Are Cheetos Gluten-Free?
Cheetos are manufactured by Frito Lay and most of the flavors are gluten-free.
Most Cheetos are Gluten-Free!
According to Frito Lay, the following flavors are gluten-free.
- CHEETOS® Crunchy Cheddar Jalapeño Cheese Flavored Snacks
- CHEETOS® Crunchy Cheese Flavored Snacks
- CHEETOS® Crunchy FLAMIN’ HOT® Cheese Flavored Snacks
- CHEETOS® Crunchy FLAMIN’ HOT® Limón Cheese Flavored Snacks
- CHEETOS® Crunchy XXtra FLAMIN’ HOT® Flavored Cheese Flavored Snacks
- CHEETOS® FANTASTIX!® Chili Cheese Flavored Baked Corn/Potato Snacks
- CHEETOS® FANTASTIX!® FLAMIN’ HOT® Flavored Baked Corn/Potato Snacks
- CHEETOS® Oven Baked Crunchy Cheese Flavored Snacks*
- CHEETOS® Oven Baked Crunchy FLAMIN’ HOT® Cheese Flavored Snacks*
- CHEETOS® Puffs Cheese Flavored Snacks
- CHEETOS® Puffs FLAMIN’ HOT® Cheese Flavored Snacks
- CHEETOS® Puffs FLAMIN’ HOT® Reduced Fat Cheese Flavored Snacks
- CHEETOS® Puffs Reduced Fat Cheese Flavored Snacks
- CHEETOS® Puffs Simply White Cheddar Cheese Flavored Snacks
Cheetos Ingredients (Original Puffs)
Enriched Corn Meal (Corn Meal, Ferrous Sulfate, Niacin, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Vegetable Oil (Corn, Canola, Sunflower Oil) Cheese Seasoning (Whey, Cheddar Cheese, Canola Oil, Maltodextrin, Salt, Whey Protein Concentrate, Monosodium Glutamate, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Lactic Acid, Citric Acid, Artificial Color, Salt.
Cheetos Nutrition Info
Serving Size: About 13 Pieces (28g)
Calories: 150
Calories from Fat: 90
| Amount Per Serving | %DV * |
| Total Fat 10g | 15% |
| Saturated Fat 1.5g | 8% |
| Cholesterol 0mg | 0% |
| Sodium 300mg | 13% |
| Total Carbohydrate 13g | 4% |
| Dietary Fiber <1g | 2% |
| Sugars 1g | |
| Protein 2g | |
| Vitamin A | 0% |
| Vitamin C | 0% |
| Calcium | 2% |
| Iron | 2% |
| Thiamin | 8% |
| Vitamin B6 | 2% |
| Riboflavin | 4% |
| Niacin | 4% |
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Cheetos History
Cheetos are a cheese-flavored cornmeal snack manufactured by the Frito-Lay Company, which is a subsidiary of PepsiCo. They were invented by Charles Elmer in 1948 who then began distribution in the United States. Since the snack primarily consists of corn, one may think that Cheetos are related to tortilla chips but they were actually created to be a side dish for sandwiches and soups.
Soon after its invention, the cheese-flavored snack sold fast but Elmer didn’t have the manufacturing or distribution capacity to sustain a countrywide launch. This led him to partner with a potato-chip entrepreneur, Herman W. Lay, for advertisement and distribution support. The commercial success of Cheetos convinced Elmer and Lay to combine their two businesses in 1961, forming a new company called Frito-Lay Inc.
During that time, Cheetos were among the four largest snack food products sold by the company, with an annual turnover of around $127 million. In 1965, Frito-Lay further merged with the Pepsi-Cola Company forming PepsiCo. The new firm promoted further distribution and marketing of Cheetos outside North America.
In 1988, Frito-Lay introduced a new product line known as Cheetos Cheddar Cheese-Flavored Popcorn and started an intense promotional campaign featuring Chester-Cheetah, a cartoon figure targeted at kids and young adults. By the beginning of the 21st century, Cheetos had full control of the puffed snack food market, with sales totaling almost twice that of the other top 15 competing brands combined.
In 2010, Cheetos was ranked as the most profitable cheese puff brand in the United States. Global annual sales were also equally successful at around $4 billion. While the original ‘Crunchy Cheetos’ are still in circulation to this day, the brand line has since grown to include 21 new varieties of Cheetos sold in North America alone. Nevertheless, the original Cheetos are available in more than 36 nations around the world, but the flavor and texture occasionally vary to match regional tastes and cultural preferences.
Are Cheetos safe for people who are celiac which is a serious form of gluten allergy? Are they made in a gluten-free facility?
Hey Neha,
Even though some Cheetos are gluten-free, they aren’t certified as being gluten-free. This means they most likely aren’t made in a 100% gluten-free facility and there could be some cross-contamination.
No! It says gluten free on the bag but it doesn’t indicate they are processed using machinery that doesn’t process wheat products. I have had issues after eating them.
Cheetos are not safe for people with celiacs. All products produced by Frito Lay are at risk for cross contamination even though the majority of their products have a “Gluten free” symbol on them. I’ve attached a link for the Frito Lay website and their allergen statement.
This is a link for the products distributed in Canada.
https://www.fritolay.com/dietary-needs/gluten-free/canadian-gluten-free-products-and-products-not-containing-gluten