12 Easy Gluten Free Desserts With Minimal Ingredients

If gluten free dessert recipes feel overwhelming, this list is for you. These are my most popular, most-made gluten free sweets — each one uses 10 ingredients or less, comes together quickly, and actually tastes like dessert. No specialty flour stacks, no xanthan gum drama. Just easy, reliable recipes that happen to be gluten free.

Finding gluten free desserts that don’t require a pantry overhaul or a culinary degree is harder than it should be. Most recipes call for three different specialty flours, a gum you’ve never heard of, and a 45-minute rest time. These don’t.

Every recipe on this list uses 10 ingredients or fewer, relies mostly on pantry staples you likely already have — oats, nut butter, cocoa powder, chocolate chips, eggs, maple syrup — and is straightforward enough to make on a weeknight. Several are completely no-bake. Most are also naturally dairy-free or have easy swaps.

Whether you have celiac disease, a gluten intolerance, or you’re just cooking for someone who does, these recipes prove that gluten free desserts can taste every bit as good as the original. In some cases, better.

What Ingredients Do You Need for Gluten Free Desserts?

Most of these recipes rely on some combination of the following — no specialty store required:

• Gluten free oats (certified GF for celiac) — for cookies, granola, and bars
• Nut butter — peanut butter, almond butter, or cashew butter as a binder and flavour base
• Almond flour or gluten free all-purpose flour (like Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1) — for brownies and baked goods
• Cocoa powder — for chocolate flavour without chocolate chips
• Dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips — used in most of these recipes
• Eggs — or a flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp water) for vegan versions
• Maple syrup or honey — natural sweeteners used in place of processed sugar where possible
• Coconut milk or full-fat coconut cream — for vegan, dairy-free desserts

12 Easy Gluten Free Desserts

1) Gluten Free Fudge Brownies

These are the brownies. Made with gluten free all-purpose flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, and dark chocolate chips, they come out fudgy in the centre with a crackly top — exactly what a brownie should be. They don’t taste gluten free. They taste like the best brownie you’ve ever had.

Get the recipe → Gluten Free Fudge Brownies

2) Chewy Chocolate Chip Blondies (Gluten Free + Dairy Free)

If you want something chocolatey but don’t love an intensely dark, fudgy brownie, these blondies are your answer. Rich, gooey, soft in the centre, slightly crispy on the edges, and loaded with white chocolate chips. They’re the dessert bar I make most often for parties because everyone loves them — and nobody ever guesses they’re gluten free.

Get the recipe → Chewy Chocolate Chip Blondies

3) 4-Ingredient Vegan Rice Krispie Treats

Four ingredients. No baking. Fully vegan and gluten free. These are better than the classic version — the ratio of vegan marshmallow to crispy rice is dialled in perfectly, and they stay soft instead of turning rock hard the next day. Perfect for parties, bake sales, or honestly just making on a Sunday and eating all week.

Get the recipe → 4-Ingredient Vegan Rice Krispie Treats

4) Gluten Free Vegan Funfetti Pancakes

Technically breakfast, but let’s be honest — funfetti pancakes with vanilla glaze are dessert. These come together with just 7 ingredients and the birthday cake vibes are completely real. If you’re making a brunch spread or just want to make someone’s morning, these are the move.

Get the recipe → Gluten Free Vegan Funfetti Pancakes

5) No-Bake Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

These taste like the Quaker Chewy granola bars from childhood, except they’re better in every way — made with real ingredients, no corn syrup, and they actually stay chewy. Vegan, gluten free, and ready in 10 minutes. Make a batch Sunday night and you have snacks all week.

Get the recipe → No-Bake Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

6) Vegan Key Lime Pie

Eight ingredients, no baking, and it holds its shape when you cut it — which is more than most key lime pies can say. The filling is made from full-fat coconut milk, cashews, and maple syrup instead of eggs and condensed milk, and the texture is genuinely creamy and silky. A perfect summer dessert that nobody will guess is vegan or gluten free.

Get the recipe → Vegan Key Lime Pie

7) Gluten Free Vegan Salted Dark Chocolate Granola

This is the granola that ruined store-bought granola for me. Made with gluten free oats, raw cacao powder, dairy-free chocolate chips, and a natural sweetener, it’s crunchy, chocolatey, and deeply satisfying as a topping on yogurt, with milk, or eaten by the handful straight from the pan. Significantly less sugar than anything from a box.

Get the recipe → Salted Dark Chocolate Granola

8) Gluten Free Protein Chocolate Chip Cookies

Soft centre, crispy edges, loaded with chocolate, and high in protein — these are my favourite everyday cookie. Made with gluten free oats and vanilla protein powder, they satisfy the cookie craving and actually keep you full. The kind of recipe you make once and then keep on repeat.

Get the recipe → Gluten Free Protein Chocolate Chip Cookies

9) Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie Granola

This granola tastes exactly like an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie — because that’s basically what it is, just baked into clusters. Made in minutes with ingredients you probably already have, it’s great on top of yogurt or ice cream, eaten as cereal, or grabbed by the handful as a snack. Also a really great gift in a mason jar.

Get the recipe → Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie Granola

10) 4-Ingredient Vegan Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

Homemade ice cream with four ingredients — no ice cream machine needed. Made with full-fat coconut milk and loaded with gluten free cookie pieces, it lands somewhere between a rich traditional ice cream and a lighter sorbet. The best possible thing to make on a hot day when you don’t want to turn on the oven.

Get the recipe → Vegan Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

11) Edible Cottage Cheese Cookie Dough

High protein, gluten free, and genuinely tastes like raw cookie dough — but safe to eat. This went viral for a reason. It comes together in about 5 minutes with simple ingredients and is the kind of thing you make once and then keep a batch in the fridge all the time. Perfect for anyone who used to sneak spoonfuls of raw dough as a kid (same).

Get the recipe → Edible Cottage Cheese Cookie Dough

12) Homemade Copycat Perfect Bars

Six ingredients, no baking, vegan, gluten free, and they taste exactly like the Perfect Bars from the store — except you know exactly what’s in them. A great high-protein snack that also works as a dessert when you want something sweet but satisfying. These keep in the fridge for weeks.

Get the recipe → Homemade Copycat Perfect Bars

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes a dessert gluten free? A dessert is gluten free when it contains no wheat, barley, rye, or any ingredient derived from those grains. Many desserts are naturally gluten free — like recipes made with almond flour, oats (certified GF), nut butter, or chocolate — without needing any specialty substitutions.

Do gluten free desserts taste different? Not if they’re made well. The recipes on this list were all developed to taste like the real thing — they just happen to not contain gluten. The brownies taste like brownies. The cookies taste like cookies. Nobody at the table will know unless you tell them.

What is the easiest gluten free dessert to make? The 4-ingredient Vegan Rice Krispie Treats and the No-Bake Granola Bars are probably the easiest on this list — both are no-bake, take about 10 minutes of active prep, and use ingredients you likely already have.

Can I make these recipes dairy free as well? Most of them already are, or have easy dairy-free swaps noted in each recipe post. Swapping butter for vegan butter and using dairy-free chocolate chips is usually all it takes.

What gluten free flour works best for baking? For the baked recipes on this list, Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour is my go-to — it’s a straight swap for all-purpose flour with no ratios to figure out. Almond flour also works well and adds a naturally moist, slightly dense texture that’s great for brownies and cookies.

If you try any of these easy gluten free desserts, leave a comment below and let me know which one you made! Share your photos on Instagram or Pinterest and tag @basicswithbails or use #basicswithbails — I love seeing your creations.