What are easy gluten free dinner ideas?

Stir fries with tamari, sheet pan chicken and vegetables, curries with rice, pasta with GF noodles, tacos with corn tortillas, and baked salmon are all naturally simple and gluten free. Most require 30 minutes or less and use ingredients you can find at any grocery store.

What can I use instead of soy sauce for gluten free cooking?

Tamari is the most direct substitute. It is made from soybeans like regular soy sauce but without wheat. Coconut aminos are another option with a slightly sweeter, milder flavor. Both work in any recipe that calls for soy sauce.

How do I thicken sauces without flour?

Cornstarch is the easiest substitute. Mix a tablespoon with cold water to make a slurry, then stir it into your hot sauce. Arrowroot powder works the same way and produces a clearer, glossier result. Potato starch is another option that works well in gravies.

Is gluten free pasta any good?

The best brands are genuinely excellent. Look for pasta made from brown rice, brown rice and quinoa, or chickpea flour. Cook it just until al dente and rinse briefly to stop the cooking. Overcooking is the biggest mistake people make with GF pasta because it goes from perfect to mushy quickly.

What gluten free snacks can I make at home?

Energy balls, roasted chickpeas, kale chips, rice crackers, cheese crisps, trail mix, popcorn with seasonings, and veggie sticks with hummus are all easy to make. Our snacks section has 71 recipes ranging from quick five minute options to more involved baked snacks.

How do I make gluten free breading for chicken or fish?

Crushed GF cornflakes or rice cereal make an excellent crispy coating. Almond flour mixed with herbs and spices works well for a lower carb option. For a classic breading, use GF breadcrumbs with an egg wash. The key to crispiness is making sure your oil is hot enough and not crowding the pan.

Can I eat out at restaurants on a gluten free diet?

Yes, but with caution. Call ahead to ask about their GF options and cross contamination practices. Many restaurants now have dedicated GF menus. Cuisines that naturally use less wheat, like Mexican, Thai, Indian, and Japanese, tend to offer more safe options. Always mention celiac disease or gluten intolerance clearly to your server.

What gluten free pizza dough tastes best?

A blend of tapioca starch and white rice flour produces a thin, crispy crust that blisters nicely. For a chewier Neapolitan style, adding psyllium husk and extra water gives you a dough you can actually stretch. Our pizza section has recipes for every style from thin crust to deep dish.

How do I make gluten free soup without a roux?

You can thicken soups by blending a portion of the vegetables directly in the pot, which gives body without any added starch. For cream soups, a cornstarch slurry or a puree of white beans adds richness. Potato soups thicken naturally. For chowders, simmer until the potatoes start to break down.

Recipe Type

Lunch & Dinner Recipes

253 recipes

9 subcategories

Curated by Evelina Melnikova

If breakfast is the easiest meal to make gluten free, lunch and dinner used to be the hardest for me. Not because the cooking itself was difficult, but because so many recipes I grew up with had wheat hiding in unexpected places. Soy sauce in stir fries. Flour used to thicken gravies and sauces. Breadcrumbs coating chicken. Pasta as the base of half my weeknight dinners. Roux in every soup. It felt like gluten was the invisible backbone of most savory cooking.

What I learned over time is that most of those wheat based ingredients have simple substitutes that work just as well or better. Tamari or coconut aminos replace soy sauce with zero compromise on flavor. Cornstarch or arrowroot thicken sauces and gravies beautifully. Almond meal or crushed gluten free crackers make excellent breadcrumb coatings. And gluten free pasta has improved so dramatically in the last few years that some brands, especially those made from brown rice and quinoa, are genuinely good.

The appetizer section has 74 recipes that are perfect for entertaining because your guests will never feel like they are eating "special" food. Stuffed mushrooms, bruschetta on GF crostini, dips with vegetable crudites, and crispy fritters all look and taste like regular party food. That matters when you want to host without making your dietary needs the center of attention.

For weeknight cooking, the key is building a rotation of 10 to 15 meals your household actually enjoys and keeping the ingredients on hand. Our main dishes and pasta recipes are where most people start. Things like stir fries, sheet pan dinners, curries, and baked chicken take 30 to 45 minutes and produce leftovers for lunch the next day.

The sauces and condiments section is one I would encourage you not to skip. Having a few good homemade sauces in the fridge transforms simple meals into something you actually look forward to eating. A batch of pesto, a jar of GF teriyaki sauce, or a good salad dressing can make the difference between boring and delicious when you are working with the same basic proteins and vegetables every week.

There are 254 recipes across nine subcategories here, from quick snacks to full holiday meals.