Are Potatoes gluten-free? Find out if this food is safe for a gluten-free diet

Are potatoes gluten-free? Find out if potatoes are safe for a gluten-free diet in this post.

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If you follow a gluten-free diet or are just getting started with one, you may be wondering what foods are safe to enjoy. What foods contain gluten and which don’t?

In this post, we’ll be diving into the world of potatoes and find out if they are a good ingredient to keep in your diet while gluten-free. We’ll also talk about different ways to serve potatoes and when these are okay for a gluten-free diet and when they aren’t.

Before we answer the question “are potatoes gluten-free?” we first need to be sure we’re on the same page. We need to know what gluten is in order to avoid it.

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.

Gluten is naturally occurring, yet many people have a hard time digesting it as well as having immune responses to it when it enters their system. Many people who experience side effects from eating gluten have either celiac disease or a food intolerance, and choose to avoid gluten entirely in their diets.

Are potatoes gluten-free?

Potatoes are naturally gluten-free and don’t contain gluten, as they are not a grain.

Better yet, potatoes are grown underground, making any possibility of cross contamination in the field practically impossible.

Can you have potatoes on a gluten-free diet?

Potatoes are naturally gluten-free, and therefore safe to enjoy on a gluten-free diet. In their most basic form, in any variety, potatoes can be enjoyed while still avoiding gluten.

Whether you enjoy them for weeknight dinners, in soups and stews, or for your Thanksgiving feast, potatoes are almost always gluten-free.

When potatoes aren’t gluten-free

While potatoes are naturally gluten-free, that doesn’t mean that every food that contains potatoes is.

You’ll want to be on the lookout for any processed foods that contain potatoes, and always check ingredients lists for any hidden ingredients that could be gluten.

If potatoes are served with sauces, in soups, or have a coating on them for seasoning, you’ll want to be sure there aren’t any hidden sources of gluten.

One of my little secrets is that I carry around a copy of my GFDF Take Along Cards so that I always have a point of reference when I can sneak a peek at the ingredient list of a food.

>> Get your copy of the GFDF Take-Along Cards to make this easy on you.

Are potatoes cooked and served in different ways always gluten-free?

Potatoes in their most natural state are gluten-free, but the way we serve them might make it so they aren’t safe to enjoy on a gluten-free diet. Let’s go over some of these popular ways to cook and serve potatoes to ensure you have a clear answer if your favorite way to enjoy potatoes are gluten-free.

Are baked potatoes gluten-free?

Baked potatoes when baked with nothing on them are naturally gluten-free. Be cautious of spreads, sauces, and toppings you put on baked potatoes, as these may contain gluten.

Are roasted potatoes gluten-free?

Roasted potatoes when made at home are naturally gluten-free. To be sure you don’t add any gluten to your potatoes before roasting, use an oil or dairy-free butter to create the crispiness you’re looking for and try to stick with single ingredient herbs and spices.

Herb and spice blends tend to have more opportunity for hidden sources of gluten in the form of “natural flavorings” or preservatives.

Are mashed potatoes gluten-free?

Mashed potatoes are gluten-free, as long as the ingredients that are added to them after cooking are also gluten-free.

Read on: Are mashed potatoes gluten-free?

Read on: Get my dairy-free mashed potato recipe – that’s also gluten-free!

Are potato chips gluten-free?

Many potato chips are not gluten-free, and have hidden sources of gluten in the ingredients list. You can look for these by scouring the ingredient lists, and/or looking for a gluten-free label on the packaging.

A few gluten-free potato chip brands are: Kettle Brand, Frito Lay’s Lays and Ruffles, Pop Chips, and Terra chips.

Be sure to check the ingredient lists of different flavors to be sure what you’re buying is gluten-free.

Read on: Are potato chips gluten-free?

Read on: Are Ruffles gluten-free?

Read on: Are Lay’s chips gluten-free?

Are French fries gluten-free?

French fries are gluten-free when homemade. They are sometimes gluten-free when you buy them frozen from the grocery store, if they have not been processed in a shared facility as other gluten products.

French fries are rarely gluten-free when you buy them at restaurants due to cross contamination from a shared fryer with other gluten-containing ingredients.

Read on: Are French Fries gluten-free?

Are tater tots gluten-free?

Tater tots are similar to French fries, in that if you buy them at restaurants, they are likely to contain gluten from a shared fryer.

When you buy frozen tater tots, they may contain gluten in order to help them crisp up in the oven. Look for hidden sources of gluten in the ingredient list or a gluten-free label on the packaging to help you make a decision when at the grocery store.

Read on: Are tater tots gluten-free?

Are potato skins gluten-free?

Potato skins when ordered from a restaurant are often fried to make them crispy, meaning they’ve likely shared a fryer with other gluten-containing foods, like mozzarella sticks or other fried meats.

You can make them at home using a recipe like this one to ensure they are 100% gluten-free.

Are hash browns gluten-free?

Since hash browns are made of potatoes, they are definitely gluten-free, right? Maybe.

Depending on if you make them from scratch, buy them bagged and frozen from the store, or get them a restaurant, they may or may not contain gluten.

If you make your own hash browns at home, they are definitely going to be gluten-free.

If you buy them bagged and frozen from the store, they may or may not be gluten-free. Some brands put flour in their hash browns to make them stick together while being cooked. Look at the ingredients list to be sure the ones you buy don’t contain gluten.

If you order them from a restaurant, they may contain flour to act as a binder. Hash browns from a restaurant are also likely to contain gluten from cross contamination from a shared cooktop with other foods, like French toast or pancakes.

Read on: Are hash browns gluten-free?

Read on: Are McDonald’s hash browns gluten-free?

Are potatoes au gratin gluten-free?

Potatoes au gratin or scalloped potatoes are generally made with a combination of thinly sliced potatoes, onions, butter, flour, milk, and cheese. When potatoes au gratin are made with flour, they are not safe for a gluten-free diet.

You can try your hand at a gluten-free version of this dish, like this one.

You might also try a gluten and dairy-free version, like this one.

Is potato salad gluten-free?

If you make your own potato salad at home, it can definitely be made to be gluten-free. Find a recipe to try from my gluten and dairy free salad recipes.

If you are wanting to buy a store-bought potato salad, you’ll definitely want to check ingredients lists or look for a gluten-free label. In many prepared foods, gluten likes to hide in dressings and flavorings, so it’s best to look at each product individually.

Read on: Is potato salad gluten-free?

Is potato soup gluten-free?

Potato soup from a grocery store or restaurant can definitely contain hidden gluten. While it might not be intuitive to expect that potato soup would have gluten, flour may be added for thickening at some point in the cooking process.

There might also be a potential for cross contamination with other soups that contain gluten during processing.

Look at ingredients lists and for gluten-free labels to help you make an informed decision before purchasing.

When you make your own potato soup at home, you can be sure that it’s gluten-free. Try my gluten-free crock pot potato soup!

Is potato flour gluten-free?

Potato flour is made from dehydrated potatoes, and is often used as a thickener or as a gluten-free flour replacement. Since potato flour is made only from potatoes, we know it’s gluten-free.

Is potato bread gluten-free?

Potato bread is generally not gluten-free. Unless made at home, you’ll find that most potato bread that you can buy at the store will contain wheat flour or other gluten-containing flours in addition to other ingredients.

Avoid potato bread from the store if you are following a gluten-free diet, unless it is labeled as gluten-free or the ingredients list checks out as having no hidden sources of gluten.

Read on: Is potato bread gluten-free?

Are sweet potatoes gluten-free?

This entire post we’ve been talking about a variety of potatoes, but what about sweet potatoes? Are they any different? Are they also gluten-free?

The answer is YES. Sweet potatoes when prepared without other gluten ingredients are also gluten-free. As are mashed, roasted, and French fried potatoes.

Read on: Are sweet potatoes gluten-free?

As always, if you’re buying something from the grocery store, do your due diligence to look at ingredient lists and labels to be sure the product is gluten-free before buying.

I hope if you love potatoes and are following a gluten-free diet, that this post has given you the answers you’ve been looking for!

Potatoes are a big part of my diet and with so many limited options being gluten and dairy-free, this ingredient is one that I’m happy to enjoy in as many ways as I can!

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.

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Are Potatoes Gluten-free?

What is gluten?

Are potatoes gluten-free?

Can you have potatoes on a gluten-free diet?

When potatoes aren’t gluten-free