As a kid, unlike most of my friends, we didn’t have Oreos at home. 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 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, 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.
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 Gluten-free certified by OFCO.org, and they use a variety of gluten-free flour to make them. They come in two presentations: Gluten-free Original and Gluten-free Double Stuf.
If you are one of the people with celiac disease like myself, you can get this sweet deal that includes both original and double-stuffed gluten-free Oreos:
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.
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.
What is a gluten-free alternative to Oreos?
Besides the gluten-free Oreos Nabisco offers since 2022, there are other brands that 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.
People with celiac disease should always read the ingredients list on any food before they consume it. Please apply this rule for any of the products recommended below.
Glutino: They make both a chocolate wafer and a vanilla wafer version of the cookies.
Simple Mills: I will order this one one day. They make a nut butter-stuffed gluten-free sandwich cookies that sounds delicious.
Goodie Girl: They make the classic chocolate wafer stuffed with cream. They also have a double stuffed version, choco mint, vanilla, and they also do season specials (Halloween pumpkin and Christmas, for example)
Kinnikinnick KinniTOOS: These guys also make a classic chocolate and vanilla cookie sandwich stuffed with cream.
365 by Whole Foods: This is the last one on the list. Again a chocolate cookie stuffed with cream by a well-known brand.
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 are good quality, maybe even better-tasting cookies (for us adults) than the commercial versions.
- 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 what classic Oreos taste like. 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?
No, Golden Oreos are not gluten-free. When writing this article, there are only two types of gluten-free Oreos: regular and double stuffed, both chocolate.
