Gluten-Free Pantry Essentials

If you’re moving towards a gluten-free lifestyle, the first steps can be intimidating. Trying to purge your pantry of gluten is a challenge in-and-of itself. Gluten often lurks in places you’d never expect it. Soy sauce? Gluten. Taco seasoning? Gluten. Canned soups? Gluten. Purging them all from your pantry takes both time and patience.

Once you’ve jettisoned all the gluten you can find, your pantry might look pretty empty! Now it’s time to build your gluten-free pantry with a host of new ingredients that are both gluten-free and delicious.

If you search through gluten-free cookbooks, you can find some very helpful lists to assist you in building your pantry back up again. The fundamental problem with many of these lists is that they often suggest ingredients that most families will only use a few times in a year. A family could end up spending hundreds of dollars on a new gluten-free pantry, yet only end up using a small amount of staples regularly.

Here at Wildly Organic, we’re a family-owned company that wants to make organic, natural food accessible to families all across America. We understand the struggle that can come when you start a gluten-free lifestyle. To help cut through some of the confusion, we’ve listed eight gluten-free seasonings and ingredients we feel are the most important to keep stocked at all times. Don’t forget, everything we sell at Wildly Organic is gluten-free, so you won’t have to be concerned about accidentally buying hidden gluten when you shop with us.

1. Gluten-Free Flours

First and foremost, you’ll need gluten-free flour in your home to replace the ubiquitous all-purpose flour you’ve likely been using. This may seem to be a cause for concern at first, but there’s several amazing gluten-free flours available to stock in your pantry. Here’s several you should try.

• Almond flour: Slightly sweet and nutty, almond flour is a popular cup-for-cup alternative to standard wheat flour. It’s a staple in almost every gluten-free pantry.
• Coconut flour: Although popular in desserts, coconut flour is a fantastic gluten-free alternative for either sweet or savory dishes.
• Gluten-free all-purpose flour: Sometimes called “cup-for-cup gluten-free flour” or “1 to 1 gluten-free flour”, this type of flour mimics the texture and flavor of typical wheat all-purpose flour. It’s typically a blend of several flours such as potato, garbanzo, or tapioca.

2. Broth

Many popular brands of broths, stocks, and bouillons utilize gluten as a thickener. When building a gluten-free pantry, having acceptable broths on hand is a must. Chicken, beef, and vegetable stocks are typically the building blocks of many different meals, so finding a gluten-free brand of broth should be a priority. Alternatively, you can make your own.

3. Gluten-Free Seasonings

Were you surprised that you can find gluten in many blends of taco seasoning? Most people are. It’s imperative when you build your pantry to ensure that you’re using seasonings and seasoning blends that don’t contain wheat. Believe it or not, you can also find gluten in several ground spices, including:

• Curry powder
• Paprika
• Turmeric
• Cinnamon

Why would a manufacturer add wheat to spices? Typically, they do so to prevent caking over long periods of storage. Read labels carefully and also beware of cross-contamination warnings as well. Buying spices from Wildly Organic is a simple way to ensure you get pure spices for your gluten-free pantry.

4. Gluten-Free Soy Sauce

Did you know that most brands of soy sauce contain wheat? Before fretting that you’ll never be able to make your favorite Asian-inspired dish again, there’s hope! There are several gluten-free ingredients that can give the rich umami flavor of soy sauce...without the gluten:

• Gluten-free soy sauce (typically made with rice)
• Tamari sauce
• Coconut aminos

5. Gluten-Free Pasta

One of the hardest things about starting the gluten-free lifestyle is that many of your go-to items for a quick dinner end up getting thrown away. No more easy meals of mac and cheese or spaghetti and meatballs. However, don’t worry! Keep several boxes of gluten free pasta on hand and you’ll always have the start of an easy meal close at hand.

Over the past couple of years, the gluten-free pasta market has exploded with a multitude of delectable choices. You can find pasta made from quinoa, lentils, corn, or rice. Keep several boxes of gluten-free pasta and sauce in your gluten-free pantry for an easy meal (but don’t forget to check the sauce for “hidden” wheat too!).

6. Grains

Remember that gluten-free and grain-free are not the same thing. You can live gluten-free and still enjoy grains such as white or wild rice and quinoa. Believe it or not, buckwheat is gluten-free too. Who would have thought something with “wheat” in its name could be gluten-free?

7. Gluten-Free Breadcrumbs

Breadcrumbs are one of those ingredients that can be sneaky. You can go weeks without using them, and then end up using them several times in just a few days. Of course, it’s possible to make your own breadcrumbs utilizing gluten-free ingredients and spices, but it’s much simpler to keep a shelf-stable can in your pantry.

8. Ice Cream

We’ll admit that ice cream isn’t necessarily a staple… but it should be! Unfortunately, many of your favorite pints of ice cream could have gluten hidden away in them. Thankfully, there are several companies such as Halo Top, Häagen-Dazs, and Breyers that make delicious ice cream flavors for those who are gluten sensitive. By the way, Dove bars are all gluten free with the exception of their chocolate brownie flavor. Yay!

While the aforementioned brands certainly make delicious treats, they are laden with sugar and dairy. If you’re looking for something using more healthful ingredients, try making our Nut Butter Ice Cream. It’s gluten-free, dairy-free, and delicious!

Shop at Wildly Organic

No matter your reasons for going gluten-free, let Wildly Organic help you build your gluten-free pantry. We have many options for folks who are gluten-free, dairy-free, keto, vegan, and more. Let our team help you restock your pantry with food that tastes good and that’s good for you.

Need recommendations on a gluten-free substitute not mentioned here? Contact us today so we can help.