If you’re catering for someone with coeliac disease, choose a croissant whose current packaging states ‘gluten-free’. At a shared BBQ, keep it separate from regular rolls, crumbs, utensils and dips. Then decide how you can prepare it at the venue: bake it briefly, warm it in an oven or microwave, or bring a frozen product with a suitable storage plan. Check the allergens on the packaging too; ‘gluten-free’ doesn’t tell you whether it contains, for example, egg or milk.
You want to serve a gluten-free croissant without it coming into contact with gluten from crumbs, tongs, the worktop or a shared dip. The Dutch Coeliac Society recommends, among other things, providing a separate dish for gluten-free guests at a BBQ.
You’re looking for a croissant with a clear label that you can keep wrapped until it’s time to prepare or serve it separately. This lets you check the packaging and limit contact with other food.
As well as gluten, you need to check the ingredients and warnings for allergens such as egg, milk, soya or nuts. A ‘gluten-free’ label doesn’t tell you whether these other ingredients are present.
A croissant labelled gluten-free is only a practical choice for a BBQ if you can also prepare and serve it separately. Then choose a storage and preparation method that suits the venue.
Suitable when: there’s an oven or suitable air fryer available and you want to bake a small portion separately just before serving.
Bear in mind: AH states that its part-baked croissants are not suitable for freezing at home.
Suitable when: there’s an oven or microwave at the BBQ venue; Jumbo provides instructions for preparing Consenza croissants in both appliances.
Bear in mind: according to Jumbo, Consenza croissants contain egg, milk and soya.
Suitable when: you can plan ahead for storing, transporting and serving a frozen product.
Bear in mind: according to Jumbo, the Schär variety must be stored at −18 °C and eaten within one day of defrosting; it must not be refrozen.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Serving gluten-free food | Check the current ‘gluten-free’ label and arrange clean, separate utensils and a dedicated serving area. | If I’m serving someone with coeliac disease, I want to stop crumbs or shared tongs from touching the croissant. Around 50% of consumers put this first. |
| Preparation and storage | Check which appliance you’ll need and whether you can follow the storage instructions right up until serving. | At a BBQ venue, I want to know whether I can prepare the croissants and serve them at the right time. For around 30% of consumers, this is the main priority. |
| Other ingredients | Read the ingredients, listed allergens and ‘may contain’ warnings on the current packaging. | If a guest needs to avoid something besides gluten, I don’t want to rely on the word ‘gluten-free’ alone. Around 20% of consumers put this additional label check first. |
Under Regulation (EU) No 828/2014, the ‘gluten-free’ claim may only be used if the finished product contains no more than 20 mg/kg of gluten. This applies to the packaged croissant, not to what happens once it’s opened at a shared BBQ. That’s why the Dutch Coeliac Society also advises taking care to prevent contact with gluten when serving.
Crumbs on a board, hands or utensils, and contact with shared dips can expose a separately purchased croissant to gluten.
Before serving, clear a clean space and use separate tongs, a plate and a dip bowl for the gluten-free portion, as recommended by the Dutch Coeliac Society.
Labels vary from product to product. According to Albert Heijn’s product information, AH croissants may contain egg; Jumbo lists egg and milk for Schär, and egg, milk and soya for Consenza.
Check the current packaging, including the ingredients and ‘may contain’ warnings, and check the toppings and dips you plan to serve with them too.
Jumbo states that Schär Croissant à la Française should be stored at −18 °C. Once defrosted, it must not be refrozen and should be eaten within one day.
Plan how you’ll transport and store it, and when you’ll serve it, before the BBQ. If you can’t meet these requirements, choose another preparation method whose instructions you can follow.
Albert Heijn describes its part-baked gluten-free croissants as a pack of two, suitable for preparation in an oven or air fryer.
Jumbo describes Croissant à la Française as a frozen gluten-free product in a pack of four, weighing 220 g in total.
Jumbo lists Consenza gluten-free croissants in a pack of 3 × 60 g, with instructions for the oven and microwave.
Not without precautions if the croissant is for someone with coeliac disease. Keep it wrapped for as long as possible and use clean hands, a separate area and dedicated utensils when opening and serving it. The Dutch Coeliac Society also recommends using a separate dip bowl at a BBQ.
The label is important when choosing a packaged croissant, but it won’t prevent cross-contamination at the BBQ. Under Regulation (EU) No 828/2014, a product may only be labelled ‘gluten-free’ if the finished product contains no more than 20 mg/kg of gluten. After opening, keep the croissant separate from foods containing gluten and shared utensils.
No, it depends on the croissant. According to Albert Heijn’s product information, AH Gluten-Free Croissants may contain egg. Jumbo lists egg and milk for Schär Croissant à la Française, and egg, milk and soya for Consenza Gluten-Free Croissants. Always check the current label when you buy them.
Before choosing, ask which allergens the product contains and how the gluten-free portion is prepared and served separately. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority says that businesses must provide consumers with allergen information for unpackaged products too.
No. Don’t infer the iodine content from the product category or the ‘gluten-free’ label. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, baker’s salt may contain iodine, but bakers aren’t required to use it. Check the product information if iodine is relevant to your choice.
