In recent years, people have become more aware of what’s in their foods, and for some people, eating as little gluten as possible is important. For people who have celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, gluten can cause a lot of discomfort and pain. However, gluten-free recipes can be just as delicious.
Whether your decision to eat gluten free food is medically necessary or just a personal choice, more people than ever are conscious of what they’re putting into their bodies.
Innovations in products and recipes have helped people more easily plan gluten-free meals, but finding gluten-free snacks can be more challenging.
The problem is that most crackers, wraps, bread, and other baked goods have gluten. And while fruits, popcorn, and vegetables are great snacks, sometimes we long for something different.
In recent years, the demand for gluten-free snacks has significantly increased as more individuals adopt gluten-free diets due to health reasons or personal preferences. Gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye, can cause digestive issues for individuals with celiac disease or gluten sensitivities. As a result, the market for gluten-free products has expanded, offering a variety of delicious and healthy snack options.
Did you know that it’s totally possible to enjoy delicious snacks like gluten-free brownies, gluten-free muffins, and even gluten-free cookies?
Read on to learn how to make the best gluten free snacks.
The humble rice cake doesn’t have a ton of flavor on its own, but that’s a good thing. You can use a rice cake to make nearly anything you can dream up.
You would think that all rice cakes were gluten free, but they’re not. To buy a gluten free rice cake, make sure you read the label to see if it contains grains like barley.
When you buy gluten-free organic rice cakes, you can turn these somewhat bland little cakes into masterpieces for snack time.
All you need to do to make the magic happen is assemble your ingredients, which are rice cakes, unsweetened seed butter or nut butter, a banana, and cinnamon. That’s it!
Optional ingredients can include coconut flakes, chopped walnuts or pecans, or other additional fruit.
In our opinion, dates don’t get the attention they deserve.
Dates are a great source of nutrients, but they’re also naturally gluten free and vegan.
To make these delightful and gorgeous stuffed dates, use vegan cream cheese and whatever toppings you happen to have in your fridge or pantry.
What type of dates should you use for stuffed dates? Whatever type you can find at the market will work, but some of the best dates are Medjool dates. These dates are larger than regular dates and they’re nice and soft.
Is there any chocolatey snack more luxurious than coconut macaroons?
What’s awesome about this classic treat is that they’re super easy to make, believe it or not.
Besides being gluten-free macaroons, these babies are also low in fat.
The secret to making these easy macaroons perfect is making sure you beat the egg whites with the almond extract and the vanilla extract until it’s nice and fluffy. Then, use a cookie scoop to make them evenly sized.
After baking them in the oven, simply dip them in your chocolate and they’re done!
Here’s another idea: a coconut chocolate chip macaroon. Yep, we’re in!
What do you get when you bring together garlic powder, sea salt, olive oil, and a bunch of kale? A superfood that doubles as a salty and crunchy snack!
These kale chips are a great alternative if you’re craving gluten free chips. They have the same crunchiness and saltiness as potato chips without carbs.
The secret to perfect kale chips is to massage a tiny bit of olive oil into every crevice and crack in the kale leaves. Then, season the leaves lightly with garlic powder and sea salt before baking them to perfection.
It’s great to have a quick and easy energy snack around the house.
You never know when you’re going to need something for that extra afternoon (or morning) pick-me-up.
These delightful little balls of goodness are made from gluten-free oats, chia seeds, flax, and antioxidant-rich dark chocolate chips. Consider adding coconut chips for an extra burst of exotic flavor.
These energy bites are a perfect source of fiber, protein, and healthy fats, so gobble them up anytime you need some quick go-juice. Add some sunflower seeds for even more wholesome goodness.
Be sure to choose a natural peanut butter that doesn’t have added sugar. You can also try other types of nut butter.
When you’re wanting something sweet but are committed to controlling how much sugar is in your foods, reach for these crunchy, crispy apple chips.
These apples are sliced thinly and sprinkled with a cinnamon and sugar mixture before being baked.
Here’s a great tip. These apples will turn out best if you bake them on low heat (200 degrees Fahrenheit) for two and a half hours. You can even go up to three hours if you want them even crunchier.
Flip the apples halfway through cooking time. You can store them in airtight containers for up to a week at room temperature.
How can this get any better? How about this: these are no-bake granola bars.
The ingredients that make these little golden wonder bars are creamy peanut butter (or other nut butter), honey, gluten-free quick oats, pure vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, and gluten free chocolate chips.
Are you sold? I know we are! You can experiment with different flavors of gluten-free chips, too.
If you love potato chips, you have probably spent some time searching for gluten free chips.
We have delicious sea salt and garlic powder kale chips on this list, but for a sweeter-tasting gluten-free chip, you’ve got to give these zucchini chips a try.
The key to perfect zucchini chips is to slice your zucchini super thin. Make sure all of your slices are about the same thickness so that they bake evenly.
These zucchini chips are seasoned with cumin and hot smoked paprika.
Store your crispy zucchini chips for several weeks in an airtight container at room temperature.
We were so excited to see that you can now buy gluten free Chex Mix.
But the good news is that you can also make your own big old tub of this classic snack at home. This is the perfect snack idea and is a much more exciting salty snack than popcorn.
We were surprised to learn that most Chex cereals don’t have gluten. You can’t use Wheat Chex, but the ever-popular Corn Chex and Rice Chex are here for us.
And guess what? You don’t have to completely give up bagel chips. Glutino Bagel Chips are gluten free. You can also slice your own gluten-free bagel and bake the slices until they’re toast.
It’s easy to toss together a fruit salad, and if you have a big container of this recipe in your fridge, trust that everyone will be reaching for it when they want a quick and healthy snack.
Some fruits to use include grapes, strawberries, mango, pineapple, raspberries, kiwi, blackberries, and blueberries. Feel free to toss in some pineapple chunks as well.
The poppy seeds make this fruit salad extra special.
To make this fruit salad sweet, you can add some honey, but this is totally optional. We do recommend the lime juice though because it will help to preserve your fruit salad for longer.
These apple cinnamon oatmeal bars taste decadent, and it’s hard to believe they are actually made completely without any refined sugar.
These bars are chewy and dense, making them perfect for a filling breakfast or brunch gluten free snack. They’re so delicious, your family may even request them for dessert.
Even better, these bars are made with heart-healthy ingredients like coconut oil and gluten-free oats. The sweeteners are applesauce without added sugar and pure maple syrup.
These apple oatmeal bars freeze nicely, so you can make some in advance for quick gluten-free snacks.
It’s amazing what you can make for gluten-free snacks.
With just three pantry staple ingredients, these gluten-free peanut butter cookies will be your new go-to recipe when you’re trying to feed some hungry snackers.
Besides being gluten-free, these peanut butter cookies are also sugar-free because you can use a product like monk fruit sweetener to make them sweet.
Smooth and creamy all-natural peanut butter is the best peanut butter to use to make these cookies. Just make sure it doesn’t have added sugar.
Also, you can make these without eggs by using ground chia seeds.
Brownies are delightfully decadent, but they don’t have to be full of fat and gluten to be just as wonderful.
These fudgy brownies are not only gluten-free but also vegan and mostly plant-based. They don’t have eggs in them and they are made with almond butter.
One of the things we love about this recipe for gluten-free brownies is that its sugar sources aren’t the most unhealthy. These brownies get their sweetness from applesauce and maple syrup.
The recipe calls for dairy-free dark chocolate, and the almonds add some wonderful protein.
Watch this video for even more great ideas for gluten-free snack recipes.
21+ Delicious Gluten Free Snacks (+Ants on a Log)
These recipes are sure to please. So, gather your family and friends and enjoy. Let us know your thoughts!
Cassie brings decades of experience to the Kitchen Community. She is a noted chef and avid gardener. Her new book "Healthy Eating Through the Garden" will be released shortly. When not writing or speaking about food and gardens Cassie can be found puttering around farmer's markets and greenhouses looking for the next great idea.
