Gluten-Free Oreos Ingredients and Putting Oreos to the Nima Sensor Test

This post discusses all the ingredients in gluten-free Oreos and shows the results of how the gluten-free Oreo cookies fared when put to the Nima Sensor hidden gluten test. This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosures.

Gluten-free OREO cookies have taken the gluten-free community by storm. Even I couldn’t help but try the new gluten-free Oreos as soon as I could get my hands on them.

The gluten-free Oreo cookies taste just like regular Oreos. You would never know they’re gluten free.

Nabisco launched both Gluten-Free Original Oreo cookies and Gluten-Free Double Stuf Oreo cookies in January 2021. Both cookies are widely available at retailers including Kroger, Safeway, Target and Walmart.

I’ve posted about the new gluten-free Oreos on Instagram and in my newsletter, and every time I do, someone comments about how they’re not really gluten free, or that Oreo doesn’t use gluten-free oats. I want these people to know that just because they say false information doesn’t make their statements true. In fact, they are spreading false information about the safety of a product that is safe for anyone on the gluten free spectrum to enjoy.

In this article, I will set the record straight on the ingredients in gluten-free Oreos once and for all. I will also share the results of my independent test for hidden gluten. I tested gluten-free Oreo cookies for hidden gluten with my Nima Sensor. Please scroll down to see the results of my gluten testing.

Gluten-Free Oreos Ingredient List

The ingredients used in gluten-free Oreo cookies include:

Sugar
White rice flour
Tapioca Starch
Palm Oil
Canola Oil
Whole oat flour (gluten free – see below)
Cornstarch
Cocoa
Invert Sugar
Soy Lecithin
Baking soda
Salt
Xanthan gum
Chocolate
Artificial flavor

_{This image is from the Nabisco website and shows the difference between the original gluten-free Oreo cookie vs. the gluten-free double stuf Oreo cookie.}

All the ingredients are innocuous, except maybe for the oats. Whenever a company uses oats, there are always rumors about whether the oats are gluten free or not. This confusion, and sometimes hysteria, over oats can make it hard for someone with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity to decode if a product is safe for them to eat.

Let me answer this question for you and assure you that the oats used in gluten-free Oreos are gluten free and safe for you to eat.

Oats are naturally gluten free, however, the way they are processed often puts them in cross contact with wheat. You can read more about this topic in my article, Are Oats Gluten Free?

Nabisco uses what are known as commodity oats, which are oats that are cross contaminated with wheat but then either optically or mechanically sorted, scrubbed and tested.

Alternatively, some companies use purity oats, which are oats grown in dedicated gluten-free fields. Purity oats are harder to come by and generally more expensive. Rest assured, commodity oats are perfectly safe for someone with a gluten disorder, even celiac disease, to consume.

Oreo cookies are certified gluten free by the Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO), the largest third-party gluten-free certifying agency in the U.S. The GFCO only certifies products that test at 10 ppm of gluten or less, which is a lower threshold than the FDA’s requirement of 20 ppm of gluten or less.

_{This image is from the Nabisco website and shows the Oreo cookie upclose and the certified gluten-free label located on each package}.

Even if the oats used in the gluten-free Oreos ingredients list at one time or another were cross contaminated with wheat, know that they have been sorted, scrubbed and tested to be gluten free before they were used to make these beloved chocolate sandwich cookies. Plus, the final product had to test at less than 10 ppm of gluten in order for it to be certified gluten free by the GFCO.

Mind you, there is a small percentage of the population with celiac disease who experience a phenomenon known as cross reactivity to oats. If you experience such cross reactivity, or cannot tolerate oats in general, then don’t eat gluten-free Oreos nor judge those who do.

Testing Gluten-Free Oreos for Hidden Gluten

While gluten-free Oreos are labeled certified gluten free by the GFCO, I still wanted to put the sandwich cookie to the Nima Sensor test, just be certain.

The Nima Sensor is a a portable gluten detecting device that allows you to test a pea-sized sample of a product for hidden gluten. You can learn more about this nifty gadget in this article.

Unfortunately, the Nima Sensor may not be available for purchase at this time. The company was purchased by Medline in March 2020. Medline has done little to amplify the brand. In fact, there are rumors that Nima Sensor may be going out of business.

I tested a gluten-free Oreo cookie for for hidden gluten and the Nima Sensor came back all smiles, meaning it did not find any gluten.

Gluten Free Oreo ingredients tested for hidden gluten with the Nima Sensor. Nima Sensor displays a smiley face - no gluten found.

Recipes with Oreo Cookies

I don’t bake with Oreos much because I simply enjoy eating them as is.

That said, I created this beautiful Cookies & Cream Chocolate Pudding recipe. You can use gluten-free Oreos or another chocolate sandwich cookie to make it. It’s entirely delicious and gluten free – enjoy!