In this article, I share gluten-free versions of the most cherished junk foods from my childhood, from Pop-Tarts and Goldfish to Auntie Anne’s soft pretzels. With a little effort and determination, you can enjoy many of these nostalgic treats again, sans gluten, of course. This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosures.
Having a gluten disorder, like celiac disease, gluten intolerance, or non-celiac gluten sensitivity, can turn your life upside-down, and it almost feels like you’ve lived two different lives.
Your first life is your pre-gluten-free life. It’s the life where you ate anything you wanted, never read a food label, and extra gluten was almost always on the table.
Your second life is your gluten-free life, where you have to be extremely cautious about everything that crosses your lips, you have to agonize over food labels, and you feel like you’re always missing out or lamenting over foods you used to be able to eat.
I’ve been gluten-free for more than a decade due to a celiac disease diagnosis. It took me years to mourn many foods of my pre-celiac life.
While it’s okay to mourn the foods you miss most, there comes a time when you feel ready to put on your big girl panties, get into the kitchen, and recreate those long-lost foods without gluten.
Plus, these reimagined versions of childhood favorites are made without gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley, and with better-for-you-ingredients and almost always taste better than the real thing (with the exception of maybe bread).
Below, you’ll find 15 nostalgic treats that I’ve recreated and reimagined to be 100% gluten-free. Enjoy!
(1) Kellogg’s Pop-Tarts
What child of the 1980s and ’90s didn’t eat Pop-Tarts growing up? Unfortunately, this childhood staple is made with gluten, food dyes, and a slew of unrecognizable ingredients. I’m surprised they didn’t stunt my growth!
Now that I have celiac disease, I’ve learned to make homemade gluten-free pop-tarts with a cherry filling and bonus icing on top. These tasty treats are better than anything I ate growing up.
(2) Thin Mints
I’ll forever be a Thin Mint girl, but the Girl Scouts refuse to make Thin Mint cookies that are gluten-free. Instead, they offer us subpar gluten-free options, like Toffee-Tastic (really?) and some sort of gritty Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie (I’ve had better).
I need an annual fix of Thin Mint cookies, so I rolled up my sleeves and made these gluten-free copycat Thin Mint cookies. These minty cookies are slightly soft, slightly crunchy and oh-so-minty. And they definitely channel Girl Scout cookie vibes, only better.
(3) Auntie Anne’s Soft Pretzels
No teenage trip to the mall was complete without a stop at Auntie Anne’s (or Wetzel’s Pretzels) for an oversized pretzel. A warm, doughy, and soft pretzel always brings me back to my younger days when I ate gluten freely and didn’t even know what gluten was!
I hadn’t had a soft pretzel in more than a decade before I recreated this gluten-free version of a soft and doughy pretzel. A special thank you to the Hand + Heart Sweet Dough Mix for making this soft pretzel a reality.
(4) Goldfish Crackers
Growing up, there was always a bag of Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Crackers in the family pantry, and I loved snacking on them. Of course, when I learned gluten was forbidden from my diet, I said goodbye to the adorable crackers for good.
Years later, I bought a goldfish-shaped cracker cutter and began experimenting with recipes so I could make my own. Today, I’m proud to say I make a mean gluten-free goldfish cracker that is irresistibly snackable and, of course, gluten-free.
(5) Hostess Donuts
When I was a little girl, I would spend my summer days on my father’s food truck. I loved being with my dad. Every morning, he bought a pack of Hostess Mini-Chocolate Donuts, which we shared. We both loved a good chocolate cake donut.
Unfortunately, these chocolate cake donuts contain gluten, so I had to get creative and make my own gluten-free chocolate cake donuts from scratch. Nothing can get between this girl and her chocolate donuts, not even celiac disease!
(6) Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls
You have no idea how many Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls I consumed as a child, but let’s just say it was a lot. I love popping open a canister, baking the cinnamon rolls in our family toaster oven, and smearing them with the sweet glaze that melted on top of each roll.
If you’re gluten-free, however, you know making gluten-free cinnamon rolls is challenging. The dough breaks and becomes dry, and the cinnamon rolls often taste grainy.
But thanks to Hand + Heart’s Sweet Dough Mix, I was able to recreate delicious and ultra-gooey gluten-free cinnamon rolls at home. It took some time and know-how to figure it out, but I’m proud to say these cinnamon rolls taste great and definitely hit the spot.
(7) Little Debbie’s Cosmic Brownies
There are many Little Debbie’s treats that I hope to recreate one day, but I started with an oldie but goodie favorite: Cosmic Brownies.
These moist brownies are topped with a thin layer of chocolate frosting and colorful sprinkles, and they channel childhood magic for me. I highly recommend making these copycat gluten-free cosmic brownies so you can fully understand what you’ve been missing out on.
(8) Farm Rich French Toast Sticks
I loved frozen Farm Rich French toast sticks as a kid and continued to buy them well into my adult years. However, when I was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2012, these tasty breakfast treats were no longer on the table.
Using good store-bought gluten-free bread and fresh ingredients from home, I recreated tasty Gluten-Free French Toast Sticks (aka, French toast dippers) at home.
(9) Restaurant Mozzarella Sticks
If mozzarella sticks were on the menu, I would beg my parents to order them. I loved the fried and crunchy coating that surrounded the gooey cheese inside.
Feel Good Foods makes gluten-free mozzarella sticks (be prepared to empty your wallet because they are expensive!), but you can make your own at home—baked or fried—on a budget with this delicious and simple gluten-free mozzarella sticks recipe.
(10) Lunchables
If you were raised in the 1980s and 90s, you were raised during the package foods revolution. Our parents worked, and we had to find a way to pack a quick lunch. Lunchables were in vogue!
Most Lunchables are made with gluten-y crackers and ultra-processed meats and cheeses. But my homemade gluten-free lunchables are made with gluten-free crackers and wholesome ingredients. In this article, I share several ideas for what to include in your homemade gluten-free lunchables.
(11) Wonder Bread
It seems like every kid grows up eating Wonder Bread. The squishy white bread has no nutritional qualities, but its soft and doughy texture is appealing to kids and adults alike.
Of course, it’s hard to replicate the softness of white bread made with ultra-refined wheat flour, but my homemade gluten-free sandwich bread recipe will produce delicious bread that rivals the not-so-“wonder”ful stuff.
(12) New York Bagels
I love a good chewy bagel with a golden crust and doughy center, similar to what you’d find at Einstein’s Bagels today. And while you can buy average gluten-free bagels at the store, you can’t find New York-style bagels anywhere.
I recreated New York-style bagels, sans gluten, thanks to Hand + Heart’s Artisan Flour Blend, specifically formulated for making hearty bread. Get my Gluten-Free New York-Style Bagel recipe and get ready to bite into a chewy and doughy bagel for the first time in years!
(13) Takeout Pizza
Most gluten-free people miss a good pizza. It’s impossible to order safe gluten-free pizza from any of the big five pizza restaurants, and I don’t recommend doing so since none of the restaurants say their gluten-free pizza is safe for people with serious gluten disorders.
Unfortunately, if you want to enjoy pizza, you’ll have to make it yourself. I have several go-to pizza crust recipes on my website, but one of the most simple ones is made using Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Flour. Get this easy Gluten-Free Pizza Crust Recipe here.
(14) Frozen Churros
While I don’t recall the brand of frozen churros I enjoyed as a child, I do remember loving this pastry so much. They, too, were just another food I had to give up after going gluten-free.
It took 11 years, but I finally recreated those sweet and doughy fried Gluten-Free Churros, which I always roll in cinnamon and sugar for maximum enjoyment.
(15) Hot Pockets
I’d come home after school and heat up a Hot Pocket in the microwave. I loved the pastry shell and pizza filling combo, and it definitely filled me up until dinner.
Today, I make gluten-free “Hot Pockets” from scratch using gluten-free puff pastry. You can buy gluten-free puff pastry online and at many grocery stores (if you can find it) or make your own with my gluten-free puff pastry recipe.
Once you have gluten-free puff pastry ready to go, follow my Gluten-Free Hot Pockets recipe to make a copycat version of this beloved childhood treat.
Recreate These Childhood Treats
There you have it: 15 childhood treats recreated to be gluten-free. I feel lucky that I’ve been able to enjoy these comfort foods again and share them with you.
Whether you’ve been gluten-free for decades or are just starting out, these better-for-you recipes will help you recreate some of your favorite classic [junk] foods from your childhood to be gluten-free.
