In the last ten years, there have been SO many gluten-free products to come to the market. This is GREAT news for everyone living the gluten-free life! However, it can be hard to filter through all the products to figure out what is “best” and works for what you need.
I know everyone shops at different stores, so I am going to try to include a couple of options for each category. If you come across a gluten-free product I haven’t mentioned here, but you want to know if I have tried it, please leave a comment below.
Contents
Bread
There are so many different brands of bread out there that it can be difficult to pick just one! I love Udi’s brand because it is the most accessible, however, my favorite variety is Soft White which unfortunately is not as easy to find where I live. If I can’t find the Soft White variety I usually pick the Multigrain which is still very good!
I also love the Canyon Bakehouse brand! To me, their bread is a little softer than Udi’s, but the texture is a little bit more spongy. I have no issues with the texture though and pick this bread regularly. Depending on your preferences, their Mountain White and 7-grain are both great! They also have a new Heritage Style line that looks delicious but I haven’t had the chance to try it out yet. Have you tried it? Let me know how it is in the comments below!
Both of these companies have great store locators on their sites so you can find them close to you. Click here for Udi’s website and here to order it from Amazon. Or here for Canyon Bakehouse’s website and here to order it from Amazon.
Crackers for Dipping
My favorite crackers for dips and spreads are the Glutino brand of crackers. To be honest, these crackers are a little bland, but they are the most “sturdy” and can stand up to dipping in alllll the dips and sauces. With dips or cheeses, they don’t seem bland at all!
Crackers for Crumbling
You know those good casseroles with crumbled up Ritz crackers on top? That used to be almost impossible to recreate in the gluten-free world until a year or so ago. Thanks to Lance there is a great buttery replica for the Ritz crackers you can no longer eat. These are crumbly, so I don’t suggest them for spreads or anything that requires you to put pressure on the cracker itself, but they are AMAZING for anything else.
Pasta
Pasta aka the love of my life. When I was starting out on my gluten-free journey, pasta was one of the main things I was concerned about, but I am happy to report that there are TONS of gluten-free pasta options and some of them are difficult to tell apart from their gluten-filled counterparts. My hands-down favorite brand is the Simply Balanced brand from Target. If you don’t have a Target (so sorry if that’s true) then the Barilla brand would be my next favorite! It tastes almost identical to the Target brand but is a little more expensive.
Frozen Pizza
Sometimes you just need to reach for that pizza in your freezer and your favorite movie or TV show. These pizzas will do the trick! Udi’s brand is the most available and also my favorite. The Supreme flavor is my personal choice. The cheese actually stays on the bread (a hard thing for some gluten-free pizza) and the crust has a great texture! These are readily available in most grocery stores, which is part of why I love them so much! You can also get them from Amazon here.
Cake Mix
Cake. It was probably one of the first things you realized you might have difficulty finding, but I am here to tell you there are lots of good options! Betty Crocker makes an amazing option, as well as King Arthur. The main issue with gluten-free cakes is the dryness factor. Both of these are plenty moist, but I have found the King Arthur keeps its level of moistness a little bit longer. However, I like the texture of the Betty Crocker cake a little bit better, so this tends to be what I reach for if it is available.
You can get a six-pack of Betty Crocker Yellow Cake Mix on Amazon here, and the Devils Food here. The King Arthur yellow cake mix is available on Amazon here, and the chocolate is available here.
Brownies
This one is hands down Betty Crocker. I have friends that get SO excited when I have gluten-free brownies because they love them THAT much. They are soft in the middle and crispy on the edges, and they have real chocolate chips in them that add to the already amazing chocolate flavor. You can get them on Amazon here!
Pancakes and Waffles
Pancakes. A very important staple in the breakfast and brunch world. Luckily there are many pancake options. The best widely available option is the gluten-free Bisquick. It is available at many local grocery stores and provides a great consistency pancake or waffle. You can get it from Amazon here.
However, if you have a Trader Joe’s near you, there is NOTHING I have found that beats the Trader Joe’s Gluten-Free Pancake Mix. They are the fluffiest pancakes I have found from a restaurant or at home, and they have a little vanilla in them which makes them even more delicious. They are so good, that every time I come home my parents beg me to bring some since they don’t have a local TJ’s.
Bars
Bars, what would I do without them? I really do not know. I eat bar’s all the time, especially at work when I am hungry but my patients’ needs will not allow me to go to lunch just yet. My two top brands are Larabar and Luna Bar. However, I also like RX Bars on occasion but they tend to be super chewy which I am not the biggest fan of.
My favorite Larabar flavors include Banana Chocolate Chip, Banana Bread, Blueberry Muffin, Cherry Pie (you have to love tart things for this one), and Coconut Cream Pie.
My favorite Luna Bar flavor by far is the Blueberry Bliss. The Lemon Zest is good if you are looking for something light, and the Chocolate Dipped Coconut if you are looking for more of a treat. I honestly haven’t tried a ton of the flavors because I love the Blueberry Bliss SO much.
You can get a variety pack of Larabar’s here to try their most popular flavors. Or to try the Luna Bar’s, you can get a variety pack here.
Cereal
I didn’t really want to just pick one here, because cereal is all about your preference since there are so many different varieties. There are some specialty gluten-free cereals, but honestly, I haven’t found one I like enough to recommend. There are, however, many “mainstream” cereals that can be a game-changer at breakfast buffets and other locations you might not have many options. Know that almost all Cheerios and Chex are gluten-free as well as Fruity Pebbles, Cocoa Pebbles, and Lucky Charms.
Cookies
Who doesn’t love a good chocolate chip cookie right? No worries, there are plenty of gluten-free options. For a break and bake option, the Immaculate brand is wonderful. Tates are great for a thin crunchy version (not my personal favorite but many people love them). My personal favorite is the WOW brand of cookies. They are soft and chewy and come in many flavors.
Now I know there are plenty of other types of cookies out there, but one of my favorite cookies that haven’t made this list yet is a THIN MINT dupe. The Goodie Girl Cookies brand has THE BEST mint cookie out there. You guys. I have, on multiple occasions, eaten an entire box of these in one sitting. They are SO good. They can be found at SO many grocery stores as well as Amazon and STARBUCKS. These are great for an afternoon pick me up or a Netflix binge. To find them on Amazon, click here.
To get the Immaculate brand click here. For the Tates thin and crunchy cookies go here, and for the WOW cookies go here.
Pie Crust
This one is hard because the only recommendation I have is from Whole Foods which I know everyone doesn’t have available to them. But y’all. The Whole Foods Brand premade pie crust is out of this world. It is buttery and flaky and everything you want in a pie crust. If you don’t have a Whole Foods, the Wholly Wholesome crust is pretty good too! The texture of this one just isn’t quite as good as the Whole Foods one, and it seems to fall apart easier as well. Grab the Wholly Wholesome crust here!
For a graham cracker crust, I suggest the Mi-Del brand. It is pretty crumbly but the taste is great! You can get it on Amazon here, or many local grocery stores!
