Layer upon layer of chocolatey goodness in this gluten-free brownie toffee trifle! It looks complicated, but it’s actually an easy trifle recipe with just a few ingredients!
Layers of chewy gluten-free brownie chunks alternate with white chocolate pudding, whipped cream, and chocolate covered Heath toffee candy pieces to create this pretty gluten-free trifle. People ooh and aah over this dessert every time I bring it somewhere.
The only time-intensive part of making this is that you have to make the gluten-free brownies, let them cool, then cube them up. I prefer to make the batch of brownies the day before I make the trifle. It saves time on dessert day, and also the brownies have plenty of time to set so they aren’t too fudgy or gooey to cut into squares. But you can also just make up a boxed brownie mix to save time.
My favorite part about this dessert is that you can totally customize it to fit your preferences for taste and ingredients. Don’t like Cool Whip? Feel free to make your own whipped cream to mix with the pudding (which is what I did this latest time).
To make my own Cool Whip substitute, I followed the instructions on this blog post on how to make homemade whipped topping. Her recipe makes the equivalent of a tub of Cool Whip.
Want a different flavor of pudding? Choose whatever flavor you would like or even make your own pudding from scratch.
Want to really make this a fast dessert? Choose a high-quality gluten-free brownie mix instead of baking them from scratch. My favorite boxed gluten-free brownie mix is King Arthur Flour gluten-free Brownie Mix. I always have a few boxes of these on hand for a simple shortcut for desserts like this or when I’m out of ingredients for making my own from-scratch brownies. I can find this mix at my local Wal-Mart in the gluten-free section. Or you can buy a 6-pack of these online from Amazon here. Or if you shop using the Amazon Prime Pantry feature, you can buy single boxes here.
Notes on ingredients and substitutions for this gluten-free brownie toffee trifle:
- The toffee bits used in this are Heath Milk Chocolate English Toffee Bits. They can be found at several grocery stores, including Wal-Mart. If your store doesn’t have the milk chocolate ones, you can also get the ones that are just the toffee. You can also just buy whole Heath candy bars or Skor bars and chop them up. Both Heath and Skor are listed on Hershey’s gluten-free candy list.
- I usually use Jell-o White Chocolate Instant Pudding, which I buy from Amazon 6 boxes at a time, or sometimes find at my local stores! You can also use Jell-O Cheesecake Pudding or even Jell-O Vanilla Pudding flavors in this instead. I’ve tried them and they’re great in this too.
- Whipped topping: In this recipe, you can either use Cool Whip or homemade whipped cream. I’ve made this both ways, and people like it either way!
Is Jell-O instant pudding gluten-free?
I use Jell-O brand instant pudding in this. Kraft makes Jell-o pudding, and while they don’t put out a list of gluten-free products, they are good about labeling. You can read Kraft’s stance on labeling gluten here. Based on their information, and the fact that the starch is clearly labeled as being from corn, the pudding flavors I call for in this recipe appear to be free of gluten ingredients. As always, I recommend checking all labels and if you are unsure, contact the manufacturer directly. I’m not aware of a certified gluten-free pudding mix, so I stick with Jell-o brand.
This gluten-free trifle is such a pretty dessert to bring to large gatherings. You’ll need a trifle bowl for best presentation but they aren’t that expensive. I found a number of trifle bowls on Amazon and they don’t cost that much at all. Here’s a trifle bowl that’s a bestseller on Amazon.
Make this beauty for your next party and you’ll be sure to get a lot of smiles!
While this isn’t a holiday only dessert, I do find myself bringing it to more gatherings around the holidays. Maybe because people are looking to indulge more then? I find this easily serves around 16 people. Trust me, it gets quite messy once you serve this, and not very photogenic once it’s plopped on a plate, but man is it good!!
I don’t think you’ll get any complaints about looks when it tastes this good!
What else do I like to take to holiday parties? For an appetizer, I usually bring these chip and guacamole bites. If it’s a cookie exchange, I usually bring these gluten-free gingerbread white chocolate cookies. And these gluten-free mint brownies are always a hit!
This recipe adapted from a clipping from an old Quick Cooking magazine!
I hope you and your family or friends enjoy this brownie trifle too!
Gluten-free Brownie Trifle Recipe:
Layers of chewy gluten-free brownie chunks alternate with white chocolate pudding, whipped cream, and chocolate covered Heath toffee candy pieces to create this pretty gluten-free trifle. I've made this with Cool Whip with success. I've also made a homemade version of Cool Whip with success. I followed this homemade whipped cream recipe to make my own Cool Whip substitute at home. For the toffee bits, I use the milk chocolate coated Heath bits found near the chocolate chip bags on the baking aisle. You can also use the plain ones. Or you can buy whole Heath Bars or Skor bars and chop them yourself until you have 4 ounces worth. As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.Gluten-free Brownie Pudding Toffee Trifle
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
Recommended Products
Originally published January 2014, updated entire post and photos Dec 2018. Sheepishly including previous photo from 2013!
If you make this gluten-free trifle and love it, please come back and give this recipe a 5 star rating in the recipe card! Feel free to comment with tips or to share any successful substitutions you made.
Ashley @ Wishes and Dishes says
This looks amazing!!
Michelle Palin ~ My Gluten-free Kitchen says
Thanks Ashley!
Molly says
Oh my goodness! Sis and I are trying to get back to healthier eating after the holidays and the long tail of “just finishing off the Christmas candy,” etc., etc., but this is extremely hard to resist! Gorgeous.
Michelle Palin ~ My Gluten-free Kitchen says
Well Molly, when you are ready to break the healthy eating streak, you know just where to come for a dessert recipe! š
Becky Howel says
Where do you find gluten-free instant pudding? All the ones I look at are thickened with wheat gluten. Thanks! This trifle looks great!
Michelle Palin ~ My Gluten-free Kitchen says
Becky, Jello brand instant pudding does not have any wheat or gluten in it as thickeners. I clarified that in my post above.
I know Hershey’s is making a white chocolate pudding now, but it does contain a wheat warning on it (I can’t remember if it contained wheat or said it was manufactured on shared equipment with wheat) but it had a clear warning so I stayed away!
Evangeline says
This brownie pudding trifle was a huge hit with my own family as well as my church family, who attended the baby shower that I brought this dessert too (especially great-full were those gluten-intolerant). It not only looked wonderful, but everyone thought it was delicious! Folding the whipped cream into the white chocolate pudding made the dessert so light and fluffy. I used 2 boxed gluten-free brownie mixes and spread them in a foil lined 10×13 pan sprayed with coconut oil. I turned it onto a cooling rack, removed the foil, and when it was cool turned it onto a large cutting board. I cut it with a large knife into smaller 1/2 inch bite size squares. I didn’t have a trifle bowl so I used one of my beveled edge, clear glass salad bowls. It worked great! I already know a few ladies who are making it this week for Easter. Thanks again.
Ashley says
I can’t wait to make this for Christmas Eve! Thank you for such a delicious, gluten free, dessert! My Celiac 4-year-old and Celiac Mom will LOVE it!
JJ says
I just have to tell you this is delicious. I haven’t been able to find the 2 puddings suggested so I have been using dark chocolate. It has been such a hit with my kids and their friends. I don’t tell them it’s GF until they have tried it. I told my co-workers about it and am going to take some to them next week.
I’ve made this 3 times in the past 2 months.
Thank you!
Vivian says
I might even substitute the bits for chopped pecans maybe some shredded coconut too. Num.
Vivian says
I neglected to mention that I can’t have dairy, so I will try whipped coconut cream instead of the pudding. Can’t wait to try this.
Davi says
For a delicious twist, sprinkle 2 to 3 tablespoons of Kahlua on the brownie pieces before adding the other layers. After layering, put in fridge for a few hours to allow flavor to seep in.
Michelle Palin ~ My Gluten-free Kitchen says
Great idea!
Carrie says
That looks wonderful. What a way to indulge and not get “glutenized”.
A. Palmer says
Oh man. I followed the directions and made it with two 3.3 oz puddings as directed. Iām assuming that was a mistake in the recipe because that made the worst gluey inedible glob. Husband is headed back to the store to get two 1 oz pudding mixes and see if that is what it should have been. You said āsmallā but wrote 3.3 oz. Assuming you meant two 1 oz mixes? 6.6 oz of pudding mix (two boxes) plus 2.5 cups of milk literally made a big clump of glue. š
Maura O'Reilly says
So glad I read your comment, thanks for sharing! Were you able to make the recipe successfully in the end? Iām making it tomorrow. I guess Iāll just be really careful with the pudding and milk amounts and watchthe consistency.
Jason says
I followed the instructions to the letter but it only fills up half my trifle bowl. Was hoping it would fill the whole thing.
Michelle Palin ~ My Gluten-free Kitchen says
Wow -you must have a big trifle bowl! Next time you’ll have to make a double recipe!