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With golden, flaky puff pastry, a crunchy cheese topping and a kiss of spice from the cayenne pepper, these Gluten Free Cheese Straws are the perfect savoury treat.
Topped with a mixture of parmesan and Cheddar cheese, these puff pastry cheese straws are great for a picnic or buffet table.
I often make these from the offcuts when I make anything with gluten free puff pastry but honestly, they are so good they’re worth making on their own.
I absolutely love how golden and flaky they are, puffing up in the oven to create a rich and tasty bake. Nothing beats pastry and cheese, right!?
These cheese straws are a great recipe to make at Christmas-time for a party food buffet or in the summer for a delicious picnic.
The best gluten free puff pastry
You can make gluten free cheese straws using pre-made gluten free puff pastry, such as JusRol, if you like.
But I would highly recommend taking the time to make your own gluten free puff pastry using my recipe – it puffs up SO much better than anything pre-made.
My easy recipe only uses a few ingredients and is so much easier than you might think. I’ve even got a handy recipe video to guide you:
My top tip for making puff pastry is to definitely keep it as cold as possible. Don’t skip any of the chilling steps in the recipe!
It’s really important to ensure the lumps of butter don’t melt – as these are what gives the pastry it’s ‘puff’ in the oven.
So make sure when you’re creating this gluten free puff pastry that you always chill it between folds and keep it nice and cold until you’re ready to bake it.
The same goes with constructing the gluten free cheese straws. Once you have made them, you must chill them before baking.
Gluten Free Straws FAQs
I have popped the full recipe in the card below but here are a few commonly asked questions about my gluten cheese straws:
ARE THESE GLUTEN CHEESE STRAWS DAIRY FREE/VEGAN?
Currently my gluten free puff pastry recipe uses butter and I haven’t trialled it with a successful dairy free alternative.
You cannot make puff pastry with vegan margarine as it doesn’t stay solid so as yet this recipe contains dairy and is not vegan.
And of course the cheese on top does contain dairy so you’d need to use a vegan cheese alternative instead.
The pastry itself is egg free though, so if you want to keep the whole thing egg-free then use milk to brush the pastry instead of beaten egg.
CAN YOU BUY GLUTEN FREE CHEESE STRAWS CASES?
In the 20+ years I have had coeliac disease I have never seen gluten free cheese straws for sale aside from at free from markets and events.
You may be able to find some independent gluten free bakeries who sell these but really they’re very easy to make – and cheaper!
CAN I FREEZE THESE GLUTEN FREE CHEESE STRAWS?
If you want to get ahead when making these gluten free cheese strwas then you can actually freeze them ahead of time at several stages.
You could make the puff pastry and then freeze the pastry dough after the final fold, ready to defrost, roll out the dough and construct the cheesy straws.
You can also freeze the cheese straws cases once constructed, then defrost them and bake when ready.
And once they have baked you can cool and then freeze the cooked gluten free cheese straws and then defrost and fill when needed.
Gluten Free Cheese Straws Recipe
This easy gluten free cheese straws recipe makes 14 straws, but you can cut these in half to make 28 smaller ones if you like.
You can also make them thinner but I like them around 1-inch wide. It’s up to you if you keep them straight or twist them up – or a mix of both!]
If you make this recipe and love it, please do let me know by tagging me on my Instagram or using #theglutenfreeblogger. I love seeing your bakes!
And if you loved it, please do leave a review to let others know you loved it too! It would mean the world to me.
Gluten Free Cheese Straws
These golden and delicious gluten free cheese straws are made using flaky gluten free puff pastry, perfect for party food or picnics.
Ingredients
- 1 x batch gluten free puff pastry
- 1 egg (beaten)
- 20g finely grated parmesan cheese
- 20g finely grated Cheddar cheese
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- Sea salt flakes
Instructions
- Make the gluten free puff pastry as per the recipe here and then chill. Once completely chilled, roll out to a large rectangle around 4mm thick. Trim the edges to create a neat rectangle (save these to one side to make into extra cheese straws).
- Cut the rectangle into 14 strips, approximately 1-inch wide each. Lay them on a baking sheet around 1-2cm apart. If necessary use two trays to ensure they are evenly spaced. You can also lay out the offcuts to bake as extras at the same time.
- Brush the strips of pastry with beaten egg. Sprinkle the cheeses over the top and then dust with cayenne pepper. If you like, you can gently twist the pastry or keep them as straight 'straws'. Place the baking trays into the fridge for at least 30 minutes before baking. Do not skip this step!
- When chilled, preheat the oven to 200C / Fan 180C / Gas Mark 6. Bake the cheese straws for 12-15 minutes until golden and puffed up. Once baked, remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack before eating.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
14Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 17Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 82mgCarbohydrates: 0gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 1g
NEED SOME MORE GLUTEN FREE baking INSPIRATION?
Want to have a go at some of the other gluten free party food recipes on the blog?
Give some of these other gluten free recipes a try for your next buffet!
I’ve also got my gluten free Christmas page with everything you need to enjoy a safe festive season.
There are plenty to choose from – here are a couple to get you going:
- My FULL gluten free Christmas guide
- Gluten free Mini Cheddars
- Gluten free lebkuchen
- Classic gluten free mince pies
If you do make this recipe please let me know! I’d love to see your photos using #theglutenfreeblogger, share them in my Facebook group or tag me on Instagram.
And if you have any recipe suggestions, please let me know in the comments what you’d like to see next!
LIKE THIS GLUTEN FREE CHEESE STRAWS RECIPE?
Make sure you pin the recipe card below for later!
About the author
Sarah Howells is a UK gluten free blogger and author. She has been living with coeliac disease since 2002. Her debut recipe book, Delicious Gluten Free Meals, is out now in the UK and to pre-order in the US.
