40+ Gluten Free Holiday Recipes & Gluten-Free Menu Planning

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If you’re looking to put together a fabulous holiday menu that’s gluten free and allergy friendly, I’ve got you covered. We’ll take a look at some very tasty gluten-free holiday recipes that aren’t super difficult to make, and are kid friendly as well. First, let’s dive into menu building.

Dairy Free Thanksgiving Desserts by The Allergy Chef (vegan, gluten free, allergy friendly)

Dairy Free Thanksgiving Recipes by The Allergy Chef (allergy friendly)

How to Create a Gluten Free Holiday Menu

Before you hunt down gluten free holiday recipes, you’ll want to build out your incredible menu. There are several things to take into consideration:

Are you gluten free only, or do you manage other dietary restrictions?
Do any of your guests (or those you’ll be dining with) have dietary restrictions outside of gluten?
Gluten free is not the same as wheat free, so make sure guests/friends don’t have a wheat allergy (more on this later).
How large of a menu do you want to create? Something small with a few recipes, or go all out with 9 or more?
How much bandwidth do you have to cook and clean?
Will this be a potluck (this may not be an option if others aren’t GF since the risk of cross-contact would be very high).
What’s the budget?

Once you have answers to all of these questions, you can really write down what you’d like to cook and serve.

Choosing Courses for Your Gluten Free Holiday Menu

OK, now that you’ve answered the above questions, you can put pen to paper. Here are some considerations to make when building your GF menu.

Pre-Appetizer Course: This would be something like an amuse-bouche or hors d’oeuvre. It’s a single bit designed to awaken the palate. You’ll want to lean towards fresh ingredients, and ingredients that can pack a punch.

Appetizer Course: Should be small. Can be as simple as a salad.

Fish Course: It can be pretty easy to make a fish course naturally gluten free, especially if you’re not frying fish. For an easy way to pull of this course, look into “En Papillote” recipes, where you place all of the ingredients into parchment paper, roll it like a parcel, and bake. It’s an easy hands off cooking method with great results.

Meat Course: This is another course that can easily be made gluten free. The challenge is usually in side dishes, so as long as those are planned well, you’ll have great success. If you need an easy meat dish that will WOW your guests, consider something like this whole roasted chicken.

Dessert Course: This one will be pretty easy in my humble free-from opinion to pull off. There are so many awesome recipes, and products that you can purchase, that are all gluten free. The only issues I could see you running into is shared equipment, or if someone else is more than GF. If you need dessert recipes, check out my GF + Top 9 Free cookbooks.

Want to Skip Courses?

You don’t have to serve your gluten free holiday recipes as official courses. You can always serve everything family style and let guests serve themselves. When doing this, have a large table that has sections.

Have the salads, then the sides, then the proteins, and finally the desserts. Create cute little labels for each item and you’re good to go.

If you’re serving guests who are more than GF, and there are foods they can NOT have, you’ll want to have a separate staging area for their safe items to prevent cross-contact.

CRITICAL NOTE: When creating this setup, also think about food safety. Fish, meat, and some other types of cooked recipes shouldn’t sit at room temperature for too long. You may need to look into “food warmers” for your serving table to ensure proper food safety.

Gluten-Free Bread Options

As you search for gluten free holiday recipes online, I’m sure you’ll be looking for gluten-free bread options. If you’re not a huge bread baker and would rather start with a mix, check out these bread mix options:

One of the biggest tips I can give you when looking for great gluten-free bread recipes online is to make sure they use a flour blend. If you see a recipe that’s for almond flour only or brown rice flour only, know that the recipe will produce a less than awesome recipe. However, these types of recipes are essential for people who are more than gluten free. It’s not that they’re bad recipes, but that you need to manage your expectations if you need to eat this way.

If you can have eggs, look for a gluten-free bread recipe that uses eggs, as you’ll be happier in the end. If you’re vegan, make sure the recipe contains psyllium (seed) if you want a more commercial bread experience.

In terms of breads to purchase:

I’ve heard great things about Canyon Bakehouse (contains egg, one of my kids loves this brand).
Against the Grain sells baguettes and other shapes, and are in the freezer section at many grocery stores nationwide.
Schär has a very wide range of frozen and room temperature breads in stores nationwide.
Be sure to check Gluten Free Mall, VitaCost, Erin McKenna’s Bakery, Arise Bakery, and Modern Bread & Bagel, as they all ship nationwide and have a range of delicious gluten-free bread options.

Gluten Free Holiday Recipes

Now that we’ve covered how to build a menu, I’m going to share a wide range of gluten free holiday recipes with you. Please note: I’m a recipe developer that’s not only gluten free but incredibly allergy friendly. Everything I develop is naturally dairy free, egg free, and much more. If you only want recipes that are GF only, take these ideas and run with them. Do online searches and find recipes that are exactly what you’re looking for.

A Few Appetizers to Get You Started

If you’d like to see more gluten free and allergy friendly appetizer recipe ideas, click here. As you look through recipes, make sure you think about fun ways you can put your own spin on them.

Gluten Free Focaccia Recipe
Dairy Free Queso (GF, Top 9 Free, Vegan, you could use this as part of a fondue station)
Easy Sushi Rice Balls (Vegan, GF, Top 9 Free)
Savory Fried Mushroom Bites (Gluten Free, Vegan, Top 9 Free)

For the Cranberry Lovers

If you’re a huge fan of cranberries, these recipes are a must try.

Chicken & Cranberry Salad
Cranberry Sauce Recipe
Cranberry Orange Cake Recipe (This GF, V, T9 Recipe was a holiday favourite at the free-from bakery I used to own and operate)
Cranberry Orange Cookies (Gluten Free, Vegan, Top 9 Free)

Gluten Free Fish Recipes for the Holidays

Fish recipes come in all sorts of varieties, and you’ll want to think about what types of flavours and presentation you want. For example, if you’re putting together a family style holiday table, a fish fried rice recipe would be an excellent choice.

On the other hand, if you want warm and comforting holiday menus, a creamy shrimp pasta would be a good choice. However, don’t overlook the timing of having these types of recipes, as some fish meals should be eaten right away, rather than hang out on a serving table all day.

Easy Mahi Mahi (you could take this concept and adapt it a bit more for traditional holiday flavours)
Gluten Free Salmon Cakes
Seared Pineapple and Cod Recipe (this is good if you’re wanting an elevated holiday menu)
Gluten & Dairy Free Salmon Chowder Recipe
Honey Ginger Salmon & Rice (kind of like a fried rice)
Gourmet Seafood Fried Rice (whilst this would be amazing, there’s a lot of moving parts, so keep that in mind as you build your menu)

Great Gluten Free Meat Recipes for the Holidays

Some of these meaty recipes may not be the first thing you think of when looking for gluten-free holiday recipes, however, they’re all incredibly delicious. Plus, these are the kind of recipe you can serve to friends and family who aren’t gluten free and have them coming back for more.

Gluten-Free Stuffing Recipes

I have great news: if you have a stuffing recipe you LOVE, all you need to do in most cases is swap the traditional bread cubes for gluten free bread cubes. They can be homemade, or purchased. Brands such as Bread SRSLY sometimes offer GF + V + Top 9 Free stuffing cubes during the holidays.

Cranberry Orange Winter Harvest Stuffing Recipe (this recipe is designed for people who manage less-common allergies and dietary restrictions)
Classic Stuffing Recipe (Gluten, Dairy, Egg Free + Top 9 Free)

Winter Harvest Stuffing (Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free) by The Allergy Chef Top 9 Allergy Free

Low Histamine Classic Stuffing by The Allergy Chef (Gluten Free, Allergy Friendly)

Amazing Gluten Free Side Dish Recipes for Your Holiday Table

Gluten & Dairy Free Broccoli Mac-n-Cheese
Delicious Mashed Potatoes (Gluten + Dairy Free, Vegan, Top 9 Free)
Stuffed Sweet Potatoes (a great alternative to traditional candied sweet potatoes if you need less sugar overall)
Easy Brussels Sprouts & Bacon

Main Dish Recipes for Your Gluten Free Table

These gluten-free holiday recipes are for main dishes that could be easily served family style.

Mandarin & Pomegranate Rice Recipe (a celebration of winter fruits and super delicious)
Gluten & Dairy Free Cream of Mushroom Pork Stew (this main dish is made in Dutch Oven)
Easy & Amazing Gluten Free Lasagna Soup Recipe (Top 9 Free, insanely delicious)
White Gravy Recipe (Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Vegan, Top 9 Free, not a main dish but would be a great addition to the table)

Gluten Free + Dairy Free Pumpkin Dessert Recipes for the Holidays

If you want pumpkin to take center stage during dessert, here are some great gluten-free holiday recipes to get you started. Remember, these are all gluten free, dairy free, egg free, and more. If you’re only gluten free, I’d suggest finding recipes online that meet your needs precisely.

Oat Milk Pumpkin Pie Recipe (GF, Vegan, Top 9 Free, and I’m told it tastes SUPER legit compared to traditional pumpkin pie)
Gluten Free + Egg Free Baked Pumpkin Donuts
Cashew Pumpkin Pudding (GF, V, a great option if you don’t feel like making a full pie, or want something you can dip graham crackers in)
Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread (no eggs, vegan, top 9 free)
Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies (Vegan, GF, Top 9 Free)
Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Tasty Gluten Free Dessert Recipes

Whilst some of these gluten-free recipes don’t scream holidays, each one is incredibly delicious and would be welcome at any allergy friendly table. Also, this is just scratching the surface where options are concerned. Be sure to check out my free-from Dessert Cookbook if you want more options.