Are Slurpees Gluten-free?
In a virtual celiac support group meeting, a member asked me if Slurpees were gluten-free. In general, I’d say yes but I checked with 7/Eleven just to be sure and it turns out I was right!
But the internet has mixed reviews on if Slurpees are really gluten-free so let’s dive into their safety.
But first, a heads up that when evaluating the safety of Slurpees, we’ll be looking at the ingredients much like we’d look at the food label.
If you need help knowing what to look for on food labels and ingredient lists when determining if food is gluten-free, I teach you how to do this in 4 SIMPLE steps in my TOTALLY free label-reading class. Click here or the button below to watch the free class.
Table of Contents
What is Gluten?
When talking about if Slurpees are gluten-free, it’s important we know what gluten is. Gluten is a protein found in barley, rye, contaminated oats, and wheat. It may be helpful to remember the acronym “BROW” when trying to remember what foods have gluten.
In baked goods, gluten holds things together working as a binding agent. It gives texture and chew to foods.
Most people can safely eat gluten. However, some people have gluten sensitivity or celiac disease which means they need to avoid gluten. It can cause digestive issues such as diarrhea and nausea as well as nonintestinal symptoms such as rashes, headaches, or joint pain.
What are Slurpees?
When talking about if Slurpees are gluten-free, it’s also important that we know what Slurpees are. Slurpee is the brand name for the carbonated slushies that 7-Eleven sells. You can find them at 7-Eleven, A-Plus, and Speedway.
At their core, Slurpees are frozen sodas. And with most sodas being gluten-free, we can use this information as we start evaluating whether or not they contain gluten.
Are Slurpees Gluten-Free?
Slurpees are gluten-free. When corresponding with 7/Eleven customer service, I confirmed that Slurpees were gluten-free.
It was tricky at first to verify because they didn’t have an FAQ section covering the topic. Plus, the allergen info on their Slurpee flavors listed on their website was incomplete.
But a customer service representative responded back to me swiftly with answers. The following Slurpee flavors are confirmed gluten-free:
- Banana
- Blue Lemonade
- Blue Raspberry
- Cherry Fanta
- Cherry
- Coca-Cola
- Dr. Pepper
- Grape
- Horchata
- Jamaica
- Lemonade
- Mountain Dew Freeze
- Mountain Dew Major Melon
- Orange
- Pina Colada
- Pineapple Whip
- Red Pop
- Vernor’s Ginger Soda
- Vitamin Water XXX
- Vitamin Zero Sugar Gutsy
- Vitamin Zero Sugar Squeezed
- White Peach
Please note that ingredients and safety are subject to change due to changes in the food industry. Always evaluate and assess the suitability and safety of products for yourself.
A Breakdown of Slurpee Gluten-Free Ingredients
Now, these flavors of Slurpees are gluten-free as indicated by the allergen information the customer service representative provided me. But let’s practice our celiac safety skills by breaking down the ingredients of Slurpees to help you determine safety in the future.
Based on the ingredients provided to me, Slurpees generally contain carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup or sugar, citric acid, malic acid, sodium benzoate, natural and artificial flavor, and food color.
Of that list of ingredients, the only thing that could contain gluten is natural flavors. Natural flavors can rarely be derived from gluten. So when checking with the customer service representative, specifically asking if the natural flavors were derived from gluten can give you more insight into the safety of the product.
If you didn’t know you needed to watch out for natural flavors, or you don’t know what ingredients can hide gluten in the USA, check out my free USA Label-Reading Training where I give you the tools to feel confident NOT overwhelmed in identifying safe food.
That said, I want to make a note on High Fructose Corn Syrup…
High Fructose Corn Syrup in Slurpees is Gluten-Free
When doing research on if Slurpees are gluten-free, I came across some pages saying that anything with corn syrup could have corn gluten leftover. Now that statement sounds scary. You might be wondering “corn gluten? Isn’t corn a gluten-free whole grain?”.
So first, don’t panic. The internet is full of outdated, misinterpreted, and incorrect information. This is one of those cases. Corn gluten is referencing the proteins found in corn, but they are not the same proteins as those found in gluten. Rest assured, corn gluten is gluten-free, despite the confusing name.
So corn syrup of any nature is gluten-free and celiac-safe.
Don’t forget, if you’re feeling confused and overwhelmed by determining the safety of food in the USA based on ingredients, check out my TOTALLY free Gluten-Free Label Reading Training.