If you need an alternative to a currant bun because of coeliac disease, choose a specific product labelled ‘gluten-free’ and check the current packaging. Jumbo and PLUS’s standard currant buns list wheat gluten. A packaged gluten-free raisin bun is the closest match in shape, while a gluten-free Dutch doughnut mix is a good option if you can fry it separately at home. Don’t buy an unwrapped Dutch doughnut from a stall based on verbal reassurance alone: before buying, ask about allergens and whether the batter, utensils and frying oil are kept separate.
Wants to check whether a specific product from a Dutch doughnut stall is gluten-free and how contact with batter containing gluten, utensils and frying oil is prevented. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority highlights the importance of allergen information when selling unwrapped food and of preventing cross-contamination.
Is looking for a raisin or currant alternative for a guest and wants to store and serve it separately from standard Dutch doughnuts and bread. A single raisin bun and sliced raisin bread call for different ways of serving.
Wants to make gluten-free Dutch doughnuts with raisins or currants and can keep the batter, worktop, utensils and frying process separate from the preparation of standard Dutch doughnuts.
Start by checking the label on the specific product and how it is prepared. Then choose between a ready-to-serve raisin bun, sliced raisin bread or a Dutch doughnut you fry yourself.
| What to consider | What to check | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free status and preparation | Check that the finished product is labelled ‘gluten-free’. Before buying from a stall, ask about allergens and whether the batter, utensils and frying oil are kept separate. | If I’m buying something from a stall because I have coeliac disease, I want to know what’s in it and how contact with batter containing gluten is prevented. This check is a priority for around 50% of consumers. |
| Ready-to-serve format | Compare individual gluten-free raisin buns with gluten-free raisin bread that needs to be sliced. Check the label for other allergens too. | If I want to offer a guest something that looks like a currant bun straight away, I don’t want to have to make batter or slice bread first. Being able to serve it immediately is the deciding factor for around 30% of consumers. |
| Frying Dutch doughnuts at home | Check the instructions for the gluten-free mix and whether you can keep your worktop, utensils and frying process separate. | If you’d rather make Dutch doughnuts with currants or raisins, you’ll want to keep the preparation separate from that of standard Dutch doughnuts. Making them at home is a priority for around 20% of consumers. |
Jumbo’s standard currant buns list wheat flour and wheat gluten; PLUS also lists wheat flour, wheat gluten and rye flour in its ingredients. So the product name ‘currant bun’ tells you nothing about whether it is labelled gluten-free.
Look for ‘gluten-free’ on the current packaging and read the ingredients and allergen information.
Even if the ingredients for a gluten-free Dutch doughnut have been selected, it can still come into contact with products containing gluten during preparation. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority says that businesses must prevent cross-contamination with allergens.
Before buying, ask specifically about the batter, the spoons and tongs used, the work surface and the frying oil. If the seller can’t explain how it is prepared, choose a packaged alternative whose label you can check.
Albert Heijn lists soya in AH Glutenvrij Raisin Buns, as well as the possible presence of egg, oats and nuts, among other allergens. A gluten-free label doesn’t tell you whether these are present.
Check the current label for any allergens that matter to you or your guest. When buying unwrapped food, ask about those ingredients too.
According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, bakers aren’t required to use baker’s salt. So you can’t tell which salt has been used just from the category of gluten-free currant buns or Dutch doughnuts.
If you want to know which salt has been used, check the ingredients or ask the producer or seller.
Under its own-label brand, Albert Heijn sells packaged gluten-free raisin buns as an alternative in individual-bun form.
Yam Raisin Gluten-free, sold through PLUS, is raisin bread to slice, not an individual currant bun.
The gluten-free Dutch doughnut mix is an option if you want to fry Dutch doughnuts with raisins or currants yourself, rather than serve ready-made ones.
In the EU, under Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014, the term ‘gluten-free’ may only be used if the food sold to the final consumer contains no more than 20 mg/kg of gluten. Check the label on the specific product rather than relying on the name ‘currant bun’.
For someone with coeliac disease, that statement alone isn’t enough to assess how it was prepared. Before buying, ask about the batter, utensils, work surface and frying oil; the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority points out that food businesses must prevent cross-contamination with allergens. If the stallholder can’t explain the process clearly, choose an alternative with a label you can check.
According to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, sellers of unwrapped food must make information about the 14 legally designated allergens available before purchase. This information can be given in writing or, under certain conditions, verbally. If cereals containing gluten are involved, ask which type of grain is used.
No. The label ‘gluten-free’ doesn’t tell you whether baker’s salt has been used. Dutch regulations allow iodine to be added to bakery products via baker’s salt, but according to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, bakers aren’t required to use it. Check the ingredients or ask the producer which salt was used.
