The question is, are Doritos gluten-free? The answer though is not as clear. Find out if these crunchy flavored tortilla chips from Frito-Lay are considered gluten-free and whether or not they are safe to eat on a gluten-free diet.
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Gluten-Free vs. Products Not Containing Gluten Ingredients
In the U.S., Doritos are made by the Frito-Lay company. As far as gluten, Frito-Lay separates their products into two categories: Gluten-Free and Products Not Containing Gluten Ingredients.
- Gluten Free: According to the company, products with the words gluten-free on the packaging have been validated through analytical testing to contain less than 20 ppm of gluten.
- Products that do not contain gluten ingredients: According to Frito-Lay, while products in this category do not contain gluten ingredients, some of these products may be manufactured on the same lines as products that do contain gluten.
Although they state that the lines are cleaned between production runs, Frito-Lay has not tested these products for gluten content.
Also, Frito-Lay states the ingredients in these products may have come into contact with gluten-containing products prior to manufacturing.
Do Doritos Have Gluten?
Doritos has one flavor that is labeled gluten-free, from their organic line of products:
DORITOS® Simply Organic White Cheddar Flavored Tortilla Chips
This flavor has been validated by Frito-Lay to contain less than 20ppm of gluten.
The other flavors fall into the 'products that do not contain gluten ingredients' category. This includes all of these varieties:
DORITOS® 3D Crunch Chili Cheese Nacho Flavored Corn Snacks
DORITOS® 3D Crunch Spicy Ranch Flavored Corn Snacks
DORITOS® Cool Ranch® Flavored Tortilla Chips
DORITOS® Dinamita® Chile Limón Flavored Rolled Tortilla Chips
DORITOS® Flamas™ Flavored Tortilla Chips
DORITOS® Flamin' Hot® Limon Flavored Tortilla Chips
DORITOS® Flamin' Hot® Nacho Flavored Tortilla Chips
DORITOS® Nacho Cheese Flavored Tortilla Chips
DORITOS® Poppin' Jalapeño Flavored Tortilla Chips
DORITOS® Salsa Verde Flavored Tortilla Chips
DORITOS® Simply Organic Spicy White Cheddar Flavored Tortilla Chips
DORITOS® Spicy Nacho Flavored Tortilla Chips
DORITOS® Taco Flavored Tortilla Chips
DORITOS® Tangy Pickle Flavored Tortilla Chips
DORITOS® Tapatio® Flavored Tortilla Chips
DORITOS® Twisted Lime Flavored Tortilla Chips
While technically, these Doritos do not contain gluten ingredients, they have not been validated by Frito-Lay to contain less than 20ppm of gluten, so they are not labeled gluten-free.
Are Doritos Safe to Eat?
The only variety that is known to be gluten-free and safe to eat is the Organic White Cheddar, which is validated by Frito-Lay.
The answer to the question of whether or not the other flavors of Doritos are safe to eat on a gluten-free diet is not clear.
It depends on why you are gluten-free and how sensitive you are to gluten. Frito-Lay recognizes that there is a possibility that Doritos could be contaminated with gluten and states that individuals who are sensitive to gluten should take the above factors into consideration before consuming these products.
If you have Celiac disease or are highly sensitive to gluten, the truth is you might be able to eat those Doritos without an issue but there is also a chance that you could get a bag of Doritos that have been contaminated with gluten either before or during production.
Ultimately, even though there are no gluten-containing ingredients, there is still no way of knowing just how much gluten is in any given bag of Doritos because Frito-Lay is not validating those products. If you must eat them, you are assuming some potential risk for gluten consumption.
Just how much risk? Unfortunately, no one really knows for sure! This could just be Frito-Lay covering their liability all the while knowing the potential risk for cross-contact is low. Or the risk could actually be quite prevalent and you really should take that into consideration. We just don't know!
Gluten-Free Doritos Options
Given this information (or lack thereof), if you are highly sensitive to gluten, it may be best to avoid the varieties of Doritos not labeled gluten-free and stick to the one that is, or seek out other alternatives.
Several grocery stores near me sell gluten-free 'faux-ritos' through their private label brands:
- Walmart sells two varieties labeled gluten-free, nacho cheese and hot nacho.
- Target sells certified gluten-free nacho cheese tortilla chips.
- Kroger sells ranch and nacho cheese, both labeled gluten-free.
Check your local grocery store for their options! Here are a few more flavored tortilla chip options, also labeled gluten-free, from these brands:
Do you have a favorite gluten-free ‘Dorito’ brand that isn’t listed? Let me know in the comments!
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Disclaimer: The information in this article is the personal opinion of the author and is not medical or nutritional advice. Please consult a doctor or medical professional before making changes to your diet or regarding any health related decisions. Ingredient information was accurate at the time of posting but should always be verified by the consumer by checking the product ingredient label for the most up to date information.
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