I have had a wonderful avocado chocolate mousse made with almond milk.

Pavlova would fit the bill. You could use coconut "whipped cream" instead of regular.

This is a little bit off the track, sorry Bestyears, but I am making a pavlova "wreath" for Christmas dinner. I have only ever made mini pavlovas so I hope I can make it look as nice as the photo!

We always have halibut and saffron risotto on Christmas Eve. My first choice was going to be Ina Garten's chocolate chip cookie and mocha cream icebox cake, with meringue marshmallows on top (love making those). But it is too heavy after risotto!

So I am making this. Rather than using a curd filling, this uses lightly sweetened greek yogurt.

https://www.marthastewart.com/1523808/pavlova-wreath. Obviously you could use non-dairy pudding or curd.

For a recent luncheon I made stewed apples which are like apple pie without the crust and I served it with Tate's GF ginger cookies. You can skip the cream or ice cream topping.

I love strawberries with balsamic vinegar and brown sugar ... there's something about that combo that brings out the best in the strawberries.

Any anything served in a marguerita glass looks special.

You can make meringue cookies...sometimes called forgotten cookies.

Maybe make a parfait of layered sorbet with GF cookie crumbles.

My daughter went through a gluten- free diet. As it turns out, blood test revealed this was not an issue.

I made an apple cake using almond flour when I needed a special dessert for her.

Has your son had the blood test for gluten intolerance?

Hopefully your son will get to the bottom of things. Digestive issues are very common now adays

I'd like to second Pavlova. It's delicious. Here's a recipe I've served and the whole thing was gobbled up.

https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/pavlova/

I would serve with fruit and coconut cream. I haven't tried making coconut cream before, but this is a recipe I've been eyeing. (I love most of the recipes on the site.)

https://www.loveandlemons.com/coconut-cream/

I absolutely love this gluten free carrot cake. Similarly when I've served it before, everyone loved it.

https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/gluten-free-carrot-cake

The frosting is not dairy free, so you'd have to sub for a dairy free frosting, but the cake is dairy free. This one might work.

https://minimalistbaker.com/how-to-make-vegan-cream-cheese-frosting/

Clementine cake and Tarta de Santiago are two cakes that use almond flour and are dairy free.

Along the same lines as a Pavlova, meringue cookies for snacking.

I think it would be easy to adapt a fruit crisp recipe to be gluten free. I usually use flour in the topping, but you don't need the gluten for a crumble, and I see lots of gluten-free recipes online.

Wow so many great suggestions -thank you! I neglected to mention that DH is allergic to nuts so will use oat milk instead of almond milk in any recipe. Pavloca is a def. contender. Had seen the choc avocado mousse recipe and wondered about it. Carrot cake is a favorite of mine so good to get that recipe and I use Sallysbakibgaddition site a lot with great success so will check out that link. Eld6161, I don’t think he has been tested for gluten sensitivities (tho he was tested for Celiac). Your comment got me curious but everything I was finding says there is no reliable sensitivity test. If you have specific info, I’d love to pass that on -thanks in advance. edited to add: Sorry, Eld, I was on my phone when I first read your answer and missed the link. Will check that out, thanks!

Terriks, that Tarta de Santiago sounds delish-- as does the Clementine cake mentioned many times here.

I don't eat ice cream due to my issues with dairy but a niece who has the same lactose intolerance raves about the non-dairy ice creams out there. I believe she prefers those made with nut milk.. it may be a big treat if he is missing dairy. I would add to it the Tate's gluten-free ginger cookies which are delicious! My favorite store-bought cookie and flavor by far!

If he is a coffee drinker, I just love the idea of Affogato -- strong coffee or espresso over vanilla ice cream with honey drizzled on top. You could still add the ginger cookies or adorn with any other treat he may like.

@cawaps a fruit crisp is a brilliant suggestion too! I absolutely love apple crisp and peach crisp. You could serve with coconut ice cream! Yum. This is making my mouth water. I'm a bit crazy and might try blending my favorite non-GF-non-dairy-free version with one of the well-rated GF vegan ones. This one is well-rated.

https://minimalistbaker.com/gluten-free-vegan-apple-crisp/

My previous favorite apple crisp was a breakfast apple crisp (unfortunately recipe has flour and butter) but the best part about it was that it has 1/2 shredded coconut and 1/2 cup sliced almonds in the crisp topping! It is so delicious. This is my favorite non-GF dairy-containing recipe that I personally might try to adapt.

https://smittenkitchen.com/2009/10/breakfast-apple-granola-crisp/

I have some people coming over after Christmas and I'm really tempted to make a GF apple crisp after this discussion. Warm cinnamony apples topped with something creamy and decadent with a yummy crisp. Heavenly.

I love sorbet for dessert. Some types of gelato are also dairy free. If you want it to be fancy for a special occasion, seek out a really nice brand.

pricklypear, I made Ina Garten's apple crisp at Thanksgiving, and thought her topping was excellent, though obviously won't work for DS. Ina Garten's Apple Crisp

I love strawberries with balsamic vinegar and brown sugar ... there's something about that combo that brings out the best in the strawberries.

What proportions do you use, Annie?

Best, I love SBA site too. I will mention people loved the baked pineapple with brown sugar, rum, butter, etc. Some had it plain and some over ice cream.

Wow nut allergy + gluten intolerance + dairy intolerance = trifecta of dessert complication!

I was recently diagnosed gluten intolerant. @eld6161 I just wanted to mention that I tested negative in the blood test but a waste test (sorry gross) was positive for Secretory IgA and Anti-gliadin IgA which is indicative of an immune response to gluten. I just want to make sure people understand that the blood test is not always definitive. If my doctor hadn't pushed to do the additional testing, I would have assumed I was in the clear gluten-wise after the blood test. My digestive system is doing so much better now without gluten.

https://www.food.com/recipe/strawberries-with-brown-sugar-balsamic-vinegar-97207

Here's one, but it depends on who's coming. One GF won't do sugar at all, so I've done just vinegar with strawberries....but most people want some added sweetness and of course the sugar makes more juice.

That looks and sounds lovely but this time of year, in these parts, strawberries are pale imitations of the real things

Bestyears. someone in cooking club made a DF chocolate avocado mousse. It was excellent and looked and tasted like any other choc mousse.

I make a gluten-free crisp (DIL is celiac) with corn starch instead of flour and either guino flakes instead of rolled oats or gluten free rolled oats if I can find them. While rolled oats are in and of themselves gluten free the issue is cross contamination. They need to be harvested and processed in a gluten free factory.

I've also made the Clementine Cake which is delicious.

I wonder if you could make a flourless chocolate cake with a non-dairy margarine instead of butter....serve with raspberries

I made a chocolate mousse made with soy once and it was good...something like this: https://aseasyasapplepie.com/silken-tofu-chocolate-mousse/ or https://www.theconsciousplantkitchen.com/tofu-mousse/

Thank you Annie -soy is one of the foods that has proven to be problematic, so he is permanently off that.

Wine poached pears. Use a flavorful red wine (i think I've used Zinfandel, Cab Franc, a red blend….). Adding cloves, cinnamon stick to the pot makes it perfect for a Christmas dessert. I cook down the poaching liquid a lot, til its quite thick and syrupy. It’s so yummy! i always pour some over the pears just before serving. you can serve the pears whole, standing up in a shallow bowl or on a dessert plate, or you can halve them and slice them, (keeping the stem end intact) and then fanning the slices out on the plate.

If I had to find a dessert that was gluten-free, dairy-free and nut-free, I would probably focus on something with canned coconut milk for the richness.

For something easy, I would consider either a pumpkin custard (subbing coconut milk for whatever the recipe calls for) or a rice pudding made with coconut milk, perhaps seasoned with cardamon and some fresh mango on top? Pomegranate seeds would also be a nice garnish this time of year.

Some other options would be a coconut milk panna cotta with a fruit coulis. If I was willing to try a new dessert, this one caught my eye: coconut-mango custard with candied pepitas.

When my daughter was vegan and gluten free (she also has gut issues), her favourite dessert was a mousse made by whipping coconut creme (just the solid part in a good can of coconut milk) with high quality cocoa powder and powdered sugar. Sorry, but I don't think I ever used a recipe - just eye balled it. If I had to guess, probably a couple of tablespoons of the cocoa and sugar to the solids in one large can of coconut milk. To fancy it up, I'd add candied nuts or chopped bits of chocolate.

It sounds like your son is under care and being given good advice, so feel free to ignore this unasked for information, but my daughter's doctor advised she take Biogest (digestive enzymes) for a few months to give her gut time to heal while she took a break from eating things that they thought might be causing the issues. She seemed to feel it helped.

I don't have to cook gluten free, but I do have to cook dairy and nut free. I like Silk soy vanilla. Do not get very vanilla. Silk Original also is fine. For margarine. I like Earth Balance Vegan Sticks or Smart Balance Original for a tub margarine.

I even make the fudge that you make with the marshmallow creme. You do have to cook the margarine and soy milk about 15 minutes instead of 5 minutes .like the one with milk and butter.

That's a hard combination! I would probably do a nut free crisp with gluten free oats, just because I like crisps. But I came across this list that has some really nice ideas - not all of them are nut free but many of them are and look really good.

https://camillestyles.com/food/10-holiday-desserts-that-your-vegan-grain-free-and-nut-free-friends-can-eat/

Coconut Whipped Cream

1 can full fat coconut milk, refrigerated overnight.

1 to 2 tablespoons powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon real vanilla extract

Open can and scoop out the hardened coconut, save water for something else. Blend the chunks of coconut milk with hand mixer on high and add powdered sugar. Add vanilla extract and blend for 1 to 2 minutes until creamy.

This is so good, I make to for everyone and don't fool with real whipped cream.

Another fan of a nut free fruit crisp! i like Bob’s Redmill GF Organic Rolled Oats and King Arthur GF All Purpose Flour (it’s one of the few blends w/o xantham or other gums and no milk powder). Serve with Oatly vanilla ice cream!