One of the questions we get all the time is: Is chocolate gluten free? Here is our answer:
Pure, unsweetened chocolate is gluten-free. But who wants to eat that? Chocolate becomes contaminated with gluten three different ways, read how and which brands are safe here.
1. Making Chocolate Taste Delicious:
Cacao beans are roasted and liquified and then added to other ingredients (like milk and sugar) to make the chocolate taste delicious. It’s when the chocolate is combined with these “other ingredients” that may contaminate it with gluten. If you have an extreme gluten-intolerance, be sure to always read the label of the chocolate carefully.
2. Processing Chocolate with Gluten:
Some companies process chocolate in the same plant that processes products that contain gluten. If this is the case, then the chocolate has become cross-contaminated. So there is a chance that it now contains gluten.
3. Chocolate Covered Gluten:
Chocolate becomes non-gluten-free when it is added to something with gluten. Most candy bars contain gluten, so if the candy bar is coated in chocolate, then the chocolate is not gluten-free.
Here’s a list of chocolate companies that we carry and their stand on gluten-free products:
Ghirardelli: According to Ghirardelli, the company only makes 1 chocolate bar (of which we do not carry) that contains gluten. Everything else is processed in the same plant, but they clean the equipment after processing the gluten product. You can read more about allergen information on their website.
Guittard: On Guittard’s FAQ page on their website states: “Our products and our processing are gluten free.”
Hershey’s: All of the Hershey’s products that we carry are gluten-free. You can read more about what else is gluten-free from Hershey’s on their website.
Merckens: There is nothing specified Merckens is gluten free. It comes down to reading the individual label. As far as processing goes, Merckens does provide processing information on their website. They also have information on health and nutrition.
Linley Thomson
February 18, 2018 at 10:51 amDo you know anything about Peters chocolate? If that’s gluten free?
candaceheward
April 30, 2018 at 1:18 pmThey don’t specify in their ingredient list that their products are gluten free. There is a chance it could be cross contaminated by other products manufactured in their facility. I don’t feel confident in saying their products are in fact gluten free!
Michelle P.
May 28, 2012 at 12:49 amI just discovered your store and am planning to come in when we visit the area in a few weeks. I am celiac and a home baker, and I find it difficult to locate good baking ingredients. I see you carry a lot of Ambrosia products. When I checked into their products about 1.5 years ago, they told me that all of their products were gluten-free. I’m hoping this is still true as I see you carry some butterscotch chips & p.b. chips of theirs. I’m hoping you hear back about the other brands you mentioned above!
Cait
May 29, 2012 at 10:07 amMichelle,
I believe they are gluten-free, but I’ll check into it to be sure.
Thanks!
-Cait