12 Easy Gluten Free Dessert Recipes

Looking for gluten free dessert recipes that actually taste like dessert? Here are 12 easy, tested-style favorites — fudgy chocolate cake, 3-ingredient cookies, no-bake bars, dairy-free mousse and holiday treats — with full ingredients and steps right on this page.

Most lists of gluten free dessert recipes send you to a dozen different websites before you can bake anything. This one doesn't. Every recipe below has its ingredients and steps right here, so you can pick one and start.

Many of these are naturally gluten free desserts — they never needed wheat flour in the first place — which means no hunting for special flour blends and no gummy, crumbly results.

Quick Pick: Which Gluten-Free Dessert Should You Make?

Recipe Best for Time Dairy-free? Ingredients Flourless Chocolate Cake Chocolate lovers, dinner parties 40 min Swap option 5 3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies Fastest bake 20 min Yes 3 Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies Classic cookie craving 25 min Swap option 8 Coconut Macaroons Make-ahead, gifting 35 min No 5 Chocolate Avocado Mousse No oven, dairy-free 10 min Yes 6 No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Bars Kids, potlucks 15 min + chill Swap option 7 Gluten-Free Apple Crisp Cozy fall dessert 55 min Swap option 12 Berry Pavlova Showstopper, light 2 hrs (mostly hands-off) Swap option 7 Crustless Pumpkin Pie Thanksgiving 55 min Swap option 7 Easy Crème Brûlée Date night 50 min + chill No 4 Creamy Rice Pudding Pantry staples 45 min Swap option 6 Dark Chocolate Peppermint Bark Christmas gifts 20 min + set Swap option 4

Before You Bake: 5 Rules to Keep It Truly Gluten-Free

A recipe can be gluten-free on paper and still make someone with celiac disease sick. These five checks matter more than any recipe:

Use certified gluten-free oats. Regular oats are often cross-contaminated with wheat in the field or mill. Read labels on "safe-looking" ingredients. Chocolate chips, sprinkles, candy canes, vanilla blends, baking powder and powdered sugar can contain gluten or be made on shared lines. Watch for malt. Malt (barley) hides in malted milk powder, some chocolates and some cereals. Clean your tools. Wooden spoons, old baking pans with scratches, sifters and toasters can hold flour residue. Use parchment paper when in doubt. Store separately. Keep gluten-free desserts covered and away from regular baked goods.

Gluten Free Chocolate Desserts