The Absolute Best Gluten-Free Cookie Brand Of 2026 Rivals Chips Ahoy! (We Actually Like It Better)

If you follow a gluten-free diet, one thing you probably miss is proper cookies. Fortunately, in 2026, you've got a mountain of choices — gluten-free recipes have made a lot of progress in terms of their satisfaction factor. We recently tried several gluten-free cookie products in order to rank them. Surprisingly, classic brand Chips Ahoy! actually didn't win out (in fact, it was in the bottom third), and a dark horse emerged from the fray: A chocolate chip cookie made primarily of almond flour.

That would be the brand Simple Mills' Chocolate Chip Crunchy Cookies, which nailed all the basics of a good cookie. Our taster said that while these tiny cookies may look similar to Chips Ahoy!, they are distinguishable by their crispy texture and balanced flavor. Where the big-brand cookies, a chewy variety, left us with an unpleasant aftertaste, the Simple Mills treats delivered nothing but a pleasant crunch and the perfect level of sweetness. And one look at the ingredient list will prove that oftentimes simple really is best. 

One of the reasons why these particular cookies dominated is because Simple Mills' doesn't just dabble in gluten-free recipes, that's all it sells. That means its crackers, baking mixes, cookies, and more all use alternative flours that have no trace of gluten in them. These top-ranking cookies not only are made with an almond flour base, but also contain coconut and flaxseeds. In addition to this combination, Simple Mills uses a variety of other flour blends in its products, from veggie flours with sweet potato and butternut squash to seed flours using watermelon, cashew, and sunflower. Other flour bases in the cookies we taste tested from different brands include oat, rice, and buckwheat, an ancient grain that despite its name, has no wheat or gluten. Turns out there are plenty of alternatives to standard wheat! 

And just because a product is gluten-free doesn't mean it has to play second fiddle to its wheat counterparts. We've found that snacks like crackers that require a crisp texture often benefit from a lack of gluten, because sometimes you're looking for a maximum crunch. Gluten can add a chewier texture to baked goods overall, which is why we also found Oreo's gluten-free cookie marvelously crunchy in our ranking (it came in third place). Even if you're just looking for a good cookie in general, we can wholeheartedly recommend Simple Mills' Crunchy Chocolate Cookies — the lack of gluten is just a bonus.