25 Gluten-Free Dessert Recipes Everyone Will Love (2024)

Whether you are gluten-free or hosting someone who is, we're here for you with all kinds of delectable dessert recipes. Our go-to ideas for gluten-free desserts include creative takes on the classics—and you'll quickly find that baking without gluten is a cinch when you use our triple-tested recipes for gluten-free cakes, cookies, brownies, pies, puddings, pavlovas, and more.

25 Gluten-Free Dessert Recipes Everyone Will Love

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Coconut-Pecan Tart

25 Gluten-Free Dessert Recipes Everyone Will Love (1)

This elegant tart has an easy press-in crust made with shredded coconut and almond flour and a dreamy filling that imparts creamy butterscotch flavor. The best part? It's studded with chocolate and pecans.

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02of 25

Chocolate-Peanut-Butter-Caramel Cereal Bars

25 Gluten-Free Dessert Recipes Everyone Will Love (2)

There's a lot to like about this gluten-free riff on millionaire's shortbread. A crispy rice cereal-marshmallow base replaces the usual cookie layer, and there's a peanut-butter caramel tier and a dark chocolate shell. It's a no-bake bar cookie that tastes like you hit the jackpot.

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03of 25

Five-Ingredient Chocolate Chip Cookies

25 Gluten-Free Dessert Recipes Everyone Will Love (3)

Almond butter is the secret ingredient that binds these chocolate chip cookies together. They're free of flour, which makes them safe for anyone who is gluten intolerant.

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04of 25

Peach-Guava Pops

25 Gluten-Free Dessert Recipes Everyone Will Love (4)

Enjoy the flavor of fresh summer peaches in these ice pops that your whole family will enjoy. A combination of puréed and sliced peaches are mixed with guava juice, lime juice, and sugar for a refreshing gluten-free dessert.

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05of 25

Flourless Chocolate-Almond Cake

25 Gluten-Free Dessert Recipes Everyone Will Love (5)

Everyone will want a slice of this fudgy, rich, and decadent gluten-free chocolate cake. Almond flour gives the bittersweet chocolate batter body and a whipped crème fraîche topping provides the sweetness.

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06of 25

Strawberry-Lemonade Angel Pie

25 Gluten-Free Dessert Recipes Everyone Will Love (6)

Similar to a pavlova, this stunning summer dessert has a meringue base and a strawberry filling that's cooked with gelatin to make it easy to slice. Whipped cream and sliced strawberries are all the topping it needs.

07of 25

Vegan Blueberry Crisp

25 Gluten-Free Dessert Recipes Everyone Will Love (7)

Six cups of fresh blueberries are baked beneath an oat and almond crumble. Not only is this dessert gluten free, but it's also vegan—and absolutely delicious.

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08of 25

Brown-Sugar Peach Pavlova

25 Gluten-Free Dessert Recipes Everyone Will Love (8)

Using brown sugar for the meringue gives it a more caramelly flavor that pairs well with the poached peaches in this pavlova.

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09of 25

Dark Chocolate-Walnut Date Bar

25 Gluten-Free Dessert Recipes Everyone Will Love (9)

Here's a decadent no-bake treat that's free of gluten and refined sugar. This deep, dark chocolate bar is sweetened with a caramel-forward date purée, studded with walnuts and natural peanut butter, and layered with dark chocolate.

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10of 25

Coconut Water Granita

25 Gluten-Free Dessert Recipes Everyone Will Love (10)

This super simple gluten-free dessert—made with coconut water, sugar, and sliced strawberries—is exactly what we want on a hot summer day. All you need to do is combine the coconut water and sugar in a baking dish, freeze until solid, and then scrape occasionally to create ice crystals.

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11of 25

No-Bake Chocolate-Eggnog Crème Brûlée

25 Gluten-Free Dessert Recipes Everyone Will Love (11)

Avoid the fussy water bath and temperamental cooking process with this recipe for no-bake gluten-free crème brûlée. The cream mixture is infused with cinnamon and nutmeg, which makes it taste like our favorite holiday beverage.

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12of 25

Apple Sundaes with Cider Caramel Sauce

25 Gluten-Free Dessert Recipes Everyone Will Love (12)

Give the ice cream sundae a fall twist by serving scoops of vanilla with baked apple slices and a spiced caramel sauce.

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Almond-Coconut Chewy Chocolate Cookies

25 Gluten-Free Dessert Recipes Everyone Will Love (13)

Almond flour takes the place of the usual all-purpose flour in these rich cookies. They're made from bittersweet chocolate, roasted almonds, and shredded coconut.

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14of 25

Spiced Pumpkin Pie

25 Gluten-Free Dessert Recipes Everyone Will Love (14)

A Crisp Rice-Almond Pie Crust is the secret weapon in our gluten-free baking arsenal. It pairs beautifully with a cinnamon- and nutmeg-spiked pumpkin filling for this pumpkin dessert, and would be a superb base for just about any pie.

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15of 25

Rice Pudding with Sea Salt-Caramel Sauce

25 Gluten-Free Dessert Recipes Everyone Will Love (15)

Rice pudding may seem old-fashioned, but this gluten-free version is totally modern. While the creamy pudding is delicious on its own, we've taken it to the next level with a homemade sea-salt caramel sauce, fresh berries, and nuts on top.

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16of 25

Cherry-Raspberry Semifreddo

25 Gluten-Free Dessert Recipes Everyone Will Love (16)

Floral elderflower liqueur brightens the duo of tart cherries and sweet raspberries in this frozen, Italian-inspired dessert. It needs to be made at least eight hours in advance, so it's perfect for make-ahead entertaining.

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17of 25

Raspberry-Almond Crisp

25 Gluten-Free Dessert Recipes Everyone Will Love (17)

Juicy raspberries tossed in brown sugar are bursting beneath a gluten-free crumble made from butter, rolled oats, and sliced raw almonds. It's a fabulous treat for a crowd (it serves at least six!)—and no one will ever suspect that it's secretly healthy.

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18of 25

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Semifreddo with Caramel Corn

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Light and creamy, the ultimate duo (chocolate and peanut butter) take center stage in this gluten-free Italian dessert. Each slice is topped with homemade caramel popcorn, a kid-friendly, carnival-inspired treat.

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19of 25

Lemon Cornmeal Cake

25 Gluten-Free Dessert Recipes Everyone Will Love (19)

Double doses of lemon juice and zest—and almonds (chopped plus extract)—give this Italian-inspired cake plenty of flavor.

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20of 25

Flourless Chocolate-Date Cake with Salted-Caramel Sauce

25 Gluten-Free Dessert Recipes Everyone Will Love (20)

This is a cake for the ages, regardless of your dietary preferences. Skipping the flour just means you get a dense crumb. Salted caramel sauce and whipped cream make it even more decadent.

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21of 25

Coffee Meringue-Ice Cream Cake

25 Gluten-Free Dessert Recipes Everyone Will Love (21)

Dress up store-bought coffee ice cream with almonds, ground coffee beans, and flaky salt, then sandwich it between coffee-swirled meringues to make this over-the-top dessert.

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22of 25

Fudgy Pecan Brownies

25 Gluten-Free Dessert Recipes Everyone Will Love (22)

Cornstarch gives these brownies structure, just as the gluten in flour would. We added toasted pecans, but walnuts or hazelnuts would also be delicious.

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23of 25

Basil-Yogurt Panna Cotta with Grapefruit Gelèe

25 Gluten-Free Dessert Recipes Everyone Will Love (23)

Pretty in pink and super elegant—who could pass up panna cotta, an elegant gluten-free dessert? A fresh grapefruit-gelatin mixture is combined with basil-infused milk for a first-class sweet.

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24of 25

Buckwheat-and-Chocolate Torte

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For the uninitiated, buckwheat flour is gluten-free because it's ground from a seed, not a grain. It adds a wonderful earthiness to this scrumptious cake.

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25of 25

Angel Food Cake

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Using gluten-free flour doesn't make this classic dessert any less scrumptious. The texture is light as a cloud.

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25 Gluten-Free Dessert Recipes Everyone Will Love (2024)

FAQs

What can gluten-free people eat that is sweet? ›

Let's start with the naturally gluten free ideas. Fruits (strawberries, bananas, blueberries, mangos, and more) are all gluten and dairy free desserts. Chocolate is also naturally gluten free (although it does contain dairy). An easy chocolate mousse can be made in a snap, too. And hooray, coconut is gluten free.

What is the secret to gluten-free baking? ›

Gluten-free flours often contain fine starches, so they absorb more liquid than conventional flour. To address this, gluten-free recipes usually call for more liquid and produce looser batters. They may also call for a larger quantity of leavening, like baking powder, to help add volume and lighten the texture.

How do you make gluten-free dessert less dry? ›

Bake, Then Bake Some More

Gluten-free baked goods often benefit from extra liquid to hydrate the flour blends, eliminate grittiness, and achieve a less dense or dry texture.

What is the best drink for celiac disease? ›

Gluten Free Alcohol Options
  • Wine, sherry, port, and ciders.
  • These are all made from fruit and don't contain gluten.
  • Gin, Brandy, Rum, Tequila, Vodka, Bourbon and Whisky.
  • Gin, and other spirits that are made from gluten free ingredients can be safely consumed in moderation by people with coeliac disease. ...
  • Liqueurs.

What candy has gluten? ›

If you're eating a gluten-free diet, there are a few obvious candies to avoid this Halloween. Specifically, candy containing pretzels, wafers, or cookie pieces can all potentially contain gluten. Gluten can hide easily in candy. One example of this is Reese's peanut butter cups.

Which flour has no gluten? ›

For flours that are made from grains (amaranth, buckwheat, corn, millet, quinoa, rice flours, sorghum, and teff), always buy them labeled gluten-free, since many are grown, harvested and processed in facilities that also manufacture wheat, barley, or rye and cross-contact can occur.

Which gluten free flour is best for baking? ›

Best Overall: Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour

This mix, which has all recognizable ingredients (including sweet white rice flour, which is the main ingredient in mochi, a nice light, powdery, starchy flour that doubles as a binder), worked well in all three of our tests.

Does baking with gluten free flour take longer? ›

Gluten-free baked goods often take longer to bake than their wheat-based cousins. This is because they have more moisture. Gluten-free flours are typically thirstier and need more hydration. So when you see our gluten-free focaccia bakes for 50–60 minutes—compared to 20–30 for our gluten-y focaccia—don't be alarmed.

What is surprisingly not gluten-free? ›

Here are some foods likely to contain gluten:
  • Beer, ale and lagers.
  • Bouillon cubes.
  • Brown rice syrup.
  • Candy.
  • Chips.
  • Communion wafers.
  • Couscous.
  • Deli meats.
Aug 7, 2020

What junk food is gluten-free? ›

  • Potato chips. Crunch on these freely. WikiMedia Commons. ...
  • Chocolate. Feel free to enjoy chocolate. Madeline Diamond/INSIDER. ...
  • Macaroni and cheese. Don't be afraid to get cheesy. ...
  • French fries. You can still enjoy these. ...
  • Tacos. Keep it to corn shells and you're all set. ...
  • Ice cream. Some ice cream can be enjoyed with ease.
Jan 5, 2018

What helps gluten-free cakes rise? ›

2 teaspoons of baking powder per cup of gluten-free flour is necessary to ensure proper leavening. Baking soda and buttermilk can be used to leaven instead of baking powder, but 1-1/8 teaspoon of cream of tartar should be added for each 1/2 teaspoon baking soda used.

Why is my gluten-free baking so dry? ›

Dry, crumbly loaf- you may need more liquid (see above), fat or binder. Gluten free bread dough needs more fat than wheat bread dough whether it's oil, butter or something else. So if your bread is dry, simply add more fat to get a better crumb.

Why do gluten-free cakes not rise? ›

Gluten-free flour blends don't have the same elasticity as flour containing gluten so often the cakes don't rise as much or will sink after rising. To combat the flat cake problem, I add ½ tsp of bicarbonate of soda to the recipe even when using a self-raising gluten-free flour blend.

Can you eat sugar if you are gluten-free? ›

Yes, sugar is gluten-free.

Can gluten-free people have sugar? ›

White sugar, derived from sugar cane or sugar beets, is naturally gluten-free. During the refining process, sugar is separated from the plant, and the end product is pure sucrose, which doesn't contain gluten. This makes white sugar a safe option for those following a gluten-free diet.

What makes sweets not gluten-free? ›

Why do you need to check some foods to see if they are gluten free? Chocolate & sweets – some chocolate and sweets may have wheat (like biscuits) or barley in which are not suitable for people with coeliac disease.

Do any sweets have gluten? ›

While some sweets are naturally free of gluten, such as pure chocolate and hard candies made with concentrated fruit juices, many others may contain gluten or be at risk of cross-contamination during the manufacturing process.

References

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