7 easy gluten-free baking recipes for Christmas

Many of us enjoy cooking and baking year-round, but Christmas is when we pull out all the stops. There are parties to cater for, guests to feed, kids to keep happy and the withering stare of grandparents who will raise an eyebrow at anything that isn’t made from scratch. That’s what makes it such a great time of year for keen home cooks – there’s ample opportunity to get stuck into some classic dishes which are often only made during the festive season.

Baked treats make up a big part of Christmas – filling the house with the aromas of brandy, dried fruits and festive spices instantly conjures up a little seasonal serenity. But if you’re gluten-free or catering for those that avoid gluten, it can feel like a bit of a spanner in the works. Christmas puddings, cakes, biscuits and canapés can suddenly become unknown territory, as you worry about different flour blends, textures, quantities and whether you should just give up and buy something in.

Of course, there’s no need to worry. Gluten-free baking has come on leaps and bounds in recent years, and it’s now incredibly easy to make gluten-free versions of pretty much anything. That’s why we’ve put together a list of our best-ever gluten-free baking recipes for Christmas. They’re all incredibly simple to prepare, taste just as good (if not better) than their gluten-filled counterparts and will be happily eaten by everyone – whether they’re avoiding gluten or not. Take a look, get out the mixing bowls and set a weekend aside for some fantastically festive baking.

It wouldn’t be Christmas without a cake, now, would it? Bursting with boozy, fruity and nutty flavours, Karen Burns-Booth adds a twist to the original recipe by including an array of tropical fruits which work in perfect harmony with the dark rum. Using gluten-free self-raising flour alongside ground almonds gives the cake a wonderful texture, while the dried mango and pineapple on top adds a sense of occasion.

Preparing desserts that are free from both gluten and dairy can be tricky, but Howard Middleton’s Christmas pudding shows you how to do it right. Using rice flour as the base, he adds all sorts of wonderful spices (including Chinese five-spice powder) alongside vanilla, seasonal rhubarb, prunes and stem ginger. The generous amount of Armagnac adds an incredibly rich and fruity flavour, which gets deeper and more complex as the pudding matures.

These colourful gluten-free festive biscuits taste as good as they look, combining the classic flavours of white chocolate and cranberry. Once you’ve got your biscuits baked, let your creative streak shine by using the melted chocolate and cranberry powder to jazz them up. We guarantee these star-shaped bakes will be snapped up instantly – and the crunchy texture means they taste exactly like their gluten-containing counterparts.

Nothing tastes of Christmas more than a mince pie, and while there are plenty of gluten-free pies in the shops they’ll never taste as good as homemade. After making a gluten-free shortcrust pastry from scratch, Victoria Glass peps up her mincemeat by adding seasonal damsons for fruity depth and cobnuts (a more flavourful alternative to hazelnuts) for crunch. Make the mincemeat in advance and store in a sterilised jar before using it to fill your pastry cases for a truly fuss-free Christmas.