12 Gluten-Free Christmas Recipes

Cooking a gluten-free menu can be tricky to begin with, but it's even harder around the holiday season, when wheat pops up in everything from Christmas cookies to dinner rolls. Luckily, there are plenty of options that allow you to serve a festive meal that everyone will love, whether or not they want to avoid gluten.

For starters, curate a butternut squash soup and side dish like Coconut-Creamed Swiss Chard or gratin. Select a main course protein from centerpiece-worthy lamb shank, a holiday ham, and salmon. And for dessert, choose from chocolate pretzel crinkle cookies, a honey-pear sweet cream galette, or cacao-nib meringues. We even have a candy to gift or bring to parties. Find these recipes and more of our favorite gluten-free holiday dishes below.

01 of 12

Butternut Squash Soup with Bacon and Crème Fraîche

Butternut Squash Soup with Creme Fraiche and Bacon — Erin Kunkel

Topping each bowl of this soup with a dollop of crème fraîche and crumbled bacon turns a classic fall soup into something worthy of a special meal.

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02 of 12

Gluten-Free Parker House Rolls

These fluffy, buttery rolls are an incredible gluten-free version of the original.

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03 of 12

Coconut-Creamed Swiss Chard

Unsweetened coconut milk and refined coconut oil combine to add a creamy richness to this vegan Swiss chard side from chef Rocco DiSpirito.

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04 of 12

Rutabaga, Celery Root, and Potato Gratin

Root vegetable gratin — Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Christine Keely

Rutabaga and celery root bring an earthy depth and an engaging, subtle sweetness to the potato mixture in this classic, flavorful gratin.

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05 of 12

Apple Cider Glazed Ham

honeybaked ham — Photo by Greg DuPree / Prop Styling by Missie Crawford / Food Styling by Ali Ramee

Brown sugar, honey, mustard, and apple cider give spiral-cut ham a spectacular transformation for a holiday meal centerpiece.

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06 of 12

Slow-Roasted Salmon with Walnut-Olive Vinaigrette

Platter of slow roasted salmon with olive walnut vinaigrette — Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis

A vinaigrette bolstered with chopped olives, toasted walnuts, and fresh parsley is a bold finishing touch for roasted salmon basted with smoked paprika and lemon. Simply read all labels to ensure ingredients like white wine vinegar are gluten-free.

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07 of 12

Banana Leaf-Wrapped Lamb Shank Tamales with Morita Chile Salsa

At event producer Paola Briseño González's holiday tamale parties, these smoky braised-lamb tamales get a pop of freshness from bright cilantro-onion relish, while a wrapper of banana leaves perfumes the masa with a softly sweet aroma as they steam.

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08 of 12

Honey-Pear Sweet Cream Galette

Floral sweetness from honey and pears is nicely balanced by tangy cream cheese in this fall galette with a flaky, buttery, and crisp crust that's gluten-free thanks to two kinds of rice flour and arrowroot.

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09 of 12

Vegan Coconut-Ginger Caramels

For these ginger- and chile-spiked caramels, plant-based fat from coconut replaces the typical butter, resulting in creamy, chewy caramels that are perfect for anyone on your gift list.

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10 of 12

Chocolate Pretzel Crinkle Cookies

This cookie recipe replaces flour with very finely ground gluten-free pretzels. The cookies can be made ahead and frozen for up to three months.

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11 of 12

Gluten-Free Cacao Nib Meringues

Made with chocolate, cacao, and cocoa, these intensely flavored meringues have a delicate, crispy exterior with a soft, chewy, marshmallow-like interior.

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12 of 12

Coconut Arroz con Leche Tamales

Coconut Arroz Con Lecha Tamales — DYLAN + JENI

Lightly sweetened coconut rice pudding provides a custardy contrast to the tender masa in these dreamy dessert tamales that make a festive holiday breakfast.

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