Gluten-Free Recipes

Gluten-Free Recipes for Thanksgiving

Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Menu

Cooking gluten-free this Thanksgiving? Whether you’re hosting someone with a gluten sensitivity or celiac disease, Thanksgiving can still be a smashing success. From the appetizers to the main courses to the desserts, there are plenty of phenomenally delicious gluten-free options.

Check out our suggested recipes below for a delectable gluten-free Thanksgiving, and if you’re looking for tips on cooking for someone who is gluten-free or has celiac disease, check out our article “Entertaining for Gluten-Free Guests.”

Appetizers

• Bacon and Brie Holiday Melts
• Cranberry-Glazed Sausage, Apple & Sweet Potato Meatballs
• Marinated Mushrooms

Salads

• Broccoli Salad
• Goat Cheese & Fuji Apple Salad
• Salad with Fruit and Poppy Seed Dressing

Gluten-Free Apple Crumble (no oats!)

Enjoy a gluten-free apple crumble without gluten or oats! This delectable dessert is undoubtedly easier than pie, but still has plenty of sugar, spice, and everything nice.

This recipe was provided by our friends at The Gluten-Free Palate.

Ingredients

Yields six servings. Use a 9×13 (or equivalent size) baking dish.

• ½ cup gluten-free flour
• ½ cup almond flour
• ⅕ teaspoon salt
• ⅓ cup brown sugar
  • You’ll use 3 Tablespoons in the apple mixture and the remaining amount in the crumb mixture.
• ⅓ cup solid coconut oil
• 3 apples (Granny Smith ideally, but feel free to experiment with other varieties)
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• ¼ cup walnuts

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 360°F. Grease a baking dish.
2. In a bowl, mix the gluten-free flour, almond flour, salt and brown sugar (remember to reserve 3 Tablespoons).
3. Add solid coconut oil and mix ingredients to make crumbs (not a batter!). Refrigerate for 10-15 mins to allow the crumbs to harden.
4. In a separate bowl, mix cornstarch, cinnamon, spices and the remaining sugar.
5. Slice apples and toss in bowl with spice mix until well-coated.
6. Transfer apples to a baking dish. Can be loosely layered, do not need to lie flat.
7. Grind walnuts into large crumbs (can use a mortal and pestle or a food processor to make this easier) and sprinkle over the apples.
8. Sprinkle the crumb mixture over the nuts and apples.
9. Cover dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil, flip dish and bake for another 20 minutes.
10. Serve warm, or, for an extra indulgent dessert, serve with whipped cream, caramel, or ice cream.

Cranberry-Glazed Sausage, Apple & Sweet Potato Meatballs

Recipe courtesy of Jones Dairy Farm 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

This recipe earned an honorable mention in the 2021 Beyond Celiac Gluten-Free Holiday Recipe Contest!

Recipe by Katie Blauser

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins by Katie

Ingredients:

• 1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup oil (coconut or olive)
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups Josie’s Best Muffins & More Gluten-Free Mix
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/2 cup gluten-free chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease or line a muffin tin.
2. Mix the wet ingredients together well.
3. Gradually add the dry ingredients and mix until there’s no lumps. Gently stir in the chocolate chips.
4. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin.
5. Bake for 22–24 minutes.

Cheesy Potato Stacks

This recipe earned an honorable mention in the 2021 Beyond Celiac Gluten-Free Holiday Recipe Contest!

Recipe by Leslie Benson/My Gluten Free Cucina

Gluten-Free Cheesy Potato Stacks by Leslie (My Gluten Free Cucina)

Ingredients:

• 1 large sweet potato, peeled
• 4 small red potatoes, skin on
• Cooking spray
• 4 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 1/3 cup 1% milk
• Seasoned salt, to taste
• 2 cups shredded Gruyere cheese (I used Red Apple Smoked Gruyere)
• Fresh thyme for garnish

Directions:

1. Grate the cheese and slice the potatoes very thin, using a mandoline or sharp knife. Leave some of the skins on the red potatoes for more color and texture.
2. Heat the butter, milk and seasoned salt, whisking together well.
3. Preheat the oven to 400ºF and coat a 12 cup muffin pan with cooking spray.
4. Begin layering the potatoes in the muffin cups, alternating red potato and sweet potato slices until the cups are half full. Use the smaller slices on the bottom for the best fit.
5. Drizzle one tsp. of the butter mixture over each stack and top with half of the grated cheese.
6. Continue layering the potatoes, mounding them to just a little higher than the top of the muffin cups (they will cook down).
7. Once the cups are full, finish off the remaining butter and cheese by drizzling it over the top of the stacks. Sprinkle more seasoning over the top as well.
8. Bake for 40–45 minutes, until the edges are nicely browned and the cheese has melted.
9. To serve, use a spoon to carefully remove each stack and invert onto a serving platter. Garnish with fresh thyme.

Chicken and Cornbread Dressing (or Stuffing)

This recipe was the second-place winner of the 2021 Beyond Celiac Gluten-Free Holiday Recipe Contest!

Recipe by Caron Hoffman

Gluten-Free Chicken and Cornbread Dressing (or Stuffing) by Caron

Ingredients:

Yields 2 large aluminum baking pans. This recipe can be halved to feed fewer people, but the recipe as listed will feed up to 10 people.

• 2 pans of gluten-free cornbread (I make my own; Beyond Celiac has a recipe here)
• 1/2 dozen boiled eggs
• 1 large onion (I use sweet yellow)
• 1 whole chicken, boiled and deboned
• 1 can gluten-free chicken broth or broth from your boiled chicken
• 1 can evaporated milk
• 1 can gluten-free cream of chicken soup
• 1 Tbsp celery salt (or you can use 3 stalks)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 stick butter
• Sage to taste (I like a lot)

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients except the butter.
2. Spoon the mixture into large baking pans.
3. Cut up the butter and spread over the top of the mixtures.
4. Bake in an oven at 350°F for 30–45 minutes (ovens vary).

Pizzelles

This recipe was the grand prize winner of the 2021 Beyond Celiac Gluten-Free Holiday Recipe Contest!

Recipe by Deb Graham

Gluten-Free Pizzelles by Deb

• 2 cups gluten-free baking mix (flour)
• 3 large eggs
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons gluten-free vanilla extract

• Anise pizzelles: 2 tablespoons anise extract and 2 tablespoons anise seeds
• Orange pizzelles: 2 tablespoons gluten-free orange extract (or Grand Marnier) and 2 tablespoons orange zest
• Coconut pizzelles: 2 tablespoons coconut extract and 2 tablespoons lemon or orange zest
• Chocolate orange pizzelles: add ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder and 2 tablespoons orange zest

Directions:

1. Add the vanilla (or other flavored extract) to the melted butter and set aside.
2. Whisk together the eggs and sugar in a separate bowl until well-combined.
3. Add the melted butter and vanilla in a slow, steady stream while continuing to whisk until well-blended.
4. Add the baking mix and various spices or seeds, orange zest, etc., and using a rubber spatula stir everything together until just combined, but don’t over mix.
5. Important—let the batter sit for 10 minutes before baking. This will create a better texture.
6. Drop a rounded teaspoonful of batter into the center of a pizzelle iron.* Close lid and bake for 60–75 seconds, depending on your pizzelle iron. Check for doneness often.
7. Let cool on a wire rack.

Snickerdoodle, Ginger or Chocolate Chip Crisps

From Oonagh Williams of Royal Temptations Catering

Last year at this time, I adapted a wheat flour pumpkin snickerdoodle cobbler from Better Homes and Gardens, changing pumpkin filling and snickerdoodle topping. I discovered that some leftover dough cooked on a cookie sheet was lovely, light and crispy.

Gluten-Free Snickerdoodle, Ginger or Chocolate Chip Crisps
Makes about 18 x 2+1/2″ cookies 

Ingredients:

• ¼ c (2oz,56g) soft butter
• ¼ c (2oz, 56g) granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) light/soft brown sugar
• ½ tsp (3 ml) gf baking powder
• 1 tsp (5ml) gf vanilla extract. Use a different extract, almond, lemon, maple etc, to change flavor.
• pinch of salt
• 1 egg
• 1/2c + 2 tbsp (2+1/2 oz, 70g) rice flour – I use imported, Asian white rice flour – Erawan, three elephant logo brand. Very fine, not gritty. Widely available in Asian stores, reasonable price.  I also use it for greasing and flouring cake pans and crispy batter for fish. Picture on Amazon but less expensive in Asian market. amazon.com/Thai-Rice-Flour-16-Basic/dp/B000EYC096
• NO xanthan gum

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*. I like to line cookie sheet with parchment paper
2. Beat ingredients together until mix is lovely and soft and fluffy.
3. For snickerdoodles. Using one tablespoon/# 60 scoop, drop cookie mix into bowl of sugar and cinnamon, one at a time, shake bowl gently to cover complete ball, then carefully scoop out onto cookie sheet. You can refrigerate cookie mix but it is then quite hard to scoop. Leave cookies about 2 inches apart on cookie sheet, they will spread and flatten.
4. For ginger or chocolate chip. Stir in chocolate chips or ginger, use 1 tbsp scoop and drop onto cookie sheet.
5. Bake in 350 oven for 15-18-20 minutes. Do not use black surface cookie sheet. Bake on middle shelf. Baking on a lower shelf, darkens the bottoms too much. Bake until ginger or chocolate chip cookies are a nice golden brown. They will still be soft and crisp up on cooling.  Snickerdoodles, the cinnamon sugar prevents you seeing obvious color.
6. Remove from oven, let cool, remove to cooling rack. Store in airtight container when totally cool.

Snickerdoodles:

I like to mix 1 tbsp (15ml) sugar and 2 tsp (10m) cinnamon for outside of cookie.

Ginger:

1-2 tbsp (15-30 ml) crystallized ginger chips by gingerpeople.com.  Package has crossed through wheat symbol. Add one teaspoon ground ginger for even spicier. You can roll scoop in regular sugar for crunchier surface.

Chocolate chip:

You know how much chocolate you like, 1-2 tbsp.  I had a chocolate chip cookie made with milk chocolate and it was delicious and not too sweet.  I did use cheese grater for some milk chocolate but chocolate was much too fine. Size of Tollhouse mini semi sweet chocolate chips is best size.

Remember I have a Culinary Arts degree as well as celiac disease and other food allergies so I know food and live this way daily.

Obviously talks and appearances are currently canceled, but you can connect with me on FB at Gluten Free Cooking with Oonagh. I’ve just filmed recipes at home for NH’s ABC WMUR’s Cooks Corner  and they are being aired.   I am also being included in nationwide library data base of on line presenters.

You can find Chef Oonagh Williams at Gluten Free Cooking with Oonagh on FB, web or LinkedIn. Remember most real food is naturally gluten free until manufacturers ‘mess’ around with it and only baking really needs changing. Real food is now being called clean eating.

For new recipes and lots of advice, my Delicious Gluten Free ecookbook only $20 available to download at wwwglutenfreecookingwithoonagh.com , tips, recipes ranging from Grandma’s comfort soup to dinner party fare, full color photos, follow link for list of contents and thumbnail photos of full size photos in ebook.

Easy Pumpkin Soup

From Oonagh Williams of Royal Temptations Catering

You’re sure to have canned or fresh pumpkin in November, so this is a soup quickly made to have ready in the fridge.

Easy Gluten-Free Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 cups – use the 15 oz can of pumpkin — just pumpkin in the ingredients
• 1 medium to large onion, peeled and quartered
• 4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
• 2 celery stalks, trimmed, washed and cut into chunks.
• ½ cup rice
• 6-8 cups chicken stock – I use water plus Orrington’s stock concentrate, labeled gluten-free.
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp dried thyme. Check thyme doesn’t smell moldy, some does.

Directions:

1. Chop carrot in a food processor. Remove and put in a pressure cooker or large saucepan.
2. Repeat with onion and celery
3. Add pumpkin to pressure cooker or saucepan, plus rice, water, stock concentrate, pepper, bay leaf and thyme. Stir all together.
4. Pressure cooker, I set 10 minutes cooking time. Stovetop pan, bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for about 20-30 minutes or until vegetables are lovely and soft. Vegetables will cook quickly when they are chopped small.  Rice will thicken soup.  Depending on quantity of vegetables and how tightly lid fits on regular saucepan, liquid can evaporate.  Also do you like thick or thin soup.

You can add some milk if soup is too thick. Soup should be soft and creamy, so that kids don’t have to chew.  I find the pumpkin taste is stronger than same recipe made with butternut squash, but hearty and warming for the cold weather.

Coffee Walnut Cake

From Chef Oonagh Williams of Gluten-Free Cooking with Oonagh

This is the same almond flour base I made in wheat flour days. Almond flour cakes are very common in Europe and naturally gluten-free. 

Gluten-Free Cake with Coffee & Walnuts

• Cake – single 8″ cake layer about 3/4 inch deep, with coffee butter frosting. 
• 6 tbsp (3 oz, 84g) very soft butter or coconut oil. I use coconut oil as my butter substitute in baking and prefer it to margarine style subs.
• 1+1/4 cup (4oz, 112g)  almond flour – almonds ground without skin (Trader Joe’s on line state that their almond flour -white – and almond meal – freckly – are gluten free and only $4.99/lb compared to other national brands except for Costco $4/lb for 3 lb bag, labeled gluten-free)
• 1/3 c (2oz, 56 g) toasted, chopped walnuts. I toast contents of a bag of chopped walnuts in 350 oven for about 10 minutes and then store them, ready to use. Toasting nuts really does make a difference, just don’t let them burn.
• 3/4 c, (6 oz, 180 g) sugar  
• 2 Tbsp (30 ml) instant coffee powder dissolved in 1 tbsp (15ml) water – regular Folger’s
• pinch of salt
• 1+1/2 tsp (8 ml) gluten-free baking powder 
• no xanthan gum needed
• 3 eggs  
• Frosting/Buttercream:
• 1/2 cup/1 stick (4 oz, 112g) soft butter or butter substitute you like
• 1 tsp instant coffee powder dissolved in 2 tsp water. 
• 2 c (8 oz, 224g) powdered (icing, confectioners) sugar

More toasted walnuts to sprinkle on top of frosting. 

1. Preheat oven to 350*F/170*C. Lightly grease and bottom line 8”  pan with parchment paper circle, dust with rice flour. 
2. Place all the cake ingredients in a 4 cup, 1-litre bowl and beat for 1-2 minutes until smooth and creamy. Color will lighten slightly but will still be coffee-colored.
3. Spoon raw batter into prepared pan and smooth out. 
4. Bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes until cake has risen, softly firm is dark golden brown  If you use almond meal/natural almond flour (almonds ground with skin still on) then cake will be even darker.
5. Remove from oven, cool in pan for about 3 minutes, then turn out onto cake serving plate, remove paper lining and then turn right side up.

Frosting/Buttercream:

6. I like to sieve the powdered sugar as it is often lumpy and it’s easier to sift first then try and beat little white lumps out of frosting.
7. Slowly add powdered sugar to very soft butter and coffee. Be careful, the sugar has a tendency to explode up. Once all sugar is added, beat well for 1-2 minutes to make fluffy.
8. This quantity of frosting is enough to generously top cake and pipe around edges. Then sprinkle with more toasted walnuts.

Variations:

1. Whipped Cream. Whip 1 cup of cream with 2 tablespoons powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of Kahlua or rum until stiff.  This can be used to frost cake instead of buttercream frosting. Or just serve on the side.
2. Regular chocolate ganache with Kahlua or rum added. 

1 c (8 oz, 240 ml) heavy or whipping cream

1 c (6oz, 168g)) Nestle semi-sweet chocolate chips -labeled gluten-free.

2-4 tbsp (30-60ml)  Kahlua or rum. Depending on the alcohol content of the chosen liqueur, this can taste quite strong.

Heat 1 cup of whipping or heavy cream to nearly boiling, add chocolate chips and stir. Let stand for a few minutes, then stir and microwave more if necessary until a totally smooth sauce is formed (looks like thick chocolate syrup). You can also use an immersion blender to make the sauce totally smooth.

Add alcohol and refrigerate for several hours until stiffer than set jello pudding.

I like to lightly whisk half of chilled ganache and gently persuade over top of cake and it will start drizzling down the sides. Then whisk remaining ganache and pipe on top of cake. Ganache is very soft if served immediately, piped chocolate will set up stiffer with refrigeration.  

3. Fruit. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 2 tablespoons of light brown sugar, add slices of fresh or canned pineapple and gently fry until starting to brown on edges.  Pour 2 tablespoons of rum into a measuring cup, then pour into skillet, allow to heat for about 20 seconds and use gas grill lighter to ignite the alcohol fumes. Make sure there are no children or animals around.  Do not lean over pan, keep hair out of the way. Allow flames to die down and serve on side of cake. In the summer just grill some pineapple slices.