Gluten Free Hero

Is Rice Gluten-Free?

When processed properly, yes, all varieties of rice are absolutely gluten-free. Another important factor is how the rice is prepared. Rather, in what the rice is cooked. At home, we tend to use water to cook our rice. In many restaurants, the common practice is to enhance flavor by using various stocks such as chicken, beef, or veal. Some stocks, be it commercial or in-house, can be thickened with flour and/or gluten. That immediately makes all of that rice a problem for people with gluten sensitivities and especially celiacs.

When dining out, make sure to ask your server how they prepare rice meaning was it cooked with water or stock. Some restaurants may also add sauces to plain rice after steaming, which may also contain gluten. In case of all else failing, you should ask for plain steamed rice made with water. At least with this option you will know for sure that the rice will be free of gluten. It’s best to assume nothing is gluten-free when dining at restaurants.

Not all rice products are gluten-free even though the grain itself is naturally gluten-free. Some products, such as Zatarain’s or Rice-A-Roni, contain trace amounts of gluten used for thickening. Below are some companies that provide gluten-free rice products:

• Annie Chun’s
• Ener-G
• Lundberg Family Farms
• GoGo Rice
• Eden Organics
• Home Naturals
• Mahatma
• Minute Rice
• Ortega
• Rice Select
• Shiloh Farms
• Village Harvest

If a product does not specifically advertise as being gluten-free, then you will most likely have to spend time reading labels. When gluten is used in a rice product it more often than not presents itself in the form of wheat, which is legally required to be listed in the ingredients. Sometimes malts are added to the products, such as barley malt, which also naturally contains gluten and should be avoided.

Usually, labels on rice products are some of the easiest to understand in terms of what is gluten-free and what is not. This is most likely due to the ingredients list being relatively short and the ingredients themselves being familiar. Rice noodles and pastas are also gluten-free as their ingredients usually only contain rice, water, and sometimes rice bran. There are a lot of products and choices available for celiacs today. Below is a list of rice pastas and noodles that are gluten-free and safe to consume:

• Annie’s Homegrown
• Bionaturae
• Cadia
• De Boles
• Gluten Free Gourmet
• Goldbaum’s
• Jovial
• Orgran
• Mrs. Leeper’s
• Tinkyada
• Thai Kitchen