If you have coeliac disease, choose biscuits or a baking mix labelled ‘gluten-free’, and check for other allergens too. Baking from scratch lets you create festive shapes and add your own spices, but you’ll need a clean workspace and must check every ingredient. Packaged gluten-free biscuits are ready to serve, as long as you check the exact product and its current label. Regular Lotus Biscoff Speculoos 250 g is not a gluten-free alternative: according to Jumbo’s product information, it contains wheat flour.
You want to use gluten-free ingredients without ordinary flour, crumbs or shared kitchen utensils coming into contact with the dough. The Dutch Coeliac Society recommends using a clean worktop and avoiding airborne flour that contains gluten.
You want to cut out shapes or create your own spiced flavour. A baking mix labelled gluten-free is a better fit for your plans than a packet of ready-made biscuits. Albert Heijn lists gluten-free almond flour as an ingredient for biscuits and spiced biscuits.
You’re looking for biscuits you can serve straight away. As well as checking for the ‘gluten-free’ label, check which other allergens are listed on the packaging of the product you choose, especially if your guests also need to avoid soya, milk or almonds.
When baking Christmas treats for someone with coeliac disease, checking for the ‘gluten-free’ label comes before deciding whether to bake from scratch or buy ready-made. European Union rules set the limit for this label at 20 mg/kg of gluten. Products containing oats must also meet additional conditions to prevent contamination with cereals containing gluten.
Choose this if: you want to cut out shapes or choose your own spices and decorations, using a baking mix labelled gluten-free.
Bear in mind: you’ll need to check all the ingredients and utensils. Almond flour is also unsuitable for anyone with an almond allergy.
Choose this if: you want to serve biscuits without spending time baking. Jumbo and Albert Heijn list a range of biscuits labelled gluten-free.
Bear in mind: you’re limited to the shapes and flavours available, and ingredients and allergens vary between products.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten safety | Look for the ‘gluten-free’ label on the exact product packaging. If you’re baking from scratch, make sure the worktop, baking equipment and ingredients are free from traces of ordinary flour. | When I’m baking for someone with coeliac disease, I want to prevent gluten-free dough coming into contact with ordinary flour or crumbs. Around 36% of consumers put this concern first. |
| Dough you can shape | Check that the gluten-free baking mix is suitable for a recipe you want to roll out or cut into shapes, and that the other ingredients are suitable for your guests. | For homemade Christmas shapes, I want a baking mix that lets me make my own biscuits. Around 29% of consumers put this freedom to shape first. |
| Ready to serve | Check that the exact packaged product is labelled ‘gluten-free’ and is currently available. | When there’s little time to prepare, I want to be able to put out biscuits without making dough first. Convenience is the main concern for around 21% of consumers. |
| Other allergens | Read the current ingredients and allergen information. Check separately for a lactose-free label if needed. | If a guest needs to avoid something other than gluten, I want to know whether this particular biscuit is suitable. For around 14% of consumers, this additional check matters most. |
According to Jumbo, regular Lotus Biscoff Speculoos 250 g contains wheat flour and lists wheat as an allergen. So the flavour name doesn’t tell you whether this product is suitable for someone with coeliac disease.
Choose a product labelled ‘gluten-free’ and read the label of the product you’re actually buying.
Flour dust and residue on a worktop or kitchen utensils can get into gluten-free dough. That’s why the Dutch Coeliac Society recommends using a clean worktop and avoiding airborne flour that contains gluten.
Clean your hands, work surface and utensils, and prepare the gluten-free dough before using ordinary flour.
‘Gluten-free’ doesn’t mean ‘free from all allergens’. For example, product information for the Schär and Céréal biscuits mentioned here lists soya; almond flour contains almonds.
Check the current ingredients and allergen information on the packaging for every guest. For AH Glutenvrij Speculaasbrok with a best-before date of 26-3-2027, also note the safety warning from the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA): almonds may not be listed on the label. Before serving this specific product, follow the latest instructions from Albert Heijn or the NVWA.
A general category for biscuits or baking mixes tells you nothing about whether the product you eventually find is labelled gluten-free. A particular range can also change.
Before you bake, check that the product you want is available and labelled gluten-free. If needed, have a second option in mind, such as another packaged product or a suitable baking mix.
Worth considering for both packaged gluten-free biscuits and a baking mix for homemade Christmas biscuits.
Jumbo’s own range includes packaged options for anyone looking to serve gluten-free biscuits.
Worth a look if you’re after packaged chocolate chip cookies and also need a lactose-free option.
Worth considering if you’re looking for packaged chocolate biscuits labelled gluten-free and lactose-free.
A familiar speculaas biscuit, but regular Speculoos 250 g is not a gluten-free choice for someone with coeliac disease.
No. A product being free from wheat alone is not the same as it being labelled ‘gluten-free’. Choose a product that carries this label: Regulation (EU) No 828/2014 sets the limit at 20 mg/kg of gluten and sets additional conditions for oats in these products to prevent contamination with cereals containing gluten.
Yes, as long as you prevent the gluten-free dough from coming into contact with flour containing gluten or any residue from it. Use clean hands, a clean worktop and clean kitchen utensils, and make sure ordinary flour isn’t floating around nearby, as recommended by the Dutch Coeliac Society.
Not Lotus Biscoff Speculoos 250 g, according to Jumbo’s product information: it lists wheat flour as an ingredient and wheat as an allergen. For someone with coeliac disease, look for a separate speculaas product labelled ‘gluten-free’.
No. The ‘gluten-free’ label doesn’t tell you anything about other allergens. The Schär and Céréal biscuits mentioned here are labelled lactose-free but list soya. If you need to avoid anything else, always check the current ingredients and allergen information for the exact product.
Don’t serve this specific product until you’ve checked the latest safety instructions from Albert Heijn or the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority. On 9 September 2026, the NVWA warned that the product contains almonds which may not be listed on the label. The warning applies to the product with the best-before date mentioned above.
