Do Fritos Have Gluten? & GF Chip Brands

Last Updated on July 4, 2024

Today, we’re going to be answering the question: do Fritos have gluten? And take a look at other gluten-free chips brands you may want to check out. Chips are perfect for on the go and great as a snack. Whether you enjoy them with a dip or the accompaniment to a sandwich – you can’t go wrong with chips! But can you enjoy them when following a gluten-free diet? Let’s take a look.

Ingredients In Fritos

The ingredients in Fritos will differ depending on which flavor you’re looking at. Fritos Original Corn Chips are one of the most popular flavors and they contain very few ingredients. The only ingredients you’ll find in this variety are: corn, corn oil, and salt. Usually, the fewer ingredients in a product, the more likely it is to be gluten-free. And for the Fritos Original Corn Chips – that is the case!

However, each flavor contains different ingredients and it’s important to bear that in mind when purchasing any of their chips. Also, ingredients are subject to change at any time. So even if a flavor has previously been gluten-free, it’s worth checking.

Are Fritos Gluten-Free?

There’s some good news and some bad news. The good news is that there are a few flavors of Fritos that are gluten-free and others that contain no gluten ingredients. The bad news is that there are several flavors that we can not enjoy.

Let’s take a look at the difference between gluten-free and containing no gluten ingredients. Gluten-free means the product has been tested and has less than 20 ppm of gluten in the final product. It has to meet FDA’s Gluten Free Food Labeling Final Rule to do this. Therefore, the chips that are gluten-free and 100% safe are:

• Lightly Salted Corn Chips
• Original Corn Chips
• Reduced-Fat Original Corn Chips
• Scoops! Corn Chips

These products contain no gluten ingredients:

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

What’s The Difference Between No Gluten Ingredients and Gluten-Free?

You may be wondering what the difference is between the two. When something has a clear “gluten-free” label, this means that it is safe for us to consume. It has been through testing to validate its gluten-free status and should not cause a gluten reaction.

However, a no gluten ingredients claim is very different. This means that due to the storage, preparation, and transportation methods, the product may have come into contact with gluten. This is called cross-contact. And would mean the end product may contain traces of gluten. The end product is also not tested, so although it may not contain gluten – there is no guarantee.

Many gluten intolerant individuals are able to eat foods that are a “may contain gluten”, but for others, it simply isn’t worth the risk. It all depends on the severity of your intolerance.

You can find more information from Fritos about their gluten-free and no gluten-containing products here.

Gluten-Free Chips

While Fritos are one of the most popular chip brands, there are many others that offer gluten-free chips. Many chips contain no gluten ingredients, but do not carry a gluten-free label. If you’re able to opt for the gluten-free option, that’s always advisable. Here’s a round-up of some gluten-free chip brands you may like to try.

Cheetos

Cheetos are super popular and absolutely delicious. And the best part about Cheetos is that so many flavors are gluten-free! Much like Fritos, there’s a list of flavors which are gluten-free and others that contain no gluten ingredients. This is for the same reasons we looked at earlier. The gluten-free Cheetos flavors available are:

• Cheddar Jalapeño Cheese Flavored Snacks
• Crunchy Cheese Flavored Snacks
• Flamin’ Hot Cheese Flavored Snacks
• Flamin’ Hot Limón Cheese Flavored Snacks
• Crunchy XXtra Flamin’ Hot Flavored Cheese Flavored Snacks
• Fantastix! Chili Cheese Flavored Corn and Potato Snacks
• Fantastix! Flamin’ Hot Flavored Corn and Potato Snacks
• Paws Cheese Flavored Snacks
• Puffs Cheese Flavored Snacks
• Puffs Flamin’ Hot Cheese Flavored Snacks
• Crunchy White Cheddar Cheese Flavored Snacks
• Simply Puffs White Cheddar Cheese Flavored Snacks

• Simply Puffs White Cheddar Jalapeño Cheese Flavored Snacks
• Reduced-Fat Puffs Cheese Flavored Snacks
• Reduced-Fat Puffs Flamin’ Hot Cheese Flavored Snacks

and the no gluten-containing ingredients products to look out for are:

• Cheddar Flavored Popcorn
• Crunch Pop Mix Cheese Popcorn and Snack Mix
• Double Cheddar Eggs Cheese Flavored Snacks
• Flamin’ Hot® Flavored Popcorn
• Flavor Shots Flamin’ Hot Asteroids Flavored Corn Puffs
• Sweetos™ Cinnamon Eggs Flavored Snacks
• White Cheddar Bites Cheese Flavored Snacks
• White Cheddar Snowflakes® Cheese Flavored Snacks

Phew, what an extensive list from Cheetos!

Gluten-Free Chip Brands

While we don’t have time to look at them all in detail, there are plenty of other brands that are completely gluten-free or offer gluten-free flavors (please always check the packaging). Some of these brands are:

• Kettle Brand
• Pop Chips
• Cape Cod
• The Better Chip
• The Good Chip
• UTZ Potato Chips
• Uglies Potato Chips
• Good Health Kettle Chips

This list is by no means exhaustive and there’s a huge selection of gluten-free chips available.

Conclusion

I hope this article has helped to answer the question: do Fritos have gluten? And helped you to become more familiar with the gluten-free options they have available, and other gluten-free chip brands. Chips are one of the easiest foods to source gluten-free, so there’s definitely no need to deprive yourself of this tasty treat!

Read more about: Are Lay’s Potato Chips Gluten-Free?