Allergy Friendly Party Food for Kids
Dairy, egg, nut & gluten free food options you can include at your next kid's birthday party.
In this article
After the popularity of the allergy-friendly birthday cake, I had quite a few people request an entire party table of affordable, allergy-friendly food.
Food allergies and intolerances are increasing worldwide, not just in Australia, so catering for different dietary requirements is becoming the norm.
The most common food allergies in Australian kids are:
- Tree nuts
- Peanuts
- Dairy
- Wheat
- Soy
- Egg
- Seafood
- Sesame
When I’ve tried to cater for multiple allergies, I’ve often found it incredibly frustrating: a flourless cake (to avoid gluten) will often use almond flour, and a gluten, dairy and nut free dessert will often include eggs to give it a pudding-like structure.
Catering to a combination of allergies is challenging enough, doing it on a budget is even harder!
Below, I’ve put together a list of party foods you can draw from for your next kids’ birthday party and their approx. cost (as of Aug 2026). There’s a quick price guide at the end if you just want the numbers.
Allergy note: All of the foods in the list are free from the top 8 common allergens. However, I know people with allergies or intolerances to specific fruits, coconut, and of course those on the FODMAP diet. So, while this list is safe from the common allergens, it is not guaranteed to be safe from all food allergies, intolerances or dietary requirements. See a few reminders before you start cooking.
Homemade popcorn
- Cost: $1.75 to pop your own, $4 to $5 for bags
- Watch out for: flavoured popcorn, buy plain (unflavoured) with salt
The most obvious and most recommended allergy-friendly party food.
For a budget option, if you already have canola or vegetable oil, buy the popping kernels and pop yourself (stovetop or microwave), more than enough for 10 kids.
Otherwise, a few bags of homebrand, plain (unflavoured) popcorn with salt will set you back around $4 to $5. Or, a bag of 10 mini packs of the same popcorn is $2.60, but this is a much smaller amount.
Fruit platter / fruit skewers
- Cost: from $15 for a small platter, plus around $3.50 for skewer sticks
- Watch out for: apples, pears and bananas, as they tend to go brown if left out
Make a pretty platter or use skewers to fancy it up for a party. Alternate colours or make a rainbow if the season allows: strawberries or red grapes, cantaloupe/rockmelon or mandarin, green grapes, honeydew or kiwi, blueberries, blackberries or black grapes.
Fruit can be pricey, so stick with whatever is in season and cheapest. Budget for around $15 minimum for enough fruit for a small platter, think a melon with either grapes, oranges, stone fruit (nectarines, peaches) or berries.
For fruit skewers, you can get away with less fruit, but you’ll need more variety for the colours, so it tends to end up costing more overall. Tinned pineapple is a great budget option all year round ($2).
Sushi or rice paper rolls
- Cost: approx. $28 for 20 homemade handrolls, or $24 for 20 rice paper rolls
- Watch out for: store-bought sushi, I haven’t found any without egg (mayo), soy or sesame
Store-bought
If you only need to avoid one or two allergens, you’ll likely be able to buy a few handrolls from one of the major sushi shops and cut them up to make a platter. Handrolls cost around $4.50 on average each.
| Store-bought handrolls | Cost |
|---|---|
| At least 8 rolls for 10 kids, so everyone gets a few pieces each | $36.00 |
| 15 rolls, if it needs to be more substantial | $67.50 |
At 15 rolls, it’s much cheaper to make your own.
However, I haven’t found any that cater to all common allergens, they either include egg (mayo), soy or sesame. Some restaurants will make custom sushi to order, but these are harder to come by.
Homemade
Handmade is more effort, but it’s your only option for avoiding every allergen.
Avocado and cucumber sushi caters for vegetarians, otherwise you can use tinned tuna with cucumber or avocado. I’d avoid chicken, simply because party food is generally left to sit out for hours.
| 20 sushi handrolls | Cost |
|---|---|
| 2 to 3 large cucumbers or 3 avocados (whatever’s in season) | $6.00 |
| 2 large tins of tuna (425g each) | $7.00 |
| Seaweed sheets and cooked sushi rice | $8.50 |
| Vegan mayo, to mix through the tuna or drizzle over veggies | $6.30 |
| Total | $27.80 |
| 20 rice paper rolls | Cost |
|---|---|
| 2 to 3 large cucumbers or 3 avocados (whatever’s in season) | $6.00 |
| 2 large tins of tuna (425g each) | $7.00 |
| Rice paper and cooked rice vermicelli noodles | $4.60 |
| Vegan mayo, to mix through the tuna or drizzle over veggies | $6.30 |
| Total | $23.90 |
I’ve left soy sauce off the list as it contains one of the common allergens (soy), but if that’s not an issue for your guests, add a homebrand bottle for dipping ($2), or a gluten free option for around $4. If you’ve saved the little soy sauce fish from takeaway sushi, this is a great chance to use them up!
Plain chips
- Cost: $4 for two large packs of homebrand, unflavoured chips
- Watch out for: flavoured varieties, which carry dairy and milk warnings
Almost all plain or original flavoured potato chips are naturally free of the top allergens. As soon as you look at the flavoured varieties, you’ll see dairy and milk warnings.
Crackers, veggie sticks & dip
- Cost: see the table below, mix and match
- Watch out for: tzatziki and cream cheese dips (dairy), hummus (sesame) and a lot of bought guacamole dips (dairy)
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Plain corn chips, 2 large packs | $4.40 |
| Homebrand rice crackers, per pack (approx.) | $1.00 |
| Carrots | $2.00 |
| Cucumber | $5.00 |
| Homebrand mild salsa | $2.00 |
| Homemade guacamole (a couple of avocados, in season) | $3 to $4 |
Plain corn chips (not the fancy cheesy ones) are a popular choice. Or, for a cheaper option, swap regular water crackers for homebrand rice crackers to avoid gluten.
Chop up some carrots and/or cucumber sticks if you have the time or inclination. If you don’t think the kids will eat them with party food on offer, leave it out.
Depending on the allergies you’re avoiding, there are lots of different options, but if you need to avoid all major allergens, salsa or guacamole is your best bet.
The most popular dip options for kids are usually tzatziki or a cream cheese based dip (both contain dairy), or hummus (no dairy, but contains sesame).
If buying from the supermarket, you’ll likely have to pay more for a safe option, a lot of guacamole dips contain dairy. Obela Classic Guacamole Dip has no dairy but costs over $6 for a regular sized tub. If avocados are in season, it’s cheaper to mash a couple up with a dash of olive oil, salt and pepper.
Homebrand, mild salsa is a more affordable option, and caters to all common allergens, though it may not be suitable for those on a FODMAP diet.
Oven chips, potato gems & wedges
- Cost: $3.20 for a 1kg bag of frozen chips
- Watch out for: anything “pub style” or “beer battered”, which often contains gluten
A great option to fill up tummies, especially on colder days.
While they’re all pretty much potato-based, check the ingredients, especially anything “pub style” or “beer battered”. These often contain gluten, as they’re trying to replicate a crunchy exterior without deep frying.
There are still plenty of options that are just potato, oil, salt and preservatives.
Some will list Dextrose (wheat) as an ingredient, but according to Coeliac Australia, this wheat-derived product is safe for anyone avoiding gluten. Always check with guests, just in case.
Jelly cups
- Cost: just under $4 for three jelly packs, plus $1 for jelly lollies
- Watch out for: gelatine (sourced from beef), so not necessarily safe for vegetarians or vegans
A classic party favourite, though not necessarily safe for vegetarians or vegans, as it contains gelatine sourced from beef.
Make up a big bowl of jelly, or two layers to be fancy. Or, make jelly cups with diced fruit (tinned works well) or jelly lollies.
Three jelly packs make about 500ml each. Kmart sells bags of jelly lollies for $1.
Chocolate crackles
- Cost: approx. $23.50 if you don’t have any of the ingredients already
- Watch out for: coconut (not one of the most common allergens, but a known one), and use gluten free rice bubbles if avoiding gluten
Another classic party favourite, but only worth it if you already have some of these ingredients in the pantry, otherwise the initial outlay is quite expensive and I’d skip it, particularly the cocoa powder, since you only need a small amount (3 tbsp).
Use gluten free rice bubbles if avoiding gluten. This recipe contains coconut, not one of the most common allergens, but a known one to be aware of.
| Ingredient | Cost |
|---|---|
| Rice bubbles (GF) | $7.00 |
| Copha | $3.00 |
| Coconut | $3.70 |
| Icing sugar | $2.50 |
| Cocoa powder | $7.30 |
| Total from scratch | $23.50 |
A few reminders
- Confirm with parents. Always confirm dietary requirements with parents, never assume, especially when it comes to “may contain” warnings.
- Ask about your kitchen. Check they’re comfortable with you cooking food in your own kitchen, which may potentially have traces of allergens. Reactions from cross-contamination can be severe.
- Line everything. Make sure baking trays are clean and have a fresh sheet of foil or baking paper, don’t use a reusable liner, and always line cupcake/muffin trays and cake tins.
- Don’t take it personally. Don’t be offended if a parent offers to bring food for their child, or would prefer you not to make it yourself. It’s often incredibly hard for a parent to have to advocate for their child.
- Avoid allergens completely. For food allergies, it’s best to avoid that food completely, particularly for anaphylactic allergies. Don’t put “gluten free nuggets” next to the regular nuggets, cross-contamination is more of an inevitability than a possibility when kids are involved.
- Explain, and supervise. For food intolerances (like lactose) or dietary preferences (vegetarian, vegan), a lot of parents are comfortable for you to just explain which foods aren’t safe, so their child knows to avoid them. But always confirm with parents, and oversee younger kids when eating (I’d plate food for anyone under 8).
Quick price guide
| Food | Approx. cost | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Homemade popcorn (if you have oil) | $1.75 | Flavoured popcorn |
| Fruit platter | from $15 | Apples, pears, bananas go brown |
| Sushi, 20 homemade handrolls | $28 | Store-bought has egg, soy or sesame |
| Rice paper rolls, 20 homemade | $24 | Soy sauce contains soy |
| Plain chips, 2 large packs | $4 | Flavoured chips contain dairy |
| Corn chips, 2 large packs | $4.40 | Cheesy or flavoured corn chips |
| Homebrand mild salsa | $2 | May not suit a FODMAP diet |
| Oven chips, 1kg | $3.20 | ”Pub style” or “beer battered” |
| Jelly, 3 packs | just under $4 | Gelatine, not vegetarian |
| Chocolate crackles, from scratch | $23.50 | Coconut |
If you’re planning the rest of the party too, see my Entire Birthday Party for Under $50 guide for the decorations, games and party bags, note though that swapping in allergy friendly food from this list will push you over the $50 total.