Who’s ready for the Easter Bunny? We can’t wait! Easter is this Sunday, April 21, and that means Sunday church, lots of sunshine and our favorite: Easter egg hunts.
Planning holiday meals and special treats can be difficult when you have gluten intolerant kids, but lucky for you, Easter is a fairly gluten-free holiday. Most Easter candies are naturally gluten-free, and whether you plan an annual Easter brunch or dinner with your family, traditional meal choices are gluten-free too.
Here are 6 of our favorite gluten-free foods that we’ll be munching on this Easter (plus a couple recipes of our own at the bottom!):
Peeps
One of the most well-known Easter candies out there, Peeps Bunnies are gluten-free. These soft treats are full of marshmallow goodness and, in our opinion, they’re the best treat in the Easter basket.
Easter Eggs
Easter eggs are hard boiled eggs with shells that have been dyed vibrant colors. These festive and healthy snacks are naturally gluten-free and are great for breakfast. If you prefer your eggs as an ingredient, make them the centerpiece of your brunch menu in a yummy egg and potato casserole or in crustless quiches.
Deviled Eggs
Deviled eggs are also a gluten-free Easter favorite and are delicious to snack on throughout the day. And of course the well-known Easter activity, coloring Easter eggs! Most Easter egg dye tablets are gluten-free, but be sure to check the label before dunking your eggs.
Jelly Beans
Jelly Belly jelly beans are gluten-free, dairy-free, fat-free, peanut-free and vegetarian. They’re terrific as part of your kids’ Easter baskets. We love filling plastic easter eggs with them!
Chocolate
Chocolate treats are generally gluten-free, but if you or your child has a severe gluten allergy, be sure that the one you choose isn’t produced in a factory that also produces gluten products. Here are a few Easter specific gluten-free chocolates:
- KISSES Easter Milk Chocolates
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs
- M&M’s Easter Milk Chocolate Candies
- Dove Chocolate Bunnies
- Nestle’s NestEggs
Meats
The most popular Easter dinners include ham, lamb or chicken. All of these delicious Easter dinner meats are naturally gluten-free.
There are so many yummy treats for your kids to enjoy without you having to worry about any issue with gluten intolerance. For the few Easter foods that aren’t gluten-free, here’s a couple recipes from our own recipe fault that use gluten-free grains like sorghum and teff, so your kids can enjoy every one of the delicious foods at your Easter brunch!
Honey Teff Pancakes
- 1 cup Desert Oasis ivory teff flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoon applesauce
- 2 teaspoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Mix flour, salt and baking soda together in a medium bowl. Whisk together buttermilk, eggs, oil, applesauce, honey and vanilla in a separate bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Cook ¼ cup of the batter until you see small bubbles at the surface (1-2 minutes). Flip and cook the other side until the pancake springy to the touch (about 30 seconds). Repeat with the remaining batter. Top pancakes with honey, syrup or fruit! Makes about 12 pancakes.
Spiced Carrot and Sorghum Soup
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 medium white onion, chopped
- 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 1 1/4 pounds carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch thick coins
- 1/2 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed (1 large or 2 medium)
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 1/2 cups cooked Desert Oasis cooked sorghum
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- salt and pepper, to taste
- plain yogurt, to serve (optional)
In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil, add onion and cook 4-5 minutes over medium heat until soft. Add fennel and cumin seeds, cook another 1-2 minutes, stirring often. Add carrots, sweet potatoes and remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, stir well to coat. Sauté for five minutes. Add broth, coriander and bay leaf. Bring mixture to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender, 25-30 minutes. Discard bay leaf and puree soup in batches in a food processor. Stir in the cooked sorghum and heat until warmed. Add lemon juice, salt and pepper, to taste. Serve hot with a swirl of yogurt on top (optional). Serves 6.