In most cases, the answer is yes. Though they’re harder to find these days (thank goodness!), some ready made brands of eggnog can contain gluten in the form of wheat. It’s easy to spot wheat on the label so therefore it’s easy to avoid gluten containing eggnog. Kroger has a gluten-free eggnog in our area. At one time the 365 brand at Whole Foods made eggnog that contained gluten, or at least the label listed wheat in the ingredients. Ingredients often change so the product might be gluten-free now.
For whatever reason, companies don’t seem to use barley or rye when making eggnog. Why any would use wheat is a mystery but I’ll never forget picking up a container of eggnog that listed wheat in the ingredients. This was right after the labeling law changed so I wonder if there really was wheat in the product. More than once the legal departments at large companies have suggested they add wheat to the label of some products that don’t contain wheat ingredients. At one time a blue cheese at WalMart stated “contains wheat” but after running tests, the product was found to be gluten-free and the disclaimer went away. Nothing about the product changed except the label. It had always been gluten-free.
Most store bought eggnogs won’t contain any alcohol so you need to add your own, if you’re so inclined. I’ve seen recipes that call for Brandy, Bourbon and even dark Rum. Distilled alcohols are considered gluten-free, even though some old outdated information on the subject would have you believe otherwise. It’s been several years since scientists figured out that the distillation process removes the gluten protein. You can check the gluten-free status of your favorite brands at GlutenFreeDrinks.com. Remember to watch out for flavored alcohols which can have gluten ingredients added after the distillation process. I’ve personally never run into a flavored alcohol that contains gluten but a few do exist.
An easy way to understand that pure distilled alcohols are gluten free is to think about the vinegar issue. Many vinegars are distilled from gluten grains and yet, they are considered gluten-free. The same rule applies to distilled alcohols. Malt vinegar is often made from barley, a gluten grain, but since it’s usually not distilled, it is not gluten-free. Malt vinegar is made from corn in some cases and that product is indeed gluten-free.
It would be hard to imagine anyone making eggnog from scratch that would contain gluten but anything is possible. If you attend a party where it’s being served, it’s best to check with the person who made it before consuming it. Cheers to all for a happy, healthy 2010!
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Dr. Osborne,
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Great article Tiffany. I wasn’t familiar with GlutenFreeDrinks.com, so I will check it out after this comment.
As for Egg Nog, I have always liked it and looked into it locally. It seems our local milk and egg nog providers are all gluten-free. (AE and Roberts I believe).
Thank you for your article. i admit, I love eggnog, and this season have enjoyed eggnog by Organic Valley and Trader Joe’s. The Trader Joe’s eggnog states it is gluten-free on the bottle. I also know that Silk Nog is gluten-free, but haven’t had luck in finding it. I had called Dean’s to ask about their eggnog, and they said since it contains “natural flavors” they cannot guarantee it is gluten-free.