Is Vanilla Extract Gluten Free

Is Vanilla Extract Gluten Free? Vanilla extract is a popular additive that bakers have been using to add vanilla flavor to their baked goods for hundreds of years. But people with celiac disease or who are gluten intolerant wonder, “Is vanilla extract gluten free?” If you or someone you cook for is on a gluten free diet you can be rest assured that you’ll know if vanilla extract is gluten free or not after reading this quick article.

What is Vanilla Extract?

Before we talk about what vanilla extract is you first need to know what vanilla is! Contradictory to popular beleif vanilla is not a bean but a fruit. Vanilla is a small pod that grows in Madagascar. After the pods are harvested they are soaked in alcohol which extracts the vanilla flavor from the pod. So essentially pure vanilla extract only contains two ingredients, vanilla and alcohol.

If you see other ingredients listed on the package, don’t buy it. That means it has been mixed with other flavors and fillers to emulate true vanilla flavor, but it’s not the real deal.

Real vanilla extract is expensive but worth it! You don’t need much of it in any recipe and a little goes a long way. Even if you bake a lot one container of vanilla extract should last you about six months.

If you bake a lot you can go through a ton of vanilla extract. If this is the case maybe only use it in raw baked goods. No mater what you do not want to buy imitation vanilla extract or vanilla flavor. Read below to find out why.

Not All Vanilla Extract is Good

While almost all vanilla extract is gluten free, cheap vanilla extract isn’t even really made from vanilla! It’s completely synthetic. Most inexpensive vanilla extract is made from coal tar or wood chips. Synthetic corn syrup and flavors are added to the tar and wood chips to give it a vanilla flavor.

It’s hard to believe that supermarkets would sell actual tar mixed with sugar but it is exactly the case. Using vanilla extract is an excellent shortcut to get vanilla flavor but only with REAL vanilla extract.

Is Vanilla Extract Gluten Free?

Yes! Vanilla extract is generally gluten free! Vanilla extract is made up of two ingredients, vanilla bean and alcohol. Since alcohol is made from grain it’s understandable to think that there could be gluten in it.

But any reputable manufacture will use distilled alcohol to extract the vanilla falavor from the beans. The alcohols distillation process gets rid of almost all traces of gluten which makes It lower than the generally excepted 20 parts per billion or less rule which categories foods as gluten free or not.

When you’re looking for vanilla extract make sure that the ingredient label says distilled alcohol. If the alcohol isn’t distilled it could contain gluten in it.

If you’re trying to avoid gluten you should also avoid buying imitation vanilla extract. Although most manufacturers use gluten free synthetics to make cheap vanilla extract. The vanilla flavor could have additives in it that contain gluten. Below is a list of common food additives that contain gluten to look out for.

Personally I think that if you can’t afford good vanilla extract just skip it. Your baked goods will still taste great and no one will know the difference.

Common Gluten Containing Additives

1. Wheat (bran, germ and starch)
2. Malt (since it’s made from barley)
3. Cracker Meal 
4. Soy Sauce
5. Kinkel
6. Vital Gluten
7. Wheatgerm
8. Sulfosccinate
9. Seitan 
10. Rusk
11. Teriyaki Sauce
12. Durum 
13. Semolina
14. Einkorn
15. Emmer
16. Farina triticale
17. Farro or faro (spelt)
18. Graham flour
19. Hydrolyzed wheat protein
20. Modified wheat starch
21. Seitan

What is Vanilla Extract Used For?

Vanilla extract is used in baked goods to add a hint of vanilla flavor. It can also be used in drinks and syrups to add vanilla flavor to cocktails, juices, smoothies, dressings and more! Chances are that if an item is baked it has some vanilla extract in it.

Which Brands of Vanilla Extract are Gluten Free?

While I’m pretty sure all brands of vanilla extract are gluten free the only ones that I could find that were labeled gluten free and made of only pure vanilla beans and alcohol is Singing Dog Vanilla Extract and Beyond Good Madagascar Vanilla Extract.

Singing Dog Vanilla Extract is one I would recommend because…

• Clearly marked as gluten free because
• Free of additives.
• Made with distilled alcohol which is always gluten free.

Another high quality brand I like is Beyond Good Madagascar Vanilla Extract. This brand is…

• Clearly marked as gluten free because
• Free of additives.
• Made with distilled alcohol which is always gluten free.

Is Vanilla Extract Healthy?

Vanilla extract is healthy in small doses. Obviously alcohol is not healthy for you but generally the alcohol gets cooked off during the baking process. Vanilla itself is a type of orchid which is a fruit. Fruits do have some health benefits so vanilla does too.

Vanilla has vanillin in it which has a number of benefits including the following

• Vanillin is know to be a powerful antioxidant and has been studied on animals and in test tubes.
• Vanillin has anticancer properties although there is really limited research on this.
• Vanillin is also considered to be anti-inflammatory which makes it good for those with inflammatory and autoimmune conditions like celiac.
• Believe it or not Vanillin has neuroprotective properties. According to some studies vanillin may benefit brain health and protect agains deurodenegerative diseases like alzhimers.

All of these health benefits are supported by this article by healthline which has an extensive list of cited sources.

Who Should Avoid Vanilla Extract?

People who need to avoid alcohol should avoid vanilla extract. Although we are really splitting hairs here because vanilla extract is usually added in such small doses to baked goods that it would be hard to ingest enough of it to make a difference. You would essentially need to chug it from the bottle. I don’t know anyone who would want to do that!

How to Make Vanilla Extract at Home

You can make vanilla extract at home with some distilled alcohol like vodka and whole vanilla beans. It’s not much cheaper to make it at home than it is to buy in the store. So it may not be worth the effort. But it could be a fun experiment to try while drinking your gluten free vodka.

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