Are Ciders Gluten Free? (& Our Top Picks)

Last Updated on September 1, 2024

With summer fast approaching, cider is the perfect drink to cool you down and get you in that summery mood. When it comes to drinks, it may not have even crossed your mind that they contain gluten – but they certainly can! So is cider gluten-free? Let’s take a look.

What Is Cider?

Cider is an alcoholic drink that has been made using apple juice, which has been fermented (it may sound gross but is absolutely delicious!). Cider is more common in the UK than in the US – and you may know it better as “hard cider”. Cider can come in a range of flavors and alcoholic strengths.

Learn more about: Is Apple Cider Vinegar Gluten-Free?

Ingredients In Cider

If you take a look at the ingredients label on a bottle of cider, it’ll usually contain the following ingredients:

• water
• apple juice
• glucose
• malic acid
• caramel
• carbon dioxide
• sulfite
• potassium sorbate

Nutritional Information Of Cider

The nutritional information of cider may differ slightly depending on which brand and flavor you buy. However, each cup of apple cider usually contains the following:

• Calories: 120
• Fat: 0.3g
• Protein: 0.3g
• Carbs: 28g
• Fiber: 0.5g
• Sugar: 24g

How Much Alcohol Is In Cider?

The amount of alcohol will vary, but typically the percentage is between 3% and 8%. In some places, the percentage of alcohol can be up to 12%, but that is rare. Cider is usually considered to be an alcoholic beverage that doesn’t contain a lot of alcohol.

What’s The Difference Between Beer and Cider?

Some people confuse beer and cider because they do look quite similar – however, they are completely different. Cider is made from fermented apple juice, whereas beer is always made from malted barley. While you can get apple-flavored beer, its main ingredient will still always be barley malt. No cider will ever be made using gluten grains.

Is Cider Gluten Free?

Naturally, cider is completely gluten-free. As it’s made from apple juice, rather than barley (like beer), it’s considered a gluten-free alcoholic beverage. It’s always worth checking the ingredients labels though, particularly if it’s flavored – as they may contain gluten. However, that’s very unusual.

If you can, always opt for ciders that carry a gluten-free label. That way you can be sure that they’ve not been made somewhere that also handles gluten-containing products.

The Best Gluten Free Ciders

While it’s super easy to find gluten-free ciders, I thought we’d have a round-up of our top picks – because you want to be enjoying the best cider. So let’s take a look at our favorites.

Downeast Cider

Downeast Cider has some seriously good-tasting ciders – and what I love about this brand is that you can even sometimes find very small pieces of apple within your drink too, so you know how natural these drinks are! They offer a range of ciders ranging from 4.5% to 7.3% ABV, which is the average amount of alcohol in ciders. Their cider varieties include:

• Original Blend
• Double Blend
• Grapefruit
• Drier Side
• Aloha Friday
• Winter Blend
• Pumpkin Blend
• Summer Blend
• Wild Berry

Angry Orchard

Angry Orchard is likely a brand you’ll have already heard of, or seen in your local grocery store. It’s very well known – and guess what? Gluten-free too! Their cider varieties include:

• rosé
• crisp apple
• green apple
• pear
• stone dry
• easy apple

Woodchuck Cider

Woodchuck Cider has been around for a while, and it’s likely another brand you’ll already know. They have some really unique flavors, which do make you feel like you’re enjoying a drink that isn’t cider. Their awesome flavors include:

• granny smith
• pear
• amber
• sangria
• bubbly pearsecco
• raspberry
• semi-dry
• bubbly rose

Strongbow

Strongbow is an extremely popular brand of cider in the UK, but they also have Strongbow in the US too. While they don’t have many flavors, it’s a well-loved brand that I absolutely love. Their flavors include:

• original dry
• artisanal blend
• gold apple
• rose apple

If you’re still searching for more gluten-free brands, or can’t see anything you’d enjoy on your list, Urban Taste Bud has an extensive list of many of the gluten-free hard ciders available. You can check out that list here. We are most definitely spoilt for choice when it comes to ciders, as it’s so easy to find gluten-free!

Conclusion

I hope this article has helped to answer the question: are ciders gluten-free? And also gives you an idea of which are the best ciders to try the next time you’re in your local grocery store, enjoying a night out. Cider is the perfect summer alcoholic beverage, and definitely one I’ll be enjoying in the next few months.

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