Find out if Cheetos are safe for a gluten-free diet and what to be on the lookout for when shopping. Also find a list of other gluten-free cheese puff brands.
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If you’ve ever enjoyed Cheetos, there is nothing quite like having your hands coated in orange dust and licking off the remains. Yeah, Cheetos are definitely not a health food, but they do make for some delicious snacking.
If you follow a gluten-free diet, you may be wondering if you can continue eating these beloved cheesy snacks.
In this post, we are going to focus on Cheetos and find out what they are, what they’re made of, if they’re gluten-free, and talk about which flavors are safe for your gluten-free diet.
We’ll wrap the post up talking about if they contain dairy, and what other gluten-free cheese puff brands you can be on the lookout for at the grocery store if you want to skip the Cheetos entirely.
Let’s get into it!
What are Cheetos?
Cheetos are a puffed corn snack that are coated in a cheese flavored powder. They’re made by the Frito Lay company and come in a variety of flavors.
What are the ingredients in Cheetos?
According to the Cheetos website, the ingredients in these cheese snacks are:
Enriched Corn Meal (Corn Meal, Ferrous Sulfate, Niacin, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Vegetable Oil (Corn, Canola, and/or Sunflower Oil), Cheese Seasoning (Whey, Cheddar Cheese [Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes], Canola Oil, Maltodextrin [Made from Corn], Natural and Artificial Flavors, Salt, Whey Protein Concentrate, Monosodium Glutamate, Lactic Acid, Citric Acid, Artificial Color [Yellow 6]), and Salt.
Read on: Is cheddar cheese gluten-free?
What is gluten?
Gluten is a protein found in most wheat products, and acts as the “glue” that helps to hold wheat, barley, kamut, spelt, farro, durum, bulgur, rye, and semolina together to maintain their shape.
You can find gluten in whole grains, but also in many processed foods as well. If you purchase wheat bread, there will be gluten in it, because wheat by nature has gluten.
When you think of squishing a piece of bread in your hands, it will form a ball, then will bounce back. That bouncing back is often indicative of gluten. The gluten is the naturally sticky glue that is part of many whole grains.
Many processed foods have hidden gluten in them in the form or gluten or wheat derivatives. These are also in the form of flavorings, binders to keep ingredients together, or other additives.
Read on: What is gluten in food? The basics of a gluten-free diet
Are Cheetos gluten-free?
According to the Frito Lay company, only some flavors or their Cheetos are gluten-free.
All flavors and information regarding the products mentioned in this post can be found on the Frito Lay website.
Which flavors of Cheetos are gluten-free?
These are the Cheetos flavors that are considered gluten-free by Frito Lay:
- Cheetos Baked Crunchy Cheese Flavored Snacks
- Cheetos Crunchy Cheddar Jalapeño Cheese Flavored Snacks
- Cheetos Crunchy Cheese Flavored Snacks
- Cheetos Crunchy Flamin’ Hot Cheese Flavored Snacks
- Cheetos Crunchy Flamin’ Hot Limón Cheese Flavored Snacks
- Cheetos Crunchy XXtra Flamin’ Hot Flavored Cheese Flavored Snacks
- Cheetos Fantastix! Chili Cheese Flavored Corn and Potato Snacks
- Cheetos Fantastix! Flamin’ Hot Flavored Corn and Potato Snacks
- Cheetos Paws Cheese Flavored Snacks
- Cheetos Puffs Cheese Flavored Snacks
- Cheetos Puffs Flamin’ Hot Cheese Flavored Snacks
- Cheetos Simply Crunchy White Cheddar Cheese Flavored Snacks
- Cheetos Simply Puffs White Cheddar Cheese Flavored Snacks
- Cheetos Simply Puffs White Cheddar Jalapeño Cheese Flavored Snacks
- Cheetos Reduced Fat Puffs Cheese Flavored Snacks
- Cheetos Reduced Fat Puffs Flamin’ Hot Cheese Flavored Snacks
Frito Lay Gluten Statement
When this post was first published in 2021, the Frito Lay company had a section on their website where you could choose products that were gluten-free or products that contained no gluten ingredients.
The difference between the two was that while some of their products did not fit the qualifications of the 20ppm of gluten in the product, some of their other flavors contain no gluten.
Now, they have removed the two distinct lists and are only sharing information about their gluten-free products. I can assume these are the ones that get tested and they can verify with certainty are in fact gluten-free.
They have a list of US Gluten Free Products you can download and in this page, there is this note:
“Some people suffer from an intolerance to foods containing gluten, which is a type of protein found in wheat, rye and barley. Frito-Lay has validated through analytical testing that the following products contain less than 20 ppm of gluten, the level put forward in the FDA’s Gluten Free Food Labeling Final Rule.
Please note: The information provided pertains only to products made and distributed in the US. Products sold in other countries under similar brands may be made using slightly different recipes and ingredients to accommodate local needs and preferences.”
Which flavors of Cheetos have no gluten?
These are the Cheetos flavors that are considered to have no gluten-containing ingredients by Frito Lay:
- Cheetos Cheddar Flavored Popcorn
- Cheetos Crunch Pop Mix Cheese Popcorn and Snack Mix
- Cheetos Double Cheddar Eggs Cheese Flavored Snacks
- Cheetos Flamin’ Hot® Flavored Popcorn
- Cheetos Flavor Shots Flamin’ Hot Asteroids Flavored Corn Puffs
- Cheetos Sweetos™ Cinnamon Eggs Flavored Snacks
- Cheetos White Cheddar Bites Cheese Flavored Snacks
- Cheetos White Cheddar Snowflakes® Cheese Flavored Snacks
Are Chester’s puffcorn gluten-free?
Chester’s brand of products are similar to Cheetos. Only one of these Chester’s snacks are considered gluten-free: Chester’s Flamin’ Hot Flavored Fries.
Are Cheeto Puffs gluten-free?
According to Frito-Lay, these Cheeto Puff varieties are considered gluten-free:
- Cheetos Puffs Cheese Flavored Snacks
- Cheetos Puffs Flamin’ Hot Cheese Flavored Snacks
- Cheetos Simply Puffs White Cheddar Cheese Flavored Snacks
- Cheetos Reduced Fat Puffs Cheese Flavored Snacks
- Cheetos Reduced Fat Puffs Flamin’ Hot Cheese Flavored Snacks
Are Hot Cheetos gluten-free?
According to the Frito Lay website, these are the Hot Cheetos and Chester’s products that are considered gluten-free:
- Cheetos Crunchy Flamin’ Hot Cheese Flavored Snacks
- Cheetos Crunchy Flamin’ Hot Limón Cheese Flavored Snacks
- Cheetos Crunchy XXtra Flamin’ Hot Flavored Cheese Flavored Snacks
- Cheetos Fantastix! Flamin’ Hot Flavored Corn and Potato Snacks
- Cheetos Puffs Flamin’ Hot Cheese Flavored Snacks
- Cheetos Reduced Fat Puffs Flamin’ Hot Cheese Flavored Snacks
- Chester’s Flamin’ Hot Flavored Fries
Are Baked Cheetos gluten-free?
The Frito Lay website indicates that Cheetos Baked Crunchy Cheese Flavored Snacks are gluten-free and should be labeled so on the packaging. These are safe for a gluten-free diet.
Are Simply Cheetos gluten-free?
Simply Cheetos in both Crunchy White Cheddar Cheese and Puffs White Cheddar Cheese flavors are considered gluten-free.
This Cheetos variety also has no artificial flavors or colors. With the top ingredient being cornmeal, you can feel confident these are gluten-free.
If you are following a dairy-free diet, these do contain dairy, so steer clear of this option and opt for a different vegan or dairy-free cheese puffed corn snack instead.
Are Crunchy Cheetos gluten-free?
These are the options of gluten-free Crunchy Cheetos listed by the Frito-Lay brand:
- Cheetos Baked Crunchy Cheese Flavored Snacks
- Cheetos Crunchy Cheddar Jalapeno Cheese Flavored Snacks
- Cheetos Crunchy Cheese Flavored Snacks
- Cheetos Crunchy Flamin’ Hot Cheese Flavored Snacks
- Cheetos Crunchy Flamin’ Hot Limon Cheese Flavored Snacks
- Cheetos Crunchy Xxtra Flamin’ Hot Flavored Cheese Flavored Snacks
- Simply Crunchy White Cheddar Cheese Flavored Snacks
- Cheetos Reduced Fat Crunchy Flamin’ Hot Cheese Flavored Snacks
- Cheetos Reduced Fat Crunchy Flamin’ Hot Limon Cheese Flavored Snacks
Is Cheetos popcorn gluten-free?
There aren’t any Cheetos popcorn products listed on the Frito Lay website as being gluten-free.
Are Chester’s Hot Fries gluten-free?
Yes, Chester’s Flamin’ Hot Flavored Fries are considered gluten-free by the Frito-Lay brand on their website.
Are Cheddar Jalapeno Cheetos gluten-free?
Yep, the Cheddar Jalapeno Cheetos flavor is considered safe for a gluten-free diet on the Frito Lay website.
Are Baked Hot Cheetos gluten-free?
Only the Baked Crunchy Cheese Flavored Snacks are considered gluten-free, not the hot variety.
Are White Cheddar Cheetos gluten-free?
Yes, Cheetos Simply Crunchy White Cheddar Cheese and Simply Puffs White Cheddar Cheese Cheetos are considered gluten-free.
Are Simply Cheetos gluten-free?
Yes, these are the two options of Simply Cheetos are considered gluten-free by the Frito Lay brand. This includes both their Simply Crunchy White Cheddar Cheetos and their Simply Puffs White Cheddar Cheetos.
Are Cheetos dairy-free?
No flavors of Cheetos are considered dairy-free or safe for a dairy-free die
Now that we’ve covered the Cheetos brand, let’s talk about some of the other options for cheese puffs that are available to you.
What other cheese puff brands are gluten-free?
Cheetos are a well-known brand, but there are other manufacturers who make gluten-free cheese puffs. Here are some other gluten-free cheese puffs you can look for at your local store or search for online.
Since I also follow a dairy-free diet, I’ve indicated with an asterisk (*) those in the list that are also dairy-free.
This list is not exhaustive and each of these brands may offer other flavors, but this will give you a nice jumping off point of options to be on the lookout for.
- Annie’s Organic Cheddar Cheesy Puffs
- Barbara’s Bakery Original Cheese Puffs
- Beanitos Baked White Bean Mac N’ Cheese Crunch
- Biena Chickpea Aged White Cheddar Snack Puffs
- Hippeas Organic Vegan White Cheddar Chickpea Puffs*
- IWONOrganics Protein Puffs
- Lesser Evil Paleo Puffs “No Cheese” Cheesiness*
- Luke’s Organic White Cheddar Cheese Puffs
- Pirate’s Booty Cheese Puffs
- Schoolyard Snacks Cheddar Cheese Keto Puffs
- Shrewd Food Baked Cheddar Protein Puffs
- Spudsy Sweet Potato Puffs*
- The Daily Crave Beyond Puffs*
- Thrive Market non-GMO Vegan Nacho Grain-free Puffs*
- Utz Cheese Balls
- Wise Snacks Cheez Doodles Baked Puffs
Read on: Is Pirate’s Booty gluten-free?
I hope if you’ve been looking to find out if you can still enjoy your beloved Cheetos on a gluten-free diet, that this information has helped you get the answers you need.
Most Cheetos flavors are gluten-free or contain no gluten-containing ingredients, however they are not dairy-free. Be aware that if you also avoid dairy, you’ll want to look for one of the other dairy-free options listed above.
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