Are Funyuns Gluten-free? Or just don't contain gluten ingredients?

The question is, are Funyuns gluten-free? The answer though is not as clear. Find out if this crunchy onion flavored snack from Frito-Lay is considered gluten-free and whether or not they are safe to eat on a gluten-free diet.

An open bag of Funyuns with some spilling out onto a teal wooden surface. Some Funyuns in a bowl next to the bag.

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Gluten-Free vs. Products Not Containing Gluten Ingredients
Do Funyuns Have Gluten?
Are Funyuns Safe to Eat?
Gluten-Free Onion Flavored Snack Options
Comments and Ratings

Gluten-Free vs. Products Not Containing Gluten Ingredients

In the U.S., Funyuns 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 Funyuns Have Gluten?

Funyuns fall into the 'products that do not contain gluten ingredients' category. This includes all three varieties:

FUNYUNS® Baked Onion Flavored Rings
FUNYUNS® Flamin' Hot® Onion Flavored Rings
FUNYUNS® Onion Flavored Rings

The ingredients in Original Funyuns are as follows:

Whole Corn Meal, Enriched Corn Meal (Corn Meal, Ferrous Sulfate, Niacin, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Vegetable Oil (Corn, Canola, and/or Sunflower Oil), Maltodextrin (Made from Corn), Onion Powder, Salt, Monosodium Glutamate, Buttermilk, Hydrolyzed Corn Protein, Sugar, Dextrose, Natural Flavors, and Garlic Powder. CONTAINS MILK INGREDIENTS.

While technically, Funyuns 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 Funyuns Safe to Eat?

The answer to the question of whether or not Funyuns 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 Funyuns 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 Funyuns without an issue but there is also a chance that you could get a bag of Funyuns 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 Funyuns because Frito-Lay is not validating this product. If you must eat them, you are assuming some potential risk for gluten consumption.

Gluten-Free Onion Flavored Snack Options

Given this information, if you are highly sensitive to gluten, it may be best to avoid Funyuns and seek out another alternative. There are several similar onion flavored snack options that are labeled gluten-free:

What do you think? How do you feel about Funyuns after reading this information? Would you eat them or pass? Let me know in the comments if you found this article helpful or if you have any more snack questions!

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Disclaimer: The information in this article is the personal opinion of the author and for educational purposes only. This 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.