Gluten free party food was something we struggled with when my daughter ‘Roo’ was diagnosed with coeliac disease (aged 2) in 2010. As time has passed there are many more options to buy in supermarkets.
In this article I’m going to give you some gluten free kids party food ideas along with dairy free party food ideas. That’s because along with having coeliac disease ‘Roo’ doesn’t tolerate dairy (having had an allergy to cows milk protein as a baby).
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Having just held a birthday party for my son this weekend I thought it might be useful to share what food we had.
I did a ‘buffet’ style meal for fourteen 5 year olds that was gluten-free and mainly dairy-free too. Lots of the things I made ahead and froze.
So here we go!
My gluten free (& dairy-free) kids party food ideas…that adults will enjoy too…
This year I decided that as my son had loved the space topic they had done at school, his party could be loosely space themed.
So, first up I made him a rocket birthday cake.
I made this by combining a few ideas together that I had gathered on the internet. There was a very good template for those who like such things (I like freehand myself), along with decorating instructions on taste’s website.
I used that idea combined with a few pictures I found on Google to come up with mine. This was a pretty easy cake to make because I made a double quantity of my cake mix that you can find here in a 23cm x 30cm tin.
I then cut out the shape and decorated it. Everything you need to know about making the cake and the icing can be found in the above link.
Savoury gluten free party snacks
I made the following items:
Gluten free chicken nuggets
I used my recipe (pictured below) with Sacla dairy-free and gluten-free pesto. If you don’t need these to be dairy free just use ‘ordinary’ pesto.
Gluten free dairy free pizza
I used my simple gluten free dairy free pizza recipe. If you don’t need the recipe to be dairy free then use any cheese you like to top the pizza. There are many dairy free cheese options now. We particularly like the Violife one.
If you don’t like dairy free cheese but need a dairy free pizza then leave the cheese off altogether. It’s still delicious.
I made one pizza with cheese and tomato and the other with pesto, chorizo and mozzarella.
Sausages on sticks
I bought Tesco Finest cocktail sausages wrapped in bacon.
Most supermarkets in the UK now have gluten free sausages. If you can’t find cocktail sausages then cook and cut up large sausages or chipolatas.
Then use cocktail sticks (depending on the age of the kids) to put the sausages on.
Sandwiches
To make my sandwiches I used Genius white bloomer bread and filled it with dairy-free spread, ham, ham and cheese (for those that could have dairy) and peanut butter.
You could make your own bread using one of my reliable gluten free bread recipes.
Baby tomatoes, vegetable sticks and dips
Thinly sliced vegetables such as carrots, peppers and cucumber served with hummus and pesto mayonnaise dips. I made the pesto dip by combining mayonnaise with gluten free and dairy free pesto. Again if you didn’t need to avoid dairy then use ‘normal’ pesto.
Baby tomatoes are often popular with small children. Depending on their age cut them in half or quarters to prevent them becoming a choking hazard.
Gluten free sausage rolls
Make your own sausage rolls using the recipe in my gluten free pastry recipe ebook. In the book I share how to make gluten free shortcrust, rough puff (for these), choux and Danish pastries. And I include the recipe for gluten free sausage rolls too. You can’t beat them.
The recipe uses my wholegrain, rice free, gluten free flour blendthat you can buy from my online gluten free flour shop.
Cheese on sticks
These were especially for my little cheese monster (obviously not for those with a dairy allergy).
Just cut up cheese into cubes and put them on cocktail sticks. Again consider the age of the children before using cocktail sticks.
Gluten free cheese biscuits
I made these using my recipe here and cut them out into star shapes using star cutters. Again not suitable for those with a dairy allergy unless you have a good dairy-free cheese that you could use instead of the cheese.
Alternatively you could make my dairy free ‘cheeseless’ crackers.
Crisps
I used Seabrooks variety pack that are all gluten-free, with some being dairy-free.
I also bought Pom Bear crisps at the request of my son (these are cheese flavoured so no good for those with dairy allergies).
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Sweet gluten free party food
I did the following for my sweet gluten free party snacks…
Pineapple on sticks
Cut a pineapple up and place the pieces on cocktail sticks (if appropriate for the children coming to the party)
Strawberries
Both my children have birthdays in the summer so it’s easy to get strawberries. You could use any other fruit that you can get hold of (but kids do tend to love strawberries).
Marshmallows dipped in dairy-free chocolate with sprinkles on top
A really simple, but effective way to make a sweet gluten free party food option. Just check the marshmallows are gluten free, along with any decorations you’re using. I used Tesco own brand and they were fine.
Gluten free iced gem biscuits
A childhood favourite of mine and something that I’ve still never found in the supermarket. I created this recipe specifically. It’s really easy and the biscuits can be decorated any way you like.
I made some into iced gems and some into little decorated ‘5’ biscuits and star and moon biscuits…
Cupcakes
My mum made these using the same recipe as the birthday cake, that you can find here. You can use it as a base recipe for any flavour cake you’d like.
Soft gluten free cookies
My all time favourite recipe. You can use the recipe as a base to add whatever fillings you’d like. M&M’s are a favourite if you can eat dairy. If not then Skittles work really well as do dairy free chocolate chips.
Gluten free flapjacks
A very quick and easy recipe to make that can be made dairy free if needed. Make sure you use gluten free oats.
Gluten free scones
My kids love scones and they are very easy to make. I use my wholegrain gluten free flour blend to make them. It is a reliable blend of flours that can be used to make anything. And it happens to make the best gluten free scones. But don’t take my word for it, check out the numerous reviews at the bottom of my gluten free flour shop page.
Gluten free gingerbread
My favourite gingerbread recipe that can be made into any shape, including gingerbread men and women. It’s great for kids too because it’s lower in sugar than a traditional recipe.
Baked gluten free doughnuts
Simple baked ring doughnuts that can be decorated in any way you like.
If you fancy making a filled doughnut then check out this recipe from Glutarama.
Flying saucer sweets
These retro sweets are a firm favourite in our house. If you’re not familiar with them they are rice paper filled with sherbet. As they are flying saucer shaped they were perfect for my space theme.
So there you have it.
My gluten free party food ideas. Perfect for kids and adults who have coeliac disease, an allergy or intolerance to gluten or an allergy or intolerance to dairy.
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