Gluten-Free Dacquoise

A classic dacquoise: three crisp, chewy discs of toasted hazelnut meringue layered with a light chocolate cream made from ganache and whipped cream. There is no flour at all, and it softens slightly as it chills for neat slices.

Prep: 40 min Cook: 70 min Total: 360 min Serves: 10

At a glance: This hard desserts recipe yields 10 servings in about 6h (40 min prep, 70 min cook). It uses 10 ingredients — including hazelnuts, cornstarch, egg whites — and walks through 7 steps. Updated October 24, 2026. Browse more desserts recipes or return to all gluten-free recipes.

As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Shop links in the ingredient list are affiliate links and do not change the recipe.

Cross-Contamination Warning for Gluten-Free Dacquoise: When preparing this desserts recipe, chopped and roasted nuts are often processed on shared lines with grains, so check the hazelnut label. Some chocolate is made on shared lines too.

Gluten-Free Notes for Gluten-Free Dacquoise: Dacquoise is made of nut meringue, chocolate and cream, with cornstarch to keep the ground nuts dry, so it needs no flour. Use hazelnuts, cornstarch, chocolate, vanilla and cocoa labeled gluten-free.

Scale Recipe:

servings

Ingredient amounts update automatically

Instructions

1 Preheat the oven to 275°F (135°C). Draw three 8-inch circles on two sheets of parchment, flip them over and lay them on baking sheets.
2 Pulse the hazelnuts with the cornstarch until finely ground but not oily.
3 Whip the egg whites and cream of tartar to soft peaks, then add the sugar a tablespoon at a time and whip to stiff, glossy peaks. Fold in the hazelnut mixture gently.
4 Spread or pipe the meringue evenly inside the three circles.
5 Bake for 60-70 minutes, until dry and lightly golden. Turn off the oven and leave the discs inside for 1 hour, then cool and peel off the parchment.
6 For the chocolate cream, heat 1 cup cream until steaming, pour over the chocolate, wait 2 minutes and stir smooth. Cool until thick but still soft, about 40 minutes. Whip the remaining cup of cream with the vanilla to soft peaks and fold it into the ganache.
7 Set one disc on a plate and spread with a third of the chocolate cream. Repeat with the remaining discs and cream, smoothing the last layer on top. Chill for at least 2 hours, then dust with cocoa or top with hazelnuts and slice with a serrated knife.

Tips & Notes

Grind the hazelnuts with the cornstarch and stop as soon as they are fine. Overprocessed nuts turn into paste and deflate the dacquoise meringue.
Let the dacquoise discs dry in the turned-off oven. It sets the crisp outside while the centers stay slightly chewy.
Chill the assembled dacquoise for at least 2 hours. The meringue softens just enough to slice cleanly without shattering.

Common questions

What cross-contamination risk is specific to Gluten-Free Dacquoise?

Check hazelnuts, toasted and skinned, cornstarch, egg whites, at room temperature before they go into Gluten-Free Dacquoise. Chopped and roasted nuts are often processed on shared lines with grains, so check the hazelnut label. Some chocolate is made on shared lines too.

Which gluten-free swaps does Gluten-Free Dacquoise use?

Gluten-Free Dacquoise relies on 2 tbsp cornstarch. Keep those gluten-free-labeled products in place of a gluten-containing flour or sauce.

Learn More

The Science of Gluten-Free Baking

Understand why gluten-free baked goods behave differently and how to fix common issues.

Hidden Sources of Gluten You Never Knew Existed

Discover surprising foods and products that contain hidden gluten.

Share on X Save to Pinterest

Gluten Free Recipes team

Editorial team for Gluten Free Recipes

Pages on Gluten Free Recipes are published under the byline "Gluten Free Recipes team". That is the name of the site's editorial team. Recipes are written with AI tools and automation, and the team reviews flagged items. We check each page before it is published. How we make our recipes.

Recipes and images on this site are AI-assisted. They pass automated checks, and the team reviews flagged items.