For coeliac shopping, choose a custard cream with a gluten-free claim for the exact product: Schär and ASDA Free From list vanilla-filled examples. If dark chocolate matters more than the custard-cream format, Nairn's gluten-free Dark Chocolate & Coconut Chunky Oat Biscuit Breaks are a different option if you tolerate oats; Nairn's warns against that product if you react to avenin.
If the vanilla-filled sandwich biscuit is what you want, look for a gluten-free claim on that exact variant. Conventional custard creams from ASDA, Sainsbury's and M&S in the product listings considered here list wheat flour.
If you would accept an oat biscuit instead of a filled custard cream, check both its gluten-free claim and whether you tolerate oats. Coeliac UK says most people with coeliac disease can eat gluten-free oats, but a small number remain sensitive to them.
Decide whether the filled custard-cream format or dark chocolate matters more, then check the exact pack's gluten-free claim and ingredients.
Choose when: You want a vanilla-filled sandwich biscuit; Schär and ASDA Free From list gluten-free custard-cream variants.
Trade-off: These particular variants are vanilla custard creams, not dark-chocolate ones.
Choose when: Dark chocolate takes priority over the filled-biscuit format and you can eat gluten-free oats.
Trade-off: Nairn's Dark Chocolate & Coconut Chunky Oat Biscuit Breaks are not custard creams, and Nairn's says they are unsuitable if you react to avenin.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free claim | Read the claim and ingredients on the exact pack. The Food Standards Agency defines gluten-free food as containing no more than 20 mg/kg gluten in the food as sold; the conventional ASDA, Sainsbury's and M&S custard creams described here list wheat flour. | I want to distinguish a gluten-free custard cream from a similarly named conventional one. |
| Biscuit format | Check whether it is a vanilla-filled sandwich biscuit or an oat biscuit with dark chocolate chips. Nairn's lists dark chocolate chips as 10% of its Dark Chocolate & Coconut Chunky Oat Biscuit Breaks; that is not the cocoa percentage of the chocolate. | Would I still want the biscuit if dark chocolate meant giving up the custard-cream filling? |
| Oats | For an oat-based alternative, check that the oats are labelled gluten-free and read any oat-specific warning. Nairn's says its Dark Chocolate & Coconut variant is unsuitable if you react to avenin. | Even with a gluten-free claim, I need to know whether oats are suitable for me. |
| Exact variant | Match the full product name and pack to its own ingredients and allergy advice. ASDA lists both a Free From custard cream and a separate conventional custard cream containing wheat flour. | I don't want to assume every biscuit from the same retailer has the same ingredients. |
Colour, chocolate flavour and extra filling do not establish a gluten-free claim. The conventional ASDA, Sainsbury's and M&S custard creams described here list wheat flour.
Check the gluten-free claim and ingredients for the particular biscuit before choosing its flavour.
Nairn's lists gluten-free oats for its Dark Chocolate & Coconut Chunky Oat Biscuit Breaks, while its different Dark Chocolate Chip Oat Biscuits 200 g list barley malt syrup.
Match the complete variant name, then read that product's own gluten-free claim and ingredients.
Nairn's lists dark chocolate chips as 10% of its Dark Chocolate & Coconut Chunky Oat Biscuit Breaks. That figure describes the proportion of chips in the biscuit, not how much cocoa the chocolate contains.
If a particular cocoa percentage matters, check for a percentage stated for the chocolate itself.
Brand names alone do not establish gluten-free suitability: the distinction is between the specific products and variants described below.
A specialist option for the familiar custard-cream format.
Its Free From and conventional custard creams need to be distinguished by variant.
A dark-chocolate oat-biscuit alternative, rather than a custard cream.
A conventional custard-cream example for checking the distinction.
A conventional extra-cream custard-cream example.
These options cover a gluten-free vanilla custard cream and, separately, a gluten-free dark-chocolate oat biscuit for shoppers who can eat oats. They are different biscuit formats, so check the exact pack against the one you want.
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Consider these if you want a gluten-free custard cream rather than a dark-chocolate oat biscuit. Schär describes its custard creams as gluten- and wheat-free biscuits with vanilla cream; check the supplied pack's ingredients and allergy advice.
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Consider this oat biscuit if you prefer dark chocolate to a custard-cream filling and can eat gluten-free oats. Nairn's lists 10% dark chocolate chips, which is not a cocoa-content figure, and warns that the product is unsuitable if you react to avenin. Check the supplied pack before eating.
No. Chocolate flavour does not establish whether a biscuit is gluten-free; check that product's claim and ingredients. The conventional custard creams from ASDA and Sainsbury's described here list wheat flour.
A gluten-free oat biscuit is an option only if oats are suitable for that person. Coeliac UK says most people with coeliac disease can eat gluten-free oats, but a small number remain sensitive; Nairn's specifically says its Dark Chocolate & Coconut Chunky Oat Biscuit Breaks are unsuitable if you react to avenin.
Check the supplied pack's full product name, gluten-free claim, ingredients and allergy advice before eating. A similarly named variant may have different ingredients, so use the pack for the biscuit you received.
Yes. The Food Standards Agency defines gluten-free as no more than 20 mg/kg gluten in the food as sold to the final consumer. The claim still needs to apply to the exact biscuit you are choosing.