Are Potatoes Gluten-Free?

Wondering if potatoes are gluten-free? Let’s take a look at whether potatoes, french fries, potato chips and other potato products are safe to eat if you’re avoiding gluten.

Are potatoes gluten-free?

The best way to answer that question is to answer the root question: what is gluten? Gluten is a group of naturally occurring proteins in grains like wheat, barley and rye. Potatoes are a vegetable, not a grain. All vegetables, including potatoes, are naturally gluten-free.

Potatoes are gluten-free - but not all potato-based products are!

Potatoes are naturally gluten-free. The key word here is “naturally”. This means that certainly all potato-based products and recipes are not necessarily gluten-free.

What to watch for: cross-contamination, sauces + seasonings

Potatoes do not contain gluten and there are numerous ways that gluten may come to be in potato-based products. If you’re purchasing products from your local grocer, you’ll want to look closely (as always) at the label. If you’re ordering potato dishes in a restaurant, be sure to ask if the dish is gluten-free and (if applicable) if there’s a dedicated gluten-free fryer.

Are French fries gluten-free?

French fries are just fried potato slices. They should be gluten-free, right? Wrong! You’ve got two different issues you’ll want to look out for with French fries. The first thing to ask about French fries is whether frying takes place in a dedicated fryer. Some restaurants use the same fryer for all fried foods. If your fries are fried in the same oil as a breaded chicken patty, then that oil is contaminated with gluten - and so are your fries.

The second thing you need to determine is whether the fries are “seasoned”. Coating with a flour and seasoning mixture is a regular practice for some French fries to create a crunchy, flavorful crust. Delicious? Yes. Gluten-free? Probably not.

Are roasted potatoes gluten-free?

Roasted potatoes are typically sliced potatoes covered in seasoning, coated in olive oil, and cooked at a high temperature in the oven. Most of the time, roasted potatoes are gluten-free but it is wise to keep an eye on the seasonings. Most seasoning mixes use herbs and spices that are naturally gluten-free. Some seasoning are mixes of herbs and spices, and using wheat to prevent caking is sometimes common in these mixes.

Are potato chips gluten-free?

Most store-bought plain or salted potato chips are gluten-free, with one notable exception - Pringles. All flavors of Pringles contain wheat starch. If you want to dive deep into the nitty gritty of whether the wheat starch used in Pringles is gluten-free, check out this article.

Many varieties of flavored potato chips are gluten-free, but you’ll want to take a close look at the ingredients list. Check for sneaky sources of gluten like malted barley flour, malt vinegar, soy sauce or wheat starch.

The easiest way to confirm whether a product is gluten-free is to check with the manufacturer. Here’s a list of gluten-free products from Frito-Lay (the parent company for big-name brands like Ruffles and Lays).

If you’re ordering homemade potato chips at a restaurant, be sure to ask about the seasonings used and whether they use a dedicated fryer.

Is potato bread gluten-free?

Most potato bread and rolls are NOT gluten-free. Potato bread is not made exclusively with potato flour. If you’ve used potato flour before, you know that would be a gummy mess. The same goes for potato bread. The good news is that making gluten-free potato bread at home is easy. Keep scrolling for a simple homemade Potato Bread recipe.

Are scalloped potatoes and other potato casseroles gluten-free?

Many traditional recipes for scalloped potatoes + potato casseroles use flour to thicken the sauce. Gluten is also common in some of the ingredients, like cream of chicken soup. If you’re ordering scalloped potatoes or a potato casserole at a restaurant, always ask whether the dish is gluten-free.

Is potato flour gluten-free?

Potato flour is gluten-free. Use it sparingly in sauces or as a thickening agent, but we don’t recommend using potato flour as a 1:1 replacement for traditional all-purpose flour (here’s our favorite gluten-free flour blend, in case you were wondering).