Wondering which cereals are gluten-free? You’re in the right place! Good news – many favorite brands are gluten-free. Check out this ULTIMATE LIST of gluten-free cereal.
Whether you’re pouring yourself a late-night bowl or eating it as you dash out the door for work, cereal is a great pantry staple to have around. My kids love it, and I’ll be honest—I do too!
But if you have Celiac disease or gluten intolerance, you might be wondering: are there any good gluten free cereal options? Which ones are off-limits, and which ones are okay?
I’m answering ALL of your questions in this post! Keep reading to learn about the best gluten-free cereal, which ones to avoid, and which ones to be cautious about.
You also might like these articles on gluten-free graham crackers, gluten-free hot chocolate, gluten-free popcorn and are oats gluten-free.
Check out this full list of gluten-free breakfast ideas!
Table of Contents
What Cereals Are Gluten-Free?
Great news! Many popular cereal varieties are naturally gluten-free. In fact, almost any cereal that doesn’t contain wheat, malt extract, or other barley malt derivatives is gluten-free—even if it doesn’t have a gluten-free label.
Most gluten free cereal is made from corn, rice, or gluten-free oats, but some are made with other gluten-free grains like quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat, or millet.
As always, some cereals made without gluten ingredients could still cross-contaminate with gluten-containing grains during the manufacturing process. So if you’re not sure, do your homework—some brands have a dedicated gluten-free facility or use separate machinery for gluten-free products, while others do not.
How Can You Tell if a Cereal Is Gluten-Free?
Sometimes it’s easy to spot gluten-free cereal, but in other cases, it’s a little more tricky. The best way to determine if a cereal is gluten-free is by using one of four methods:
- Labeling: Some cereals have an obvious “gluten-free” label on the front or back of the box, making it easy to feel confident about eating the cereal! This is the fastest way to know if a cereal is gluten-free, so try this method first.
- Ingredient list: Don’t see a gluten-free label on the box? Don’t give up hope just yet! Even cereals that aren’t certified gluten-free might still be okay to eat. If you check the ingredients list and don’t see any wheat, barley, or rye ingredients, the food is probably safe to eat. Just remember, sometimes gluten ingredients are derivatives of wheat, barley, rye, or oats (like malt flavoring or dextrin).
- Online research: If you want to double-check how a cereal is made, Google is your best friend! Head to the internet to see if you can find the company’s website, which often has an allergen disclaimer that explains the manufacturing process. If the cereal is made in a facility that is free of gluten ingredients, that’s a green light! If the company makes a disclaimer about the risk of cross-contamination, you’ll need to make a judgment call.
- Nima testing: A Nima sensor is great to have around when you want to be totally confident that your food is gluten-free. The sensor will show a smiley face if the product has less than 20 ppm gluten, or a frowny face if a higher level of gluten is detected.
Check out this article on is oat milk gluten-free, is oatmeal gluten-free, gluten-free steel cut oats and gluten-free overnight oats.
Gluten-Free Cereal List
I scoured the grocery aisles and the internet to bring you the ultimate list of gluten-free cereal. From organic, non-GMO varieties to popular cereal brands, this list has it all!
Better-for-You Gluten-Free Cereal
I won’t claim that all of the cereal on this list is healthy, but many of these brands are organic, non-GMO, and free of artificial colors, artificial flavors, and preservatives. They’re definitely a “better-for-you” option if you’re on a gluten-free diet!
- Annie’s Cinnabunnies
- Nature’s Path Mesa Sunrise Flakes
- Nature’s Path Corn Flakes
- Nature’s Path EnviroKidz Turle Splash
- One Degree Organics
- Barbara’s Puffins Honey Rice Cereal
- Barbara’s Brown Rice Crisp
- Barbara’s Berry Burst Protein Puffins
- Cascadian Farm Organic Berry Vanilla Puffs
- Van’s Cinnamon Heaven
- Van’s Honey Crunch
- Van’s Blissfully Berry
- Van’s Cocoa Sensation
- Envirokidz Panda Puffs
- Envirokidz Rino Rolls
- Mom’s Best Crispy Cocoa Rice
- Mom’s Best Safari Cocoa Crunch
- Ancient Harvest Quinoa Flakes
- Love Grown Power O’s
- Erewhon Cinnamon Crispy Brown Rice
- Erewhon Harvest Medley
- Erewhon Crispy Brown Rice
Other Gluten-Free Cereal
These gluten-free cereals are a little hard to find. Some of them are available in select grocery stores, while others need to be purchased online (from Amazon or directly from the brand).
- Magic Spoon
- Three Wishes
- Thrive Market Coconut Flakes
- Purely Elizabeth Ancient Grain Granola
- KIND gluten-free granola clusters
- Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free muesli
- Erin Baker’s Ultra Protein Peanut Butter Granola
- Gluten-free oatmeal
Popular Gluten-Free Cereal
These are some of the most commonly found gluten-free cereals, made by leading brands.
- Cheerios
- Apple Cinnamon Cheerios
- Chocolate Cheerios
- Cinnamon Cheerios
- Honey Nut Cheerios
- Fruity Cheerios
- Frosted Cheerios
- Banana Nut Cheerios
- Multi-Grain Cheerios
- Very Berry Cheerios
- Rice Chex (You also might like this gluten-free chex mix!)
- Corn Chex
- Honey Nut Chex
- Vanilla Chex
- Apple Cinnamon Chex
- Peanut Butter Chex
- Blueberry Chex
- Chocolate Chex
- Cinnamon Chex
- Reese’s Puffs (no gluten-containing ingredients but not certified gluten-free)
- Fruity Pebbles
- Cocoa Pebbles
- Kix (no gluten-containing ingredients but not certified gluten-free)
- Trix (no gluten-containing ingredients but not certified gluten-free)
- Original Lucky Charms
Best Gluten-Free Cereal
Some gluten-free cereals can be found at almost all grocery stores. Major brands like Kellogg’s, General Mills, and Post make these classic breakfast cereals. Many people enjoy them without even knowing they’re gluten-free!
Here are some of the absolute BEST gluten-free cereals that are easy to find anywhere you go:
- Cheerios
- Apple Cinnamon Cheerios
- Chocolate Cheerios
- Cinnamon Cheerios
- Honey Nut Cheerios
- Fruity Cheerios
- Multi-Grain Cheerios
- Very Berry Cheerios
- Rice Chex
- Corn Chex
- Honey Nut Chex
- Vanilla Chex
- Apple Cinnamon Chex
- Blueberry Chex
- Chocolate Chex
- Cinnamon Chex
- Reese’s Puffs (no gluten-containing ingredients but not certified gluten-free)
- Fruity Pebbles
- Kix (no gluten-containing ingredients but not certified gluten-free)
- Trix (no gluten-containing ingredients but not certified gluten-free)
- Original Lucky Charms
What Cereals Should You Avoid if You’re Gluten-Free?
I’ve covered a long list of cereals you can enjoy if you eat gluten-free. Now let’s talk about the cereals to avoid! These cereals all contain wheat, barley, rye, or non-gluten-free oats in some form.
Some of them are made with malt flavor, which is a sneaky ingredient that some people might skip over when looking for gluten in the ingredients list. But malt flavoring is actually derived from barley, and is not safe to eat if you’re gluten-free.
Here are the gluten-containing cereals to stay AWAY from if you’re on a gluten-free diet:
- Rice Krispies (Kellogg’s brand contains barley malt)
- Corn Flakes
- Corn Pops
- Frosted Flakes
- Frosted Mini Wheats
- Honey Bunches of Oats
- Life
- Raisin Bran
- Shredded Wheat
- Special K
- Fruit Loops
- Kashi
- Chocolate Lucky Charms
- Fruity Lucky Charms
- Cream of Wheat
FAQs
According to General Mills, Cheerios are batch-tested to ensure they contain less than 20 ppm of gluten. The company also states that it created a grain-sorting system that keeps its oats gluten-free. Many Cheerios varieties are labeled gluten free on the box—but this claim is not certified by a third party. Some people in the gluten-free community are skeptical about Cheerios gluten-free claims because they use commodity oats. Ultimately, you’ll have to use your best judgment!
No, most corn flakes aren’t gluten-free because they’re made with gluten-containing ingredients like malt barley or malt flavoring. Still, you can find a few brands making gluten-free corn flakes, such as Nature’s Path Organic Fruit Juice Corn Flakes and Nestle Gluten-Free Corn Flakes. Check out my post Are Corn Flakes Gluten-Free? to learn more!
General Mills offers a few gluten free cereal options, including many varieties of Cheerios, Lucky Charms, Rice Chex and Corn Chex.
No, Raisin Bran is not gluten-free. Whole grain wheat is one of the first ingredients on the nutrition label. Since wheat flour contains gluten, the cereal is not safe for those who have gluten sensitivity and Celiac disease. Check out my post Is Raisin Bran Gluten-Free? to learn more!
Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Cereal is not gluten-free because it contains malt flavor. The brand no longer makes a gluten-free version, but you can buy gluten-free crispy rice cereal from brands like Nature’s Path, Barbara’s, and Aldi.
Oats are naturally gluten-free, but some brands have a high risk of cross-contamination with gluten during the manufacturing, packaging, or transportation process. For this reason, people with a gluten intolerance should only buy oats that are clearly labeled gluten-free.
The Bottom Line
There are many tasty cereals that fit into a gluten-free lifestyle. Keep this list of gluten-free cereals on hand, and next time you had to your local grocery store, you’ll have a much easier time finding gluten-free foods you can eat for breakfast!
Great List!!!
My son has eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) and can’t have wheat. He’s also anaphylactic to Eggs, Dairy and Tree Nuts. Lists like this give me a great starting point to narrow down some options. He has been rotating Lucky Charms and Fruity Pebbles for so long that I know it’s time to try to find something different.
I always appreciate so much the gluten free community and even the vegan community they offer so much information that it helps us in the allergy community as well. I often hear so much negative when it comes to these 2 communities but as and allergy mom because of these communities I have options in stores for my son so much more readily available.
And thank you, for your ads not taking over the whole page so I can actually read it. They are just the right size and amount.
Thanks for the kind words! It makes my day to hear the posts are helpful. And thanks for understanding about the ads – ha! They help pay the bills but I never want to overdo it. Hugs from one allergy mom to another!