Are Starburst Gluten-free? Find out if Starburst is safe for a gluten-free diet

Find out if Starburst candy is gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan. Plus get a list of all the gluten-free Starburst products.

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If you love chewy fruity candy, you probably love Starburst. My son is a big fan of these candies and always chooses them when given the option between loads of other candy brands.

They might not be a dentist’s best friend, but they’re fun and compact with individual wrappers, making them good for parents who appreciate portion control (me) when it comes to sweets.

If you follow a gluten-free diet and love Starburst, you’ll be glad to know we’re taking on the topic of this candy in today’s post. Find out what the ingredients of Starbust are and answer the question “are Starburst gluten-free?” We’ll also go over when Starburst aren’t safe for a gluten-free diet, and if they are dairy-free and vegan.

Learn more about Starburst and if you can continue enjoying them while sticking to your gluten-free diet.

Ingredients of Starburst

Though the ingredients may vary from flavor to flavor, their original fruit chews contain the following ingredients.

Corn Syrup, Sugar, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Fruit Juice from Concentrate (Cherry, Orange, Strawberry, Lemon), Citric Acid, Dextrin, Gelatin, Food Starch-Modified, Artificial and Natural Flavors, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Coloring (Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 1).

Read on: Is corn syrup gluten-free?

What products does Starburst make?

Starburst is best known for their fruity chewy candies, but they have a number of other candy options. Here is Starburst’s current lineup of products and flavors.

Starburst Chews

Starburst Original Fruit Chews
Starburst Fave Reds Fruit Chews
Starburst All Pink Chews
Starburst Duos Chews

Starburst Gummies

Starburst Sours Gummies
Starburst Original Gummies

Starburst Airs

Starburst Original Airs Gummies
Starburst Sour Tropical Airs Gummies

Starburst Minis

Starburst Original Mini Fruit Chews
Starburst Fave Reds Mini Fruit Chews

Starburst Swirlers

Starburst Swirlers Chewy Sticks

Starburst Gum

Starburst Original Gum

Starburst Frozen Treats

Starburst Strawberry Sorbet Bar

Starburst Jelly Beans

Starburst Original Easter Jellybeans

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.

Gluten can be found in candy as one of the main ingredients, especially in gummy candies, as wheat or wheat starch. You can also find it in flavorings, thickeners, or binders.

Are Starburst gluten-free?

Although the Mars company, the parent brand of Starburst, makes no claims on whether any of their products are gluten-free, the ingredients list on their packaging would indicate there are no gluten-containing ingredients in the product.

Starburst are generally considered safe for a gluten-free diet, however since we know that they don’t label their candy as gluten-free, there is a chance of cross contamination.

If you can tolerate trace amounts of gluten in your diet, you will likely have no issue eating Starburst. If you are celiac, you may want to choose a candy that tests and labels their products as gluten-free.

Read on: The ultimate gluten-free candy list

Are all Starburst gluten-free?

All Starburst you can find in the US are gluten-free. However, as I was researching this post, I learned that the Starburst sold in Australia contains wheat from glucose syrup in the ingredients lists.

If you find yourself in Australia looking for Starburst, you may want to pick up a different candy option instead.

Are Starburst dairy-free?

Starburst do not contain any milk or other dairy products, and are therefore safe to eat while following a dairy-free diet.

Are Starburst vegan?

While Starburst contains no dairy products, this candy does contain gelatin. If you’re vegan, you may be interested to know the source of this gelatin.

I was able to find a blog post where someone contacted the Mars company to get answers, and it appears the gelatin is sourced from animal products. If you’re vegan, you’ll want to avoid this candy.

What Starburst products are gluten-free?

All Starburst candies contain no gluten-containing ingredients, making generally a safe option for folks on a gluten-free diet. These are some of the flavors you may come across and know they are okay for you to enjoy.

Starburst Original Fruit Chews
Starburst Minis Fruit Chews
Starburst FaveREDs Fruit Chews
Starburst All Pink Fruit Chews
Starburst Tropical Fruit Chews
Starburst Duos Fruit Chews
Starburst Swirlers Chewy Sticks
Starburst GummiBursts Candy
Starburst Jelly Beans
Starburst Candy Canes

Read on: Are candy canes gluten-free?

Are Starburst jelly beans gluten-free?

Starburst jelly beans don’t have any gluten ingredients in their ingredients list making them generally safe for anyone on a gluten-free diet.

Without a gluten-free label, we know that there is a potential for cross contamination, so be aware of that and how your body reacts to trace amounts of gluten before buying or eating.

Read on: Are jelly beans gluten-free?

If you love Starburst or know a gluten-free friend who does, you can feel confident in enjoying this treat as long as you’re okay with knowing there’s no gluten-free label on the package.

There are no gluten-containing ingredients and this candy is generally considered safe to enjoy when you’re eating gluten-free.

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Are Starburst Gluten-free?

Ingredients of Starburst