Last Updated on December 8, 2022
Today, we’re going to be answering the question: does cream cheese have gluten? And taking a look at which brands of cream cheese are considered safe to eat when following a gluten free diet. You may not think that cream cheese would contain gluten, but unfortunately gluten can make its way into almost any food product! For this reason, it’s always best to check ingredients labels for the most up to date information. But typically, does cream cheese have gluten? Let’s take a closer look.
What Is Cream Cheese? – Does Cream Cheese Have Gluten?
You’ll likely already be familiar with cream cheese, as it’s a staple in many households; including mine! Cream cheese is a soft cheese, that is usually quite mild in flavor. However, nowadays there are many different flavors of cream cheese. Cream cheese is simply made using milk and cream, along with stabilizers such as carob bean gum.
To be classed as cream cheese, the product needs to contain at least 33% milk fat and have a moisture content of less than 55%. Cream cheese doesn’t need aging, so it’s not like other soft cheeses. In taste and texture, it’s similar to that of mascarpone, or one of my personal favorites, Boursin.
Ingredients In Cream Cheese
You may be wondering what ingredients are often found in cream cheese. While it can differ depending on the manufacturer and whether it’s flavored, typical ingredients include:
- pasteurized milk
- cream
- salt
- carob bean gum
- cheese culture
Nutritional Information Of Cream Cheese
You may be curious as to the nutritional value of cream cheese. Each small packet of cream cheese contains the following:
- Calories: 291
- Fat: 29g
- Saturated Fat: 16g
- Cholesterol: 94mg
- Sodium: 273mg
- Potassium: 117mg
- Carbohydrates: 3.5g
- Dietary Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 5g
- Sugar: 2.7g
Does Cream Cheese Have Gluten?
If you’re looking for the answer to: does cream cheese have gluten? Look no further! There is no definitive answer, but nearly all cream cheeses are free from gluten. This is usually accurate for most flavors and companies. However, if the cream cheese includes pretzels, bagel chips or crumbles, or come in snack packs, it’s best to avoid them.
As cream cheese is simply made using fresh milk and cream, it’s very unusual for cream cheese to not be gluten free.
Does Cream Cheese Have Dairy?
While crema cheese is free from gluten, it’s important to note that it’s not free from dairy. In fact, the product is made entirely from dairy. It’s mainly made from milk and cream; which are both dairy products. For this reason, it’s also not suitable for a vegan diet. There are vegan and dairy free cream cheeses available, so always be sure to check the free from aisles in your local grocery stores.
Read more about Are Ruffles Cheddar and Sour Cream Gluten Free? (& Best GF Potato Chips)
Is Philadelphia Cream Cheese Gluten Free?
Without a doubt, the most popular brand of cream cheese is Philadelphia. It comes in a huge selection of flavors; all of which are gluten free. This does not include those that come with gluten containing products such as bagel chips and pretzels.
Here’s a selection of some of their gluten free flavors:
- strawberry cream cheese (low fat and regular)
- chive and onion cream cheese (low fat and regular)
- blueberry cream cheese
- honey pecan cream cheese
- pumpkin spice cream cheese
- pineapple cream cheese
- garden vegetable cream cheese
- brown sugar and cinnamon cream cheese
- smoked salmon cream cheese
- no bake original cheesecake filling
- spicy jalapeno cream cheese
- buffalo style with celery cream cheese
You can find out more about their products here.
Is Happy Farms Cream Cheese Gluten Free?
Happy Farms is Aldi’s own brand of cream cheese. While it does not explicitly carry a gluten free label, it does not contain any gluten ingredients and is considered safe to consume on a gluten free diet.
Gluten Free Cream Cheese Brands
While Philadelphia is the leading brand of cream cheese, there are plenty of gluten free cream cheese brands available. In fact, more often than not, cream cheese is gluten free and should not contain any gluten ingredients.
Crystal Farms
Crystal Farms has been around for almost 100 years and is a cheese processing plant which is based in Wisconsin. They have confirmed that all of their cream cheese is suitable for those following a gluten free diet.
Hoosier Hill Farm Cream Cheese powder, 1 Lb. Gluten Free and rBGH and rBST free
They offer the following eight flavors:
- onion and chive cream cheese
- blueberry cream cheese
- light cream cheese
- garden vegetable cream cheese
- original cream cheese
- whipped cream cheese
- strawberry cream cheese
- Neufchatel cheese 1/3 less fat
Great Value – Does Cream Cheese Have Gluten
Great Value is Walmart’s own brand, which has a huge selection of affordable everyday products, including cream cheese. On their website, Walmart place the following Great Value cream cheeses in their gluten free section:
- cream cheese (great value)
- cream cheese spread (great value)
- fat free cream cheese (great value)
- whipped cream cheese spread (great value)
- mixed berry cream cheese spread (great value)
- strawberry cream cheese spread (great value)
- strawberry whipped cream cheese spread (great value)
Take Out Time to Also Read:
- Are Jolly Rancher Gummies Gluten Free? The Best GF Candy
- Are Lay’s Poppables Gluten Free?
- Does Cornstarch Have Gluten?
Other Brands
This list is by no means extensive and simply covers some of the most popular brands of gluten free cream cheese that you may want to purchase. Some other well known brands that didn’t make the list which all offer gluten free cream cheese are:
- Organic Valley Cream Cheese
- Prairie Farms Original Cream Cheese
- Lucerne Cream Cheese
- Kite Hill Dairy-Free Cream Cheese
- Tofutti Vegan Cream Cheese
- Daiya Foods Plant-Based Cream Cheese
Some of these cream cheeses are not just gluten free, but also dairy free and vegan friendly, meaning that they’re suitable for a range of dietary lifestyles.
Conclusion – Does Cream Cheese Have Gluten?
I hope this post has helped to answer the question: does cream cheese have gluten? And given you an idea of which cream cheese brands you can safely enjoy when following a gluten free diet. Cream cheese is one of the easiest foods to find gluten free.
Do you know of any other gluten free brands of cream cheese? If so, please feel free to let me know in the comments below. Sharing is caring!
Hi, my name’s Zoë. I’m 28 years old and live in London, UK. I work full time as a freelance writer and critic for West End theatre. Writing has been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember. I spend most of my free time at the theatre, or at conventions. I’m married to the love of my life, and live in a small apartment with my fur baby, Lillie. I run two of my own blogs: No Safer Place and Stage to Page: both of which have won awards. I also have a YouTube channel where I talk about all things stagey.
