Schär Gluten Free Digestives: Dunking, Cheese, Bases

Schär Gluten Free Digestives

Maize starch leads this biscuit's ingredient list, with soya flour, soya bran and a little buckwheat flour standing in for the wheat an ordinary digestive is made from. The toasted, half-sweet character survives the swap; the crumb comes out shorter and sandier.

Published 26 Sep 2026 Curator-written, not crowdsourced

Schär Gluten Free Digestives, in summary: A half-sweet, toasted digestive built on maize, soya and a little buckwheat, with soya declared on the label. Dunk for two seconds at most, lay cheese on gently, and try the crumbs as a gluten-free cheesecake base.

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

Maize starch leads this biscuit's ingredient list, with soya flour, soya bran and a little buckwheat flour standing in for the wheat an ordinary digestive is made from. The toasted, half-sweet character survives the swap; the crumb comes out shorter and sandier.

What replaces the wheat

Gluten holds a normal biscuit dough together in the oven and gives a digestive its particular crumbly break. Take it out and the structure has to come from somewhere else. On the published list, maize starch comes first and palm oil second, followed by maize flour, cane sugar, soya flour, soya bran at 7% and buckwheat flour at 4%, then sugar syrup, a little tapioca starch, salt and raising agents.

The result keeps what makes a digestive recognisable: a toasted, faintly nutty smell and a sweetness pitched between a rich tea and a cookie. What changes is the break. It is shorter and sandier than a wheat digestive's, which suits the style well enough, but it also means the biscuit has less holding it together once it meets a mug of tea.

Two seconds in the cup

A wheat digestive will stand a dunk of several seconds. This one wants two, and a firm grip. Without gluten the crumb gives way sooner once it is wet, so dip, lift and eat the soaked end first. A medium-strength black tea with milk, brewed for three or four minutes, is the right partner, because the biscuit's mild sweetness needs a cup with a bit of weight behind it.

Plain coffee works too, though an espresso is too fierce for a biscuit this gentle. Whatever you pour, move what is left of an opened pack into an airtight tin straight away. Free-from bakes soak up damp air faster than wheat biscuits and soften sooner, which is where the modest 150g pack helps: it tends to be finished while it is still crisp.

Cheese, and the cheesecake base

Digestives and cheese go well together, and this one holds up, with hard cheese working better than soft. Because the crumb is short it will not carry much weight, so lay a slice on top and settle it in place with the side of the knife instead of spreading. A crumbly Cheddar or a Wensleydale on a toasted, half-sweet biscuit makes a good end to a meal.

The crumbs also make one of the better free-from starts for a cheesecake, since most base recipes are written around digestives. Crush them, bind with melted butter and press into the tin as usual. The step people forget is the rest of the recipe: the filling and anything on top need to be gluten free too, or the careful base counts for nothing.

The packs we stock

Schar Gluten Free Digestive Biscuits, 150g

What the label says

The published ingredient list for Schar Gluten Free Digestive Biscuits, 150g says it contains soya. Check the current UK pack before purchase; formulations and allergen advice can change.

Ingredients, as published: Maize Starch, Palm Oil, Maize Flour, Cane Sugar, Soya Flour, Soya Bran 7%, Buckwheat Flour 4%, Sugar Syrup, Modified Tapioca Starch, Salt, Raising Agents: Ammonium Hydrogen Carbonate, Sodium Hydrogen Carbonate.

Typical values per 100g	Per 100g
Energy	488 kcal
Fat	24g
of which saturates	10g
Carbohydrate	57g
of which sugars	18g
Fibre	8,5g
Protein	6,7g
Salt	0,53g

Ingredient and nutrition information for this product, as published on the manufacturer's label. The pack in your hands is the final word.

What to drink with it

Yorkshire Tea Original Loose Leaf Tea, 250g: a medium-strong pot with milk, the kind of cup a half-sweet digestive is happiest beside.
PG Tips English Breakfast Special Blends Speciality Black, 70 Tea Bags: a breakfast blend in bags, brewed three or four minutes, for a careful two-second dunk.
Dragonfly Organic Earl Grey Rooibos, 40 Tea Bags 100g: a softer Earl Grey-style rooibos for a digestive and a slice of cheese after supper.

Elsewhere in the Schar range

The full range is on the Schar brand page.

FAQ

How long can you dunk a gluten-free digestive? About two seconds. The crumb softens sooner than a wheat digestive's, so keep hold and eat the wet end first.

Do Schär digestives contain soya? Yes. The published ingredient list includes soya flour and soya bran, and soya is the allergen it declares. Check the current pack before buying.

Can I use them for a cheesecake base? Yes, they suit it well. Keep every other part of the recipe gluten free too.

Are they good with cheese? Yes, especially hard cheese. Lay it on gently, as the short crumb cracks under pressure.

Is a 150g pack enough? It is a sensible size for a biscuit that softens once opened: small enough to finish while it is still crisp.

Curator's note: Order a box before the week you need it, because a gluten-free digestive is never on the corner-shop shelf when a guest turns up. Then a quick dunk and a proper cup, and nobody feels like the odd one out. Lee, teas.co.uk, Tunbridge Wells.

In short: Schär Gluten Free Digestives

Field	Detail
Brand	Schar
Packs we stock	150g
Category	Free From Biscuits
Allergens (as published)	It contains soya.
Dunkable	Briefly, about two seconds
Best with	Medium-strength black tea with milk
Also good for	Cheese, and cheesecake bases