Finding a tasty and easy breakfast cereal as a person with celiac disease or gluten intolerance can be tricky. It seems like many of the most popular cereal brands are dedicated to sticking to wheat flour, limiting your options significantly. What about Captain Crunch – is it gluten-free?
Captain Crunch is not gluten-free. While Captain Crunch doesn’t contain wheat, it contains oat flour made from oats that are not certified as gluten-free. The best gluten-free and healthier alternatives to Captain Crunch include Catalina Crunch Honey Graham, Magic Spoon Grain-Free Original Cereal, Three Wishes Cinnamon Cereal, and Nature’s Path Sunrise Crunch Maple Cereal.
Let’s take a closer look at Captain Crunch and its main ingredients and break down some of those alternatives afterward.
Contents
Oat Flour and Cross Contamination – Both Bad Signs
There are two big reasons why Captain Crunch shouldn’t be considered gluten-free by any stretch of the imagination.
For starters, every type of Captain Crunch, including its basic cereal and the other flavors that come out seasonally or in small batches, uses oat flour as one of its primary ingredients. But wait a minute, you might ask; isn’t oat flour supposed to be gluten-free?
Well, yes and no. Oat flour by itself doesn’t normally include any gluten. However, for oat flour to truly be gluten-free, it must be made with certified gluten-free oats. As you might have guessed, Captain Crunch doesn’t make its cereal with gluten-free oats, so the oat flour used in its cereal products is unfortunately not safe if you follow the gluten-free diet.
On top of that, Captain Crunch cereal is made in a factory environment with the potential for cross-contamination. This means that other cereal products, many of which may contain wheat or other gluten particles, could get into any given batch of Captain Crunch.
So even though Captain Crunch might one day become gluten-free if the brand starts using certified gluten-free oats, it’s not a good choice for your breakfast at the moment. On the other hand, if you need a good vegan cereal, Captain Crunch is great – it’s totally vegan, as we break down here!
Captain Crunch Nutritional Information
As broken down above, Captain Crunch cereal is not generally considered gluten-free due to its non-gluten-free oat flour. That said, let’s take a look at both the classic Captain Crunch flavor and another flavor to double-check these ingredients for ourselves.
Captain Crunch Original Cereal
The Captain Crunch original flavor is the core cereal from which all the other boxes are derived. You’ll see that, aside from the aforementioned oat flour, there aren’t very many problematic ingredients for folks with celiac disease or gluten intolerance.
Its ingredients are:
- Corn flour
- Sugar
- Oat flour
- Brown sugar
- Palm and/or coconut oil
- Salt
- Reduced iron
- Yellow 5
- Yellow 6
- Niacinamide
- BHT
- Thiamine modern nitrate
- Pyridoxine hydrochloride
- Riboflavin
- Folic acid
Nutrition facts (per 1 cup of cereal not including milk):
- 150 cal
- 2 g fat or 2% DV
- 5 g saturated fat
- 290 mg sodium or 12% DV
- 33 g carbohydrates or 12% DV
- 1 g fiber or 3% DV
- 17 g sugar or 33% DV
- 5 mg iron or 40% DV
- 50 mg potassium
- 134 mcg folic acid
Captain Crunch Crunchberries Cereal
Captain Crunch has a few other subsidiary flavors, but its Crunchberries flavor is one of the most popular among kids thanks to the extra berries and fruit flavors added to the main formula. Unfortunately, this Captain Crunch cereal also includes non-gluten-free oat flour.
Its ingredients are:
- Corn flour
- Sugar
- Oat flour
- Brown sugar
- Coconut oil
- Salt
- Sodium citrate
- Natural and artificial flavors
- Strawberry juice concentrate
- Malic acid
- Niacinamide
- Reduced iron
- Zinc oxide
- Yellow 5
- Yellow 6
- Blue 1
- Red 40
- Thiamin modern nitrate
- Pyridoxine hydrochloride
- BHT
- Riboflavin
- Folic acid
Nutrition facts (per 1 cup):
- 150 cal
- 2 g fat or 2% DV
- 270 mg sodium or 12% DV
- 32 g carbohydrates or 12% DV
- <1 g fiber or 3% DV
- 16 g sugar or 32% DV
- 2 g protein
Captain Crunch Peanut Butter Crunch
Captain Crunch’s Peanut Butte Crunch is another favorite flavor for kids, but it unfortunately has the same oat flour mentioned earlier. So it’s not a good pick if you’re trying to follow a gluten-free diet or provide your child with cereal free from gluten.
Its ingredients are:
- Corn flour
- Sugar
- Peanut butter
- Oat flour
- Rice flour
- Palm and/or coconut oil
- Salt
- Caramel color
- Reduced iron
- Niacinamide
- BHT
- Thiamine modern nitrate
- Pyridoxine hydrochloride
- Riboflavin
- Folic acid
Nutrition facts (per 27 g):
- 113 cal
- 5 g fat or 4% DV
- 200 mg sodium or 8% DV
- 64 mg potassium or 2% DV
- 21 g carbohydrates or 7% DV
- 7 g fiber or 3% DV
- 9 g sugar
- 9 g protein
Healthy Gluten-Free Alternatives to Captain Crunch
Although Captain Crunch itself may not be a great gluten-free cereal for your breakfast, you’ll be pleased to know that there are lots of healthier and totally gluten-free alternatives to check out. Even better, many of these gluten-free cereal choices are tastier and healthier for you overall than even the best Captain Crunch box. Let’s break down some of these gluten-free alternatives in detail.
Catalina Crunch Honey Graham
Catalina Crunch’s Honey Graham cereal offers a delicious honey-based flavor and organic ingredients so you never have to worry about putting unhealthy ingredients in your body. On top of being a gluten-free cereal choice, it’s also dairy-free; combine this with a milk alternative like almond milk or soy milk and you’ll have a healthy breakfast to start your day.
Its ingredients are:
- Catalina flour
- Tapioca flour
- High oleic sunflower oil
- Baking powder
- Natural flavors
- Sea salt
- Calcium carbonate
- Stevia extract
Nutrition facts (per ½ cup or 36 g):
- 110 cal
- 5 g fat or 7% DV
- 110 mg sodium or 5% DV
- 14 g carbohydrates or 5% DV
- 9 g fiber or 32% DV
- 11 g protein or 22% DV
- 50 mg calcium or 4% DV
- 6 mg iron or 9% DV
- 30 mg potassium or 1% DV
Magic Spoon Grain-Free Original Cereal
Magic Spoon’s grain-free cereal choices are excellent choices for folks with gluten sensitivity to one degree or another. On top of being totally grain-free, many of this brand’s cereal choices come with organic ingredients and natural flavorings. As a result, they are healthier cereal choices than most other commercial brands you can find at the grocery store.
Let’s take a look at the original cereal flavor from this brand so you get an idea of its ingredients and nutritional info.
Its ingredients are:
- Milk protein blend
- Sweetener blend
- Oil blend
- Tapioca starch
- Chicory root inulin
- Natural flavors
- Salt
Nutrition facts (per 1 cup):
- 150 cal
- 7 g fat or 9% DV
- 10 mg cholesterol or 3% DV
- 190 mg sodium or 8% DV
- 13 g carbohydrates or 5% DV
- 1 g fiber or 4% DV
- 15 g protein
Three Wishes Cinnamon Cereal
Three Wishes offers a variety of gluten-free and dairy-free cereal choices. This cinnamon-flavored cereal is certified kosher, totally grain-free, and even non-GMO project verified. It’s undoubtedly one of the healthiest and tastiest cereals you can pick up without compromising your gluten-free diet.
Its ingredients are:
- Chickpea
- Pea protein
- Tapioca
- Organic cane sugar
- Cinnamon
- Natural flavors
- Salt
- Monk fruit
Nutrition facts (per 1 cup):
- 120 cal
- 100 g sodium or 4% DV
- 18 g carbohydrates or 7% DV
- 3 g fiber or 11% DV
- 8 g protein
- 150 mg calcium or 10% DV
- 9 mg iron or 10% DV
- 300 mg potassium or 6% DV
Nature’s Path Sunrise Crunch Maple Cereal
For another delicious and overall healthy cereal option, consider this Sunrise Crunch Maple pick from Nature’s Path: one of the best organic and healthy cereal brands on the market today. This gluten-free blend includes lots of top organic ingredients and healthy seeds, which are perfect for giving your body the fiber it needs for healthy digestion.
Its ingredients are:
- Brown rice flour
- Whole-grain cornmeal
- Cane sugar
- Cornmeal
- Yellow corn flour
- Maple syrup
- Inulin
- Maple flavor
- Quinoa
- Flaxseeds
- Sea salt
- Buckwheat flour
- Amaranth
- Molasses
- Tocopherols
Nutrition facts (per 1 cup or 40 g):
- 150 cal
- 5 g fat or 2% DV
- 180 mg sodium or 8% DV
- 34 g carbohydrates or 12% DV
- 4 g fiber or 14% DV
- 9 g sugar or 14% DV
- 2 g protein
- 7 mg calcium
- 1 mg iron or 6% DV
- 85 mg potassium or 2% DV
Final Thoughts
Sadly, Captain Crunch is not really gluten-free even though you might think it’s safe from the ingredient list on the back of the box. Until Captain Crunch decides to make its cereal with certified gluten-free oats, you’ll have to look elsewhere for your breakfast. Luckily, there are plenty of tasty and healthier options.
Related Questions
Is oat flour safe for folks with celiac disease?
Yes, generally speaking. Once again, the oats have to be certified gluten-free. This just means that the oats are in their pure form and aren’t contaminated with wheat during the harvesting process.
Does Captain Crunch contain a lot of gluten?
No as much as say, all-purpose flour. However, it may still be enough to upset the stomach of anyone with gluten intolerance.
Will Captain Crunch ever become gluten-free?
It’s possible, but the manufacturer has not made any plans (or at least announced plans) to change its formula or factory environment at this time.