🍫 Are Milky Way Candy Bars Gluten Free? Read Shocking Truth 😱
Are Milky Way candy bars Gluten Free? Keep reading this blog post, as the answer will surprise you!
We all love to eat chocolates. Who doesn’t like them? Of Course, everyone does. When it comes to chocolate bars, the most loved snack is Milky Way chocolate bars.
However, if you’re a celiac patient or allergic to gluten content, you might think, “Are Milky Way Candy Bars Gluten Free?” Don’t worry, as we will answer this query in detail.
In this article, we’ll discuss Milky Way bars, their different types, and which type is Gluten Free and which one is not. We’ll also talk about the ingredients of Milky Way bars and other Gluten Free alternatives to Milky Way bars.
So keep reading to get your answer about “Are Milky Way candy bars Gluten Free?”
Introduction to Milky Way Bars: What are Milky Way Bars?
We all love to eat chocolate-coated confectionery bars. These are called Milky Way bars and have been on the market since 1923.
Popular candy manufacturer Mars Wrigley owns and produces Milky Way bars. Despite this candy, Mars also manufactures famous candies such as Twix, M&Ms, and 3 Musketeers.
You’ll find Milky Way bars in every store and shop. These candies are most loved by kids and sold during Halloween. However, before you decide to eat these Milky Way bars, you must research whether they are Gluten Free.
Let’s find the answer; “Are Milky Way Candy Bars Gluten Free?”
🍫 Are Milky Way Candy Bars Gluten Free?
The short answer is NO! The original Milky Way candy bars are not Gluten Free since they contain Barley Malt Extract, which is used to flavor the nougat in Milky Way bars. This Barley Malt is made from gluten-containing grains. Here are all three varieties of Milky Way bars;
Original Milky Way Bars (NOT GF)
This variety of Milky Way bar is not Gluten Free, as its ingredients contain Barley Malt Extract, which gives the nougat in this candy its flavor.
Midnight Dark Chocolate Milky Way (GF)
Midnight Dark Milky Way Bar contains Vanilla nougat topped with chocolate and coated with another layer of dark chocolate. Its ingredients don’t contain gluten. So the Midnight Milky Way is Gluten Free.
Simply Caramel Milky Way (GF)
As the name suggests, the Simply Caramel Milky Way is caramel dipped in milk chocolate. This variety is also Gluten Free.
Gluten Free Milky Way Candy Bars & Risk of Cross Contamination
As we’ve discussed, out of three Milky Way bars, the original Milky Way bar contains gluten content because its ingredients contain Barley Malt Extract.
However, the other two varieties, Midnight Milky Way and Simply Caramel Milky Way, don’t contain gluten in their ingredients. But does that mean these Gluten Free chocolate bars are 100% safe for Celiac patients?
Well, there is a difference between Gluten Free and certified Gluten Free.
While Gluten Free products don’t contain gluten, they are not certified Gluten Free chocolate bars. This is because there is a risk of cross-contamination when these Gluten Free chocolate bars are manufactured in the industry.
Remember that during manufacturing, the same machinery is also used for making gluten related candies. So considering cross contamination risk, there is a possibility that some traces of Gluten is available in these Gluten Free chocolate bars as well.
Should you eat Gluten Free Milky Way bars or not? It depends upon your sensitivity level to Gluten. If you have severe sensitivity to gluten, we suggest you not eat Gluten Free Milky Way bars as well since these candies are not Certified Gluten Free.
However, if you have a minor allergy to Gluten, you can take Gluten Free milky way bars but again, the choice is yours.
Are Milky Way Minis Gluten Free?
Milky Way minis in the original Milky Way chocolate bar flavor are not Gluten Free due to the Barley Malt Extract used to flavor noughts.
However, Milky Way minis in Midnight flavor do not contain Barley Malt Extract or any other gluten-containing ingredient. Similarly, Milky Way minis in Caramel Milky Way flavor are also Gluten Free.
Keep in mind that since Milky Way Minis in midnight and creamy flavors are not labeled as Gluten Free, there is always a risk of cross-contamination with gluten-containing ingredients.
What is Barley Malt Extraction?
The original Milky Way bars are not Gluten Free due to one component: gluten in their ingredients, namely Barley Malt Extract.
But what is Barley Malt? Well, this ingredient in Milky Way bars comes from Barley grain, a natural source of gluten.
- Malt is made of Barley grains by soaking them in water.
- When the grains are soaked in water, they germinate.
- The germination is then stopped by a process called Malt.
- These germinated grains are then dried with hot air.
- The final malt extract is used in beer, whiskey, malt vinegar, and Malt flavored candies and beverages.
Barley is a natural source of gluten, so Malt extracted from Barley also contains gluten. When this malt is extracted to flavor the nougat in Milky Way bars, the final candy contains gluten.
If you’re following a strict Gluten Free diet due to gluten sensitivity or Celiac, then we recommend you not to eat Milky Way bar chocolate.
Ingredients of Milky Way Bars
So here comes the most important part of our post, telling you the ingredients of all three Milky Way bars. You can compare the ingredients used in the original Milky Way, Midnight Milky Way, and simply caramel Milky Way and decide by yourself which one is Gluten Free;
| Milky Way Variety | Ingredients | Gluten Free |
|---|---|---|
| Original Milky Way | Milk Chocolate (Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Skim Milk, Chocolate, Lactose, Milkfat, Soy Lecithin, Artificial Flavor), Corn Syrup, Sugar, Palm Oil, Skim Milk, Less Than 2% – Milkfat, Cocoa Powder Processed With Alkali, Barley Malt Extract, Lactose, Salt, Egg Whites, Chocolate, Artificial Flavor. | No |
| Milky Way Simply Caramel | Milk Chocolate (Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Skim Milk, Chocolate, Lactose, Milkfat, Soy Lecithin, Artificial Flavor), Corn Syrup, Sugar, Palm Oil, Skim Milk, Milkfat, Lactose, Salt, Chocolate, Artificial Flavor. Contains Milk and Soy. May Contain Peanuts and Egg. | Yes |
| Milky Way Midnight Dark | Semisweet Chocolate (Sugar, Chocolate Processed With Alkali, Chocolate, Cocoa Butter, Milkfat, Soy Lecithin, Natural Flavor), Corn Syrup, Sugar, Palm Oil, Skim Milk, Less Than 1.5% – Milkfat, Lactose, Salt, Egg Whites, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Chocolate. Contains Milk, Egg, and Soy. May Contain Peanuts. | Yes |
The major difference in the ingredients of the Midnight Milky Way bar is that it features vanilla nougat instead of malt extract-flavored nougat, which makes it Gluten Free chocolate.
Can Celiacs Have Milky Way Chocolates?
To conclude, if Celiacs can eat Milky Way chocolates, we’ve divided the Milky Way bars into three categories as;
While the original Milky Way contains gluten due to the presence of Barley Malt Extract, which is used to flavor nougat, the other two Milky Way varieties don’t contain any gluten in their ingredients.
Again, should celiacs eat the Milky Way? Besides Midnight and Caramel varieties, which don’t contain gluten, these are not not certified Gluten Free due to the possibility of cross-contamination. So it depends upon your allergic sensitivity if you should eat them or not.
Other Gluten Free Alternatives to Milky Way Bars
So, if you want Gluten Free chocolates, then you can consider these Gluten Free alternatives to Milky Way Chocolate Bars;
- Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate Bar
- Enjoy Life Ricemilk Chocolate Bar
- Enjoy Life Ricemilk Crunch
- Enjoy Life Winter Dark Chocolate Minis
- Snickers Bars
- 3 Musketeers
- Heath Bars
- Hershey’s milk chocolate kisses
- Hershey’s milk chocolate bars (only the 1.55oz size)
- Milk Duds
- Mounds and Almond Joy Candy Bars
- Payday
Disclaimer: Brands often change their ingredients, so make sure that you do your own research about the accuracy of these Gluten Free sources. You can do this by going to the official website of each candy to confirm and verify its ingredients.
Conclusion: Are Milky Way Candy Bars Gluten Free?
So, are Milky Way bars Gluten Free? The short answer is No. The original Milky Way bar is not Gluten Free because it contains Barley Malt Extract, which is used to flavor nougat. This Malt is extracted from Barley, a natural gluten source.
The other two varieties of Milky Way bars, Midnight Milky Way and Simply Caramel Milky Way, are Gluten Free and don’t contain any gluten-containing ingredients.
However, keep in mind that there is a difference between Gluten Free and certified Gluten Free. While Midnight and Caramel Milky Way are Gluten Free, they are not labeled Gluten Free due to the possibility of cross-contamination with gluten ingredients during manufacturing.
So, if you have a severe allergy to gluten, avoid Milky Way bars.
Also Read: Are 3 Musketeers Gluten Free
