If you’re catering for a guest with coeliac disease, choose speculaas with a verifiable gluten-free label and check the current packaging for other allergens and recall notices too. If there’s regular speculaas on the buffet, serve the gluten-free biscuits separately with their own clean utensils. A completely gluten-free dessert table makes it easier to keep everything separate, provided every item has been checked. For unpackaged catering, make sure guests can get allergen information before they choose.
You need a clearly identifiable gluten-free product and a serving arrangement that keeps regular biscuits, crumbs and utensils separate. The Dutch Coeliac Society points out that shared chopping boards and crumbs can lead to cross-contamination.
You want to offer regular and gluten-free speculaas without guests mixing up the dishes or serving utensils. You’ll also need to arrange how guests can get allergen information about unpackaged products before choosing.
Handing out a separately packaged biscuit makes the label easy to identify and reduces handling at the buffet. Agree in advance who will check the packaging and how the biscuit will be given to the right guest.
First, decide whether you can make the whole dessert table gluten-free or need a separate option on a mixed buffet. Then check both the product you choose and how it will be served.
Choose this if: you’re catering for several guests with coeliac disease or can’t reliably keep items separate on a mixed buffet.
Bear in mind: toppings, crumb-based ingredients and serving utensils must all be suitable too.
Choose this if: you can arrange a separate place, dedicated utensils and clear serving procedures for one or a few guests.
Bear in mind: crumbs or shared utensils can make a gluten-free biscuit unsuitable after opening, even if it was initially packaged.
| What to consider | What to look for | Most relevant for |
|---|---|---|
| Verifiable gluten-free label | Read the gluten-free statement on the current packaging or the caterer’s product specification. Check the warnings on the label too. | If I’m ordering for a guest with coeliac disease, I want to be able to confirm that this particular speculaas is labelled gluten-free. For around 42% of consumers, checking the product comes first. |
| Separation and serving | Choose a separate display and dedicated clean serving utensils; agree who will answer questions about allergens. | For self-service, I want to stop crumbs or a shared serving utensil from getting onto the gluten-free biscuit. Around 33% of consumers give this buffet arrangement top priority. |
| Serving format and other allergens | Choose between individual biscuits and a larger speculaas variety. Check the allergen information for each chosen product and check the product name and best-before date against recall notices. | I want a format that suits the dessert buffet, while also taking account of any other allergies guests may have. This combination matters most to around 25% of consumers. |
The names speculaas and speculoos don’t, by themselves, say anything about whether a product is gluten-free. Under Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014, the term ‘gluten-free’ may only be used when the food sold to the final consumer contains no more than 20 mg/kg of gluten.
For a guest with coeliac disease, choose a product with a verifiable gluten-free label; don’t put regular speculaas on the gluten-free plate.
The Dutch Coeliac Society says that crumbs and shared utensils can cause cross-contamination. The packaging no longer protects the biscuit if it comes into contact with regular speculaas afterwards.
Give the gluten-free option its own separate place and clean utensils, or hand out an individually wrapped biscuit separately.
A gluten-free label doesn’t tell you which other allergens may be present in a particular variety. This matters too if guests have allergies as well as coeliac disease.
Ask about any additional allergies in advance and check them against the label for the exact variety you plan to serve.
On 9 September 2026, Albert Heijn issued a recall for AH Glutenvrij Speculaasbrok with a best-before date of 26-03-2027 because almond may not have been declared due to a labelling mix-up. The notice applies to this specific speculaasbrok, not to all AH Glutenvrij products.
Check the product name and best-before date before serving, and don’t use the affected batch for the buffet.
Jumbo lists its 125 g Lekker Vrij van Gluten Speculaas as gluten-free and bearing the Crossed Grain symbol. This applies to this specific variety.
Albert Heijn lists AH Glutenvrij Speculaas, 125 g, in its gluten-free range.
Jumbo lists Consenza Glutenvrije Speculaasjes, 100 g. The smaller biscuits may work well as individual buffet portions.
Jumbo lists Gluten Free Bakery Holland Gevulde Speculaas Glutenvrij, 230 g. This is a filled speculaas variety rather than individual speculaas biscuits.
Lotus Biscoff Speculoos is a regular speculoos variety that guests may recognise, but its product name is not a gluten-free label.
In the EU, ‘gluten-free’ may be stated under Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014 if the food sold to the final consumer contains no more than 20 mg/kg of gluten. Also check the current label for other allergens and warnings. The product label doesn’t tell you how the biscuit will be handled later at the buffet.
The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority says allergen information must also be available for unpackaged foods. Agree with the caterer how guests can get this information before choosing and who can answer questions about the varieties being served.
A separate plate alone won’t prevent cross-contamination if crumbs or shared utensils can get onto it. On a mixed buffet, use a separate area and dedicated clean serving utensils, in line with the Dutch Coeliac Society’s advice about the transfer of crumbs and contamination from utensils.
Don’t use AH Glutenvrij Speculaasbrok with a best-before date of 26-03-2027. On 9 September 2026, Albert Heijn reported that almond may be missing from the label on this batch because of a labelling mix-up. If you choose an alternative, check the exact product name, best-before date and packaging again.
Don’t assume standard Lotus Biscoff Speculoos is gluten-free based on its name. For a guest with coeliac disease, you need a current, verifiable gluten-free label on the exact product you’re serving.
