Can You Drink Kahlua If You're Gluten-Free?

Kahlua may or may not be gluten-free. Kahlua's manufacturer, Pernod Ricard USA, does not disclose the ingredients in its products. In addition, like most other manufacturers of alcoholic beverages, Pernod Ricard USA does not disclose the ingredients used to make its products, including Kahlua.

Reactions to Kahlua vary: the very popular coffee-flavored liqueur seems to be fine for some people with celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity, but causes problems in others who follow the gluten-free diet.

Must-Know Facts

Although Kahlua's manufacturer does not disclose the ingredients used to make Kahlua, the liqueur does contain alcohol that was distilled from one or more of the three gluten grains (wheat, barley, and rye). 

However, despite this, many people with celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity find they can't drink gluten grain-based alcoholic beverages without suffering from symptoms.

Why Kahlua Might Not Be Gluten-Free

Several years ago, Pernod Ricard USA used to say that Kahlua was considered gluten-free. However, after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration rules on gluten-free labeling took effect, the manufacturer stopped saying that.

Instead, Pernod Ricard USA, now says simply that it does not test for gluten in the finished product. It does not appear that the liqueur's ingredients have changed. However, following the change in the rules on gluten-free labeling, the company now is more cautious about claiming Kahlua is gluten-free.

Kahlua's ingredients, as reported by the manufacturer, include: high fructose corn syrup/sugar, cane spirit, coffee extract (cane spirit, sugar, water, caramel), neutral grain spirit, water, and wine. The caramel is not derived from gluten grains, but the neutral grain spirit contains wheat-based distilled alcohol, the manufacturer says.

Do All Types of Kahlua Contain Gluten?

Pernod Ricard USA also manufactures additional Kahlua-branded liqueur flavors, including: Chili Chocolate, Pumpkin Spice, Salted Caramel, and Mint Mocha. The company does not provide any information on the ingredients for these flavored liqueurs.

You can presume they're made with a plain Kahlua base (and with alcohol distilled from gluten grains). However, there's no way to know if additional gluten-containing ingredients are added, or if the ingredients used to make the liqueurs actually are gluten-free.

Cocktails to Avoid

If you do need to avoid Kahlua, you'll also need to avoid certain cocktails and other drinks that include the liqueur. Many people put a splash of Kahlua in their coffee or decaf coffee, especially following a festive meal. In addition, the following popular cocktails always or often include Kahlua as an ingredient:

• White Russian
• Black Russian
• Espresso Martini
• Mudslide
• Frozen Mudslide
• Brave Bull
• B-52 Shot
• Long Island Iced Coffee

Note that some of these drinks may also include gluten-based ingredients beyond Kahlua, so even if you don't have a problem with Kahlua, you'll need to do your due diligence and check out all the ingredients in whatever cocktail you're ordering.

A Word from Verywell

You definitely should exercise caution if you haven't tried Kahlua before, especially if you've noticed glutening symptoms following other gluten-grain-based alcoholic products, such as beer made from "de-glutened" barley, plus most varieties of gin and bourbon.

Fortunately, it's really easy to make homemade coffee liqueur (there are plenty of recipes out there, so you can experiment until you find the best one for you). If you do tend to react to alcoholic beverages distilled from gluten grains, just be sure to use gluten-free vodka (vodka crafted from something other than the traditional wheat and/or rye) to make your homemade liqueur.

One last note: If you also react to the milk protein casein, several of Kahlua brand's flavors—specifically, the Drinks-To-Go and the Ready-To-Drink products—do contain casein as an ingredient.