Gluten-Free Passover Foods 2014

Gluten-free Passover foods

Passover is a prime time for gluten-free food, since foods that are kosher for Passover do not contain wheat, rye, barley, spelt or oats — although the big exception is that wheat is used in regular matzah and in products using matzah meal or cake meal.

While many Passover products have always been gluten-free, in the past they have used the Yiddish term “non-gebrokts,” which indicates that no matzah (i.e. wheat) was used in the product. But now many Passover brands are recognizing the gluten-free appeal and specifically labeling their products as gluten-free.

Kedem Food Products began introducing products specifically labeled as certified gluten free five years ago, when it introduced Yehuda Gluten Free Matzo-Style Squares (a great gluten-free matzah). Now, many of Yehuda’s products are certified gluten-free, bearing the GIG’s “Certified GF” logo, meaning they’ve been tested to contain less than 10 ppm of gluten. I’m always more confident in buying a food when I see the certified GF logo.

“It started with Yehuda Gluten Free Matzo Style Squares, and grew from there,” notes Harold Weiss, Kedem vice president of sales, in a press release. “Fast forward five years, and we have a complete offering of gluten free items under various brands including cereals, candies, cake mixes and ingredients all certified GF and many now available year round.”

This year, Kedem introduced a number of new certified gluten free items including Yehuda Gluten Free Chocolate Covered Crackers, Yehuda Gluten Free Soup Crackers, Crispy-Os Gluten Free Cereal, Kedem Tilapia Gefilte Fish (exclusively available at Whole Foods) and Shefa Sweet Goodies.

Kedem Gourmet Passover gefilte fish and Kedem Israeli Style gefilte fish, as well as Rokeach Gourmet Sweet and Heimeshe Sweet gefilte fish, do not contain matzah meal and are gluten-free. (Most other brands contain matza meal and therefore gluten.)

All Manischewitz macaroons are certified gluten-free, too. (I’d take a pass on their new pistachio orange flavor, though.)

Some of my favorite returning gluten-free Passover products are Yehuda Gluten-Free Matzo-Style Squares, Lieber’s Knaidel Mix (ie matzo ball mix), Frankel’s frozen Matzo-Free Balls, Jeff Nathan’s Seasoned Panko Flakes, Spring Valley chicken nuggets and blintzes and Gefen tapioca starch in a reclosable canister.

Do yourself a favor and pass over (get it: Passover, ha-ha) any of the gluten-free Passover boxed cake mixes or Passover noodles. They are rarely good.

Find some of my old Passover posts here:
Gluten-free Passover foods 2013
Gluten-free oat matzo 2013
Gluten-free matzo for Passover 2013
Gluten-free Passover foods 2012
Gluten-free Passover foods 2010