Are Fortune Cookies Safe For A Gluten-Free Diet?

Snapping a fortune cookie in half to reveal the paper message inside is a delightful way to finish off a meal. Plus, the crunchy cookie itself is just sweet enough to provide the perfect balanced bookend to a savory dinner without the need for a rich dessert. But if you're gluten-free, do you have to miss out on all the fun of enjoying the crisp texture and reading your fortune aloud to the table? Unfortunately, in most cases, fortune cookies contain gluten unless you search for specific brands that use gluten-free ingredients.

Fortune cookies are made with similar ingredients to a regular batch of cookies, such as flour and sugar. However, the butter is replaced with oil, and egg whites are incorporated into the batter (instead of whole eggs) to lend the finished cookies that distinctive crisp and light texture that's perfect for snapping open to get to the message inside. Regular flour contains gluten, which is why most fortune cookies aren't suitable for a gluten-free diet. However, that isn't to say that you can't find gluten-free options. Just be aware that in the majority of instances, the complimentary fortune cookies that are popped into your bag of Chinese takeout won't be gluten-free (always ask to make sure). If you're purchasing a bag of fortune cookies from the supermarket, read the ingredients list on the packaging to double check for the presence of gluten-based flours.

In gluten-free fortune cookies, the regular flour is replaced with rice flour, tapioca starch, or potato starch and combined with stabilizers including xanthan gum or locust bean gum, which is a natural thickener that's derived from the seeds of the carob tree. You could, of course, consider making a batch of homespun gluten-friendly fortune cookies yourself if you can't find any at the store. For example, the cake flour in these vanilla tuile fortune cookies can be substituted with gluten-free options, such as rice flour or cornstarch.

Combining a couple of flours, or even grinding some oats to make oat flour, can work, too, with a little tinkering. Adding a touch of xanthan gum, which you can buy from the bakery aisle at the supermarket, will also lend the cookies structure, mimicking the properties of the gluten present in regular flour. To make vegan gluten-free fortune cookies, sub the egg whites for aquafaba or make flaxseed eggs by combining ground flaxseed with a dash of water.

Ever wondered how fortune cookies get their messages inside? Now you can find out.