25 foods checked

Is it gluten free?

Standing in the aisle turning a jar over looking for the word wheat. This is every food on this site that gets asked about, with the short answer and the specific thing to check, so you can stop guessing at the shelf.

It is almost never the food. It is what got added to it.

Pure spices, juices, oils and dairy start out with no gluten in them at all. Nearly every "is this gluten free" question turns out to be a question about the factory instead: what was added for shelf life or texture, and what else ran down the same line that morning. That is why the honest answer to most of these is "usually, but check this one thing", and why the label matters more than the ingredient.

Usually yes 19

  • Fruit juice, in general Usually yes

    Pure juice or pulp is fine. Gluten gets in through added ingredients or exposure during processing.

  • Apple juice and cider Usually yes

    Made from real apples it is fine. Watch for wheat, rye, licorice and malt added in production.

  • Orange juice Usually yes

    Fine from real fruit. The risk is exposure to wheat and other gluten grains during production.

  • Cranberry juice Usually yes

    Fine when made from real cranberry juice. Added ingredients and production exposure are the risk.

  • Pineapple juice Usually yes

    Fine from real juice. Wheat, spelt, graham, licorice, malt and rye are what to look for.

  • Lemon juice Usually yes

    Generally fine. Separately worth knowing that some brands carry sulphites.

  • Lime juice Usually yes

    Fine from the fruit. Glucose syrup, added as a sweetener, is the one that can carry gluten.

  • Tomato juice Usually yes

    Depends entirely on what was added. Most on the shelf are processed with taste enhancers.

  • Cinnamon Usually yes

    Fine as a single-ingredient product, ground or stick. Blends and baking chips are the exception.

  • Paprika Usually yes

    Usually single-ingredient or with silicon dioxide. Watch for "may contain wheat" and shared facilities.

  • Garlic powder Usually yes

    Fine on its own. Seasoning mixes need anti-caking agents and stabilisers, which is where it changes.

  • Mustard flour and powder Usually yes

    Typically a single-ingredient spice. Cross-contamination is the risk, so ask the manufacturer if unsure.

  • Salt and seasoned salt Usually yes

    Table, iodised, kosher, Himalayan, sea and seasoned salt are all fine unless something gluten was added.

  • Citric acid Usually yes

    Generally fine and recognised as safe by the FDA, in both anhydrous and monohydrate forms.

  • Sesame oil Usually yes

    Fine, as cooking oils generally are. The risk is the seeds or oil being exposed during processing.

  • Garlic, fresh and roasted Usually yes

    No gluten, but it is high FODMAP and high in fructans, which can cause symptoms that feel similar.

  • Pico de gallo Usually yes

    Almost always both vegan and gluten free. Eating out, cross-contamination is the thing to ask about.

  • Condensed milk Usually yes

    Gluten free unless flavoured with something that is not. Sweetened and unsweetened are both fine.

  • White chocolate Usually yes

    Pure white chocolate is fine. The post lists which brands and which chips are safe.

Depends on the type 3

  • Sour cream Depends on the type

    Fermented cream has no gluten by definition, but it genuinely varies by brand and type. Check.

  • Vermicelli noodles Depends on the type

    Wheat vermicelli is not. Rice, bean, pea and root starch vermicelli is, including for coeliac readers.

  • Soy sauce Depends on the type

    Ordinary soy sauce carries roughly 5 ppm of gluten. The post covers brands and how much that means.

Only with the label 2

  • Pepperoni Only with the label

    Only trust it with a gluten-free label. Some of the ingredients used in pepperoni do carry gluten.

  • Joe & the Juice bread Only with the label

    They do offer a gluten-free bread in the sandwiches range, so it has to be asked for by name.

Usually no 1

  • Cinnamon rolls Usually no

    Shop, online and bakery rolls are mostly wheat flour. Ask a bakery for a gluten-free one or make them.

Where gluten actually gets in

Malt and malt flavouring
Made from barley. Turns up in drinks, juices and cereals where you would not expect it.
Anti-caking agents and fillers
The reason a single spice is usually fine and a seasoning mix often is not.
Glucose syrup and sweeteners
Added to juice. Can be wheat-derived depending on the source.
Shared production lines
"Made in a facility that also processes wheat" is doing real work on the label, not covering the manufacturer.
Brewing and fermenting with wheat
Soy sauce is the usual example, and it is why the gluten-free versions are brewed differently.
Thickeners and stabilisers
Mostly a dairy problem, and why sour cream varies by brand when plain cream does not.

This is a starting point, not medical advice. Coeliac disease is a serious condition and tolerance for cross-contamination differs a lot from person to person, so read the label on the actual product in your hand and take anything you are unsure about to your GP or a dietitian.

Worth reading first

MindShift Mentors ยท 7 nights free

Reading every label and still dreading dinner

Getting the food right is one job. The low background hum of checking everything, and the way that turns eating into admin, is a different one. Rob Edmonds works on the pattern underneath that. Break the Habit is 15 to 20 minutes of guided audio a day, and many people find the constant bracing starts to ease off.

Show me how it works

Seven nights free, no credit card. After that it is $29.95 AUD a month or $299 AUD a year. Results vary, and it is designed to sit alongside professional care rather than replace it.