How to Plan an Indoor Gluten-Free Valentine’s Day Picnic

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. If you want to show the gluten-free person in your life how much you love and appreciate them, you may want to plan a special evening. This picnic would also be fun for the children. We are sharing how to plan an indoor gluten-free Valentine’s Day picnic.

Why plan an indoor gluten-free Valentine’s Day picnic?

In Canada, where we are located, it’s cold; therefore an indoor picnic is the only picnic option. Also, we’re sharing great gluten-free Valentine’s Day menu ideas for those who want to cook- click here to get them. However, not everyone cooks and finding a restaurant that caters to gluten-free or celiac people can be difficult – check out our tips on gluten-free dining. This can be made more difficult by the fact that a lot of restaurants have a fixed menu for Valentine’s Day. Now, you may be able to call the restaurant to ask about allergens and see if they can make accommodations. However, we are planning a beautiful evening, which requires no-cooking. But it does take some thought and effort, which is really what matters.

Know that you can add takeout to this picnic. If whoever you’re celebrating with loves a certain dish from a certain restaurant, order it, plate it up, and it can be part of your evening. However, there is no need as we’ll have plenty of options.

This could even be a fun Valentine’s Day celebration for a family. Our gluten-free Valentine’s Day picnic doesn’t have to be romantic because picnics are fun and everyone loves fun and whimsy. This time of year is very blah and bringing a little whimsy to the doldrums of winter is needed.

How to Plan an Indoor Gluten-Free Valentine’s Day Picnic

The setting 🧺

3 basic ways to set this up:

• Kitchen/dining room table
• Coffee table for a lower experience, that is still comfortable
• The floor- which is a traditional picnic setting

Table options (Kitchen/dining room or coffee table)

Table cloth:

• Use a tablecloth that has a traditional picnic plaid.
• You can use any tablecloth you already have.
• If buying a tablecloth get a plaid (bonus points for red gingham), solid red or Valentine’s Day-themed tablecloth.

Napkins

• Cloth napkins are an easy way to elevate any gathering.
• You can get Valentine’s Day-theme ones or just regular cloth napkins.
• Bonus points if you use napkin rings with them.
• Add decor and stay on theme with paper Valentine’s Day napkins.

Table Setting

If you have a picnic hamper that comes with plates, cutlery, cups etc… set up either on the floor by the coffee table, or on the far end of your table as a centerpiece. Using actual picnic supplies (especially if you already have one ) is sustainable and requires no extra buying. Buy a picnic set if you enjoy picnics, hiking, beach day etc… as you will use it again- or plan another indoor picnic.

Bonus

You could have an alcoholic, or nonalcoholic beverage, chilling in an ice bucket or tub full of ice next to your basket or at the end of your picnic scape.

Floor Options

Blanket:

• You need a blanket on the floor, preferably something thick to sit on and make it comfortable.
• You could buy a Valentine’s theme blanket or use something you already have.

Pillows:

• Place pillows to sit or recline on during your picnic.
• Grab pillows from around the house or buy a couple of inexpensive ones.

“Table Setting”

• Place a tablecloth over at least part of the blanket for both esthetics and just for ease of cleanup.
• If you have a picnic hamper or a picnic backpack use that.

Gluten-free Valentine’s Day picnic with kids

• It might be fun and easier to use Valentine’s Day-themed paper plates, cups, and napkins.
• They are an easy decore option and you can even buy them in a set.
• You can also get a Valentine’s Day party pack, it may even include a centerpiece, balloons, or sign.

Romantic gluten-free Valentine’s Day picnic

• Add fresh flowers in a vase, or forever flowers on the table. Bonus as it can also be a thoughtful gift.
• Scatter rose petals- choose fake rose petals as they are more economical, and eco-friendly, considering they can be reused.

Use candles:

• I’m not a big fan of real candles especially if you’re on the floor.
• I would highly suggest getting LED candles with the remote, that way they are easy to turn on and off and are safe if they get knocked over. Plus, some of them change colour, which can really impact the ambiance.

Serving trays

• Use at least one Charcuterie board or platter – if you already have them, that’s great.
• Buying a Valentine’s Day-themed or heat-shaped board is a fun option.
• A tiered serving tray to hold a variety of foods gives your picnic spread height.
• A heart-shaped platter is a fun option.
• Mix heart-shaped bowls in with items you already have.

The menu for our gluten-free Valentine’s Day picnic:

Our menu is primarily Charcuterie-based. Do you know how to make a great gluten-free Charcuterie board? If not, click this link.

Make sure that you have enough of everything. This is not just grazing, so you’re going to want more crackers, cheese, and meat than you would use for an appetizer.

Meat

• Use at least two kinds of gluten-free deli meat for variety.
• Salami is always a great choice. The fun thing about salami is that it is very easy to make into a rose, which elevates your picnic. Click here to see a rose tutorial from YouTube.
• Balance a stronger meat with something lighter like turkey, which you can roll.
• Plan on at least half a pound per person as this is dinner.
• Any leftovers can be used to make sandwiches during the week.

Bread and Crackers

• Fresh bread, served alongside some flavoured Olive Oil, and crackers with dip.
• Cut up a gluten-free French baguette (Schar makes a great one.)
• You can serve garlic bread (with or without cheese on it), along with butter, or oil and vinegar for dipping.
• Crackers are essential to a charcuterie board.
• In my humble opinion, the best crackers are the Schar gluten-free crackers. They’re delicious and buttery.
• The Le Veneziane Gluten Free Grissini are also very good, but they are little pieces, so I think are a little more tailored to a Charcuterie board rather than a picnic dinner.

Cheese

• A balanced Charcuterie board has at least three cheese options: usually it’s something strong, mild, and a creamy option.
• Know that there are great dairy-free or vegan cheese options that are also delicious.

Vegetables:

Crudités platter:

• This includes whatever raw vegetables you enjoy, like cucumber, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, or cauliflower.
• If you don’t want to wash and chop vegetables, you can always buy pre-cut vegetable platters at your local grocery store.

Dip:

• Have one or two dips,
• Gluten-free hummus, and a French onion, or ranch dip are great options. You can find vegan, or dairy-free versions of these dips.
• If you would like to make your hummus, we have a great recipe here. However, if you can use a food processor, you can make hummus.

Marinated/ grilled options:

• Marinated mushrooms, olives, pickled asparagus, grilled eggplant, or even roasted red peppers.
• These are all items that you can either buy jarred or from the salad bar at your grocery store.
• Gherkin pickles are also a great addition.
• Try some little snacks and picky things that you both enjoy, whether you’ve had them before, or are trying something new.

Snacks

• Add bowls of a favourite snack or new things you want to try.
• Nuts
• Popcorn or chips – check out our ultimate gluten-free chip list to find out which chips are gluten-free.

When planning this gluten-free Valentine’s Day picnic, you simply want to be sure that you, not only have a variety of food but that you have enough to make it an actual dinner.

Desert

S’mores

The ultimate ending for an indoor picnic is s’mores. You can buy various small fire s’mores makers. Pair this with gluten-free graham crackers, again SCHAR makes them, gluten-free chocolate (check out our gluten-free chocolate list) and marshmallows. It is about elevating how you present the food. Arrange the items on a tray rather than using them right out of their packaging, as you might do if you were at a beach or outside. S’mores are delicious, and roasting marshmallows inside is a fun activity for everyone, at any age.

Fondue

Another great option would be fondue, instead of buying expensive chocolate-covered strawberries. You could buy fresh strawberries or other fruit like pineapple, raspberries, melon, kiwi, apples etc… to dip in the chocolate. You can purchase individual cut-up fruit at the grocery store, or buy a fruit platter. Of course, remember to check that your chocolate is gluten-free. This is a no-bake, low-effort, and fun choice for dessert. You can get fondue with a candle or buy an electric one, which is safer (and gives more consistent heat) especially if you are having fondue with kids.

Bakery Items

• Order gluten-free cupcakes or a cake from a local bakery.
• I know that Nothing Bundt Cakes does have a gluten-free option, though I’ve never tried them, and they are widely available in the United States, and in some parts of Canada. With gluten-free bakery options becoming so readily available, you now have options that you can go and pick up.

Alcohol

• If you’re wondering about gluten-free alcohol, read this list that lets you in on what you can, and can’t have, so you can maybe plan for a fun adult beverage. They’re also a lot of great non-alcoholic sparkling wines that everybody can enjoy.

This gluten-free Valentine’s Day picnic is a thoughtful gesture for anyone you love, not to mention that all the food items purchased, can be reused for lunches, light dinners, or snacks.

Remember that the basic tenant of Valentine’s Day is showing someone that you love, care, and appreciate them. And planning this kind of night sure fits the bill.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

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