Our 7 Favorite Gluten-Free Recipes

For collegiettes with celiac disease, gluten sensitivity or a desire to cut all things gluten from their diets, the gluten-free lifestyle has one universal roadblock: where is the food you can actually eat? No matter what your story is, one thing is true: trying to find gluten-free recipes can be kind of a pain. No, scratch that: finding gluten-free recipes that are actually good can be kind of a pain.

We’ve scoured everything from foodie blogs to Pinterest to find some great (and not impossible) gluten-free recipes—everything from cookies to orange chicken—that you’ll love.

1. Chocolate Chip Cookies

No recipe list is complete without chocolate chip cookies! These gooey, chocolatey cookies only take 20 minutes to make. What more could we ask for? Try this recipe courtesy of Gluten Free on a Shoestring.

Ingredients:

• 1 7/8 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour
• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum (don’t use any if your gluten-free flour already contains it)
• 6 1/3 tablespoons cornstarch
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup packed light brown sugar
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
• 5 tablespoons vegetable shortening, melted and cooled
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 egg and 1 egg yolk at room temperature, beaten
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, tossed with 1 teaspoon cornstarch

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and line your baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (the flour, xanthan gum, cornstarch, salt, baking soda and granulated sugar).
3. Add the brown sugar and mix well.
4. Mix in each of the wet ingredients (butter, shortening, vanilla and egg) one by one. Add in the chocolate chips and mix them in completely.
5. Dollop the dough two inches apart on the baking sheets (the recipe yields about 20 cookies, so each dough ball should be about 2 ½ tablespoons). Since your dough will be slightly warm and very gooey, stick the baking sheets in the fridge or freezer to cool before baking (about an hour in the fridge or 10 minutes in the freezer).
6. After chilling the cookies, bake them for about 12 minutes or until completely cooked. Fully cooked cookies should be lightly brown around the edges and appear almost wet in the center—make sure you don’t overcook them! No one likes a dry cookie.

2. Macaroni and Cheese

This recipe from Food Network is ideal for the collegiette with a love of all things carbs and cheese!

Ingredients:

• Salt
• 16 ounces (2 boxes) dried gluten-free elbow macaroni
• 4 ounces soft goat cheese (chevre), crumbled
• 4 ounces aged white cheddar, grated
• 1 large bunch lacinato kale, stems removed, leaves cut into ribbons (optional)

Instructions:

1. Add enough salt to a large pot of water to make it taste like the ocean. Bring the water to a boil and then add the macaroni. Stir for a minute to keep the noodles from sticking, and then let cook for 8 minutes.
2. While the macaroni is cooking, put the goat cheese, cheddar and kale in a large bowl.
3. When the macaroni is cooked to your liking (we like it al dente), use a slotted spoon to scoop it into the bowl of cheeses and kale.
4. Pour about ½ cup of the water the macaroni was cooked in into the bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes.
5. Stir until the texture of the cheese sauce is smooth with kale sprinkled throughout.

3. Buttermilk Pancakes

Everyone loves brunch, even people on a gluten-free diet! That’s why we added these great buttermilk pancakes to our list. Check out this recipe from Cooking Classy.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup white rice flour
• 1/3 cup potato starch
• 3 tablespoons tapioca flour
• 2 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups buttermilk (can substitute 2 cups of regular milk and 2 tablespoons of vinegar)
• 3 tablespoons canola oil or melted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Mix together the dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl (rice flour, potato starch, tapioca flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and xanthan gum).
2. Add in wet ingredients (eggs, buttermilk, canola oil and vanilla extract) and mix thoroughly until a few lumps are left.
3. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Pour batter on the skillet and cook until the bottom is golden-brown. Flip and let cook until the opposite side is golden-brown.
4. Spread some butter across the top, add some delicious maple syrup or enjoy these beauties as they are!

4. Rice Krispies Treats

We collegiettes love a good Rice Krispies treat, so thank goodness they make gluten-free Rice Krispies! We love this recipe from Kellogg’s.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 1 package of giant marshmallows (or 4 cups mini marshmallows)
• 6 cups Kellogg's Rice Krispies Gluten Free Cereal

Instructions:

1. Melt the butter over low heat in a saucepan. Add in the marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove saucepan from heat.
2. Add the cereal and stir until well coated. Using a spatula or wax paper, press the mixture into a 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan that’s sprayed with cooking spray.
3. Let them cool and cut them into two-inch squares.

5. Chicken Tacos

Who doesn’t love tacos? Here’s a gluten-free Mexican indulgence courtesy of Dani Stout.

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 3 tablespoons tapioca flour
• Dash of garlic powder
• Dash of chipotle powder
• Dash of salt
• 1-2 tablespoons coconut oil (which, we promise, will leave no coconut taste in the finished product!)
• 1 cup shredded chicken
• 4 tomatoes, diced
• 1 jalapeño, diced
• ¼ onion, diced
• Juice of half a lime

Instructions:

1. Mix the eggs, flour, garlic powder, chipotle powder and salt in a blender until smooth.
2. In a skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of coconut oil over medium heat.
3. Add half the batter to the skillet.
4. Let cook for about two minutes and then flip it and cook for another two minutes (think of a pancake).
5. Repeat steps 2-4 for the other taco shell.
6. Add shredded chicken to each taco shell.
7. Combine the tomatoes, jalapeño, onion and lime juice in a medium-sized bowl and mix together.
8. Add to taco shells.

6. Banana Bread

What’s better than delicious bread? Delicious banana bread. Here’s a great gluten-free banana bread recipe from Taste of Home.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups gluten-free all-purpose baking flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 4-5 medium bananas)
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Mix together the flour, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
3. Mix together the eggs, bananas, sugar, applesauce, canola oil and vanilla in a smaller bowl. Add to the large bowl with the flour mixture and stir until moistened.
4. Spray two 8-in. x 4-in. baking pans with cooking spray and pour half the batter into each pan. Sprinkle each with the walnuts.
5. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted to the center comes out nearly clean (if it comes out completely clean, your bread is too dry!).
6. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pans.

7. Orange Chicken

Just because you follow a gluten-free diet doesn’t mean you don’t crave Chinese food like everyone else! Try this recipe from Add a Pinch.

Ingredients:

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• ¼ cup gluten-free chicken stock
• 3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• ¼ cup fresh orange juice
• 3 tablespoons coconut aminos
• 1½ teaspoons Sriracha sauce
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds for garnish, optional

Instructions:

1. Melt the coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat and then add in the chicken. Cook together until the chicken is browned (about 8-10 minutes); remove from skillet and set aside.
2. While the chicken is cooking, stir together chicken stock, honey (or maple syrup), garlic, orange zest, orange juice, coconut aminos, Sriracha sauce, ginger and red pepper flakes.
3. Add the mixture to the heated skillet after the chicken has been fully cooked and removed. Heat the mixture on low heat until it can coat the back of a wooden spoon, and then pour over your chicken.
4. Try enjoying this recipe with a side of broccoli, carrots, string beans or any of your other favorite veggies!

Whether you’re looking to satisfy a sweet tooth or a hankering for Mexican food, we hope this list helped you build a repertoire of gluten-free foods you find delicious. Which one was your favorite? Let us know in the comments below!