100+ Foods That Contain Gluten (or May Contain Gluten)

Gluten is everywhere – but it’s not always called gluten, nor does it always go by its conventional names, wheat, rye, and barley.

In fact, gluten goes by many names and is found in many seemingly innocuous products.

If you’re following a strict gluten-free diet – either because you have celiac disease or gluten sensitivity – it’s important to know all the potential places gluten may lurk.

To help you, I created this list of 100+ foods that contain gluten (or may contain gluten).

Some products and ingredients are obvious and specifically say wheat, rye, and barley; other ingredients are not so obvious and take a little more detective work to figure out.

When in doubt, consumers should contact the manufacturer or put the product back on the shelf. There is almost always a safe, gluten-free labeled option for your favorite products.

For easy printing and saving, please CLICK HERE to download the following list as a PDF.

100+ Foods that Contain Gluten

Below are 100+ foods and ingredients that contain (or may contain) gluten. Beware!

1. Abyssinian Hard (a form of wheat)
2. All-Purpose Flour
3. Alternative Meats (veggie burgers) – read Are Impossible Burgers, Beyond Meat and Other Plant-Based Meats Gluten Free?
4. Artificial Flavors
5. Bacon bits
6. Barley
7. Barley malt – read Beware of Malt and these 21 Potential Sources of Barley (Gluten)
8. BBQ sauces (may contain gluten)
9. Beer (contains wheat and barley) – read Dedicated Gluten-Free Breweries
10. Blue cheese (check labels)
11. Bouillon cubes (check labels) – read Gluten-Free Bouillon – Testing for Hidden Gluten
12. Bran (outer layer of wheat grain)
13. Bread, Breading, Breadcrumbs
14. Brewer’s Yeast
15. Broths (check labels)
16. Brown rice syrup (may contain barley malt – check labels)
17. Buckwheat noodles (buckwheat is gluten-free; however, buckwheat noodles often contain gluten)
18. Bulgur (wheat)
19. Caramel Color (may contain barley malt)
20. Cereal extract
21. Churros (fried dough) – although I make my own gluten-free churros
22. Coffee substitutes (may contain barley) – read Is Coffee Gluten Free?
23. Communion wafers
24. Corn Flakes – read Are Corn Flakes Gluten-Free?
25. Couscous
26. Cracker Meal
27. Cream of Mushroom Soup (check labels)
28. Croutons (learn how to make my homemade gluten-free croutons)
29. Dairy substitutes (creamers)
30. Deep-fried foods (cross-contamination)
31. Dextrimaltose (made from barley)
32. Dextrin (may be derived from wheat)
33. Dry Smoke Flavor
34. Durum (a form of wheat)
35. Einkorn (a form of wheat)
36. Emmer (a form of wheat)
37. Farina® (type of semolina)
38. Farro (wheat grain)
39. Fu (dried wheat gluten)
40. Gluten-Removed Beer
41. Gnocchi (potato pasta usually contains wheat)
42. Groats (cereal grain)
43. Graham flour
44. Gravy (often thickened with wheat)
45. Gummy bears (some contain wheat, including Haribo™)
46. Hydrolyzed vegetable protein (may contain wheat or barley – OK if made from soy)
47. Imitation crab
48. Imitation seafood
49. Kamut (wheat)
50. Licorice – read Is Licorice Gluten Free? The Truth about Twizzlers, Red Vines and More!
51. Maida (wheat flour)
52. Malt – read Beware of Malt and these 21 Potential Sources of Barley (Gluten)
53. Malt Balls
54. Malt Flavoring
55. Malt Vinegar
56. Maltodextrin (may contain wheat)
57. Marinades
58. Matzo (unleavened wheat cracker)
59. Matzo Meal
60. Meatballs (typically made with breadcrumbs) – get my gluten-free turkey meatball recipe
61. Milkshakes
62. Miso (check labels, it may contain barley)
63. Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
64. Naan (flatbread) – get my gluten-free naan recipe
65. Natural Flavors
66. Oats (typically contaminated with wheat; use GF-labeled oats only) – read Are Oats Gluten Free? Unpacking Confusing and Contradictory Information
67. Onion soup mix
68. Orzo
69. Panko (breadcrumbs)
70. Pastina – read Gluten-Free Pastina is Here!
71. Pearled Barley
72. Pearled Couscous
73. Pita (flatbread)
74. Pita chips
75. Play-Doh™ – try this make-your-own gluten-free playdough recipe
76. Pumpernickel bread (contains rye)
77. Ramen (check labels) – read Guide to Gluten-Free Ramen Noodles
78. Rice Krispies® (contains barley) – read Are Rice Krispies Gluten Free?
79. Roti (round flatbread)
80. Rye
81. Salad dressings (may contain gluten) – read Is Ranch Gluten Free? And Other Gluten-Free Salad Dressing Brands
82. Seitan (tofu-like gluten meat substitute)
83. Semolina (wheat)
84. Sopapillas (fried dough)
85. Shoyu (another name for soy sauce)
86. Soup bases
87. Sourdough bread – read Is Sourdough Bread Gluten Free?
88. Soy sauce (unless marked GF)
89. Spelt
90. Surimi (paste used in imitation fish)
91. Tabbouleh (made with bulgur) – get my cauliflower tabbouleh recipe
92. Tabouli
93. Tempura (check labels)
94. Textured vegetable protein
95. Triga (another name for wheatgrass)
96. Triticale (wheat hybrid)
97. Triticale (wheat and rye hybrid)
98. Triticum (wheat)
99. Udon (wheat noodles)
100. Vegetable gum
101. Veggie burgers (all Morningstar™ products contain wheat)
102. Wheat and all derivatives of wheat
103. Wheat Germ
104. Wild Emmer (wheat hybrid)
105. Wine Coolers
106. Worcestershire Sauce (some brands are GF)
107. Vital wheat gluten
108. Yeast Extract

Am I missing a food that contains gluten? Please leave a comment to share; I update this list regularly.

Wondering what you can eat when you’re on a gluten-free diet? Be sure to check out my list of 200+ Foods You Can Eat on the Gluten-Free Diet.

If you’re new to a gluten-free lifestyle, be sure to check out the SIGNATURE Gluten-Free Course to help you go gluten-free fast and get it right from the start!