Homemade Gluten-Free Ice Cream Cones
These gluten-free ice cream cones taste just like the waffle cones from the ice cream shop! They are crisp and lightly spiced with a touch of cinnamon and nutmeg. Dip the tops in chocolate and sprinkle on gluten free sprinkles if you are feeling extra fancy.
Jump to RecipeUpdated 06/16/22 with a new recipe card, additional recipe directions and instructions along with updated images.
I have yet to experience a summer living gluten free. In Cape Cod, where we spend the majority of our summer, our diet is equal parts native berries and ice cream. Sort of like the bears in Yosemite. Many a day has been spent wading in the water, collecting crabs or eels, leaving us hot and famished, sandy and sticky–a perfect storm for throwing in the towel on dinner and going out for ice cream instead. Faced with a future without waffle cones, I decided to try to make my own homemade gluten-free waffle cones.
I remembered seeing a blog post some time ago by Kathy Strahs of Panini Happy. She made adorable mini cones on her panini press (which is known as a panini machini around these parts). So I set to work adapting her recipe to be gluten free. And I’m thrilled to report that it worked…and very well indeed!
There is a bit of a learning curve, to be sure. You need to play around with how much dough to put in the press, how firmly it needs to be pressed down, and how quickly the flat cone needs to be rolled around the mold (quickly…and it is hot). I learned that the thin cookies are easier to roll without cracking. I also discovered that I like the flavor of the darker cones, but that those need to be rolled when they are very hot or they will crack. Once I got the hang of it, I had about a dozen adorable cones, just waiting to be filled with ice cream (homemade, of course).
Now I’m not going to go so far as to say that this recipe will save my summer…but it sure will make it a lot more pleasurable. And now that the weather has warmed up, I’m sure the kids won’t wait until summer to put in their request for more gluten-free homemade waffle cones.
Here’s An Updated Version of the Recipe – 6/10/2021
So I did eventually get an actual waffle cone iron, and it’s proved to be an excellent investment. I hesitate to remove the previous instructions because #1 some folks don’t have a waffle iron and a panini press is an excellent alternative, and #2 look at my baby (the auburn kiddo pictured above)! I never want to remove a time capsule of a post just to update it. She just finished her first year of college and we are celebrating with ice cream and gluten-free homemade waffle cones, naturally!
Are you looking for delicious homemade ice cream to scoop into those cones? We’ve got you covered!
- Easy Homemade Fresh Blueberry Ice Cream
- Strawberry Buttermilk Ice Cream
- Dairy Free Chai Spice Coconut Ice Cream
If you make this recipe be sure to drop a comment and star rating below, and tag me on Instagram and use the hashtags #agirldefloured #deflouredrecipes! Thank you!
Homemade Gluten Free Waffle Cones
Equipment
- Waffle Cone Iron (Or Panini Press)
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 1½ cups gluten-free flour blend I like Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1
- 1½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum omit if your flour blend contains it
- pinch of ground cinnamon
- pinch of ground nutmeg
- pinch sea salt
Instructions
- Whip the cream with a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until it forms soft peaks. Gently stir in the extracts.
- Sift the flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and add it to the whipped cream. Fold together until a thick batter forms. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Heat a waffle cone iron (or panini press) to 375 degrees (or medium high). Add a heaping tablespoon of batter and press down the lid firmly. I use a small cookie dough scoop. Check on the waffle after 90 seconds. It should be light golden brown.
- Remove cookie to a cool surface, let cool for 10 seconds then roll into a cone shape. Hold firmly in place for about 10 seconds longer or until the cone is set. Repeat with the remaining batter.
I am SO TRYING THIS! It’s been on my list to try to do these gluten-free so I’m super excited to see that someone has already done it successfully! They look fantastic!
Let me know how they turn out! =)
Was searching for a homemade waffle cone recipe this evening, and yours caught my eye because it is gluten free. Unfortunately, I’m currently in a country where I cannot get most of the ingredients. But I’m definitely bookmarking your website and will be back. All best!
So happy to find this recipe! Thanks for sharing it!!
I’m going to try these with a cashew cream/coconut cream mix instead of the heavy cream – will be bringing these to a family weekend with one dairy allergy present. I’m so glad you posted the picture of the inside of the cones – it shows the thickness perfectly. I’m not sure what I’d use for a mold to roll them around, so I think I’ll try making bowls instead.
Wish me luck! 🙂
Fabulous! Hope they turn out wonderfully! 🙂
What brand is AP gluten free flour? Please.
Thank you. And, Yay! I do have a pizalle iron!!! Sandy
Hi Sandy, I usually make my own. Here is a link to the recipe…https://www.agirldefloured.com/2012/01/27/all-purpose-gluten-free-flour-blend/. If I’m out of my blend, I usually use Cup4Cup or the new flour blend from Trader Joes. 🙂
Tried these last night to make an ice-cream pack up for my gluten intolerant friend for her birthday. THEY WERE AMAZING! So easy to make, just used plain gluten free flour and normal whipping cream (the only sort available in Australia). I also didn’t have a waffle iron, so just used a normal flat sandwich press and it worked a treat. Rolled an envelope into a cone and stapled it, and it was good for about 8 cones before being ruined. Next time I will try mix up the spices, maybe add some ginger and mixed spice to make gingerbread cones.
Erin! I LOVE LOVE LOVE your idea of making gingerbread cones! I think I’m going to try that too! 🙂
Found a NEVER been used waffle cone iron.
I am going to give it a try at making a dough by using a *Biscuit and Pancake Mix* I Won’t Lie, I am not Brand Loyal Yet.
Thank You for Posting this! I Can’t Wait to Share it!
Hi Alison
I tried making these cones in a stovetop waffle cone iron today. Once removed from the heat and left to cool these tasted, as you said, probably better than bought cones – except the only way of removing the hot mixture from the iron was to tip it out into a soft, crumpled heap which then hardened. There was no way I could form cones. Do you have any helpful suggestions? Perhaps I need to add more flour.
I would love to make these work because they are delicious.
Many thanks
Hi jane! You stumped me! 🙂 I’ve only made the recipe using my pannini press (I’m not lucky enough to own a waffle cone iron). What flour blend did you use?
Another thought…I used my flour blend, which contains xanthan gum, when I made these. If your flour blend doesn’t contain any, it needs to be added. I’ve modified the recipe and hope that helps. 🙂
Thanks for your feedback. I used your AP flour blend, but not gum, so I’ll try it again with the gum. I had another try with the mixture I had left over in the fridge and I did manage to make ONE good cone so I’m full of hope. I wondered whether it was a temperature issue. The cone was awesome and my kids have enjoyed crunching up my failures.
So excited Alison! I added gum to the recipe and it worked a treat. Thin, crispy and delicious – like the bought ones, only better. Although it is mid-winter here, I will be sharing these with my GF friends. Thanks so much.
Hi Jane! So glad it worked! I’ve updated the recipe page. And you’ve inspired me to get my own waffle come iron and I’ve made 2 batches already–I think they are even better than store bought! 🙂
We are also dairy free. Any ideas on how to replace the heavy cream? Hope to try this soon.
I’d try coconut cream or cashew cream as a replacement. I haven’t done it myself, though, so be sure to report back and let us know how it goes! 🙂
Made these today using Pamela’s GF all purpose mix which contains guar gum so I omitted the xanthan gum. Otherwise made as directed. The batter was very firm, like a cookie dough. In fact, scooped it with cookie dough scoop onto hot pizzelle iron. Results: very good flavor, but rock hard crunchy. Would prefer a more tender crunch. Perhaps I will add more heavy cream next time? Anyone else have similar results? Thanks!
Hi Dana, changing the flour blend will usually get a different result. I haven’t tried it with Pamela’s…so I’m not sure how to fix the problem. 🙁
These turned out so good! My husband has been craving ice cream cones and these really hit the spot! Used my pizzelle press and they turned out perfectly! THANK YOU!
So happy! I need to update my photos and recipe because I recently purchased a waffle cone maker. And I agree–perfect and delish! <3
Hi Alison,
For the gluten-free waffle cones , can I replace the heavy cream for any vegetable oil?
Cheers,
Giovanna
No you can’t, because the cream is whipped and it contributes to the texture of the waffle cone. You could try it with whipped coconut cream instead–but I haven’t tried it that way myself and have no idea what the results would be.
Made these waffle cones on a waffle cone iron! They turned out great!!! Used PC All-Purpose GF Flour. They are a little porous when they are this thin, but for GF waffle cones, they are great! Thank you!
Ps. A half recipe on a Chef Master Waffle Cone Iron makes 8!
I haven’t tried that ap flour blend in my recipe, but I have recently purchased a waffle cone iron as well and am getting excellent resuluts! I find that the chilling time is really important to help with the cones’ structure.
These have become an absolute family favorite. My kids will ask me to make the cup cookies all the time (I use a mini waffle bowl iron).
We LOVE these too. I love the idea of making them waffle bowls! Thanks so much for your comment!
These did not turn out well for me. It could’ve been something I did, but I could not get them to harden at all. They were like super thin sugary pancakes, tasted ok, but after trying to shape, they didn’t stay. I did not have a waffle cone iron, so I tried to cook in a pan, but the dough was super thick and hard to flatten like Kelli said. Maybe I didn’t get them thin enough.
A waffle iron is key here to properly compress the dough. A waffle iron also cooks the dough on each side simultaneously, which allows them to harden. Cooking them in a pan will not give you the same results.
How thick is the batter supposed to be? These did not work for me. My batter was super thixk like cookie dough and was way to thick in the mini waffle iron I was using .
Didn’t harden at all HELP!
Sorry it didn’t work out! Were you using a waffle iron for waffle cones? The batter is quite thick and should be very cold before you put it in the waffle iron. The batter is done when it’s golden brown (my iron has a light that comes on to indicate doneness). Then the cones need to be rolled quickly because they do harden fast.