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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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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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? ›

Here is a list of candies you can enjoy:
  • Atomic Fireballs.
  • All Ferrara Gummies. ...
  • All Sathers Gummies.
  • All Trolli Gummies EXCEPT Trolli Sour Brite Bites and Trolli Twisted Sour Brite Crawlers.
  • All Jellies (Gum Drops, Orange Slices, etc)
  • Bob's Sweet Stripes.
  • Boston Baked Beans (contains peanuts)

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. However, it's very important to drive off this extra moisture during baking, or you'll wind up with a gummy texture.

How do you keep gluten free baked goods moist? ›

Add extra liquid: Gluten-free flours tend to absorb more liquid than regular flour, so you may need to add more liquid to your recipes to compensate. This can help to keep your baked goods moist and prevent them from becoming dry and crumbly.

Why are gluten free baked goods so dry? ›

Some gluten free flours will produce a cake which is on the dry side. This might be due to the lack of gluten but can be for many other reasons. Lots of gluten free flour is rice based and this can result in a dry and slightly gritty texture.

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.

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 is the trick 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.

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.

How to make gluten-free baked goods taste good? ›

Let's go!
  1. Vanilla Extract. Ahhh, vanilla extract! ...
  2. Citrus Zest. Citrus zest is among the simplest things to add to your gluten-free mix to enhance it. ...
  3. Glaze or Icing. The best way to improve the flavor of your mixture is to add a little icing or glaze. ...
  4. Espresso. ...
  5. A Pinch of Salt.
Sep 13, 2022

What to avoid for gluten-free baking? ›

All of the following flours have gluten:
  • Enriched flour with added vitamins and minerals.
  • Farina, milled wheat usually used in hot cereals.
  • Graham flour, a course whole-wheat flour.
  • Self-rising flour, also called phosphate flour.
  • Semolina, the part of milled wheat used in pasta and couscous.

What does baking soda do in gluten-free baking? ›

Texture and Rise: Gluten-free baking often requires a bit of finesse to achieve the desired rise and texture. Baking soda's reaction with an acid can help achieve that necessary lift, while baking powder provides an extra boost when the batter or dough is exposed to heat.

What holds gluten-free cookies together? ›

Binding agents (such as xanthan gum, guar gum, or flax) help give gluten-free baked goods the elasticity needed to create structure — so if your favorite gluten-free flour mix doesn't contain one, you'll probably want to add one.

What does cream of tartar do in gluten-free baking? ›

When combined with baking soda, it becomes a leavening agent (the stuff that makes baked goods puff up in the oven) by producing carbon dioxide gas. If you ever run out of baking powder, you can substitute 1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar for 1 teaspoon baking powder.

Can you overbeat a gluten-free cake? ›

Over-mixing can beat too much air into the batter and cause it to collapse. Less is more with mixing a gluten free cake batter — try to blend the batters for less than one minute.

Should I let my gluten-free cake batter rest before baking? ›

Let Your Batters & Doughs Rest

We recommend covering your batters and doughs and letting them rest for at least half an hour. Note: This will also help batters become thicker and doughs to firm up.

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

Yes, sugar is gluten-free

Sugar is a simple carbohydrate that can be digested without causing any issues for people with coeliac disease or with gluten intolerance.

Can you eat sugar on a gluten-free diet? ›

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.

Do Oreos have gluten in them? ›

Are Oreos gluten-free? Short Answer: No… but also yes! Traditional Oreos do contain wheat flour, but Gluten-Free Oreos use gluten free flour. Gluten-Free Oreos are available in original and double stuf, and just recently, gluten-free mint Oreos have become a permanent addition to the lineup!

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.

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