Are Rice Krispies Gluten Free? Everything You Need To Know

Regular Kellogg's Rice Krispies are not gluten free. It sounds crazy, right? We know that rice is naturally gluten free, so you'd think plain old Rice Krispies would be too. But they aren't!

And not only is there a risk of cross-contamination, like many products that aren't safe for those on a gluten free diet—they have a gluten-containing ingredient in the form of barley malt. None of this applies in Canada, however, where Kellogg's offers a gluten free version of brown rice Rice Krispies.

Thankfully, though, wherever you are in the world, you've still got options. Here are 4 brands of gluten free rice krispies cereal for you to try (and none of them is Kellogg's). (This list used to contain 5 brands of safe crisp rice cereal, but Erewhon's brand is no longer manufactured as of July 2020.)

Are Rice Krispies gluten free? No (mostly)

Since rice is naturally gluten free, you might wonder, are Rice Krispies are gluten free (the Kellogg's brand)? Conventional Kellogg's Rice Krispies are made with malt syrup, derived from barley, which is a gluten-containing grain. They are most definitely not gluten free.

In 2011, though, Kellogg's introduced a gluten free variety of their famous snap, crackle and pop Rice Krispies that was sold in conventional grocery stores all over the U.S. However, they were discontinued in the U.S. just a few years later. The gluten free variety is, however, still available in Canada.

How to choose safe gluten free rice krispies

First, check the label. Look for crispy rice puffs labeled or certified as gluten free. Then check whether they're made in a dedicated gluten free facility or at least follow purity protocols. 

Even if you check the ingredient label and don't see any gluten-containing ingredient listed, that doesn't automatically mean they're safe. There's still the potential for hidden gluten or cross-contamination in that packet of rice crisps if they're not made in a dedicated facility.

Remember, grains are often processed alongside other grains or at least on the same production lines. So rice puffs can easily pick up particles of wheat, barley, or rye unless special measures are taken.

Can you buy gluten free crisp rice cereal?

Yes! Fortunately, now there are tons of brands of gluten free crisp rice cereals available for purchase. Some are a little more precious than others and are a bit more expensive.

Cereal is pretty expensive, in general, though (gluten free or not). I've always found cereal to be a poor investment for the morning's nutrition.

But it's fast and always ready when you are. As long as it's low in sugar and high in whole grains, I'm fine with it for my kids.

The following are 4 brands of gluten free crisp rice cereal that I think are worth a try. Some are more expensive than others, and some are more like Kellogg's and are little wrinkled puffed rice grains. Others are a more puffy, more youthful-looking grain. The choice is yours!

One Degree Organic Foods GF Sprouted Brown Rice Crisp Cereal

I honestly had never heard of the One Degree brand before I started my search for gluten free rice crispy cereal varieties. The box is smaller than most at 8 ounces; since most others are 10 ounces, a relatively universal price means that this variety is more expensive by 25%.

I really like these little puffy grains, though. They're unlike the Kellogg's Rice Krispies variety, which is wrinkled like a raisin. That's neither good nor bad. It's just a matter of personal preference.

They're nice and snappy, stay crisp in milk, are only very lightly sweet, and the grains are sprouted which some say is better for your gut. They are great in gluten free Rice Krispie Treats, too.

Here are the other details about One Degree:

• Size of package: 8 ounces
• Price you should expect to pay: About $4.25
• Availability: Okay. I purchased this cereal at Vitacost.com, and have seen it on Target.com. It's sold on amazon.com, but the prices are terrible (at least as of this writing)
• Other common allergens: none (but states that it's processed in a facility that uses soy, tree nuts and dairy)
• Ingredients: organic sprouted whole grain brown rice, organic coconut sugar, unrefined salt, tocopherols (vitamin E)

Nature's Path Gluten Free Crispy Rice Cereal

Like One Degree brand, this Nature's Path crisp rice cereal is puffy, not wrinkly. That is not ageist, it's just a fact.

The only really noticeable differences between Nature's Path crispy rice puffs and One Degree are price (Nature's Path is less expensive) and availability (I see Nature's Path in many stores, both brick and mortar and online). Nature's Path has two types of sugar (cane sugar and molasses) and One Degree has only coconut palm sugar, but I don't detect a difference in taste or crispness.

Here are the other details about Nature's Path:

• Size of package: 10 ounces
• Price you should expect to pay: about $4.20
• Availability: Pretty good. I purchased this cereal at Vitacost.com, and have seen it available from Jet.com and iHerb.com. Amazon.com has a terrible price. In the past, I've seen this product in Whole Foods and in my local natural foods store.
• Other common allergens: none (but states that it's processed in a facility that uses peanuts, tree nuts, and soy)
• Ingredients: brown rice flour, cane sugar, sea salt, molasses

Back to Nature GF Sprout & Shine Cereal

This brand of cereal is probably the most like Kellogg's, as the grains are wrinkly and they're made with a pretty typical sugar. The package says that they're “batch-cooked,” but I honestly don't know why I should care about that.

The brown rice grains are sprouted, or allowed to germinate before cooking. That's neither here nor there for me. I just know that these little crispy rice grains taste good in milk, and are reliably gluten free. The price is a bit higher than some of the others, at least from what I've seen, though.

Here are the other details about Back To Nature:

• Size of package: 10 ounces
• Price you should expect to pay: $5.25.
• Availability: Good. I purchased this cereal at Vitacost.com, and have seen it at plenty of large grocery stores (Shop Rite, Hannaford) and a few local natural food stores.
• Other common allergens: none
• Ingredients: sprouted whole grain brown rice, dried cane syrup, sea salt

Barbara's Organic GF Brown Rice Crisp Cereal

Barbara's brown rice puffs have been around for a long time, and their products used to just say “wheat free,” and weren't necessarily gluten free. This brown rice cereal calls itself “gluten free,” but it isn't manufactured in a dedicated gluten free facility.

According to the package, the cereal is verified to contain less than 20 ppm of gluten. Whether you are comfortable with that or not is a very personal decision. It is last on this list of 4 brands of crisp rice cereal to try for that reason.

The grains of crisp rice in Barbara's, like Erewhon and Back To Nature brands, are wrinkly not smooth and puffy. They stay crisp in milk and are sweetened with fruit juices. That doesn't matter too much to me, though, since sugar is sugar is sugar (for the most part).

Here are the other details about Barbara's:

• Size of package: 10 ounces
• Price you should expect to pay: $4.85
• Availability: Okay. I purchased this cereal at Vitacost.com, and have seen it at local natural food stores as well as some larger grocery stores. It's also available at iHerb.com.
• Other common allergens: none (package does state that it's manufactured in a facility that also processes wheat, peanuts and almonds, so use your discretion)
• Ingredients: organic whole grain brown rice, organic fruit juice concentrate (pear or apple), sea salt

FAQs