8 Great Gluten-Free Hot Cereals to Try for Breakfast

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Cream of wheat and oatmeal are classic hot cereal favorites. But if you follow a gluten-free diet, these may not be the best choices for you. While wheat is an obvious gluten source, oatmeal can also make you sick, especially if you are particularly sensitive to trace amounts of gluten.

Oats are frequently exposed to wheat during the manufacturing process, which means you'll have to look for products that are certified gluten-free to avoid cross-contamination. Fortunately, there are plenty of certified gluten-free oatmeal products to choose from.

If you can tolerate oats, the good news is they're loaded with fiber and are a great source of plant-based protein. Incorporating heart-healthy oats into your diet can help lower LDL cholesterol and even promote weight management.

Oatmeal with raisins

Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman

Gluten-Free Hot Cereal: Beyond Oatmeal

Aside from oats, hot cereal is also available in several nutritious gluten-free alternatives. Some of these are likely familiar, others less so; sample a few to see which ones you enjoy.

  • Coconut: A favorite among the low-carb crowd, coconut is high in fiber and provides a creamy hot cereal that resembles cream of wheat.
  • Corn: Hot corn cereal is similar to grits, which can be eaten at any time of day. Add a fried egg and some sautéed spinach for a savory, nutritious breakfast. As a whole grain, corn is naturally low in fat and is also a good source of vitamin C and magnesium.
  • Quinoa: This go-to gluten-free staple is low in fat and high in fiber, making it a satisfying hot cereal option. An ancient grain, quinoa is also a superfood since it provides all nine essential amino acids and is packed with protein.
  • Rice: As a naturally wheat-free grain, rice is easy to digest and low in calories. A 1-cup serving of white rice contains nearly 4.5 grams of protein and has zero grams of sugar.
  • Tapioca: You may have tried substituting tapioca flour in some of your favorite recipes, but you can also make tapioca porridge with coconut milk or cow's milk for a healthy, hearty breakfast that will keep you full until lunchtime.

Gluten-Free Hot Cereals to Try

If you enjoy hot cereal in the morning (or any time of day), you have plenty of gluten-free options to choose from. They range from instant packets you can mix up on the go to traditional porridges you cook on the stove.

Some products are infused with fruity flavors like apple or peach. Others are lightly sweetened with brown sugar or agave or include nuts like almonds for an added crunch (plus protein and healthy fats). Most of these picks are derived from nutrient-dense whole grains.

1

Arrowhead Mills Gluten-Free Steel Cut Oats

Arrowhead Mills offers multiple gluten-free hot cereal options, most of which are organic. For instance, Organic Rice and Shine Hot Cereal is made with organic brown rice grits, and Organic Yellow Corn Grits Hot Cereal includes only organic yellow corn grits. Organic Quinoa Rice and Shine combine quinoa and rice.

The company's Gluten-Free Instant Maple Buckwheat hot cereal contains gluten-free oats, as does its Gluten-Free Quinoa and Oats hot cereal.

Arrowhead Mills is certified gluten-free by the Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO), which requires products to meet the legal standard of less than 10 parts per million (ppm) of gluten.

2

Bob's Red Mill

Bob's Red Mill offers seven different gluten-free hot cereal options, including a couple of organic hot cereals. If you can't have oats, you can try the Creamy Brown Rice Farina, Organic Brown Rice Farina, Organic Creamy Buckwheat, and Mighty Tasty GF Hot Cereal (made of brown rice, corn, buckwheat, and sorghum).

If you can tolerate oats, your options also include Bob's Quick Cooking Oats, Rolled Oats, Thick Rolled Oats, Scottish Oatmeal, and Steel-Cut Oats.

Bob's Red Mill tests for gluten to below 20 parts per million.

3

Cream of Wheat: Cream of Rice Hot Cereal

When you're following the gluten-free diet, you might be opposed to something with the words "Cream of Wheat" on it. But Cream of Wheat (a brand name owned by B&G Foods, Inc.) now labels its Cream of Rice cereal gluten-free.

Cream of Rice hot cereal is fortified with iron and three B vitamins. It's considered gluten-free to less than 20 parts per million.

4

Nature's Path Maple Almond Crunch Grain Free Hot Cereal

Nature’s Path Maple Almond Crunch is a grain-free hot cereal made with sweet maple, roasted almonds, and chia seeds, making it a nutrient-dense choice with healthy fats that includes a boost of plant-based protein from watermelon seed protein powder. It also comes in a Cinnamon Apple Crisp flavor if you're a fan of the classic taste of apples.

Some Nature's Path Cereals are labeled "gluten free" and contain less than 20 ppm. Others are labeled "certified gluten free" and contain less than 10 ppm.

5

GF Harvest

GF Harvest is a trusted name in the gluten-free manufacturing business. The company makes Organic Gluten-Free Rolled Oats, Organic Steel Cut Oats, Organic Gluten-Free Oat Groats, and Organic Quick Cooking Oats.

All GF Harvest products are certified organic and gluten-free. 

6

Lilly B's Natural Instant Oatmeal

Lilly B's Apple Cinnamon Instant Oatmeal is made with apples, cinnamon, brown cane sugar, and flax for a hearty breakfast that will keep you full and satisfied for hours.

Lilly B's stringent gluten-free standard means that all of its products are certified to less than 5 ppm of gluten.

7

Wildway Paleo Hot Cereal

Wildway's grain-free instant hot cereal is free of wheat, oats, corn, grains, dairy, sweeteners, and added sugars and packed with satiating plant-based protein. It's made with walnuts, ground flaxseed, cashews, coconut flour, pecans, dried dates, and vanilla bean, and each box contains four servings.

Wildway's hot cereal is certified gluten free by the GFCO to 10 ppm or less.

8

Keto and Co: Keto Hot Breakfast

Keto Hot Breakfast from Keto and Co resembles the taste and texture of oatmeal—only it is made from coconut, which means it is naturally gluten-free. The company suggests skipping the coconut oil during cooking if you're watching your intake of fat and calories for a 50-calorie breakfast that's loaded with fiber.

Keto Hot Breakfast is available in plain and flavored options, including Peaches and Cream, Apple Cinnamon, and Maple Brown Sugar. Each bag contains eight servings.

Keto and Co's Hot Breakfast cereal is gluten-free to 20 ppm or less. But keep in mind that the company's focus is the keto diet, not the gluten-free diet, which means that it may produce other gluten-containing products in a shared facility.

A Word From Verywell

You don't need to give up on eating hot cereal if you've been diagnosed with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity. Just remember always to read labels carefully and avoid products that may have been exposed to gluten cross-contamination if you're especially sensitive to trace gluten.

If you're not sure if oats could make you sick, consult your healthcare team. Or stick with a certified gluten-free product to be on the safe side. While you're at it, you can also consult many cookbooks on the subject for guidance.

6 Sources
Verywell Fit 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.
  1. Beyond Celiac. Are oats gluten-free?

  2. Rasane P, Jha A, Sabikhi L, Kumar A, Unnikrishnan VS. Nutritional advantages of oats and opportunities for its processing as value added foods - a review. J Food Sci Technol. 2015;52(2):662-75. doi:10.1007/s13197-013-1072-1

  3. Levinson JF. Culinary corner: Sweet summer corn. Today's Dietitian. 2016;18(8):66.

  4. Rice, white, short-grain, enriched, cooked. FoodData Central. U.S. Department of Agriculture.

  5. Gluten Intolerance Group of North America. GFCO Certification Scheme Manual Rev.

  6. Nature's Path. Frequently asked questions.

By Jane Anderson
Jane Anderson is a medical journalist and an expert in celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, and the gluten-free diet.