Gluten- & Dairy-Free Substitutes for Restaurant Appetizers & Hors d’Oeuvres

You may think appetizers and hors d’oeuvres are the same, but surprisingly, they are not. Eating appetizers before meals makes you hungry and stimulates the appetite, hence the name. In contrast, the French term hors d’oeuvres translates to “outside the work,” meaning that people serve them outside or separate from a meal, for example, at receptions and cocktail parties. 

Whereas hors d’oeuvres are usually finger foods accompanied by a cocktail such as canapés and deviled eggs, think of appetizers as the “pre-meal,” such as soups, salads, and charcuterie boards.

The gluten- and dairy-free appetizers and hors d’oeuvres are restaurant-worthy. You can even serve some as a meal or side dish. 

If you’d like to read their reviews, check out these two posts:

• https://liveglutenanddairyfree.com/wholly-veggie-gluten-and-dairy-free-appetizers/
• https://liveglutenanddairyfree.com/gluten-and-dairy-free-appetizers/

For Your Awareness

Below is information to increase your awareness about the alternatives.

• Starfish halibut contains wheat and milk. Their cod, haddock, and fish sticks are gluten and dairy-free
• Starlight taquitos are vegan and gluten-free. They contain a corn tortilla, whereas their rolled tacos are not gluten-free because of the flour tortilla.
• I have only included Foster Farms under corn dogs. I have not included Applegate gluten-free uncured beef corn dogs because I did not like the taste. You can see this review (https://liveglutenanddairyfree.com/gluten-and-dairy-free-corn-dogs-classic-food-on-a-stick/) to understand why. However, I did include Applegate gluten-free chicken nuggets, which are as tasty as the fast-food versions.
• All Feel Good Foods are gluten-free, but only the potstickers, soup dumplings, and egg rolls are dairy-free
• You can add vegan milk and butter to the Idahoan dairy-free mashed potatoes
• As always, read labels carefully because some of the brands also have foods with gluten or dairy

Substitutes for Restaurant Appetizers

Of course, mozzarella cheese sticks contain both gluten and dairy. Buffalo wings, onion rings, fish sticks, and chicken nuggets are flour-coated. Pot stickers, dumplings, and egg rolls are made with flour. But you may wonder why French fries appear on the list. It’s because some French fries contain flour as a seasoning or coating. For example, McDonald’s fries contain wheat, milk, and beef. I know, shocking. See their allergen information below (from: https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/product/small-french-fries.html#accordion-c921f9207b-item-283bee7dbd).

Allergen Information

French Fries

Ingredients: Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (canola Oil, Corn Oil, Soybean Oil, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Natural Beef Flavor [wheat And Milk Derivatives]*), Dextrose, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate (maintain Color), Salt. *natural Beef Flavor Contains Hydrolyzed Wheat And Hydrolyzed Milk As Starting Ingredients.

Contains: Wheat, Milk.

But don’t worry, there are substitutes for all these appetizers and hors d’oeuvres.

If You’re Craving This, Here’s the Gluten- and Dairy-Free Version

If You’re Craving This	Here’s the Gluten- and Dairy-Free Version
Restaurant Appetizers	Wholly Veggie! mozzarella-style sticks Wholly Veggie! buffalo cauliflower wings Wholly Veggie! ranch cauliflower wings Starlight Cuisine taquitos Feel Good Foods potsticker Feel Good Foods egg rolls Feel Good Foods soup dumpling Ian’s onion rings Ian’s chicken meatballs Idahoan dairy-free mashed potatoes
Corn Dogs	Foster Farms gluten-free corn dogs
Fish sticks	Ian’s fish sticks Ian’s salmon bites Starfish gluten-free cod, haddock, and fish sticks
Chicken nuggets	Applegate gluten-free chicken nuggets Bell & Evans chicken tenders Ian’s chicken nuggets PERDUE® gluten-free chicken breast tenders
French fries	Dr. Praeger’s gluten-free California veggie fries Alexia sweet potato fries

Conclusion

To stimulate your appetite, you can serve the listed appetizer substitutes right before a meal. There are also hors d’oeuvres that can be served on toothpicks, such as salmon bites, meatballs, and the original food on a stick, the corn dog. Many can also be served as a meal or side dish, such as fish sticks, chicken tenders, and mashed potatoes. 

Fun Food Fact

The Romans created aperitifs, alcoholic drinks enjoyed before a meal, known as liquid appetizers.

Did You Know?

Appetizers can aid digestion by stimulating enzymes in saliva that break down carbs. Eating small portions before a large meal can also gently stimulate the stomach to prepare for digestion.

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