Maintaining a gluten-free diet can be difficult. Gluten seems to be everywhere, especially in the foods we love the most. For people with celiac disease or gluten intolerance, late night trips to Insomnia always end in disappointment, and having to decline homemade chocolate cookies that friends bring from their weekend trips home is one of the hardest things to do. Luckily, though, Champaign has several places that offer gluten-free sweets for those looking to satisfy their gluten-free sweet tooth.
- Paris Super Crepes (601 S. 6th Street)
Conveniently located on Sixth Street, Paris Super Crepes offers 10 sweet crepes including banana Nutella, cheesecake delight, and my personal favorite, the Chocolate Lover’s crepe. All the crepes on the menu are made with rice flour and are naturally gluten free, so you don’t have to worry about making any special requests. Paris Super Crepes also offers Thai ice cream and over 15 toppings if you’re not in the mood for crepes or you just want to try something different.
- Caffe Bene (524 E. Green St.)
If you’re looking for a different type of Parisian treat, Caffe Bene has a large assortment of gluten-free macarons, a sweet, meringue-based confection. Flavors range from chocolate and raspberry to earl gray and blueberry lavender, so you should be able to find one that satisfies your sweet tooth. And although this may be an article dedicated to sweets, Caffe Bene also has a very tasty gluten-free acai bowl if you’re looking for something on the healthier side.
- Pandamonium Doughnuts (1105 Windsor Rd.)
Doughnuts might be one of the gluten-free community’s most missed foods. Gluten-free doughnuts are not as common as gluten-free eaters might want them to be and finding tasty gluten-free doughnuts is even more difficult. Luckily, though, Pandamonium Doughnuts, winner of buzz’s Best of CU in 2018, offers gluten-free doughnuts at their storefront location on Saturday mornings. You’ll definitely want to get there early because the doughnuts sell out fast, so be prepared!
- Cream and Flutter (114 N. Walnut St.)
If doughnuts aren’t enough to satisfy your gluten-free sweet tooth, head on over to Cream and Flutter in downtown Champaign and try out some gluten-free cupcakes. They aren’t available all the time, though, so be sure to call and order ahead to ensure cupcakes!
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- Smallcakes (2005 S. Neil St.)
If you’re looking to try even more gluten-free cupcakes, consider going to Smallcakes. They offer gluten-free chocolate and vanilla cupcakes, but call ahead of time if you want specifics on the availability of flavors for a certain day.
- RegCakes Bakery (Pesotum, IL)
If you need a cake for any occasion, RegCakes has you covered. This gluten-free bakery offers a variety of cakes, including layer cakes, mini cakes, sheet cakes, cupcakes and even wedding cakes. Each cake at RegCakes is made with rice-flour, and everything on the menu is 100 percent gluten free. You can place an order on the RegCakes website for delivery or pickup. Technically, RegCakes isn’t located in Champaign, but they deliver to anywhere in the Champaign-Urbana area on Tuesdays and Fridays.
