Is Crisco Gluten Free

• Crisco can replace margarine and butter in any cooking or baking recipe.

• According to the information available on Crisco’s official website, their products have no gluten-containing ingredients.

• However, since Crisco products are manufactured in facilities that also process gluten-containing ingredients, cross-contamination may occur.

• Celiac and gluten-sensitive people should pay special care when using jars or cans. Make sure to keep all your cooking utensils clean and avoid cross-contamination.

Is Crisco gluten free? How come I never heard about this product before? A better product than margarine? How so? As a person who doesn’t eat gluten at all, I must know if this product is gluten free or not. The answers are below.

A world-famous re-emplacement for butter and margarine, Crisco has been used in delicious baking and pastry goodies for over one century.

A famous American vegetable shortening brand, all Crisco products are marketed as gluten free.

Nonetheless, the risk of cross-contamination is rather high, calling for caution if you are celiac or suffer from gluten-intolerance. So the question still remains: Is Crisco gluten free or not?

Is Crisco Gluten Free: What is Crisco?

A brief history

Procter & Gamble launched Crisco in 1911. Like many other similar brands, Crisco was made of cottonseed. However, the creators behind Crisco perfected a revolutionary formula.

Instead of mixing the cottonseed oil with animal fat to solidify it, they used a process called hydrogenation to obtain the first solid shortening made entirely from liquid plant oil.

The innovative hydrogenation process, compounded with smart marketing that didn’t mention the word ‘cottonseed’ anywhere, turned Crisco into a popular ‘vegetable oil’ backed up by brand reliability and innovative food processing strategies. 

It is important to understand why avoiding the word ‘cottonseed’ played such a crucial role in Crisco’s success. When Crisco was launched, there was a lot of controversy around the uses of cottonseed oil which was often employed to make soap, explosives, or in industrial processes.

Crisco’s marketing strategy was brilliant, encouraging consumers to trust the brand and focus less on the ingredients. Later on, the cottonseed oil was replaced with soybean oil. 

Crisco is currently produced by The J.M. Smucker Company and its range of products includes various cooking oils (canola, peanut, corn, blends), shortenings, coconut oils, and no-stick cooking sprays.

For a full list of available products, make sure to check out Crisco’s official website.

But what makes Crisco so special?

Crisco can replace margarine and butter in any cooking or baking recipe. It is particularly famous for the flaky crust it helps you obtain when baking a pie.

From cakes to cookies, or frosting fluffy, Crisco helps goodies retain shape and stand tall.

Is there any gluten in Crisco?

According to the information available on Crisco’s official website, their products have no gluten-containing ingredients.

According to the available information, Crisco All-Vegetable Shortening does not contain: dairy, egg, celery & lupin, fish, shellfish, mustard, sesame, tree nuts, sulfites, wheat, and mollusks. 

However, the brand doesn’t make significant efforts to promote their products as gluten free. And this makes many celiac communities think that cross-contamination may occur during manufacturing and recommend caution. 

Crisco All Vegetable Shortening Ingredients

• Soybean Oil
• Palm Oil
• Fully Hydrogenated Palm Oil
• TBHQ & Citric Acid (Antioxidants)
• Mono And Diglycerides.

Additional Product Information

• 0g Trans Fat Per Serving*
• Rich in ALA Omega-3 fatty acid*
• 50% Less Saturated Fat than Butter* 
• Kosher Pareve
• Gluten Free

What to look out for

As we have already mentioned, Crisco products are advertised as gluten free. However, since Crisco products are manufactured in facilities that also process gluten-containing ingredients, cross-contamination may occur.

Related: Is vegetable oil gluten free | Is apple cider gluten free

If you have doubts, do not hesitate to call the manufacturer’s helpline and ask for additional information.

Celiac and gluten-sensitive people should pay special care when using jars or cans. Make sure to keep all your cooking utensils clean and avoid cross-contamination.

Since manufacturers may sometimes change the ingredients lists, make sure to always carefully read labels!

To sum up

Crisco makes an awesome alternative to butter and margarine in all your baking and cooking recipes, allowing you to obtain amazing results.

According to the available information, Crisco products are gluten free. However, cross-contamination may occur during manufacturing so we recommend caution.

What’s more, celiac and gluten-sensitive consumers should pay special attention to cross-contamination and make sure to always keep their cooking utensils clean.