"Are Cheerios gluten free?" has two correct answers, and which one applies to you depends on where you bought the box. Our database holds 64 Cheerios products. Twenty come back as a clear yes on our gluten-free check, 40 come back as a clear no, and 4 stay open because of the label text on file. The line between yes and no is not the flavour. It is the country.
The American box: oats
The General Mills recipe sold in the US and Canada starts with whole grain oats. Original Cheerios lists whole grain oats, corn starch, sugar, salt, tripotassium phosphate, vitamin E and a vitamin and mineral blend. There is no wheat, barley or rye in the list, and the box carries a gluten-free label in our data. The same is true of Honey Nut Cheerios (oats, sugar, corn starch, honey, brown sugar syrup, canola oil, natural almond flavor), Apple Cinnamon Cheerios, Strawberry Banana Cheerios and the US Multi Grain Cheerios, whose grains are oats, corn, rice and sorghum rather than wheat.
Oats do not contain gluten by nature. The reason a gluten-free label on an oat cereal matters is cross-contact: oats are usually grown, harvested and milled alongside wheat and barley. General Mills says its oats are sorted to remove stray wheat and barley, and the gluten-free label is the manufacturer standing behind that process. That is why our check gives these boxes a yes, and why the label is worth looking for rather than assuming.
The Canadian toasted whole grain oat cereal and the Oat Crunch Almond box also pass on their ingredient lists.
The British and European box: wheat and barley
The Nestlé recipe sold in the UK, Ireland, Spain, France and most of Europe is a different cereal that happens to share the name and the shape. The UK Cheerios 375 g box lists whole grain oat flour (29.6%), whole grain wheat (29.6%), whole grain barley flour (17.9%), whole grain corn flour, whole grain rice flour, sugar syrups, wheat starch, vitamins and minerals, salt, sunflower oil and colours. Wheat and barley together make up nearly half the grain. It fails our check, and it should.
Honey Cheerios is the same blend with honey (28.1% oat flour, 28.1% wheat, 16.9% barley flour). The Spanish Cheerios 4 Granos, the French Cheerios miel et 5 céréales and the organic Cheerios Bio all list wheat, barley or both. None of the European boxes in our data carries a gluten-free label, and none should.
The Australian box is a third recipe again. Uncle Tobys Cheerios lists whole grain cereals 67%, of which wheat is 33%, corn 25% and oats only 4.5%, plus wheat starch. It fails.
The 40 fails, by ingredient
| Ingredient found | Boxes | Typical origin |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten in the allergen data | 40 | all European and Australian boxes |
| wheat (as a named grain) | 19 | UK, Europe, Australia |
| wheat starch | 13 | UK, Europe, Australia |
| barley | 13 | UK, Europe |
| wheat flour | 6 | Spain, France, cereal bars |
| malt or malt extract | 3 | cereal bars |
Not one of the 40 fails is a North American box. Every fail in our data is a Nestlé or Uncle Tobys recipe.
The 4 that stay open
Four records come back "check the label". Three of them are bilingual Canadian boxes whose ingredient list on file mixes English and French in a way our check does not fully read, such as the plain Cheerios box with monoglycerides, and one is a poorly scanned Italian pack. The Canadian recipe is the oat one, so a look at the box will settle it faster than our data can.
How to check a box in the shop
- Read the first ingredient. "Whole grain oats" is the North American recipe. "Whole grain oat flour" followed by "whole grain wheat" is the European recipe.
- Look for the gluten-free label. The US and Canadian boxes carry one. The European boxes do not, because they contain wheat and barley.
- Do not go by the flavour. Honey Nut Cheerios in the US is oats and passes; Honey Cheerios in the UK is wheat and barley and fails.
- Imported boxes are common in both directions. The country of manufacture on the side panel tells you which recipe you are holding.
Every Cheerios product in our database has its own page with the ingredient list and the verdicts for gluten free, vegan and the other checks. The Cheerios gluten-free list shows every box that passed, the General Mills list covers the wider range, and the gluten-free cereal category compares other brands. For the label-reading basics, see Reading labels for gluten, and for the sugar side of the same shelf, How much sugar is in breakfast cereal.
FAQ
Are Cheerios gluten free in the US?
Yes on the label. Original, Honey Nut, Apple Cinnamon, Multi Grain, Frosted and most other US varieties are oat-based and carry a gluten-free label. All 20 passes in our data are North American boxes.
Are Cheerios gluten free in the UK?
No. UK Cheerios are made by Nestlé from oat flour, wheat, barley, corn and rice, with wheat starch. Wheat and barley both contain gluten. Every UK and European box in our data fails.
Are Honey Nut Cheerios gluten free?
The US Honey Nut Cheerios box lists oats, sugar, corn starch, honey and canola oil, with no wheat or barley, and carries a gluten-free label. The UK product called Honey Cheerios is a different recipe and contains wheat and barley.
Why do oats need a gluten-free label at all?
Oats contain no gluten by nature, but they are usually farmed and milled alongside wheat and barley. The label is the manufacturer's statement that the oats were sorted or handled to keep that contact out.