Grab a cup of coffee or tea and settle in for a bite of these moist lemony Gluten Free Madeleines. They are bursting with fresh lemon flavor with a dusting of powdered sugar. These soft French cookies are one of my favorite cookies.
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Today, we are celebrating the bounty from our mighty lemon tree. I think our tree is a little mad at us. We finally had to prune it because it was getting too tall. Hopefully, we will still get our delicious giant lemons!
A madeleine is a cross between a cake and a cookie, and that moist sponginess made me fall in love with these cookies. This gluten free Madeleine recipe is so easy to make! Nobody will know these delicious homemade madeleines are gluten free!
Thanks to our very productive lemon tree, lemon desserts are a thing here. If you are looking for even more gluten free lemon desserts, I have you covered with a ton of great recipes!
Why I love these gluten free Madeleines:
- My easy gluten free French madeleines are so light and fluffy. A true French madeleine is known for its soft, springy, cake-like texture, and this recipe nails it.
- If you have Celiac disease or are gluten intolerant, these madeleines allow you to enjoy the same desserts as non-gluten-free people.
- You can make these lemon-flavored, or omit the lemon juice and add 1 teaspoon of vanilla to make these more traditional.
- These cookies taste as if they came from a French bakery! This is the best gluten free Madeleine recipe!
- They freeze easily, so you can enjoy them anytime!
ABSOLUTELY GLUTEN FREE DELICIOUS and so very easy to make! Freeze beautifully too. Is the batter stable if I triple the recipe—I have two madeleine pans so the batter would sit for 30-45 minutes or more before being used up. Better to just keep making single batches? Thanks for a wonderful treat our whole family loves!!”
christina, blog comment
Allergen Information:
These homemade lemon madeleines are gluten-free, nut-free, oat-free, and soy-free. Make them dairy-free using plant-based butter and milk.
Ingredient Notes:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Gluten Free Flour Blend – I tested this recipe using Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour Blend and King Arthur’s Measure for Measure Gluten Free Blend. That doesn’t mean others will not work; I just have not tested other flours.
- Xanthan Gum – If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain xanthan gum or guar gum, please add 1 teaspoon.
- Non-Dairy Milk – I used almond milk, but other dairy-free kinds of milk will work. I do not recommend canned coconut milk. You can also use regular milk if you prefer.
- Butter – I recommend using unsalted butter. To make these fully dairy-free, use vegan butter.
- Eggs – Use size large.
Substitutions:
- Substitute the butter for a plant-based butter if you are dairy-free.
- If you are egg-free, use an egg replacer like Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer. I have not tested chia or flax eggs in this recipe.
- If you can not use xanthan or guar gum, use my Gluten Free Flour Blend. It is an incredible gum-free gluten free blend that is easy to make.
- Substitute the lemon juice for orange juice (and zest) for orange madeleines.
Madeleine Tips For Success
1. I have mentioned this, but it is important to say it again. Do NOT overmix your madeleine batter. It truly makes a huge difference.
2. Let the madeleine batter sit for 10-20 minutes. This helps soften the rice flour in the gluten free flour blend.
3. If you do not have a Madeleine pan, you can make them drop-style on a cookie sheet, or cook them in a muffin pan.
Step-By-Step Photos and Directions:
Are you ready to see how easy these gluten free madeleines are to make?
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350º F. Add your dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and whisk to blend. I like to use a whisk to blend dry ingredients because it helps blend everything together.
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👀 Sandi Says: I do not recommend using a standing mixer because it overmixes the batter, affecting the madeleines’ texture.
Step 2: Mix your wet ingredients in a smaller bowl. I recommend partially melting your butter. Don’t make it too hot, or it can cook your eggs. Use a wire whisk to blend.
Step 3: Pour your wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until the batter is “just barely mixed.” This is my best secret to making light and fluffy cake-like gluten free madeleines.
📢 Sandi says: Every gluten-free flour blend has a different starch-to-grain ratio. The brand of gluten-free flour you use will affect the moisture of the batter. If your cake batter is too runny, add more flour, and if it is too thick, add more liquids.
Read Why Gluten-Free Flour Blends Vary to learn more about this.
Step 4: Add your batter to the greased madeleine pan and bake for 15 minutes until done. You can tell your madeleines are baked when you touch the top of a madeleine, and it feels firm.
Remove from the oven and allow cooling on a cooling rack. When cool, dust with powdered sugar or drizzle with melted chocolate.
These gluten free madeleines have the perfect crispy edges and soft cake insides.
If you are looking for special holiday madeleine flavors, you can’t go wrong with these gluten free pumpkin madeleines or these gluten free chocolate peppermint madeleines.
Frequently Asked Questions:
You can spray your madeleine pan with coconut oil or rub the pan with butter to prevent your madeleines from sticking.
Store these madeleines in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or store in the freezer in a zipper bag for up to 4 months.
If you love lemon cookies, give this easy Gluten Free Lemon Sugar Cookies recipe a try too! This Madeleine’s post was updated from an older February 2020 post with more detailed instructions.
More Gluten Free Lemon Dessert Recipes:
- This Gluten Free Lemon Pound Cake is one of the best cakes on the blog.
- If you love loaf cake, this Easy Gluten Free Lemon Poppy Seed Cake is a family favorite.
- My Gluten Free Lemon Layer Cake makes a great birthday cake.
- These Creamy Gluten Free Lemon Sour Cream Cakes are light and fluffy.
Love This Recipe?
If you made and enjoyed this recipe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a comment below. Please include which flour blend you used. This will help others know this recipe is delicious. Thank you!
Gluten Free Lemon Madeleines
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350º F. Be sure to set the oven rack in the middle of the oven.
- In a large mixing bowl, add 1 1/2 cups gluten free flour blend, 3/4 cups cane sugar, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, and dash salt and whisk to blend.
- Add 1/2 cup unsalted butter (partially melted), 2 large eggs, 2/3 cups milk or non-dairy milk, 1 tablespoon lemon zest, and 2 tablespoons lemon juice into a smaller bowl and whisk to blend.
- Pour your wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix them gently until they are just barely mixed. Do not overmix your batter! It will make a big difference in how these madeleines turn out.
- Allow the batter to rest for 10 minutes. If you are using a gluten free flour blend that is a little gritty, let the batter rest for 20 minutes.
- Spray your madeleine pan with coconut oil, or grease with butter.
- Add some batter to each madeleine section.
- Bake the gluten free madeleines for 10 minutes until they are firm to touch on top. Remove the cookies onto a wire rack for cooling.
- Dust with 1/3 cup powdered sugar when the cookies are fully cooled.
Nutrition
Notes
- I have tested this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure GF, Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 GF blend, and Authentic Foods Multi Blend in this recipe. That doesn’t mean others will not work, I just have not tested other flours.
- If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain Xanthan Gum or Guar Gum, please add 1 teaspoon.
- Try not to overmix your batter. Your madeleines will be lighter if you don’t overmix the batter.
- These cookies will keep up to 4 days in an air-tight container, or up to 4 months in the freezer. To freeze, add the cooled room temperature cookies to a freezer zip bag.
Nutritional Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!
I’m excited!!! I think these are ideal for company. Thank you Sandi!!! I used a metal mini muffin pan, mini ceramic ramekins and a mini metal heart pan.
I am so glad you loved this recipe, Juanita. I am curious, how did you use the ramekins in this recipe?
I had extra batter, so I used additional oven safe baking mini ramekins and a small heart pan in addition to a mini muffin pan.
I love you were able to put the extra batter to good use, Juanita! Thanks for leaving this comment so others can try it.
ABSOLUTELY GLUTEN FREE DELICIOUS
and so very easy to make! Freeze beautifully too. Is the batter stable if I triple the recipe—I have two madeleine pans so the batter would sit for 30-45 minutes or more before being used up. Better to just keep making single batches? I’m aiming to make 12 dozen. Thanks for a wonderful treat our whole family loves!!
I am thrilled you love this recipe! The batter should be fine for doubling or tripling.
I made these today and they were very good, I used King Arthur one to one gf flour. I do think they need a little more
lemon flavor. Mine didn’t quite look like yours but I think I over filled the tin. I put my batter in a piping bag but those had more air holes in them. I had some batter left so I just spooned it in the tin and those came out better. Don’t over fill the tin. I drizzled some lemon glaze over them, giving them more lemon flavor.
I am so glad you liked them Karen 🙂
I love your recipes! I use yours more than any gf blog.
Wow, I think you made my year. Thank you so much for the compliment Karen, it means a lot to me 🙂