Rice Paper Croissants Are a Buttery and Golden Shortcut Version of the Classic Pastry: Bakes in 30 Minutes

Although I live for a buttery croissant, my baking skills aren't pastry chef-level yet to be making them from scratch regularly. (Trust me, I've tried and nailing all of those flaky layers is no easy feat.) However, I've recently found an alternative that's rich and fuss-free to make thanks to a surprise ingredient: rice paper. You may recognize rice paper as the thin, clear wrapping for spring rolls. Well, it turns out it can also be used to whip up homemade croissants — and social media is completely on board with the idea! Keep reading to find out more about rice paper croissants and an easy recipe that your taste buds will love.

The basics of making croissants

Traditional croissants are made by folding yeast dough and butter several times to create a puff pastry. The pastry dough is cut into triangles and rolled into croissants before allowing them to rise and prepping them for the oven. This process produces airy and golden croissants, however, it's time-consuming. The good news is, there's a simpler way to make homemade croissants using rice paper.

How rice paper works to create easy croissants from scratch

A rice paper wrapper is thin, but stacking a few on top of each other replicates the multiple layers in puff pastry. From there, you can slice the stacked rice paper into triangles and roll each one into a croissant. In 10 minutes, you'll have a batch of croissants that are ready to bake — making it the perfect treat to prepare on a whim. Rice paper is typically sold in the international food aisle alongside dry noodles and other ingredients used in Asian cuisine.

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A yummy recipe for rice paper croissants

Here, you'll find a simple recipe for Rice Paper Croissants from TikTok creator @misojenkitchen . Since rice paper wrappers are dry, she dips them into a beaten egg mixture so they're pliable for rolling into croissants. The baked croissants are delicious to enjoy with a smear of softened butter, jam or Nutella any time of the day! (This Croffles recipe is another mouthwatering treat that's great if you love croissants and waffles.)

Rice Paper Croissants

Ingredients:

• 6 rice paper sheets
• 2 eggs
• ¼ cup milk
• 1½ Tbs. sugar + more for sprinkling on croissants before baking
• ½ tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 Tbs. melted butter
• ¼ tsp. cinnamon
• ¼ tsp. baking powder

Directions:

• Yield: 2 servings

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In medium bowl, whisk eggs, 1½ Tbs. sugar, vanilla extract, melted butter, cinnamon and baking powder until well combined. Working one rice paper sheet at a time, dip into egg mixture.
3. Layer 3 dipped sheets on top of each other. Cut all 3 layers of rice paper to create triangle in middle. Place one side of cut rice paper vertically on triangle rice paper. Lay other cut rice paper piece horizontally along long end of triangle-shaped rice paper. Roll rice paper towards tip of triangle to form croissant shape.
4. Place croissants on baking sheet and sprinkle top with layer of sugar. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until croissants are golden and puffy. Once baked, remove from oven and transfer to cooling rack. Cool slightly and serve.
5. Bonus: Customize your croissants by using pumpkin spice in place of cinnamon, or adding citrus zest to the beaten egg mixture.

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