Is Velveeta Gluten Free. Ingredients and Tips

• Though it is not certified as a gluten free product, none of its ingredients contains gluten. So we can safely assume that Velveeta is gluten free and can be eaten by gluten free and celiac consumers.

• According to FDA standards, technically, Velveeta is not cheese.

• The gluten free and celiac community recognizes Velveeta as a gluten free product.

• Since Kraft Foods does not label Velveeta as being certified gluten free, we can assume that cross-contamination may occur.

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Is Velveeta gluten free? I keep hearing that question ever since I started my journey with gluten free living. For the most part, people don’t really know what Velveeta is actually, is it real cheese? Is it not? We have all the answers below.

An iconic American brand whose history spreads over a century, Velveeta will tantalize your taste buds no matter how you eat it: melted into a dip, baked, or spurted on a salad.

However, a question still remains: is it gluten free or not? Though it is not certified as a gluten free product, none of its ingredients contains gluten.

So we can safely assume that Velveeta is gluten free and can be eaten by gluten free and celiac consumers.

Velveeta Gluten Free Confidence Score

What is Velveeta any way

Manufactured by Kraft Foods, Velveeta is a processed cheese product with a velvety, smooth consistency when melted. 

Invented back in 1918 by the Monroe Cheese Company, the brand was sold to Kraft Foods in 1927. 

Though originally sold as “Pasteurized Process Cheese Spread” and marketed as a ‘healthy product’ that enjoyed the stamp of approval of the American Medical Association, Velveeta contained whey and real cheese.

However, back in 2002, FDA forced Kraft Foods to label Velveeta as “Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product”. 

Currently, Velveeta contains mainly milk protein concentrate and whey protein concentrate, mixed with milk, fat and various preservatives. According to FDA standards, technically, Velveeta is not cheese.

Related Read: Is honey gluten free? 

Popular uses

Popular recipes for Velveeta include macaroni and cheese, queso dip, or grilled cheese sandwiches. Velveeta is also available in Mexican, Sharp Cheddar, Jalapeño, or 2% Milk varieties.

Ingredients of Velveeta

According to Kraft Foods, Velveeta’s ingredients are:

 • Milk

• Milk protein concentrate

• Whey & whey protein concentrate

• Water

• Milkfat

• 2% or less salt

• Sodium phosphate

•Lactic acid & sorbic acid

• Sodium alginate & Sodium citrate 

• Enzymes

• Cheese culture

• Apocarotenal

• Annatto

Things to look out for

Kraft Foods boasts a strict and trusted policy to overtly disclose any allergens on their products’ nutrition labels.

In the case of Velveeta, none of its listed ingredients contains gluten. What’s more, the gluten free and celiac community recognizes Velveeta as a gluten free product.

However, since Kraft Foods does not label Velveeta as being certified gluten free, we can assume that cross-contamination may occur.

To sum up

An American food-processing symbol, Velveeta is acknowledged as a gluten free cheese product. Available in various flavours and combinations, Velveeta looks like it’s here to say for 100 years more!