This gluten-free pita bread is tender, fluffy, and pillowy – all without the use of wheat! With just 5 ingredients (not including water, salt, and oil) and a simple process – you can make delicious, cost-effective flatbread at home that will have you ditching store-bought versions for good!
Fluffy, Tender, Gluten-Free Flatbread
Having posted my naan recipe recently, I’m really getting into the spirit of home-baked GF bread, especially simple gluten-free flatbread style recipes like this pita bread (Pitta for those in the UK).
What is pita? Pita bread actually refers to a family of flatbreads that are yeast-leavened and originate in the Middle East and are also popular in the Mediterranean (e.g. Greece). There are several varieties, including the most common pita bread containing a pocket (aka pita pockets or Arabic/Syrian bread) which are perfect for stuffing with fillings. There are also thicker pocketless versions (similar to naan), used to serve alongside kebabs.
Is Pita Bread Gluten-Free?
Pita is traditionally made with wheat flour and is known for being light and pillowy – not exactly qualities synonymous with gluten-free bread. Luckily, inspired by my gluten-free pizza dough recipe and with something to prove, I got myself in recipe testing mode and didn’t stop until I had this fluffy gluten-free, vegan pita bread recipe.
I was actually blown away by how much I was able to get the pita to puff up, but I also love how cost-effective they are. The ‘free from’ aisles in stores aren’t exactly known for being easy on the bank balance (I mean, have you noticed the price difference between wheat pita and gluten-free pita bread?!) and so making these simple items at home is a great way to enjoy foods you love in a lower-budget way.
More than that, though, if you’ve ever taken the time to actually look at the ingredients found in many grocery stores’ GF bread options, you’ll notice lots of very questionable additives and preservatives. In the end, you have to pay more for a product that usually doesn’t taste as good and is filled with ingredients that many would rather avoid. All the more reason to turn to this simple, natural, homemade pita bread recipe!
How To Make Pita Bread?
I’ve included basic step-by-step instructions just below. For the full ingredients list, measurements, complete recipe method, and nutritional information read the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Prepare the yeast mixture
Heat your water to around 40°C (lukewarm), add the yeast, sugar, and stir well with a spoon. Then set aside for five minutes for the yeast to activate – it should begin to froth up and become slightly bubbly.
Make the gluten-free dough
Combine all of the remaining dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix, then add the yeast mixture and oil and stir with a wooden spoon until combined.
Knead it & allow it to rise
Knead the gluten-free dough for a few minutes, form a ball, and place it back into the bowl. Then, cover the bowl with cling film and allow it to rise in a warm area (preferably between 40-50°C) for 45-60 minutes.
Note: You could heat your oven for just a few minutes, then switch off and leave the dough in the warm oven.
Shape the pitas
Divide the dough into 5 pieces (around 90g), or 10 if you want mini pittas, and shape each piece into a ball.
Leave to rest for a further 10-15 minutes before rolling each dough ball into a circle around ¼-inch thickness using a floured rolling pin.
Cook the pita bread
This is the critical step in getting the gluten-free pita to puff up. Make sure not to use heat that is less than 390°F (200°C).
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat (I chose 390°F on my induction cooker). Once hot, cook a pita in the pan for 1 minute – until bubbles begin to form on the surface.
Then, flip the pita over and cook for a further few minutes on the other side. Flip once more, and it should puff up and form a large pocket.
Repeat this with the remaining pita dough. Keep all cooked ones covered with a clean, dry kitchen cloth to stop them from drying out/crisping up.
How much the gluten-free pita bread puffs up (if it does at all) can be solely down to how thick your dough is rolled out. If you test one pita and it doesn’t puff up, roll the next one thinner and try again. This can take a little bit of practice to get the thickness sweet spot, but when you do – hello pocket-y goodness!
How To Make Ahead & Store?
To Make Ahead:
You can prepare the gluten-free dough in advance and only cook a little at a time. The prepared, uncooked dough can be kept in the fridge, covered, for 2-3 days.
To Store:
I prefer to make the gluten-free pita bread fresh, so they don’t dry and crisp up. However, leftovers can be stored in an airtight container (to avoid them from drying out), for a few days. I like to splash them lightly with a little water and microwave for 10-15 seconds. Or bake in the oven for a couple of minutes), to soften them.
This vegan pita bread should also be freezer friendly for up to a month, though it isn’t something I’ve tried. Make sure to wrap the bread well before freezing.
How To Serve?
- As pita pockets – i.e., stuffed with falafels, tahini sauce, and salad or even this Vegan Shawarma Kebab.
- Use leftovers of this gluten-free pita for traditional Lebanese and Middle Eastern dishes like fattoush salad.
- Cut and bake into pita chips for dips – like this Vegan French Onion Dip or Easy Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip.
- Use as a makeshift gluten-free flatbread ‘pizza’. This is a great way to use any that don’t puff up as much as you’d like). Top with your toppings of choice and stick under the broiler for a few minutes. You could also oven-bake them for 10 mins or so until the toppings are warm/melted.
- Make pita pocket versions of your favorite taco/enchilada fillings. Like these Chickpea Tacos, Oven-Baked Spinach Tacos, or Enchiladas With Lentils.
- Use with burgers, as an alternative to burger buns.
Useful Recipe Notes
- Tapioca flour: You can most likely also use arrowroot flour instead, though I haven’t tried it.
- Psyllium husk powder: This ingredient is important and shouldn’t be substituted.
- Rice Flour: Unfortunately, with gluten-free baking, it isn’t simple to swap out the flours to whatever you’d prefer. Each flour reacts to ingredients in different ways. For that reason, I can’t easily suggest alternatives or guarantee results if you choose to use a different gluten-free flour.
- To make a version with wheat flour: Use 160 ml warm water, 10 g fresh yeast, 1 1/2 tsp organic cane sugar, 270 g all-purpose flour, 1/2 tsp salt, and 2 tsp oil.
- I tried making the pita bread in the oven, but they didn’t puff up. It may work with a pre-heated pizza stone in the oven, using the hottest setting. Pitas usually need temperatures of at-least 230C/450F to turn the water in the dough to steam and cause the pita to puff up into a pita pocket.
- You can optionally add some nigella seeds or poppy seeds to the dough for more flavor.
- For a Mediterranean style gluten-free flatbread, you can roll the dough out thicker. That way, it won’t puff up and have a pocket but should still have a fluffy, slightly chewy texture.
- When making this homemade gluten-free pita bread, you can control the size and shape of your individual flatbreads. If you want snack-sized mini pitta, go for it- pizza boat-shaped flatbread, sure!
Other Related Bread Recipes
- Moist Vegan Cornbread
- Gluten-Free Vegan Bread
- Gluten-Free Buns (Bread Rolls)
- Easy Spinach Tortillas Recipe
- Gluten-Free Tortillas
If you try this gluten-free pita bread recipe, I’d love a comment and recipe ★★★★★ rating below. Also, don’t forget to tag me in re-creations on Instagram or Facebook with @elavegan/ #elavegan – I love seeing your recreations.
Gluten-Free Pita Bread
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp (200 ml) warm water
- 10 g fresh yeast (see notes)
- 1 1/2 tsp organic cane sugar
- 1 cup (160 g) white rice flour (see notes for a version with regular flour)
- 2/3 cup (80 g) tapioca flour
- 2 tsp psyllium husk powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp oil
Instructions
Make the yeast mixture
- I recommend using a kitchen scale for this recipe and measuring the ingredients in grams instead of cups. Also, watch the video in the post for easy visual instructions.Heat the water in a saucepan over medium heat for a few seconds until it's lukewarm (not hot!) about 40°C (104°F). Add yeast + sugar and stir with a spoon. Set aside for about 5 minutes to proof the yeast. If it starts to get a little frothy, then the yeast is still active and usable.
Make the dough
- Combine rice flour, tapioca flour, psyllium husk powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl and stir with a whisk. Add the yeast mixture and oil, then stir with a wooden spoon until combined.
Knead it and let it rise
- Knead the dough with your hands for a few minutes, form a dough ball, and place it back into the bowl. Cover the bowl with cling film and set aside preferably in a warm place (40-50°C / 120°F would be perfect*) for about 45-60 minutes. The dough should rise nicely after that time.*Note: You can heat your oven for some minutes until it's warm, then turn it off and put the bowl with the dough inside the oven.
Shape the pitas
- Divide the dough into 5 equal pieces (about 90 grams each) and shape them into balls. Cover them again and leave them to rest for about 10-15 minutes.
- Roll out one piece into a circle about 1/4 inch (0.6 cm) thick by using a floured rolling pin. Repeat this step with the other dough balls.
Cook the pitas
- Heat a skillet over medium-high heat for a few minutes. I chose 390°F / 200°C on my induction cooker. Place a pita in the skillet and cook for about a minute. After a while, you will see that bubbles start to form on the surface. Flip the pita over and cook it for a few more minutes on the other side. After flipping it one more time it should puff up and form a large pocket.Note: How much the pita bread puffs up (if it does at all) can depend on how thick your dough is rolled out. If you test one pita and it doesn’t puff up, roll the next one thinner and try again. This can take a little bit of practice.
- Repeat this step with the other pitas and keep the cooked ones covered with a kitchen towel. Serve with falafel and a tahini dressing.
Notes
Video Of The Recipe
- Yeast: I recommend fresh yeast, but you could also use 1 tsp dry yeast.
- Tapioca flour: You can most likely also use arrowroot flour instead.
- Psyllium husk powder: This ingredient is important and shouldn't be substituted.
- For a yeast-free flatbread, check out my Gluten-Free Naan Recipe.
- I tried making the pita bread in the oven but the pitas didn't puff up. It might work if you have a pizza stone in the oven and use the hottest setting.
- Check the step-by-step photos in the blog post.
- The total time doesn't include resting time.
- 2/3 cup (160 ml) warm water
- 10 g fresh yeast
- 1 1/2 tsp organic cane sugar
- 2 1/4 cups (270 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp oil
Nutrition information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically
Meghan
Would I be able to make the dough in advance and make the pitas at a later time? Perhaps refrigerate it after the rise and then bring to room temp when I want to use it? Or does it need to be done all at once?
Ela
Yes, that should be fine.
Meghan
Thank you!
Meghan
Let me preface this by saying I am NOT a successful baker, and yeast is often my nemesis. I have Celiac’s disease so I’ve never had much luck with gluten free baking, let alone vegan, and bread.
WELL.
I made this exactly as written, and they came out as beautiful, puffy, perfect pitas. THANK YOU ELA!!!!
Ela
You are very welcome, Meghan! So glad they turned out great. 🙂
david hunt
my dough was still sticky but rose a bit divided then rested in the warm oven.
the last one I rolled puffed a little butt no pocket.{I think it dried out more}
never mind I cut them in half like two slices of bread re pan fried and they are great ,good texture.
still not sure why my dough was still a bit damp.
Ela
It might depend on how fine your rice flour was. See previous comment from “Abby”. It can make a huge difference!
Abby Bockholt
So happy to have found this recipe. My husband has to be gluten free, and the store-bought GF pita is lackluster. I want to offer a brief suggestion to anyone who’s really having trouble with them puffing. I had already made this a few times and never could get them to puff and have a pocket. I tried thinner, thicker, adjusting the temperature, you name it. I finally sort of gave up since we still liked them better than any store-bought ones. I ended up buying a different brand of rice flour (one from the ethnic aisle) since it was cheaper than the one I had been using (Bob Red Mill). Lo and behold, they puffed beautifully. So it may be worth changing your flour brand if you’ve tried everything else.
Ela
That’s so interesting, Abby! Thanks a lot for sharing. Is the rice flour finer (more powdery)?
Abby Bockholt
Maybe a little bit. So something to keep in mind. The ethnic one is cheaper too, so it’s a win-win.
Nat
I have a question can I use instant dry yeast (GF)
Ela
Yes, that should be fine.
Emily
Hey, is this recipe made with tapioca flour or starch? I have both and the flour isn’t so fine as the starch. I’ve used that, but the consistency of the dough is not the same as in the video. I let it rise now, will see if it turns out right.
Ela
Hi Emily, the one I use says “tapioca flour”, however, it’s very, very fine and light as starch.
Debbie
Can you tell me what fresh yeast is and how to make it or buy it? I’ve never heard of it?
Thanks.
Ela
Fresh yeast is sold in the refrigerated section of many grocery stores.
Aarohi
Awesome recipe… I made bhature (a traditional Indian fried bread) with the dough and it turned out amazing! I skipped the yeast and fermented it overnight with 1/4 cup soy yoghurt. It was the real deal!
Ela
That’s awesome! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Hannah Mayhorn
My pita bread turned a lavender/light purple color after cooking. I’ve never had that happen before when cooking or baking anything. I didn’t substitute anything… Any idea what could have happened? Otherwise they were great! Soft and pliable, held together as a wrap for falafel and veggies.
Ela
Some psyllium brands may turn the bread a purple shade – don’t worry, this is normal and not a sign of spoilage!
KRYSTA SOLER
Thank you for your recipe ! My pita’s were delicious . I would like to make the them for school for my kids . Do you recommend I make the dough at night , store it in a fridge ( hope the dough won’t get hard ) and cook them in the morn pls ?
Ela
Yes, that should be fine. 🙂
Caro
thank you very much for this recipe! My daughter loved pittas and I wanted to put her on a gluten free diet for a while so I HAD to find a recipe of GF pita breads. I’ve just tried it and it was really good! the dough rose and everything but it didnt puff in the pan, but it was good anyway… I’ll keep this recipe and do it again soon! thank you!
Ela
Thanks for your feedback, Caro! 🙂
Niki
The recipes timing is way off. It says that you only need 30 mins so I started making it but the whole recipe takes 2 hours.
Ela
The resting time for the dough is not included. I might add it to the recipe notes.
Gabrielle
The pita bread was delicious. The first 2 puffed up the others didn’t- but they folded perfectly and held together.
Very simple recipe and easy to follow. I now am able to have pita bread again since I am both vegan and gluten-free- and am unable to locate a gluten-free vegan pita bread where I live. Thank you for this wonderful recipe ❤️
Ela
You are so welcome, Gabrielle. I am glad you like the recipe. 🙂
Ania
Very nice recipe, it didn’t puff up perfectly, but it could just be the yeast rising time. I also baked one with zaatar seasoning on it, it was fantastic! ( about 375F for 10
Ela
Thanks so much for your feedback, Ania. Love the Zaatar seasoning on it. 🙂
Greg
I had partial success getting the pocket. Can you tell us what brand of rice flour was used in the recipe? Mine is from Authentic Foods and the dough seemed a bit dry. So possibly a water variable is needed and maybe a description of how the dough feels when mixed?
Ela
Hi Greg, it’s a local brand (I live in the DR and the brand isn’t available in the US). I assume the rice flour I have is not as fine, also, I live in the tropics with over 90% humidity, which also has an effect on the dough. If yours was too dry, simply add more water. 🙂
Greg
Thanks for the reply. What I’m trying to find out is, did you buy what is called glutinous rice flour, also known as sweet rice flour or just regular rice flour?
I rewatched the part of the video where the dough had its first rise and you took it out of the bowl. It looked lively. My dough was very heavy and low in volume. Keep in mind, I’m a retired professional baker of 44 years, so easy to see difference.
My goal is to make your recipe correctly and maybe others whom didn’t the puff like me, are using the wrong rice flour is all?
Ela
Hi Greg, it’s regular white rice flour, not glutinous rice flour. I can’t even buy glutinous rice flour here. 🙂
Greg
Thanks for the reply back. I’’ll try a bit more water to see if it is just lacking that due to the brand of rice flour.
Ela
No worries, Greg. 🙂
Amelie
I had same feeling as you about the part of the video where we can see the texture of the paste. Mine is not as smooth, but breakable… I tried again 3 times the recipe and it failed. But il’s very good as well !
Tina
This was disappointing. I followed the recipe, tried different thicknesses, and none of them puffed up. There were no bubbles before the first flip, nothing. My dough was not sticky like some others, it was very soft and pliable. As Naan bread, it’s delicious! But as pita, it just didn’t work. Would highly recommend this recipe as naan bread though!!
Ela
Hi Tina, sorry to hear none of them puffed up. It doesn’t always happen, and maybe your next batch will puff up. If you read through all comments (several pages), you will see that many readers had success. The secret is to not over-work the dough. Some readers wrote:
“Absolutely LOVED. These pita pockets. They puffed up wonderfully and I cooked them at 6,200 ft in elevation I was worried they wouldn’t turn out but they couldn’t have been more perfect.”
“The last two puffed… I think I over worked the first three – though they did try to puff in some areas…”
“This gluten free pita worked great on a pizza stone at 475”
“I had work and a few other things going, so the dough was left out for about 4 hours. This was probably set up to fail, but it turned out great, I made 3 and have six dough balls in the fridge for the coming days. In regards to puffing when baking, I used a Tefal skillet, and had one piece puffed very nicely, almost separating completely from inside, it was rolled last, baked first. The other two puffed up though not as much, I think it works better if baked quickly as the dough tends to dry out faster than wheat flour which keeps fermenting and softer much longer than rice and tapioca.”
“I made 6 little balls and rolled 5 super thin. None of them puffed, but they do taste good. The last one I rolled, not so thin and SURPRISE!!! Tons of puff”.
“This recipe was so easy and I loved how it cooked up so beautifully and puffy! It’s a keeper!”
“they puffed up just fine, but I find that they don’t cook evenly on both sides. By the time you flip it, it’s already puffing up and so the sides don’t get cooked.”
So, as you can read, it’s a lot of trial and error, and you shouldn’t give up too soon. 🙂
Helen
Trial and error is expensive!
Material Girl
good flavor. Also after reading the reviews I feel like y’all need to take a chill pill.
Sara
I am a seasoned GF cook and baker, yet no matter what I did (followed recipe exact, tried different thicknesses), I just could not get them to puff. However, not did this make a tasty flatbread! I will continue making this recipe to see if I can get it to puff up for pockets, but if not, I’ll still enjoy the flatbread! 🙂
Sara
That should say – boy, did that make tasty flatbread! Silly autocorrect changed boy to not. Sorry about that!
Ela
No worries, Sara. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Helen
Same I’ve tried 3 times and only 1 out of the 15 that I made puffed up..The taste is great…I’m going to try it in a OOni next
Maria
I second what Angel said.
Ela
That’s awesome, Maria. So glad you like my recipe. 🙂
Nell
I found my psyllium at Walmart. It was hard to see BYUtv I found it!!
Ela
Great!
Alex Cortez
All your recipes are amazing! Have you ever tried to make a gf pita without rice, soy, or oat flours (I am allergic to these too!)
Ela
Hi Alex, I haven’t had any luck with that yet. However, if you are looking for a tortilla recipe without rice, corn, or oat flour, then check out these gluten-free tortillas or these keto tortillas. I know these are not pita recipes, but maybe they are still helpful. 🙂
Arzina
Hi Ela I am very excited to make the pita bread my husband and I are gluten free. The store bought flat bread does not taste good with Indian curries can I use the store bought gluten free 1:1 baking flour or I should I use the rice flour from Indian grocery store?
Thank you,
Ela
Hi Arzina, I would use the rice flour from an Indian grocery store. 🙂