Gluten-Free Pizza Rolls

Sometimes, you just really want one of your pre-gluten-free days snack foods, and you’re willing to do whatever it takes to get it.

Minus, you know, actually eating the gluten. No one needs *that* fallout!

Remember frozen pizza bites? I think the popular brand was usually Totino's Pizza Rolls, the frozen little pizza pockets, sold next to things like Hot Pockets in the freezer aisle in the grocery store?

They were supposed to be better if you baked them, but really, who had time for that?

We’d nuke them in the microwave as an after-school snack and happily snarf them. They weren’t particularly great, but they could really hit the spot!

A favorite food of college students - and, personally - those savory rolls were a favorite thing to heat up on snow days.

One of those feel good foods, a guilty pleasure, sure... but one with some nostalgia tied up in this perfect finger food!

Gluten-Free Pizza Rolls

Unfortunately, I’d never seen it available as a gluten-free product.

Who knows, maybe that’s changed and there’s some new brand offering out there, but at the time... I hadn’t seen one.

Well, several years ago I decided that I’d need to find a way to make pizza rolls gluten free, and here we are!

This delicious gluten free recipe first appeared in Beyond Flour 2.

It’s great for the whole family - both those on a gluten-free diet - whether they have celiac disease or gluten sensitivity - or not. That said, it’s a good idea to be sure that the specific filling ingredients you choose are actually gluten free.

Other food allergies - such as dairy - can be generally be accommodated through your choice of ingredients.

The only thing is that I haven’t tested this with dairy free alternatives.

Dairy-free cheese - including vegan cheese alternatives - would work as a filling, but I’m not sure about replacing the dairy in the dough.

This gluten free pizza rolls recipe... is not anywhere near as easy as dumping them on a plate and heating them.

It’s a fair amount of effort - no special skills needed or anything, just time - to replicate something so quick and easy.

Accuracy was the goal here, including the blistery texture of the skin. (This is why they’re both boiled AND deep fried, btw).

So yeah, it’s a bit of a time investment.

Sometimes, though, a bit of effort is totally worth it, to get the food you’re looking for! Whether you're making these for a kid or an adult, these will definitely satisfy cravings for that kind of thing.

If you use a nice cheese and good quality sauce, you can really elevate this - these gluten free pizza bites can be better than the source material!

This makes 50-60 pizza rolls.

Gluten-Free Pizza Bites Ingredients

It took a LOT of experimenting to come up with a gluten-free flour blend that would make a dough with the right consistency and flavour.

As it ended up, the recipe requires more ingredients than some people would like... but IMHO it’s worth it for the accuracy!

The full details of the recipe - including ingredient amounts - are in the recipe card at the end of this post, but I wanted to provide some notes on the following ingredients:

Gluten-Free Pizza Dough

Like many of my super-specific use doughs, this gluten free pizza dough recipe uses a variety of alternative flours.

Yes, I know it can feel a little ridiculous at times, but I liken it to herbs and spices.

I look at using any of the gluten flour blend options like using a seasoning mix. It’s convenient and does at ok job at flavouring many things.

Not everything, mind you... and you trade control of flavour for the convenience of having it all in one.

When it comes to gluten-free dough, all-purpose gluten-free flour mix works the same: It works OK for some/most things, but doesn’t do a GREAT job for any of it.

The thing is, all-purpose wheat flour is incredibly flexible. The gluten is a magical thing that basically lets all-purpose wheat flour be whatever you want it to be.

Doughs, thickener for sauces, it’ll brown when something is dredged in it and fried, etc. All things to everyone... except for those who can’t handle gluten.

When it comes to the popular gluten-free flours, none have that level of flexibility on their own. Some will be great at browning, some will be better at absorbing / distributing moisture, etc.

Using multiple flours is a much better way to get the specific results you want.

The trick is combining them in a way that makes them work together - bringing a mix of the desired properties to the table - while still tasting great.

In this case, I wanted it to taste - recognizably so - like the kinds of doughs used for grocery store frozen fried snack foods, like pizza bites.

It needed to have certain properties with regards to water and frying - more on that in a bit - and it needed to hold together.

... and here we are.

Pizza Crust Flour Mix

For this pizza roll dough, I finally settled on:

Tapioca starch
Amaranth flour
Sorghum flour
Sweet rice flour
Corn starch
Potato starch
Xanthan gum

Everything Else

In addition to the flour ingredients, you’ll need the following simple ingredients - available in most grocery stores - to round out the dough recipe:

Sour cream
Large, whole eggs
Warm milk
Vegetable oil (can use Olive oil)
Baking powder
Sea Salt
Cold butter

Pizza Filling

As-is, I went for a super basic “pepperoni pizza” type filling, as that’s what most Pizza Bites I’ve ever had were:

Pepperoni
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Pizza sauce of choice (You can use basic tomato sauce, thinned tomato paste, marinara sauce... BBQ sauce, even pesto!)

Don’t let that prevent you from playing with it, though!

While you’ll want to keep the non-cheese/sauce ingredients to about ½-2/3 cup total volume, you can play with what goes in there, using your favorite pizza toppings.

Some ideas:

Vegetables: Mushrooms, Onions, Green Peppers, etc.

Just chop them VERY fine, cook them in the microwave for a couple of minutes, and drain them well.

Meats: Use whatever you processed meat you like in pizza! Sausage, bacon, ham salami, uncured pepperoni, ground beef, etc.

Just be sure it’s cooked and chopped to very small pieces before mixing in.

Cheeses: If you like it on a pizza, you can add it to these gluten-free pizza rolls. Try shredded cheddar cheese, a bit of Parmesan, whatever!

Herbs & Spices:

Let’s be real, the source material is not a gourmet thing, and I was definitely going for that same sort of... trashy late-night snack feel.

That said, a bit of dried basil, oregano, and/or garlic goes a long way! Season it to your tastes, after all of the main ingredients have been combined.

The Frying Oil

You’ll want to use one of the vegetable oil options - like canola oil, corn oil, or sunflower oil - for deep frying. Peanut oil is another great option.

These are all great oils for frying - neutral flavours, high smoke point, low cost.

Olive oil is NOT appropriate for deep frying, but can be used as a spray if you’re baking or air frying these (more on that in a bit).

Coconut oil and avocado oil also aren’t great for deep frying, but work well as sprays for baking and use in the air fryer.

How to Make Gluten-Free Pizza Bites

Full recipe follows in the recipe card at the end of this post, but here’s a pictorial overview, with additional tips and info.

Follow the recipe to make the dough and the filling.

Make the Pizza Dough & Filling

In a mixing bowl (a large bowl), whisk together sour cream, eggs, milk and oil until well combined.

In a food processor, blitz together starches, flours, xanthan gum, baking powder, and salt until well combined.

Add butter to the dry ingredients in the food processor, blitz until mixture resembles gravel. Add wet ingredients mix, blitz just long enough to allow a sticky dough to come together.

Wrap the dough ball in plastic wrap, allow to rest on counter / at room temperature for 45 minutes.

While waiting, work on the filling:

Finely chop pepperoni, place in a small bowl with shredded cheese, stir to combine.

Add just enough pizza sauce to barely bind the ingredients together.

Wrap with plastic, chill until use.

Assemble The Gluten Free Pizza Rolls

Prepare: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside. Dust work surface lightly with corn starch.

Use a rolling pin to roll dough out very thin - about ⅛ of an inch thick.

Note: I like to use this Rolling pin with adjustable thickness guides. It makes it SUPER easy to roll dough out to an even, known thickness.

Using a pizza wheel or sharp knife - and a ruler or other straight edge, if you want to be precise - cut dough into 1.5" wide strips. Cut those strips into 4" long pieces.

Place about 1 teaspoon of filling in the middle of each piece.

Whisk together egg and water, use a pastry brush to paint a thin line of egg mixture along all 4 edges of each piece.

Fold the two short ends in to the middle, overlapping slightly. Press down on all edges, taking care to push out any excess air. Transfer all pizza rolls to the prepared cookie sheet.

Cook the Pizza Rolls

Get a large pot of water JUST to the point of gently bubbling - you don't want violent bubbles, or it'll rip apart your rolls.

In small batches, poach the pizza rolls just until they float. Transfer cooked rolls back to the baking sheet to drain off.

Heat oil to 350 degrees F (180 C). Line a clean baking sheet with 2 layers of paper towels.

You can use a deep fryer, or a heavy pan. If not using a deep fryer, use a deep, heavy pot, filled to at least 2" deep.

Once oil reaches temperature, carefully fry pizza rolls in small batches until nicely golden brown and crispy. This should take about 1-2 minutes per side.

Transfer fried pizza rolls to a paper towel lined baking sheet to drain, serve hot.

Freezing

You can freeze these gluten free pizza rolls for future use. There are two ways to do this:

1. After poaching in the simmering water. Allow them to drain well, then spread out on a DRY parchment lined baking sheet. Freeze, then transfer to a proper freezer bag.

You can fry them from frozen, just add a minute or so, and keep an eye on them.

Or

2. Deep fry them, drain on paper towels. Once they’ve cooled to room temperature, spread out on a parchment lined baking sheet and freeze. Once frozen, transfer to a proper freezer bag.

To reheat, cook for a couple of minutes in the microwave, or reheat in your air fryer. We like to heat for a minute in the microwave, then 3 minutes or so in the air fryer, at 400 F.

Air Fryer Pizza Rolls

For a healthier spin, this gluten-free pizza rolls recipe would also work in an air fryer. Preheat your air fryer to 400 F.

After poaching in the simmering water, spray both sides of each pizza roll with pan spray, arrange in a single layer - with a little space between each - in your air fryer basket.

Air fry for around 6 minutes, or until golden.

More Gluten-Free Snacks and Appetizer Recipes!

Looking for easy gluten free recipe options for munchies that *everyone* will love? Look no further!

Ahi Tuna Nachos
Gluten Free Air Fryer Jalapeno Poppers
Gluten-Free Beaver Tail Recipe
Gluten Free Cheez-Its
Gluten-Free Chicken Nuggets
Gluten Free Chicken Pakora
Gluten-Free Chicken Satay
Gluten Free Corn Dogs
Gluten-Free Doughnut Holes Recipe
Gluten Free Fried Brie
Gluten-Free Gougeres
Gluten Free Mixed Vegetable Pakora
Gluten Free Mushroom Turnovers
Gluten-Free Paneer Pakora
Gluten Free Samosa Recipe
Gluten-Free Soft Pretzels
Gluten Free Sauerkraut Buns [Piroshki]
Gluten Free Tempura
Homemade Mushroom Jerky
Hot Smoky Bacon Crab Dip
Jalapeno Popper Dip
Loaded Mini Baked Potatoes
Marinated Feta Cheese
Vegan Tofu Jerky

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