When you’re putting together a refreshing happy hour cocktail, you may wonder, Is Vodka Gluten-Free? Read on to learn if you may safely drink vodka on a gluten-free diet.
Vodka is a grain alcohol commonly made from corn, potatoes, or wheat. According to Beyond Celiac, all vodka is gluten free. However, as with many gluten free products there are some things to watch out for! You can also check my post on how to read ingredient labels to guide you through purchasing gluten free products at the store.
Vodka in its purest form is gluten-free. When you start adding in other flavorings, like citrus, that’s when things get a bit tricky. Many vodka distillers purchase added flavors from other manufacturers, and they can’t always promise that these additional flavorings are made to be certified gluten-free.
Absolut Vodka is careful to claim on its website FAQs that all of its vodkas are allergen-free. However, the company notes that it cannot guarantee that its flavored vodkas, such as Absolut Citron, are gluten-free because they may have come in contact with trace amounts of gluten during their suppliers’ manufacturing process.
Grey Goose states clearly on its website that its vodka is gluten-free. However, it is distilled from grain, although the company claims the distillation process removes any gluten. You may want to proceed with caution even if it’s labeled gluten free if you are extremely sensitive to gluten.
Smirnoff Vodka is another vodka that is considered to be gluten-free. As with the other vodkas discussed here, to be on the safe side you’ll want to drink plain Smirnoff and skip the flavored varieties if you are very sensitive to gluten.
As noted above, flavored vodkas may contain gluten free ingredients but they may have encountered some cross-contamination in their manufacturing. For this reason, if you are very sensitive, it’s best to drink unflavored vodka (and you can easily flavor it with fresh juice if you want to add flavor!).
Here’s a quick list of some of the gluten-free vodka brands it’s safe to drink:
You can most likely drink vodka if you are gluten intolerant if you follow some of the suggestions included in this post and stay away from any flavored vodka if you are particularly sensitive to gluten.
Vodka is, of course, amazing in cocktails! There are so many vodka-based drinks, ranging from a Moscow Mule to a martini to a simple vodka tonic. If you wish for a flavored vodka but don’t want to take the chance on any potential cross-contamination issues, you can easily dress up your plain vodka with simple syrup, a fruit juice, soda, or another flavored liqueur that is certified gluten-free.
You can also cook with vodka. Try my vodka sauce recipe on your favorite gluten-free pasta for a sumptuous dinner. Or try vodka in a glaze for meats, drizzle it into pie pastry, add it to brownies, sorbet, and more.
