Malt is not gluten-free. Malt is traditionally made with barley, which is, along with wheat and rye, one of the three gluten grains. If you have celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity, you'll need to avoid all three of these grains and any products, including malt, that contain them.
With that being said, there's a growing market for new types of malt made from gluten-free grains, such as rice, quinoa, and millet. These malts can be used to produce a variety of gluten-free products, including gluten-free beer.
This article provides a rundown of why most malts are not gluten-free. It also explains when it's safe for someone with celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity to consume malt.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GettyImages-1007986928-84dd8b7f399e45ceb538e43280e7c400.jpg "Can You Ever Have Malt If You're Gluten-Sensitive? (1)")
What Makes Malt Not Gluten-Free?
Malt is most often made from the gluten grain barley. Traditional malts are not processed in a way that removes gluten. Therefore, any malt made from barley, wheat, or rye cannot be used in gluten-free products.
How Malt Is Made
Malt is made by soaking a grain in water until the grain begins to sprout, a process called germination. As part of this process, certain starches in the grain change their forms, becoming different types of sugars. Once the sugars have developed in the grains, malt-makers stop the germination process and preserve those sugars by drying the grains with hot air. This process is what makes malt so sweet.
Barley and wheat grains have been prepared in this way for thousands of years in China, Egypt, and other countries where those grains first were cultivated. The first malt was likely used to make beer, but malted grains can also be served as a sweet paste. For example, samanu is a traditional Persian recipe made with malted wheat.
What Products Are Malt-Based?
Malt-based products include:
- Malt beer: Malt is used in malt beer, a sweet beer that generally contains lower alcohol than regular beer. Top-selling brands include Colt 45, Budweiser Icehouse Edge, and Schlitz O.M.L.
- Malt liquors: Malted barley is used to make malt whiskey and other malt liquor products like Smirnoff Ice.
- Malted milkshakes: The addition of malt makes shakes creamier and adds depth of flavor. Ovaltine, the classic powdered milk flavoring, is also made with barley malt extract.
- Cereals: Some cereals, like Kellogg's Rice Krispies, aren't gluten-free because they contain barley malt.
- Malt candies: The main ingredient in malt balls and malted milks balls is malted barley or wheat. Lindor Truffles also contain barley malt, rendering them off-limits for people avoiding gluten.
- Malt vinegar: This vinegar is produced by germinating barley grains in water until they start to sprout, then drying the grains out to make malt. Malt vinegar is frequently used to make chips and other snack foods.
How Can You Tell If a Product Contains Malt?
To check if a product contains malt, read its label. Terms like "malt extract," "malt flavoring," "malt syrup" or "malted milk" all indicate that a product contains malt. Unless stated otherwise, any product that uses one of these terms contains malt derived from barley. Make sure to also check the "contains" section of the label for barley, wheat, or rye.
Unlike wheat, barley isn't considered a major allergen. As such, manufacturers do not need to specify on their labels that an ingredient is made with barley. Barley can therefore be disguised as "malt" on a food label.
Gluten-free dietitian Tricia Thompson, who runs the gluten-free testing service Gluten-Free Watchdog, reports that a few food manufacturers have used barley malt as ingredients in gluten-free-labeled products, even though the FDA rules don't allow barley-based ingredients in gluten-free foods.
Manufacturers may argue that a food in question tests below 20 parts per million (the legal gluten-free standard), but that doesn't matter. Gluten-free foods cannot contain barley.
Stores and Websites That Sell Gluten-Free Food
When Is Malt Safe for People With Celiac Disease?
Malt is only safe for people with celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity when the malt is clearly made from gluten-free grains or "pseudo-grains" (seeds that aren't in the same family as grains, but which are used in similar ways).
Gluten free grains and pseudo-grains include:
- Millet
- Corn
- Rice
- Sorghum
- Amaranth
- Quinoa
- Teff
- Buckwheat
More and more companies are answering the need for gluten-free malt products. For example, the Grouse Malt House in Wellington, Colorado makes malt from millet, buckwheat, oats, corn, and quinoa, specifically to be used in the brewing of gluten-free beer.
The company's products are certified gluten-free by the Gluten-Free Certification Organization, which requires products to test below 10 parts per million of gluten.
Briess Malt & Ingredients Co., located in Chilton, Wisconsin, makes sorghum syrup, a substitute for malt extract, also aimed at gluten-free beer brewers. The company says its malt meets legal U.S. Food and Drug Administration gluten-free standards of less than 20 parts per million of gluten.
Industry analysts expect additional companies to develop gluten-free malt products to meet demand as the market for gluten-free foods expands.
If you are not sure whether a product contains barley or another gluten grain, contact the product's manufacturer before consuming it.
Summary
Malt is traditionally derived from barley, a grain that contains gluten. However, malt can be made from any grain, including the other gluten grains, wheat and rye, and gluten-free grains like millet and rice. Nonetheless, if a product's label has the word "malt" then it likely contains barley, and is not safe for people with celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity.
Since the market for gluten-free malt made from ingredients like buckwheat and sorghum is growing, it's likely that we'll start to see more "sorghum malt" and "buckwheat malt" listed as ingredients for gluten-free-labeled products.
9 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Lexhaller B, Colgrave M, Scherf K. Characterization and relative quantitation of what, rye, and barley gluten protein types by liquid chromatography—tandem mass spectrometry. Front Plant Sci. 2019 Dec;10(1):1530. doi:10.3389/fpls.2019.01530
Yang D, Gao X. Progress of the use of alternatives to malt in the production of gluten-free beer. Critic Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2020 Dec;62(12):1-16. doi:10.1080/10408398.2020.1859458
Hardwick, W. Handbook of Brewing. New York, NY: Taylor & Francis.
University of Arizona. Identifying gluten in packaged foods.
Beyond Celiac. Is barley gluten-free?
Thompson T. Gluten-free foods still contain barley malt. Gluten Free Watchdog.
Woomer J, Adedeji A. Current applications of gluten-free grains - a review. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2021;61(1):14-24. doi:10.1080/10408398.2020.1713724
Grouse Malt House. Gluten-free malt crafted with ancient grains.
Briess Malt & Ingredients Co. Gluten free solutions.
Additional Reading
Celiac Disease Foundation.What Should I Eat?Fact Sheet.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Allergens and Gluten-Free Labeling Fact Sheet.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/JaneNew-594959cc3df78c537b0f2c86.jpg "Can You Ever Have Malt If You're Gluten-Sensitive? (2)")
By Jane Anderson
Jane Anderson is a medical journalist and an expert in celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, and the gluten-free diet.
See Our Editorial Process
Meet Our Medical Expert Board
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?
