The Darn Good Chili mix from Bear Creek was reformulated to be gluten-free quite a while back. Since the soup mix contained wheat flour when I started following the gluten-free diet, we had not purchased any of the Bear Creek soup mixes for several years. What a nice surprise it was to find out that the company removed wheat from quite a few of their soup mixes. Another one of the mixes from the line we’d enjoyed in the past was the Cheddar Potato soup. Now that the wheat (the only form of gluten in the item previously) flour is missing, we can enjoy our wintertime favorite again – creamy Cheddar Potato soup.
Bear Creek has investigated the ingredients in all their products to determine which ones are made without any gluten ingredients. Due to the fact that there is still no ruling from the FDA about exactly what a gluten-free label means, the company does not label their “no gluten ingredient” soups gluten-free. While some people want to see those reassuring words – gluten-free – on every single product they buy, the absence of the term on a product in no way indicates that there is gluten in it. Once I understood that important fact, my gluten-free life got so much easier.
Soup is something that is very hard to find when dining out gluten-free. There are very few options for safe soup at restaurants in our area so we make a lot of soup during the cooler months. Not being someone who really loves cooking from scratch when it can be avoided, having safe soup mixes to whip up is a really big treat at our house. The Cheddar Potato soup mix requires eight cups of water, salt, and pepper (to taste) and takes approximately 20 minutes to make. After bringing the water to a boil, just whisk in the soup mix and let it simmer for 15 minutes. That’s all there is to it. Simple to make and simply delicious!
The Cheddar Potato soup was thick and creamy – almost surprisingly so. The flavor was of mild cheddar cheese and potato, of course. The soup package offers add-in suggestions of chicken, asparagus, broccoli, ham, peas, corn, sausage, bacon, and jalapenos. We added crispy bacon and scallions for extra flavor but the soup is wonderful without any additional ingredients. The soup mix contains milk and soy and makes approximately eight servings.
In addition to the Bear Creek Darn Good Chili and Cheddar Potato mixes, these soups from the line are also made without gluten ingredients:
- Cheddar Broccoli
- Clam Chowder
- Creamy Potato
- Creamy Wild Rice
- Navy Bean
- Split Pea
- Tortilla
It’s absolutely fabulous that there are so many non-specialty foods that we can enjoy these days. While almost every soup mix from Bear Creek contained gluten in the past, 9 out of the 14 flavors are now made with corn starch or other non-gluten thickeners. In the Atlanta area, I’ve found the Bear Creek soup mixes at Fresh Market and Publix stores. The mixes are also sold on Amazon.com. With a cost of under $5 per bag, each serving costs around $.60 or $1.20 if you consider serving two cups instead of one. Either way, that is quite a bargain!
Thank You
I just bought the soup a few days ago and was wondering about one of them and you really helped me. I have no way to return it as I am out of town. What I am saying is I have to eat it and you helped me so much. Thanks a million!
Thank you, it’s nice to be able to come home from the store feeling you’ve made the right choice by reading all of the ingredients but be able to look it up on the computer to put your mind at ease. I really really wish more products would just say “Gluten Free”. Maybe in the future!
Thank you!!!…I am just going through my pantry now to rid it of gluten products and am glad to know that there is one soup that I can keep!!!
Progresso Cream of Mushroom Soup is gluten free
Thank You so much for this the Cheddar Broc is my fav and I am so happy with it being fall time I can still have this.
Just tried the tortilla soup, with the addition of some shredded chicken and some crunchy GF tortilla strips …. Had to go back for seconds!
I have been wanting soup for so long now and many of you know that almost 99% of the soup mixes in the store contain wheat flour. Last night I purchased the Bear Creek Creamy Potato soup mix after inspecting the ingredient list and found no wheat four or other gluten ingredients. I was so excited to go home and cook it. It was delicious and filled that craving for soup I have had for so long! I am now on the hunt for the other varieties of Bear Creek soups that I can enjoy and not worry about getting sick!
I had this in my pantry, purchased at Vons. I am sick and really wanted soup. As I looked at the labels of all the soup in my pantry I kept hearing the Soup Nazzi from Seinfield in my head saying “No Soup For You!” Until I reached this one! I had the Creamy Potato.
Most people have no idea Bear Creek Soup Mixes are available in most stores. Kroger – Publix – Walmart – Big Lots, etc. Big Lots is the least expensive @ $3.00 – & even less when they have 20% off total purchase sale periodically. That’s when I load up on all the flavors.
I am so happy to hear this. Its new news to me being a recently diagnosed None Celiac Gluten Intolerance sufferer. I have literally over 150 packs of Bear Creek soups in totes that I thought I would have to donate as I could not eat. A portion of them are now past the Best Buy date but those soups store for well past the best buy date. Now to go thru my totes and just pick out the varieties not lists above. Wow…beyond happy that I have not lost hundreds of dollars of food.
I love some of the bear creek soups and I am on a gluten-free free diet for a month to see if I have a sensitivity to gluten products and the nutritionist looked up the broccoli and cheese soup ingredients and told me I couldn’t have it. I wanted to know if in fact it is gluten-free
You have made me a very happy girl! Many of these soups are our family favorites. ESPECIALLY Creamy Potato! Bear Creek soups are also a huge crowd pleaser in our little network. THANK YOU for your time and great info. GOD BLESS YOU AND YOURS!
Love the soups so much however i spent 10 min trying to see if it was gf please add GF on the front of the packs please !! Thank you so much.
Glad to know so many of your soups are GF
. In your directions for cooking your Cheddar Broccoli soup I notice that you say , “salt and pepper to taste.” Really? Salt , when sodium is listed at 990mg. I’d suggest you leave out the salt and let the cook salt it as she/he wishes or put a “high blood pressure” warning on your package.
Thanks. Gluten is health issue with us so this was good news. I love the potato soup and it impresses company too!😃
I too had to start eating gluten free food. I tried the Darn good Chlli and I tell you, It was everything that I wanted it to be.I did add some diced tomatoes Soooo Good 😁
If I remove the noodles from the Chicken Noodle Soup will that remove the gluten or is additional flour?