Does peanut butter contain gluten? The answer may seem obvious, although some considerations must be taken into account.
Peanut butter is gluten-free, but this claim only affects its most natural form. Peanuts are gluten-free by nature and, consequently, the butter obtained from them, but the same cannot be said of the products that we can find on the market.
Peanut butter, attention to ingredients
Peanut butter is technically a gluten-free food since its main ingredient does not contain it, ground peanuts. Of course, many industrial products also include other ingredients that may be gluten-free but may not be.
Manufacturers typically tend to avoid ingredients that contain an allergen, but this is not a hard and fast rule. There may also be situations in which they act differently, perhaps producing in establishments where non-contamination is not guaranteed.
This happens when gluten-containing substances are also processed in the same spaces. Peanut butter does not contain gluten, and we can say this without a doubt if the corresponding certificate is attached to the packaging.
Once this has been clarified, the key point for celiacs is the attention paid at the time of purchase so that safe products are always chosen and thus avoid contact with the allergen. Another alternative is to be more sure of the product to be consumed in the preparation at home.
Even in this case, you should only do it if you are sure that you can prepare it avoiding the risk of contamination and, of course, being sure of the ingredients that are used.
