Posted by A neighbor is making me a gluten-free pineapple upside down cake from a Betty Crocker cake mix. She was excited to find this treasure for me. She tells me that included on the ingredient list needed to prepare this cake says “gluten-free” vanilla extract. I smiled and laughed at this statement but before I could explain …. She knew that vanilla extract is naturally gluten-free.
- Pure Vanilla Extract – yes, GF
- Vanilla Extract (Imitation or Artificial) – yes, GF
The confusion may comes from the fact that vanilla extract is often mixed with alcohol that may be from a grain. However, most manufacturers use distilled alcohol (no grain residue).
You may be paying more because it is labeled “gluten-free” and it is actually naturally gluten-free. Read the label!
P.S. This scenario is probably the same for most of the flavoring extracts used in baking — are you thinking holiday cookies, etc.
