We’ve been talking about Starbucks a bit lately, haven’t we? Yesterday we had to stay out of our apartment all day while some major repairs were being done, and so after we went to the gym (Yes, I had to mention that! LOL Haven’t been in a long time and was proud I finally went) we decided to do some work at a quiet Starbucks location.
And a LOT of people order frappuccinos. Sure, it’s summertime, so it is a refreshing option of a delicious icy coffee drink – either topped with whipped cream or not. And so, as I watched these people ordering and enjoying I immediately wondered if all of those drink options are gluten free or not. And thus this post was born!
Are all of Starbucks frappuccinos gluten free?
Let’s first say a bit of a disclaimer: All of the drinks are made in the same blender cups. So, there is ALWAYS a chance that your drink could be cross contaminated – basically meaning it might contain minute amounts of gluten from other drinks that do contain gluten ingredients.
So if you’re Celiac, take this into account before even ordering a Frappuccino. And, it’s always worth it to ask if they have a special jug just for preparing gluten free/Celiac orders. As a celiac you have to get used to speaking up for yourself and asking questions like that.
Many Fraps ARE gluten free as far as the ingredients go. But not all of them!
Starbucks has introduced frappuccinos with cookie bits – so you definitely need to steer clear of those ones! Here are the Frap options that have gluten ingredients:
- Any of the Cookie Crumble frappuccinos have those previously mentioned cookie crumb bits that CONTAIN wheat flour.
- The Double Chocolaty Chip creme Frappuccino – these frappuccino chips sound as if they’d be gluten free but they’re not. They contain regular wheat flour.
- Toasted White Chocolate Creme Frappuccino – contains malt. Malt is an ingredient that is usually derived from barley, and therefore contains gluten. It is one of those tricky ingredients that you need to know about when avoiding all gluten.\
To be safe – always ask if the drink you’d like to order is gluten free.
Choose a basic frappuccino for a safer gluten free option
Basic frappuccinos – those without fancy toppings and sprinkles – may indeed be free of gluten. Vanilla fraps, Mocha fraps, Caramel frappucinos, chocolate, coffee, and White Chocolate mocha fraps are all considered to be free of gluten ingredients. Remember to always ask though! And remember too about that enemy of ours – cross contamination.
Is Starbucks whipped cream gluten free?
Generally, you will be safe to have Starbucks whipped cream on one of your frappuccinos or other specialty coffee drink. Again, there is always the chance of cross contamination, so keep that in mind. But the ingredients themselves are gluten free.
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