Homemade Gluten-Free King Cake (Beginner-Friendly Recipe!)

This gluten-free king cake satisfies even the toughest critics! My family and I live in New Orleans, so we’ve enjoyed our share of king cakes from every bakery in town. When it came to creating this recipe, it took many tries and different mixes to create a gluten-free king cake recipe that tastes great and has a texture similar to the classic.

The best part is that you don’t need to be an experienced gluten-free baker to make this king cake. Since I first published this recipe in 2014, hundreds of thousands have used it to celebrate a little bit of New Orleans gluten-free.

If you’re local to New Orleans and have seen the outrageous prices on gluten-free king cakes in town, this will save you a ton of money!

Jump to:

• Best Gluten-Free King Cake
• Gluten-Free King Cake Ingredients
• How to Decorate a King Cake
• How to Hide the Baby in a Homemade King Cake
• Gluten-Free King Cake (beginner friendly!)

King Cake Tradition

In New Orleans, the King Cake tradition goes back to when the French brought their celebration of the Epiphany, or the 12th night, on January 6th, which historically marks the arrival of the three wise men/kings in Bethlehem delivering gifts to baby Jesus.

Growing up in Spain, we only enjoyed King Cake on January 6th; but here in New Orleans, king cake is enjoyed beginning January 6th through Mardi Gras day.

To carry on the tradition, you’ll often find a small, plastic baby hidden inside a king cake (I’ve linked some options below for you).

What Does King Cake Taste Like?

Traditional king cake tastes a lot like brioche (sweet bread) and a cinnamon roll. Then, there’s the classic powdered sugar icing that makes this the ultimate sweet treat.

Locally, different bakeries have a “signature flavor” to their traditional king cake dough. Some have more vanilla; others add almond, more cinnamon, less cinnamon, but ultimately it’s a cinnamon-flavored dough.

The distinction is that a king cake is also covered in icing colored in green, purple, and gold. However, many king cakes are covered in white icing and covered in green, purple, and gold sprinkles or colored sugar.

Best Gluten-Free King Cake

The best gluten-free king cake will have an airy texture and feel like you’re taking a bite of sweet cinnamon bread. It’s not as dense as a cinnamon roll but has all the sweetness of one.

I tried many gluten-free flour mixes to create this recipe to achieve a good gluten-free texture. I keep trying new “bread mixes” to update this post, but I’m firm that the two I recommend below work best for this recipe.

The most difficult part was figuring out whether I should use a mix or mix my gluten-free flours, how to shape the cake into its traditional shape, and well, whether or not the whole thing would taste and feel like the real thing.

I first developed this recipe for my son in 2007 and published it on this website in 2011. Since then, I’ve updated the post with tips and have been testing many gluten-free flour mixes. The ones I recommend in this post are the only ones I can stand by their results with this method and recipe.

I’ve learned that each gluten-free flour mix has different amounts of protein, starch, and fiber. They each act differently when the yeast tries to activate and rise the dough, which is why each gluten-free baking mix will yield a different king cake -from inedible and dense to falling apart crumbly.

Gluten-Free King Cake Ingredients

There are three sets of ingredients that make this Gluten-Free King Cake recipe: the dough, the cinnamon-sugar filling, and the icing or glaze. You’ll find the measurements in the recipe card, but before making any swap, I want you to know why I use each ingredient:

For the Cake:

• Gluten-Free Bread Mix: different than the gluten-free mixes used for making cookies and pancakes, a bread mix is specifically made for yeast doughs that has the right gluten-free grain flour-to-starch ratios to yield bread-like results. Read below for the two that yield the best results.
• Instant yeast: an essential ingredient that helps the king-cake rise. It’s included inside the bread mix above, but should you use the alternative gluten-free mix, I also include the amount.
• Sugar: helps activate the yeast and sweeten the dough -it’s a sweet dough, after all.
• Butter: a necessary ingredient that gives the dough moisture. Read below for a dairy-free alternative.
• Eggs: add protein and moisture and bind the dough. you’ll find substitutes in the notes below but they will change the texture.
• Vanilla extract: a classic ingredient that adds flavor.
• Warm milk: this is the liquid in this sweet bread dough. Read below for substitutes.
• Warm water: used to activate the yeast. Not hot, not cold, warm to the touch.

For the cinnamon filling:

• Brown sugar: preferred to white sugar because it won’t melt into the dough thanks to the molasses.
• Ground cinnamon: the star of the show in the filling!

For the icing/glaze:

• Powdered sugar: used to sweeten and as the base of the glaze.
• Vanilla extract: a little to give it flavor. Use clear vanilla if you have it.
• Milk: gives the glaze a brighter white color.
• Colored sanding sugar: used to decorate the king cake. Classic colors are green, purple and gold.

Baking Tip: Why do we use warm water and warm milk?
Both the water and milk need to be warmed up (warm, not hot) to activate the instant yeast.

Best Gluten-Free King Cake Mix

After trying many gluten-free bread mixes, I continue to use Pamela’s Gluten-Free Bread Mix for this recipe. You will need one 19-ounce bag, or 4 cups, for the dough and an additional gluten-free flour (any will work) for flouring the surface. I’ve also had success with King Arthur Flour Bread Mix following this recipe and method.

You can find both of these on Amazon, which I’ve linked for you above and in the recipe card, at many traditional grocery stores, and Whole Foods.

Does it feel like batter or dough?
Because it’s bread and made with yeast, it’s technically considered dough. It’s much thicker than batter but wetter and sticker than traditional bread dough.

Which Gluten-Free Flours Can You Use for King Cake?

To make a great gluten-free king cake you’ll need a flour mix specifically blended for baking yeast-based breads. This mix is different than the ones you use to cook gluten-free pancakes or baking gluten-free cookies.

The two gluten-free flour baking mixes I recommend are Pamela’s Gluten-Free Bread Mix and King Arthur Flour Gluten-Free Bread Mix. They’ve both been tested many times using this recipe and method. I cannot make any recommendations for homemade mixes for this gluten-free king cake.

How to Make a Gluten-Free King Cake

You can make the batter for the gluten-free king cake recipe the night before and do an overnight rise in the refrigerator, or do a 1.5 to 2-hour rise on the counter at room temperature and bake it the same day. The printable recipe card below includes both methods.

1. Prep
   Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
2. Combine ingredients
   In a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the gluten-free flour mix, instant yeast, sugar, melted butter, eggs, vanilla, ½ cup warm milk, and warm water. 
3. Make the sugar mix
   Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.
4. Mix the dough
   Using the hook attachment or one attachment of a hand mixer, combine the ingredients and mix, for about 3 minutes, until a wet sticky dough forms. Stop a few times to scrape the sides of the bowl, and continue.
5. Transfer to a zip bag
   Transfer the batter inside a gallon-sized zip bag or large piping bag. Push the batter down to make a cylinder and twist. 
6. Shape
   Slice a 1″ hole in the corner of your zip bag and carefully squeeze half the batter giving it a round shape on top of the parchment paper, making a round circle. 
7. Make it sweet
   Generously sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture over the circle batter until it’s all covered.
8. Top layer
   Once again, carefully distribute the remaining batter over the cinnamon-topped base by squeezing the batter out of the bag, spreading it in a zig zag motion. With wet fingertips, manually spread the batter to cover all the cinnamon-covered spaces.
9. Rise
   Whether you choose to allow the batter to rise in a warm place in the kitchen for 1.5 hours to 2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator, this king cake must rise. If refrigerating, cover with plastic wrap.
10. Prep for Baking
    Preheat oven to 350F and brush a few tablespoons of milk over the top of the king cake
11. Bake
    Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, until the bread’s internal temperature is 200F.
12. Cool down completely
    Allow the king cake to cool down to room temperature. Meanwhile, prepare the icing.
13. Decorate
    Once cooled, transfer the king cake onto the serving platter or board you’ll be using. Hide the king cake baby, distribute the icing and sprinkle the colored sugars.

Watch this video full of tips to see how to make a gluten-free king cake, step-by-step.

How Much Does Gluten-Free King Cake Rise?

Gluten-free bread doesn’t rise as much as traditional bread dough, but after 2 hours of rise time on the counter or overnight in the fridge, you’ll notice that it’s grown in size. The cake will expand (rise) in place, directly on the baking sheet, both in height and width.

How to Make a Dairy-Free King Cake

You can make this king cake recipe dairy-free by doing the following substitutes:

Traditional Ingredient	Dairy-Free Substitute
butter	coconut oil or vegetable oil
milk (in dough)	coconut milk (canned), original almond milk
milk (in icing)	any dairy-free milk

How to Make Egg-Free King Cake

This recipe calls for 3 eggs; the maximum I recommend replacing in any baked recipe is 2. This recipe was not developed to use an egg replacer; therefore, I cannot stand by the inconsistent results from using an egg substitute, which tends to be dense.

How to Decorate a King Cake

It’s best to decorate your gluten-free king cake on the platter or board you’ll use to serve it. Once the cake is glazed, it’s very difficult to move. Make sure to watch the step-by-step video showing you how to transfer it out of the parchment paper the easy way.

Hiding the baby
If you’re hiding a “king cake baby” inside your gluten-free cake, it’s best done before glazing. The easiest way is by lifting the cake and pressing it inside the dough from underneath. See the video for details. 

Glazing
Before spreading the sugary glaze over the king cake, you’ll need to ensure that it has cooled down to room temperature. Otherwise, if the king cake itself is warm, the heat will cause the glaze to run off and not set.

Sugaring
After glazing, wait for the glaze to stop running off the sides completely before sprinkling the colored sugar over the top. You’ll want to do this before the glaze firms up (dries up) so the sugars stick to the glaze.

Once the glaze firms up, the sugar will also stay in place. Again, watch the video for this step.

To decorate a King Cake, you need: 

• Homemade King Cake Glaze (in the recipe card)
• Mardigras Decorating Set (sugars and baby) best value! 
• Sanding Sugars (multiple colors) or,
• Edible confetti (if not using sugar)
• Hidden baby (a good one to use year after year)

GF King Cake Icing/Glaze

The glaze for a gluten-free king cake is made by combining powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla for flavoring. The consistency is runny and easy to spread over the top of the king cake. 

While not a big deal, it should be noted that if you use traditional vanilla extract (brown-hued in nature), you’ll see a slight tint to the glaze. If you want a perfectly white glaze, you’ll need to use clear vanilla extract.