Sticking to a gluten free and paleo diet doesn't have to be limiting. There are plenty of quick tricks and substitutes that will have you baking gluten and paleo-friendly versions of all of your favorite snacks. Whether it's a matter of swapping out one ingredient for another or learning what to add to change the consistency in a recipe, these fourteen gluten free and paleo baking hacks will have you cooking for any lifestyle.
Substitute Oat Flour for Wheat Flour
One of the easiest ways to avoid gluten while baking is by ditching wheat flour altogether. Wheat flour is used in a wide variety of recipes ranging from pizza crust to cakes and cookies. Luckily there is an easy way to avoid gluten in many baking recipes by swapping wheat flour with oat flour.
Oat flour can be substituted on a 1:1 ratio to wheat flour, eliminating one of the biggest contributors of gluten in the original recipe. Just be sure to choose a gluten free tested oat flour, as oats can be exposed to gluten in the process, or make your own. Some recipes may require the addition of xanthan gum to help with binding.
Oat Flour can be Made Quickly in a Blender
If you don't have any premade oat flour stocked in the pantry, it's easy to whip up some of your own. Oat flour can be created easily by blending whole gluten free oats until they are finely ground and then substitute the ground oats for wheat flour in most recipes.
Use a Mix of Flours to Create a Better Texture

When creating a gluten free flour, try mixing two different types of flour at a 40-60% ratio. This will give the flour a thicker substance and make it more versatile when baking.
One of the biggest complaints about gluten free flours is that they do not have as much volume as traditional wheat flours. This lack of volume can easily be fixed by adding guar gum or
xanthan gum to the flour creating a more voluminous mixture.
Gluten-Free Cake Mix can be Used for More Than Just Cake
Numerous amounts of mixes and gluten free flours are available on grocery store shelves, and gluten free cake mix is one of the most versatile baking mixes sold. It can be used not only for cakes, but for muffins, bread, and pound cakes as well.
Add Baking Powder to Gluten Free Flours to Help Them RiseAlong with volume, gluten-free flours often lack the ability to rise and result in flattened out baked goods. Adding just a touch of baking powder to a gluten free flour can help it rise better and mimic that of the traditional flours.
Substitute Flour Tortillas with Corn
When eating out at restaurants or baking at home, tortillas often pose a problem for the gluten free crowd. Tortilla dishes can easily be made gluten free by swapping flour tortillas with corn tortillas.
Swap Traditional Wraps with Lettuce WrapsOne of the easiest tricks and swaps to make when following a paleo diet is to swap out traditional wraps for lettuce wraps. Lettuce wraps cut out some of the carbs in a meal and eliminate the processed grains found in traditional wraps.
Choose Coconut Milk, Not Cow's Milk
When trying to avoid dairy on a paleo diet, swap out cows milk for almond milk or coconut milk. Both are packed with nutrients and leave out animal products altogether.
Use Coconut Cream Instead of Regular Cream
Paleo diets choose to stay away from dairy altogether (including creams and creamers). To avoid using dairy-based creams, substitute them with coconut cream. It has the same sweetness and texture, so you'll hardly be able to notice the difference!
Substitute Sugar with Honey
A paleo diet strays away from any processed and unnatural foods including processed and refined sugars. To keep the sweetness in your life, substitute sugar with natural sweeteners such as honey or agave syrup. Both are unrefined and incredibly sweet additions to any meal!
Substitute Rice with Cauliflower
One of the easiest ways to cut out grains and gluten from your diet is by swapping rice out for cauliflower. Freshly grated cauliflower mixed with spices and seasonings can take on the texture and flavor of rice while remaining paleo and completely gluten free!
Vegetable Noodle Pasta
To make the perfect paleo and gluten free pasta, swap out traditional pasta noodles for vegetable noodles! When cooked, the texture remains very similar and can be topped with practically anything traditional pasta can.
Have some great tips and tricks to add? Share your favorites in the comments below!