The Best Gluten-Free Focaccia Recipe (Dairy-Free, Vegan)

Crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, this beautiful gluten-free focaccia bread is super easy to make and deliciously addictive. This Italian rosemary focaccia is the perfect table bread for accompanying this tasty carrot turmeric soup or this creamy pumpkin soup. It’s also amazing as an appetizer with our popular easy creamy hummus, or even just with extra virgin olive oil! Gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan too.

Jump to:

• Gluten-Free Bread Baking Adventures
• What is Focaccia Bread?
• Is Focaccia Gluten-Free?
• Why This Recipe Works
• Ingredients You’ll Need:
• Ingredient Notes/Substitutions:
• How to Make Gluten-Free Focaccia Bread (Step by Step):
• 5. Transfer Dough to Parchment-Lined Pan
• Dish by Dish Tips/Tricks:
• Recipe FAQs:
• What to Eat with Focaccia Bread?
• Other Gluten-Free Bread Recipes You’ll Also Love:
• Appetizers to Enjoy:
• Amazing Gluten-Free Focaccia Bread (Dairy-Free, Vegan)

Gluten-Free Bread Baking Adventures

Ever since I started baking bread again, I’ve experimented with quite a few different types of breads. Some of the savory baking experiments that were insanely successful include this gorgeous gluten-free no knead bread, this easy gluten-free no-yeast naan bread, and this amazing gluten-free pizza crust.

I’ve also been baking yeast bread recipes such as this crazy popular soft fluffy, buckwheat bread, tender gluten-free white bread, brown rice bread, quinoa bread, and sorghum bread.

One of the breads that has been on my “to-bake” list for the longest time was a gluten-free focaccia bread. And last week I finally got down to testing this easy focaccia recipe and we absolutely loved how it turned out.

What is Focaccia Bread?

If you’ve never heard of focaccia bread before, or if it’s your first time attempting to make it, here’s some background on what it is and where it originated from.

Focaccia is a flat, oven-baked Italian bread that is similar in texture and taste to pizza dough. Mostly associated with Ligurian cuisine, focaccia comes with many variations and may sometimes be sweet and other times savory.

A main characteristic of focaccia bread is the appearance of dimples on its surface, which is formed by making small “craters” on the dough before it is baked.

One of the most commonly served types of focaccia is focaccia with rosemary (or “focaccia al rosmarino” in Italian), which is often served as an antipasto, table bread, or appetizer in Italian cuisine.

Is Focaccia Gluten-Free?

Traditional Italian focaccia bread is usually made with wheat flour (which contains gluten), and hence regular focaccia is not gluten-free.

However, I’ve got you covered with this amazing gluten-free focaccia bread recipe!

Why This Recipe Works

Soft, Fluffy, and Tender while Crusty: While it’s technically a flat bread, focaccia requires the use of yeast to create its fluffy interior (much like a pizza crust). This recipe yields the perfect texture in my opinion: it’s crusty on the outside, while amazingly soft, tender and fluffy inside! YUM!

No Kneading Required: Unlike normal wheat bread, there’s no kneading required as gluten-free dough doesn’t contain gluten and hence kneading is unnecessary (same logic for my easy gluten-free no knead bread).

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, and Vegan: This delicious homemade focaccia is also totally gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan, which means Celiacs, vegans, or those with gluten or dairy and lactose intolerances can totally enjoy it without worries!

Keep this easy recipe handy because I know you’ll be making it on repeat! Ready to get started? Let’s go!

Ingredients You’ll Need:

Here’s a visual overview of the ingredients you’ll need to make this gluten-free focaccia recipe. For exact quantities and measurements, please scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Ingredient Notes/Substitutions:

• Sugar: The sugar used is for the yeast to feed on so as to activate the yeast, so you cannot omit it. If you don’t want to use sugar, you can use the same amount of coconut sugar, or half the amount of maple syrup or honey. It will not make the bread sweet later. 

• Instant Yeast: I like to use instant yeast as it activates immediately. 

• Olive Oil: I highly recommend using extra virgin olive oil as it imparts a beautiful taste and color to the bread. Alternatively, you may use sunflower oil or avocado oil as well.

• Apple Cider Vinegar: Adding apple cider vinegar creates an acidic environment that helps the bread to rise even more.

• Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour: For this gluten-free focaccia recipe, I recommend using a good-quality gluten-free all-purpose flour blend that uses lighter flours/starches (such as rice flour, corn starch, tapioca starch or potato starch) as that will ensure a lighter and fluffier texture. I do NOT recommend flour blends that use heavier flours (such as garbanzo bean flour) as that will result in a denser texture.

• Xanthan Gum: Xanthan gum is a substitute for gluten in gluten-free flours and is necessary to help the ingredients bind together. If your gluten-free flour blend does not include xanthan gum already, make sure to add is as stated in the recipe for best results.

• Tapioca Starch: If you don’t have tapioca starch (also known as tapioca flour), simply substitute it with the same amount of arrowroot starch or corn starch.

• Rosemary: This gluten-free focaccia recipe uses fresh rosemary leaves as a topping for extra flavor and color, but you could also top the focaccia with other fresh herbs such as oregano or garlic, or olives and even sun-dried tomatoes – the options are endless and basically up to you.

How to Make Gluten-Free Focaccia Bread (Step by Step):

1. Activate Yeast

In a medium-size bowl, combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water. Mix well and set aside for 5 minutes until it becomes foamy.

Tip #1: If the yeast mixture doesn’t foam, it means that the yeast has expired and no longer works. In this case, throw away the yeast mixture and start again with yeast from a fresh unopened packet.

Tip #2: If you’re wondering what sugar is doing in a savory bread recipe, it’s there as food for the yeast to feed on so the yeast will be activated. DO NOT omit the sugar because the yeast will not work otherwise. Don’t worry about the bread becoming sweet because once the yeast has fed on it, along with the salt that will be added, the bread will not taste sweet.

2. Combine Liquid Ingredients with Yeast Mixture

Once the yeast mixture is foamy, combine the yeast mixture with 1/4 cup olive oil, the apple cider vinegar in a large mixing bowl and mix well.

3. Whisk Dry Ingredients

In a large bowl, whisk the gluten-free all-purpose flour, xanthan gum (if using), tapioca starch, and sea salt to combine.

4. Add Dry Ingredients to Wet Ingredients to Form Dough

Add the flour mixture to the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix well until you get a homogeneous and sticky dough.

It is totally normal for the dough to be slightly wet and sticky because that’s the way gluten-free bread dough is. Don’t be tempted to add more flour or it will become hard and dry.

5. Transfer Dough to Parchment-Lined Pan

Line a round baking pan with parchment paper, grease the parchment paper with a bit of oil, and then transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet. Spread the dough out into a 1.5-inch thick round disc, using wet fingers to shape the dough.

6. Let Dough Rise

Place the gluten-free focaccia bread dough in a warm place and let it rise for 45 minutes until it has increased in size (it will not double, but will have increased significantly in size and will look fluffier than before rising).

7. Preheat Oven

While the dough rises (during the last 10 minutes), preheat the oven to 400F.

8. Poke Dimples into Dough

After the gluten-free focaccia bread dough has risen, dip your pinky finger in water and use it to poke evenly-spaced dimples into the top of the bread dough. 

(This will create the characteristic dimpled appearance that traditional Italian focaccia bread is so well know for.)

9. Brush and Sprinkle

Brush the dough with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, making sure that even part of the surface has been brushed (this will create a crusty, golden brown exterior once it’s baked).

After brushing with oil, sprinkle the surface with fresh rosemary leaves and sea salt.

10. Bake Until Golden and Crusty

Bake the focaccia dough on the middle rack of the preheated oven for 45 to 55 minutes until the top is golden brown and crusty. 

11. Cool Before Slicing

Let the gluten-free focaccia bread cool slightly before slicing and serving warm.

Dish by Dish Tips/Tricks:

• Herbs: If you don’t like rosemary, or prefer other herbs such as thyme, oregano, feel free to swap out the rosemary for the same quantity of other herbs instead. This gluten-free focaccia recipe uses fresh rosemary, but if you plan on using dried rosemary, make sure to use 1/3 the amount of dried herbs as dried herbs are much more concentrated in taste.

• Additional Toppings: You may also add olives or sundried tomatoes to this gluten-free focaccia bread for extra flavor and taste. You can also sprinkle the focaccia with freshly ground black pepper or red pepper flakes if you enjoy a bit of heat.

Recipe FAQs:

What to Eat with Focaccia Bread?

Now that the baking and waiting if finally over, it’s finally time to dig in! I can’t wait, and I’m betting you can’t help but want a bite of this gorgeous gluten-free focaccia bread. The question is – what do you eat with it? There are so many foods you can eat with this Italian rosemary focaccia, but here are some of my favorites:

• Carrot Turmeric Soup (Gluten-Free)
• Pumpkin Soup (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
• Easy Creamy Hummus (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
• Grilled Eggplant Sesame Dip (Gluten-Free, Paleo)
• Roasted Red Pepper Dip (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
• Extra virgin olive oil

Other Gluten-Free Bread Recipes You’ll Also Love:

• Easy Gluten-Free Naan Bread (Dairy-Free)
• Easy Gluten-Free No Knead Bread (Dairy-Free)
• Easy Gluten-Free Sandwich Bread
• Gluten-Free Honey Oat Quick Bread
• Gluten-Free Skillet Cornbread
• 10 Easy Gluten-Free Bread Recipes to Make on Repeat

Appetizers to Enjoy:

P.S. If you try this recipe, I’d love for you to leave a star rating below, and/or a review in the comment section further down the page. I always appreciate your feedback. Be sure to check out my entire Recipe Index for all the recipes on the blog. You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram! Sign up for my Email List to get fresh recipes in your inbox each week!

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