If you're coeliac, gluten intolerant or simply following a gluten free diet, one of the first questions you'll ask about any food is whether it's safe to eat. Cheese is a staple for many people and the good news is straightforward - the vast majority of cheese is naturally gluten free.
But the vast majority isn't all and there are a few situations where gluten can find its way into cheese products. This guide explains which cheeses are safe, where to watch out and what to check on the label.
Is Cheese Gluten Free? The Short Answer
Yes. Natural cheese, the kind made from milk, salt, cultures, and rennet is naturally gluten free. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye, and none of these are used in the production of traditional cheese.
The NHS lists cheese as a food that is safe to eat on a gluten free diet. Coeliac UK confirms the same and the British Dietetic Association includes cheese among naturally gluten free foods suitable for people with coeliac disease.
The exceptions are processed cheese products (cheese spreads, cheese sauces, some pre-packed grated cheeses) where wheat flour or other gluten containing ingredients may be added during manufacturing. If you stick to natural, unprocessed cheese, you're almost certainly fine.
Why Is Cheese Naturally Gluten Free?
Cheese is made from just four basic ingredients - milk (from cows, goats, or sheep), salt, bacterial cultures and an enzyme called rennet. None of these contain gluten. The cheesemaking process doesn't involve any grains or grain derived ingredients.
Gluten is specifically a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. Since cheese is a dairy product made entirely from animal milk, there is no biological reason for it to contain gluten. This applies equally to cow's milk, goat's milk and sheep's milk cheeses.
Which Cheeses Are Gluten Free?
Virtually all natural, unprocessed cheeses are gluten free. Here's a breakdown by type.
Hard Cheeses (Cheddar, Parmesan, Red Leicester)
All naturally gluten-free. Hard cheeses are made from milk, salt, cultures, and rennet, then aged for weeks, months, or years. No gluten containing ingredients are involved at any stage. Cheddar, Red Leicester, Parmesan, Manchego, Gouda, Gruyère, and Emmental are all safe.
Our cheese wedges and waxed cheese truckles are made from natural ingredients with no additives, fillers, or gluten containing ingredients. They're safe for a gluten free diet.
Soft Cheeses (Brie, Camembert, Goat's Cheese)
Naturally gluten-free. Brie and Camembert are made from milk and ripened with Penicillium candidum mould to create their white rind. No wheat or gluten is involved. Fresh goat's cheese, ricotta-style soft cheeses, and spreadable goat's cheese are also safe, provided they don't have added flavourings that contain gluten.
Blue Cheeses (Stilton, Roquefort, Gorgonzola)
This is where people often have concerns.
Blue cheese is made using a mould called Penicillium roqueforti, which creates the characteristic blue green veins. Historically, this mould was sometimes grown on bread (wheat or rye) before being introduced to the cheese. This led to questions about whether blue cheese might contain traces of gluten.
The evidence is reassuring. The Canadian Celiac Association commissioned scientific testing on blue cheeses including cheeses made with mould grown on gluten containing media. Using three different highly sensitive ELISA tests, no detectable gluten was found in any of the samples. The mould spores themselves do not carry intact gluten protein into the finished cheese.
Today, most commercial blue cheese producers grow their mould cultures in laboratory settings rather than on bread, making this even less of a concern. Coeliac UK lists blue cheese as safe for a gluten-free diet. Stilton, Roquefort, Gorgonzola and Danish Blue are all considered gluten free.
That said, if you are extremely sensitive or have severe coeliac disease, you may wish to check with individual producers or choose blue cheeses that confirm their mould is not bread cultured.
Fresh Cheeses (Mozzarella, Feta, Cottage Cheese, Cream Cheese)
Plain versions of all these cheeses are naturally gluten-free. Mozzarella (both fresh and low-moisture), feta, cottage cheese, and cream cheese are all made from milk and cultures with no gluten-containing ingredients.
The risk with fresh cheeses comes from flavoured or processed versions. Some flavoured cream cheeses, cottage cheese with added ingredients, or pre-marinated feta may include thickeners or flavourings derived from wheat. Always check the label on flavoured or processed varieties.
Where Gluten Can Hide in Cheese Products
While natural cheese is gluten-free, certain cheese-related products and situations can introduce gluten. Here's where to watch out:
Processed cheese and cheese spreads. Processed cheese (like cheese slices, cheese strings, and spreadable cheese) may contain wheat flour, modified food starch, or other gluten-containing ingredients used as thickeners, binders, or flavour carriers. As Beyond Celiac notes, processed cheese is the main area of risk. Always read the ingredients list.
Cheese sauces and ready-made fondue. Many pre-made cheese sauces use wheat flour as a thickening agent. If you're buying a ready-made cheese sauce or fondue mix, check the label carefully.
Beer-washed rind cheeses. Some artisan cheeses have their rinds washed in beer during the ageing process. Beer is typically made from barley (which contains gluten), so the rind of these cheeses may contain traces. This is a relatively niche concern, but worth knowing about if you eat washed-rind varieties like Epoisses or certain British washed-rind cheeses.
Breaded or battered cheese. Mozzarella sticks, halloumi fries, and other breaded or battered cheese products contain gluten in the coating unless specifically labelled as gluten-free.
Cross-contamination. At delis, cheese counters, and on shared cheese boards, cheese can come into contact with bread, crackers, or other gluten-containing foods. If you're coeliac, ask for cheese to be sliced with clean equipment, or buy pre-packaged cheese to minimise the risk.
Crackers and accompaniments. The cheese itself may be gluten-free, but what you eat it with matters. Standard crackers, breadsticks, and oatcakes contain gluten. If you're gluten-free, pair your cheese with gluten-free alternatives.
How to Check If a Cheese Is Gluten Free
For natural, unprocessed cheese, checking is straightforward:
Read the ingredients list. If the ingredients are just milk, salt, cultures, and rennet (or similar simple variations), the cheese is gluten-free. UK and EU law requires that gluten-containing ingredients (wheat, barley, rye, oats) must be clearly highlighted in the ingredients list if they are present.
Look for allergen statements. Packaging often includes an allergen advice section (e.g. "Contains: Milk"). If gluten-containing cereals are present, they must be listed here. The absence of wheat, barley, or rye from this section is a good sign.
Look for the Crossed Grain symbol. The Coeliac UK Crossed Grain symbol is a trusted marker that a product meets gluten-free standards (less than 20 parts per million of gluten). Not all cheese carries this symbol, many don't need to because they're naturally gluten free but its presence is an extra reassurance.
Contact the manufacturer if unsure. If you have severe coeliac disease and are concerned about cross-contamination during manufacturing, most cheese producers are happy to provide information about their processes.