Tater tots are always a favorite! But Are Tater Tots Gluten Free? Here’s all you need to know about this snack staple.
The answer to the question, are tater tots gluten free? is, as is true with many items, “it depends.” Tater tots are not made with gluten, but not all brands are certified gluten-free, meaning that they aren’t entirely safe for those with celiac. If you have gluten sensitivity but are not diagnosed as being gluten intolerant, you may be fine with brands that are not certified gluten-free because the ingredients in tater tots are all gluten-free.
The main issue to pay attention to when choosing tater tots, or any food, is that of cross-contamination. The labels you’re looking for are “certified gluten-free” or “gluten-free.” Certified gluten-free foods contain less than 20 parts per million (ppm) of gluten per FDA regulations. If a product is identified simply as gluten-free it means that it’s naturally gluten-free or doesn’t have any gluten-containing ingredients and so it can carry this label.
So in theory, yes, tater tots are gluten-free! You’ll just need to read the packaging on whatever brand of tater tots you choose to make sure it fits your needs. And if you order tater tots at a restaurant you’ll want to ask if they contain gluten and if they’re cooked separately from foods that contain gluten. Otherwise, you may wish to skip them because they may have encountered some cross-contamination.
You can always refer to my post on how to read ingredient labels to help guide you whenever you go to the store.
Tater tots are made from grated potatoes (“taters”) that are formed into small cylinders (“tots”) and then deep-fried. You will find them in bags in the frozen food section. They can be cooked in the air fryer, on the stove, in the oven, or used in other dishes. Tater tots are a great, easy side dish or snack.
Tater tots in their purest form as made with shredded potatoes and salt. Of course, store-bought brands often contain a few more ingredients, such as preservatives, to keep them fresh. Here is a list of the ingredients in the Ore Ida brand of tater tots:
While many brands of tater tots don’t contain gluten, if you’re looking for certified gluten-free tater tots you’ll want to scan the labels carefully. Here is some more information about specific tater tots brands:
Ore Ida brands are labeled certified gluten-free, so this brand is a safe bet! All of the tater tots varieties the company makes are gluten-free.
Sonic’s tater tots, according to their allergen guide, are at risk of cross-contamination for allergens during the cooking process. If you really want to order Sonic tater tots it’s worth asking if they are cooked separately from other gluten-containing foods in the deep fryer before proceeding.
In general, frozen tater tots do not have any gluten-containing ingredients. But because they are not all labeled as being certified gluten-free, there’s a risk of cross-contamination or slight traces of wheat in the tater tots. Ore Ida brand does label their tater tots as being gluten-free so they are a good choice if you’re very sensitive to gluten or have celiac.
Great Value brand tater tots do not show any gluten-containing ingredients on their ingredients list. However, the bag contains a disclaimer that the tater tots may contain traces of milk, eggs, and wheat. If you are very sensitive, you may wish to stay away from this brand.
