Guide to Gluten-Free Frozen Dinners (Nima Tested!)

This post includes a list of brands that offer gluten-free frozen meals, and I’ve tested several of the meals for hidden gluten using my Nima Sensor. Please see my disclosures. This post may contain affiliate links.

If you’re looking for a quick gluten-free frozen meal that you can heat and eat in minutes, you may be surprised to hear that many new and old brands have gluten-free frozen entrees you can try.

While many TV dinners are off-limits because they contain gluten, a sticky protein found in wheat, rye, barley, and sometimes oats, more than a dozen brands offer gluten-free frozen entrees safe for you to consume even if you have celiac disease or gluten sensitivity.

Unfortunately, only a handful of them is certified gluten-free by a third-party certifying agency, but all say they meet the FDA guidelines that require them to contain 20 parts per million (ppm) of gluten or less.

If you’re still looking for a grocery-store frozen entree, check out what the following brands say about gluten. Please make special note of the following:

• Only a handful of brands are certified gluten-free
• Not all products from one brand are gluten-free. Most of the time, they only have a handful of gluten-free labeled frozen entrees.
• There is always a risk of cross-contamination, although most brands say they test their products to ensure they contain 20 ppm of gluten or less per the FDA gluten-free labeling guidelines.

If I’m missing a frozen entree you’d like me to add (or one you’d like to see tested with the Nima Sensor), please leave a comment to share.

Gluten-Free Lean Cuisine

Did you know that many Lean Cuisine frozen entrees are labeled gluten-free on the front of the packaging? I found a handful of gluten-free labeled Lean Cuisine’s at my local King Soopers (Kroger store), and according to the Lean Cuisine website, there are nine listed, including:

• Buffalo Style Chicken
• Chicken in Sweet BBQ Sauce
• Chicken Marsala
• Herb Roasted Chicken
• Sweet & Spicy Korean Style-Beef
• Mango Chicken with Coconut Rice (Bowl)
• Roasted Turkey & Vegetables (Bowl)
• Sticky Ginger Chicken (Bowl)
• Unwrapped Chicken Burrito (Bowl)

Please note these frozen entrees are not certified gluten-free by any third-party organization. This means Lean Cuisine has verified they contain less than 20 ppm of gluten per the FDA gluten-free labeling requirements.

I decided to independently test one of the frozen entrees for hidden gluten using my Nima Sensor, a portable gluten-detecting device that you can learn more about in this article, What You Need to Know About Nima Sensor Before You Buy.

A smiley face (as pictured below) means no gluten was found. (If Nima finds gluten, it displays a “Gluten Found” message and wheat symbol.)

Life Cuisine Gluten-Free Frozen Meals

Life Cuisine is an offshoot Lean Cuisine brand that offers a line of high-protein, low-carb and gluten-free options. Please note not all Life Cuisine entrees are gluten-free.

According to the company, there are seven Life Cuisine frozen entrees labeled gluten-free (not certified gluten-free), including:

• Three Meat Pizza with a Cauliflower Crust
• Three Cheese Pizza with a Cauliflower Crust
• Pepperoni Pizza with a Cauliflower Crust
• Chicken Bacon Ranch Piada with a Cauliflower Crust
• Chicken Mozzarella Piada with a Cauliflower Crust
• Penne Pasta Bolognese Bowl (made with Banza pasta)
• Riced Cauliflower Teriyaki Chicken Bowl

Gluten-Free Frozen Meals by Amy’s Kitchen

A brand many people in the gluten-free community know and trust is Amy’s Kitchen, which offers a variety of frozen entrees and soups labeled gluten-free. Amy’s says on its website that “gluten-free is practically our middle name.”

Amy’s Kitchen boasts more than 100 gluten-free products and was one of the first companies to make pre-packaged convenience foods for the gluten-free community.

You can view a complete list of gluten-free labeled frozen entrees on the Amy’s Kitchen website. There are too many to list here, but a few notable gluten-free frozen meals include:

• Mac & 3 Cheese with Cauliflower Bowl
• Gluten-Free Pizza (several varieties including cheese, margarita, and more)
• Broccoli & Cheddar Bake Bowl
• Black Bean Vegetable Enchiladas
• Tortilla Casserole and Black Beans Bowl
• Pad Thai
• Thai Vegetables and Rice Bowl
• Chinese Noodles & Veggies
• General Tso’s Bowl
• Indian Mattar Paneer
• Greek Inspired Red Rice and Veggies

As you can see, Amy’s Kitchen channels flavors from all over the world to meet a variety of tastes and preferences.

A few important notes about Amy’s Kitchen. First, the company’s products are not certified gluten-free by a third party; they’re only labeled gluten-free.

Second, Amy’s Kitchen does not use a dedicated gluten-free kitchen. The company is transparent in that it uses a shared manufacturing facility to produce its gluten-free foods.

Specifically, Amy’s Kitchen says, “For all of our gluten-free items, we have numerous safeguards in place to assure that the items meet the FDA definition. We know that some consumers may be so sensitive to gluten that they may choose to avoid any food that could contain any gluten, even less than 20 ppm.

“For this reason, we alert consumers that our food is made in a shared facility in the event that they wish to avoid such items. We take our obligations in this regard very seriously, and are happy to answer any questions you may have or provide additional information if it would be useful.”

I independently tested an Amy’s Kitchen frozen entree with my Nima Sensor, and you can see the results below. Again, a smiley face means no gluten found.

Stouffer’s Gluten-Free Mac and Cheese

Stouffer’s seems to be dipping its toe in the gluten-free market with the launch of a single gluten-free entree, its gluten-free frozen mac and cheese meal. The gluten-free packaging has a large splash of green on it to help it stand apart from the other Stouffer’s frozen meals, which all contain gluten.

Please note that while the entree is labeled gluten-free, it’s not certified gluten-free by a third-party certifying agency.

I tested Stouffer’s gluten-free mac and cheese for hidden gluten with my Nima Sensor. As you can see, Nima didn’t find any gluten.

Blake’s Gluten-Free Chicken Pot Pie and Other Entrees

Another frozen entree brand to add to your list is Blake’s. Blake’s makes a few hard-to-find frozen meals, including:

• Gluten-Free Chicken Pot Pie
• Shepherd’s Pie
• Turkey Shepherd’s Pie
• Turkey & Uncured Bacon Cottage Pie
• Gluten-Free Mac & Cheese

According to Blake’s website, the company works to “…validate the segregation and cleaning methods in our facility with testing.” It says that during the production of its gluten-free meals, “we periodically test them to ensure that the presence of gluten is less than 20 ppm.”

Gluten-Free Healthy Choice Frozen Entrees

After sorting through the frozen food aisle at my local grocery store, I was surprised to see that Healthy Choice had several gluten-free frozen meals, all clearly labeled gluten-free. (None are certified gluten-free.)

All of the gluten-free options are part of the Cafe Steamers line; however, not all Cafe Steamers are gluten-free. Be sure to look for the gluten-free label.

Gluten-free options include:

• Homestyle Chicken & Potatoes
• Cajun-Style Chicken & Shrimp
• Beef Merlot

Udi’s Gluten-Free Frozen Meals

While I could not find Udi’s frozen entrees in my local grocery store, I’m pleased to share that Udi’s makes several certified gluten-free frozen meals, including:

• Single Serve Chicken Florentine
• Three Cheese Ravioli Skillet Meal
• Chicken Parmesan Penne Skillet Meal
• Chicken Penne Alfredo Skillet Meal
• Italian Sausage Lasagna Frozen Entree
• Lasagna with Meat Sauce Bakeable Meal

Cedarlane Gluten-Free Frozen Entrees

Cedarlane makes a variety of specialty frozen entrees to cater to the gluten-free, keto, paleo, high-protein, and vegetarian communities.

Remember that only some Cedarlane frozen meals are gluten-free, so look for the “gluten-free” label on the front left corner of each entree.

Some of the gluten-free frozen entrees include:

• Chicken Fajita Protein Bowl
• Chicken Souvlaki Protein Bowl
• 3 Layer Chicken Enchilada Bowl
• Roasted Pork Paleo Bowl
• Lemon Thyme Chicken Paleo Bowl
• Adobo Chicken Paleo Bowl
• All Tamales (look for a red circle stamped gluten-free on the front of each package)
• Eggplant Parmesan entree
• Three-Layer Enchilada Pie
• Roasted Chili Relleno
• All Omelette entrees
• Spinach and Roasted Tomato Egg White Frittata

Red’s Gluten-Free Entrees

I keep hearing about an up-and-coming brand called Red’s, which offers a line of gluten-free frozen entrees and breadless breakfast sandwiches. Be sure to look for the “gluten-free” label to avoid confusing them with the brand’s non-gluten-free entrees.

While none of the products are certified gluten-free by a third party, Red’s says on its website, “With all of our gluten-free items, we adhere to the FDA’s strict Allergen Cross-Contact Prevention guidelines to ensure safeguards are in place to control incidents of cross-contamination.”

Gluten-free entrees from Red’s include:

• Gluten-Free Macaroni and Cheese
• Chicken, Cilantro, and Lime
• Chicken Tikka Masala with Riced Cauliflower
• Chicken, Cilantro, and Lime with Riced Cauliflower
• Chicken Teriyaki with Riced Cauliflower
• Chicken & Cheddar Enchiladas

Beecher’s Gluten-Free Mac & Cheese

Check out the certified gluten-free frozen macaroni and cheese entree from Beecher’s if you’re in the market for some tasty macaroni and cheese.

Beecher’s is known for cheese, and it has two cafes in high-profile U.S. cities, including Seattle’s Pike Place Market and New York’s Flatiron district.

If you cannot travel to either coastal city, you can enjoy Beecher’s frozen mac and cheese entree. I spotted it at Safeway, Kroger, and Sprouts near me.

Forks Over Knives

Forks Over Knives is a popular community dedicated to the plant-based lifestyle. It’s also the name of a film, a best-selling book, and a movement.

There are three Forks Over Knives frozen entrees available on the market today. All are whole food, plant-based frozen entrees, but only the following two frozen meals are labeled (not certified) gluten-free:

• Sesame Ginger Fancy Veggies & Rice
• Fire-Roasted Enchilada Stack

Primal Kitchen Gluten-Free Frozen Entrees

Primal Kitchen has a line of frozen entrees catering to the Whole30 and paleo communities. Several of their frozen entrees say they contain “no gluten, grains or soy.” Any food item that says “no gluten” is held to the same labeling standards as set forth by the FDA, which means a product must contain 20 ppm of gluten or less to make that claim.

Gluten-free frozen entrees from Primal Kitchen include:

• Chicken Alfredo
• Chicken Panang Curry
• Chicken Pesto Bowl
• Beef & Mushroom Bowl

Gluten-Free Saffron Road Frozen Entrees

Saffron Road makes a variety of frozen entrees inspired by world cuisines, focusing on India and Southeast Asia.

I love that all Saffron Road products are certified gluten-free by the GFCO, and they’re also certified Halal. Although the frozen entrees are not Kosher, many Saffron Road products are Kosher.

Choose from:

• Chicken Biryani
• Chicken Enchiladas Poblano
• Chicken Pad Thai
• Chicken Tikka Masala
• Coconut Curry Chicken
• Enchilada Al Chipotle
• Lamb Saag
• Lemongrass Basil Chicken
• Madras Curry and Chicken Meatballs
• And many more that you can find on the Saffron Road website.

Starlite Cuisine Gluten-Free Frozen Meals

Starlite Cuisine is another specialty brand of frozen meals, and the brand’s enchiladas and taquitos are gluten-free (other products by Starlite are not gluten-free).

The company says it does not have an official gluten-free certification, but it sends samples to an independent lab to ensure the products contain no more than 20 ppm of gluten per the FDA gluten-labeling guidelines.

Scott & Jon’s Frozen Meals

Scott & Jon’s are known for making “healthy” frozen meals that contain under 300 calories and only simple ingredients.

Some products say “gluten-free,” whereas others say “made without gluten ingredients.” None are certified gluten-free by a third party.

Entrees made without gluten include:

• Garlic Butter Shrimp
• Cilantro Lime Shrimp
• Shrimp Risotto
• Shrimp Jambalaya
• Veggie Pad Thai

Are Smart Ones TV Dinners Gluten Free?

Smart Ones are frozen entrees made for those following Weight Watchers. There are a handful of frozen entrees that are labeled gluten-free (not certified gluten-free), including:

• Chicken Enchiladas Suiza
• Chicken Mesquite
• Chicken Santa Fe
• Santa Fe Rice and Beans
• Cheesy Scramble with Hash Browns
• Ham and Cheese Scramble
• Three Cheese Omelet

Always read labels carefully to determine if a Smart Ones frozen entree is safe for you to consume on a gluten-free diet.

Brands of Frozen Entrees to Avoid

Avoid the following brands of TV dinners, as they do not offer gluten-free options at this time:

• Banquet (no gluten-free options)
• Hungry Man
• Marie Callender (no gluten-free options)
• Stouffer’s (except for the gluten-free mac and cheese – see above)

Additional Reading

You might enjoy these articles about other gluten-free products:

• Store-Bought Soups that are Gluten Free
• List of Gluten-Free Cereals – Tested for Hidden Gluten
• Are Doritos Gluten Free? And a List of Chips that are Gluten Free
• Guide to Gluten-Free Tortillas and Wraps (Brands and Recipes)
• Guide to Gluten-Free Ramen Noodles

And learn more about the Nima Sensor in these articles:

• What You Need to Know About Nima Sensor Before You Buy
• Is the Nima Sensor Accurate?
• The Allergy Amulet Gluten Detecting Device