The 2 Ingredients You Need For Extra Crispy Gluten-Free Fritters

These days, you don't have to give up too many crispy, crunchy foods in order to follow a gluten-free diet thanks to all of the alternative ingredients widely available. One of those foods that you might have thought were a remnant of the past is fritters because the snack is often made with all-purpose flour. Despite your thoughts, we're here to tell you that there are two ingredients that you can use to make gluten-free fritters that won't sacrifice the crunch factor: rice flour and cornstarch.

It's what Tasting Table recipe developer Leah Maroney accomplished with our crispy and spicy kimchi fritters. The use of rice flour ensures extra crispiness because it won't absorb nearly as much oil as other flours, which is why some use it for fried chicken. Cornstarch offers double reassurance because the starch will absorb some of the moisture, providing a crunchier fritter. The use of the double agents will make fritters so crunchy that you probably won't even realize that the food is gluten-free.

It's easy to make gluten-free fritters with cornstarch and rice flour when you follow Lean Maroney's instructions. When it's time to work on the batter, you'll mix the cornstarch and rice flour with baking powder, gochugaru, soy sauce, eggs, and minced garlic. Then the rest of the ingredients will be folded into the batter. To ensure the fritters come out crispy, make sure the oil is at 325 degrees Fahrenheit before you drop the first batch. Otherwise, you risk the fritters absorbing oil before the food crisps and cooks through. Afterward, drain them on a wire rack over a baking sheet so any excess oil drops off and leaves crispy fritters to eat and serve.

Cornstarch and rice flour basically guarantee crispy gluten-free fritters with those other tips, but they aren't the only options. If you don't have, or like, cornstarch, use the same amount of potato starch for a similar effect. Tapioca starch is another ingredient to make crispy fritters. There are also many other gluten-free flours to choose from if you can't land rice flour. You can find gluten-free all-purpose flour, which will work similarly, at most grocery stores and on Amazon. More alternatives include tapioca and cornflours for your batch of crispy gluten-free fritters.