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13 Popular Gluten-Free Bakeries in the US

There’s nothing more tantalizing than the smell of freshly baked bread emanating from the local neighborhood bakery in the early morning hours, and for those who can’t stomach gluten, these gluten-free bakeries offer a safe way to enjoy breads, pastries, and other baked goods.

Bakery store with bread and brioches

Bread is a delicious and integral part of meals around the world. However, there’s a growing gluten sensitivity or aversion, inhibiting a large part of the population from enjoying bread and pastries.

Luckily, there’s also been a rise in gluten-free products that use a wealth of other grain and seed flours to create delicious substitutes for wheat.

Not only can you get packaged gluten-free bread, but you can also get freshly baked loaves, pastries, and desserts from gluten-free bakeries.

Read on to discover the best gluten-free bakeries in America.


Sweet Ali’s Gluten-Free Bakery

Sweet Ali’s Gluten-Free Bakery opened in 2009 as a labor of love for founder Ali Graeme and her son, who were grappling with recent diagnoses of celiac disease.

Graeme dedicated years to creating a repertoire of gluten-free bread, cookies, brownies, pies, cupcakes, and more.

Though Sweet Ali’s home base is in Chicago, their products are packaged and sold at various grocery stores in the Midwest, including:

  • Whole Foods
  • Mariano’s
  • Egg Harbor Café
  • Heinen’s
  • SunsetFoods
  • Casey’s Foods
  • Harvest Room 
  • Country House

Sweet Ali’s sells flour mixes, so you can bake your own gluten-free bread and cakes at home.

They also have a line of vegan and gluten-free products. My favorite product from Sweet Ali’s Gluten Free Bakery is the lemon bars.

The gluten-free shortbread crust is so buttery and delightful, making the perfect foundation for the tangy, sweet lemon curd topping.  


Lilac Patisserie

Voted Top 10 Best Artisanal Bakeries in North America by USA Today, Lilac Patisserie is a gourmet gluten-free bakery and cafe from acclaimed pastry and dessert chef couple Gillian and Alam Muralles.

Located in a fashionable country-chic space in Santa Barbara, Lilac Patisserie offers a full menu of breakfast, lunch, espresso, and coffee.

Their cakes are stunning works of culinary art, and their culinary artistry makes them one of the most sought-after catering businesses for weddings and events in Santa Barbara.

They’ve won Wedding Wire’s couples’ choice awards for the past four years. I stopped in for a slice of carrot spice cake, which was far better than any gluten-filled counterpart I’ve ever had. 

Whether you’re gluten-free or not, this is one of the best bakeries worth a visit!


Mariposa Baking Company

Founder Pattie Furey Crane started Mariposa Baking Company out of a small, shared kitchen in Berkeley, California, in 2004.

Her products won the hearts and stomachs of locals, and Mariposa Baking Company soon expanded to proprietary commercial kitchen and bake shops in Oakland and San Francisco. 

Meaning “butterfly” in Spanish, Crane chose Mariposa to symbolize the transformative effects a gluten-free diet has on populations plagued by the negative effects of gluten sensitivity.

Mariposa Baking Company is a certified Green kitchen, so their products are beneficial to human health and the health of the planet. 

Their cute storefronts offer a myriad of pastries, muffins, cakes, pies, cookies, sounds, tea loaves, and seasonal specialties.

I took home a pre-made gluten-free pizza crust to make my own artisanal pizza for supper. 


Sensitive Sweets

Another California favorite, Sensitive Sweets, originated from a mother’s love for her children.

Founder Melanie Hohman’s son had deadly allergies to gluten, eggs, dairy, and soy, so she decided to develop recipes for dessert, bread, and other baked goods that fulfilled his highly restricted diet.

Sensitive Sweets is thus welcoming to all forms of food sensitivities, specializing in gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, and soy-free baked goods.

Most products are vegan by default. Sensitive Sweets is open daily during the afternoons and evenings and has a popular shipping business.

I loved their dense and yeasty dinner rolls with a perfect knotted muffin top. 


Epiphany Gluten Free Bakery

Located in Naples, Florida, Epiphany Gluten Free Bakery brings in customers from around the country for their gluten-free goods.

Epiphany began in a home kitchen in 2010, moving into their current space in 2017 after several years of offering pick-up gluten-free baked goods and selling out at farmer’s markets.

This bakery offers everything from breakfast treats to pizza crust to cookies and custom cakes, all gluten-free. They also offer various vegan, dairy-free, keto, paleo, and nut-free desserts to accommodate all types of dietary restrictions.

I was especially impressed by the range of their selection as well as the ability to find something for anyone. You can find all of your favorite dessert items here!


Hale Life Bakery

Hale Life Bakery is a vegan, nut-free, and gluten-free bakery with four locations in Florida’s bay area cities of Tampa, Clearwater, and St. Pete.

Hale Life Bakery acknowledges the devastating realization of giving up your favorite foods when you find out you have food allergies and sensitivities. 

Its mission is to supply customers with allergy-free versions of the foods they had to give up.

Hale Life Bakery has garnered acclaim from locals and critics alike, receiving over one thousand 5-star reviews from Yelp and Open Table along with a vote for Best of The Bay. 

Their display cases reveal artisanal loaves and intricately decorated pastries and donuts. I went during the autumn for a fall flavored dessert and had a delicious gluten-free, vegan pumpkin maple bourbon donut.


New Grains Gluten-Free Bakery

Located in Provo, Utah, New Grains Gluten Free Bakery is a storefront and packaged goods facility with a wide variety of sweet and savory products.

They offer every variety of packaged bread, from hamburger buns to bagels to English muffins. Their bake shop features cookies, cakes, and macaroons baked fresh daily.

They also sell various flour mixes for pancakes, waffles, muffins, and more. I love their sugar cookies. They are chewy, sweet, and remind me of my childhood.

Their most popular items are their breakfast foods like bagels, muffins, and English muffins. I was impressed by their bagels, having never sampled a gluten-free version. 


Sweet Cake Bake Shop

Sweet Cake Bake Shop is a gluten-free bakery from owner Allison Regan, who had no idea what Celiac disease was until she was diagnosed.

She turned her extensive research on her own disease and gluten-free alternatives into a booming business. 

Sweet Cake Bake Shop is a friendly and cheerful bakery in Salt Lake City, dedicated to providing high-quality baked goods that are as delicious and gourmet as their gluten-laden counterparts. 

All products at Sweet Cake Bake Shop are hand-crafted daily. Menus change monthly, but there are plenty of tried-and-true recipes you can get year-round.

My favorite cake was their white chocolate raspberry cheesecake with a gluten-free chocolate cookie crust. 


Annie May’s Sweet Cafe

Annie May’s Sweet Café is a Louisville, Kentucky bakery and café from owner Annie May who began baking out of an EZ Bake oven when she was a little girl.

Her love of baking predates her adult-onset food allergies, but she took the diagnosis in stride by developing allergy-free alternatives to fuel her baking passion. 

What started as a catering service soon blossomed into a popular storefront.

You can still find Annie May’s sweets, bread, and baked goods at various grocery stores, cafes, and restaurants around Louisville, including:

  • Grind Burger Kitchen
  • Mood Coffee
  • Rainbow Blossom Natural Food Market

Annie May’s Super cookies are the things dreams are made of.


Twist Bakery & Cafe

Twist Bakery and Café is a family-owned and run business with locations in Burlington and Millis, Massachusetts.

Owner and founder Kathryn Ernst started developing gluten-free, dairy-free, and nut-free bread recipes to fulfill the restrictions of her diet without depriving her family of their favorite foods.

Her endeavor turned into a passion, and she began working with professional bakers and chefs to create a full café menu of allergy-friendly meals, desserts, and other baked goods.

The menu at both locations has everything from sandwiches and burgers to healthy bowls and salads.

I loved their pulled pork Cuban with house-roasted pulled pork, BBQ sauce, Swiss cheese, ham, and homemade pickles with mustard on perfectly grilled gluten-free toast.


Molly’s Gluten-Free Bakery

Named for founder Bill Hansen’s granddaughter and culinary inspiration, Molly’s Gluten-Free Bakery has been a Pewaukee, Wisconsin, institution for over 20 years.

The current owner Mary Burgdorff purchased Molly’s Gluten-Free Bakery in 2008. 

She continues Molly’s legacy by providing high-quality gluten-free bread, pizza, desserts, and breakfasts using Hansen’s recipes.

Molly’s Gluten-Free Bakery supplies gluten-free bread and frozen products to numerous restaurants, grocery stores, and hospitals in Milwaukee, Pewaukee, Racine, and Shorewood.

I recommend their Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake with a wonderfully crumbly buttery topping with a moist cake that pairs perfectly with a hot cup of coffee. 


Rise Bakery

Located in a cute, converted Mike Koritko opened rise in 2014 after a Washington D.C. townhouse, Rise Bakery is a friendly counter-service café and bakery specializing in gluten-free bread, pastries, breakfasts, and lunches.

Founder Mike Koritko opened Rise Bakery after years of dealing with Celiac disease.

Rise Bakery makes all its gluten-free products from scratch in small batches each morning to supply customers with delectable pastries, sandwiches, pizzas, and bread on the go.

They also have a full vegan and gluten-free menu. I loved their buttery and flakey gluten-free buttermilk biscuits so much that I bought a four-pack to enjoy over the next week. 


Erin McKenna’s Bakery NYC

Originating in 2005 in New York City’s Lower East Side, Erin McKenna’s Bakery is a cute, family-friendly bakery to honor children with food sensitivities who couldn’t indulge in sweets like their peers.

Erin McKenna’s uses high-quality and responsibly sourced ingredients to create award-winning baked goods and sweets. 

Their popularity has led them to open locations in Los Angeles, Santa Monica, and Orlando, not to mention features on Martha Stewart’s baking show!

All their products are refined-sugar-free, gluten-free, vegan, and kosher.

 I love their chewy chocolate chip cookies that are as big as a plate. They also make cookie sandwiches stuffed with house-made vanilla frosting and dipped in chocolate sauce.   

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Written by Brian Nagele

Brian attended West Virginia University, then started his career in the IT industry before following his passion for marketing and hospitality. He has over 20 years experience in the restaurant and bar industry.

As a former restaurant owner, he knows about running a food business and loves to eat and enjoy cocktails on a regular basis. He constantly travels to new cities tasting and reviewing the most popular spots.

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