Gluten-free panettone finally exists, and it’s delicious. It is becoming a specialty of many confectionery companies, but also of large pastry shops: a real testing ground both for giants and for small and medium-sized artisans, with increasingly satisfying results, which make the dessert par excellence for the holidays truly democratic, for everyone.

Gluten-free panettone, and the numbers of celiac disease in Italy

After all, it is a necessity. Estimates from the Istituto Superiore di Sanità say that in Italy 600 thousand people suffer from celiac disease, and just as many suffer from it, but without knowing it because they have not been diagnosed. Much higher, then, are the numbers of those who are “only” – so to speak – intolerant to gluten. Over a million consumers who, on balance, due to a health problem, if there were no suitable offers, would also have to give up dessert par excellence for the holidays.

Gluten-free panettone: what’s new for 2023

Gluten-free panettone is for them, but it is also for those who want to vary and try different flavours: it is made with rice flour often mixed with potato starch and, not infrequently, with lactose-free milk and butter. The fillings? Are the same. Now you can choose: gluten-free panettone can be filled like the more traditional leavened one, with candied fruit and raisins, only with one or the other, but also without. Among this year’s proposals there are also many delicious variations, including the gluten-free chocolate panettone, and the one with ice cream.