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This Ultimate Gluten-Free Christmas Dinner Menu is perfect when you need to serve up some gluten-free options or even if you want to commit to making your whole Christmas Lunch gluten-free. If you have coeliac disease, a gluten intolerance or gluten sensitivities you want to be able to enjoy Christmas Day and the rest of the holiday season without missing out on any of the delicious food. So, if you are struggling over what gluten-free christmas food to make then this menu has you totally covered from the gravy to the stuffing to the brussels sprouts.
The festive season is a time for celebrating time with friends and family so the last thing you want is to be getting anxious about the food. We want things to be easy, delicious and we don’t want anyone to miss out. Chances are you have a bunch of foodie traditions and when you have to include a gluten-free diet in the mix those traditions might become a little more tricky to navigate.
Not to worry as we’ve got here a host of gluten-free Christmas recipes that show off the best ways to make gluten-free ingredient swaps so everyone can enjoy their holidays meals without any need to compromise on quality or any of the festive flavours.
What to serve a guest who is gluten-free
Maybe you are not gluten-free yourself but you have a friend or family member coming over that is. Don’t worry, even if you make no changes at all to your regular Christmas lunch I bet they will still have a feast of food to choose from. Let’s face it the following foods are usually gluten-free anyway:
Roast Turkey. Although make sure you cook the stuffing separately if it is not gluten-free.
Roast Potatoes. Although if you do like to coat your potatoes in flour, swap it out for gluten-free flour or omit entirely.
Brussels Sprouts. This goes for all the vegetables. As long as you are not cooking them in a sauce made of flour or coating them in any way then they will be gluten-free.
Cranberry Sauce. Always check labelling but I don’t think I have ever found a cranberry sauce that contains gluten.
Dessert. There are lots of gluten-free options below including Gluten-Free Christmas Pudding, Gluten-Free Christmas Cake or Gluten-Free Trifle. But if you are not much of a baker then do buy something in for your guest rather than just offer them a bit of ice cream or fruit. It is Christmas after all! Luckily you can buy 1-2 person Gluten-Free Christmas Puddings in almost all the supermarkets.
And if you want to make gluten-free versions of all the usual trimmings then scroll down this post as I've got bountiful gluten-free Christmas lunch ideas and recipes.
Be careful about cross contamination. If you are only serving some gluten-free options for your Christmas lunch but there is still plenty of wheat and gluten floating around your kitchen then do make sure that it doesn’t come into contact with what you are serving your gluten-free guest. Wash all your work surfaces and utensils thoroughly. Or better yet, use a different side of the kitchen and different cooking utensils for preparing those gluten-free dishes. And make sure serving dishes and serving spoons are also kept separate.
A Very Merry Gluten-Free Christmas
Your new guide to celebrating a Gluten-Free Christmas. With 45+ Christmas recipes, timings for the day and tips on hosting and food preparation.
A lot of the food you will be serving at your Christmas Dinner will probably be gluten-free anyway, but there are some key stumbling blocks that sometimes we forget about:
Pigs in blankets. Do check your sausages are gluten-free. More supermarket brands are making the swap to make all their sausages gluten-free but lots of bigger brands and the butchers still use wheat rusk to bulk out the sausages and make them juicy. Just double check the back of the packet or with your butcher.
Gravy. You can’t have a Christmas lunch without gravy. But most of us gluten-free folk have to if we are eating it not at home. Thank goodness that gluten-free gravy is so easy to make. There are 2 ways of doing it. If you are making a roux then you just need to swap all-purpose flour 1:1 with sweet rice flour or cassava flour. Or if you want to make your gravy with cornflour you need to heat up your meat juices and stock, then just mix in a cornflour slurry at the end to thicken.
Bread Sauce. This seems obvious as most of us know regular bread is not gluten-free, but when it comes to bread sauce we might have a total mindblock. Not to worry, this is such an easy swap – just use gluten-free bread instead of regular bread. The difference is not noticeable as long as you use a good artisan loaf.
Stuffing. Most stuffing recipes (and boxed stuffing) is made with wheat so if you like to make stuffing at Christmas Lunch then make sure you check your labels or make homemade stuffing with gluten-free ingredients.
Yorkshire Puddings. Okay these are not necessarily a traditional part of a Christmas Dinner but we certainly serve them alongside the Roast Turkey in our house. After all, who is ever going to complain about Yorkshire Puddings. Well, if you are gluten-free or serving a guest who is gluten-free you might want to make sure your recipe is too.
Gluten-free Christmas brunch ideas
Chances are that if you need some gluten-free Christmas dinner ideas then some breakfast and brunch ideas would also be mighty handy. Here are some of my favourites to serve on Christmas morning:
Easy Christmas Mincemeat Muffins (gluten-free)
These Easy Mincemeat Muffins are a wonderful alternative to a traditional mince pie. These muffins are a great way to use up leftover mincemeat and are light, fluffy, moist and full of Christmas spice and cheer.
These Gluten-Free American Pancakes are thick and fluffy and taste wonderful. The carefully chosen flours mean these healthy gluten-free pancakes are light in texture with a deep toasty vanilla flavour and have no xanthan gum in the mix. They are refined sugar-free and sweetened with dates alone. Quick and easy to make in the blender.
Quick and Easy Gluten-Free Waffle Recipe (sweet rice flour)
This Quick and Easy Gluten-Free Waffles Recipe is made with sweet rice flour and buckwheat flour. It’s a simple recipe which creates the best gluten-free waffles which are crisp, fluffy and taste incredible. Plus they are refined sugar-free, easy to make dairy-free and made with no xanthan gum.
Here are all the Gluten-Free Holiday Recipes you will need to cover a Gluten-Free Traditional Christmas Lunch that don’t sacrifice any of the festive flavours. You find recipes for everything for your Christmas dinner table from your roast potatoes to your brussels sprouts, gluten-free stuffing and cranberry sauce. And let's not forget our gluten-free desserts either, a fantastic Traditional Fruit Christmas Cake. And if you have any room left, you'll also find a selection of recipes for your quintessential Christmas Cookie Tray.
Gluten-free party food
Best Gluten-Free Sausage Rolls (with homemade pastry)
These Gluten-Free Sausage Rolls with Homemade Flaky Pastry are filled with juicy sausage meat sweet with caramelised onions, thyme and a touch of apricot jam. Encased in an easy-to-handle Homemade Flaky Pastry that doesn’t crack and needs no xanthan gum. Serve these up at a party or box them up for a picnic, they will always go down an absolute storm.
These Gluten-Free Mini Quiches are a great recipe when you are in need of a delicious appetiser or pastry bite. They are loaded with tasty cheese, caramelised onions and smoky bacon but you can totally customise the filling however you want.
Smoked Salmon on Potato Pancakes with Whipped Cream Cheese
Smoked Salmon on Potato Pancakes with Whipped Cream Cheese is the perfect appetiser or canapé when you are entertaining. Naturally gluten-free, very easy to prepare and always impressive.
This Cranberry Glazed Christmas Ham is a festive showstopper, perfect for holiday gatherings and is surprisingly easy to make. It's a delicious and impressive centrepiece for your Christmas Dinner Table.
Spiced Festive Red Cabbage is a wonderfully sweet tangy side dish for your winter gathering. It tastes wonderful alongside a roast turkey but equally well with rib of beef, game or even a nut roast.
This Cheesy & Creamy Brussels Sprouts Gratin is easy to make without the need for a béchamel sauce. Shredded brussels are gently cooked in butter with finely cut leeks then smothered with a rich and creamy cheese sauce. Grilled until golden and bubbling.
Carrot and Swede Mash is an incredibly comforting vegetable side dish that is delicious alongside your Sunday roast dinner. This recipe shows you how to make it on the hob but also gives an option how to make it very quickly using the Instant Pot.
Gluten-Free Sage & Onion Stuffing
If you have never made homemade stuffing before then I implore you try this Gluten-Free Sage and Onion Stuffing. This gluten-free version is made with buttery caramelised onions, sourdough bread, lemon and fresh herbs for a vibrant flavour which is a perfect accompaniment to your favourite roast or even Christmas Dinner.
This Vegetarian Gluten-Free Chestnut Stuffing is so flavourful with fresh sage. Crisp on top with a beautifully soft yet robust texture you won’t even notice it is vegetarian.
This Gluten-Free Bread Sauce is a quintessentially british classic accompaniment to a roast dinner. Made with your favourite loaf of gluten-free bread.
Best Ever Gluten-Free Yorkshire Puddings (without cornflour)
These are the best Gluten-Free Yorkshire Puddings made without cornflour or xanthan gum. Majestically tall and crisp with a fluffy breaded interior making them absolutely ideal for mopping up the gravy after your Sunday Roast.
This luxurious Gluten-Free Christmas Cake is an absolute showstopper. Bursting with brandy laced fruits, rich in spices and spiked with citrus. This traditional festive fruit cake is also totally customisable to your preferred gluten free flours and has no xanthan gum.
Nothing beats a homemade Traditional Gluten-Free Christmas Pudding. It simply does not compare to anything you can buy in the shops. This light and fluffy pudding is bursting with plump luscious brandy sodden fruit and is rich with nuts and spices.
This Gluten-Free Homemade Custard is a family favourite which is whipped up regularly to pour over our cosy desserts. It’s a simple 10 minute vanilla custard, made from easy ingredients and is richer, more flavourful and without the added colours or preservatives that you in a tin of powder or even fresh custard from the supermarket. For 5 minutes of extra time this homely, comforting and wonderfully tasting custard is totally worth the trouble.
Bramley Apple Mincemeat Pudding is an excellent way of using up all your excess mincemeat or makes a lighter alternative to Christmas Pudding. You can make the original recipe or my new gluten-free alternative version.
This crowd pleasing Gluten-Free Trifle has gorgeous layers of gluten-free vanilla sponge, drizzled with limoncello, cosseted by a thick blanket of raspberry curd and topped with a dreamy lemon custard and clouds of double cream.
These Gluten-Free Christmas Cookies with no xanthan gum have a lovely vanilla flavour and perfect texture. They are simple to make and are decorated with an easy royal icing.
Gluten-Free Embossed Cookie Recipe (For Patterned Rolling Pins)
This Gluten-Free Patterned Cookie Recipe is actually very easy to make using an embossed rolling pin. Rich with spice and black treacle and made with buckwheat and tapioca flour. No xanthan gum.
These incredibly popular quick and easy Gluten-Free Oatmeal Raisin Cookies are made with rolled oats and oat flour for a gloriously chewy bite with crispy edges. Boasting a deep flavour with a subtle hint of cinnamon and vanilla, these gluten-free cookies are a deliciously moreish treat and a huge hit with everyone.
A good ginger biscuit should be spicy, crunchy and survive a good tea dunking. These Gluten-Free Ginger Biscuits pass all those tests with flying colours. They make a wonderful cookie treat, a superb base to your cheesecake and take under 30 minutes to make from start to finish. Made with teff flour for an extra boost of molasses flavour.
If you love treating friends and family to something a little more homemade on special occasions, here are some lovely ideas for Christmas gifting.
Homemade Stem Ginger in Syrup
Homemade Stem Ginger in Syrup is sweet, spicy and much brighter than the shop bought stuff. It's so easy to make and is a wonderful ingredient for all types of recipes.
Ale Chutney is the perfect addition to your cheeseboard. It’s also particularly delicious with leftover ham or turkey. Sweetly spiced with chunky vegetables and plenty of tang.
Homemade Crystallised Stem Ginger (or Candied Ginger) is a spicy treat. Excellent as a little nibble with some coffee, an adornment to baked goods or given away as a beautiful sparkly gift.
Homemade Mixed Peel is so much more flavourful than supermarket bought. It isn’t as bitter and has a more fully rounded flavour that captures the essence of citrus season.
