Skip to content
Living with coeliac disease
Food and drink
Cooking at home
Hints and tips for cooking at home

Hints and tips for cooking at home

Our diet and health team have pulled together some of their top tips to help you get to grips with cooking gluten free at home.

What foods should I be avoiding?

Gluten can be found in many products, but the main foods that contain these grains are bread, pasta, breakfast cereals, pastry, cakes, biscuits, pizza and crackers. But the list doesn’t stop there, so also look out for it in foods such as soups, sauces, stock cubes, ready meals and processed foods like sausages. If you don’t know how to read labels, find out how as it is important to check labels of products such as stock cubes and seasonings, prebought sauces and processed vegetable products (eg frozen chips) to ensure they don’t contain gluten.

What can I eat?

You can eat any of the many naturally gluten free foods such as meat, fish, fruit and vegetables. There are plenty of naturally gluten free foods to base meals on, such as potatoes, rice and lentils. In addition to this there are also specially made gluten free foods such as gluten free bread, pasta and pizza bases. You can safely have lots of drinks including fruit juice, fizzy drinks, wine and spirits.

We have created a simple list to understand what you can and can’t have and what you might need to check, download our Gluten free Checklist.

We are here to help

We can help you with your new approach to cooking, if you join Coeliac UK you will receive access to our Food and Drink Information which lists over 100,000 foods you can eat. If you become a member, you will also receive the most recent Live Well, Gluten Free magazine with recipes and cooking advice.

Simple steps when you’re cooking at home

Top Tips:

  • Wipe down surfaces with hot soapy water
  • Clean pots and pans with soap and hot water
  • Washing up liquids are fine to use and standard washing up liquid or using a dishwasher will remove gluten
  • You do not need to use separate cloths or sponges
  • You may want to get separate bread boards to keep gluten free and gluten containing breads separate
  • Use a separate toaster or toaster bags
  • Use clean oil or a separate fryer for frying gluten free foods
  • Use different butter knives or dishes and jam spoons to prevent breadcrumbs from getting into condiments

We understand that eating out or preparing food at home can be tricky when you are following a gluten free diet. In this video Lorna, one of our Coeliac UK dietitians, speaks about cross-contamination, what it is, and why it is important on a gluten free diet. The video also provides some simple steps to avoid cross-contamination, helping you dine-in or dine-out with confidence.

What is cross-contamination?

We understand that eating out or preparing food at home can be tricky when you are following a gluten free diet. In this video Lorna, one of our Coeliac UK dietitians, speaks about cross-contamination, what it is, and why it is important on a gluten free diet. The video also provides some simple steps to avoid cross-contamination, helping you dine-in or dine-out with confidence.

Looking for a gluten free product?

Unlock peace of mind when shopping with our product search function. Discover the suitability on nearly 150,000 gluten free and mainstream foods. You can view a product’s ingredients and nutritional information. Search by keyword or browse the various categories for inspiration.

Search for a product

New to the gluten free diet?

Coeliac UK has been the expert on the gluten free diet for over 50 years and we understand that gluten free living can be challenging. We are here to help, and we have the tools to support you.

Find out more about our resources for living well on a gluten free diet. From food labelling, keeping healthy, food safety standards and what happens if you accidently eat gluten.

Find out more