Light and crispy, buttery Gluten Free Vanilla Wafers are a homemade version of classic Nilla Wafers. These vanilla-flavored cookies melt in your mouth and are perfect as a treat on their own, or you can add them to your favorite desserts!

A stack of gluten-free vanilla wafers on a countertop, surrounded by more wafers.

Crispy Gluten-Free Homemade Nilla Wafers

There’s just something about making my own gluten-free versions of classic boxed cookies that’s so satisfying. I remember Nilla wafers growing up, but since going gluten-free, I’ve yet to find a store-bought version that’s gluten-free and still hits the spot.

This recipe for homemade gluten-free vanilla wafers doesn’t just hit the mark, it nails it completely! These petite vanilla cookies are crisp and light, full of rich vanilla flavor with a melt-in-your-mouth, buttery texture. They’re totally better than anything from a box, and they don’t take much effort to make.

These gluten-free wafers are delicious on their own with a glass of milk or cup of coffee, or I’ll add them to my favorite desserts. They keep fresh for days after they’re baked, so you’ll have plenty of time to dream up new ways to enjoy them!

What Are Vanilla Wafers?

Vanilla wafer cookies go by the brand name Nilla Wafers in the US. These are light and crispy cookies flavored with vanilla, perfect to enjoy on their own or to incorporate into more delicious desserts. This homemade gluten-free version is super simple to make!

Assorted gluten-free vanilla wafers arranged inside a rectangular baking dish.

What You’ll Need

Below is a short overview of the ingredients you’ll need to make gluten-free vanilla wafers. Be sure to scroll to the recipe card for the full recipe details:

Gluten-Free Flour: I’m partial to King Arthur Flour’s gluten-free flour blend.
Leavening and Salt: These vanilla cookies use a combination of baking powder and baking soda to get that crisp and airy texture. You’ll need a pinch of salt to balance the flavors.
Sugar and Butter: Creaming together the sugar with room-temperature butter forms the base for the gluten-free wafer batter. I prefer to bake with unsalted butter, but if you use salted butter, consider leaving out any added salt so that your cookies don’t come out tasting salty.
Egg Whites: Egg whites trap air and give these gluten-free copycat Nilla wafers their signature thick and puffy shape.
Vanilla: You can’t have vanilla wafers without vanilla! For the best flavor, use pure vanilla extract.
Milk: You’ll need a couple of spoonfuls of milk to thin out the batter. Use your choice of whole milk or 2%.

The ingredients for homemade gluten-free vanilla wafers.

How to Make Gluten-Free Vanilla Wafers

There are only a few easy steps involved in making these better-than-the-box vanilla wafers:

Make the Wafer Batter: In a small bowl, first, whisk together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy, then add the egg whites and vanilla. Gradually add in the dry ingredients, followed by a spoonful or two of milk. The batter should be soft and a bit paste-like.

Vanilla and egg whites added to creamed sugar and butter in a metal mixing bowl.

The batter for gluten-free vanilla wafers comes together in a metal mixing bowl.

Pipe the Batter: Next, transfer the batter to a piping bag, and pipe quarter-sized circles onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, about 1 inch apart. I recommend using a knife or offset spatula to trim the batter from the end of the piping bag, so the cookie tops are level. You can use your finger to smooth out the tops of the cookies.

A piping bag pipes swirls of gluten-free wafer batter onto a lined baking sheet.

An knife is used to cut the vanilla wafer batter from the end of a piping bag as it's piped onto a lined baking sheet.

Bake: Pop the baking sheet with the wafers into a preheated oven for about 18 minutes at 325ºF.
Cool: Once your gluten-free vanilla wafers are out of the oven, leave them to cool completely on the cookie sheet before storing them. See below for storage tips, as well as easy ways to use these homemade Nilla wafers.

Assorted vanilla wafers on a metal baking sheet.

Tips for Success

Below are additional tips for the best homemade vanilla wafers:

Use room temperature ingredients. The butter and even the egg whites should come to room temperature before you start, as they’ll combine more smoothly with the other ingredients.
Use real vanilla extract. Vanilla is the star here, and these gluten-free vanilla wafers come out the best when they’re made with real vanilla extract over imitation.
Don’t overmix. You want wafers that are light and crisp, not dense and chewy. Make sure that you measure your ingredients correctly, and avoid overmixing the dough.

Two gluten-free vanilla wafers stacked on top of one another, with a bite missing from the top cookie, and more cookies in a baking dish in the background.

Can I Make the Cookie Dough Ahead?

Absolutely. The batter for your gluten-free vanilla wafers can be made up to a day ahead and kept airtight in the fridge until you’re ready to portion and bake it. I recommend letting the batter sit out at room temperature for about 15 minutes beforehand so that it softens up again.

The unbaked cookies can also be prepared ahead and frozen. After you’ve piped and smoothed out the wafer dough on the baking sheet, place the whole thing in the freezer to pre-freeze.

Once solid, transfer the frozen wafers to a ziptop bag to keep frozen for up to 2 months. Bake the vanilla wafer dough straight from frozen (this may call for an extra minute or two of baking time).

How to Store Vanilla Wafer Cookies

Once these gluten-free vanilla wafers have cooled, store them airtight on the counter for up to 5-7 days. You can also freeze these cookies for up to one month, see the next section for details.

Can I Freeze Vanilla Wafers?

Yes! The baked wafers can be stored airtight in the freezer for up to one month. Thaw the cookies at room temperature before serving.

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