Arnott's Tim Tam Gluten Free Original: Slam Timing Guide

Arnott's Tim Tam Gluten Free Original: a faster Slam

Gluten does a structural job in an ordinary biscuit, so taking it out changes how a Tim Tam copes with a hot drink. This is the Tim Tam that lets a gluten-free guest join in the Slam, as long as they are quick about it.

Published 26 Sep 2026 Curator-written, not crowdsourced

Arnott's Tim Tam Gluten Free Original: a faster Slam, in summary: The Tim Tam Original made gluten free, seven to a 150g pack. The layers and the all-over chocolate are the same; the bake is more fragile, so Slam it fast, serve it cool and pour a strong black drink.

Last reviewed by the teas.co.uk team in September 2026.

Gluten does a structural job in an ordinary biscuit, so taking it out changes how a Tim Tam copes with a hot drink. This is the Tim Tam that lets a gluten-free guest join in the Slam, as long as they are quick about it.

Same Tim Tam, different crumb

On paper the build has not changed. It keeps the familiar Tim Tam construction of two biscuit layers, a soft filling and a chocolate coating over every surface, so chocolate is the first thing you taste every time. What changes is inside the biscuit layers. In a wheat bake, gluten forms a network that helps a thin layer hold together under heat and moisture; without it, the crumb is shorter and snaps more readily.

Handled dry, the difference is slight, and the biscuits sit happily on a plate. It shows when heat and liquid arrive, because the layers give up sooner. The pack is arranged differently too: seven biscuits share 150g, about 21.4g each, whereas the nine-bar Original spreads 163g across nine, so each gluten-free biscuit is the heavier of the two.

Slamming on a shorter clock

The Slam itself is unchanged. Bite off two diagonally opposite corners, rest one end in a hot drink and suck gently at the other, so the drink climbs through the biscuit and melts the filling from within. Timing is the difference. The wheat Original gives you a little longer to draw, whereas this one wants two or three seconds at most before you stop and put the whole thing in your mouth.

Use black tea or black coffee for it, because a milky drink moves through the biscuit less freely. Hesitate and the middle ends up at the bottom of the mug. We would suggest a practice run on the first biscuit in the pack before handing the rest round, since the window is shorter than anyone used to a wheat Tim Tam will expect.

Serve it cool, pour it strong

The coating is what holds the sandwich together, so temperature matters more than usual. A warm biscuit is already soft before the drink touches it, which makes a quick Slam messier still. A short rest somewhere cool, or a longer one in the fridge when the weather is warm, firms the chocolate and wins back a little of the margin the gluten-free bake gives away.

Dry, it is very sweet, so the cup underneath matters more than the plate. Choose a breakfast tea with real weight, brewed a full four minutes and barely touched with milk. Coffee drinkers can go straight to a short black one. Keep the sugar bowl off the tray, because this biscuit supplies all the sweetness either cup will need.

The packs we stock

Arnott's Tim Tam 7 x Gluten Free Original Chocolatey Biscuits, 150g (barcode 9310072035307)

What to drink with it

Yorkshire Tea Original Loose Leaf Tea, 250g: a full-bodied loose leaf blend to brew strong in the pot, and a good Slam tea when taken black.
Clipper Fairtrade Everyday Tea, 80 Pack 232g: a sturdy everyday black tea that stands up to a very sweet biscuit with a splash of milk.
Kenco Smooth Instant Coffee Paper Refill, 150g: an instant you can make black by the mugful, so there is hot coffee ready for a second go at the Slam.
L'Or Espresso Ristretto Coffee Pods, 10 Pods 52g: a very short coffee from pods, for anyone who would rather eat the biscuit dry and have the sweetness cut hard.

Elsewhere in the Arnott's range

The full range is on the Arnott's brand page.

FAQ

Is this Tim Tam gluten free? Gluten free is Arnott's own description, carried in the product name. Read the current UK pack for the full ingredients and allergen advice before serving it to anyone who must avoid gluten.

Why does the gluten-free Tim Tam fall apart faster in tea? Gluten helps a wheat biscuit hold together under heat and moisture. Without it the crumb is shorter, so the layers give way sooner once a hot drink reaches them.

Are the gluten-free biscuits bigger than the Original bars? A little heavier. Seven share 150g, about 21.4g each, where nine Original bars share 163g, about 18g each.

What is the best drink for a gluten-free Tim Tam Slam? A hot black tea or black coffee; milk slows the drink down on its way up through the biscuit.

Is it built like the Original? Yes. It keeps the two biscuit layers, the soft filling and the chocolate coating on every side; the difference is in the bake and how fast it softens.

Curator's note: Practise on the first one, keep the draw to a couple of seconds, then eat it. This is the Tim Tam we put out when a gluten-free guest wants in on the Slam. Lee, teas.co.uk, Tunbridge Wells.

In short: Arnott's Tim Tam Gluten Free Original: a faster Slam

Field	Detail
Brand	Arnott's
Packs we stock	150g
Category	Free From Biscuits
Tim Tam Slam	Yes, but two or three seconds at most
Serve	Cool, one at a time
Best with	Strong black tea or black coffee