Is Cream Cheese Gluten-Free and Safe for People with Celiac Disease?

Celiac.com 12/16/2020 - We get more than a few questions about cream cheese. Specifically, is cream cheese gluten-free, and safe for people with celiac disease? Yes, most all cream cheese is gluten-free. 

With few exceptions, cheeses are made with milk, cultures, and often some kind of rennet to make them form into solid cheese. Most cheeses are gluten-free and safe for people with celiac disease, and they appear on celiac.com's list of safe foods and ingredients. That includes most moldy cheeses like Blue, Gorgonzola, Roquefort, and, yes, cream cheese. 

Cream cheese is a soft, usually mild-tasting fresh cheese made from milk and cream. According to the USDA, cream cheese must containing at least 33% milk fat, have a moisture content of not more than 55%, and a pH between 4.4 and 4.9.

As with so many food that are naturally gluten-free, unless wheat or gluten ingredients are added during or after processing, cream cheese is gluten-free and safe for people with celiac disease. As usual, be sure to read all labels very carefully before you any products, including cream cheese.

See our article on gluten-free cheeses.