Is cider gluten-free? Yes, check flavoured ciders and hybrids

Yes. Cider is gluten-free. It’s fermented apple juice, and perry is the same made from pears. Coeliac UK lists cider as gluten-free, alongside wine and spirits.

What to check

• Flavoured and fruit ciders: usually fine, but added flavourings vary, so read the label.
• Beer-cider hybrids and “cider with malt”: these contain barley malt and aren’t gluten-free unless labelled so.
• Drinks labels: drinks over 1.2% alcohol don’t have to list every ingredient, but they must declare allergens such as wheat or barley (“contains barley”).

In a pub or bar

Cider is one of the easiest orders when you eat gluten-free, especially in the UK and Ireland, where beer is the default. A bottle or can with its label in front of you is the quickest check.

Keep reading

• The Hidden-Gluten Watchlist: the 15 forbidden names and the ones to check
• Are vodka, gin and whisky gluten-free?
• Is wine gluten-free?
• Gluten-free beer

Sources: EU Regulation 1169/2011 (Annex II), EU Regulation 828/2014, Coeliac UK, US FDA gluten-free labelling rule and FALCPA, Codex Alimentarius (gluten-free = 20 mg/kg or less). Checked 28 September 2026. We inform, we don’t diagnose: for medical questions, your doctor or dietitian has the last word.