These are the BEST gluten-free snacks that I actually buy after 18+ years of being gluten free. From sweet and savory to random things to pack in your next snack bag, I have rounded up 25+ of my favorites.
I have been gluten free for over 18 years now, which means I have eaten my fair share of really, REALLY bad gluten-free food.
If you’ve been gluten free for a while, you know exactly what I’m talking about. The crackers that taste like cardboard. The cookies that crumble before they even make it to your mouth. The snacks you convince yourself are “actually pretty good!” when what you really mean is… pretty good for gluten free. But we do NOT have to live like that anymore!
There are so many genuinely delicious gluten-free snacks available now that my kids will happily eat half of these before I even get to them. And I feel like that’s the true test. I don’t want something that is good because it’s gluten free. I want it to just be GOOD.
So for my latest YouTube video, I pulled together a bunch of my favorite gluten-free snacks and taste tested them all. From cookies and sweet treats to crackers, chips and some of those random snacks I always have hanging around my pantry.
And because apparently I like making things difficult for myself, I chose a favorite from each category too.
Spoiler alert: gluten-free Oreos won the sweet category, Siete Fuego chips took savory, and Purely Elizabeth cereal was my favorite of the random snacks.
But there are SO many good ones in between…
My Favorite Gluten-Free Sweet Snacks
Gluten-Free Oreos
Okay. These were my WINNER of the entire sweet category.
When gluten-free Oreos first came out, it felt like such a moment for the gluten-free community. There are certain foods you just assume you’re never going to have again after going gluten free, and a real Oreo was one of those for me.
And these are SO CLOSE to the original.
They have that classic crunchy chocolate cookie, the creamy center, and—most importantly they don’t feel like the gluten-free consolation prize. My kids will eat them right along with me, which is both a compliment to Oreo and extremely inconvenient when I was hoping to keep them for myself. My husband says the cream actually tastes better than the original.
I will say, the mint flavor is the best and the golden are not as good as the original. That is from my memory and according to my hubby.
Sweet category winner: Gluten-Free Oreos
Tate’s Bake Shop Gluten-Free Cookies
You guys KNOW I love a thin, crispy cookie, so Tate’s is absolutely my kind of cookie. Plus, they are Ina’s favorite so that immediately gave me trust in the brand.
They have that buttery, crispy, almost caramelized texture around the edges that makes you want to keep grabbing just one more. And I love that they feel a little more elevated than your everyday packaged cookie.
These are one I would happily put out on a dessert board when friends come over because they don’t scream “special gluten-free food over here!” They’re just a really good cookie.
Goodie Girl Cookies
Goodie Girl has been around for a while and I have such a soft spot for brands that have been making gluten-free treats since before gluten free became what it is today.
These are nostalgic in the best way. They remind me of those classic cookies we all grew up eating, but I don’t feel like I’m missing out because they’re gluten free. I personally love their s’mores flavor.
Sprouts Gluten-Free Mini Cookies
These little cookies are dangerous because they’re MINI, which somehow makes my brain believe I can eat approximately 47 of them.
I love finding surprisingly good store-brand gluten-free products, and Sprouts has some gems. These are crunchy, snackable and perfect when you just want a couple bites of something sweet.
The blueberry ones especially are such a fun change from chocolate chip everything.
Simple Mills Cookies
Simple Mills is one of those brands I almost always have somewhere in my pantry. I personally love their sandwich cookies because the peanut butter ones taste like a nutter butter and the chocolate ones are a fun alternative to Oreos.
I love their Sweet Thins too because they’re not trying to be a giant decadent dessert. They’re just the perfect little sweet bite when I want something crunchy after lunch or with a cup of something warm.
They’re also made with almond flour, and I really love the texture that gives them. I use them in recipes too so win-win!
Trader Joe’s Gluten-Free Madeleines
Madeleines just feel fancy, don’t they?
These are such a fun little find because there aren’t a million gluten-free madeleine options sitting on grocery store shelves. I love having things like this around when I want something that feels a little more special than opening a package of cookies.
Like Air Pancake Puffcorn
This one is SO fun because it really does taste like pancakes in snack form! I love that it is both gluten and dairy free, which isn’t always easy to find in a flavored snack. This is absolutely one of those snacks where I sit down thinking I’ll have a handful and suddenly realize I’ve eaten half the bag.
Cybele’s Free to Eat Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
These are pure nostalgia for me! Cybele’s oatmeal raisin cookies remind me SO much of those Grandma’s brand oatmeal raisin cookies from the gas station that I always chose as a kid. There is something about that soft-baked oatmeal cookie with chewy raisins that immediately takes me back. And finding a version that is gluten free and dairy free makes me so happy.
Gluten-Free Coconut Rolls
I don’t even have a particular brand loyalty with these, just give me the coconut rolls! I’ve tried them from different brands and they’re such a good little sweet snack. They’re super thin, crispy and have that toasted coconut flavor that I LOVE. They almost feel somewhere between a cookie and a cracker, and that light crunch makes them dangerously snackable. Just make sure whichever brand you grab is labeled gluten free, because ingredients and manufacturing can vary.
Now let’s get into the salty, crunchy stuff because this category has gotten SO MUCH BETTER over the years. There was a time when being gluten free meant your cracker choices were basically rice crackers or… rice crackers.
But not anymore.
Siete Fuego Chips
THE WINNER.
If you like spicy snacks, the Siete Fuego chips are SO GOOD.
They’re crunchy, they have tons of flavor, and they actually bring some heat. I don’t want a spicy chip that vaguely whispers “chili” at me. Give me the flavor!
Siete has been one of my favorite brands for years because they make so many foods that happen to work really well for people with dietary restrictions without making the food feel sad.
Savory category winner: Siete Fuego Chips
Gluten-Free Cheez-It
Can we please talk about the fact that we finally have GLUTEN-FREE CHEEZ-ITS?!
This is exactly what I mean when I say it is a completely different world being gluten free now than it was when I started 18 years ago.
There are certain nostalgic foods that no fancy cracker can replace because sometimes you just want the thing you remember. A little square, salty, cheesy cracker is one of those.
AND I heard they just released a gluten free Goldfish cracker now too!
Schär Table Crackers
Schär is one of those OG gluten-free brands I have bought for years and years.
Their table crackers are simple, but that’s exactly why I like them. They’re a pantry staple. Give me these with dips, spreads, soup, meat and cheese, the whole thing.
Not every snack needs twelve flavors happening at once. Sometimes you just need a really good gluten-free cracker that works with everything. I also use them to make my gluten free Christmas crack.
Simple Mills Almond Flour Crackers
These have been in my gluten-free rotation forever. They’re crunchy without being rock hard, salty without being too salty, and I love the almond flour base.
They’re especially good for snack boards because everyone eats them. You don’t have to put out the “normal crackers” and then the sad separate gluten-free crackers for yourself. Put these out and call it a day. My kids love them too!
LesserEvil Popcorn
Popcorn will forever be one of my favorite snacks because you can eat a BIG bowl of it. And sometimes I don’t want three tiny crackers.
LesserEvil makes such good popcorn. It’s light and crunchy with enough flavor to make it interesting without feeling super heavy. They have a spicy one that I love.
Savor BY SUZIE Pretzels
Pretzels were another thing I really missed when I first went gluten free.
A good pretzel needs to have that really specific CRUNCH, and these deliver. They’re great by themselves, but I also love pretzels with hummus, dips or even something sweet.
Snyder’s Gluten-Free Pretzels
Snyder’s is another one I love because it tastes like the kind of pretzel I remember eating before going gluten free.
And honestly, that’s one of my biggest criteria for packaged gluten-free food. I don’t need you to reinvent the pretzel. I just want a pretzel. I also use them in recipes like our reindeer cookies, all the time!
Not everything fits neatly into “cookie” or “chip,” so obviously I needed a miscellaneous category. And this one had a very clear winner for me.
Purely Elizabeth Granola/Cereal
My random snack WINNER!
I LOVE Purely Elizabeth. This is the kind of thing I can eat for breakfast, sprinkle over dairy-free yogurt, throw into a little snack bowl or literally just grab by the handful from the bag.
And I absolutely do.
I love a snack that has texture, and Purely Elizabeth gives you those big crunchy clusters that make granola so satisfying. And it doesn’t get soggy as fast as most cereals.
This is one of those products that I would buy whether I needed to eat gluten free or not which, after 18+ years of eating this way, is probably the biggest compliment I can give a gluten-free product.
Random snack winner: Purely Elizabeth
So…What Are the BEST Gluten-Free Snacks?
If you forced me to pick just three from this entire taste test, I’m going with:
Sweet: Gluten-Free Oreos
Savory: Siete Fuego Chips
Random: Purely Elizabeth
But that’s also what I love about where gluten-free food is right now.
When I was diagnosed, finding something that tasted remotely similar to the foods everyone else was eating felt like a win. Now I’m standing in my kitchen trying to decide between multiple gluten-free cookies, crackers, pretzels, chips and cereals that are actually GOOD. We’ve come a long way, friends.
And if you’re newly diagnosed with celiac disease or just starting to eat gluten free, I hope lists like this save you some of the trial and error I went through. Because gluten-free groceries aren’t cheap, and there is nothing worse than spending $7 on a tiny package of something only to take one bite and immediately regret every life decision that brought you there. I’ve done enough of that for all of us.
You can watch my full gluten-free snack taste test on YouTube to see me try these, what surprised me and how I narrowed everything down to my three winners.
And tell me what I need to try next because you KNOW I am always looking for another gluten-free find.
