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Is cheese gluten-free? In my experience as a dietitian who specializes in celiac and has had celiac for over 10 years, you should never assume anything is gluten-free.
In the case of cheese, as you’ll read, it’s like most foods, while it’s usually gluten-free, it can also contain gluten.
In this blog post, we’ll be diving deep into when cheese contains gluten, common cheeses that are and aren’t gluten-free, and how to make sure you’re always staying safe when it comes to cheese!
But first, were you ever taught how to identify gluten properly on a food label? If not, sign up for my FREE USA Food Label-Reading Class where I show you EXACTLY what you need to look for on a food label to stay celiac-safe in the USA. Stop stressing over grocery shopping in just 4-simple steps with this FREE training!
Before we can talk about if cheese is gluten-free, we need to know what cheese is. Cheese is an ancient food. There is archaeological evidence of cheese making as long ago as 5500 BCE in Bulgaria.
The earliest cheeses were probably quite salty and sour, similar to crumbly feta cheese. The cooler climate of Western and Northern Europe allowed cheeses to be made with less salt or acidity. This allowed the growth of bacteria and the variety of cheesemaking available today.
Cheese is most commonly made with cow’s milk although it can be made with goat, sheep horse, and even almond milk. In Mongolia, cheese is made from horse milk and is hung to dry and ferment out in the air until it is a tough, chewy square.
The first step to making cheese is to separate the milk into curds and whey. This is accomplished through the use of an acid such as vinegar.
Some cheeses stop there but most cheeses have rennet added. This makes the curds strong and chewy. The curds are drained, salted, and packed.
Then the curds might be stretched, cheddared, or washed. It’s pressed into a mold. Finally, the product is ripened for a few days to a few years. It is during this phase in bacteria may be introduced.
Cheese is a very versatile food and there are also hundreds of varieties. It is eaten on bread or crackers, with fruit, baked into dishes, etc. So is it gluten-free?
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.
Before we get into if and when cheese is gluten-free, we need to understand celiac because this post is primarily focused on if cheese is gluten-free for celiac.
Celiac is a serious autoimmune disease that occurs in genetically predisposed people where the ingestion of gluten leads to damage in the small intestine. When people with celiac disease eat gluten (a protein found in wheat, rye, barley, and contaminated foods like oats), their body mounts an immune response that attacks the small intestine.
These attacks lead to damage to the villi, small fingerlike projections that line the small intestine, that promote nutrient absorption. When the villi get damaged, nutrients cannot be absorbed properly into the body.
This inflammatory response to gluten and related nutrient deficiencies can cause a wide variety of symptoms in people with celiac. From bloating, headaches, constipation, joint pain, bone health complications, infertility, weight gain, weight loss, and more.
This can start at any age, and occur in any body, as long as someone is eating gluten and has the celiac genes. If left untreated, celiac disease can lead to additional serious health problems.
If cheese is gluten-free, can people with celiac eat it? As long as the cheese is gluten-free and the person with celiac does not have other food intolerances or restrictions, cheese is safe for celiac.
That said, many people with celiac have lactose intolerance too. This is because the brush border of the small intestine produces lactase, an enzyme that helps us digest the lactose in milk. The brush border can get damaged from gluten with celiac and can result in lactose intolerance in many celiacs.
Just because you have lactose intolerance doesn’t mean you can’t have any cheese though. There are several ways in which you could enjoy dairy products if you are lactose intolerant. You could eat dairy-free products. You could eat Lactaid brand products that have the lactase enzyme in them to help digestion. You could take a lactase enzyme when consuming dairy, or you could stick with low-lactose cheeses.
Low-lactose cheeses are typically hard/aged cheeses such as Cheddar, Gruyere, Manchego, Gouda, and Parmesan-types (like Parmigiano-Reggiano and Grana Padano).
Cheese spreads and soft cheeses like Brie or Camembert, cottage cheese, and mozzarella are high in lactose so it is best to avoid them if you are intolerant and aren’t taking a lactase enzyme.
Now that we know what cheese and gluten are, let’s talk about the benefits before we dive into which cheeses are gluten-free.
First, cheese adds flavor to meals. A bowl of GF spaghetti for example, isn’t made until you shred some fresh parmesan on top.
Cheese also adds enjoyment and satisfaction to food which is important. Satisfaction is different from hunger and is when you feel like nothing is missing from your meal. Often when we cut out cheese, it can feel like something is missing.
Cheese contains calcium. And if the cheese is gluten-free, like we’ll get into below, that’s huge for those who need calcium. In fact, one 17g slice of cheddar cheese can provide 120 mg of calcium while 1 cup of shredded mozzarella could provide 597mg of calcium. And shockingly to many, a slice of vitamin D-fortified American cheese can have 178mg of calcium and 62 IU of Vit D.
Cheese can also be a great way to add fat and even protein to meals to boost fullness. And did you know by adding fat to things like salads, you can increase the absorption of different nutrients found in vegetables?
So cheese has benefits and can be gluten-free, but how and when is cheese gluten-free? And does cheese really ever actually contain gluten?
Remember, gluten is the protein found in wheat, rye, triticale, barley and contaminated oats. Cheese is generally made with milk or cream, cheese culture, rennet (sometimes), and salt.
Rennet is the lining of a calf’s stomach and is used to coagulate the cheese ingredients. Sometimes enzymes are used instead of rennet but for the same purpose. Based on the general ingredients, cheese is generally gluten-free.
That said, gluten can be introduced into cheese through things like beer, malt extract, or natural flavors containing gluten derivatives. Rarely, shredded cheese can be made with wheat starch but this no longer a common practice and I’ve not seen it in the past few years. That said, always check the label for any and all sources of gluten.
And gluten ingredients aren’t the only way cheese can be unsafe for celiac. Gluten can also be introduced through cross-contact such as slicing cheese with a knife that was just used for bread or on a cutting board that has gluten on it.
So let’s talk about the common cheeses on the market and whether or not they contain gluten or are at risk for cross-contact…
Normally, cream cheese is gluten-free. It’s a soft, mostly mild-flavored cheese that’s often used to smear onto foods or to make dips.
Generally, cream cheese ingredients include: Milk or cream, cheese culture, salt, and sometimes gums are added. By default, these ingredients do not contain gluten.
The risk of cross-contact with gluten during manufacturing is also very low as lines must be cleaned in between use well and gluten usually is not on these lines.
However, sometimes cream cheese can be flavored, and while I’ve never encountered a cream cheese that contained gluten, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. So always be sure to check the label for gluten.
As I said above, usually cream cheese is gluten-free and that includes Philadelphia Cream Cheese.
The ingredients of their original flavors are as follows: pasteurized milk and cream, whey protein concentrate, whey, salt, carob bean gum, natamycin (a natural mold inhibitor), vitamin A palmitate, and cheese culture. None of the ingredients contain gluten and thus, it’s gluten-free.
Some Philadelphia flavored cream cheeses do contain natural flavors which on rare occasions could contain gluten. However, Philadelphia is a Kraft company and per their FAQ, Kraft states that they label for all sources of gluten above 10ppm. So check the label for gluten and if you don’t see any, it’s safe.
Now that we know that usually, cream cheese is gluten-free, what about Mozzarella? There are two types of mozzarella.
The first type is fresh mozzarella which is squeaky and squishy. It is usually sliced on bread or in a salad. It doesn’t melt well.
The second type of mozzarella is a low-moisture kind that is shredded like cheddar and does melt. It is used to top dishes with melted cheese.
Both types of cheese are generally gluten-free. Usually, both of these have these ingredients as follows: milk, enzymes, possibly cheese cultures, and salt. Both types of mozzarella are high in lactose so keep that in mind if you’re lactose intolerant.
Fresh mozzarella is made by first either exposing the milk to an acid such as vinegar or exposing it to cheese cultures. Then the milk coagulates into curds. The curds are cut into small pieces and mixed with hot water. Then the curds are stretched then tossed in cold water. Finally, the cheese is salted and packaged.
Generally, because most cheeses, including mozzarella, are gluten-free, and because food safety is so important with dairy products, the cross-contact risk is low. So if the cheese appears to be gluten-free by ingredient, it is.
An example of a gluten-free mozzarella is Bel Gioioso fresh mozzarella. The ingredients for it are Pasteurized Milk, Vinegar, Enzymes, Salt. All of which are gluten-free. It is also labeled as gluten-free.
Another example is Kraft 2% Shredded Mozzarella has milk, cheese cultures, enzymes, cornstarch, and natamycin (a natural mold inhibitor). The ingredients are gluten-free. Additionally, per their FAQ, Kraft states that they label for all sources of gluten above 10ppm.
Another usually gluten-free cheese is feta. Feta is a traditional Greek cheese. It is a salty, firm, crumbly, moist cheese. Feta has a distinct sharp salty taste. Either you love feta or you hate it.
It is often eaten in salads but sometimes crumbled on top of hot dishes. It generally has these ingredients: milk, bacterial culture, calcium chloride, salt, and enzymes. Therefore, this is generally a gluten-free cheese. Feta is a high-lactose cheese.
Odyssey Fat-Free Feta Cheese is made with milk, salt, cheese cultures, enzymes, Vitamin A palmitate, and potato starch. The ingredients are gluten-free. It is also labeled right on the front as gluten-free.
While feta, mozzarella, and cream cheese are gluten-free, what about Velveeta? Velveeta is a super melty, processed orange cheese.
It is often used to make mac and cheese, top vegetables, and nacho cheese. It is made by Kraft Foods. Remember, that per the Kraft Food FAQ, they state that they label for all sources of gluten above 10ppm.
Looking at the Velveeta ingredients, they include Skim Milk, Milk, Canola Oil, Milk Protein Concentrate, Sodium Phosphate, Contains Less than 2% of Modified Food Starch, Whey Protein Concentrate, Maltodextrin, Whey, Salt, Calcium Phosphate, Lactic Acid, Sorbic Acid as a Preservative, Milkfat, Sodium Alginate, Sodium Citrate, Enzymes, Apocarotenal and Annatto (Color), Cheese Culture, Vitamin A Palmitate.
There is no allergen statement identifying wheat so we know that the modified food starch is not from wheat. And there are no other gluten-containing ingredients or suspicious ingredients so it is gluten-free. And even if there were suspicious ingredients like natural flavors, we’d know they’d be safe because per their FAQ, Kraft Food states that they label for all sources of gluten above 10ppm.
Other ingredients that you might not know about but are totally safe include Maltodextrin (read more about it here), Apocarotenal which is a derivative of Vitamin A and Sodium Alginate which is from seaweed. So, these are all gluten-free ingredients.
So yes, Velveeta Cheese is gluten-free based on the label. That said evaluate the safety and suitability of any food for yourself. You know your body best.
A more controversial usually gluten-free cheese is Bleu Cheese. Bleu Cheese is a salty, crumbly, semi-soft cheese.
It has distinct blue veins throughout the cheese as a result of the mold that it is grown on. It is eaten with fruit, on steak, or in salads. Blue cheese has a moderate amound of lactose.
To make blue cheese, first milk is treated with a cheese culture which converts lactose to lactic acid and changes the milk from liquid to solid.
Rennet is added to coagulate the milk and the curds are cut to release the whey. As the curds are formed into wheels, a blue cheese mold (Penicillium roqueforti) is added to the cheese before it is left to age for 60 to 90 days.
Most commercially made blue cheese is gluten-free. However, in some rare cases, the mold is grown on a wheat or rye medium. This might be spooky but this isn’t the first time an ingredient may be made with gluten but might still be gluten-free.
Beyondceliac.org reported, “a 2009 study conducted by the Canadian Celiac Association found no detectable levels of gluten (using three different ELISA test kits) on three samples of blue cheese that were made from mold grown in gluten-containing media.” So the risk might not be as high as we once thought.
Based on that information, as a celiac who has a severe symptomatic reaction to gluten, I’m comfortable eating it. But do what you’re most comfortable with as you know your body best and if you’d rather, it’s 100% valid to select bleu cheeses that have a gluten-free claim.
![black bold title text "is cheddar cheese gluten-free?" underneath body text and Vern's Beer Cheese is pictured, body text reads "pasteurized milk, beer buds, dark lager beer, calcium chloride, annato color, enzymes, culture" below that shredded Sargento sharp cheddar cheese bag is pictures with body text to the leftthat reads "Cheddar Cheese [Pasteurized Milk, Cheese Culture, Salt, Enzymes, Annatto], Potato Starch, Powdered Cellulose, Powdered Cellulose, Natamycin." all on light blue background](https://i0.wp.com/tayler.silfverduk.us/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/Copy-of-is-cheese-gluten-free-Blog-Graphics5.png?fit=333%2C500&ssl=1)
Another commonly gluten-free cheese is cheddar! Cheddar cheese is a block cheese that is semi-hard and has a bit of sharp flavor to it. It is often shredded and sprinkled on or incorporated into food.
Cheddar cheese is made with the same ingredients as most other cheeses – milk, salt, rennet, and a bacteria culture. Therefore, it is generally gluten-free. Cheddar contains a moderate amount of lactose.
Sometimes cheddar cheese can be flavored with ingredients that aren’t safe. These ingredients include beer or smoke flavor, which isn’t always gluten-free. So always be sure to check the label for gluten.
An example of a cheddar cheese that contains gluten is Renards Natural Wisconsin Beer Cheddar Cheese. The ingredients are pasteurized milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes, calcium chloride, dark lager beer, beer buds, and annatto (color). Both the dark lager beer and beer buds contain gluten and are not safe.
An example of gluten-free cheddar is made by Sargento. Sargento cheddar cheese is made from milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes, and annatto. Annatto is a coloring made from the annatto seed. Sargento brand cheeses are gluten-free. Click here to see their FAQ.
Usually, ricotta cheese is also gluten-free. It is a soft moist cheese similar to cottage cheese. It is often baked into filled pasta or lasagna.
Ricotta is typically made of whey, milk, cream, and vinegar. All of which are naturally gluten-free ingredients. For my lactose-intolerant friends, ricotta is a high-lactose cheese.
To make ricotta cheese, milk is heated until the curds and whey separate. Reheating the whey produces the moist, fine grains that traditionally create ricotta (hence the name, meaning “twice cooked”).
I’ve yet to find a ricotta cheese that isn’t gluten-free but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Always check the label. An example of a gluten-free ricotta is the Great Value brand ricotta cheese. It contains whey, milk vinegar, xanthan gum, locust gum, and guar gum. All gums (including xanthan gum, even if grown with wheat) are gluten-free. Thus, it’s a safe gluten-free ricotta.
![black bold title text "is queso gluten-free?" with a picture of HEB Pork Sausage Queso and ingredients listed in body text under "Processed Pasteurized American Cheese (Cultured Milk And Skim Milk, Cream, Sodium Phosphate, Salt, Lactic Acid, Enzymes [Microbial]), Water, Breakfast Sausage (Pork, Water, Contains 2% Or Less Of The Following: Salt, Spice, Sugar), Tomatoes With Green Chile Peppers (Tomatoes With Juice, Water, Chopped Green Chile Peppers, Salt, Calcium Chloride, Citric Acid, Natural Flavors, Spices), Roasted Jalapeno Peppers, Wheat Flour, Tapioca Starch, Cultured Dextrose With Maltodextrin, Garlic" all on a light blue background](https://i0.wp.com/tayler.silfverduk.us/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/Copy-of-is-cheese-gluten-free-Blog-Graphics7.png?fit=333%2C500&ssl=1)
So usually ricotta cheese is gluten-free, what about queso? Real, fresh queso can be sliced and eaten in food such as a salad. It is most often melted and turned into queso dip for chips.
Real queso is made from milk, salt, and enzymes. It is made like any cheese by separating curds and whey and coagulating them. It is a high-lactose cheese.
However, queso is now usually heavily processed and could include gluten. They are not made the way real queso is made and instead are combinations of ingredients made to resemble the flavor and consistency of melted queso.
This is done to keep it in the melted consistency. Real queso does not stay in melted consistency at room temperature.
An example of a queso that contains gluten is the H-E-B Pork Sausage Medium Queso. The ingredients are Processed Pasteurized American Cheese (Cultured Milk And Skim Milk, Cream, Sodium Phosphate, Salt, Lactic Acid, Enzymes [Microbial]), Water, Breakfast Sausage (Pork, Water, Contains 2% Or Less Of The Following: Salt, Spice, Sugar), Tomatoes With Green Chile Peppers (Tomatoes With Juice, Water, Chopped Green Chile Peppers, Salt, Calcium Chloride, Citric Acid, Natural Flavors, Spices), Roasted Jalapeno Peppers, Wheat Flour, Tapioca Starch, Cultured Dextrose With Maltodextrin, Garlic. Because it contains wheat flour, it is not safe.
Here is some gluten-free queso you might buy instead:
You can also make queso quite easily yourself, just look up a recipe on the internet!
Another controversial usually gluten-free cheese is shredded cheese. Shredded cheese is used for topping food or incorporating it into food to be melted.
Many types of cheese can be shredded but the most common are mozzarella, Colby jack, and cheddar. The level of lactose will vary according to the type of cheese. Mozzarella is high while cheddar is moderate in lactose.
Shredded cheese is usually gluten-free. Some may contain starch or cellulose to prevent the shreds from sticking together. A long time ago, wheat starch was often used in shredded cheese.
That said, I’ve not seen any shredded cheese containing wheat starch lately. Often potato starch is used instead, which is gluten-free. If wheat was used, it would have to be declared in the allergen statement.
I reviewed what feels like over 100 shredded cheese labels and could not find one with wheat starch. That said, always check the label to make sure it’s not in your shredded cheese!
Great Value Shredded Cheddar contains milk, enzymes, cheese cultures, annatto (coloring from annatto seed), salt, potato starch, tapioca starch, and natamycin (A natural mold inhibitor) so it is a gluten-free product based on those ingredients. Like with all other cheeses, the risk of cross-contact is low.
One of the last usually gluten-free cheeses we’re talking about today is Brie. Brie is most often eaten on crackers but I love it on apples.
So the first thing is first, if you are eating this soft cheese, make sure it’s not previously been used for gluten-filled bread and crackers in order to prevent cross-contact.
That said, Brie is usually gluten-free. Generally, its ingredients are milk, cheese cultures, salt, and enzymes. Brie is a high-lactose cheese.
Brie is produced from whole or semi-skimmed cow’s milk. Rennet is added to the raw milk and heated to a temperature of 37°C (99°F) to obtain the curd. The cheese is then cast into molds, and several layers of cheese are filled into the mold and then kept for around 18 hours.
President brand brie is made with milk, cheese cultures, salt, and enzymes so it is gluten-free, but I have yet to find a Brie that contains gluten.
The last typically gluten-free cheese we’re talking about today is Paneer. Paneer cheese is a type of cheese from India. It is often homemade by the cook. It has a squeaky consistency to it and a bland flavor. Paneer is a high-lactose cheese.
Paneer is made with milk, and vinegar or lemon juice so it is gluten-free.
You may find fried paneer at an Indian restaurant called paneer pakora. Pakora references to it being fried. The paneer is fried with gram flour or besan. These are different names for the same thing: dried ground lentil flour.
However, samosas (which are made with wheat flour) may be fried in the same oil so check if they have a dedicated gluten-free fryer. If you are having paneer within a dish such as saag paneer, it would not be fried.
So all of the cheeses reviewed, which cheeses are most likely to contain gluten? If you’ve learned anything from this post, if it has a food label, never assume it is going to be gluten-free. The motto every celiac should live by is to always check the label!
That said, some cheeses may be at higher risk to contain gluten than others.
Blue cheese mold can sometimes, rarely, be grown on wheat or rye. However, remember the Canadian Celiac Association believes that all blue cheeses are safe for those with celiac after having tested blue cheeses grown on wheat or rye. But you might avoid bleu cheese that isn’t labeled gluten-free if you want to be careful.
Any hard cheese is ordinarily gluten-free but can be flavored to contain gluten. If cheese is made with beer, for example, it’s not safe. If it’s smoked, you will want to follow up to make sure the smoke flavor is gluten-free.
Many queso products on the market have a complicated list of ingredients. Investigate those to see if they are gluten-free as some may contain barley, wheat, or rye.
Anything that is processed beyond natural cheese making (such as cheese spray, powdered cheese, American cheese, or dairy-free cheese) may have ingredients that are not gluten-free. Also, cheeses that have natural flavoring have a VERY rare chance of containing gluten and you will want to verify their status.
A quick note on natamycin in gluten-free cheese… Natamycin is a natural antimicrobial produced by the strains of Streptomyces natalensis. Natamycin works as a mold inhibitor. It is commonly found in shredded cheese and sometimes block cheeses.
The World Health Organization (WHO), European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), and Food and drug administration (FDA) have listed natamycin as generally recognized as safe (GRAS) status after thorough evaluation.
That said, some people with celiac have reported that they reacted to natamycin. The question is whether it means the natamycin came into cross-contact with gluten or if this is another type of reaction.
Natamycin should be gluten-free. But if you’re reacting, looking at what might be causing the reaction is important.
Often, high-lactose cheeses have natamycin and because lactose intolerance is common with celiac, this should be considered. Ultimately, more research needs to be done but it is generally considered safe for those with celiac.
There is a wide world of cheeses out there. Traditionally, cheese is made with milk, cheese culture or rennet, enzymes, and salt. Therefore, most cheese is naturally gluten-free.
Natural flavors, yeast extract, and smoke flavor are some of the ingredients that should be checked for gluten. And if a cheese has barley, rye, or wheat it is definitely not safe.
Once you find a gluten-free option (most will be), enjoy it.
And if you need more help with label reading, sign up for my FREE USA Food Label-Reading Class where I show you EXACTLY what you need to look for on a food label to stay celiac-safe in the USA. Stop stressing over grocery shopping in just 4-simple steps with this FREE training!