Are SunChips Safe For Gluten-Free Diets?

Being gluten-free can often feel like you miss out on the best snacks. You'd think most chips would be safe. Potatoes are naturally gluten-free, after all! And indeed, plenty of the best chip brands out there are okay for those who have to avoid gluten. However, there are plenty of delicious chips that are off limits, including, sadly, SunChips. 

We ranked five of the brand's varieties from worst to best, and according to the SunChips website, none of them are gluten-free. "Currently, there are no SunChips flavors that are gluten-free," the brand explains. These hearty chips have "whole wheat flour" and "whole oat flour" as ingredients. Whole wheat flour definitely isn't gluten-free, and depending on how the oats are processed, there's a good chance the oat flour isn't gluten-free, either. 

The problem is, SunChips really are one-of-a-kind in the world of chips. They are simultaneously hearty and lacy, and they come in delicious, savory flavors, but are also slightly healthier than your classic potato chip. They even made our list of the 16 healthiest chip brands. That being said, there are some alternative gluten-free snacks that, while they may not quite live up to the SunChip name, are reminiscent enough that you could easily scarf down a whole bag.

A Reddit user asked the r/glutenfree subreddit if there are any alternatives to the Garden Salsa flavor of SunChips. "I've never been able to find anything like it," they wrote. While many in the comments commiserated and claimed that there are no suitable alternatives, others chimed in with some promising ideas.

One person suggested Siete Grain Free Tortilla Chips in the ranch flavor. Another touted Garden Veggie Good Thins. Another mentioned the Simple Mills Sun-Dried Tomato and Basil Crackers. Someone else wrote, "I'm not even kidding, I was just about to post about how much Mi Niña Pico de Gallo [tortilla chips'] flavor was sooooo similar. Please give a try and report back."

Now, if you're a keen-eyed snack connoisseur, you may notice that tortilla chips and crackers, no matter how similar in flavor, aren't quite the same thing as SunChips. So while the gluten-free community is doing everything it can to get by, there really isn't an exact gluten-free dupe for SunChips. But it's clear that the demand is there, at least on Reddit. What do you say, Frito-Lay?!