Gluten-Free Holiday Meal Substitutions

A gluten-free holiday can fill us with stress on WHAT to eat, and HOW to serve our family a holiday meal when we have to keep everything safe for our own gluten-free plate.

This is where the right substitutions come in to save the day!

The truth is . . . you DON’T have to give up everything over the holidays just because you’re gluten-free, or have food allergies.

You need to find the right substitutions to make your favorite holiday dishes, just like we did at our house! 

        Look for gluten-free substitutions

            for your favorite family recipes

Cream sauces

Start by making your own gluten-free roux.  This is a mixture of butter or oil with flour that you cook to create a paste, then slowly add milk to create your cream sauce.

Use Earth Balance Butter or olive oil to start. Typically 3 Parts oil, and 3 parts gluten-free flour work well.  After trying many different flours, gluten-free Sweet Rice Flour builds this paste and creates a creamy milky sauce. White rice flour makes it very sandy, while tapioca makes it too gummy.  Arrowroot can work well but adds an off-flavor.

You can use this roux to make cream of mushroom soup for the Green Bean Casserole or creamed onions.  I also use this method when making our delicious homemade gluten-free mac-n-cheese (gooey – above!).

Stuffing

Yes, you can make this gluten-free. Typically we bake our own gluten-free bread to use for the stuffing.  Yet Aleias gluten-free stuffing mix is a great substitution. There are many different gluten-free stuffing mixes available now, yet the reviews aren’t great on some of them. Check your stores and reviews . . . and ingredients.

I used gluten-free sausage found at my local grocery store to help recreate my dad’s signature sausage stuffing dish.

Gravy

Everyone thinks gravy is out. Nope! Overall, find which gluten-free flour substitute will work best to use as a thickener (see above about the roux sauce) and use gluten-free spices (Not all spices are gluten-free!).

Beware, you do not want to make gluten-free gravy from a bird that was stuffed with gluten-filled stuffing cooked inside.

Cranberry Sauce

Typically one can find this gluten-free. Yet, if you prefer less sugar, make your own.  You can find my Healthier Cranberry Sauce recipe right here.

Desserts

When it comes to cookies, we recreated our favorite holiday cookies, like coconut macaroons and gingerbread cookies.

Pumpkin pie was a bit of a challenge finding the right milk and sugar ratio to make a delicious pie that still had a good texture. Overall, coconut milk worked best as the milk substitute and maple syrup worked well as a sweetener.

Our apple pie was recreated by making a delicious gluten-free pie crust and using all gluten-free spices and flour as substitutes.

If you are stuck, just get in your kitchen and try different substitutes to fit your family recipes.  You can figure it out!

No more days of deprivation or giving up just because you are gluten-free.

Keep your family traditions alive by finding the right substitutions that work for you!