From the get-go, we knew we would have an Allergen-friendly Snack Table at my son’s wedding. His wife is very allergic to nuts, peanuts, and dairy. My niece is also very allergic to nuts. One of the bridesmaids is celiac. So, gluten-free, dairy-free, and nut-free options were needed!

Why Offer a Allergen-friendly Snack Table

Too often, the case is the same at parties: you go as someone with food allergies or sensitivities, and there might be ONE or two sad gluten-free, dairy-free, or nut-free options. I once went to a food tour where the substitution for this amazing homemade gluten-filled pasta was to just not eat it – just eat the pork chops. No gluten-free pasta offered at all. Ugh!

On one hand, it’s just not as delicious or fun for those with allergies or sensitivities. On the other hand, it feels othering. People make light-hearted jokes about what those with allergies can’t eat, but it can truly be really hard and lonely in social settings.

Thus, my dream was that at my son’s wedding, there would be an amazing spread of food that was entirely gluten-free, dairy-free, and nut-free. A whole Allergen-friendly Snack Table that all who needed it could enjoy!

Our reception did not include alcohol (religious reasons) or a full meal (on a budget!) so a grazing/snack table was the way we went. We received so many lovely comments about how it was enjoyed!

Clearly Marked Allergen-Friendly

First, it’s important to make sure allergen-friendly foods are separated from others. We had a buffet line of 3 tables joined together down the middle of the room, where people could get food from either side to help with the flow. The middle table had greenery and a large stand with photos and a cake. This looked lovely and also allowed us to have a clear separation between the traditional food and the allergen-friendly foods. 

Also, make sure there are separate tongs and utensils for the allergen-friendly table. Indicate in the signage that utensils need to not be interchanged and why.

Second, this leads us to having clear signage. Here is the sign we put facing both sides of the allergen-friendly table. It clearly shares these items are gluten-free, dairy-free, and nut-free and asks people not to move the serving utensils to keep those who needed it safe.

Additionally, to keep my nut-free niece and daughter-in-law extra safe, we didn’t bring any actual nuts into the reception. Those some of the packaged foods on the traditional food table contained nuts, there was no bowl of chocolate almonds, peanuts, or any actual nuts on the grazing table. Though those are great for a salty crunchy snack, we just kept them out of the room entirely.

Allergen-Friendly Foods We Served

Our Allergen-friendly spread had both sweet and savory, more filling foods and treats! It was such a big hit and both easy to put together and on the wallet. Here is what we served. 

Fruits and Veggies

• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Blackberries
• Grapes – green and red, cut up into bunches
• Sliced cucumbers
• Raw broccoli
• Baby carrots
• Snap peas
• Sweet mini bell peppers

Dips

• Hummus – Double check your hummus – the one we *almost* grabbed from Costco had pinenuts in it. We got it from Sam’s Club instead. 
• Chimichurri Hummus – Take about 1/2-1 cup of chimichurri and stir it into a large tub of hummus. SO GOOD – flavorful, with a little kick, but no nuts involved!

• Homemade ranch – I prefer my homemade dairy-free ranch over store-bought, so I made it. Nice and thick (don’t add any extra milk to thin it) and perfect for dipping all the veggies! You can also buy dairy-free ranch here.
• Guacamole – We grabbed several big containers from Costco and didn’t open them or put them on the table until just before the reception. They stayed nice and green for several hours!

Chips & Crackers

• Tortilla chips – This is an obvious easy one. You can use basic corn tortilla chips (double check the package, but most are gluten-free) or a grain-free option like Siete.
• Simple Mills Crackers – The wheat thin-like Simple Mills crackers are NOT nut-free. BUT, these delicious Garlic and Herb ones we found in bulk at Costco are! Such great flavor and perfect with hummus or guac.

• Gluten-free Pretzels – There are quite a few gluten-free pretzel varieties out there. We used these flat pretzels, as I thought they would be a better option for scooping the dips. I don’t know if it was just the 3 bags we got, but they were pretty crushed up, with very few whole pretzels to use. 

Treats

• My Gluten-free Dairy-free Vegan Oreo Truffles – This was the one thing I made from scratch, by request of the bride. I made 8 batches, at about 25 truffles per batch (don’t make them too big!), for a total of 200 truffles. I put them in cute wedding them coordinated mini muffin wrappers and they looked so good!

• Sweet Loren’s Chocolate Chip Cookies – We bought 3 packages of these and made them in advance the day before. Perfect, as they are easy and gluten-free, dairy-free, AND nut-free. Love these!

• Unreal Dark Chocolate Coconut Bar – We got two packages of these from Costco to have some chocolate candy that worked for the allergen-friendly table. Obviously not right for someone with a coconut allergy, but tasty and individually wrapped.

• Candy – We scoured the Winco bulk bins for candy that didn’t contain nuts, gluten, or dairy and also was not processed or “may contain” nuts. It was a hard search but jelly bellys and peach rings fit the bill! We put them in cute little bowls with serving utensils. 

Other

• Lunch meat + Salami – We had meat, cheese, and crackers on the traditional table, so we had cut up lunch meat and crackers on the allergen friendly table too. I could have included some sliced up dairy-free cheese as well (but make sure it’s nut-free!), but didn’t think that far in advance.
• THE WEDDING CAKE – The wedding cake was wonderfully allergen friendly and mailed to us from my favorite allergen-friendly bakery, Unrefined Bakery! They make it and freeze it, then ship it frozen nationwide.I have had 3 cakes from them shipped to me and they always arrive in perfect condition and taste amazing. Highly recommend! We just put the two layers together, added some wedding flowers, and a beautiful personalized cake topper. 

What Was Eaten Up?

The one food that we didn’t come home with any leftovers for? The Oreo Truffles. They are a hit EVERY TIME. I actually didn’t even make the gluten version for the traditional table. They were ALL allergen-friendly and were devoured because they are just *that good*.

We were expecting 150-200 people and only ended up with just over 100, so we had a lot of leftovers generally. The jelly beans were mostly untouched, the peach rings were gone. The Simple Mills Crackers were devoured! 

What did I miss? What else would you add to a Allergen-friendly Snack Table? Drop your favorites in the comments below!