Find out if Ritz crackers are gluten-free, what it’s made from, and which flavors are safe for a gluten-free diet.
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Do you love snacking on Ritz crackers or putting a sleeve of them out for when guests come over with a little dip for entertaining? If so, you’re not alone.
In fact, with so many cracker options at the store, it’s nice to have one brand that you can decide once that you’ll buy and just always keep those on hand for when guests come.
But what if you are getting started with a gluten-free diet? Or what if you have guests coming that are trying to stick with steering clear of gluten? Are Ritz crackers okay to serve?
In this post, we’re going to talk about what Ritz crackers are, what flavors and varieties they come in, and what the main ingredients are in these snackable crackers.
We’ll also dive into talking about what gluten is and answer the big question “Are Ritz crackers gluten-free?” We’ll wrap this post up with a few other gluten-free cracker brands you might want to check out, as well as some recipes for gluten-free crackers you may want to try baking up in your own kitchen.
Let’s get into talking about Ritz crackers!
What are Ritz crackers?
Ritz crackers are a brand of crackers. They come in a round flat shape with seven venting holes on the top with scalloped edges around the sides. They’re golden brown in color with salt sprinkled on top.
Ritz crackers are very crispy with a buttery, salty flavor. Many people use them for snacking, serving with cheese or other charcuterie, as a side or dipping in soups, and even turn them into crusts for pies or other desserts.
This brand of crackers was first on the market in 1934 and they’re still produced by the Nabisco brand today.
What flavors and varieties do Ritz crackers come in?
Ritz crackers come in a variety of flavors and options, including their Originals, Crisp & Thins, and Toasted Chips lines. Here is their current product lineup, according to their website.
Ritz Original Crackers
- Ritz Original Crackers
- Ritz Roasted Vegetable Crackers
- Ritz Honey Wheat Crackers
- Ritz Garlic Butter Crackers
- Ritz Reduced Fat Crackers
- Ritz Hint of Salt Crackers
- Ritz Whole Wheat Crackers
- Ritz Everything Crackers
Ritz Crisp & Thins
- Ritz Original Crisp & Thins
- Ritz Cream Cheese & Onion Crisp & Thins
- Ritz Salt & Vinegar Crisp & Thins
- Ritz Barbecue Crisp & Thins
- Ritz Cheddar Crisp & Thins
- Ritz Jalapeno Cheddar Crisp & Thins
- Ritz Tabasco Crisp & Thins
Ritz Fresh Stacks
- Ritz Original Fresh Stacks
- Ritz Whole Wheat Fresh Stacks
Ritz Bits
- Ritz Bits Peanut Butter
- Ritz Bits Cheese
Ritz Toasted Chips
- Ritz Original Toasted Chips
- Ritz Cheddar Toasted Chips
- Ritz Sour Cream & Onion Toasted Chips
- Ritz Multigrain Toasted Chips
- Ritz Veggie Toasted Chips
- Ritz Toasted Pita Crackers Toasted Chips
- Ritz Sour Cream & Onion Toasted Chips
Ritz Cracker Sandwiches
- Ritz Cheese
- Ritz Peanut Butter
Ritz Seasonals
- Ritz Fudge Covered Crackers
- Ritz Limited Edition Snowflake Crackers
Ritz Cheese Crispers
- Ritz Four Cheese & Herb Cheese Crispers
- Ritz Cheddar Cheese Crispers
Ritz Crackers Ingredients
If you’re trying to get an understanding of a food and whether or not it can fit into your gluten-free diet, the most important thing is to review the ingredients list.
Let’s go over some of the more popular options from Ritz to see what ingredients they contain and if these crackers are a good option for your gluten-free diet.
All of these ingredients lists were sourced from the Ritz Crackers website.
Ritz Original Crackers ingredients
“Unbleached enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate {vitamin b1}, riboflavin {vitamin b2}, folic acid), canola oil, palm oil, sugar, salt, leavening (calcium phosphate, baking soda), high fructose corn syrup, soy lecithin, natural flavor.”
Ritz Original Crisp & Thins ingredients
“Potato flour, canola oil, cornstarch, unbleached enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate vitamin b1, riboflavin vitamin b2, folic acid), whey (from milk), sugar, oat fiber, leavening (calcium phosphate and/or baking soda), soy lecithin, sea salt, natural flavor, yeast extract, onion powder, spice.”
Ritz Bits ingredients
“Unbleached enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate {vitamin b1}, riboflavin {vitamin b2}, folic acid), peanut butter (roasted peanuts, hydrogenated vegetable oil {rapeseed and/or cottonseed and/or soybean oils}, salt, peanut oil), vegetable oil (soybean and/or canola and/or palm and/or partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil), sugar, dextrose, leavening (baking soda and/or calcium phosphate), salt, soy lecithin, malted barley flour. milk.”
Ritz Original Toasted Chips ingredients
“Unbleached enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate {vitamin b1}, riboflavin {vitamin b2}, folic acid), soybean and/or canola oil, cornstarch, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, potato starch, leavening (calcium phosphate and/or baking soda), salt. milk.”
Ritz Four Cheese & Herb Cheese Crispers ingredients
“Potato flour, cornstarch, canola oil, whole grain wheat flour, four cheese blend [cheddar, monterey jack, parmesan and mozzarella cheeses (pasteurized milk, cultures, salt, enzymes), ], sugar, oat fiber, salt, soy lecithin, natural flavor, calcium phosphate, potassium bicarbonate, yeast extract, onion powder, dried parsley, garlic powder, spices, calcium lactate”.
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, and therefore is impossible to strip away from the grain. If a grain naturally has gluten in it, there’s no way to make that food gluten-free.
Read on: What is gluten in food?
Are Ritz crackers gluten-free?
Unfortunately, because all varieties and flavors of Ritz crackers contain wheat flour, they aren’t considered gluten-free.
If you love Ritz crackers, you might be disappointed to find this out, but don’t worry – there are a number of other brands of gluten-free crackers to choose from!
Which crackers are gluten-free?
While Ritz crackers might not be gluten-free, that doesn’t mean you have to live without enjoying crackers entirely on your gluten-free diet! Here are just a few options to choose from. For even more, be sure to check out my Gluten-free Crackers post.
Gluten-free Ritz Crackers substitutes
- Absolutely Gluten-free Original Crackers
- Every Body Eat Sea Salt Chia Crackers
- Glutino Original Crackers
- Hu Sea Salt Grain-free Crackers
- Lance Original Gluten-free Crackers
- Nabisco Good Thins Crackers
Can I make my own gluten-free Ritz crackers?
Absolutely! If you’re up for a project and want to find a recipe that suits your gluten-free diet without having to spend extra money on a gluten-free option from the store, try one of these recipes.
- Ritz-Style Gluten Free Crackers from Gluten Free on a Shoestring
- Gluten-free Ritz Style Crackers from Let Them Eat Gluten Free Cake
- Buttery Ritz Crackers from Fave Gluten-free Recipes
Note that if you’re following a dairy-free diet in addition to avoiding gluten like I am, you’ll want to find a recipe that uses vegan butter or you can swap the butter in these recipes for vegan butter to make it work for you.
If you’ve been looking for an answer as to whether or not you can still enjoy Ritz crackers on a gluten-free diet, I hope this information has been useful for you. While Ritz crackers are not gluten-free, there are plenty of other gluten-free cracker options available that are just as tasty and snackable.
If you aren’t satisfied with the options that you can buy at the store as a gluten-free Ritz cracker replacement, then I hope you’ll try one of the recipes I’ve shared with you in this post to see if you can recreate this favorite from home using ingredients you trust.
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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