Is BBQ sauce Gluten Free? Let’s find out!
The short answer about BBQ sauce.
Nowadays, a lot of people avoid gluten for various reasons; gluten intolerance, diets, personal beliefs, maybe religion as well (I’m not really sure about this last one, but maybe). Which is all good, you should be aware of what you do and don’t eat and you should try to control what goes into your body if your body doesn’t like certain ingredients. That being said, the question often arises: is barbeque sauce gluten free? Well, yes and no, some are and some are not which I will touch on below. What you need to know now, is that: Yes. Most BBQ sauce is gluten free. With the caveat of course that if you are avoiding gluten, it would be best to check the ingredients yourself before committing to a new bottle of sauce.
Yes. Most BBQ sauce is gluten free.
You’ve got to check the ingredients list.
Unless you are a serial buyer for the same brand over and over you should check the label for every product you buy. That way you won’t be surprised by an upset stomach or headache later when you find out that new sauce did have gluten in it. Most of the gluten containing ingredients you’ll see are pretty obvious. They’ll say some combination of: wheat, barley, rye, gluten, wheat protein, gluten protein, etc. If you see any of these keywords on a bottle, the bottle contains gluten. Sometimes it’s not so obvious though. Below are some ingredients you might see on a barbecue sauce bottle which contain gluten even though it’s not as obvious:
BBQ sauce ingredients that contain gluten:
- Wheat, Barley, Rye – contains gluten; anything that lists wheat, barley, or rye or any ingredient with one in the name certainly contains gluten
- Malt (extract, flour, flavoring, vinegar, etc.) – contains gluten; usually made from or with barley or another gluten containing grain
- Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein (or starch) – contains gluten; could be used as a thickener
- Vegetable Protein – may contain gluten; often contains wheat protein
- Natural Flavor or Artificial Flavor – may contain gluten; can be made from barley
- Maltodextrin or Dextrin – may contain gluten; can be made from wheat
- Visit this article by verywellhealth for a more extensive guide on identifying gluten on packaging labels
Wheat is one of the main sources of gluten for Americans. It is sometimes used in seasonings or sauces as a filler or thickener.
Tips for DIY gluten free BBQ sauce.
Sometimes your best bet is going to be making your own barbeque sauce. When you make your own sauce you gain full control over what’s in it (or isn’t in it for that matter). Although it may not seem like it, some of the ingredients used in making your own BBQ sauce contain gluten. So if you’re gluten intolerant you should avoid them. That’s why I built the list below that contains a few sneaky BBQ sauce ingredients which may contain gluten. Otherwise, you might not realize that these ingredients could be contaminating your homemade sauce. Remember to check the labels on all of your BBQ sauce ingredients.
Some of the ingredients used in making your own BBQ sauce contain gluten.
DIY BBQ sauce recipe ingredients that you should double check:
- Ketchup – ketchup is sometimes used as a base for BBQ sauce, it also sometimes contains gluten as a thickener or binder
- Mustard – mustard is used as either a base or added spice for BBQ sauce and it can also contain gluten as a thickener or binder
- Tomato Paste (with Italian herbs) – often used as a base or thickener for BBQ sauce, some tomato pastes contain wheat gluten protein
- Malt Vinegar – malt vinegar contains gluten and is sometimes an ingredient in BBQ sauce
- Liquid Smoke (natural smoke flavoring) – some liquid smoke flavorings contain malt flour which is not gluten free
- Seasoning Mixes – used for seasoning BBQ sauce, seasoning mixes sometimes contain gluten proteins
- Soy Sauce – is not very common in BBQ sauce but does contain gluten
Some common ingredients in homemade BBQ sauce contain gluten. Be sure to read the label if you’re unsure of something.
So what BBQ sauce is gluten free?
Is Kraft BBQ sauce gluten free?
Yes, Kraft barbecue sauce is gluten free. Well it doesn’t contain any gluten ingredients at least. Kraft doesn’t label their BBQ sauce as gluten free because they do not specifically attempt to keep gluten out of their manufacturing facilities. Therefore gluten may hitch a ride into the plant and contaminate their sauces in small amounts.
Is Heinz BBQ sauce gluten free?
Yes, Heinz BBQ sauce is gluten free. According to The Gluten Free Bar, Heinz has 5 gluten free BBQ sauce options which are: Original Barbecue Sauce, Regular, Chicken & Rib, Garlic, and Honey Garlic. You can check out the report from The Gluten Free Bar here.
Is Bull’s-Eye BBQ sauce gluten free?
Yes, it’s in the same boat as the two brands above. They do not advertise the product as gluten free because there may be contamination. Although it does not contain any gluten ingredients. Bull’s-Eye makes 4 different BBQ sauce flavors, none of them contain gluten products. In their Gluten-Free Barbecue Sauce List, verywellfit explains that Bull’s-Eye is owned by Kraft foods and shares Kraft’s stance on labeling.