End Your Gluten-Free Salad Dressing Search With These Brands

Pasta, cereal, cookies, pastries — it's pretty much a no-brainer for people with celiac disease or gluten sensitivities to look carefully for gluten-free versions of these foods. But you may not know that the dressing you're pouring across your leafy greens requires just as much attention.

While there are plenty of gluten-free salad dressing options out there, the condiment can contain gluten-based ingredients, making it unsafe for people avoiding the protein found in wheat, barley and rye. Before you pour, be sure to check the label on the bottle or, if you really want to play it safe, make your own.

Read more: What Effect Does Gluten Have on the Human Body?

Although you may not necessarily associate salad dressings with gluten, many actually aren't gluten-free. While some contain wheat, others are manufactured alongside gluten-containing ingredients, subjecting the dressing to cross-contamination.

When buying a gluten-free salad dressing, you'll want to look for a "gluten-free" marking on the bottle. These marks are regulated by the FDA and guarantee the dressing contains less than 20 parts per million (ppm) of gluten, an amount that's generally safe for consumption even by those with celiac disease, according to the FDA.

Although it's less common, some brands may even be certified gluten-free by third parties like the Gluten Intolerance Group. Often, these third parties assess the gluten contents with even more stringent rules, looking for 10 ppm or less.

If the dressing you've selected isn't labeled gluten-free but contains no gluten ingredients, it still may not be 100% safe to drizzle. In large manufacturing plants, various foods are prepared side-by-side, exposing one another to what's called cross-contamination. Especially for those with celiac disease, this can make the dressing potentially risky, so you'll want to steer clear.

To help you decide which dressing's best for you, consider the gluten-free status of these popular brands.

Annie's

While the brand is popularly known for its bunny-shaped crackers, Annie's manufactures a variety of foods, salad dressing included. Annie's makes 28 different dressings and vinaigrettes, several of which are labeled "Naturally Gluten-Free," like the Lite Raspberry Vinaigrette, according to the brand's site. However, while these flavors don't contain gluten directly, it's possible that they may contain more than 20 ppm of the protein.

Brianna's Home Style

Brianna's Home Style offers 19 salad dressings with both organic and conventional options. While the brand is not certified gluten-free, it does offer several gluten-free dressings, according to its storefront on Amazon.

Gluten-free options include:

• Asiago Caesar Dressing
• Blue Cheese Dressing
• Blush Wine Vinaigrette
• Champagne Vinaigrette Dressing
• Chipotle Cheddar Dressing
• Classic Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
  
• Dijon Honey Mustard
• Italian Vinaigrette Dressing
  
• New American Creamy Balsamic
• Real French Vinaigrette Dressing
• Rich Poppy Seed Dressing

Cardini's

Cardini's has a large variety of dressings that are free of gluten ingredients. In fact, all of the brand's salad dressings are marked gluten-free except the Roasted Asian Sesame, according to the company's site.

Gluten-free options include:

• Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
• Caesar Vinaigrette Dressing
• Garlic Lemon Caesar Dressing
• Light Caesar Dressing
• Light Greek Vinaigrette Dressing
• Original Salad Dressing
  
• Red Jalapeño Caesar Dressing
  
• Three Cheese Caesar Dressing

Read more: 9 Foods You Didn't Know Contain Gluten

Drew's Organics

Drew's Organics makes 15 gluten-free salad dressings with unique flavors like Tahini Goddess ($32.97 for six, Amazon.com), Coconut Sesame ($8.68, Amazon.com) or Sesame Orange ($29.99 for six, Amazon.com). All Drew's Organics dressings are certified gluten-free by the Gluten Intolerance Group, meaning they contain less than 10 ppm of gluten.

• Organic Chipotle Ranch
  
• Organic Classic Italian
• Organic Creamy Ranch
• Organic French Dressing
• Organic Greek Olive
• Organic Honey Dijon
• Organic Orange Sesame Ginger
• Organic Poppy Seed
• Organic Roasted Garlic Peppercorn
• Organic Romano Caesar
• Organic Rosemary Balsamic
• Organic Shiitake Ginger
  
• Organic Tahini Goddess
  
• Organic Thai Coconut
  
• Organic Thousand Island
  

Girard's

Girard's has a large selection of gluten-free salad dressings to choose from. While the brand's dressings aren't certified, they are generally safe for consumption, according to the company site. Just keep an eye out for the Toasted Sesame Ginger Dressing, as it contains wheat.

Gluten-free options include:

• Bacon Sweet Onion Vinaigrette
• Caesar Dressing
• Caesar 80-Calorie Dressing
• Champagne Dressing
• Champagne 60-Calorie Vinaigrette
• Creamy Balsamic 50-Calorie Vinaigrette
  
• Greek Feta Vinaigrette
• Olde Venice Italian Dressing
• Original French Dressing
• Raspberry Vinaigrette
  
• Vin Rouge Red Wine Vinaigrette
  
• White Balsamic Vinaigrette
  
• White French Dressing

Hidden Valley

While most Hidden Valley dressings do not contain gluten, those that contain wheat, rye or barley will clearly say so on the ingredient statement on the label, according to the Hidden Valley website. However, only the products marked "gluten-free" contain less than 20 ppm of gluten. Bottles that aren't labeled but don't contain gluten ingredients may have trace amounts of the protein.

While flavors like the Original Ranch Light Cucumber and the Original Ranch Light Buttermilk ($30.81 for six, Amazon.com) are gluten-free, the Original Ranch Organic is not.

Gluten-free options include:

• Buttermilk Ranch Light
• Cucumber Ranch Light
• Greek Yogurt Cucumber Dill
  
• Greek Yogurt Ranch
• Greek Yogurt Spinach & Feta
• Original Ranch Avocado Ranch
  
• Original Ranch Buffalo Ranch
• Original Ranch Cilantro Lime Ranch
• Original Ranch Cucumber Ranch
• Original Ranch Homestyle
• Original Ranch Light
  
• Original Ranch Roasted Garlic
• Simply Ranch Buttermilk
• Simply Ranch Chili Lime
• Simply Ranch Classic Ranch
• Simply Ranch Cucumber Basil
• Southwest Chipotle

JUST

Known for its simple ingredients, JUST offers three different salad dressings, all of which are marked gluten-free and dairy-free, according to the company website.

Gluten-free options include:

• Caesar
• Chipotle Ranch
• Ranch

Ken's Foods

Ken's Foods offers an impressive 64 different gluten-free dressing options, all of which are labeled gluten-free and contain less than 20 ppm of gluten. Flavors vary from Chunky Blue Cheese ($11.86 for two, Amazon.com) to Russian ($14.24 for 3, Amazon.com) to Creamy Caesar ($10.94 for two, Amazon.com).

Kewpie

A popular Japanese brand, Kewpie offers some certified gluten-free dressings, according to the company site. However, you'll need to look for the certification label on the bottle. Some flavors, like the Deep-Roasted Sesame, are formulated with wheat.

Gluten-free options include:

• Creamy Wasabi Coconut
• Mango Chia

Kraft

Kraft has 87 different salad dressings, according to the brand's site, but the company does not market any of its dressings as gluten-free. Many are formulated without gluten ingredients, and ingredients lists mention any allergens present in over 10 ppm, according to the site. Read labels carefully to confirm your favorite dressing is free of gluten.

Maple Grove Farms

While Maple Grove Farms may be better known for maple syrup products, the company offers 19 different gluten-free salad dressing varieties, according to the Maple Grove Farms site. If you're a fan of their syrup, consider the Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette ($37.90 for 12, Amazon.com). Bonus: It's dairy-free, too.

Gluten-free options include:

• Asiago & Garlic Dressing
• Citrus Vinaigrette
  
• Creamy Balsamic
• Fat-Free Cranberry Balsamic Dressing
• Fat-Free Greek Dressing
• Fat-Free Honey Dijon Dressing
• Fat-Free Lime Basil
• Fat-Free Poppyseed
• Fat-Free Raspberry Vinaigrette
• Fat-Free Vidalia Onion
• Fat-Free Wasabi Dijon
• Ginger Pear Dressing
• Honey Mustard
• Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette
  
• Strawberry Balsamic
• Sugar-Free Balsamic Vinaigrette
• Sugar-Free Raspberry Vinaigrette
• Sugar-Free Tomato Basil Dressing
• Sweet 'n' Sour Dressing

Marie's

All of Marie's salad dressings are gluten-free, according to the company site. The brand offers classic flavors, like Caesar ($4.49, Amazon.com) and Buttermilk Ranch ($3.35, Amazon.com), as well as specialty options, like Creamy Avocado Poblano or Asiago Peppercorn.

A main ingredient of Marie's Sesame Ginger dressing is soy sauce — a brown sauce that's generally made with wheat. However, Marie's recipe is formulated with a rice-based soy sauce, making it gluten-free with less than 20 ppm of gluten.

Read more: How to Find the Best Gluten-Free Soy Sauce for You

Marzetti's

Marzetti's offers dozens of salad dressings, most of which fit the FDA's standard for gluten-free, according to the company site. However, there are a few flavors that are not gluten-free and should be avoided, including: Roasted Asian Sesame, Sundried Tomato and Artichoke, Chinese Chicken Salad, Spinach Salad, Simply Dressed Ginger Sesame and the Southern Recipe Slaw Dressing.

Newman's Own

Nearly all of Newman's Own salad dressings are gluten-free, according to the Neman's Own site. Some, like the Classic Oil & Vinegar Dressing ($14.07 for two, Amazon.com) or the Honey Apple Cider Vinaigrette ($4.98, Amazon.com), are formulated with no allergens at all, including egg, fish, gluten, milk/dairy, peanut, shellfish, soybean, sulfite, tree nuts or wheat.

If you're sensitive to gluten, you'll want to avoid the Family Recipe Italian Dressing and the Sesame Ginger Dressing.

Gluten-free options include:

• Balsamic Vinaigrette
• Caesar Dressing
• Citrus Splash Dressing
• Classic Oil & Vinegar Dressing
• Creamy Caesar Dressing
• Greek Vinaigrette
• Honey Apple Cider Vinaigrette
• Honey Balsamic Dressing
• Honey Dijon Mustard Dressing
• Honey Mustard Dressing
• Light Balsamic Vinaigrette
• Light Caesar Dressing
• Light Italian Dressing
• Lime Vinaigrette
• Organic Balsamic Vinaigrette
• Organic Caesar Dressing
• Organic Italian Dressing
• Organic Oil & Vinegar Dressing
• Organic Ranch Dressing
• Parmesan & Roasted Garlic Dressing
• Parmesan Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
• Poppy Deed Dressing
• Ranch Dressing
• Raspberry & Walnut Vinaigrette
• Red Wine Vinegar & Oil Dressing
• Southwest Ranch Dressing
• Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette
• White Balsamic Vinaigrette
• Zesty Italian Dressing

Organicville

All eight of Organicville's dressing varieties are gluten-free and USDA-certified organic, according to the company website. Unlike most dressing varieties, Organicville even offers a dairy-free ranch dressing, which is a perfect choice for those who may be sensitive to lactose ($23.17 for three, Amazon.com).

Gluten-free options include:

• Dairy-Free Ranch Dressing
• Dijon Dressing
• French Dressing
• Herbs de Provence Vinaigrette
• Miso Ginger Vinaigrette
• Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinaigrette
  
• Sun Dried Tomato & Garlic Vinaigrette
• White Balsamic Vinaigrette

Read more: 14 Healthy and Out-of-the-Ordinary Salad Ingredients

Primal Kitchen

All of Primal Kitchen's dressing varieties are certified gluten-free, containing less than 10 ppm of gluten, according to Primal Kitchen's site. For those with celiac disease, this is among the safest brands.

Although Ranch and Caesar dressings are usually dairy-based, Primal Kitchen's Ranch ($16.59 for two, Amazon.com) and Caesar ($24.99 for three, Amazon.com) recipes are dairy-free. And, as a bonus, Primal Kitchen's dressings are formulated with avocado oil, a source of heart-healthy unsaturated fats, according to Harvard Health Publishing.

Gluten-free options include:

• Balsamic Vinaigrette & Marinade
• BBQ Ranch Dressing & Marinade
• Caesar Dressing
• Cilantro Lime Dressing & Marinade
  
• Dreamy Italian Dressing
• Greek Vinaigrette & Marinade
  
• Green Goddess Dressing
  
• Honey Mustard Vinaigrette & Marinade
  
• Italian Vinaigrette & Marinade
• Lemon Turmeric Vinaigrette & Marinade
• Ranch Dressing
• Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette & Marinade
  
• Thousand Island Dressing
  
• Vegan Ranch Dressing
  

Skinnygirl

If you're looking for a low-calorie dressing, Skinnygirl is a great line to try. All of Skinnygirl's dressings are gluten-free and under 20 calories per serving, according to the brand's site.

Gluten-free options include:

• Balsamic Vinaigrette
• Buttermilk Ranch
• Honey Dijon
• Poppyseed
• Raspberry Vinaigrette
  
• Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette

Tessemae's

All of Tessemae's salad dressings are gluten-free, dairy-free and organic, according to the company's site. Expand your salad repertoire with unique flavors like Honey Poppyseed ($60.00 for six, Amazon.com) and Green Goddess ($16.53 for two, Amazon.com).

Gluten-free options include:

• Creamy Green Goddess
• Organic Avocado Ranch
• Organic Balsamic
• Organic Creamy Caesar
• Organic Creamy Ranch
• Organic Everything Bagel Ranch
• Organic Green Goddess
  
• Organic Habanero Ranch
• Organic Honey Poppyseed
  
• Organic Lemon Garlic
• Pantry Buffalo Ranch
  
• Pantry Cilantro Lime Ranch
• Pantry Classic Balsamic
  
• Pantry Classic Italian
• Pantry Classic Ranch
• Pantry Lemon Pepper
• Pantry Ranch Vinaigrette

Wish-Bone

Wish-Bone is one of the most widely recognized salad dressing brands. The company offers numerous gluten-free flavors, including classics like Thousand Island Dressing ($1.87, Amazon.com) and creative takes like Raspberry Hazelnut Vinaigrette ($4.93, Amazon.com). If you're looking for a Wish-Bone dressing, just check the label to ensure it's marked gluten-free.

As you shop for your dressing, there are a few exceptions to keep in mind, starting with vinegar. While pure distilled vinegar is gluten-free, certain seasoned or flavored vinegars may not be safe, according to Beyond Celiac. If a product lists simply "vinegar," this implies cider or apple vinegar, which is gluten-free. However, malt vinegar is derived from barley, a gluten-containing grain, so be cautious.

Also keep an eye out for soy sauce on ingredient labels, as it's often made with wheat. Some soy sauce is made with either rice or miso paste, however, making it gluten-free (see Marie's Sesame Ginger dressing above). Any dressings made with wheat-based soy sauce will include wheat in the ingredient list.

Read more: Is It Safe to Order French Fries if You Follow a Gluten-Free Diet?

Green Goddess Dressing

If you're a little hesitant to go pre-made, preparing a dressing right at home can be a safer and healthier alternative. Green Goddess dressing is a popular choice, and our recipe includes only whole ingredients. When you make this 10-minute dressing, be sure to use tamari, as the recipe recommends. This is a safe gluten-free soy sauce alternative.

Get the Green Goddess Dressing recipe and nutrition info here.