Alright, so today I’m diving into something I’ve been curious about for a while: is molasses gluten-free? I mean, I use it in baking sometimes, and lately, I’ve been trying to cut back on gluten just to see how I feel.
First things first, I went straight to the source, which in this case meant raiding my own pantry. I grabbed my jar of Grandma’s Molasses (yeah, the classic!) and squinted at the label. Nada. No “gluten-free” label, no obvious gluten ingredients. Hmm.
So, next up, the internet deep dive. I started Googling like crazy: “is molasses naturally gluten-free,” “molasses gluten ingredients,” all that jazz. Found a bunch of articles saying pure molasses should be gluten-free, ’cause it’s basically just sugarcane or beet juice boiled down.
But, and this is a big but, a lot of those articles also warned about cross-contamination. Apparently, some molasses manufacturers might use the same equipment for molasses and stuff that does have gluten, like wheat or barley extracts. That’s where things get dicey.
To be extra sure, I decided to do a little experiment. I had some gluten-free cookies I baked last week. I split one in half. On one half, I drizzled a tiny bit of my Grandma’s Molasses. The other half I left plain. I ate them both a couple of hours apart, just to see if I felt any different. No weird reactions, no stomach grumbles, nothing out of the ordinary.
Next, I hit up some online forums and read what other gluten-free folks were saying. A lot of them mentioned sticking to brands that specifically label their molasses as gluten-free. Apparently, some brands take extra precautions to avoid cross-contamination.
I even called the company that makes my molasses! I know, sounds intense, right? But I figured it was worth a shot. The customer service rep was actually pretty helpful. She said their molasses is not tested for gluten specifically, but they don’t use any gluten ingredients in the process.
So, here’s my conclusion:
- Pure molasses should be gluten-free.
- Cross-contamination is a real possibility.
- If you’re super sensitive to gluten, look for brands that are specifically labeled “gluten-free.”
For me, I think I’m okay using my regular molasses in moderation. But I’ll definitely keep an eye out for gluten-free labeled brands in the future, just to be on the safe side.
And hey, if you’ve got any tips or experiences with gluten-free molasses, let me know in the comments! I’m always up for learning more.