It's Pumpkin Spice Latte time! With fall in the air, this hot and delicious drink from Starbucks has become a classic of the leaves changing and cooler weather. But is the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte gluten-free? The good news is that your PSL is here to stay on your gluten-free diet!
✅Is a Starbucks pumpkin spice latte gluten free?
Yes, a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte is gluten-free. The ingredients in a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks do not have any gluten-containing ingredients in them.
Jump to:
- ✅Is a Starbucks pumpkin spice latte gluten free?
- 📝Ingredients in a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte
- Grab this PDF cheat sheet of foods NOT to eat🚫
- ✅Gluten free ingredients in a pumpkin spice latte
- ☕Is the Pumpkin Spice Crème coffee gluten free?
- 🗒️Does Starbucks have a gluten-free menu?
- 🌾What is gluten?
- 🚫Why is gluten bad for you?
- 🍞What foods have gluten?
- 🙋♀️What is gluten intolerance?
- 🙋♀️Symptoms of gluten intolerance
- ☕Can you have a Pumpkin Spice Latte on a gluten-free diet?
- 🍑Bottom line on Pumpkin Spice Lattes and Gluten
- Want more?
- 💬 Comments
And this is awesome news! Because having a pumpkin spice latte (also known as a "PSL"), is a great way for those of us on a gluten-free diet to enjoy the fall flavors of pumpkin spice season.
And not just the seasonal drinks but other items of the fall drink menu at Starbucks😋
📝Ingredients in a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte
The ingredients in a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte are:
- Steamed milk
- Milk foam
- Pumpkin sauce (syrup)
- Whipped cream
- Pumpkin spice topping
- Espresso shots
Ingredients in steamed milk:
This will depend on which milk you choose at Starbucks.
All of the milks' are naturally gluten-free.
One of the great things about Starbucks and pumpkin spice lattes are that you can customize them to your hearts content!
- Want a vegan pumpkin spice latter? Go for a PSL with almond milk!
- Same for a dairy-free pumpkin spice latte - go for a PSL with coconut milk (one of my favourites)
The options for different types of milks at Starbucks in the United States are:
- Regular cow's milk
- Almond milk
- Coconut milk
- Oat milk
- Soy milk
Gluten sensitive?
Grab this PDF cheat sheet of foods NOT to eat🚫
Cut these foods out NOW!
Ingredients in milk foam:
The ingredients in milk foam are the same as the ingredients in the milk chosen for the PSL.
Ingredients in Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice Syrup:
That sweet pumpkin spice syrup that gives a lot of the pumpkin flavor is gluten-free.
The ingredients in pumpkin spice sauce according to Starbucks' website are:
SUGAR, CONDENSED SKIM MILK, PUMPKIN PUREE, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF FRUIT AND VEGETABLE JUICE FOR COLOR, NATURAL FLAVORS, ANNATTO, SALT, POTASSIUM SORBATE
Ingredients in Whipped Cream:
You can save a few calories and hold the whipped cream but if you do opt-in for some fluffy goodness, here's the ingredients of the naturally gluten-free whipped cream at Starbucks:
CREAM (CREAM, MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, CARAGEENAN), VANILLA SYRUP (SUGAR, WATER, NATURAL FLAVORS, POTASSIUM SORBATE, CITRIC ACID)
Ingredients in Pumpkin Spice Topping:
You gotta let your barista shake some of this delicious pumpkin spice topping overtop your pumpkin spice latte after it's all made and ready to go.
Here's the ingredients of the pumpkin spice topping according to Starbucks website:
CINNAMON, GINGER, NUTMEG, CLOVE, SULFITING AGENTS
Espresso ingredients:
Espresso beans are the only ingredient here😄
✅Gluten free ingredients in a pumpkin spice latte
All the ingredients in a pumpkin spice latte are naturally gluten-free.
- Steamed milk
- Milk foam
- Pumpkin sauce or the pumpkin syrup
- Whipped cream
- Pumpkin spice topping
- Espresso shots
☕Is the Pumpkin Spice Crème coffee gluten free?
Starbucks as a new fall drink in the "Steamers" category: the Pumpkin Spice Creme.
What's the difference between a Pumpkin Spice Crème and a Pumpkin Spice Latte?
Well the Pumpkin Spice Crème has no coffee!
The description from the Starbucks website is:
We combine steamed milk with flavors of pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg and clove, then top it all off with whipped cream to create this amazing, coffee-free fall favorite.
Ingredients in the Pumpkin Spice Crème beverage similar to the pumpkin spice latte:
- Milk
- Milk foam
- Pumpkin sauce
- Whipped cream
- Pumpkin Spice topping
And yeah, just no espresso ("coffee-free").
So if you're looking for a way to get the pumpkin-spice flavor without the espresso-hit, this Pumpkin Spice Crème might be right up your alley😄
🗒️Does Starbucks have a gluten-free menu?
Starbucks does not have a dedicated gluten-free menu. One of the main reasons for this is because it would next to impossible to guarantee that there would be no cross-contamination with gluten-containing products within the store.
To be on the safe side, Starbucks does NOT claim that any of their products made in their coffee shops are 100% gluten-free.
From Starbucks.com:
"We cannot guarantee that any unpackaged products served in our stores are allergen-free because we use shared equipment to store, prepare, and serve them. Customers with allergies can find ingredient information for products on the labels of our packaged products or online at Starbucks.com/menu."
So for their packaged food, you can look on the actual package of the food itself.
Or, you can check the Starbucks menu online to see the ingredient list and any allergen statement.
For example, the Egg and Cheddar Protein Box has the following allergens listed:
Egg, Milk, Peanuts, Sesame, Wheat
Which you can kinda tell from looking at it but it's nice to know that Starbucks does list out allergens on their packaged food😄
Luckily, there are some gluten-free options for packaged foods are Starbucks.
Most Starbucks coffee shops carry Kind Bars, which are Certified Gluten-Free (look for them in your local Starbucks).
Other options like Starbucks' egg bites do not have any gluten in their ingredients list. Although cross-contamination is a small risk, any gluten that would come in contact with the egg bites (if it did), would be ultimately a very low amount.
Also, Starbucks has a Rolled and Steel Cut Oatmeal. The ingredients list does not have any gluten-containing items but there is risk of cross-contamination of oats at the manufacture level.
In the case of oats, you need to know your level of gluten sensitivity.
At home, I buy the gluten-free certified oats. If I'm out and don't have any other options, I can eat the Starbucks oatmeal without issue once in a while.
Be sure to read the labels of the food you're getting at Starbucks when you're there.
Or check it out online before you go and see if there is gluten or any gluten-containing ingredients.
🌾What is gluten?
Gluten is a mixture of proteins found in wheat and related grains like barley, rye, spelt, kamut and triticale.
Gluten is what gives dough its elasticity and helps bread and other baked goods maintain their shape.
🚫Why is gluten bad for you?
Gluten isn't necessarily "bad" for you or unhealthy. For many people, gluten is a completely healthy part of their diet.
But if you have celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, or wheat allergy, consuming gluten can cause a whole bunch of symptoms.
Reactions to gluten can involve the immune system (celiac disease) and cause damage to the lining of the small intestine.
Symptoms of gluten intolerance or gluten sensitivity can range from digestive issues to skin rash to fatigue or "brain fog".
🍞What foods have gluten?
Major sources of gluten in a "typical" North American diet include:
- Bagels
- Bread
- Buns
- Cake
- Cereals
- Cookies
- Crackers
- Granola bars
- Oats (unless labeled "gluten-free"; regular oats can contain wheat from cross contamination in the field they’re grown in)
- Muffins
- Pancakes
- Pasta
- Tortillas
- Waffles
But there are many "hidden" sources of gluten in products you might not think of. Soy sauce, beer, Twizzlers and even chicken broth have gluten containing ingredients!
🙋♀️What is gluten intolerance?
Gluten intolerance or Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity as it's referred to sometimes, is a condition that involves people having a "reaction" after eating gluten or gluten-containing foods.
Sometimes it's called Non-Celiac Wheat Sensitivity (NCWS), Gluten Sensitivity (GS), or Gluten Intolerance (GI).
But they're all basically the same thing: different names for gluten intolerance.
🙋♀️Symptoms of gluten intolerance
There's so many different signs and symptoms of gluten intolerance.
It's likely that you'll have symptoms that are specific to your body too. No one person is exactly that same as the next person.
Which means that it's very hard to diagnosis gluten intolerance on symptoms alone because person to person, the symptoms of gluten intolerance are so different.
Here's some common symptoms of gluten intolerance and be sure to check out 7 Sneaky Signs You May Be Gluten Intolerant for more information too:
- Anxiety
- Ataxia
- Abdominal pain
- Bloating - sometimes called "gluten bloat"
- Constipation
- Stomach pain
- GERD (Gastric Esophageal Reflux Disease) or reflux
- Depression
- Diarrhea and sometimes frequent diarrhea
- Extra-intestinal manifestations such as canker sores and chronic skin conditions like, dermatitis herpetiformis
- Fatigue
- Inability to concentrate on work
- Inability to memorize various things
- Indigestion (also called "dyspepsia")
- Join pain
- Nausea
- Non-specific symptoms including "brain fog"
- Regular headaches
☕Can you have a Pumpkin Spice Latte on a gluten-free diet?
Absolutely you can have a Pumpkin Spice Latte on a gluten-free diet.
Great news, right!? Especially when it's late August and those fall-themed cups start to come out at Starbucks.
It's good to know that you can have a PSL and not worry about consuming gluten. Woohoo!
🍑Bottom line on Pumpkin Spice Lattes and Gluten
The great news is that if you love Starbucks' now iconic Pumpkin Spice Latte and you're following a gluten-free diet, you can enjoy this hot coffee beverage on a cool autumn day without worry🍂
When eating at Starbucks, check the menu online for products that have only gluten-free ingredients.
Or for their packaged foods, check the ingredient list for your best options when you're in the store.
Now, wanna grab a coffee?☕
~April
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Megan says
I don't think you can say for sure that the "natural flavors" in the pumpkin spice latte are gluten free without checking with Starbucks or the manufacturer.
April says
Hi Megan - agree! I know the PSL in the UK was confirmed gluten-free by the company but let's see what Starbucks US says. I've reached out - will update here when I hear back☕
Thank you for commenting!🙋♀️
~April
April says
Hey Megan - so I wasn't able to find out much more - see response below:
Either way, it'd be a trace amount, even if the flavor was made with barley or other glute-containing ingredient.
Happy PSL'ing😄