Are you wondering if Fritos are safe for your gluten-free diet? Find out in this post where we’ll talk about if your favorite chips are gluten-free.

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Fritos are a well loved snack option and a popular corn chip that are popular for enjoying alongside sandwiches, used to dip, are great for tailgating, family barbecues, and even dunking in chili.

If you’ve found yourself at a gathering or just scouring the grocery store aisles wondering if this snack food is for you, this post will tell you everything you need to know about Fritos and your gluten-free diet.

In this post, we’ll talk about what Fritos are made out of, if they are gluten-free, what flavors are gluten-free, which flavors are dairy-free, and finally where to buy them.

If you’ve been longing to find an easy snack option you can find at most grocery stores or convenience stores, this post is for you!

The popularity of Fritos corn chips

If you aren’t familiar with Fritos corn chips, these popular chips have been around since 1932. While they were originally introduced by the Frito Corporation, they’ve come under the Frito-Lay company with the merging with Lay’s brands.

Fritos are among the product lineup with Frito-Lay alongside Cheetos, Doritos, and Tostitos, three other popular chip brands made with corn ingredients.

People love to enjoy these corn chips on their own, but they have such a major fan base that folks have made them into the star of many recipes, like Frito Pie, nachos, and “walking tacos.”

What are Fritos made out of? Fritos Ingredient List

Fritos are made with minimal ingredients, which is something I’m always looking for when it comes to following a gluten-free diet.

The less ingredients there are a packaged food, the less likely I am to find gluten in hidden places.

Original Fritos, Lightly Salted, and Scoops are made out of only three ingredients: corn, corn oil, and salt. Since we know corn is gluten-free, we can safely assume Fritos are okay on a gluten-free diet.

Read on: Is corn gluten-free?

What are the different types of Fritos?

Fritos come in a few different varieties and different flavors. Here is the current product lineup of this popular chip brand:

Fritos Original Corn Chips
Fritos Scoops Corn Chips
Fritos Scoops Spicy Jalapeno Corn Chips
Fritos Lightly Salted Corn Chips
Fritos Flavor Twists Honey BBQ Flavored Corn Chips
Fritos Chili Cheese Flavored Corn Chips
Fritos Flamin’ Hot Flavored Corn Chips

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.

Many processed foods have hidden gluten in them in the form of gluten or wheat derivatives.

These come in the form of flavorings, binders to keep ingredients together, or other additives. In chips specifically, gluten is often found in the flavorings that are added to the chips.

Read on: What is gluten in food? The basics of a gluten-free diet

Are Fritos gluten-free?

According to the Frito Lay website, some of their Fritos chips are gluten-free, while others are noted as not containing gluten ingredients.

What’s the difference?

While none of their products contain actual gluten ingredients, they make the distinction between the two because a few flavors are made on the same lines as gluten-containing products for other brands.

While they know their products don’t contain gluten, they don’t want to give consumers the false assumption that their facilities are dedicated gluten-free if there were in fact traces of gluten found in their products, or if someone were to get sick from eating them.

Keep in mind that Fritos are not considered “certified gluten-free,” a label that can only be listed on packaging after a third party has done more strict testing to ensure no gluten is present.

Are Fritos wheat-free?

Yes, all flavors of Fritos contain no wheat ingredients. If you avoid wheat in your diet, this might be a fine option for you.

Are all flavors of Fritos gluten-free?

All the flavors of Fritos don’t contain gluten-containing ingredients, however only four of them are considered to be gluten-free.

The gluten-free flavors of Fritos are:

Fritos Lightly Salted Corn Chips
Fritos Original Corn Chips
Fritos Reduced Fat Original Corn Chips
Fritos Scoops! Corn Chips

As mentioned in the last section, these other flavors do not contain gluten-containing ingredients, however aren’t made on a dedicated gluten-free line and may come into cross contact with gluten.

The flavors “not containing gluten ingredients” are:

Fritos Chili Cheese Flavored Corn Chips
Fritos Flamin’ Hot Flavored Corn Chips
Fritos Flavor Twists Honey BBQ Flavored Corn Chips
Fritos Scoops! Spicy Jalapeno Flavored Corn Chips

Are my favorite flavors of Fritos gluten-free?

Find out if your favorite flavors of Fritos are safe for your gluten-free diet.

I’ve included this question because I’ve gotten a lot of questions about specific flavors and if they are gluten-free. Here’s your quick and easy FAQ on some popular Frito flavors!

Are chili cheese Fritos gluten-free?

There are no gluten-containing ingredients in chili cheese flavored Fritos, however these are not listed as gluten-free by the Frito-Lay brand.

This flavor of chips are not made on a dedicated gluten-free line, so the possibility of cross contamination with gluten is likely.

Are Flamin’ Hot Fritos gluten-free?

Flamin’ Hot Fritos are noted as one of the flavors that contains no gluten, but it is processed in a facility with other gluten ingredients.

That said, you can anticipate there is cross contamination with gluten in this flavor of Fritos.

Are Honey BBQ Fritos gluten-free?

Honey BBQ Fritos are considered to have “no gluten ingredients” but are not gluten-free, because they are processed in a shared facility with gluten containing products.

The possibility of cross contamination is high with this flavor.

Are Fritos Flavor Twists gluten-free?

Most of the flavored options of Fritos contain no gluten, but are not considered gluten-free.

These Flavor Twists as well as other flavors (not the original flavor) likely have gluten due to shared equipment in the facility that process gluten.

Are Fritos dairy-free?

Since this blog is all about a gluten and dairy-free diet, let’s also discuss if Fritos are dairy-free.

After a bit of research on the Frito Lay website, I learned that four flavors of Fritos are dairy-free in addition to being gluten-free.

The dairy-free flavors of Fritos are:

Fritos Flavor Twists Honey BBQ Flavored Corn Snacks
Fritos Lightly Salted Corn Chips
Fritos Original Corn Chips
Fritos Scoops! Corn Chips

Where can I buy Fritos?

Fritos are a well known chip and snack product that you can find at most grocery stores, convenience stores, and even at Costco in snack sizes.

Of course, if you can’t find them locally, you can always get them on Amazon and shipped to your door.

Are corn chips gluten-free?

We know that Fritos are gluten-free, but are all corn chips gluten-free? It depends on the brand.

With all chips and packaged food, the best idea is to read ingredients lists to find out if the product contains gluten.

Read on: Are tortilla chips gluten-free?

Which corn chips are gluten-free?

There are a number of brands of corn chips that you can buy that are safe for a gluten-free diet. Look for some of these options next time you’re at the store:

Are chips gluten-free?

There are a number of different brands of chips that are gluten-free and safe for a gluten-free diet. For a full list of gluten-free options, read this post on Gluten-free Chips.

Is Fritos bean dip gluten-free?

Fritos Original bean dip contains the following ingredients according to the Fritos website:

“Water, Pinto Beans, Vinegar, Corn Oil, Salt, Maltodextrin (Made from Corn), Dried Onion, Sugar, Jalapeño Peppers, Spice, Chili Pepper, Dried Garlic and Natural Flavors.”

Though there are no gluten containing ingredients in this product, the brand does not label it as gluten-free. Keep this in mind before purchasing this product.

I hope if you’ve been wondering if your favorite corn chips are gluten-free that you’ve found your answer.

There are a few options that are even gluten and dairy-free for those of us who avoid both!

Next time you’re at a BBQ or get together with chips, you can safely and confidently enjoy Fritos alongside your friends without worrying about feeling sick later.

If you loved this post, I hope that you’ll share it with your friends on Facebook and pin it for future reference on Pinterest.

Gluten-free Chips

Discover which brands and flavors of chips are safe for your gluten-free diet. Great for snacks, appetizers, barbecues, picnics, and lunches.