Those with a gluten allergy or a necessity of eating foods that are gluten-free by choice may find it difficult to enjoy their favorite foods even at the most popular companies. In addition, if you are buying an enjoyable type of food for a gluten-free friend, you can feel a little lost. You may ask yourself, “Is Trader Joe’s Gnocchi Gluten Free?”
Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Gnocchi is, according to Trader Joe’s themselves, completely gluten free. This is because gluten is a compound found in flour, none of which is present in Trader Joe’s gnocchi. Instead, their gnocchi is made from 75% of cauliflower, while the remainder is made of potato starch, cassava, and olive oil with sea salt for seasoning.
In this article, we will go over the ingredients in Trader Joe’s gnocchi, as well as whether or not cross-contamination is possible between gnocchi and gluten at Trader Joe’s. We will even cover other options for those with a gluten intolerance, as well as frequently asked questions.
Ingredients in Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Gnocchi
The main ingredient to worry about in gnocchi is flower, which contains the gluten that can harm those with a gluten sensitivity. Most gnocchi is not gluten free because it contains flour in addition to egg, cheese, potato, and salt.
However, the ingredients in Trader Joe’s Gnocchi are largely safe when it comes to gluten! According to Trader Joe’s, the main component in their gnocchi recipe is not flour, but the vegetable, cauliflower! Let’s check out a list of the other ingredients included in Trader Joe’s Gnocchi below:
- Cassava – Cassava is a type of root, also called yuca, and grinding it up can contain a great flour substitute that is totally free from gluten!
- Potato Starch – Without potato starch, the Gnocchi would not taste as good or hold together as well. So trader Joe’s gnocchi has potato starch to keep it not only delicious, but ultimately free of gluten, too.
- Olive Oil – Olive oil, not being created from any grain, is also excellently gluten-free.
- Sea Salt – Mostly added for taste, sea salt is what makes gnocchi high in sodium, but not high at all in gluten.
To check the current price and availability of Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Gnocchi, click here to view the listing on Amazon.
Trader Joe’s Gnocchi and Gluten: Is There a Risk of Cross-Contamination?
One of the big concerns of those with a gluten allergy or sensitivity is that even when coming across a product labeled or reportedly “gluten free,” there may still be a risk of cross contamination.
When this is the case, it can make a gluten free person feel as if there is no way to truly know whether a product will cause discomfort after being eaten or not.
However, there is no need to worry about risk of this from a Trader Joe’s package of gnocchi. This is because Trader Joe’s addresses this concern on their website.
The company claims to work as closely as possible with the companies that distribute and manufacture products like gnocchi to be absolutely sure that cross contamination is not evident.
Some of these preventative measures are training and educating employees so that they do not mix up labels or store ingredients that are contradictory in allergenic material too close together.
Gluten in Trader Joe’s Gnocchi: Is it a Concern for Those With Sensitivities?
Trader Joe’s gnocchi does not contain any gluten whatsoever thanks to replacing the flour element that is present in most gnocchi products with cauliflower and potato starch.
Even so, it takes as many as ten milligrams of gluten in a single day to cause an inflammatory reaction in most of the people who have a sensitivity to gluten.
In all Trader Joe products which are labeled “gluten free,” the claim is backed by the United States Food and Drug Administration. This means that the product with the label has less than twenty parts per million of gluten within.
This, in turn, means that the most gluten a product that is “gluten-free” could contain is around 19 milligrams of gluten. If this is a cause for concern, simply check the ingredient list.
If, as is the case with Trader Joe’s gnocchi, the ingredients do not list flour or any other product known to contain the gluten compound, you are safe!
Trader Joe’s Gnocchi and Gluten-Free Diets: What Are the Options?
Because Trader Joe’s gluten-free gnocchi really does live up to the name and replace all possible gluten-containing ingredients with great substitutes, you really do not need any other options when you get a gnocchi craving.
However, the ingredients used to replace gluten-filled portions of the food do serve as an important lesson in substitutes for those with a gluten sensitivity.
For example, finding products that use cassava in place of flour, or potato starch instead of wheat, barley, or rye are great ways to satisfy your craving without risking inflammation.
Gnocchi from Trader Joe’s: Is it Safe For Those With Gluten Intolerance?
To sum it all up, because Trader Joe’s has replaced the gluten-filled ingredients normally found in gnocchi with non-gluten components, their gnocchi is totally safe for those with a gluten intolerance.
This is thanks to the cauliflower, cassava, and potato starch replacing flour, which contains the wheat that contains gluten in most inflammatory foods.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you still have questions related to gluten and the Gnocchi produced at Trader Joe’s, look no further! We have a list of frequently asked questions on the topic listed below, as well as reliable answers.
Is Trader Joe’s Sweet Potato Gnocchi Gluten-Free?
When trying out sweet potato gnocchi from Trader Joe’s, it is important to note that no, their sweet potato gnocchi is not gluten-free. It contains wheat flour, which holds gluten that can inflame those with a sensitivity.
What Brand of Gnocchi is Gluten-Free?
The brand of gnocchi found at Trader joe’s marked “gluten free” is sufficiently free of gluten!
Does Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Gnocchi Have Gluten?
Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi does not contain gluten, replacing the critical flour component with the cauliflower that gives the gnocchi it’s name!
Are Gnocchi Gluten Free?
Most gnocchi recipes are not gluten free, as they contain wheat flour which holds gluten. However, the cauliflower gnocchi sold at Trader Joe’s is gluten-free.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, Trader Joe’s gnocchi is gluten-free as long as you are buying the cauliflower brand. Gluten is found in wheat flour, which is usually a key ingredient in gnocchi, but Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi gets it’s name from the cauliflower that replaces this ingredient.
Though some with a gluten allergy may worry even though the label says “gluten free,” it should be noted that the Trader Joe company highly values their customer’s safety and trust, going so far as to work with manufacturing companies to keep ingredients from cross-contaminating.
This means that Trader Joe’s gnocchi, when made with cauliflower, is perfectly safe for those with a gluten allergy!
