Rita’s custard began in Bensalem, Pennsylvania and soon grew to be an amazing and creamier alternative to a traditional ice cream cone. The creamy difference in the ice cream can be attributed to a higher amount of egg yolk than its predecessor. If you follow a gluten-free lifestyle you may be wondering: is Rita’s famous custard gluten-free?
Most Rita’s Custard flavors are gluten-free. However, any custards that contain additives such as cake, brownies, and cookies will contain gluten. It’s important to consult your local shop and utilize Rita’s allergen chart. The best gluten-free and healthier alternatives to Rita’s Custard include Cado Avocado Frozen Dessert, Enlightened Caramel Chocolate Keto Ice Cream, and Halo Top Candy Bar Frozen Dessert.
In this article, we will go over the different Rita’s custard flavors, and which ones are gluten-free. We will also discuss several healthier gluten-free ice cream and frozen dessert options. Let’s dig in!
Contents
Is Rita’s Custard Healthy?
Rita’s custard is not at all healthy. The “healthiest” item on the menu, a cup of Rita’s ice, has between 58 grams and 96 grams of sugar. This is well beyond the daily recommended intake. The cream ices and custard contain between 44 and 113 grams of sugar. This immense amount of sugar is actually only rivaled by a few ice cream products. Rita’s does offer sugar-free options, but even these should only be consumed in moderation.
Why is Most Rita’s Custard Gluten-Free?
The ingredients in custard don’t include any wheat or grain ingredients, which explains why Rita’s custard wouldn’t contain any gluten. That is, in most of its flavors.
What makes other flavors contain gluten is the potential additives they contain. Flavors like birthday cake and brownie have wheat flour in them, which creates a problem for those on a gluten-free diet, containing over the limit of 20ppm.
Rita’s has made it very clear of their intention to make sure to keep all of the ingredients, dyes, and additives entirely transparent to its consumers, which is really helpful if you have allergies to any common ingredients.
Which of Rita’s Cream Flavors Contain Gluten?
- Birthday Cake
- Brookie Dough
- Cookie Dough
- Fudge Brownie
- Mint Oreo
- Oreo Cookies N Cream
- Peppermint Chip
Which of Rita’s Cream Flavors Do Not Contain Gluten?
- Banana Split Cream
- Black Cherry Cheesecake
- Caramel
- Cheesecake
- Chocolate Chip Cheesecake
- Chocolate Covered Banana
- Chocolate Covered Strawberry
- Coconut Cream
- Horchata
- Iced Coffee
- Marshmallow Peanut Butter
- Mint Chocolate Chip
- Mocha
- Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Pumpkin Pie
- Pumpkin Spice Latte
- Root Beer Float
- Smores
- Strawberry-Banana
- Strawberry Cheesecake
- Vanilla Cream
- Watermelon Chip
Do Rita’s Italian Ices Contain Gluten?
All of Rita’s Italian Ice flavors are gluten-free! Due to the lack of glutenous additives, all of them contain much less than 20 ppm.
- Apple Berry Blue
- Banana
- Blood Orange
- Blue Raspberry
- Blueberry
- Cantaloupe
- Cherry Limeade
- Cherry Lemonade
- Cherry
- Chocolate
- Chocolate Chocolate Chip
- Chocolate Peanut Butter
- Cotton Candy
- Dr Pepper
- Florida Orange
- Georgia Peach
- Grape
- Green Apple
- Hawaiian Punch
- Island Fusion
- Juicy Pear
- Key Lime
- Kiwi-Strawberry
- Lemon
- Mango
- Mango-Orange
- Mango-Peach
- Mango-Pineapple
- Mango-Strawberry
- Margarita
- Mojito
- Passion Fruit
- Peanut Butter & Jelly
- Pina Colada
- Pineapple
- Raspberry
- Raspberry Lemonade
- Root Beer
- Sour Patch Kids Red
- Strawberry
- Strawberry Colada
- Strawberry Lemonade
- Strawberry Margarita
- Strawberry-Watermelon
- Swedish Fish
- Tropical Daiquiri
- Tropical Punch
- Vanilla
- Watermelon
- Wild Berry
- Wild Black Cherry
- Unicorn
- Zombie’s Blood
Does this Apply to All-Natural Ices too?
Yes! All of the natural ice flavors are entirely gluten-free and made without a variety of other additives as well.
- All-Natural Banana
- All Natural Cranberry
- All Natural Cranberry Pineapple
- All Natural Cranberry Strawberry
- All Natural Orange
- All Natural Orange Pineapple
- All Natural Pineapple
- All-Natural Strawberry
- All-Natural Strawberry Banana
- All-Natural Strawberry Pineapple
Do their Sugar-Free Ice Flavors Contain Gluten?
Not at all! Made without sugar and gluten, this makes the ices accessible for consumers with dietary restrictions. Do keep in mind however that these are still extremely calorie dense, and not exactly healthy for you.
- Sugar-Free Cherry
- Sugar-Free Drago Fruit
- Sugar-Free Mango-Peach
- Sugar-Free Pineapple
- Sugar-Free Pink Lemonade
- Sugar-Free Root Beer
- Sugar-Free Tangerine
Healthier Gluten Free Alternatives to Rita’s Custard
Cado Avocado Frozen Dessert
Avocado ice cream is an amazingly innovative way to make ice cream dairy-free, gluten-free, and still extremely creamy. This frozen dessert is not as calorie-dense as most would be, while still being sweet and creamy enough to satisfy an ice cream craving.
Nutrition Facts (Per 1/2 Cup):
- 170 Calories
- 110 Calories from Fat
- 12g Total Fat
- 2g Saturated Fat
- 0g Trans Fat
- 0mg Cholesterol
- 55mg Potassium
- 45mg Sodium
- 18g Total Carbohydrates
- 1g Dietary Fiber
- 13g Total Sugars
- 1g Protein
Ingredients:
- Organic Avocado Puree
- Nonorganic Avocado Oil
- Organic Cane Sugar
- Organic Tapioca Starch
- Organic Chocolate
- Sea Salt
- Organic Guar Gum
- Organic Gum Acacia
- Organic Vanilla Extract
- Organic Peppermint Oil
Enlightened Caramel Chocolate Double Dough Keto Ice Cream
Enlightened Keto Ice cream is a protein-packed, gluten-free, keto option for people looking for ice cream in a lot of flavors. While a majority of health-based ice cream comes in a few flavors, Enlightened has done the work to diversify its ice cream base to include a myriad of flavors.
Nutrition Facts (Per 2/3rds cup):
- 210 Calories
- 18g Total Fat
- 10g Saturated Fat
- 0.5g Trans Fat
- 100mg Cholesterol
- 130mg Sodium
- 17g Total Carbohydrates
- 5g Dietary Fiber
- 1g Total Sugars
- 0g Added Sugars
- 6g Sugar Alcohol
- 5g Protein
Ingredients:
- Cream
- Water
- Egg Yolks
- Almonds
- Non-GMO Soluble Corn Fiber
- Erythritol
- Allulose
- Milk Protein Concentrate
- Dutched Cocoa
- Vegetable Glycerin
- Milk
- Natural Flavor
- Butter
- Tara Gum
- Guar Gum
- Cheese Culture
- Unsweetened Chocolate
- Cocoa Butter
- Monk Fruit Extract
- Salt
- Carob Bean Gum
- Xanthan Gum
- Guar Gum
- Stevia Extract
- Sunflower Lecithin
Halo Top Candy Bar Frozen Dessert
Halo top has an excellent line of gluten-free products, with their gluten-free flavors including:
- Birthday Cake
- Black Cherry
- Candy Bar
- Caramel Macchiato
- Chocolate
- Chocolate Almond Crunch
- Chocolate Covered Banana
- Chocolate Mocha Chip
- Lemon Cake
- Mint Chip
- Oatmeal Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cup
- Pistachio
- Rainbow Swirl
- Sea Salt Caramel
- Strawberry
- Vanilla Bean
This wide array of gluten-free flavors are also low-calorie, allowing people with celiac and others on gluten-free diets to have a healthy alternative to regular ice cream.
Nutrition Facts (Per 1/2 Cup):
- 90 Calories
- 3.5g Total Fat
- 1gm Saturated Fat
- 0gm Trans Fat
- 40mg Cholesterol
- 120mg Sodium
- 16g Total Carbohydrates
- 3gm Dietary Fiber
- 9g Sugars
- 5g Sugar Alcohol
- 6g Proteins
Ingredients:
- Milk
- Cream
- Eggs
- Erythritol
- Prebiotic Fiber
- Milk Protein Concentrate
- Organic Cane Sugar
- Vegetable Glycerin
- Natural Plant Extracts
- Natural Flavors
- Sea Salt
- Organic Carob Gum
- Organic Guar Gum
- Organic Stevia
Additional Gluten-Free Alternatives to Rita’s Custard
CashewTopia
CashewTopias Ice cream is completely gluten-free and has a creamy flavor extremely similar to Rita’s Custard. Without the extremely calorie-dense servings, you can eat more of it for less of a price.
Nutritional Facts (Per 1/2 cup):
- 150 Calories
- 7g Total Fat
- 1g Saturated Fat
- 0g Trans Fat
- 0mg Cholesterol
- 65g Sodium
- 21g Total Carbohydrates
- 5g Dietary Fiber
- 13g Sugars
- 3g Protein
Ingredients:
- Raw Organic Cashews
- Purified Water
- Organic Nectars Agave Light
- Organic Raw Cacao Powder
- Organic Nectars Palmsweet
- Organic Gum Acacia
- Organic Agave Inulin
- Organic Safflower Oil
- Organic Guar Gum
- Pink Crystal Salt
- Organic Chocolate Flavor
Breyers Gluten Free
Breyers Gluten-Free line of ice cream is a good replacement for Rita’s custard. Putting your own additives inside, the creamy vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry flavors can make for a delicious gluten-free snack and dessert.
Nutrition Facts (Per 1/2 Cup):
- 110 Calories
- 32 Calories from Fat
- 3.5g Total Fat
- 3g Saturated Fat
- 0.1g Trans Fats
- 5mg Cholesterol
- 40mg Sodium
- 18g Total Carbohydrates
- 0g Dietary Fiber
- 13g Total Sugars
- 1g Proteins
Ingredients:
- Modified Milk Ingredients
- Sugar
- Glucose
- Water
- Coconut Oil
- Natural and Artificial Flavor
- Mono and Diglycerides
- Guar Gum
- Carob Bean Gum
- Carrageenan
- Color
Talenti Belgian Milk Chocolate Gelato
Talenti’s Belgian Milk Chocolate Gelato is a chocolate alternative to Rita’s Custard. While it is calorie-dense, the gelato is extremely similar in texture to the creaminess of Rita’s Custard and is found in most commercial grocery stores.
Nutrition Facts (per 2/3 cup):
- 290 Calories
- 12g Total Fat
- 7g Saturated Fat
- 0g Trans Fat
- 105mg Cholesterol
- 60mg Sodium
- 40g Total Carbohydrates
- 1g Fiber
- 38g Total Sugars
- 33g Added Sugars
- 6g Protein
Ingredients:
- Milk
- Sugar
- Cream
- Egg and Egg Yolk
- Dextrose
- Chocolate
- Cocoa
- Cocoa Butter
- Carob Bean Gum
- Soy Lecithin
- Natural Flavor
Related Questions
What Flavor is Rita’s Custards Zombie Blood?
Rita’s custard has a few custom flavors, one of the most notable being the sweet zombie blood flavor. This came out during Halloween in 2020 and comes in their famous gelato, shakes, and blendini versions as well. This mystery flavor is a mix of wild black cherry and regular cherry, with a sweet marshmallow drizzle.
Is Rita’s Custard Open Year Round?
Rita’s Custard is surprisingly not open year-round! This bold business choice makes it to where all of their locations open in march and close near the end of September. This form of exclusivity makes them pretty busy in the middle of the summer, so wait times can be a bit long.