serving with hot tea, coffee, hot toddies, hot chocolate, or a pumpkin spice latte or chai latte. Or take the more traditional route and dip in an Italian dessert wine!
More Gluten-Free Cookie Recipes
- Vegan Gluten-Free Shortbread Cookies (1 Bowl)
- Healthier Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (GF & 1 Bowl!)
- Blueberry Muffin Breakfast Cookies
- Vegan Trail Mix Cookies (Gluten-Free + Grain-Free)
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Gluten-Free Biscotti with Ginger & Chocolate
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1/2 cup organic cane sugar
- 1/2 cup applesauce
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
- 1 ¼ cup brown rice flour
- 1 cup tapioca starch*
- 1/3 cup finely ground cornmeal (or sub more brown rice flour)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp orange zest (optional)
- 1/2 cup chopped candied ginger (or crystallized ginger)
- 3/4 cup vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips (we like Enjoy Life // or sub dark chocolate for less sweetness)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (176 C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the melted coconut oil and sugar until thoroughly combined. Add the applesauce and optional vanilla. Whisk until well incorporated.
- Add the brown rice flour, tapioca starch, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and optional orange zest. Stir until no flour pockets remain. Add in the chopped candied ginger and give it a good stir. The dough should be thick and moist.
- Let the dough rest in the fridge for 5 minutes. It’s okay if it seems a little oily — this makes it less fragile when cutting.
- When ready to bake, divide the dough into two equal amounts. Place each amount onto the parchment-lined baking sheet and shape into long skinny logs (~3 inches wide and 1 inch tall). Try to make them as uniform in size and shape as possible so they bake evenly.
- Bake for 30 minutes, then remove from the oven and let cool slightly.
- Once slightly cooled, use a very sharp serrated knife to cut the biscotti so they are about 1 inch thick. Be very gentle at this point — the candied ginger can get in the way of the knife. Place the biscotti back onto the baking sheet and bake again for 8-10 minutes on each side until golden brown (16-20 minutes total).
- Remove the biscotti from the oven and let cool.
- Meanwhile, add the chocolate chips to a small glass or metal bowl. Carefully place the bowl on top of a saucepan with simmering water. Heat, stirring occasionally with a spatula or spoon, until melted and no lumps remain (~5 minutes). You can also melt the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl in the microwave in 20-second increments until melted. Remove chocolate from heat.
- Once biscotti are cool, you can dip them into the chocolate for a more classic look or drizzle the chocolate across the whole biscotti.
- Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet to set the chocolate. To speed setting, pop in the freezer. Otherwise, let sit at room temperature until completely set.
- Store covered at room temperature for 3-4 days (we found a large jar is ideal for storage). Will keep in the freezer for up to 1 month if well sealed. Enjoy with hot tea, coffee, hot toddies, hot chocolate, or a pumpkin spice latte or chai latte!
Video
Notes
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without optional ingredients.
Kelcey says
Very tasty, so happy to find a GF vegan biscotti recipe. The crispness is impressive, that’s what’s so difficult to produce. Used all brown rice flour bc I’m avoiding corn. I thought it might be too crumbly at first, but in the end it turned out perfect. Did not use crystallized ginger, but used 1/4 tsp each ground ginger, cinnamon, and cardamom (I’m trying out GF vegan recipes for holiday treats).
We’re so glad you enjoyed the biscotti, Kelcey! Thank you for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications! xo
Dana C. says
Excited to have these for breakfast this week! Not all of them made it to the chocolate step because my spouse ate “just the broken ones.” Hahaha, another spouse approved recipe. I think they broke because I left the logs out too long and they chilled too much before I cut them into pieces. Looking forward to experimenting with different flavors!
Yay! We’re so glad you both enjoyed them, Dana. Thank you for sharing your experience! xo
Ec says
Subbed sweet potato purée for applesauce, dried cherries for ginger, olive oil and pumpkin seed oil for half the coconut oil, and added pumpkin pie spices. Taste was really nice, although the tops were quite crumbly.
Woah, sounds amazing! Thank you for sharing! xo
Catharine says
Delicious! But probably the crumbliest cookies I’ve ever made. Was going to take them as a gift, but no way they’d make the trip. They’d fall apart. What would make them stay together? Pls share a version 2 of this recipe that stays together.
Hi Catharine! We’re so sorry these crumbled for you! You could try adding a bit more apple sauce next time!
Judy says
This is delicious. I have made it four times. This time is a double batch. Our morning treat. Thank you.
Woohoo! So happy to hear you enjoy these so much, Judy. Thanks for the lovely review!
Dani says
These were fantastic! I’ve been looking for a gf biscotti that does not contain almond flour (allergic to nuts) and this was the best find!! Love the flavor the orange zest and ginger add.I did add about 1/4 tsp more zest for a bit more zing. Will be making again!!
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Dani! Thank you for the lovely review and for sharing your modification! xo
Anneliese Fries says
Came out good. My batch came out not as “hard” as biscotti tends to be, so I kept it in a bit longer. I also added alot more orange zest but didn’t come through as strong.
Next time I’d probably add a tad bit more sugar, make the dough “thinner” when laying out to bake round 1 and add more orange zest or maybe even a tad orange juice to make that flavor come through.
Overall a great recipe for dipping biscotti into tea or coffee.
Thank you for sharing your experience, Anneliese! Those modifications sound lovely!
VANESSA TORRES says
The recipe was really yummy but I had the hardest time getting them to look liked biscottis. Instead, I used a cookie scoop and they came out somewhere between a cookie and a biscuit. WE LOVED THEM! In fact they were made at 6 pm and gone by 6 am.
Sorry to hear they gave you trouble, Vanessa! Did you form the dough into two logs, bake, and then cut? That’s what allows it to be a biscotti shape. Either way, we’re so glad you enjoyed the taste! xo
Linda says
I have someone allergic to apple and egg. Could I sub in flax egg for the apple? just “one” flax egg? Thanks!
Hi Linda, that might work, but we haven’t tried it! What about another fruit purée like pear?
Kat says
We have the same issue here. The one allergic to apples can’t have pears either. Apparently they’re closely related. Who knew?
These sound so good though!
I miss biscotti!
Ah, gotcha! Let us know if you try any other subs!
Jesse-Gabriel Pfoser says
Sweet Potato or Pumpkin.
Mango
Grüße,
Jesse-Gabriel
Suzuki says
So delicious! Could not believe how nice the flavour is :)
Followed the exact recipe apart from the following:
substituted dried cranberries for the ginger
added a pinch of dried ginger
used the chocolate chips directly in the batter, so no dipping.
The only caveat was the dough was a bit finicky, which I think was due to adding the chocolate chips (more fillings to have to work around).
Froze most of the first batch in order to avoid eating them all at once!
We’re so glad you enjoy them, Suzuki! And your additions sound delicious! Thank you for sharing! xo
Monika says
Okay, WOW. These have been on my “need to try” list since the recipe came out. They did NOT disappoint! I loved the crunch and they just keep getting better the longer they sit. (This is a well-known biscotti fact.) Plus, spicy ginger and rich chocolate is such a perfect combination. These would be great for sending in a Christmas cookie box as they seem quite sturdy once they have rested at room temperature overnight.
I made substitutions, as usual because, for some reason, I never use a recipe as a recipe; they are guides. I swapped half the volume of brown rice flour for all-purpose whole wheat flour (by weight, this was 100 g BR flour, 75 g WW flour). They turned out just like the pictures! I went for a spread of chocolate instead of a drizzle because that’s the way I roll.
Whoop! We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Monika! Thank you for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications! xo
monika says
Made these again–using my previous whole wheat/brown rice flour swap–to put into a white elephant gift basket (because who doesn’t want cookies instead of a junky present?).
I swapped in almond extract for vanilla, ~1/4 tsp, and added slivered almonds. Taste was a 10/10 but they crumbled too much because of the almonds interrupting the structural integrity. Next time, I will be pressing the almonds into the top before baking OR putting them into a chocolate glaze. They were a hit and didn’t last long despite the crumbling!
Amazing! Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Monika!
Auntie JoJo says
These are DELICIOUS! I am obsessed with crunchy food so I love biscotti and make it pretty frequently. But I was super excited to finally find a vegan & gf recipe and have already make it a couple times. I was glad I read the comments because the dough did seem oily, but they baked up just right! Love love love these and I am so grateful for this website!! Minimalist baker- thank you!!
Yay! Love to hear this. Thanks so much for the lovely review, JoJo!
Lori Greenberg says
One of the women in my cookie exchange group requires gluten free baking so I wanted to give this a try. The recipe does not have to be vegan so if I don’t have coconut oil, is canola oil a possible substitute? I would love to make these – huge fan of ginger.
Hi Lori! We haven’t tried this with canola oil but we think it would work. Let us know how it goes!
Alanna says
These were amazing! It was great to finally find a gluten free biscotti that didn’t come out chewy. I used granulated sugar and PAN brand cornmeal. The dough is alarmingly oily, but you are totally right that it helps for the cutting part and the final product is perfect!
Next time, I would add more orange zest and maybe some ginger or other warm spices. I think this recipe is really versatile and could be made so many ways!
I also skipped the chocolate and don’t think it needs it if it’s part of a holiday mix of sweeter treats!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Alanna! Thank you for sharing your experience! And yes – so many flavor modifications are possible with this! xo
Tui says
Thanks for this wonderful recipe, the dough was a dream to work with.
I subbed dry ginger for: 1/2 a tsp.of powdered ginger, orange peel and sultanas. I also.skipped the chocolate, out of laziness.
Next time I’ll reduce the baking powder because it did have a strong flavor. My mother in law.loved them and said they reminded her of Mandelbrot.
Thanks for another great recipe
So glad to hear this was enjoyed by all! Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Tui!
Anna says
These are fantastic! I made them first with coconut oil but really did not like the flavor. The next batch I used Melt sticks. They turned out fabulous even though I baked them for a bit longer than called for. With both batches several cookies broke into chunks, but that was probably my fumbling trying to turn them on their sides while they were still too hot. Anyway, I don’t mind a short cookie. 😆
Woohoo! So glad you enjoy the biscotti. Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Anna!
Sarah H says
Oh my…I live with a long time biscotti lover who considers himself a connoisseur, and he said these are the best biscotti he’s ever had! We’re not gluten free, so I used regular flour. All else the same. I gave half of the batch to a friend for her birthday and got the same response. :) Amazing recipe, as always!
Woah, we’re honored by the high praise, Sarah! Thank you so much for the kind words and lovely review! xo
Vaibhavi Patel says
Hi! What can I sub for brown rice flour and tapioca starch?
Hi Vaibhavi, we haven’t tried any other flour combinations in this recipe so we can’t guarantee results if switching them up. It’s possible a store-bought GF flour blend would work in place of those two. Let us know if you do some experimenting!
Mayen says
Hello! I’m allergic to coconut, what can I use in place of the coconut oil? Perhaps canola oil
Or melted vegan butter in the same amount? Also can I just omit the ginger part completely?
Thanks!
Hi Mayen, we haven’t tried with vegan butter, but we think it would work. And yes, you can omit the ginger!
maxine says
Please clarify for me. Do I measure solid coconut oil then melt it? Or do I melt the oil and measure from a liquid state? Thank you.
It should be about the same! For a more precise measurement, we’d suggest measuring it melted.
Madison says
This looks awesome! Do you think I would be able to use coconut sugar instead if cane?
Hi Madison, we haven’t tested it in this recipe specifically, but in general coconut sugar doesn’t crisp up as well as cane sugar. Let us know if you try it!
Olivia says
Thanks for the recipe! I made these and the dough was crumbly so I added more coconut oil, however they still broke apart very easily after baking :( what do you think I did wrong?
Still turned out delicious! Just hope I can improve the technique for next time.
Hi Olivia! Unfortunately, sometimes too much oil/fat can actually contribute to crumbliness.. it’s tricky! Did you make any modifications to the flours or other ingredients?
Melissa says
Is it possible to use an egg instead of applesauce?
Hi Melissa, we haven’t tried it that way, but it might work! Let us know if you try it!
Rebecca Macqueen says
Is it possible to substitute something for the coconut oil?
I am unable to tolerate coconut in any form, but would love to make these biscotti.
Thanks for the recipes 😊
Hi Rebecca, the next best option would be vegan butter. Hope that helps!
Wendy Beverley says
I would love to try making this for my adult daughter who is GF but am wondering what I could substitute for the ginger? Maybe diced up cranraisins??
We think that would be delicious! Let us know if you try it!
Michele says
Always find a bunch of questions in the comments about substitutions—could you explain why you chose brown rice & cornmeal, anything else you tried (maybe in the notes?) so we can use your experience & knowledge? Looking forward to a vegan biscotti with the proper texture!
Hi Michele, we often include information on what the ingredients do in the post above the recipe. In this recipe, brown rice flour provides structure and has a mild flavor, and cornmeal adds a textural difference. You can find more info in our Guide To Gluten-Free Flours. Hope that helps!
Joy says
Do you think this would be possible to make without refined sugar? Replace with coconut sugar? Ginger instead of ginger crystals. Probably changes the recipe a bit too much…???
Hi Joy, Coconut sugar could be okay, but we find it doesn’t crisp up in recipes like cane sugar does. For the ginger, we wouldn’t recommend using fresh. It’s possible you could make homemade candied ginger with coconut sugar using this recipe, but we haven’t tried doing it ourselves! Let us know if you do some experimenting!
Joy says
Thank you so much! Looks like a great option. Will let you know if I try it!
Lisa mcfeetors says
Hi Hi
Am i able to use fresh ginger?
Hi Lisa, we wouldn’t suggest fresh ginger here. Candied/crystallized will be chewy and a little sweet, versus fresh being more pungent and tough.
Anika says
Can’t wait to make these! I’ve never found a GF biscotti recipe that is quite right (and subbing GF flour has never worked well either). Would love a gingerbread version for the holidays! :)
We hope you love it, Anika! Keep us posted when you try it out =) And added the gingerbread version to our requests list – thanks so much for the suggestion!
Becca says
My son is allergic to rice. What is another gluten free flour you would recommend as a good rice flour replacement? Thanks!
Hi Becca, perhaps half oat flour and half sorghum flour, but we haven’t tried it that way so can’t guarantee results. Let us know if you try it!