By Sonia Paryani, founder of sincerely, BY PARYANI, an Atlanta gluten free bakery featured in the AJC and on WABE 90.1
The short answer: the best thing to bring to a gluten free Thanksgiving is something that arrives finished, in a box that looks like a gift, with an ingredient list a person can read out loud. Our top pick is the Chocolate Pistachio Rose Bark. If you want to contribute a whole dessert spread without turning on an oven, a sampler pack does that.
Thanksgiving is the one meal where everyone agrees to eat the same thing at the same time. It is also the meal where "what can I bring?" quietly contains three questions. Will it be delicious. Will it be safe. Will I have to do anything to it when I get there.
Most of what comes up when you search this is written for the host. Menus, timelines, a turkey brine in seventeen steps. Very little is written for you, the guest, standing in a kitchen doorway holding a dish and hoping the oven is free. It is not free. The oven has been booked since Tuesday.
Here is my own version of this. Whenever I go to someone's house for Thanksgiving, dinner is fine. There is always chicken, vegetables, and salad. Then dessert comes out, and there is never anything for me. I always hear "Sorry, I did not know what to get" or "Sorry, I did not know what to make," or I get offered fruit. They are always kind about it. Fruit is lovely. It is just not the dessert.
I built this bakery after my own autoimmune journey, so I have strong opinions about what belongs on a Thanksgiving table. Here they are.
What makes something safe to bring to a gluten free Thanksgiving?
Four things, in order of importance.
- It arrives sealed. Something unwrapped at the door is a question mark. Something in its own box, with its own label, is an answer.
- The label reads like a grocery list. If the ingredients need a chemistry degree, put it back.
- It comes from a dedicated gluten free kitchen. Ours is a dedicated gluten free kitchen in Atlanta, so there is no shared line to think about.
- It needs nothing from the host. No oven, no reheating, no dish to return.
What should you bring if you are the gluten free guest?
Bring the dessert. Not as a workaround, as a contribution. Everyone has met the sad gluten free dessert. It sits at the end of the table under foil, and it knows. A sealed box you can pass around makes sure at least one thing on the dessert table is yours, and it reads as generosity instead of a note about the pie.
What should you bring if the host is gluten free?
Something that shows you thought about it and did not need to ask. A gold gift box with a clear window and a red satin bow is a host gift that says that before anyone opens it. The host gets a gift they can eat, and no one has to have a conversation about flour.
What are the best gluten free things to bring to Thanksgiving?
Everything here is gluten free, grain free, and dairy free.
- Chocolate Pistachio Rose Bark. Dark chocolate, bright green pistachios, dried rose petals, a little cardamom. Vegan, gluten and grain free, and the one that looks like a gift before you have said a word. It also comes as a 2 pack if you are bringing one and would like to keep one. A note for the label readers: it contains pistachios, coconut, and organic cane sugar. If anyone at your table has a tree nut allergy, know that before it lands next to the pie.
- Cashew Trio Gift Box. Nine bites in a gold box, three each of ginger, turmeric, and cacao, made from dates, cashews, coconut, and spices. Small, rich, and easy to pass around after a very large meal. Contains cashews and coconut.
- Cashew Bites Gift Box Set. The same idea, three boxes, for the table that has more than one person to thank.
- Vegan Sampler Pack. Vegan almond banana bread, cashew bites, and the chocolate pistachio rose bark, in one shipping box. This is the dessert table in a carton.
- Paleo & SCD Sampler Pack. Lemon coconut cake, almond banana bread, almond pumpkin bread, and two flavors of cashew bites. The almond pumpkin bread is in there, warm with cinnamon, ginger, and cloves, which is about as on theme as a dessert can be. It is also SCD legal (the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, if that is new to you), so it works for the guest at the table who follows SCD. No chocolate and no bark in this one.
Free shipping starts at $99, and the Vegan Sampler Pack plus the Chocolate Pistachio Rose Bark gift box gets you there.
Want to see everything wrapped and ready to hand over? The whole gift box collection is here.
When should you order for Thanksgiving?
The last day to order with UPS 2 day shipping is Monday, November 23, 2026 at noon Eastern. If you prefer USPS, order by Wednesday, November 18, 2026 for delivery by November 20. Orders ship Monday through Wednesday, and Thanksgiving falls on November 26, 2026. Ordering early is the entire strategy. The breads and cakes in the samplers arrive frozen, so give them time to thaw before the big day.
Questions guests ask us
Is it okay to bring your own dessert to Thanksgiving if you are gluten free?
Yes, and hosts usually appreciate the heads up. Tell them ahead of time that you are bringing a dessert to share, and it lands as a contribution instead of a workaround.
What if the host is doing all the cooking?
Ask if a finished, sealed dessert would help. Something that needs no oven, no reheating, and no plates is the easiest yes a host will get all week.
How do I know a store-bought dessert is really gluten free?
Read the ingredients first. Then find out where it is made. "Gluten free" on a package made on a shared line is a different thing from a dedicated gluten free kitchen, and if you have celiac disease that difference is the whole question. Ours is a dedicated gluten free kitchen. If you are unsure about any product, ask the maker. You can reach us at contact@eatsincerely.com.
Are these desserts nut free?
No. Everything above contains almonds, cashews, pistachios, coconut, or a combination, and the bark and bites are processed in a facility that may also process tree nuts, seeds, and eggs. Check your table before you commit.
Thanksgiving is not a test of who can produce the most complicated dish. Showing up with something lovely, sealed, and delicious is a complete answer to the question of what you are bringing.
Are any of these gluten free and vegan?
Yes. The Chocolate Pistachio Rose Bark, the Cashew Trio Gift Box, the Cashew Bites Gift Box Set, and the Vegan Sampler Pack are all gluten free and vegan. The Paleo & SCD Sampler Pack is gluten free too, but not vegan, since the breads and cakes are made with eggs.
Ready to cross Thanksgiving dessert off your list?
The Chocolate Pistachio Rose Bark gift box is the easiest yes, and the gift box collection has the rest.
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