Better Than Bouillon is a popular soup base that adds a lot of flavor to soup recipes. It is considered an alternative to traditional bouillon cubes. They come in both meat and vegetable bases. Many who have celiac or gluten intolerance wonder Is Better Than Bouillon Gluten Free.
What Is Better Than Bouillon?
Better Than Bouillon is a premium base (aka stock starter) that comes in a jar. It is considered a more flavorful alternative to chicken broth. Most popular bouillon brands use msg, autolyzed yeast extract, and barley malt in their ingredients.
Better Than Bouillon is popular because it is made without msg and many of the typical bouillon food bases that are considered unhealthy artificial ingredients. Many of the chicken bouillon cubes are not even made with chicken meat.
Their flavor is similar to bouillon bases and cubes, but this brand is a soft paste instead of a hard cube. This product has many unique flavors, including chicken, beef, vegetables, and gravies. Summit Hill Foods manufactures this flavoring.
While you are here, don’t forget to read all of my meal ingredients articles to learn which are gluten free!
Answer: Is Better Than Bouillon Gluten Free?
No, Better Than Bouillon is not gluten free. It doesn’t contain gluten ingredients, but it is made in a production facility that also makes gluten products.
The Better than Bouillon website states, “No, Better Than Bouillon is made in a facility where wheat ingredients are housed. We do not test our Better Than Bouillon products or ingredients contained therein for gluten, so we cannot certify that any ingredient is gluten free.”
This is a big red flag if the brand isn’t testing this product, and there is a big chance of cross-contamination with gluten-containing ingredients.
I do not recommend this product to anyone with celiac disease or gluten allergy. Even small amounts of gluten are dangerous if you have celiac.
If you are gluten intolerant, it is up to you and your sensitivity level to determine if you will try this product. It is critical to always look at the ingredient list on any food product label.
I do not have personal experience with this product because I have celiac and do not trust anything made on potentially shared production equipment.
Better Than Bouillon Ingredients (Chicken):
Roasted Chicken, Salt, Sugar, Corn Syrup Solids, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Dried Whey (MILK), Flavoring, Food Starch, Disodium Inosinate And Disodium Guanylate, Turmeric. ALLERGENS: Milk, Soybeans.
Most gluten-free people know they must avoid wheat, barley, and rye when looking for a gluten source. The difficult part is often, these ingredients are hidden and called other things.
It is important to get accurate information by going to the brand’s website to ensure the product is gluten free. Brands often change ingredients and recipes, so you should check even if the food is safe.
As you can see from the nutritional label, there are no obvious gluten ingredients. The biggest red flag for me is the flavorings… which can easily come from wheat sources. This brand discloses allergens, so the cross-contamination risk is likely why the brand doesn’t label its products gluten-free.
Better Than Bouillon Substitutes:
These are some delicious alternatives to Better Than Bouillon. You can also try this copycat chicken bouillon recipe to make it from scratch. If you are vegan, this vegan bouillon recipe is easy to make.
- Herb Ox
- Mom’s Place Chicken Bouillon
- Orrington Farms
- Mrs. Millers Homestyle Chicken Soup Base
- Bou Bouillon Cubes
