If you suffer from celiac disease or choose to live a gluten free lifestyle, there are now more options than ever when it comes to gluten free foods. A gluten free diet means you can't consume any foods containing gluten. Gluten is found in wheat, barley, rye, triticale, and some oats. Worcestershire sauce is a popular marinade and seasoning, especially for meat. If you're gluten free, you've probably asked yourself, "Is Worcestershire sauce gluten free?" The answer is it depends on the brand. Luckily, we've found three popular gluten free Worcestershire sauces that are delicious and safe to eat.
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What is Worcestershire Sauce?
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Worcestershire gets its tangy, umami flavor from tamarind. It typically gets it's signature dark brown color from soy sauce. Soy sauce is problematic, since it's wheat based, and not gluten free. Luckily, not all Worcestershire sauces have soy sauce in them. Other common ingredients in store-bought Worcestershire are anchovies, garlic powder, white vinegar, chili pepper extract, tamarind extract, artificial flavors, and natural flavorings. We found five gluten free brands of Worcestershire sauce, you won't have to compromise taste or flavor.
1. Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
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The original Worcestershire sauce is gluten-free, but only in the United States. Lea and Perrins is made with distilled vinegar, which can be derived from gluten grains. Heinz, the parent company, doesn't officially label this gluten-free because of the possibility of cross-contamination in processing.
In other countries, like Canada, they use barley malt instead of vinegar, so it is not considered gluten-free. If you see malt vinegar as the first ingredient, steer clear.
2. The Wizard's Gluten-Free Vegan Worcestershire Sauce
This sauce is great for people who are gluten-free and vegan. To achieve the same flavor, the sauce is made with tamari, apple cider vinegar, tamarind juice, and other natural flavors, like shitake mushroom.
You can purchase it on Amazon.
3. Bull Dog
This is a Japanese-based company that ships to the US. Their sauce does not contain gluten-based ingredients like soy sauce. They do produce other sauces though, so there is a risk for cross-contamination.
You can purchase it on Amazon.
4. Everyday Value
This brand from Whole Foods uses white vinegar instead of soy sauce but is not labeled gluten-free. The disclaimer on the bottle says, "The product is made in a facility that also processes wheat and other allergens."
Purchase it on Amazon.
5. French's Worcestershire Sauce
This brand specifically states it is gluten-free. It is very popular and is often found mixed with condiments at restaurants and steakhouses, along with Lea & Perrins Original.
Homemade Worcestershire Sauce Recipe
If you want to make your own gluten-free sauce, you'll need: apple cider vinegar, tamari soy sauce (this is just made with soy, no wheat), water, molasses, ground ginger, dry mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, cinnamon, and pepper.
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer for one minute, then remove from heat and store in the fridge.
Get the recipe here.
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