To eat a gluten free diet, you need to avoid wheat, barley, rye and all their derivatives. Anyone who is very sensitive to gluten or diagnosed with celiac disease will also have to worry about cross contact too. So what foods have gluten in them? Anything made with the three grains listed above.
It sounds simple until you learn about how food is made. Wheat is ground into all purpose flour, which means anything made with this flour contains gluten.
Below on our Celiac Town Gluten Food List are common foods that are likely to contain gluten. Fortunately, many of these do have gluten free alternatives available.
What Foods Contain Gluten?
Check out our list of twenty foods that have gluten. It’s hard to make a list because so many foods contain gluten, but this should give you a good start on what to look out for.
This list will look at what foods have gluten and it will focus on some of the common foods with gluten. To see a list of unexpected foods gluten can hide in, check out Is Gluten Sneaking in to your Diet.Â
Common Foods With Gluten
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Bread
Bread is one of the most common foods with gluten. There are so many varieties of delicious breads like bagels, baguettes, brioche, multi-grain and naan breads.Â
Yes, sourdough does contain gluten and is not safe for anyone with celiac disease.
A bread that is authentically gluten free is Brazilian Cheese bread which you can make yourself or buy from Brazi Bites.
2. Pastry
No gluten food list would be complete without having pastries. These delicious delicacies are often filled with flavor and gluten. Some common pastries with gluten include baklava, cannoli, croissants, dutch babies, eclairs and don’t forget the trendy cronut.
3. Donut
Donuts are one of the most loved and most common foods with gluten. From the classic glazed to the magnificent maple bar, all gluteny donuts are delicious in my opinion.
Some donut shops offer gluten free donuts, but be careful of cross contact if you truly need to be on a gluten free diet. Â
Here are a couple brands of GF donuts that I’ve eaten. You can buy them frozen and then defrost. Both Katz brand and Kinnikinnick brand are pretty good.
4. Pasta
Pasta is another mandatory addition to any gluten food list. There are obvious pastas like spaghetti, lasagna, penne and ravioli. Don’t forget that couscous and gnocchi are pastas with wheat flour when remembering what foods have gluten.
5. Noodles
When people think of noodles they often think pasta, but the Italians don’t have a monopoly on noodles. Chow mien, ramen, soba, udon, and won ton are all well known noodles that can contain gluten.
Some asian noodles aren’t wheat based and are likely to be gluten free, but always check the packaging because flour can be added for texture.
Cellophane, aka glass noodles, are GF and made from mung beans.
6. Pizza
Whether it’s pizza, calzone or stromboli, all these delicious dishes deserve a place on our gluten food list.Â
The good news is there are many brands of safe, gluten free pizzas available in grocery stores. I love getting Udi’s GF pizza because it’s conveniently available at Target stores near me.
7. Baked Goods
The list of what foods have gluten in the baked goods category is a long one. Cookies, cakes, muffins, pies, tarts, brownies and more. Basically anything delicious and baked with flour can be included here.Â
If you are a home baker, there are many recipes online for GF baked goods. Some cities also have dedicated gluten free bakeries for lucky celiacs who live nearby.
Breakfast: What Foods Have Gluten?
Breakfast has always been my favorite meal. I rarely eat a big breakfast, but I can enjoy breakfast foods anytime of day. In junior high the only foods I would cook for myself were egg sandwiches and french toast. Sadly the breakfast gluten food list has a lot on it, but there are also ways to make GF versions of many breakfast foods.
8. Cereal
There are many cereals available that are safe for people with gluten sensitivities or celiac disease. However, barley malt is commonly used as a flavoring to sweeten cereals. For this reason I recommend only buying cereals that are labeled gluten free, except for Cheerios which I don’t recommend at this time.
9. Hot Cereal
Oatmeal is a common hot cereal that can get celiacs in trouble. Oats are at high risk for gluten contamination so I recommend finding oatmeals that use gluten free oats. My favorite GF hot cereal is gluten free Cream of Rice in the orange box. Both the instant packets and normal box can be made in a few minutes.
10. Pancakes
Pancakes are famously made from flour, but there are delicious recipes for GF pancakes available.
11. French Toast
When deciding what foods contain gluten, french toast seems like an obvious choice. However, the toast is really the only part of this breakfast dish that is unsafe for celiacs. This makes it very easy to make a celiac safe french toast by substituting in a GF bread.Â
12. Restaurant Eggs
Yay! Eggs are safe and come out of the shell naturally gluten free. Fry them, poach them, scramble them. They are always delicious.Â
Ordering eggs at restaurants may not be safe because chefs sometimes add pancake batter to scrambled eggs and omelets in order to fluff them up.
13. WafflesÂ
Waffles are delicious and you can still have them completely gluten free. There are many brands of waffles in the freezer isle if you want convenience. There are also GF waffle mixes and recipes easily available too.Â
If you have celiac disease watch out for cross contact with gluten in your waffle maker and have a dedicated gluten free waffle maker for yourself.
14. Crepes
I love crepes! Unfortunately, they are made with flour. Your days of eating crepes doesn’t have to be over on a gluten free diet. You can substitute a flour blend like Cup4Cup in many crepe recipes for amazing GF crepes. Here is Martha Stewart’s GF crepe recipe to get you started.
15. Biscuits and Gravy
When it comes to breakfast what foods have gluten? Biscuits and gravy! This is a delicious flour filled meal.
More Foods With Gluten
16. Crackers
Crackers should always be checked for gluten because many have a wheat flour base. Wheat thin, Triscuit, Ritz, Cheez-it and Goldfish crackers are all common foods with gluten. Luckily, there are a lot of GF brands that make crackers. Glutino and Breton brands are safe and reputable gluten free cracker brands to get you started. Breton also sells gluten crackers so check labels, but their GF crackers are certified gluten free and delicious.
17. Trail Mixes and Granola
Trail mix and granola can have unexpected gluten. Oats are frequently contaminated with wheat, barley and rye throughout manufacturing. Dried fruits can be dusted with an anti-caking agent that has gluten.Â
There are safe granolas and trail mixes that use gluten free oats and are certified gluten free. If you want a soft granola, check out Vans GF granolas.Â
18. Beers
Beers have made our gluten food list because they are brewed with barley malt. There are safe beers out there that are not brewed from barley, wheat or rye. However, beware of  beer that uses language like gluten friendly, gluten safe or gluten removed. These terms don’t have any actual meaning except to confuse and mislead consumers into thinking they are safe on a gluten free diet.Â
There are also gluten removed beers which are brewed from barley. The barley proteins are then removed so it tests under 20ppm of gluten. However, research is showing these gluten removed beers are not safe for celiacs like they claim to be.
19. Candy
Many candies have malt flavoring and gluten ingredients. Always check candy packages for gluten. Licorice is almost always made of wheat. There are also some great candy brands that are marked gluten free now. Reeses peanut butter cups, junior mints and Rolos are a few of my favorites.
20. Sushi
Sushi seems straightforward and gluten free, but it can have hidden sources of gluten.Â
Ponzu, eel, teriyaki and soy sauces can all have gluten in them. Imitation crab, tempura and the crunch used on crunchy rolls all have gluten too. These foods with gluten also make the cutting boards, knives and chef’s gloves a risk for cross contact if you have celiac disease.
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