Gluten-free red velvet cookies recipe – but not just any ol’ cookies. These are thick and filled with melty white choc chips, chewy cookie dough, with a crisp exterior. And who could miss that beautiful vibrant red colour?

Gluten-free red velvet cookies recipe? Yes! And these just might be my BEST EVER cookies yet. Plus, they’re also super easy to make low FODMAP, dairy-free and vegan too. So let’s talk cookies!

When I started experimenting with making red velvet cookies, I initially made some lovely, bakery-style cookies like you’d find at Millie’s cookies.

And they were perfect! I was actually going to post them exactly like that when I thought… no, we can do better here.

(I think it says a lot about me when I say ‘they were perfect’ shortly followed by ‘no, we can do better’ in a single breath!)

As lovely as they were, I really wanted to make thicker cookies. Why? Well, not only do you get that lovely crisp on the outside, chewy in the middle awesomeness, but you also get a centre filled with soft cookie dough and melty white chocolate chips.

Why make my gluten-free red velvet cookies?

You’d never know they were gluten-free in a million years. Promise. You’ll have to keep the muggles away from these!
They’re thick, crisp on the outside, chewy, with lots of melty choc chips and soft cookie dough in the centre.
Red velvet cookies are AMAZING. They’re like a chocolate cookie and a vanilla cookie combined.
I share my secret on how to get that PERFECT, super vibrant red colour every time.
This recipe simply needs 10 ingredients and has 10 steps. Super easy to make using easy-to-source ingredients.
There’s no xanthan gum required for this recipe.

But what do my gluten-free red velvet cookies taste like, I hear you ask?

I know I sound like I’m tooting my own horn in every recipe I make, but honestly, these cookies do not taste gluten-free AT ALL. They’re crisp on the outside and chewy/gooey in the middle, packed with white chocolate chips and soft cooke dough.

The flavour is instantly recognisable as red velvet – a subtle chocolatey taste, with a hint of vanilla and the creamy-ness of white chocolate working that ‘cream cheese frosting’ angle.

I realise that I say 60% of all my recipes are my ‘best ever’ recipe, but these are probably the best cookies I’ve made so far. But I’ll let you be the judge of that – so get your aprons on! Here’s everything you’ll need:

Gluten-free red velvet cookies recipe: Ingredients

250g gluten-free self raising flour
15g cocoa powder
125g butter, softened
100g light brown sugar
100g caster sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp red food gel (I ONLY recommend using Sugarflair Red Extra)
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
225g white chocolate chips

Looking for the recipe? Keep scrolling down until you see the recipe card ??

So I thought I’d kick things off with a little frequently asked questions section – if you just want the recipe, then keep scrolling.

But I’ve thrown in some tips here that will be really helpful if this is your first time baking this, or you want to adapt it. So here they are!

Gluten-free red velvet cookies recipe: Frequently asked questions

Can I make this recipe gluten free?

It is gluten free, though nobody would know just by tasting it – trust me!

Bear in mind that minimising cross-contamination is hugely important if you’re Coeliac or making this for someone who is. Here’s some tips from Coeliac UK on minimising the risk of cross contamination.

Also, make sure that all ingredients used don’t have any gluten-containing ingredients. Then make that that they also don’t have a ‘may contain’ warning for gluten, wheat, rye, barley, oats (which aren’t gf), spelt and khorasan wheat (aka Kamut).

Here’s some more info from Coeliac UK on identifying safe gluten free products. Double check your sprinkles to make sure they’re gf too.

Can I make your gluten-free red velvet cookies recipe dairy free?

Yes, you certainly can! Firstly, ensure that your cocoa powder is dairy-free.

Next, instead of butter, use a dairy-free baking block, like Stork hard margarine. Or, any kind of hard dairy-free alternative to butter.

Finally, use dairy-free white chocolate chips like these ones from Sainsbury’s and that’s it! Easy peasy.

Can I make your gluten-free red velvet cookies recipe vegan?

Yes! Follow the advice above to make these dairy-free, then all you’re left to contend with is a single egg.

(the red food colouring I’ve linked below is also vegan-friendly)

Here’s a few ideas you can use as egg replacements, so each of these = 1 egg. I’d recommend using aquafaba or an egg replacement powder.

3 tablespoons of aquafaba – water from a can of chickpeas. Keep the chickpeas for a future dinner!
Egg replacement powder – I’d recommend using Orgran as it’s gluten free.
1 tablespoon of chia/flax seeds mixed with 2 tablespoons of water and left for 10 minutes in the fridge.
3 tablespoons of applesauce.

I haven’t tested all of these egg-replacements so let me know how you get on in the comments below this post.

Is your gluten-free red velvet cookies recipe nut free?

Yep, this is a nut-free recipe as far as ingredients go, but of course, make sure you check the ingredients label on ALL the products you use to bake this cake just to be safe.

Even if the products don’t contain nuts, they may have a ‘may contain nuts’ warning due to being produced in a factory that handles nuts.

You can never be too careful so always read the labels on everything first!

Is your gluten-free red velvet cookies recipe low FODMAP?

If you use any type of lactose-free white chocolate chips, then yes! That’s the only change you need to make – then one cookie would be suitable for the elimination phase of the diet.

Which red food colouring did you use?

The only food colouring you should attempt this recipe with is Sugarflair Colouring’s Red Extra – I bought mine on Amazon. I wouldn’t recommend the colouring you commonly find in supermarkets – they’re only good for colouring icing.

The best thing about the Sugarflair colouring is that it’s a concentrated paste, not liquid food colouring. Plus it’s also gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free, vegetarian and vegan.

As I said, it’s super-important that you do NOT use liquid food colouring (the kind you find in the supermarkets) for this recipe.

By the time you add enough food colouring to this to make the mixture red (and trust me, you’ll need several tubes or more) the consistency of the cookies will be way too wet – basically ruined.

Can I make your gluten-free red velvet cookies in a food processor or standing mixer?

Of course you can and to be honest – a standing mixer or electric mix would probably be easier!

I’ve never actually tried to make this in a food processor either, but just make sure that the mixture is really well combined and that you scrape the sides down occasionally too. The same goes for a standing mixer.

Of course, you can make this by hand too!

Do I need weighing scales to bake your gluten-free red velvet cookies?

In short… yes, yes and yes! And I wouldn’t advise attempting any my recipes without them.

A lot of work went into fine tuning ratios and quantities and for me, baking is all about consistency and precision. I want you to make this recipe and for it to turn out EXACTLY like mine did.

For example, adding too much flour can make things dry and crumbly, whereas not adding enough sugar means it’ll lose its crisp exterior. I don’t want you to be disappointed, so please weigh your ingredients!

I’d recommending using digital cooking scales like these so you know you’re getting an accurate measurement and replicating my recipe as accurately as poss.

What chocolate chips should I use to bake your gluten-free red velvet cookies?

I’ve recently started using the Callebaut white chocolate chips (or callets) and I can tell you, though expensive, they are AMAZING.

You definitely don’t need to use them for this recipe, but I thought I’d share what I used in the photos. They’re perfect for baking and come out perfectly melty as you can probably see!

Can I make your gluten-free red velvet cookies without sugar?

I can understand the need to reduce sugar in our foods, but sugar is integral to the structure of this bake – it’s not just for adding a sweet taste!

Sugar helps to achieve that nice crisp finish as well as working harmoniously with the butter and flour to achieve a specific consistency. So yeah, remove the sugar at your own risk!

Can I use other sugar apart from light brown sugar in this recipe?

Brown sugar is unrefined and contains molasses which makes these cookies taste like… well, like awesome, bakery-style cookies!

You’re welcome to substitute it for more caster sugar, but I’d always recommend using light brown sugar for these if you can.

Can I make this recipe using other gluten free flours like buckwheat flour or coconut flour?

There’s a big difference between ‘gluten free plain/self-raising flour’ and a *singular* type gluten free flour. When I say ‘gluten free plain or self-raising flour’ in a recipe, I mean a BLEND of gluten free flours, not just one, singular flour.

Definitely go for a gluten free flour blend.

Does this recipe need xanthan gum?

You’ll see xanthan gum in a lot of my recipes as it’s often an essential ingredient in gluten free baking. But not with cookies – it’s not required!

How long can I keep your gluten-free red velvet cookies for?

I’ve kept my cookies for around 4-5 days and they still taste as good as they day they were made. Obviously store them in an air-tight container too.

You can always reheat them for 30 seconds in the microwave at 900W for the ‘fresh out of the oven’ feel too.

When they lose the crispiness on the outside, they’re probably starting to get past their best.

Can I freeze your gluten-free red velvet cookies?

Of course! I’ve frozen them for up to a month and after allowing them to full thaw, you’d never know they were frozen. One cookie should take around 3-4 hours to thaw at room temperature.

After thawing, I’d recommend baking them in the oven for 5 minutes or so just to remove any excess moisture before enjoying them warm though.

Can I print your gluten-free red velvet cookies recipe?

Of course! Just hit the print button located on the recipe below ?? (otherwise you might end up printing this entire post which would probably make your printer go into early retirement)

How can I tell when my gluten-free red velvet cookies are done?

They should look slightly crisp on the outside (not excessively wet-looking in the middle) without signs of browning or being golden. They are actually golden, but the red colouring hides it!

If you start seeing them go golden or brown at the edges, they’ll probably be a little overdone and become crunchy instead of crisp. Remember, they’ll crisp up more as they cool.

If they’re underdone, just pop them back in until you’re happy. Oh and make sure you leave them to cool before sampling them, otherwise they’ll be quite fragile.

Troubleshooting

My gluten-free red velvet cookies weren’t soft – they were hard and crunchy.

Sounds like they were over-baked. So either your oven is way too hot or you’re leaving them in too long.

Remember, that we just want a slightly crisp outside, leaving them soft and chewy in the middle. We’re not aiming for hard biscuits here so don’t over-bake them!

My gluten-free red velvet cookies spread too much and were flat like pancakes!

You might not have allowed enough time for the dough to chill in the fridge. If the dough is warm before it goes in the oven, it’ll spread a lot quicker and result in flatter cookies!

OR… you cooked them for too long. The whole point of chilling the dough balls is so that they go into the oven cold, meaning they won’t spread as much when baked. So if you bake them too long, you’re effectively making sure they spread as much as possible.

My gluten-free red velvet cookies were thick with a bump in the middle, what did I do wrong?

These cookies are supposed to be like that – they’re definitely not supposed to be totally flat.

By having a lovely bump in the middle, that means it’ll full of melty chocolate chips and lots of chewy cookie dough. Sounds like you nailed it to me!

My cookies don’t look as good as yours – I can’t see any chocolate chips!

It’s easy for your choc chips to get lost in your cookies when they bake, but it’s not the end of the world because they still taste exactly the same!

But if you want to go for that perfect finished look, do what I do: once you’ve rolled your cookie dough into balls, add a few extra choc chips into the top of each ball.

That way, when they spread, you can at least guarantee that there will be a few choc chips on top after baking.

Gluten-free red velvet cookies recipe: Method

Ok, so here’s a printable version of my gluten-free red velvet cookies recipe. Please remember to give it 5 stars if you tried it and enjoyed it as it helps people know it’s worth trying too! ⭐️ Feel free to leave your written reviews in the comments below this post.