Gluten Free Chocolate Swaps 🍫🔄️

What are the first things that you think of when someone says gluten? Maybe bread, pasta, flour, biscuits etc. So it could have come as quite a shock that a lot of chocolate bars contain gluten, and not just the ones with a biscuit filling!

The most important thing to remember here, is to check every label. You might not think something contains gluten because it ‘doesn’t look like it would have gluten in it’ but gluten is one of those sneaky ingredients that finds its way into a lot of products, especially when they’re processed products like chocolate, crisps, sauces, snacks etc.

And yes, we could all sit there and say that you should be trying to enjoy naturally gluten free products and cut out the processed rubbish, but come on, what’s life without a treat now and again? What is life WITHOUT CHOCOLATE! 😩

But don’t worry, because we’ve found your favourite gluten filled chocolate and paired it with a safe, gluten free alternative so that you can still enjoy the chocolate you loved before having to eat gluten free. Bonus, most of the items listed can be found in the ‘regular aisle’ and not in the Free From section of a supermarket, so they won’t always come with that higher priced gluten tax! In fact, some are even cheaper than the real thing! 🤑

Like we always say when it comes to writing about gluten free products; always check the label before you buy. Use this blog as a guide and let us influence your next shop, but please keep in mind that ingredients can change at the drop of a hat and you don’t want to be caught out by presuming a product recipe will stay the same forever.

Disclaimer - I have YET to find a great alternative to a Twix Bar - yes there are the ‘Twix’ cookies but nothing compares to the real deal. Any suggestions?

Keep scrolling to see a list of gluten free chocolate swaps! 👇🏼😃

🔍 Find a gluten free substitute for:

• Mars Bar 🪐

• Smarties 🌈

• Kinder Bueno 🥜

• Maltesers 🍯

• KitKat 🍫

• Timeout Wafers 🕙

• Dairy Milk 🥛

• Dairy Milk Fruit & Nut 🍇

• Milky Bar 👦🏼

• Munchies 😛

• Ferrero Rocher 🌰

• Terry’s Chocolate Orange 🍊

Mars Bar 🪐

Mars bars contain barley so they’re a no go for anyone avoiding gluten BUT a great alternative to a Mars bar is the Butterm!lk Caramel Nougat Choccy Bar which is without a doubt the closest in flavour and texture to a Mars! Another bonus - Butterm!lk chocolate products are all dairy free so an absolute win-win for all you gluten and dairy free folks! You can buy Butterm!lk products online or from most major supermarkets.

Smarties 🌈

Something that a lot of people don’t realise is that Smarties contain both wheat and barley so should be avoided by those sticking to a gluten free diet. A great sub for Smarties are the Chocoholic Drops by The Skinny Food Company, of course they don’t have the exact same taste but I doubt many people would notice the difference! You can grab these online via the Skinny Food Company website or they do have a number of stockists across the UK where you can find the Chocoholic Drops - I get mine from B&M!

Of course, Milk Chocolate M&M’s are gluten free and Marks & Spencer do Colin the Caterpillar Speckles which are gluten free but I haven’t seen these around recently… 🐛

Kinder Bueno 🥜

Kinder Bueno bars were my #1 chocolate bar before going gluten free and I remember thinking it was the end of my chocolate loving days when I realised they weren’t gluten free! But have no fear, because Schär have saved the day with their gluten free Melto! They pretty much taste the same as the gluten version, the only difference being you only get one bar instead of two but that’s gluten free life for you! You can find the Schär Melto in most Free From aisles in major supermarkets.

Maltesers 🍯

Nothing will ever be the same as eating a Malteser, given that the main taste is malt barley, we might not ever get a direct swap. However, the Marks & Spencer Made Without Dairy Rocky Road Pieces are gluten free as well as dairy free and the honeycomb pieces do have a very similar taste and texture to Maltesers. They’re worth a try!

Another good swap for Maltesers are the Moofreesas by Moo Free which are also both dairy and gluten free. The Schär Delishios (not sure whether these have been discontinued) and Creative Nature’s Salted Caramel Magibles are also in the running for a great Malteser alternative.

KitKat 🍫

The Tesco Free From Belgian Chocolate Wafers look like a KitKat, taste like a KitKat but be gentle, they sometimes snap in half horizontally which let’s face it, is just not an appropriate way to eat a KitKat - if you’re the type of person who doesn’t split the fingers then I’m afraid, we can’t be friends. Aside from the structural qualms, these are a great gluten free alternative to KitKats.

Another hack for getting a gluten free KitKat alternative is around Christmas and Easter time where Nestle brings out their KitKat Bunny’s and KitKat Santa’s which are both gluten free and taste exactly like the real thing! Just be so careful that you don’t confuse the KitKat mini’s with the Malteser ones which are not gluten free.

Timeout Wafers 🕙

Tesco comes up trumps again with their Free From Swirly Chocolate Wafers which are such a great dupe of the classic Cadbury Timeout bars. I’d actually completely forgotten about Timeout chocolate bars (a childhood classic) until I tried the Tesco Free From version not long ago and they are so similar! Thanks Tesco, you’ve cracked it.

Dairy Milk 🥛

So if you are gluten intolerant or avoid gluten for another reason aside from coeliac disease, and you eat products with a ‘may contain’ warning, then Dairy Milk not being guaranteed gluten free won’t cause you any problems.

However, if you have coeliac disease, then you should be avoiding products with a ‘may contain’ warning and that includes our British favourite, Cadbury Dairy Milk bars. However, it’s not all bad, because if you switch the bar for buttons, then you’re good to go! Dairy Milk bars have a ‘may contain’ warning for wheat, but the Dairy Milk buttons are completely gluten free without any may contain warnings - same taste, different shape!

Dairy Milk Fruit & Nut 🍇

Like the standard Dairy Milk bars, Dairy Milk Fruit & Nut bars also have a ‘may contain’ warning for wheat so not suitable for those who are coeliac. If you shop at Aldi though, you’ll find that their Choceur Fruit & Nut Milk Chocolate bar is gluten free without any ‘may contain’ warnings for gluten and it’s a pretty good dupe!

Milky Bar 👦🏼

Just like Cadbury Dairy Milk, if you swap the Milkybar bar for Milkybar Buttons then you’ve saved yourself a ‘may contain’ risk! Milkybar buttons are gluten free without any warnings of traces of gluten so you can still enjoy the exact same flavour but in a different shape.

Also, keep an eye out at Christmas time because in 2023 they released a ‘Speculoos Bar’ which was absolutely delicious, hopefully they’ll be bringing this back for 2024… 🤞🏼

Munchies 😛

I almost squealed with excitement when I nipped to the corner shop the other week for a pint of milk and spotted that the Munchies Caramel & Biscuit bar doesn’t contain any gluten ingredients, nor does it have a ‘may contain’ warning for gluten! A great alternative to the traditional Munchies bites which contain both wheat and barley.

Ferrero Rocher 🌰

The individually wrapped Ferrero Rocher pieces aren’t gluten free because of the wafer but did you know that the Ferrero Rocher Bars are gluten free and they’re pretty much the same taste just without the wafer! All 4 of the Ferrero Rocher bars are gluten free without any ‘may contain’ warnings.

Another great substitute, but one that’s tricker to get your hands on, are the Baci Perugina Milk; they’re like a Ferrero Rocher but just without the wafer making them gluten free!

And now we’re in Summer, you’ll be thrilled to know that the Ferrero Rocher Hazelnut Ice Cream sticks are gluten free too! 🍦

Terry’s Chocolate Orange 🍊

You might not realise that Terry’s Chocolate Orange isn’t suitable for people with coeliac disease because of the ‘may contain’ warning. Thankfully, Butterm!lk have saved the day again with their Zingy Orange Choccy Segments which are both gluten and dairy free.

If you’re not bothered about eating chocolate orange in the shape of an actual orange segment, then another sub would be Dairy Milk Orange Buttons - gluten free and full of orangey flavour!

So, have we missed any? Or is there anything you want us to find a gluten free alternative to? Drop us a message on any of our socials and we’ll work out magic! 🕵🏼

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❗This blog was updated in July 2024 and ingredients may change over time. Please use this as a guide but always double check the ingredients and allergens when you shop for the product.