High Calorie Gluten Free Foods: UK Staples, Snacks and Meals

Written by James Frost, founder of Flaming Phoenix. Updated October 2026.

High calorie gluten free foods pack a lot of calories with no gluten, and the simplest is a Phoenix Bar: up to 557 calories in a compact, 120g bar, vegan and gluten-free in every flavour. Around it, lean on naturally gluten-free foods like olive oil, nuts, nut butters, seeds, cheese and dried fruit, built on rice, potatoes and gluten-free oats. Olive oil gives 123 calories a tablespoon and mixed nuts 661 per 100g, but a gluten-free label adds none: Barilla's gluten-free and wheat fusilli both have 359 per 100g.

This page is for people who avoid gluten, by choice or on medical advice, and need to get more calories in: athletes, people trying to gain weight, and anyone who dropped bread and pasta and then watched the scales drift down. Every figure comes from a UK label I checked in October 2026, so you can see where each number comes from. For every food group, not only gluten-free ones, see calorie-dense foods.

Are gluten free foods lower in calories?

Gluten-free foods are not reliably lower in calories: gluten-free pasta and bread carry about the same calories as the wheat versions, with less protein and a higher price.

The labels show it plainly. Barilla Gluten Free Fusilli, made from corn and rice flour, has 359 calories per 100g dry, exactly the same as Barilla's standard fusilli, but 6.5g of protein against 13g, and it costs £7.50 a kilo against £3.00. Bread is similar. A Warburtons Gluten Free White Loaf has 236 calories per 100g against 244 for the Warburtons White Toastie, yet its 27g slice comes to 64 calories against 58 for a 23.7g wheat slice, because the gluten-free slices are heavier. Protein is 4.1g per 100g against 9.1g, and the price is £5.83 a kilo against £2.50.

A wider UK study points the same way. Fry, Madden and Fallaize (2018) compared 679 gluten-free foods with 1,045 standard ones across 10 categories and found the gluten-free versions were 159% more expensive (£1.14 against £0.44 per 100g) and more likely to be lower in fibre and protein.

So why do so many people eat less after going gluten-free? Because bread, pasta, cereal, pastry and biscuits were doing a lot of quiet work. Take them out, fill the gap with salad and vegetables, and the day's total falls without anyone deciding it should.

Which gluten free staples have the most calories?

Among everyday UK gluten-free foods, oil, nuts, nut butter, seeds and oatcakes carry the most calories, and rice, pasta, potatoes and oats are the bulk that carries them.

Calories per 100g unless stated, from UK labels checked in October 2026:

• Extra virgin olive oil: 123 kcal per tablespoon (Filippo Berio, 822 per 100ml).
• Mixed nuts, no added salt: 661 kcal, about 198 in a 30g handful (Whitworths).
• Smooth peanut butter: 593 kcal, about 178 in a 30g squeeze pack (Pip & Nut).
• Pumpkin seeds: 565 kcal, about 170 in 30g (Mintons Good Food).
• Gluten-free oatcakes: 475 kcal, 43 per oatcake (Nairn's).
• Gluten-free porridge oats: 361 kcal, about 181 in a 50g bowl before milk (Primrose's Kitchen).
• Gluten-free pasta: 359 kcal dry, about 269 in a 75g portion (Barilla).
• Chopped dates: 317 kcal, about 95 in 30g (Whitworths, coated in rice flour, not wheat).
• Full-fat coconut milk: 183 kcal per 100ml, so 732 in a 400ml tin (Biona).
• Microwave wholegrain basmati rice: 129 kcal, about 323 in a 250g pouch (Tilda).
• Mini Babybel: 59 kcal per 20g cheese (One Stop label).

One warning on oats. Under the UK's gluten-free labelling rules (Regulation 828/2014, retained in UK law), any food labelled gluten-free must contain no more than 20mg of gluten per kilo, and oats in it must be specially produced to avoid contamination by wheat, rye or barley. Ordinary porridge oats are not, so buy the labelled ones. If you have been told to avoid gluten for a medical reason, follow your dietitian's advice on oats as well.

What are good high calorie gluten free snacks?

The best high calorie gluten free snack is a Phoenix Bar, with up to 557 calories in one item and no fridge needed; after that, nuts, peanut butter, gluten-free oatcakes, seeds and dried fruit work well, ideally in pairs.

Pairs are where the calories add up. Three combinations I would put in a bag, with the sums:

• 4 gluten-free oatcakes with a 30g peanut butter pack: 172 + 178 = 350 kcal.
• A 30g handful of mixed nuts with 30g chopped dates: 198 + 95 = 293 kcal.
• 4 gluten-free oatcakes with 2 Mini Babybel: 172 + 118 = 290 kcal.

For a single item that needs nothing else, Phoenix Bars hold up to 557 calories in a compact, lightweight 120g bar, and every flavour is gluten-free and vegan. I make them; the guide to the best gluten-free energy bars compares eleven of them by calories, and you can see all our high calorie bars on the homepage. For baking days, the gluten free flapjacks recipe and my homemade high calorie bars both work with certified gluten-free oats.

What are some high calorie gluten free meals?

High calorie gluten free meals start with a gluten-free base (rice, potatoes, gluten-free pasta or oats) and add fat on top: oil, nut butter, seeds or coconut milk.

Three that are easy to cook and to count, using the label figures above:

• Breakfast porridge: 50g gluten-free oats, a 30g peanut butter pack and 30g chopped dates, cooked in water. That is 181 + 178 + 95 = 454 kcal before any milk.
• Coconut curry: a 250g pouch of wholegrain basmati with half a 400ml tin of coconut milk in the sauce. That is 323 + 366 = 689 kcal before the chicken, chickpeas or vegetables go in.
• Pasta: 75g dry gluten-free pasta tossed with a tablespoon of olive oil and 30g toasted pumpkin seeds. That is 269 + 123 + 170 = 562 kcal before any sauce.

Check the stock cubes, soy sauce and ready-made sauces in those meals, since many of them contain wheat. For bigger plates, the high calorie drinks and smoothies guide adds calories in a glass without adding a second meal.

How do you gain weight without gluten or dairy?

To gain weight without gluten or dairy, add about 300 to 500 calories a day, as the NHS suggests, mostly from oil, nuts, nut butters, seeds and coconut milk.

The NHS guide to healthy ways to gain weight also suggests smaller meals more often, with snacks in between, which suits a diet where the easy staples have gone. A tablespoon of olive oil over dinner (123), a 30g peanut butter pack (178) and a 30g handful of mixed nuts (198) add 123 + 178 + 198 = 499 calories with no wheat and no milk in sight. For the plant-based side of this, the high calorie vegan foods guide goes further.

To set a daily target, use how many calories to gain weight. If the scales will not move despite full plates, why can't I gain weight covers the usual reasons, and for a ready-made top-up between meals, a Phoenix Bar adds up to 557 calories with nothing to cook; the best energy bars for weight gain guide compares UK bars on calories. If you have lost weight without trying, the NHS advises speaking to a GP.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best high calorie gluten free foods?

For a single item, the best is a Phoenix Bar: up to 557 calories in a compact, 120g bar, vegan and gluten-free in every flavour. Among everyday foods, the best are naturally gluten-free and dense: olive oil at 123 calories a tablespoon, mixed nuts at 661 per 100g, peanut butter at 593 and pumpkin seeds at 565. Build them onto gluten-free bases such as rice, potatoes, gluten-free pasta and certified gluten-free oats; gluten-free bread and pasta add cost, not calories.

Are oats gluten free?

Oats are only sold as gluten-free in the UK when they are specially produced to keep wheat, rye and barley out, and contain no more than 20mg of gluten per kilo. Standard porridge oats do not meet that, so choose packs labelled gluten-free, such as Primrose's Kitchen at 361 calories per 100g.

What are gluten free high carb foods?

A Phoenix Bar is the simplest, with up to 66g of carbohydrate in one ready-to-eat bar. Among staples, gluten-free pasta is the densest at 78.7g carbohydrate per 100g dry (Barilla), followed by chopped dates at 71g, gluten-free oats at 60.3g and cooked basmati rice at 23.3g per 100g. Potatoes, rice noodles and 100% corn tortillas fill the same role, so carb-loading without gluten is straightforward.

Are gluten free products healthier?

Not in general. The UK study by Fry and colleagues found gluten-free foods were more likely to be lower in fibre and protein and cost 159% more. Its authors concluded they are unlikely to be healthier alternatives, except for people who need to avoid gluten for a diagnosed medical reason.

Which gluten free grains are highest in calories?

Dry, they are all close: gluten-free oats at 361 calories per 100g and corn-and-rice pasta at 359. Cooked, the water dilutes them, so basmati rice drops to 129 per 100g. Cooking oats in milk and finishing rice or pasta with oil, butter or cheese adds more than switching grains.

Related guides

Next reads: the full ranking of calorie-dense foods, the plant-based high calorie vegan foods, high calorie drinks and smoothies, a daily target from how many calories to gain weight, and the bar-into-porridge method in how to use Phoenix Bars.

About the author: James Frost started Flaming Phoenix in 2024 and packs every order and answers every email himself, at jfrost@flaming-phoenix.co.uk. This page is general information, not medical or dietary advice.

Sources: Fry, Madden and Fallaize (2018), Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics; Regulation 828/2014 on gluten-free labelling (legislation.gov.uk); NHS, Healthy ways to gain weight; labels checked October 2026: Barilla Gluten Free Fusilli, Barilla Fusilli, Warburtons Gluten Free White Loaf, Warburtons White Toastie, Filippo Berio olive oil, Whitworths mixed nuts, Pip & Nut, Mintons pumpkin seeds, Nairn's gluten free oatcakes, Primrose's Kitchen oats, Whitworths dates, Biona coconut milk, Tilda wholegrain basmati (Co-op), Mini Babybel (One Stop).