There’s nothing fun about missing out on your favourite flaky pastry. There’s also nothing fun about rolling the dice with coeliac disease. The clever folks over on TikTok have found a great workaround using surprising ingredients, yielding very surprising results. 

Layers of rice paper – the kind you’d use for fresh spring rolls – dipped in a sweet egg mixture akin to French toast batter and rolled into a crescent are baked until golden, puffy and crispy, and according to the intrepid cooks, it’s worth the hype.

Creator @twaydabae posted a video of the gluten-free creation on August 2, and in less than two weeks, other creators have joined in and racked up well over 3 million views.

Responses from the TikTok community have been largely positive (for now, the pendulum always swings) with one user commenting “For someone who can’t eat gluten I’m SO ecstatic to try this!”

The sentiment was largely echoed, “No way!!! Imma try to make it. Thank you for sharing Tway.”

Related story: Cronut, crookie, cube, cruffin: it’s time to stop ruining croissants

@misojenkitchen this is a 10/10 👏🏻🥐 #ricepapercroissant #ricepaper ♬ Juna – Clairo

Others had mixed feelings, “You know how mad I’d be if I bit into a croissant expecting flaky buttery goodness and got soggy egg rice paper.”

Creator @misojenkitchen made the rolling look easy and went viral for her step-by-step recipe too.

The rice paper sweets may be croissants in name only, but if you’re in a pinch and need a gluten-free treat with your morning latte, the trending recipe is pretty handy to have up your sleeve. Creators liken the rice paper version less to a traditional croissant, and more like a crisp sweet spring roll on the outside, with a chewy, cinnamon-flecked mochi-like interior.

How to make the viral rice paper croissant

Ingredients

• 2 eggs 
• 1/4 cup milk 
• 1.5 tbsp sugar plus extra for sprinkling
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 
• 1 tbsp melted butter 
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon 
• 1/4 tsp baking powder 
• 6 rice paper sheets 

Method

1. Preheat oven to 175°c. 
2. In a shallow baking dish whisk together the eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla extract, melted butter, cinnamon, and baking powder until well combined. 
3. Individually dip three rice paper sheets into the egg mixture and lay them on top of each other. 
4. Cut the rice paper stacks into three rough triangles 
5. Place one triangle stack vertically on the centre triangle, and one stack horizontally. 
6. Roll the rice paper towards the tip of the triangle to form a croissant shape. 
7. Place the rice paper croissants on a lined baking sheet and sprinkle generously with reserved sugar. 
8. Bake at 175°c for 30-35 minutes until golden and puffy

Is rice gluten-free?

Rice is one of those odd ones that no matter how many times we Google it, there’s a hint of doubt as to whether it’s actually gluten-free. The answer (again) is yes, rice is gluten-free. Just be mindful that cross-contamination with gluten can happen.

Related story: Coeliac or gluten intolerant? Here’s your guide to avoiding gluten in wine