If you’re curious if pudding is gluten free, let this article be your guide. Below I share what each brand says about gluten, and I independently tested Jell-O chocolate pudding and another popular brand for hidden gluten with my Nima Sensor. This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosures.
The other day at the grocery store, I eyed the Jell-O Instant Chocolate Pudding box and wondered if it was gluten free and safe for me to use. “Wouldn’t it be lovely to have a shortcut way of making chocolate pudding for my family?” I thought.
When I’m craving chocolate pudding, I usually make my cookies and cream chocolate pudding recipe, microwave chocolate pudding, or even my gluten-free pudding cake. While each recipe is delicious, it requires effort in the kitchen.
I’m worried about gluten because I have celiac disease, an autoimmune disease that requires me to follow a strict gluten-free diet. Gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, barley, and sometimes oats, can be hidden in many packaged foods.
Is Jell-O Chocolate Pudding Gluten Free?
The Jell-O Instant Chocolate Pudding box does not include any “gluten free” claims, and the ingredient list also appears to be free of gluten.
According to the Kraft Foods website, if any of its products contain wheat or gluten, it would explicitly say so on the label. This is what Kraft says about its allergen labeling policy:
“Please note our products are produced and labeled in compliance with the FDA. When labeling products, we consider – and label for – all possible sources of the 8 major allergens recognized by the FDA. These are eggs, fish, crustaceans, shellfish, milk, peanuts, soy, tree nuts, and wheat. Kraft Heinz also labels for additional allergens or substances of interest, including celery, mustard, lupin, mollusks, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, poppyseeds, cottonseed, all sources of gluten, and sulfites in levels over 10 ppm. If any of these substances are added to the product, they will be listed in the Ingredient Statement.”
Based on this information, I safely assume that Jell-O Instant Chocolate Pudding does not contain gluten or wheat ingredients.
Putting Jell-O to the Nima Sensor Test
Of course, I wanted to further my research by independently testing Jell-O chocolate pudding with my Nima Sensor. This portable device enables you to test a small piece of your food for hidden gluten.
I added a bit of the powdery Jell-O mix and a couple of drops of water to the single-use Nima Sensor test capsule. I then placed the test capsule inside the device. Nima displayed a smiley face, which means it did not find gluten.
Are Jell-O Pudding Cups Gluten Free?
Like the instant Jell-O, I didn’t find any gluten or wheat disclosures on the ingredient label of Jell-O pudding cups. Even the Oreo-flavored pudding cups don’t appear to contain wheat or gluten.
Other Brands of Pudding
I also want to share what other brands of instant pudding and pudding cups have to say about gluten:
Kozy Shack: All Kozy Shack products are “gluten free,” and the company says every product has undergone an “extensive evaluation of ingredients and manufacturing processes to ensure compliance with the FDA threshold of < 20 ppm gluten.” All Kozy Shack products are labeled “gluten free,” which is always lovely to see when you have a gluten disorder.
Organics Chocolate Pudding: Organics instant chocolate pudding is found in Whole Foods and Sprouts and has a clean ingredient list that does not appear to contain any gluten. That said, the product is not labeled “gluten free.”
I tested Organics pudding with my Nima Sensor. After eating it, I experienced dull bloating and didn’t feel well. I thought it was just the dairy from the pudding, but after eating it a second time, I still felt sick.
Sure enough, Nima displayed a wheat symbol, which means it found gluten in Organics pudding. I conducted this test in 2017 and have avoided the brand since.
Royal Instant Pudding: Royal instant pudding doesn’t bear a gluten-free label, but like Jell-O, it doesn’t appear to contain any gluten ingredients.
Simply Delish: This keto-friendly brand of instant chocolate pudding is labeled “gluten free” and is free from the top eight allergens, which include wheat, tree nuts, peanuts, dairy, soy, shellfish, and soy.
Snack Pack: Some Snack Pack puddings are touted as “gluten free” on the company’s website. However, none of the pudding cups bear a gluten-free label. Snack Pack is owned by Conagra, which says only products labeled “gluten free” have been verified to contain less than 20 ppm of gluten.
Swiss Miss: While Swiss Miss puddings are not labeled gluten free, they do not appear to contain any gluten ingredients. However, the company’s parent company, Conagra, says that only products labeled “gluten free” have been verified to contain less than 20 ppm of gluten.
The Bottom Line
While instant pudding and pudding cups are unlikely to contain gluten, there is always a risk of gluten cross-contamination in packaged products. As you can see, the Organics brand of chocolate pudding bears a clean ingredient list, but it was likely contaminated with gluten in the company’s shared manufacturing facilities.
The most accurate information will always be on the label itself. Please read labels carefully and check with manufacturers when in doubt.
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