Are Oreos Gluten-free?

Unlike most of my friends, we didn’t have Oreos at home as a kid. My parents were just not fans. But I had many vegan friends; Oreos are their go-to sweet snack. I remember trying them at my friend Olivia’s house the first time. It was just like the commercial. Yes, I know. Betty, why the cliché? Well, who didn’t dunk their Oreos in a glass of milk – almond milk in my case – when you were a kid? 

Skip a couple of decades, and I get diagnosed with celiac disease. That ended with many sweet snacks for me, including regular Oreos.

Are Oreos Gluten-free?

Traditional Oreos are not gluten-free and, therefore, not recommended for a gluten-free diet. Neither are double-stuffed, Halloween Oreos, Brookie-O’s, mini Oreos, Pumpkin Spice, Oreo Cinnamon Bun, Chocolate cream, Dark Chocolate, Joy (X-mas), Golden Double Stuffed, Oreo ID, Mint, Mega Stuf, Fudge Covered, Thins, and any of the treats they make. But since January 2022, Oreo has sold Gluten-free Oreo Classics and Double Stuffed. Keep reading, and I will tell you what I think of these gluten-free Oreo cookies.

Why aren’t Oreos Gluten-free?

Here is the list of ingredients straight from the Nabisco Website:

SUGAR, UNBLEACHED ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE {VITAMIN B1}, RIBOFLAVIN {VITAMIN B2}, FOLIC ACID), PALM AND/OR CANOLA OIL, REAL COCOA (PROCESSED WITH ALKALI), HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, LEAVENING (BAKING SODA AND/OR CALCIUM PHOSPHATE), SALT, SOY LECITHIN, CHOCOLATE, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR.

IMPORTANT: On that same page, Nabisco clearly states the list of Allergens: Wheat and Soy. There are no animal products, making these chocolate wafer cookies a great sweet snack for vegans.

The ingredient list in the Oreo packaging clearly lists wheat flour, which means Oreos are not Gluten-free.

Gluten-free Oreo Cookies

Gluten-free Oreos are certified gluten-free by OFCO.org and made with a variety of gluten-free flour. They are available in two presentations: Gluten-free Original and Gluten-free Double Stuf Oreos.

Today, Nabisco offers a wide variety of gluten-free Oreos, including Original chocolate, Double-Stuffed Oreos, Golden Oreos, and Gluten-free Mint Oreos.

If you are one of the people with celiac disease like myself, you can get any of these great flavors from this Amazon link and get them delivered to your door.

You can also buy them personally at your favorite grocery store on your next shopping day. I have seen them at Target, Safeway, Walmart, Whole Foods, and others.

Gluten-free Oreo Ingredients

Here is the list of ingredients copied and pasted from the Nabisco Website:

SUGAR, WHITE RICE FLOUR, TAPIOCA STARCH, PALM OIL, CANOLA OIL, WHOLE OAT FLOUR, CORNSTARCH, COCOA (PROCESSED WITH ALKALI), INVERT SUGAR, SOY LECITHIN, BAKING SODA, SALT, XANTHAN GUM, CHOCOLATE, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR.

IMPORTANT: It does contain one allergen: Soy. 

Regular Gluten-free Oreos Nutritional Information

According to Nabisco, the serving size is three cookies. There are 160 calories per serving, 7 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 grams of cholesterol, 130 milligrams of sodium, 25 grams of carbs, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 14 grams of sugar (13 of which are added), 1 gram of protein.

You can read the Gluten-free nutritional table on the Nabisco site. The important thing is these cookies are made with a blend of gluten-free flour as seen below.

What is a gluten-free alternative to Oreos?

Besides the gluten-free Oreos Nabisco has offered since 2022, other brands also make their gluten-free versions of Oreos.

I’ll be honest. I have not tried any of these gluten-free cookies, but I found them on Amazon and thought I’d share them with you. If you have tried or are adventurous and will make an order, contact me and let me know your review. I will update this post with your comments.

Homemade Gluten-free Oreos

If you want to go on an adventure and create your own homemade Oreo cookies, here are a couple of recipes I have tried myself. They are not even close to the real thing, but they make great gluten-free desserts with a cake-like taste—maybe even better-tasting cookies (for us adults) than the commercial versions, but not entirely with the classic texture.

• My favorite is from Gluten-free on a shoestring
• The easiest recipe to follow is from Meaningful Eats
• Crisp and sturdy cookies so the wafers can be thinner: Snixy Kitchen. She does a vanilla peppermint version in this recipe. 
• And last, a vegan and gluten-free homemade Oreo cookie version from the Banana Diaries.

Gluten-free Oreo FAQs

Are Gluten-free Oreos good?

It is tough to tell the difference between one and the other. To me and most of my gluten-free community, the Nabisco gluten-free Oreos taste very similar to classic Oreos. If you don’t want to take my word for it, the team with The Thrillist did a superb job comparing the two.

Here is an extract of their test:

In short, I closed my eyes and tried to guess which cookie I was tasting. Even shorter, I failed.

To my surprise, it was very difficult to tell which cookie was which with my eyes closed. In the end, I placed one of each type of Oreo in the “Original” pile and one of each Oreo in the “Gluten-Free” pile. It was an impossible task.

My inability to discern between the two types of Oreos answered a crucial question. The gluten-free Oreos do, in fact, taste like the real thing.

Are Gluten-free Oreos Vegan?

Yes, gluten-free Oreos are vegan. There are no eggs or dairy in the ingredients of the cookies.

Do they make gluten-free Gloden Oreos?

Yes, Nabisco does make gluten-free Golden Oreos. Follow the link to buy some from Amazon, and they will be delivered to your door.