Skip to Content
Recipes

Gluten Free Holiday Desserts Everyone Will Love

Gluten free desserts that belong on your holiday table.

Holiday meals are rarely simple. Between family traditions and crowded tables, making room for a gluten free guest can feel like one more thing to manage. Dessert is often the hardest, but it doesn't have to be.

From flourless Italian classics to bakery favorites, Appetito has covered gluten free sweets that focus on desserts your friends and family will actually want to eat.

Whether you are hosting a large group or bringing something sweet in hand, these Appetito-approved gluten free desserts make it easier to offer a dish that everyone at the table can enjoy.


Sign up for the Appetito newsletter and receive new recipes, stories, and Italian inspiration straight to your inbox.


Explore some of Appetito’s gluten free coverage from over the years:

cannoli brownie bites

Gluten-Free Cannoli Brownie Bites


Finding tasty gluten-free desserts can be challenging, but that’s about to change. Our New York City-based contributor, Morgan Hines, shares this recipe from Lindsay Grimes’ cookbook Something Sweet.

Gluten-free Struffoli in cups

Struffoli: How to Make Gluten-Free Italian Honey Balls

A sticky and satisfying Neapolitan holiday dessert can taste just as sweet when made with gluten-free flour.

Castagnaccio is a gluten-free, vegan cake made with chestnut flour.

Castagnaccio is a Decadent, Vegan and Gluten-Free Italian Cake

Food and travel writer Justin Patulli shares a decadent cake recipe featuring chestnut flour that is perfect year-round and both vegan and gluten-free.

Limonetti Cookies.

Limonetti Cookies, a Gluten-Free Nod to the Amalfi Coast

A crunchy and chewy gluten-free treat, these cookies get their brightness from limoncello.


Pignoli cookies.

Start a Holiday Tradition with Gluten-Free Pignoli Cookies

Danielle Kaye shares her gluten free version of a traditional family holiday recipe for Pignoli cookies - chewy almond-based balls with a hint of crunch and topped with fresh pinoli nuts.


olive oil cake

Ricotta Olive Oil Cake

Our contributor Michelle Sessa shares this versatile and light gluten free cake.


Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Appetito

How Illy Espresso Became the Secret Behind the Classic Espresso Martini

From its origins in 1980s London to today’s cocktail menus around the world, the espresso martini owes much of its success to the quality of the espresso at its core.

March 13, 2026

Appetito Travels: Finding a Little Italy in Newport Beach, California

A sun filled coastal escape blends beach walks, a Mediterranean resort and Italian flavors in Newport Beach and Laguna Beach.

March 12, 2026

Vinny DelGiudice’s Crispy Pork Chop Milanese with Spring Salad

Golden, crispy pork chops meet a bright spring salad in this simple Milanese recipe from Vinny DelGiudice that proves classic Italian cooking doesn’t need to be complicated.

March 12, 2026

Creamy Seafood Carbonara with Prawns and Calamari

Chef Paul Watters shares a creamy seafood carbonara made with prawns, calamari, Parmesan and fresh herbs tossed with silky pasta.

March 11, 2026

Emilia D’Albero Wins Best Cheesemonger at Mondial du Fromage

Emilia D’Albero talks about serving Stilton-infused mascarpone whipped cream in her great-grandmother’s espresso cups, a perfect day off, and why you should make friends with your local cheesemonger.

March 11, 2026

Nino Coniglio on Lucky Charlie and Coal Oven Pizza in Bushwick

The Williamsburg Pizza founder shares the philosophy behind his restaurants, from Italian American tradition to late-night dining in Bushwick.

March 10, 2026
See all posts