Plain cornmeal is naturally gluten-free, but added ingredients and shared milling equipment matter. Check the ingredients and how it is made before choosing a bag.
Our cornmeal is milled and stored alongside wheat. Cross-contact may occur; we do not present it as celiac-safe. Ask about ingredients and milling.
Yellow cornmealSweet corn flavor and a golden skillet of cornbread.Shop yellow cornmeal 
White cornmealMild corn flavor for a lighter-colored cornbread.Shop white cornmeal Plain cornmeal is naturally gluten-free. It is made by grinding corn (maize), a grain that contains no gluten—the protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. Straight stone-ground cornmeal, with corn as the only ingredient, has no gluten in it.
That is why cornbread, polenta, grits, and dredging meal can all fit a gluten-free diet, as long as the cornmeal you start with is pure corn and nothing else has been added.
The word "cornmeal" on a label does not guarantee it is gluten-free. Two exceptions trip people up most often: self-rising cornmeal and boxed cornbread mixes frequently blend in wheat flour, so read the ingredient list, not just the front of the bag.
Anything labeled a "cornmeal mix" is especially worth checking—many include wheat flour, leavening, and other additions. If corn is not the only grain listed, treat the product as containing gluten.
Even pure cornmeal can pick up trace gluten if it is milled or packaged on equipment shared with wheat. This is called cross-contact, and it is the real difference between "made from a gluten-free grain" and "safe for celiac disease."
For most gluten-conscious cooks, naturally gluten-free cornmeal is a comfortable choice. For anyone with celiac disease or a serious wheat allergy, cross-contact is the detail that actually matters—worth confirming for any brand you buy.
Our cornmeal, grits, and polenta start as corn and contain no gluten ingredients. But they are milled in the same facility that also handles wheat, rye, and spelt, so we do not represent them as celiac-safe, even though corn itself is gluten-free.
Before ordering for a strict gluten-free diet, confirm the ingredients and manufacturing details for the specific product. A product name alone does not establish its cross-contact controls.
Read the ingredient panel and look for corn as the only grain. Skip anything labeled self-rising or "mix" unless it is explicitly certified gluten-free.
Check manufacturing and cross-contact information as well as the ingredients. Contact us with questions about a specific product before ordering.