If you have gluten sensitivity, it can be tough to find tasty snacks to eat alongside a sandwich or in the afternoon between meals that don’t include wheat. This is doubly true if you love chips but can’t seem to find delicious crisps that lack gluten. Sun Chips are popular multigrain snacks, but are they gluten-free?
No, Sun Chips are not gluten-free. All varieties of Sun Chips contain wheat flour as their base ingredient, making them not celiac or gluten-free friendly. The best gluten-free alternatives to Sun Chips include Thrive Market Avocado Oil Chips, Pulp Pantry Sea Salt Chips, Simply 7 Quinoa Chips, Sana Coconut Flour Tortilla Chips, and Plant Snacks Vegan Cheddar Chips.
Not sure just what’s in Sun Chips and why they have to include wheat? Let’s take a closer look at Sun Chips in detail and break down their ingredients before you look for alternatives to these chips.
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Do All Varieties of Sun Chips Have Gluten?
Yes. The Sun Chips brand requires the chips to be made with whole wheat since they are a whole-grain snack. As you already know, whole-wheat is definitely not gluten-free, so anyone with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity should avoid Sun Chips at all costs.
Unfortunately, this is true no matter what flavor of Sun Chips you try to purchase. At the time of this writing, Sun Chips’ manufacturer, Frito-Lay, has not released any gluten-free Sun Chips varieties are flavors.
That said, there are several other gluten-free chips available you can and should check out. We’ve broken down some of those options below.
Why Has Frito-Lay Doubled Down on Wheat for These Chips?
Sun Chips are focused on providing a unique chip texture and flavor compared to other chips on the market. These sundried, multigrain chips are delicious for folks who can process the wheat and gluten in the ingredients.
Because these chips are so distinctive, Frito-Lay has not attempted to change the formula by swapping out wheat flour for corn flour, rice flour, or any other flour base. However, this could change sometime in the future.
Frito-Lay is currently in the midst of a manufacturing shift as they try to provide more gluten-free alternatives to their customers. While a gluten-free flavor of Sun Chips has not been made just yet, we won’t rule out the possibility of them cropping up some time in the future.
Sun Chips Nutritional Information
To get a better sense of why Sun Chips aren’t a good choice as a snack if you have celiac disease, let’s break down the core ingredients and nutrition info for the chip’s main types.
Sun Chips Original
These are the core Sun Chips you can purchase and the chips from which all other flavors are derived. Naturally, since these have gluten, so to do all other types of Sun Chips no matter what flavors or additives they have.
Its ingredients are:
- Whole corn
- Sunflower and/or canola oil
- Whole wheat
- Brown rice flour
- Whole oat flour
- Sugar
- Salt
- Natural flavor
- Maltodextrin
Nutrition Facts:
- 140 cal per serving
- 6 g fat or 10% DV
- 120 mg sodium or 5% DV
- 18 g carbohydrate or 6% DV
- 3 g fiber or 10% DV
- 2 g sugar
- 2 g protein
- 2% DV of iron
Sun Chips Garden Salsa
Let’s take a look at some of Sun Chips’ other flavors so we can double check that none of these are gluten-free. First up is the Garden Salsa flavor, which is one of the brand’s most popular choices. Unfortunately, it’s also not gluten-free (and it advertises as such with a big “100% whole wheat” sign on the front of the package).
Its ingredients are:
- Whole corn
- Sunflower oil
- Whole wheat
- Brown rice flour
- Whole oat flour
- Sugar
- Tomato powder
- Salt
- Natural flavors
- Maltodextrin
- Cheddar cheese
- Dextrose
- Buttermilk
- Onion powder
- Whey
- Yeast extract
- Romano cheese
- Whew protein concentrate
- Corn oil
- Spices
- Citric acid
- Paprika extract
- Lactic acid
Nutrition Facts:
- 140 cal per serving
- 6 g fat or 8% DV
- 140 mg sodium or 6% DV
- 19 g carbohydrate or 7% DV
- 2 g fiber or 9% DV
- 2 g sugar or 4% DV
- 2 g protein
Sun Chips French Onion
Last but not least is Sun Chips’ French Onion flavor. Unfortunately, like the other Sun Chips, this flavor is not gluten-free, though it certainly looks tasty.
Its ingredients are:
- Whole corn
- Sunflower oil
- Whole wheat
- Brown rice flour
- Whole oat flour
- Sugar
- Salt
- Onion powder
- Maltodextrin
- Whey protein concentrate
- Brown sugar
- Spices
- Sour cream
- Natural flavors
- Butter
- Skim milk
- Gum acacia
- Mozzarella cheese
- Cheddar cheese
- Green onion powder
Nutrition Facts:
- 140 cal per serving
- 6 g fat or 10% DV
- 160 mg sodium or 7% DV
- 18 g carbohydrate or 6% DV
- 2 g fiber or 10% DV
- 2 g sugar
- 2 g protein
Healthy Gluten-Free Alternatives to Sun Chips
So, if Sun Chips are literally off the table if you have gluten intolerance, what are your choices? We do have some good news. There are lots of gluten-free alternatives to Sun Chips you can and should check out.
Not only do these not have gluten, but many of them are made with healthier ingredients and alternative formulas, like non-GMO bases. Let’s take a look at three healthy gluten-free alternatives to Sun Chips.
Thrive Market Avocado Oil Chips
Thrive Market has some very delicious potato chips flavored with pink Himalayan salt and avocado oil. These gluten-free, vegan, and certified kosher snacking chips are tasty from start to finish and have a very basic ingredient list.
Its ingredients are:
- Potatoes
- Avocado oil
- Himalayan salt
Nutrition Facts:
- 140 cal per serving
- 9 g fat or 12% DV
- 110 mg sodium or 5% DV
- 14 g carbohydrate or 5% DV
- 1 g fiber or 4% DV
- 2 g protein
- 4 mg calcium
Pulp Pantry Sea Salt Chips
Pulp Pantry produces some of the best gluten-free alternatives for all kinds of snack foods, including chips. These gently salted chips are not only gluten-free, but they are eco-friendly and made with real vegetables. As a result, they’re a great source of fiber.
Its ingredients are:
- Juice pulp
- Sunflower oil
- Cassava flour
- Tapioca flour
- Okara flour
- White vinegar
- Chia seeds
- Sea salt
Nutrition Facts:
- 160 cal per serving
- 11 g fat or 14% DV
- 125 mg sodium or 5% DV
- 15 g carbohydrate or 5% DV
- 4 g fiber or 14% DV
- 2 g protein or 4% DV
Simply 7 Quinoa Chips
These quinoa chips are another great gluten-free alternatives, particularly if you like chips with the same flavor and texture as original Sun Chips. But since these are made of quinoa, you don’t have to worry about your gluten intolerance causing you any trouble.
Its ingredients are:
- Quinoa flour
- Sunflower oil
- Potato starch
- Corn
- Cane sugar
- Sea salt
- Potassium chloride salt
Nutrition Facts:
- 140 cal per serving
- 7 g fat or 9% DV
- 160 mg sodium or 7% DV
- 19 g carbohydrate or 7% DV
- 1 g fiber or 4% DV
- 1 g sugar or 2% DV
- 1 g protein
Sana Coconut Flour Tortilla Chips
Sana offers a delicious twist on grain free tortilla chips thanks to their creative of use of coconut flour and Himalayan pink salt. These organic and grain free tortilla chips taste excellent with your favorite salsa varieties and are perfect choices for folks with gluten sensitivity or vegans. Plus, you get a little extra nutrition since coconuts are nutrient dense.
Its ingredients are:
- Coconut flour
- Cassava starch
- Coconut oil
- Sea salt
- Himalayan pink salt
- Xanthan gum
Nutrition Facts (per 28 g):
- 140 cal per serving
- 7 g fat or 11% DV
- 280 mg sodium or 12% DV
- 17 g carbohydrate or 6% DV
- 5 g fiber or 20% DV
- 2 g sugar
- 2 g protein
Plant Snacks Vegan Cheddar Chips
Alternatively, you can try out these vegan cheddar chips – they’re also gluten-free. Made with root vegetables that offer the perfect chip texture, these tasty chips are perfect for cheese lovers who want something satisfying to crunch on without upsetting their stomachs.
Its ingredients are:
- Cassava root flour
- Sunflower oil
- Vegan cheddar seasoning
- Sesame seeds
- Rosemary extract
Nutrition Facts (per 28 g or 16 chips):
- 140 cal per serving
- 7 g fat or 9% DV
- 5 mg cholesterol or 2% DV
- 190 mg sodium or 8% DV
- 20 g carbohydrate or 7% DV
- 2 g fiber or 7% DV
- 1 g sugar
- 1 g protein
- 45 mg calcium or 2% DV
- 2 mg iron ore 10% DV
Final Thoughts
As you can see, Sun Chips are decidedly not gluten-free since they are always made with wheat flour. Unlike many other types of chips, corn flour is not enough to create the unique flavor and texture of Sun Chips. However, there are plenty of other alternatives to Sun Chips as described above. So no matter what, you should be able to find something tasty for a sandwich side or afternoon snack.
Related Questions
Are corn chips usually gluten-free?
Usually, yes. But that’s because corn chips are made with corn flour, rather than wheat flour. Corn flour is usually a perfectly fine ingredient for folks with gluten sensitivities as corn does not include gluten whatsoever. Folks with gluten intolerance need to watch out for whole wheat or multigrain chips, which usually have wheat flour.
Is Frito-Lay planning on releasing gluten-free Sun Chips in the future?
As far back as 2012, Sun Chips’ manufacturer stated that they wanted to offer more gluten-free products in the future. However, they haven’t released any gluten-free Sun Chips specifically. For now, your best bet is to opt for certified gluten-free chips.
Are tortilla chips usually gluten-free?
It depends. Some tortilla chips, like corn chips, are made with corn flour. Those varieties are definitely gluten-free. But other types of tortilla chips are made with wheat flour, so they wouldn’t be gluten-free. Always check the ingredients label.