Chicken broth is the perfect base for a bowl of homemade chicken soup, but it’s also great for making stock, pasta, or for baking chicken itself with extra flavor. But just like many broths or stock bases, folks with gluten sensitivities have to know whether a given broth is gluten-free before they can use it for their meals. So, is College Inn chicken broth gluten-free?
Yes, College Inn Chicken Broth is gluten-free. This includes the brand’s both basic chicken broth varieties and chicken bone broths. However, all of these chicken broth types are at a potential risk for cross-contamination as they are not made in a factory environment designed for gluten sensitivity. The best gluten-free alternative is Kettle & Fire Low Sodium Chicken Broth.
That said, College Inn’s Chicken Broth is an acceptable choice for most folks with gluten sensitivity since the likelihood of cross-contamination being severe enough to trigger a reaction is quite low. Let’s break down this chicken broth brand in more detail and explore some additional alternatives.
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Ingredients to Watch Out For
Good news for folks with gluten sensitivity: the vast majority of chicken broth is usually gluten-free thanks to slight changes in manufacturing from most major brands.
Previously, lots of chicken broth was made with wheat or barley malt. But these days, these ingredients are discarded in favor of alternatives. That said, you should still check for a couple of ingredients on the back of any chicken broth you plan to purchase, including chicken broth from College Inn. These ingredients include yeast extract, autolyzed yeast extract, wheat or barley malt, natural flavors, or any other ingredients you know to contain gluten.
Does Broth Ever Contain Gluten?
Not typically. However, some types of packaged broth that are made with slow-cooked bones or other animal ingredients may occasionally have wheat or gluten as a binding ingredient. Again, check the box or manufacturer’s website before buying a new brand of chicken broth just to be sure you’re getting something gluten-free.
Cross-Contamination
Most brands of chicken broth will also announce if they have wheat or other gluten-related ingredients in their recipes on the box.
However, you might find most chicken broth brands have warnings like “may contain wheat” or “made on shared equipment with wheat”. Both of these terms simply indicate the potential for cross-contamination.
Simply put, most chicken broth producers don’t make their broth in sealed, gluten-free facilities. Because of this, there’s always the possibility for cross-contamination and some particles of gluten or wheat could end up in a given box of chicken broth by accident. Keep this in mind as you select chicken broth for your upcoming meal.
College Inn Chicken Broth Ingredients
Let’s break down which chicken broth types from College Inn are guaranteed gluten-free by the company itself. Note that each of the below chicken broth varieties is available in both a carton or can.
There’s no difference between the ingredients in each category of chicken broth save for one: each College Inn can of chicken or chicken bone broth includes sugar, whereas the core cartons do not. The sugar is there to help preserve the flavor of the broth for long-term storage.
Keep this in mind while shopping for chicken broth. If you want to eat healthy, go for the carton versions of the below broth types.
College Inn Chicken Broth
This is College Inn’s most basic type of chicken broth without any special additives, organic ingredients, or bone-derived vitamins.
Its ingredients are:
- Chicken broth
- Salt
- Natural flavors
- Yeast extract
- Vegetable stock (including concentrates of onion, celery root, and carrot)
Nutrition Facts:
- 5 cal per serving
- 850 mg sodium or 35% DV
- 5 mg potassium
- 1 g carbohydrate
- 1 g sugar
College Inn Less Sodium Chicken Broth
As its name suggests, this type of chicken broth is almost identical to the basic broth offered above. However, it has slightly less sodium.
Its ingredients are:
- Chicken broth
- Salt
- Natural flavors
- Yeast extract
- Vegetable stock (including concentrates of onion, celery root, and carrot)
Nutrition Facts:
- 5 cal per serving
- 510 mg sodium or 22% DV
- 15 mg potassium
- 1 g carbohydrate
- 1 g protein
College Inn Organic Chicken Broth
College Inn’s Organic Chicken Broth could be a great choice if you want to only include organic ingredients in your diet while still enjoying delicious chicken broth without gluten-based ingredients.
Its ingredients are:
- Organic chicken broth
- Salt
- Organic yeast extract
- Organic chicken flavor
- Organic carrot juice concentrate
- Organic onion juice concentrate
- Organic onion powder
- Organic tomato paste
- Organic turmeric
- Organic garlic powder
- Organic thyme
- Organic rosemary
- Organic spice
- Organic flavor
- Organic dehydrated carrot
Nutrition Facts:
- 15 cal per serving
- 630 mg sodium or 26% DV
- 60 mg potassium or 2% DV
- 2 g carbohydrate or 1% DV
- 1 g sugar
- 2 g protein
College Inn Chicken Bone Broth
If you want bone broth for the added vitamins and minerals, College Inn has you covered with this basic bone broth flavor.
Its ingredients are:
- Chicken bone broth
- Salt
- Natural flavors
- Vegetable stock (including concentrates of celery root, carrot, and onion)
- Sugar
- Bay leaf
- Turmeric
- Black pepper
Nutrition Facts:
- 45 cal per serving
- 5 g fat or 1% DV
- 560 mg sodium or 24% DV
- 7 mg potassium
- 10 mg protein
- 12 mg calcium
- 4 mg iron
College Inn Less Sodium Chicken Bone Broth
Last but not least is this less sodium chicken bone broth, which is almost identical to the bone broth above but with a little less salt.
Its ingredients are:
- Chicken bone broth
- Salt
- Natural flavors
- Vegetable stock (including concentrates of celery root, carrot, and onion)
- Sugar
- Bay leaf
- Turmeric
- Black pepper
Nutrition Facts:
- 45 cal per serving
- 5 g fat or 1% DV
- 360 mg sodium or 16% DV
- 7 mg potassium
- 10 mg protein
- 12 mg calcium
- 4 mg iron
As you can see from this breakdown, every type of chicken broth from College Inn is gluten-free, including both regular and bone broth.
Healthy Gluten-Free Alternatives to College Inn Chicken Broth
Want an alternative to chicken broth from College Inn? Good news; there are lots of great choices that are also gluten-free. Let’s break some of those down below now.
Kettle & Fire Low Sodium Chicken Broth
Kettle & Fire’s chicken broth is naturally low-sodium and, of course, the chickens are all free-range. So it’s a great choice if you only want to consume products that are ethically produced.
Its ingredients are:
- Organic chicken bone broth
- Organic onions
- Organic carrots
- Organic spices
- Organic apple cider vinegar
- Organic shiitake mushrooms
- Organic tamarind paste
- Organic tomato paste
- Organic mushroom extract
- Sea salt
Nutrition Facts:
- 10 cal per serving
- 135 mg sodium or 6% DV
- 2 g protein
- 30 mg calcium or 2% DV
- 60 mg potassium or 2% DV
Public Goods Organic Chicken Broth Concentrate
Public Goods makes a ton of quality products, including this 100% organic chicken broth that’s free from any preservatives or artificial ingredients. It’s certified organic, non-GMO, and great for folks with gluten sensitivities. As a bone broth concentrate, mix it with water until you get your desired consistency.
Its ingredients are:
- Chicken broth
- Maltodextrin
- Sea salt
- Carrot stock
- Onion stock
- Celery stock
- Yeast extract
- Yeast
Nutrition Facts:
- 45 cal per serving
- 5 g fat or 1% DV
- 470 mg sodium or 20% DV
- 6 g carbohydrate or 2% DV
- <1 g sugar
- 4 g protein
- 10 mg calcium
- 340 mg potassium or 8% DV
Pacific Foods Organic Chicken Broth
Or you could try this organic chicken broth from Pacific Foods. Pacific Foods also produces its broth using free-range chickens, so it’s one of the more ethically produced chicken broths on the market today.
Its ingredients are:
- Chicken broth
- Chicken flavor
- Sea salt
- Cane sugar
- Onion powder
- Turmeric extract
Nutrition Facts:
- 10 cal per serving
- 5 mg cholesterol or 2% DV
- 530 mg sodium or 23% DV
- 1 g carbohydrate
- 1 g sugar
- 1 g protein
Final Thoughts
All in all, College Inn Chicken Broth is a great choice if you have celiac disease or are gluten intolerant to any degree. Their chicken broth and bone broth are both gluten-free and are made with largely healthy ingredients. Feel free to use the broth while you cook, then slather on some Sweet Baby Ray’s on top when it’s done. Alternatively, there are plenty of other gluten-free alternatives you can check out if College Inn isn’t your favorite brand for whatever reason.
Related Questions
Is bone broth gluten-free?
Typically, yes, as is most beef broth. But just like chicken broth, you need to check the ingredients for any given bone broth type before adding it to your meal. Some types of bone broth are made with wheat as a base, so they aren’t gluten-free. In addition, many types of chicken bouillon contain gluten to change the resulting product’s texture.
Is chicken broth typically dairy-free?
Sometimes. But certain types of broth may use milk or cream to change the base texture of the product, so they aren’t dairy-free. Check the back of the box’s ingredients to be extra sure.
Is chicken stock or broth better?
In general, chicken stock will contain more calories, carbs, and fat compared to broth, in addition to more protein, vitamins and minerals. Bone broth is even better from a health perspective. But each of these products has a slightly different flavor and consistency, so chicken broth or stock may be better for your recipe depending on what you’re making.