Salads are a healthy and colorful addition to any meal. But no matter how healthy, a salad isn’t complete without a delicious dressing. If you follow a gluten-free diet, you know that vegetables used to make salads are naturally gluten-free, but what about dressings?
What salad dressings are gluten-free? The best gluten-free salad dressing brands are Brianna’s, Cardini’s, Hidden Valley, Ken’s Steakhouse, Kraft, Maple Grove Farms, Marzetti’s, Newman’s Own, Drew’s Organic, and Girard’s. Naturally, gluten-free salad dressings are vinaigrette dressing, Italian dressing, and ranch dressing.
Keep reading to discover more gluten-free salad dressing brands. This article will also help you learn how to tell if the salad dressing is gluten-free and safe to eat.
Are there Gluten-Free Salad Dressings?
Most salad dressings are made from naturally gluten-free ingredients. However, not all salad dressings are gluten-free.
Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, rye, and sometimes oats. While you’re unlikely to find wheat listed on a salad dressing’s label, you should look for other gluten-containing ingredients.
Ingredients that can indicate that a salad dressing contains gluten are:
- Malt vinegar
- Blue cheese
- Malt
- Food starch
- Ground spices
- Modified food starch
- Flour
- Flavorings
- Natural flavorings
- Artificial flavorings
- Artificial color
- Soy sauce
- Spice blend
- Dextrin
Although these ingredients usually indicate the presence of gluten in the product, that’s not always the case. For example, modified food starch can be made from gluten-containing ingredients, but it isn’t always made from gluten.
Modified food starch is also made from corn, which is gluten-free. If the product label states “modified food starch (corn),” you’ll know that the salad dressing is gluten-free.
The main thing to remember when shopping for gluten-free salad dressing is that if you see any of these ingredients on the label, the product contains gluten.
Gluten-Free Salad Dressing Brands
Many salad dressing brands use gluten-free ingredients to produce safe salad dressings for people with celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity. If you’re diagnosed with a gluten-related disorder, look for clearly labeled gluten-free salad dressings.
Popular gluten-free salad dressing brands are:
1. Brianna’s Fine Salad Dressings
Brianna’s is a family-owned and operated company that currently offers 22 different gluten-free salad dressings. This company labels its salad dressings gluten-free, meaning they contain less than 20 parts per million of gluten.
A few of Brianna’s dressings contain white vinegar, which the company says can be made from gluten grains.
2. Girard’s
Girard’s is a premium salad dressing brand that produces a variety of delicious dressings. This company offers an array of unique, high-quality gluten-free salad dressings.
If you have celiac disease or gluten intolerance, Girard’s makes mayonnaise, mustard, blue cheese, balsamic vinaigrette, fat-free, and specialty gluten-free dressings. The Girard’s gluten-free salad dressing list also includes ranch dressings, Italian dressings, Caesar dressings, Thousand Islands dressing, and Asian dressing.
3. Cardini’s
Cardini’s is one of several salad dressing brands made by Marzetti’s. This brand makes several gluten-free dressings, including:
- The Original Caesar Dressing
- Light Caesar Dressing
- Garlic Lemon Caesar Dressing
- Three Cheese Caesar Dressing
- Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Light Greek Vinaigrette
4. Hidden Valley
Hidden Valley has been making ranch salad dressing for over 50 years. The company offers a variety of gluten-free ranch dressing flavors, including avocado, bacon, buttermilk, cucumber, Southwest, coleslaw, and spicy.
The Hidden Valley company advises its customers always to check labels since salad dressing recipes and ingredients can change. All Hidden Valley dressings will always be clearly labeled if they contain wheat, barley, or rye ingredients.
5. Marzetti’s
Marzetti produces tasty dips and salad dressings using the highest quality ingredients. This brand offers refrigerated and shelf-stable gluten-free salad dressings in various flavors.
Marzetti’s gluten-free salad dressings are clearly labeled and contain less than 20 parts per million of gluten. As always, before purchasing a salad dressing, check the ingredient list for any gluten-containing ingredients.
6. Maple Grove Farms
Maple Grove Farms started crafting maple candy and branched out over time into making salad dressings, maple syrups, baking mixes, flavored syrups, and specialty items.
This company currently carries 15 different gluten-free salad dressing flavors. These salad dressings are labeled gluten-free, meaning they meet the FDA standards and contain less than 20 parts per million of gluten.
How to Make Sure Your Salad Dressing Is Gluten-Free?
There are a few things you can do to make sure you’re purchasing a gluten-free salad dressing:
1. Look for Gluten-Free Labeling
Always check ingredient labels to ensure the salad dressing doesn’t contain wheat, barley, rye, malt vinegar, flour, wheat thickeners, soy sauce, or food starch. Salad dressings labeled as gluten-free or certified gluten-free are safe to consume.
Products labeled as gluten-free must follow FDA labeling standards and contain less than 20 parts per million of gluten. People with gluten-related disorders shouldn’t experience any adverse reactions from so little gluten, but individual sensitivities can vary from person to person.
Certified gluten-free salad dressings contain less than 10 parts per million of gluten. Ensuring a product is certified gluten-free is important for people with celiac disease or severe gluten sensitivity.
2. Look for Gluten-Containing Ingredients
Many salad dressings aren’t labeled gluten-free, so it’s good to know which ingredients contain gluten. Salad dressings with gluten can have flavored or seasoned vinegar which may contain gluten in the form of malt.
Other problematic ingredients include flour, food starch, modified food starch, natural and artificial flavorings, artificial color, spice blend, and Dextrin.
Conclusion
People following a gluten-free diet must ensure that gluten doesn’t find a way into their plates, and that includes finding a gluten-free salad dressing. No matter how healthy and colorful, no salad is complete without a flavorful dressing.
If you’re new to eating gluten-free, you’ll be relieved to know there are many gluten-free salad dressing brands. Many brands clearly label their salad dressings as gluten-free, but it’s up to you to always check the labels for hidden gluten or other unhealthy ingredients.
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