Serve gluten-free biscuits alongside your oliebollen, or as part of a separate dessert. Don’t use them as a substitute for flour in the batter. For gluten-free oliebollen, Rutger Bakt recommends a gluten-free flour mix suitable for bread. If you’re baking for someone with coeliac disease, check the biscuit label too and take care to prevent cross-contamination during preparation, as advised by the Dutch Coeliac Society.
You want to serve biscuits with your oliebollen without overlooking food preparation. Check the current gluten-free labelling and allergen information. The Dutch Coeliac Society also advises preventing cross-contamination from utensils and frying oil.
You’re looking for a suitable base for the batter, not a biscuit to serve on its own. For this, Rutger Bakt recommends a gluten-free flour mix suitable for bread; you can serve biscuits separately.
As well as gluten, you may need to consider milk, soya, nuts or oats, for example. Check the full ingredients and allergen information for each biscuit against what your guest can eat.
First, decide whether you want to make the batter gluten-free or are looking for a biscuit to serve alongside it. If someone has coeliac disease, a gluten-free label on the biscuit is only part of the picture: how you prepare the food matters too.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Eating gluten-free with coeliac disease | Check the current gluten-free labelling and allergen information. When baking, use clean utensils and avoid oil that has been used to fry products containing gluten. | If I’m baking for someone with coeliac disease, I also want to prevent cross-contamination from the worktop or fryer. This is the top priority for around 36% of consumers. |
| Suitable batter for oliebollen | For the batter, choose a gluten-free flour mix suitable for bread, as recommended by Rutger Bakt. | I want to make gluten-free oliebollen myself, so I need a suitable batter base, not crumbled biscuits. This is the top priority for around 29% of consumers. |
| Flavour and how to serve | Choose biscuits specifically labelled as gluten-free, such as speculaas or chocolate biscuits, depending on whether you want to serve them alongside your oliebollen or as part of a separate dessert. | Once the batter is taken care of, I’m looking for a biscuit that suits how I plan to serve it. This is the top priority for around 21% of consumers. |
| Other ingredients and allergens | Check the information on lactose, milk, soya, nuts and oats separately, depending on what’s relevant to your guest. | If someone has an additional dietary restriction, I want to know whether a gluten-free biscuit is also suitable in terms of its other ingredients. This is the top priority for around 14% of consumers. |
Standard oliebol batter contains flour and yeast. Crumbled biscuits are not a substitute for the flour mix in a gluten-free oliebol recipe.
Use a gluten-free flour mix suitable for bread in the batter, and save the biscuits to serve alongside or as part of a separate dessert.
The Dutch Coeliac Society says that oil used previously for frying can transfer gluten to food intended to be gluten-free.
Prepare the oliebollen separately, using clean hands, utensils and work surfaces. Don’t use oil or fat that has been used to fry products containing gluten.
A gluten-free biscuit may still contain ingredients such as milk, soya or oats. The possible presence of other allergens may also be relevant to your guest.
Read the full ingredients and allergen information on the packaging you’ve chosen.
Product information can change. On 9 September 2026, the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority issued a specific warning about AH Glutenvrij Speculaasbrok with a best-before date of 26-3-2027: almonds may not have been listed on the label.
Check the packaging of the product you’re actually serving and, if there’s a relevant allergy, look for current safety warnings. This warning does not automatically apply to other AH Glutenvrij biscuits.
Schär offers a range of gluten-free biscuits, including Spéculoos, digestives and chocolate biscuits.
Albert Heijn’s own-brand range includes speculaas, chocolate chip biscuits and oat biscuits.
Jumbo describes Céréal Glutenvrije & Lactosevrije Chocoladekoekjes as chocolate biscuits made with maize, teff and rice flour.
Verkade Gv Oaties Melkchocolade is an oat biscuit with milk chocolate, listed as a specific product on Joybuy Netherlands.
No. Biscuits are not a substitute for the flour in oliebol batter. For gluten-free oliebollen, Rutger Bakt recommends a gluten-free flour mix suitable for bread; serve gluten-free biscuits separately if you like.
Not if products containing gluten have been fried in the oil and you’re cooking for someone with coeliac disease. In that case, the Dutch Coeliac Society recommends using oil or fat that hasn’t been used to fry such products, and working with clean utensils.
No, that isn’t guaranteed by a gluten-free label. For example, Jumbo also describes Céréal Chocoladekoekjes as lactose-free, but lists soya and the possible presence of milk and nuts, among other allergens. Check the packaging for all allergens relevant to your guest.
Not without checking whether oats are suitable for that person. The product information for Verkade Gv Oaties Melkchocolade specifies gluten-free oats, while the manufacturer says that a small number of people with coeliac disease may be sensitive to oat protein. The information also lists milk, oats and soya as allergens.
