How To Make a Gluten Free Thanksgiving Feast

Preparing a gluten free Thanksgiving dinner is more than just about using gluten free products. Cross contact must be taken into consideration, as well. My post “Gluten Free Thanksgiving from A to Z” offers insight on menu suggestions, links to recipes, and other tips to keep your meal safe for those with Celiac Disease. Recipes links include dairy free options, as well.

Questions About Gluten Free Products and Where to Buy Them

On my website, I focus on gluten free products and ingredients. However, I know that many of you have additional dietary restrictions. Therefore, I’ve linked each product to their respective website. That way you can look up ingredients to see if a product meets your dietary needs. In addition, each website should have a “Where to Buy” or “Store Locator” tab. Click there, input your zip code, and see where you can find these items, near you.

Be Aware of Similar Product Packaging

Some brands make a gluten free version of a product, and a non gluten free version. For example. Trader Joe’s makes a gluten free stuffing and a non gluten-free stuffing. In addition, they’re often on the same end cap, since they’re seasonal. Make sure you’re grabbing the right product, and read labels. In addition, Fresh Thyme sells gluten free french fried onions, and non- gluten free version. They’re packaging are different colors. Read my post on other brands with similar packaging, for more examples. 

Important Note About Soy Sauce & Worcestershire Sauce

Many Green Bean Casserole recipes call for adding soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce. Make sure you’re using a gluten free brand. I use San J Tamari in place of soy sauce. In addition, I use Lea and Perrins Worcestershire sauce. Please know that while Lea and Perrins Worcestershire sauce is gluten free in the United States, it is not in other countries. For those who cannot eat soy, consider using coconut aminos, instead. 

Gluten Free Turkey

• Butterball (available at Aldi) (Gravy packets are gluten free)
• Honeysuckle White
• Jennie-O Whole Turkey
• Meijer True Goodness Frozen Turkey
• Shady Brook Farms (at Walmart)
• Honeybaked Ham Turkey Breast (and whole turkey, smoked & non- smoked)

List of gluten free Turkey brands, from 2022.

Gluten Free Cream of Mushroom Soup

• Pacific Foods 
• Progresso Soup (not condensed) 
• Campbell’s
• Full Flavor Foods (soup mix)
• Amy’s Kitchen
• Good Graces (HyVee)

(Whole Foods 365 Cream of Mushroom soup is not marked gluten free, but its ingredients are identical to Pacific Foods Mushroom soup.)+

Gluten Free French Fried Onions

• Fresh Thyme Seasonal
• Golden Farms (available at Harvest Health in MI)
• ALDI ONIONS NO LONGER GF
• Trader Joe’s Fried Shallots
• Trader Joe’s Sour Cream and Onion Rings (near chips)
• Good Graces (HyVee)

Please know that Aldi Organic French Onions are no longer gluten free. Kroger Simple Truth Gluten Free French Onions have been discontinued.

Gluten Free Stuffing

• Aleia’s Gluten Free  (box)
• Aldi (seasonal) 
• Trader Joe’s (seasonal)
• Aleia’s Gluten Free Cook Top Stuffing
• Katz
• Olivia’s Gluten Free Stuffing

Gluten Free Gravy 

• McCormick Simply Better Turkey Gravy (prepared)
• Simply Organic Turkey Flavored Gravy Mix
• Mayacamas Turkey Gravy Mix (Vegetarian)
• Full Flavor Foods Turkey Gravy Mix
• Primal Kitchen No Dairy Classic Turkey Gravy (prepared)
• Imagine Organic Roasted Turkey Flavored Gravy (prepared)

Gluten Free Mashed Potatoes

• Bob Evans Prepared Mashed Potatoes (contains dairy)
• Idahoan Potato Flakes (flakes do not contain dairy)
• Hungry Jack Mashed Potato Flakes (flakes do not contain dairy) no longer available
• Kevin’s Homestyle Mashed Potatoes (contains dairy)
• Simply Potatoes Mashed Potatoes (contains dairy)
• Reser’s Mashed Potatoes (Costco) (contains dairy)

Gluten Free Dinner Rolls

• Against the Grain Dinner Rolls (contains dairy & eggs)
• BFree Dinner Rolls (top 8 allergen free)
• Kinnikinnick (dairy, soy & nut free) (no longer in production)
• Udi’s Classic French Dinner Rolls
• Schar Ciabatta (dairy free)
• Canyon Bakehouse Brioche Rolls (dairy, soy & nut free)

Gluten Free Pie Crust

• Maine Pie Co. (contains eggs & dairy) (2 pk)
• MI Del Graham Cracker Crust (vegan) 
• MI Del Chocolate Snap Crust (vegan)
• Wholly Gluten Free (also vegan) (2 pk) 
• Kinnikinnick (egg, dairy, nut and soy free) (2 pk)
• Gluten Free Nation (at HEB, contains egg and dairy, may contain soy)

Premade Gluten Free Pies

• Michigan Gluten Free Baker List– Order from someone local!
• Maine Pie Co. (contains egg and dairy)
• Katz Personal Size Pies (dairy, soy & nut free)
• Raised Gluten Free (Vegan)
• Ethel’s Baking Company Pecan Dandies
• Daiya Pumpkin Cheezecake (Vegan)

Take Only What You Need

Unpopular opinion. Please don’t buy more gluten free Thanksgiving products than you need. Aldi’s and Trader Joe’s gluten free stuffing are seasonal. Please remember others want to try these products, too.

Some people use food stamps and only have resources at certain times of the month. Please be mindful of those in the Celiac Disease community who may be less fortunate. For more on this, read my friend Johnna’s post about Celiac Disease and having a Food Scarcity Mindset. 

Don’t Yuck Someone Else’s Yum

You may or may not like some of the products listed here. That’s ok. We all have different taste and texture preference, and dietary restrictions.

I try to live by the general rule of “eyes on your own plate.” What someone chooses to eat on Thanksgiving is up to them. Erica Dermer’s post about Food Superiority addresses this issue very well. 

What are your favorite Thanksgiving gluten free products to use? Leave me a note in the comments, so others can learn! 

**This post contains affiliate links. Purchases made through those links, or the Amazon search bar above, help support this blog with no extra expense to you. Thank you for your continued support!**

Originally Published October 2022

The post Gluten Free Thanksgiving Products appeared first on MI Gluten Free Gal.

Paul Swanson, on the right, is the man and vision behind this line of gluten-free sauce bases. Their products makes it easier for life to “go back to normal” after a Celiac Disease diagnosis.  Green Bean Casserole becomes easy again with their Cream of Mushroom Sauce Mix. Their cream sauce allows my pork-free husband to easily have biscuits and gravy again. Simply put, they help bring the joy back to cooking

Read further for the background behind Paul and his company, in his own words.

1. What inspired you to become a food producer? Why the focus on gluten-free?

Well, here is the “short” story:  We have a long family background (over 100 years combined) in the creation of  commercial soups, sauces and gravies.  My mother discovered her intolerance to wheat/ gluten almost 50 years ago.  She felt frustrated about the lack of quality options at the grocery store, so we started making our own. As the gluten free industry grew, we felt there might be real interest in quality soup, sauce and gravy choices like ours.

2. Are there other highlights of your products? Low sodium, fat free, etc?

Full Flavor Foods products are free from gluten, egg, nuts, MSG, hydrogenated oils, and trans fats.  They contain no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives.  In addition, the majority of our products contain no soy. (The beef gravy is the exception.) Our 4 gravies are also dairy-free.  In addition, our Mushroom and Cream Soups/Sauces are also lactose free! (We use coconut oil instead of cream in our cream soups and sauces.)

3. What steps do you take to insure that your products are truly gluten-free?

A company independently tests every batch of Full Flavor Foods mixes before we ship them for sale.  We have never received a result indicating a trace of gluten, using the very best testing, which tests for less than 5ppm. (“parts per million”). Our products are also third- party certified as being gluten-free by the Gluten Free Food Program. (Which is endorsed by the National Celiac Association.)

4.  Do you have any stories of customers who reported back to you how important your products have been in their life?

I had a woman in Texas literally break into tears after tasting our Southern Style Breakfast Sausage Gravy (made with our Cream Soup/Sauce Base mix).  She had not enjoyed it in years because she could not find anything GF or make it correctly without using wheat flour. So, it feels like we are make a small difference in people’s lives, helping them recreate many of those comfort foods they miss.

5.  What would you like consumers to know about your products and your business?

We want consumers to know our products are safe for those with Celiac Disease. Not only that, but they are quite delicious, very versatile (check out our GF Recipe Booklet) and better than most similar products found in the marketplace. Why? Because we care about quality.  Where other companies make “brown gravy,” our beef gravy mix is made from real beef.

To us, this company is more than just a business.  We understand (from firsthand experience) about the challenges faced by those with Celiac Disease or Gluten Intolerance . We know they still want, and deserve, great tasting food.  Being gluten-free does not mean consumers have agreed to settle for substandard food!

We also want to spread the word that our mixes now come in bulk for food service customers and larger families. Our larger bags can make up to a full gallon of sauce or gravy. Orders have mostly been from grocery chains (with commissary operations), nursing homes, schools, and hospitals. However even larger families love our bigger, resealable bags.

You’ll find Full Flavor Foods products on their website, in many stores, and at many events nationwide. Some of their products are also available on Gluten Free Mall. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram to see where they’ll be next as well as recipe ideas!

**Full Flavor Foods sponsored this post. I adore them regardless, and all of my thoughts and opinions are my own.**

The post Full Flavor Foods Gluten-Free Sauce Mixes appeared first on MI Gluten Free Gal.