Gluten free Nutella doughballs recipe – you only need 5 ingredients to make them! They’re low FODMAP and can easily be dairy free or vegan too.
Gluten free Nutella doughballs recipe, anyone? Tons of you guys have been asking me for it, so I imagine someone wants it! And remember, these are sweet pizza doughballs, not doughnuts ?
The reason I say that is because so many people have messaged me asking for the Nutella ‘doughnuts’!!
Ok, I’ll admit, they do look a bit like doughnuts. But actually, it’s a lovely dollop of gooey Nutella encased in a lovely, bread-y doughball – topped with icing sugar.
So where did I get the inspiration for these seemingly very random, but very awesome dessert doughballs?
Well, Pizza Express used to serve doughballs with a sweet dip for dessert… and yes, they could even do them gluten free! (I think this ended back in November so don’t get your hopes up!)
And after a quick Google, I found out that dessert pizza doughballs isn’t really a thing… so I made my own instead.
And I’m so glad I did! Every bite is like a little mouthful of mini Nutella bomb encased in sweet, bread-y pizza dough.
As I always say with my no yeast/no proving dough recipes – make sure you enjoy them fresh from the oven whilst they’re warm.
OR make sure you give each doughball a quick blast in the microwave before enjoying again. No yeast dough tends to get quite dry and dense as it cools and that’s totally normal.
You just need to heat them up again to wake them up and restore them to their former glory!
But what are my secret 5 ingredients? Well, read the ingredients list below here and treat it as your shopping list for my gluten free Nutella doughballs recipe.
You can optionally include the baking powder if you have it, but it’s not overly necessary. I put it in almost as superstition at this point!
Gluten Free Nutella Doughballs: Ingredients
- 260g yoghurt (I use Greek yoghurt which is quite thick, any yoghurt should work though)
- 250g gluten free self raising flour
- 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
- 50g caster sugar
- Nutella (or another chocolate spread), chilled
- 1/2 tsp gluten free baking powder (optional)
Looking for the method? Keep scrolling down the post until you see the recipe card ??
Gluten Free Nutella Doughballs: Frequently asked questions and tips
And here’s a few answers to some frequently asked questions, as well as a few tips and product recommendations for this recipe. Hopefully this will help you to make this recipe perfect, first time!
Can I make this recipe gluten free? Is it suitable for Coeliacs?
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.
Is your gluten free Nutella doughballs recipe dairy free?
Yep, this recipe can easily be dairy free! First of all, use a thick dairy free yoghurt – I used Koko dairy free plain yoghurt to make this recipe.
Then use a dairy-free alternative to Nutella like this cocoa and hazelnut spread. Just be sure to read the labels and make sure they’re both dairy free!
Can I make this recipe vegan?
It is vegan if you follow the steps above the make it dairy free. Butof course, instead of using egg-wash, use a little soy milk instead. Easy!
Is your gluten free Nutella doughballs recipe low FODMAP?
Yes! You can easily make this low FODMAP by starting with lactose free plain or greek yoghurt – that way, it’s suitable for the elimination phase of the FODMAP diet and all other phases too.
If you use a lactose-free alternative to Nutella like this, then a serving size of 1-2 doughballs would be suitable for the elimination phase of the low FODMAP diet.
I can’t find any yoghurt, can I use anything else?
Although yoghurt is my preferred choice you can actually use sour cream too, just ensure it’s a similar thickness to yoghurt. Same goes for buttermilk.
Is this recipe nut free?
This recipe contains Nutella in some form, so unfortunately it is not nut-free. You can feel free to experiment with changing the filling however!
Do I need any special equipment to make your gluten free Nutella doughballs recipe?
Nope, just a spatula will do!
I can’t buy gluten free self-raising flour where I live, can I use gluten free plain flour?
If you use gluten free plain flour, then the baking powder goes from being optional to mandatory. Gluten free self-raising flour naturally has a little baking powder in it (usually) but gluten free plain flour doesn’t, so make sure you add your own.
Can I make this recipe without xanthan gum?
There’s a little xanthan gum in self-raising flour already, so in a sense, yes you can skip adding more xanthan gum, though I always make mine with it just to be safe. It really helps the texture!
But if you wanted to make this with gluten free plain flour and no xanthan gum, then you’re on your own – I wouldn’t recommend it!
Can I make this recipe using other gluten free flours like buckwheat flour or coconut flour?
There’s a big difference between ‘gluten free self-raising flour’ and a *singular* type gluten free flour. When I say ‘gluten free self-raising flour’ in a recipe, I mean a BLEND of gluten free flours, not just one, singular flour.
Most gluten free flour you buy in the supermarket typically contains a blend of rice flour, potato flour, maize flour, tapioca flour AND buckwheat flour. That’s a lot of different flours!
So to replace it with just one specific type of flour… that’s not going to cut it at all. Definitely go for a gluten free flour blend.
Do I need weighing scales to bake your gluten free Nutella doughballs recipe?
In short… yes, yes and yes! And I wouldn’t advise attempting any of my recipes without them. One of the worst things you can do in any baking recipe is alter the quantities by mistake or on purpose.
A lot of work went into fine tuning ratios and quantities so I wouldn’t mess around with them unless you really know your stuff. I’d recommending using digital cooking scales like these so you know you’re getting an accurate measurement.
What yoghurt should I use for this recipe?
It’s totally up to you – I like to keep this vegan and dairy free so I used Koko dairy free plain yoghurt. It also has no high FODMAP ingredients in it.
But if you’re not dairy free or vegan, feel free to use regular ol’ Greek yoghurt too. Lactose free Greek yoghurt is the best for the elimination phase of the low FODMAP diet.
Whatever you use, just make sure your yoghurt is nice and thick, not watery!
How long can I keep your gluten free Nutella doughballs for?
They’re best eaten fresh as they will start to lose their crisp, freshly baked exterior unless eaten a few hours after baking. However, you can keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.
Then when you want to enjoy one again, simply reheat in the microwave for 30 seconds-1 minute at full power.
Can I freeze your gluten free Nutella doughballs?
Yes! You can keep them in the freezer in an airtight container for up to 2-3 months.
When you want to eat them, simply allow to defrost at room temperature for 3-4 hours. Then, heat them up again either in the oven or in the microwave.
Can I reheat them in the microwave?
Yes you can! These are best enjoyed warm as they harden up once cooled. So a quick blast in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute is always a good idea.
Can I print your gluten free Nutella doughballs recipe?
Of course! Just hit the print button located on the recipe card below ?? (otherwise you might end up printing this entire post which would probably make your printer go into early retirement)
Gluten Free Nutella Doughballs: Troubleshooting
My dough is too wet and sticky, what should I do?
Assuming you’ve used a nice, thick yoghurt, just add a little extra flour when it comes together. The dough should be a little sticky before you knead it in flour.
This is so that when you knead it on a floured surface, it won’t instantly become too dry.
Some people have attempted to make this dough using milk in yoghurt – please don’t, it won’t work! A thicker yoghurt will mean you need to add less flour too, otherwise you can end up with a very dense end product.
My dough is really dry and cracked, what should I do?
Add a little extra yoghurt until it becomes slightly sticky. Then it should be perfect.
They came out incredibly dense and hard, what happened?
If you use a really runny natural yoghurt, instead of a nice, thick yoghurt, you might have to add extra flour to get the dough to come together.
But remember, the more flour you add, the heavier you’re making each doughball. And heavy = more dense!
Why did my Nutella doughballs come out pale?
If you don’t egg-wash them on top, they don’t tend to colour much at all. So definitely use egg-wash if you can!
They were nice warm, but once they cooled, they became really hard. What happened?
When you make dough like this with yoghurt, it’s totally normal for this to happen. That’s why they’re best eaten fresh or simply warmed up again in the microwave.
As there’s no yeast or proving required (something which would make this recipe take triple the time to make) you aren’t gonna be getting that fluffy bread-like texture in the middle and it’ll dry out quicker.
But the heat helps to wake everything up again and bring back that bread-y texture!
The Nutella in the middle came out a little black – what did I do wrong?
Chilling the Nutella before using it means that it won’t reach as high of a temperature in the oven when baked.
That will stop it getting that tar-like tinge that it gets when you cook Nutella for too long. So definitely make sure you chill your jar of Nutella in the fridge before using it!
Ok, so here’s my gluten free Nutella doughballs recipe. Please rate it 5 stars if you liked it as it helps others to know it’s a recipe worth trying! Feel free to leave your written reviews in the comments below this post ??
Gluten Free Nutella Doughballs Recipe (low FODMAP + dairy free/vegan option)
Gluten free Nutella doughballs recipe, anyone? You only need 5 ingredients and they're super easy to make. Easily dairy free and vegan too!
SERVINGS: 13
PREP TIME: 10 minutes mins
TOTAL TIME: 28 minutes mins
PRINT RECIPE
4.54 from 15 votes
Ingredients
- 260 g yoghurt I use Greek yoghurt which is quite thick, any yoghurt should work though
- 250 g gluten free self raising flour
- 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
- 50 g caster sugar
- Nutella or another chocolate spread, chilled
- 1/2 tsp gluten free baking powder optional
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 180C Fan / 200C and prepare a dish with parchment (I like the dish to be quite small so that the 13 doughballs don't have much space and bake together.
Before I start, make sure your Nutella has been chilling in the fridge, I always find it helps to stop the Nutella overcooking in the oven.
Add all your ingredients into a bowl and mix together (except the Nutella). I initially just do this with a spatula and then as it starts to come together I use my hands to ensure it's all pushed into a big ball.
Knead the dough briefly so it's smooth and combined (you might need a little flour if it's a bit sticky, it shouldn't be, but it depends on the thickness of your yoghurt)
Split the dough up into equally sized chunks. This amount usually makes me about a bakers dozen (13!) at around 45g per piece of dough.
Make each piece of dough into a ball shape, then push down into the centre of each with your thumb to flatten it and spoon in about a tsp of chilled Nutella. Fold / wrap the dough around the chilled Nutella and roll it in your hands to get it back into a ball shape without any Nutella showing - otherwise it might leak out!
Place the balls into your prepared baking dish. If there are any joins make sure they are on the bottom.
Brush with a little egg wash or milk for some extra colour whilst baking.
Place in the oven for around 18 minutes. Check them at 15 minutes though. They might take up to about 22 minutes depending on the oven.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool only slightly before dusting with icing sugar and eating warm!
You can eat them cold as well but ideally only on the day they were made, you can also warm them up briefly in a microwave or oven to refresh 🙂 I sometimes serve mine with a little extra nutella, because... why not! Enjoy!
Thanks for reading all about my gluten free Nutella doughballs recipe! If you make it, I’d love to see how it turned out so don’t forget to take a snap of your creations and tag me on Instagram!
Any questions about the recipe? Please do let me know by following me onInstagram and leaving me a comment on a recent photo!
Thanks for reading,
Becky xxx
Oh and don’t forget to pin this for later!
