6 Delicious Gluten Free Breadcrumb Alternatives and How to Use Them

Cheesy chicken parmesan, juicy breaded fish filet, your mom's classic Shake 'n' Bake Porkchops. Is your mouth watering yet?

6 gluten free breadcrumb substitutes labeled. Text is gluten free breadcrumb alternatives

A lot of recipes call for breadcrumbs, don’t they? And with good reason. Breadcrumbs give you that beautiful, crispy coating that crunches when you bite into it releasing the juiciness below.

But you’re gluten free. Those crispy panko crumbs are just not an option. What do you do?

You can buy gluten free breadcrumbs or make your own from gluten free bread that’s a little past it’s perfect freshness. But I think the best gluten free breadcrumbs are not breadcrumbs at all. There are creative and delicious gluten free breadcrumb alternatives that do a much better job. Try a few of these out and let me know what you think.

How to Make a Breading Station

breading station - 3 bowls with gluten free flour, egg and ground almonds and pecans.

Before we get into gluten free breadcrumb alternatives, let’s set up your breading station. Once you master this simple technique, you can experiment with all kinds of crispy toppings.

Get out 3 plates.

The first is for flour,
The second is for lightly beaten egg.
The third is for your crumb topping.

The process is simple:

Prepare the food for breading. If it's veggies like eggplant, zucchini or green tomatoes just slice them up. If it's meat, cut the pieces into the desired size. You can season the food before breading, or add seasoning to the flour.
Dip the item in the flour and gently shake off any excess
Dip it in the egg and let any excess drip off
Dip it in the crumb topping. Use your fingers to help it stick if necessary.

If you're baking, place the item onto a parchment lined baking sheet and spray with a little cooking oil.

If you're frying then place it into a frying pan with about 1/2 inch of oil or into a deep fryer.

What's the Best Gluten Free Breadcrumb Alternative?

It depends. Breadcrumbs work in two ways:

As a filler to add moisture and bulk
As a coating to create a crispy crust.

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Gluten Free Breadcrumb Alternatives

Below are my 6 favorite gluten free breadcrumb alternatives along with some suggestions for how to use them. I've even added in links to some recipes I know you'll want to try.

Gluten Free Oatmeal

Oatmeal is the best gluten free substitute for breadcrumbs in meatloaf. It works as a filler to hold the meat together and to create bulk, making the meat stretch a little further. With the cost of gluten free food these days anything that helps the budget is a good idea in my books.

If you have celiac disease make sure you buy certified gluten free oatmeal. Oats are naturally gluten free but are often grown and processed alongside wheat. This causes the oats to be contaminated and not safe for celiac.

Gluten free oatmeal also works well in hamburger patties and meatballs. It doesn't matter if you're using ground beef, pork, chicken, turkey or even beans.

If you don't tolerate oats well, you can leave the filler out or try some other options like:

crushed gluten free crackers
cooked rice
cooked beans or lentils

Homestyle Gluten Free Meatloaf: The Ultimate Weeknight Comfort Food

It's moist and satisfying and simple to make. Beef is classic, but try it with pork, chicken, turkey or even game meat.

Crushed Nuts

crushed almonds and pecans with whole almonds and pecans

Nuts are packed with vitamins and minerals, and they're high in dietary fiber.

Crushed nuts like almonds and pecans make a crunchy and delicious gluten free alternative to breadcrumbs.

My Almond and Pecan Crusted Baked Haddock is an ideal example. White fleshed fish like haddock is very mild in flavor so the crunchy nutty topping is the perfect compliment.

Love Nuts? Try Almond and Pecan Crusted Gluten Free Baked Haddock

Cut the carbs and amp up nutrition. This crispy, tasty Almond and Pecan Crusted Baked Haddock recipe is so simple and delicious I know you'll make it again and again!

Mashed Potato Flakes

Potatoes are naturally gluten free and often find their way into gluten free recipes. Take my gluten free Potato Pizza Crust for example.

Mashed potato flakes or instant mashed potatoes are the best gluten free substitute for panko breadcrumbs. They are light in color and have an airy, crispy texture. You can deep fry them or bake them in the oven with a little spritz of olive oil for that golden brown color.

Look for instant mashed potatoes in the grocery store or online. Betty Crocker has a few choices, but looking at the label there seems to be a lot of unnecessary ingredients. I found these Purest Potato Flakes online and the only ingredient is potatoes. Perfect!

Gluten Free Chicken Parm: Crispy, Delicious and Easy to Make

I created this easy, cheesy gluten free chicken parmesan recipe, so you and I could still have our favorites and not feel deprived.

gluten free chicken parm with penne and salad

Flaked Coconut

Coconut is high in manganese which is necessary for healthy bones. It also helps with metabolism of carbohydrates, protein and cholesterol.¹ If you're dairy free or on a keto diet, you may find coconut already plays a big part in your life.

Flaked coconut browns up beautifully and has a distinct sweet tropical flavor. It’s a classic with fish or seafood, but why stop there. Use coconut flakes for breaded eggplant or use it to coat chicken legs and pair with my tropical Curry Pineapple Chutney.

Choose unsweetened coconut flakes. You don't need the extra sugar. Also, the flakes have a lighter, crunchier texture than desiccated coconut which is ground into smaller bits.

Easy Gluten Free Coconut Shrimp: A Tropical Treat in Under 30 Minutes

Just try putting these easy gluten free coconut shrimps on the table in front of your guests with a sweet and spicy dipping sauce and watch them disappear.

Crushed Potato Chips

Yes, the 70’s called…if you’re mom or your grandma never did this you missed out.

Are potato chips naturally gluten free? Yes, they are. Maybe not as healthy as the food I like to promote here but what the heck. You can’t be good all the time. Do check the label to make sure gluten hasn’t snuck in there somewhere, but if you’re using plain chips with no flavor, you should be fine. I use Lay’s classic.

Crushed potato chips are best with baked recipes. I don’t recommend deep frying them since they are already cooked and already quite fatty. Use crushed potato chips as a gluten free breadcrumb alternative for breaded chicken or fish or try it as a topping for a macaroni casserole.

Here are a few other ideas for crushing up snack food:

gluten free pretzels
nachos
gluten free party mix
onion ring chips

Don't forget to check the labels!

Or crush up cereal like:

gluten free rice crispies
gluten free corn flakes
gluten free Chex cereal

Again, check the label!

Gluten Free Macaroni Casserole with Ham and Crispy Potato Chip Crust

I’ll bet your mom made some version of this when you were a kid didn’t she? Well, welcome back to your childhood. Your kids will love this too and they won’t even know it’s gluten free!

macaroni casserole in baking dish and plated with fresh veggies

Crushed Pork Rinds

Pork rinds are the keto dieter’s potato chip and can be used like chips or any of our other crumb toppings. If cutting carbs is the goal, sprinkling crushed pork rinds over a macaroni casserole would defeat the purpose, but what about a cheesy cauliflower casserole? Or, you can use them as a topping for chicken legs. They turn out a lot like KFC.

Are pork rinds healthy? Well, they are puffed up and processed so I’m not sure you want them every day, but as a low carb, gluten free treat, why not?

Sources:

1. Danahy, A. (2022, April 12). 5 health and nutrition benefits of Coconut. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/coconut-nutrition#:~:text=Coconuts%20are%20especially%20high%20in,9%20%2C%2010%20%2C%2011%20).