101 Gluten Free + Dairy Free Snacks: Store-Bought & Homemade

Table of Contents

Today I’m going to be sharing recipes, ideas, and great information for your gluten free dairy free snack time. These delicious snacks are great for anyone with Celiac Disease, food allergies, and other dietary restrictions. There will also be kid friendly snack ideas, and snacks you can purchase as well. At the end of this article, I’ve also included a little pantry list that can help you determine what type of ingredients to keep on hand if you plan on making a lot of snacks at home.

Also, know that you can serve anything at any time of day and it’s fine. You can eat waffles for a snack and a steak for breakfast. Don’t let the trap of “traditional meals” back you into a corner. The goal of a snack is to be a small meal that fuels you until your next main meal. There are no rules about what needs to be in said snack. Though, protein + fat will keep you fuller longer.

Related: 100 Toddler Snack Ideas

How to Purchase Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Snacks

Before you jump into purchasing dairy-free + gluten-free snacks, it’s important to know what to look for. Here in the United States, wheat and milk are part of the Top 9 Allergens, and will be called out on a label (contains statement). Gluten on the other hand is not part of the top 9, but is part of the EU Top 14 Allergens. That means that here in the US you’re going to need to read labels carefully if you’re gluten free (rather than wheat free).

The U.S. Top 9 Allergens are: Wheat, Milk, Egg, Soy, Peanut, Tree Nut, Fish, Shellfish, and Sesame. As of January 1, 2025, coconut will no longer be considered a tree nut for the sake of labeling laws. For those with a coconut allergy, it’s imperative that you really read labels, as a lot of “healthy snacks” contain coconut, as do a lot of snacks in the dairy free category.

The EU Top 14 Allergens are: Cereals Containing Gluten (wheat, rye, barley, oats), Crustaceans, Eggs, Fish, Lupin, Peanuts, Soybean, Milk, Mollusks, Nuts, Celery, Mustard, Sesame, and Added Sulfite above 10mg/KG.

Buzz Words That Indicate a Good Lead: Gluten Free, Vegan, Allergy Friendly, Paleo, Top 8/9/11/14 Free, Plant-Based. All of these buzz words indicate the product may work out for you. Friendly reminder: wheat and gluten are vegan ingredients. Vegan will cover dairy free, but a lot of vegan brands also serve the gluten free community as well.

Types of Snacks to Look For

When you’re following a gluten-free diet PLUS a dairy-free diet, a lot of snacks are suddenly off the table. This can be from flavouring agents, added whey (very common in protein bars), or from dairy in chocolate chips. The good news is that a lot of gluten-free options these days are also dairy-free options. Here are some categories to look at straight away:

Fruit Based Snacks (fruit snacks, fruit bars, etc.)
Nut Based Snacks
Seed Based Snacks
Meat Based Snacks
Paleo Based Snacks
AIP Paleo Based Snacks
Gluten FreeVegan Snacks
“Simple Ingredients” Style Snacks

Whilst these categories aren’t all naturally gluten and dairy free, they’re awesome starting points. You’ll always need to check the ingredients list, but sometimes it just helps to know which category to start with.

For those who manage Celiac Disease, food allergies, and other dietary suggestions, four apps I suggest looking into are Allergy Eats, Fig, Find Me Gluten Free, and Spokin. These apps can help you find new packaged foods and restaurants to try, plus, there are user generated reviews so you can see how other people fared.

Hidden Sources of Wheat & Gluten
Hidden Sources of Milk & Dairy
Visual Explanation of 20PPM
Vegan Foods Aren’t Always Milk Free (A Deep Dive on Lab Grown Proteins)

Fresh Produce: A Great Component for a Quick Snack

As you go about making tasty snacks at home, I can’t tell you how valuable it is to keep your fridge loaded with prepped fresh produce. As my kids were growing up, I’d get groceries delivered early Saturday mornings, then by Saturday evening, there were glass containers full of prepped produce.

I’d rotate through seasonal items, and it made snacks and even packing lunch boxes SO much easier. Plus, when produce is easily accessible (doesn’t have to be peeled, etc.), people are more likely to eat it. I’ll also to that: when it looks inviting, people are also more likely to eat it.

By having produce ready to go, my kids ate fruits and vegetables quite literally with every meal, even breakfast (oven roasted veg for the win). Some of the produce I liked to have available for them:

Apples
Cubed Melon (gren melon, cantaloupe, watermelon)
Cucumber Slices (sometimes I did spears instead)
Fresh Berries (strawberries, blackberries, blueberries)
Grapes
Mandarins & Oranges
Mini Lunchbox Peppers (these can be eaten whole like a small apple)
Papaya Spears
Pineapple Cubes
Peaches & Nectarines
Prepped Kiwi

In addition to this, I always kept the freezer well stocked with frozen fruit and frozen veg. As they got older, they often took it upon themselves to make smoothies etc., and were happy to do it, so long as the produce was stocked.

For those who are managing selective/picky eating, please don’t look at this list and lose hope. Instead, be inspired that your kiddo will make it to a place one day where this is possible. In time, most kids are able to happily eat a pretty wide range of foods.

101 Gluten Free Dairy Free Snacks to Make at Home & to Purchase in Stores

And now, let’s dive into all of the delicious snack ideas and snack recipes. I’ve broken these ideas into categories, so be sure to use the table of contents to jump to sections that the most interesting to you.

The best part about all of these ideas: not only are they gluten free and dairy free snacks, but most are also top 9 allergy free. Hopefully these ideas help you keep your family fueled and happy.

Milk & Wheat Allergy Free Snack Ideas

These are some of the best gluten-free and dairy-free snack ideas, foods my kids grew up with and loved. These are also snacks I served their friends, who always loved the free-from foods I served up.

Boosted Brownie Bites (nutritionally boosted with ingredients such as organic dried spinach leaf)
Gluten Free Tortilla Rollup (ideas: Dairy Free Ranch + Shredded Chicken, Guacamole + Taco Seasoned Beef)
Homemade Banana + Carrot Muffins
Homemade Gluten Free + Dairy Free Cheese Sticks with Marinara Sauce
Refined Sugar Free Carrot Cake Waffle Quarters
Rice Cakes + Gluten Free Granola Butter + Fruit Slices
Roasted Chickpeas + Chia Pudding
Salsa + Chips
Toasted or Air-fried Gluten Free Bagel + Dairy Free Cream Cheese + Everything Bagel Seasoning
Waffle Quarter (this works well if you batch cook waffles and freeze them like I do, and you can make a variety of flavours)

Convenient Snacks & On the Go Snacks

Here are some great snack ideas for busy days or stressful days when you don’t have the time to really put in too much effort.

Apple Slices + Crunchsters
Baby Carrots + Sweet Potato Chips (check out the brands Route 66 and Jackson’s)
Banana + Protein Bar
Bear Nibbles Fruit Snack + Simple Mills Grain Free Crackers
Dried Sweet Potato Snacks/Strips
Dry Cereal + Fruit Pouch
Fruit and/or Veggie Chips
Fruit/Veggie Pouch + Flavoured Rice Cakes
Kale Chips + Spiced Nuts (or spiced seeds)
Snap Peas + Trail Mix

Healthy Snack Ideas for the Whole Family

Whilst the term healthy has no regulation, these are snacks that I’m sure most of us can agree are on the healthy side of the fence. The great thing is that these are healthy gluten free & allergy friendly snack ideas that taste GOOD.

Avocado Toast with Hemp Heart Sprinkles
B-Free Pita + Chickpea Salad (think egg salad but smashed chickpeas instead)
Blueberry Vanilla Zucchini Smoothie
Chia Pudding (you can make this in a wide range of flavors)
Chocolate + Hemp + Banana Smoothie
Fruit Salad with DF Yogurt on Top
Graham Crackers + Sliced Banana + Cinnamon & Nutmeg Dusting on Top
Homemade Chocolate Bark with Dairy Free Dark Chocolate, Almonds, and Goji Berries
Individual Bean Dip Portions
Mango + Spinach Smoothie

Tasty Snacks That Are Gluten Free, Dairy Free, and Egg Free

These snack ideas are super duper allergy friendly. If you’ve never had dairy free queso before, you should probably make that a priority item to make. My kids adore that recipe so much.

Banana Bread with Mini Chocolate Chips or Banana Bread with a Cinnamon + Nutmeg Dusting
Cashew Coffee Chocolate Smoothie (two of my kids would literally do anything for this drink)
Chocolate Avocado Pudding
Chocolate Hummus Dip + Graham Crackers
Homemade Pizza Bagels (GF Bagel + DF Cheese + Pepperoni Slices)
Homemade Pumpkin Cinnamon DF Cream Cheese + Graham Crackers (think super easy faux no-bake cheesecake)
Homemade Queso + Chips
Garlic Bread Toast + Dairy Free Parmesan + Leftover Shredded Chicken (remember, mini meals can be snacks as well)
Gluten Free Tortilla Pinwheels (ideas: Spread + Jam, Banana + Chocolate Spread, Meat + Guacamole)
Raspberry White Chocolate Granola Bars

Easy Gluten & Dairy Free Snacks to Make at Home

Some people love the idea of making snacks at home, however, most people want to make things that are easy. If that’s you, here are some snacks that aren’t packaged, but they’re also very easy to make.

Apple Donuts (slice apples and core to make rings, top with yogurt and mini chocolate chip “sprinkles”)
Applesauce + Leftover Pork
Energy Bites aka Power Balls
Fruit Leather
Graham Crackers + Mini Chocolate Chips + Banana Slices
Hard-Boiled Eggs (or Egg Salad) with Crackers
Meatballs (seems unconventional, but it works, plus you can batch cook a wide range of flavours and always have a meaty snack ready to go)
Mini Fruit Crumbles Sweetened with Dates (stewed fruit with a gluten free crumble on top, store in individual glass containers for ease)
Rice + Kimchi (use a little leftover rice and top with organic kimchi for a quick and easy savory snack that also delivers probiotics)
Toast + Dairy Free Cream Cheese + Cinnamon Dusting + Raisins (think cinnamon raisin bread but with a bit more flare)

Crunchy Snacks to Enjoy

Perhaps you’re looking for a safe snack that’s also crunchy. Here are some options for you to enjoy:

Banana Slices + Granola (check out Red Plate Foods for convenient options)
Corn Tortilla Chips + Refried Beans + Salsa Verde
Crackers + Meat Cubes
Cassava Strips + Guacamole
Chocolate Covered Pretzels + Peanut Butter (or other spread for dipping)
Crunchy Cookies from Partake Foods
Homemade Trail Mix
Plantain Chips + Dairy Free Cinnamon Cream Cheese Spread/Dip
Pretzels + Apple Slices
Refined Sugar Free Crunchy Cookies

Nut Free School Snack Options

Hare are some of the best gluten-free, dairy-free, super allergy friendly snacks I can suggest for school lunches. These are all naturally peanut free and tree nut free ideas for those who have kids in a nut free school.

Bell Pepper Slices + Hummus
Candied Salmon + Mini Seaweed Snacks (think mini salmon hand roll)
Celery + Apples + Spread for Dipping
Free Yumm Bar + Baby Carrots
Homemade Cereal Bars
Homemade Muffins
Pitted Cherries + Melon Balls
Pitted Medjool Dates + Salted Sunflower Seeds
Rainbow Carrots + Dairy Free Creamy Dip
SuperSeedz + Kiwi

Late Night Snacks for Adults, Without Added Sugar

If you’re like me and you like to keep your eye on your sugar load, and maybe even stick to organic/natural ingredients, here’s a list of snack ideas to stave off hunger at night.

Baby Carrots + Salad Dressing Dip (easier than making a proper dip late at night)
Cashew + Chocolate + Maple + Mint Smoothie
Dates + Dairy Free Yogurt + Frozen Fruit
Pineapple + Banana + Spinach Smoothie
Popped Sorghum (Nate’s sells several flavours)
Rice Cakes + Cream Cheese + Sliced Strawberries
Rice Cakes + Date Sweetened Chocolate Spread
Semi-Thawed Frozen Fruit You Love
Spudsy Veggie Straws + Mandarin Segments
Toast + Dairy Free Cream Cheese + Quartered Tomatoes + Black Pepper

Gluten Free Dairy Free Snacks to Purchase (Very Allergy Friendly Options)

Here’s a list of snack brands that are very allergy friendly, and some are even operated by free-from families. Not every brand will be at your local grocery store, but, most are sold online via the manufacturer’s website or Amazon.

88 Acres (spreads, bars)
Allergy Smart Cookies
Artisan Tropic (plantain chips, crackers, cassava products)
Awsum Snacks (quinoa based cereal and puffs)
Bear Nibbles (fruit snacks, my kids love everything they make and the little trading cards)
Blake’s Seed Based (bars)
Chomps (meat snacks)
Crunchsters (crunchy mung bean snack)
Everybody Eating (crackers)
Free Yumm Foods (bars, crackers)
Healthy Crunch (flavoured chocolate chips, spreads, trail mix, and more)
Karen’s Naturals (freeze dried fruits and freeze dried veggies)
Lesser Evil Foods (puffs)
Lovebird Foods (grain free, super clean cereal)
Made Good Foods (granola bar, cute star crackers)
Pulse Power Snacks (chickpea pretzels, chickpea spread)
Red Plate Foods (granola and a lot more)
Rule Breaker Cookies (great if you have a sweet tooth, my DF kid says birthday cake is the best flavor)
Serenity Kids (puffs and pouches)
Skout Organic Bar
Spudsy (puffs & veggie straws)
SuperSeedz (flavoured seeds)
That’s It (fruit bars and more)
The Greater Knead (bagel chips and more)
White Leaf Provisions (pouches)

Ingredients for Your Pantry, Fridge, and Freezer

Here’s a non-exhaustive list of ingredients to keep on hand so you can make tasty gluten and dairy-free snacks at home.

Coconut Products (coconut milk, coconut yogurt, coconut oil, etc.)
Corn Tortilla Chips or Grain Free Tortilla Chips
Dairy Free Chocolate Chips (Pascha and Enjoy Life are my top two brands, but there are a few others)
Dairy Free Milk (any type will work in snack recipes)
Freeze Dried Fruit (great for adding texture and crunch to snacks)
Gluten Free Flours (can be an all purpose flour or lots of individual flours for DIY blending)
Gluten Free, Purity Protocol Oats (not everyone with Celiac Disease can have oats, more on that in this article)
Granulated Sweeteners (maple sugar, coconut sugar, date sugar)
Guacamole (I buy the organic Wholly Guac at Costco which you can also freeze)
Liquid Sweeteners (honey, maple syrup, date syrup, agave)
Nuts (almond, pistachio, brazil nut, etc.)
Pure Fruit Products Such as Applesauce
Salsa
Sea Salt + Finishing Salt
Seeds (chia seeds, hemp seeds, flax seeds, etc.)
Spreads (almond butter, peanut butter, cashew butter, etc.)

If you plan on making a variety of gluten and dairy free snacks at home, make sure you have the right containers as well. Many snacks will need to be stored in an airtight container (baggies and silicone pouches work for this). Also, lean into homemade snack recipes that are freezer friendly. This will save you SO MUCH TIME in the future (and give you so much peace of mind as well).

When my kids were growing up, the freezer was always stocked with breakfasts, lunches, dinners, desserts, and snacks. I can’t not stress how important batch cooking homemade food is when you’re living the free-from life, especially if you’re in the 30% group and can’t eat food that’s processed on shared equipment with what you’re allergic to.

Great Kitchen Tools to Have to Make the Perfect Snacks

These are the kitchen tools I use the most to make amazing snacks at home.

Blender
Food Processor
Granola Bar Pan (whilst this isn’t necessary, it makes authentic sized bars that are awesome)
Heavy duty silicone spatula, measuring cups, measuring spoons
Stand Mixer
Parchment Paper
Popsicle Molds (silicone it my top choice)

Top 9 Allergy Free Snack Recipes

These are snacks my kids loved eating time and again growing up.

Baked Chocolate Bars (Enjoy Life Cocoa Loco copycat bar since these have been discontinued)
Maple Banana Oat Squares
Oat Free, Seed Free, Nut Free Granola Bars
Gluten & Dairy Free Pepperoni Pizza Dip

Recipes for Delicious Gluten Free + Vegan Snacks

Here are a few snack recipes that are all gluten free, dairy free, egg free, and vegan.

Need to make your own flour blend? Check out this article on gluten free flours. Not everyone will be able to purchase

Answering Your Gluten Free + Dairy Free Snacks Questions

Can I use coconut flour or almond flour in place of the flour in snack recipes?

Assuming you’re following a regular gluten free recipe (and not a grain free or Paleo recipe), no, you can’t use all coconut flour or all almond flour in place of what’s called for. Both coconut flour and almond flour are very special grain free options that don’t play by the same rules.

You’ll either need to use them as part of a proper all purpose flour blend, or, look for recipes that specifically only use those flours. If you attempt to swap, there’s a very high chance the recipe won’t turn out well.

Is it easy to purchase snacks without sesame seeds as well as gluten and milk?

Yes and no. I could be wrong, but it sure seems like there are a lot more snacks these days with “may contain sesame” on them. I know that we’re seeing it more since the law changed, but it also makes it seem like sesame is in everything.

The good news is that most of the brands I’ve linked to above in this article are also sesame free. I also shared some helpful apps earlier. I think with the apps, and just following really great allergy friendly bloggers online it’s easier to purchase those types of snacks.

If you’re new to all of this, also check out Vitacost and Thrive Market, as they both tend to carry products from allergy friendly brands that aren’t always available in stores.

What are the best snacks for picky eaters?

When you’re managing selective/picky eaters, the best snack is one they’ll actually eat. Yes, you can work on food ladders and expanding their options, but ultimately, fed is best. One way to really help kids who struggle with food is to get them involved. You can use something like the LaLa Lunchbox app to have your child help you plan out snacks and lunches.

Additionally, you can have them help grocery shop (and give them the opportunity to purchase something new to try), and help prep the ingredients. Prep can be washing, or even using kid safe knives to help you slice and chop produce.

You know your child best, so I encourage you to build food ladders based on what they do enjoy eating. For example, if your child loves crunchy foods, lean into crunchy snacks. If they’re more of a drink kind of person, lean into smoothies (and have them help make them).

Do a lot of packaged snacks contain dairy products?

Unfortunately, if you check out the ingredient list on lots of snacks (at least here in the United States) you’ll find all sorts of dairy products. Thankfully, milk is a top allergen and is called out, but sometimes it can be disheartening to keep reading “contains milk”.

An easy way to avoid milk products when you’re new to shopping for milk/dairy free foods is to look for the buzz words vegan, plant-based, paleo, or top 9/9/11/14 allergy free. Those will all indicate there’s no milk in the ingredients. This doesn’t tell you anything about the equipment or facility, but those buzz words all indicate that the product may be a good lead for you to investigate.

I want to teach my kids how to make healthy choices while still having a sweet snack. Any tips?

There are a few different ways to look at this, but before you start, make sure you know what the word healthy means to you. Is it the amount of sodium? No added sugar? A particular number of calories? Maybe the snack has to have specific nutrients such as Omega 3. Whatever the word means to you (it’s an unregulated term) make sure you know, but also, when talking with your kids about healthy choices, try to focus on features rather than bashing.

For example, rather than say “we’re not choosing this because there’s way too much sugar”, point out a good feature on the snack you want “we’re getting this because it helps build healthy bones”. See the difference? How we talk about food matters. That doesn’t mean you don’t teach your kids about the perils of too much sugar etc., but if you can frame it in a positive way, and focus on nutrition facts (like which fruit has the most Vitamin C), it will lay the groundwork for how your kids think about foods long term.

Now, the first thing I would personally do is teach my kids about how to have naturally sweet snacks and make a lot of snacks with dates that revolve around simple ingredients. In fact, I did actually do this now that I stop and think about it, and my kids loved it. I’d have them pit medjool dates, stuff a Brazil nut inside, add a few mini chocolate chips, and top with finishing salt. The first time they ate that, their eyes went WIDE. They were shocked by how delicious something like that could be.

You could make chocolate hummus dip and teach your kids how they can combine nutrient dense ingredients with something sweet. Boosted brownies and puddings are another way to show them the combination of sweet and nutritious options.

To get started in all of this, I suggest you dip your toe into the world of “raw vegan desserts”. You’re going to find a lot of nutrient dense options for homemade recipes that will make you and your kids smile.

Do you know of any gluten, dairy, and sugar-free chocolate chips?

Check out the Pascha brand (organic, which I love). They have two different sugar-free options. One is the Pure Dark (red bag) that’s also truly corn free (no added vanilla). Their other option is the Keto Chips (green bag). These are sweetened without cane sugar.

Another refined sugar free brand is Amore di Mona, but I’m not sure if the have chips available yet.

Can I freeze power balls, or can I only store them in the fridge?

You can store power balls (aka energy bites) in the fridge or freezer. Some people don’t like the texture once they’ve been thawed whilst others love it. The next time you make a batch, freeze a couple of portions, then thaw them here and there to see what you think. You can even warm them up and eat with something like cold jam for an extra layer of texture.

Do you have suggestions on how I can make my child with food allergies feel more included at family meals and snacks?

I’m going to assume you’re a mixed allergy household, and said child eats their own food whilst everyone else eats something else. My first big tip: share your child’s meal with them once a week. If you eat separately due to cost or flavour, make sure you tackle that as well. Either share their least expensive meal, or their best tasting meal. This will help them feel very included.

My second big tip is to serve a component everyone can eat together. This can be as simple as a bowl of quartered grapes in the center of your table, or steamed rice. You’ll need to serve the meal family style (where bowls are out and everyone serves themselves) to make this more inviting and inclusive. However, depending on the age of your children, you’ll also need to strategically place everything to avoid cross-contact.

Third, have your child with food allergies help cook dinner where you can. A set of kid safe knives is a great starting point, and can help your child feel more connected with the food, and the people.

Inclusion isn’t always easy, but with a few well planned changes, you can really help your child on this. It can also help to start explaining to your child that they won’t always be included with food (that’s just real life) but that doesn’t mean people don’t want to spend time with them, etc. Unfortunately, it’s a tough lesson our free-from kids have to learn.