‘Tis the season for making lists and checking them twice as holiday shopping gets into full swing. If you’re seeking gifts for someone following the gluten-free diet the task may seem daunting at first, but we’ve compiled a list to help you narrow down the search for the perfect gluten-free gift. Kickstart your holiday shopping with these 12 suggestions.
Say ‘Happy Holidays’ Sweetly
The best gifts are homemade. In that spirit, we’ve got some easy recipes to whip up in time for the holidays. No time for baking? No problem. We’ve also got some sweet options to send loved ones too.
Make it in Minutes: 4 Easy Holiday Cookie Recipes
- If you’re rushing around this holiday season but still want to bake some cookies, “scoop and bake” cookies are for you. These easy-to-make holiday cookie recipes are perfect to enjoy at home and also make sweet homemade holiday gifts. Nothing is more festive than freshly-baked cookies, whip up a batch of cranberry chocolate chip, soft pumpkin, or soft gluten-free gingerbread cookies to get in the holiday spirit!
Premium Sea Salt Chocolate Covered Cocomel Gift Box
- Hand-crafted in copper kettles, these smooth and creamy coconut milk caramels are delicately enrobed in a silky layer of premium 70% organic dark chocolate and finished with a sprinkle of flake sea salt. These old-fashioned caramels are also dairy free. This 100% plant based gift is perfect for those on your list with special dietary needs.
Bee Raw Honey
- Brooklyn’s Bee Raw sells honey as nature intended it — straight from the hive. Working towards sustainable practices and bee health, Bee Raw offers a myriad of honey and honey-related products, such as wax poured candles, pairing utensils, and more. The company’s Holiday Varietal Honey Flight ($54) is a winter celebration: Tart Indiana Cranberry Blossom; bright Florida Orange Blossom; thick, sweet Colorado Star Thistle; and the intensely floral Georgia Holly Blossom. Each vial is hand-corked and sealed with beeswax, then packaged with a handcrafted oak block in a signature gift box. Looking for something to fight off the winter doldrums? Bee Raw’s Winter Survival Kit ($72) is the antidote to winter. Raw honey’s enzymes and antioxidants are especially healing in cold weather, says Bee Raw.
Mix it Up
Say “cheers” to the holiday season the gluten-free way with a bottle of top-shelf, gluten-free liquor, wine or champagne. Here are other options to check out. Perfect for stuffing stockings.
Mingle Mocktails
- Mingle Mocktails provides an entertaining offering – one that lets everyone celebrate – as well as an inspired stocking stuffer, with its line of alcohol-free drinks. Flavors includes the flagship Cranberry Cosmo, Blackberry Hibiscus Bellini, Melon Mojito, Moscow Mule and the company’s newest flavor, Blood Orange Elderflower. Each effervescent expression contains 40 calories per 8-ounce serving and is made with all-natural and organic ingredients, is gluten-free, vegan-friendly, non-GMO as well as Kosher Certified.
FitVine Wine
- Looking for a good gluten-free, vegan, low-sugar and low-sulfite wine? Check out FitVine’s Holiday Red blend. This wine contains just .01g of sugar per serving, making it a better-for-you wine option to balance those heavy, sugary dishes during the holidays. Even though it’s low in sugar, the Holiday Blend is still full-alcohol and ideal for those with special diets, such as vegan, keto and paleo.
Cocktail Squad
- Boulder-based Cocktail Squad has an award-winning line of canned cocktails that are crisp, clean, and full of flavor. These cocktails come in sleek, artfully-branded 12-oz. cans with two servings per can. They have four classic, gluten-free cocktails that make great stocking stuffers or host and hostess gifts: Gin & Tonic; Vodka Soda; Margarita (silver award winner at the 2019 N.Y. International Spirits Competition); and Greyhound (gold at the 2019 NYISC). All products are 10% ABV and have an MSRP of $4.99 per can or $20 per four-pack.
Alpine Distilling
- Each handcrafted spirit from Utah-based Alpine Distilling starts with mountain water. Alpine’s flagship Preserve Liqueur (ABV 20%) is an all-natural combination of blood black tea, blood orange, candied raspberry, lemon balm and ginger inspired by sunset at the Swaner Nature Preserve. Distilled from 100 percent non-GMO corn and Orthodox Union-certified kosher. Alpine’s other spirits include: Persistent Vodka (ABV 40%), distilled from 100 percent non-GMO corn and filtered twice through activated charcoal for a clean finish; Summit Gin (ABV 90%), a tribute to Alpine Distilling founder Rob Sergent’s first taste of gin in his hometown outside London and redolent of juniper, coriander, angelica root, ginger, cardamom and citrus; Lafayette Spiced Bourbon (ABV 80%), a “must-have” spiced whiskey; Alpine Liqueur (ABV 50%), and Traveler’s Rest American Single Malt (ABV 45%), Alpine Distilling’s flagship whiskey and one of the few true American single malt whiskeys aged in former Buffalo Trace American oak bourbon barrels and finished in new, toasted French oak to round out the flavor profile with vanilla, mocha and spice.
Kitchen, Home & More
Something new for the kitchen or home is always a great gift idea. Here are a handful of interesting ideas to consider.
Croon
- For someone looking to up their skincare regime, while helping out the environment, Croon offers a line of reusable, machine-washable microfibers that cleanse and exfoliate skin with just water— no chemical cleansers or products required. Each fiber pad lasts up to 200 washes and is up-cycled when its life-cycle is complete, replacing more than 400 disposable wipes. Also, all of Croon’s microfibers are made without harmful chemicals or production processes— and they’re ISO-14001 certified, meaning that Croon meets the latest global best practices to reduce environmental harm.
Ground Up Nut Butters
- Every jar of this healthful nut butter is handmade in Ground Up’s Portland, Oregon kitchen. Flavors include Classic Smooth, Coconut Cardamom with Chia Seed, Lavender Honey, Cinnamon Snickerdoodle, and the new Walnut Cashew Butter with Black Pepper Sea Salt. Ground Up products are peanut-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, and soy-free with no refined sugars or added oils.
- For aspiring chefs there’s the Whisk Wiper, which can be used on a standard whisk or an electric mixer. It doubles as a bowl scraper and whisk holder to keep it off the counter, cutting down on time spent cleaning up.
- Eco-friendly reusable straws help reduce use of single-use plastic straws, The FinalStraw, since last year, was the first collapsible straw that came with a compact carrying case. This potential gift is dishwasher safe and BPA free.
Donate to a Worthy Cause
Show you care with a tax-deductible donation made in the name of a friend or loved one with celiac disease. Some groups that are raising funds and awareness for the disease include Beyond Celiac, Celiac Disease Foundation and the Gluten Intolerance Group of North America.
Whatever gift you decide to give, whether it’s a handcrafted batch of cookies, a refreshing stocking stuffer, a donation that will help raise awareness and funds for celiac disease research, or something else entirely, remember that the gift itself isn’t as important as the thoughtfulness and love that went into selecting something that shows just how much you care.
