16 Supremely Delicious Gluten-Free Desserts

By Frances Kim
Marcus Nilsson
Whether you're gluten-free yourself or hosting a gluten-averse guest, we're here for you with all kinds of delectable desserts, including cakes, cookies, pies, and more.
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Romulo Yanes

Whether you're suffering from a gluten intolerance or choose to avoid gluten for other health reasons, dessert can be difficult: Most homemade cakes and cookies are made with wheat flour, and the same can be said of store-bought desserts. But if you want to bake without gluten, we have delicious dessert recipes, from pie to cake.

Baking without gluten can mean using gluten-free flour, which works wonderfully in everything from sumptuous fudge brownies and a full-bodied spiced pumpkin pie to our favorite two-bite chocolate cupcakes. You can also bake gluten-free desserts by using almond flour or almond meal in place of wheat flour. Some recipes even combine different ingredients to create a version of gluten-free flour. Concerned that gluten-free baked goods won't be as fluffy as those with gluten? Don't be because our recipes have been tested and proven to work.

 

When you need a quick gluten-free dessert for a party or potluck, our go-to ideas include ice cream, fresh fruit and whipped cream, and other fruit-filled sweets. If you're new to a gluten-free diet, our expert has advice and guidance for you. And if you're just here in search of a gluten-free chocolate-chip cookie recipe, well we've got that covered, too. Best of all, it's made with just five ingredients and can be made in one bowl!

If you're baking these treats for yourself or for friends or loved ones, you'll find the following gluten-free recipes to be just as straightforward and attainable as our other triple-tested dessert recipes. Any baker will enjoy adding these 16 gluten-free recipes to their arsenal for delightful sweet treats all year long.

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Angel Food Cake

Mike Krautter
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Using gluten-free flour doesn't make this classic dessert any less scrumptious. The texture is still light as a cloud.

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Flourless Chocolate-Date Cake with Salted-Caramel Sauce

Marcus Nilsson
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A cake for the ages, regardless of your dietary preferences. Skipping the flour just means you get a dense crumb. Salted caramel sauce and whipped cream make it even more decadent.

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Gluten-Free Pound Cake with Cranberries

Johnny Miller
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Studded with dried cranberries, chopped pecans, and orange zest, this pound cake is full of fall flavors but we think it's delicious any time of year.

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Coffee Meringue-Ice Cream Cake

Jonathan Lovekin
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Dress up store-bought coffee ice cream with almonds, ground coffee beans, and flaky salt, then sandwich it between coffee-swirled meringues to make this over-the-top dessert.

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Hazelnut-Vanilla Shortbread

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Pair brown-rice flour with ground hazelnuts and vanilla bean to make an elegant gluten-free version of the classic cookie. Then try the rest of our favorite gluten-free cookies!

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Fudgy Pecan Brownies

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Cornstarch helps give these brownies structure, just as the gluten in flour would. We added toasted pecans, but walnuts or hazelnuts would also be delicious here.

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Spiced Pumpkin Pie

linda xiao
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The secret weapon in our gluten-free baking arsenal? Crisp Rice-Almond Piecrust. It pairs beautifully with cinnamon- and nutmeg-spiked pumpkin filling, and would be a superb base for just about any pie you please.

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Buckwheat-and-Chocolate Torte

Con Poulos
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For the uninitiated, buckwheat flour is gluten-free because it's ground from a seed, not a grain. It adds a wonderful earthiness to this scrumptious cake. If you like buckwheat, also try these banana-apple buckwheat muffins.

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Lemon Cornmeal Cake

Lennart Weibull
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Double doses of lemon—juice and zest—and almond (chopped plus extract) give this Italian-inspired cake tons of flavor. 

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Pumpkin Bread

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Cinnamon and nutmeg give this fall loaf plenty of spice, and buttermilk makes it really moist. 

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Chocolate-Peanut Meringue Kisses

Jonathan Gregson
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Just five ingredients are all that's needed to whip up these heavenly cookies—egg whites, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, peanuts, and chocolate chips.

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Zucchini-Almond Cake

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Almond flour lends this gluten-free cake a wonderful nuttiness while grated zucchini keeps it perfectly moist. The blanket of fluffy cream cheese frosting take it to the next level.

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Chocolate Cupcakes

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Everyone will love these light-as-air four-ingredient cupcakes, especially if you serve them topped with scoops of ice cream.

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Gluten-Free Crepes

Mike Krautter
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Tender crepes are always a crowd-pleaser. This gluten-free variety shines any time of the day, whether it's breakfast, lunch, dinner, or just for a sweet snack. Fill them with your favorite fruit, ice cream, Nutella, jam—let your imagination run wild!

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Gluten-Free Oatmeal Cookies

Romulo Yanes
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Not all oatmeal cookies are gluten free. Some recipes may contain wheat flour or other ingredients with gluten. And as many gluten-free bakers and those on a gluten-free diet know, oats may be processed in facilities that also process wheat or other foods containing gluten. Be sure to buy certfied gluten-free oats for this classic cookie.

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