If you’re serving speculaas with afternoon coffee to someone with coeliac disease, choose a pack that specifically identifies the product as gluten-free; standard speculaas isn’t automatically a suitable alternative. Check for other allergens too, and avoid contact with standard biscuits when serving. AH and Jumbo each have a documented 125 g gluten-free pack, but their allergen information differs.
For these guests, the product you choose must be labelled gluten-free. The Dutch Nutrition Centre also points out that even a bread crumb can matter: keep the biscuits separate from standard biscuits and crumbs when serving.
Gluten-free doesn’t mean a speculaas biscuit is also free from egg, milk, lupin, nuts, sesame or soya. Ask which ingredients your guest needs to avoid, and read the label on the exact pack you’re serving.
If you want to serve something straight away, compare pack sizes and portions with the time and ingredients needed to bake from scratch. If a guest has difficulty chewing, ask which biscuit texture they find comfortable; the stated number of portions won’t tell you that.
If you’re choosing for a guest with coeliac disease, start by checking for a gluten-free label. Then make sure the other ingredients are suitable and that the pack you want is available for your coffee gathering.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who is this most important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Serving gluten-free biscuits | Check the current gluten-free label and use separate serving utensils if standard biscuits are also on the table. | If I’m serving speculaas to someone with coeliac disease, I want to prevent it coming into contact with standard biscuits or crumbs. For around 50% of consumers, choosing a gluten-free option comes first. |
| Other allergens | Compare the ingredients and allergen warnings for your chosen variety with the ingredients your guest needs to avoid. | If my guest also needs to avoid, for example, egg or milk, I can’t rely on the gluten-free label alone. Checking for other allergens is the top priority for around 30% of consumers. |
| Pack size and availability | Check the pack weight, the stated number of portions and whether it’s available when you’re shopping. | For a small coffee gathering, I want to know how many biscuits I can serve without baking first, and whether I can get hold of the pack. This practical consideration comes first for around 20% of consumers. |
The flavour or brand name doesn’t tell you whether a particular biscuit is suitable for a guest with coeliac disease. The Dutch Coeliac Society states that the term ‘gluten-free’ may only be used when a product contains less than 20 mg of gluten per kg.
Choose a pack with a current gluten-free label and prevent contact with standard biscuits and crumbs when serving.
A gluten-free biscuit may still contain egg or milk, or carry a warning about other allergens. Information varies by product and variety.
Ask what your guest needs to avoid, then read the full ingredients and allergen information on the pack you’re buying.
A product page doesn’t guarantee that the same variety will still be available for your next coffee gathering. The page for Consenza Gluten-Free Speculaas Biscuits, 100 g, stated that the item was no longer available online at Jumbo.
Check availability shortly before buying and, if necessary, choose another pack whose current label is suitable for your guest.
Albert Heijn describes a 125 g gluten-free speculaas that can be served straight away with coffee.
Jumbo describes a 125 g gluten-free speculaas with around 12 portions per pack.
Gluten-free speculaas varieties from Consenza are documented, including speculaas biscuits and speculaas figurines.
Not automatically: a speculaas flavour or familiar brand name doesn’t confirm that a particular biscuit is gluten-free. Choose a product currently labelled gluten-free and keep it separate from standard biscuits and crumbs when serving.
Yes, because gluten-free says nothing about ingredients such as egg or milk. The AH and Jumbo varieties described contain egg and have different allergen warnings, so read the pack for the variety you want to serve.
Yes, provided all the ingredients are suitable for your guest and you avoid contact with gluten-containing products during preparation and serving. Also check which extra ingredients, if any, you’ll need for a baking mix.
The AH and Jumbo gluten-free speculaas packs described are both 125 g, but AH lists 13 portions and Jumbo around 12. Check the current pack if the number of portions you can serve matters for your coffee gathering.
