Ready-made gluten-free speculaas biscuits are a handy choice for a short baking session: decorate them together or crumble them up. Just check the current gluten-free label and allergen information. If you want to make dough and shape biscuits with the children, baking them from scratch is a better fit, as long as all the ingredients are suitable and no gluten gets into the bake via the worktop or utensils.
When you bake together, it’s not just the label on the product that matters. Crumbs, flour dust and utensils also need attention. The Dutch Coeliac Society therefore recommends using a clean worktop and preparing food separately.
You can decorate or crumble ready-made gluten-free biscuits together. Baking speculaas from scratch gives children more steps to get involved in, but it also takes time to prepare.
Gluten-free doesn’t necessarily mean that a speculaas option is also free from allergens such as egg, milk, lupin, nuts or sesame. Check the allergen information on the actual pack you’re using.
First decide whether the children will mainly be decorating biscuits or making dough from scratch. Then check the gluten-free label, any other allergens and the work area.
Best for: a short session decorating, crumbling or eating biscuits together.
The trade-off: you skip making the dough, but you can’t choose the ingredients or shape of the biscuits yourself.
Best for: a planned baking session that includes kneading and shaping.
The trade-off: you choose the recipe and shape, but you’ll need to check every ingredient and the preparation process separately, and set aside time for each baking step.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten and cross-contamination | Look for a current gluten-free label on biscuits and individual baking ingredients. When preparing food, keep the worktop and utensils free from crumbs and flour dust containing gluten. | If someone with coeliac disease is eating, I want to know that decorating or baking is also done without contact with gluten. For around 38% of consumers, checking for gluten comes first. |
| Other allergens | Read the allergen information for the exact product, even when it’s clearly labelled gluten-free. | If the children also have other food allergies, I need to look beyond gluten alone. Around 23% of consumers put checking for these additional allergens first. |
| Baking together and time | Compare the recipe steps and preparation time with what the children want to do themselves. Jumbo’s gluten-free speculaas recipe lists a preparation time of 130 minutes. | If my child mainly wants to knead and shape the dough, I’d rather plan a full baking session than just decorate biscuits. For around 23% of consumers, this activity is the top priority. |
| Ready to use | Check current availability, pack size and the label on ready-made biscuits. | If I don’t have much time to prepare, I want to be able to use biscuits without making dough first. For around 16% of consumers, convenience is the main consideration. |
An ingredients list with no obvious wheat isn’t the same as a gluten-free label. Under Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014, the term ‘gluten-free’ may be used for food sold to the final consumer if it contains no more than 20 mg of gluten per kg.
For gluten-free baking, check the current label on both the biscuits and ingredients such as flour and baking powder.
The Dutch Coeliac Society says that crumbs and airborne flour containing gluten, among other things, can contaminate gluten-free food.
Clean the worktop, use clean utensils and keep products containing gluten separate. Ask the children to wash their hands and clean any equipment they’ve used before handling the gluten-free dough.
The AH Glutenvrij Speculaas and Jumbo Lekker Vrij van Gluten Speculaas products reviewed contain egg. The Consenza Glutenvrije Speculaasjes product reviewed contains egg, milk and lupin.
Before baking together, ask which allergens are relevant and read the current information for the exact product you’ve chosen, including any ‘may contain’ statements.
On 9 September 2026, Albert Heijn issued a warning about AH Glutenvrij Speculaasbrok with a best-before date of 26 March 2027: an incorrect label meant that almonds may not have been listed. This is a different product from AH Glutenvrij Speculaas.
If you have that Speculaasbrok with the stated best-before date and an almond allergy is relevant, don’t eat the product and follow Albert Heijn’s instructions.
Albert Heijn lists AH Glutenvrij Speculaas in a 125 g pack.
Jumbo lists a 125 g gluten-free speculaas option in this range.
A Jumbo listing for 100 g Consenza Glutenvrije Speculaasjes shows this specialist gluten-free option.
Under Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014, the term ‘gluten-free’ may be used for food sold to the final consumer if it contains no more than 20 mg of gluten per kg. So check the current label on the pack rather than relying solely on the absence of wheat from the ingredients list.
Yes. Crumbs, utensils or flour dust can transfer gluten to the biscuits during preparation or decorating. The Dutch Coeliac Society recommends using a clean worktop and preparing food separately if products containing gluten are also being used.
No, a gluten-free label says nothing about other allergens. The AH and Jumbo speculaas products reviewed, for example, contain egg. Check the full allergen information on the current pack for each child.
Yes, children can help with steps such as mixing and shaping, while an adult keeps an eye on the ingredients, work area and oven. Allow time for the recipe too: Jumbo lists a preparation time of 130 minutes for its gluten-free speculaas recipe.
