Who is this choice for?

People buying shortbread for someone with coeliac disease

Look for a gluten-free claim on the particular pack. A familiar shortbread brand or wording that only says wheat-free is not enough to identify the right product.

People checking other ingredients and allergens

Gluten-free shortbread can still contain butter or other ingredients the recipient avoids. Check the individual pack for milk, oats and any relevant nut, peanut or soya advice.

Everyday free-from biscuit shoppers

Decide whether the recipient wants plain, chocolate or oat-based biscuits, then check the current product listing and pack. Pack sizes differ between the named examples.

What should you check?

Start with the gluten-free claim, then narrow the choice by recipe and the recipient’s other requirements.

Priority What to check Your needs
Gluten-free claim Check the claim on the specific pack and read its current ingredients. The Food Standards Agency defines gluten-free as no more than 20 mg/kg of gluten in food sold to the final consumer; wheat-free wording alone does not establish that claim. I’m buying for someone with coeliac disease, so I need to identify the gluten-free product rather than another biscuit from the same brand.
Recipe Check whether the product is plain all-butter shortbread, chocolate shortbread or an oat-based vegan version. The named all-butter examples contain milk; Lazy Day Foods lists gluten-free oat flour in its vegan shortbread. Plain buttery rounds may suit the person I’m shopping for, or I may need a biscuit without milk or eggs. If I choose the oat-based version, gluten-free oats must suit them too.
Other allergens Read the particular pack’s milk, soya, nut and peanut information where relevant. Gluten-free does not mean free from those ingredients or allergens. Another allergy changes which pack I can choose, even when several shortbreads are labelled gluten-free.
Serving at home Follow the pack’s after-opening instructions. In a shared kitchen, keep biscuits away from gluten-containing crumbs and use clean serving surfaces; Coeliac UK advises cleaning surfaces with hot soapy water. I want to serve a suitable biscuit without bringing it into contact with crumbs from other food.

Common shopping mistakes

  • Confusing a brand’s ordinary rounds with its gluten-free rounds

    Dean’s listed Gluten Free Shortbread Rounds in a 2022 brochure, but its traditional Shortbread Rounds list wheat flour. The brand name and biscuit shape do not identify the same recipe.

    Match the full product name and check the gluten-free claim on the current pack.

  • Assuming gluten-free means free from other allergens

    The named all-butter products contain milk, while their advice about nuts and other allergens differs by product.

    Read the individual pack for every allergen relevant to the recipient before buying or serving it.

  • Assuming gluten-free oats suit everyone

    Coeliac UK says a small number of people with coeliac disease remain sensitive to gluten-free oats.

    If oats are unsuitable for the recipient, choose an oat-free product that is also labelled gluten-free.

Brand and product-label references

These references concern specific products, not every shortbread made by each brand; check the current pack before choosing.

Walker’s Shortbread

Walker’s describes its Gluten Free Shortbread Rounds as an all-butter product.

  • Its listed flour blend includes rice flour, potato starch and maize.
  • The rounds contain butter (milk), and Walker’s says they may also contain nuts.

M&S

M&S labels its Made Without Wheat All Butter Shortbread Rounds gluten-free.

  • The ingredients list includes butter, rice flour, cornflour and maize flour.
  • The product contains milk and is marked unsuitable for people with a nut allergy.

Waitrose

Waitrose lists Free From Gluten Butter Shortbread as a 150 g all-butter biscuit pack.

  • It offers a plain gluten-free shortbread option.
  • Check the current pack for milk and any other relevant allergen advice.

Tesco

Tesco labels its Finest Free From Belgian Chocolate Chunk Shortbread 150g gluten-free.

  • It is a chocolate-chunk option rather than plain rounds.
  • The listed ingredients include butter (milk) and soya lecithins.

Lazy Day Foods

Lazy Day Foods describes its Vegan Scottish Shortbread as gluten-free, milk-free and egg-free.

  • The manufacturer lists gluten-free oat flour in this recipe.
  • Check that gluten-free oats suit the person who will eat it; Coeliac UK notes that a small number of people with coeliac disease remain sensitive to them.

Dean’s

Dean’s listed gluten-free rounds in a 2022 brochure, but that historical listing does not identify a current pack.

  • Dean’s traditional Shortbread Rounds list wheat flour. Do not substitute them for a product explicitly labelled gluten-free.

Joybuy biscuit option

This Joybuy option is a gluten-free oat biscuit, not shortbread. Consider it only if a different biscuit is acceptable and gluten-free oats suit the recipient.

Nairns Gluten Free Biscuit Breaks Chunky Oats, Dark & Coconut 160g

Nairns Gluten Free Biscuit Breaks Chunky Oats, Dark & Coconut 160g

A gluten-free oat biscuit to consider when shortbread is not essential and the recipient can have gluten-free oats. It is not an all-butter shortbread; check the current pack for other relevant allergen advice.

View on Joybuy

Questions about gluten-free shortbread

Does a UK gluten-free label have a defined limit?

Yes. The Food Standards Agency defines gluten-free as no more than 20 mg/kg of gluten in food sold to the final consumer. That claim does not mean the shortbread is free from milk, nuts or other allergens, so check those separately on the pack.

Does shortbread also need a Crossed Grain Trademark?

No. A gluten-free claim does not depend on the product displaying the Crossed Grain Trademark. Check that the claim applies to the specific shortbread you are buying; a trademark on another product from the same brand does not cover it.

Will gluten-free oat shortbread suit everyone with coeliac disease?

Not necessarily. Coeliac UK says most people with coeliac disease can eat gluten-free oats, but a small number remain sensitive to them. Lazy Day Foods lists gluten-free oat flour in its vegan shortbread, so check whether oats suit the intended recipient.

How should I serve gluten-free shortbread in a shared kitchen?

Keep it separate from gluten-containing crumbs and use clean serving surfaces. Follow the pack’s after-opening instructions; Coeliac UK advises cleaning preparation surfaces with hot soapy water.