Dealing with food allergies can feel overwhelming, especially if you’re just starting out. To help make life a little easier, I’ve put together this collection of Simple Gluten and Dairy-Free Meal Ideas to take the stress out of answering the dreaded question “What’s for dinner?”
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In this post, you’ll find a variety of easy, delicious recipes—all free from gluten and dairy. To make things simple, I’ve organised them into categories so you can quickly find what you need:
- Chicken recipes (we love chicken!)
- Soups
- Hearty mains
- Light meals
Ready to dive in? Let’s get cooking!
Simple Gluten and Dairy Free Meal Ideas: Chicken Recipes
Christmas Chicken Tagine with Prunes and Apricots: A sweet and savoury festive dish with warm spices.
Easy to make and perfect for the holiday season, this Chicken Tagine is packed with fruit and flavour from the spices. It makes an impressive main dish for a dinner party but we also enjoy it for a simple but special family weekend dinner.
Coconut Chicken, Thai Flavours Without the Spice: Creamy and aromatic with coconut milk as a base.
This is one of our go-to weeknight meals – it is so tasty and requires so little effort!
Mediterranean Chicken with Tomatoes and Peppers: A cosy stew with Mediterranean herbs.
Whether it’s the middle of summer or a dark night in winter, this stew is a perfect dinner option. Packed with all the flavours of the Mediterranean, it brings sunshine to the table any time of year.
Easy Chicken, Lemon and Courgette Tagine: Refreshing and full of citrusy goodness.
Simplicity is the key to this recipe. Just throw all the ingredients together in the pan, cook for 30 mins and you have an impressive and delicious meal to serve your family and friends!
Simple Gluten and Dairy Free Meal Ideas: Chicken Recipes: Soup Recipes
Creamy White Bean Soup with Roasted Garlic and Bacon: Luxuriously creamy without dairy, thanks to blended white beans.
This soup is both hearty and refined, perfect for serving during the cold winter months when you want something a little bit special. But don’t worry, it is still very simple to make, especially if you have a pressure cooker or Instant Pot!
Easy Ground Beef Chili for Stove or Slow Cooker: Hearty and warming, perfect for a chilly day.
This is another go-to weeknight meal for us. It is a perfect allergy-friendly meal – we set out several different toppings and everyone can add what they enjoy (or what fits in with their dietary requirements). It’s a fun meal that is both wholesome and delicious!
Simple Gluten and Dairy Free Meal Ideas: Hearty Mains
Autumn Pork Goulash Stew Recipe: A comforting stew with tender pork and smoky paprika.
This goulash stew is inspired by Autumn with the addition of some squash. However, it can be eaten all through the cold months for a cosy weeknight dinner.
Asian-Style Caramel Pork: Sweet, sticky, and full of umami flavours.
This has been a family favourite for years! Just make sure you use gluten free soy sauce and you’re good to go!
Sausage and Vegetable Tray Bake: A simple one-pan meal packed with seasonal vegetables.
Try this easy weeknight dinner next time you need a low-effort meal. Use whatever vegetables you have to hand for a delicious, filling dinner.
Simple Gluten and Dairy Free Meal Ideas: Light Meals
Gluten Free Quiche Recipe: A Quiche Lorraine Everyone Can Enjoy: A satisfying, crusty quiche without gluten or dairy.
Buckwheat flour gives this quiche a delicious nutty flavour. Make a basic Quiche Lorraine or mix things up a bit and add some vegetables to the filling.
Tomato and Mozzarella Salad with Basil Oil: A refreshing salad, perfect for the summer.
While this salad does use mozzarella, it can easily be made gluten free by leaving out the cheese. The basil oil makes it so tasty, you won’t even miss it!
High-Protein Tuna Egg Muffins: Portable and protein-packed, perfect for snacks or quick lunches.
I love to slip these Tuna Egg Muffins into my kid’s lunch boxes – they are the perfect tasty high protein snack!
Tips for Successful Gluten and Dairy Free Cooking
Ingredient swaps
If you are looking to adapt a recipe to make it gluten and/or dairy free, here are a few tips that might help:
- Use coconut milk instead of cream
- Use cornflour to thicken sauces instead of wheat flour
- Use rice to accompany meals instead of pasta or couscous
- Make sure the ingredients you are using are gluten free (for example, soy sauce often contains gluten so make sure you buy a gluten free brand)
Prep Tips: Batch cooking and freezer meals
One of the greatest difficulties with dealing with food allergies is that there is very little ready made food you can eat. The same goes for restaurants, when there are many allergies to take into consideration, most restaurants cannot cater for you.
This means that making homemade food becomes a daily task, which can be exhausting in the long run. So, in order to ensure that there is always something for everyone to eat, it is a great idea to freeze whole meals. The following meals from this list are very good for making ahead and freezing.
- Christmas Chicken Tagine
- Coconut Chicken
- Mediterranean Chicken
- Chicken, Lemon and Courgette Tagine
- Easy Ground Beef Chili
- Autumn Pork Goulash Stew
- Asian-Style Caramel Pork
- Gluten Free Quiche
- High Protein Tuna Egg Muffins
To reheat, make sure that the meal is completely defrosted and reheat until piping hot. This may take longer than you think, so make sure you leave yourself plenty of time to reheat your meal.
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Simple Gluten and Dairy Free Meal Ideas: Serving Suggestions
Most of the meals listed here go very well with rice, which is our go-to accompaniment. We also love to serve our meals with roasted vegetables and/or salad.
So, are you ready to give one of these recipes a try? If you make one, please go ahead and share a photo on Social Media, you can tag me @candleinthekitchen – it would be so much fun to see your creations!
Are you looking for a dessert to finish off your meal? I have some great gluten and dairy free recipes here!
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