Gluten-Free Deli Meat List

Plain turkey, chicken, roast beef, and ham do not contain gluten, but deli meat you buy pre-packaged or at the deli counter can contain gluten. Most brands and flavors of deli meat or cold cuts at the supermarket contain ingredients beyond meat, which means gluten ingredients and gluten cross-contamination can sneak in.

If you're following the gluten-free diet, you'll need to choose deli meat that's labeled "gluten-free." There are several brands where all (or virtually all) of the lunch meat options are gluten-free.

Gluten-Free Deli Meat Brands

Applegate Natural & Organic Meats
Bar-S
Boar's Head
Buddig Original
Butterball (most are gluten-free)
Dietz & Watson (everything is certified gluten-free except for scrapple and bockwurst, which contain gluten)
Gallo Salame
Jennie-O (almost all are gluten-free)
Land O'Frost

Gluten-Free Meat Brands

Here is a detailed list of gluten-free deli meat products from each brand, plus a list of gluten-free vegetarian and vegan deli meat alternatives. You'll also find a list of lunch meat brands to avoid if you're gluten-free, plus tips on how to minimize gluten cross-contamination risk (which is high with deli meat products) when buying sliced-to-order products from the deli counter.

Applegate Natural & Organic Meats

Gluten-free. The brand's cold cuts are also antibiotics and GMOs. Applegate promises humanely-raised products and makes a wide variety of pre-packaged gluten-free deli meats.

Organic gluten-free options include:

Black Forest Ham
Herb Turkey Breast
Oven-Roasted Chicken Breast
Oven-Roasted Turkey Breast
Roast Beef
Slow-Cooked Ham
Smoked Chicken Breast
Smoked Turkey Breast

Gluten-free options from the Applewood Naturals line include:

Black Forest Ham
Herb Turkey Breast
Honey & Maple Turkey Breast
Honey Ham
Oven Roasted Chicken Breast
Oven Roasted Turkey Breast
Slow-Cooked Ham
Smoked Turkey Breast

All of Applegate's deli meats are gluten-free, casein-free, and dairy-free, according to the company's website. Many are also sugar-free.

Applegate Naturals does make some gluten-containing products, but they are not in its deli meat line. You can check the company's allergen search to see which of its other products are gluten-free.

Armour Meats

Some gluten-free varieties. Armour makes bologna, roast beef, Virginia ham, and salami for sale at deli counters. Armour does not offer a list of gluten-free products nor does it label its products as gluten-free, but it's worth noting that some options do not appear to contain gluten ingredients. The company is a division of Smithfield Foods, which does label some products as gluten-free.

According to a customer service representative: "While we may not add gluten (wheat, oats, barley or rye) to our products, we do receive ingredients from outside suppliers that may contain gluten. Without a guarantee from our suppliers that gluten is not present in their ingredients, we do not make that claim. If there is no “gluten-free” claim on our label and you want to be conservative, assume that a source of gluten may be present. Please continue to read the ingredient statements carefully at the time you purchase the product because formulations can change at any time."

Armour Meats products that meet gluten-free standards will be labeled as such and products that contain wheat or gluten will disclose those ingredients on the label.

Bar-S

Gluten-free. The Bar S lunch meat line includes a wide variety of pre-packaged products, including:

Applewood Smoked Turkey Breast
Beef Bologna
Black Forest Turkey Breast
Chicken Bologna
Classic Bologna
Classic Chopped Ham
Cotto Salami
Deli Shaved Black Forest Ham
Deli Style Honey Ham
Deli Style Smoked Ham
Garlic Bologna
Oven-Roasted Turkey Breast
Signature Smokehouse Bologna
Spiced Luncheon Loaf
Thick Bologna
Turkey Bologna

According to the company, all Bar S products are gluten-free—except for the corn dogs. However, the company states that there is no risk of gluten cross-contamination for the product:

"The corn dogs are also produced on separate machines and in different facilities than the rest of our products. There is no possible contamination."

Boar's Head

Gluten-free. Boar's Head (also known for its gluten-free condiments) advertises "premium deli meats." They offer a wide variety of gluten-free deli meats, both pre-packaged and ready-to-slice at the deli (many are only available at the deli counter).

Gluten-free deli meats from Boar's Head include:

1st Cut Cooked Corned Beef Brisket
1st Cut Pastrami Brisket
33% Lower Sodium Bologna
46% Lower Sodium Turkey Breast
All American BBQ Seasoned Roasted Chicken Breast
Beef Bologna
Beef Salami
Blazing Buffalo Style Roasted Chicken Breast
Bold Blackened Turkey Breast
Bold BourbonRidge Uncured Smoked Ham
Bold Cajun Roast Beef
Bold Chipotle Chicken Breast
Bold Ichiban Teriyaki Style Chicken Breast
Bold Jerk Chicken Breast
Bold Madrasala Curry Chicken Breast
Bold Peppenero Garlic Ham
Bold Salsalito Turkey Breast
Bologna (Pork & Beef)
Branded Deluxe Ham
Branded Deluxe Ham - 42% Lower Sodium
Cajun Style Smoked Turkey Breast
Cap-Off Cooked Top Round Corned Beef
Cap-Off Top Round Pastrami
Cappy Brand Ham
Cooked Salami
Cracked Pepper Mill Smoked Turkey Breast
Deluxe Low Sodium Oven Roasted Beef - Cap-Off Top Round
EverRoast Oven Roasted Chicken Breast
Garlic Bologna
Golden Catering Style Oven Roasted Turkey Breast (Lower Sodium)
Golden Classic Oven Roasted Chicken Breast - 42% Lower Sodium
Gourmet Pepper Brand Ham
Head Cheese
Hickory Smoked Black Forest Turkey Breast

Honey Smoked Turkey Breast
Italian Style Seasoned Beef with Bracoile Seasoning
Lemon Pepper Chicken Breast
Lite Braunschweiger Liverwurst
London Broil Cap-Off Top Round Oven Roasted Beef
Londonport Top Round Seasoned Roast Beef
Maple Glazed Honey Coat Ham
Maple Glazed Honey Coat Turkey Breast
Maple Glazed Roasted Chicken Breast
Mesquite Wood Smoked Turkey Breast
No Salt Added Turkey Breast
Olive Terrine Loaf
Ovengold Roasted Turkey Breast
Pastrami Seasoned Turkey Breast
Pesto Parmesan Ham
Rosemary & Sundried Tomato Ham
Rotisserie Seasoned Chicken Breast
Seasoned Filet of Roast Beef - Cap-Off Top Round
Smoked Virginia Ham
SmokeMaster Beechwood Smoked Black Forest Ham
Strassburger Liverwurst
Sweet Slice Boneless Smoked Uncured Ham
Tavern Ham
Virginia Brand Ham

If you like Boar's Head products but you're wary of buying from the deli counter, you can find pre-packaged pepperoni and turkey pepperoni in many stores, plus charcuterie products such as chorizo and bianco d'oro (Italian dry salame). All Boar's Head meats are gluten-free, according to the company's website.

Buddig Original

Gluten-free. This Chicago-based brand makes its original pre-packaged deli meats in 11 different varieties, including:

Beef
Black Forest Ham
Black Forest Turkey
Chicken
Corned Beef
Ham
Honey Ham
Honey-Roasted Turkey
Oven-Roasted Turkey
Pastrami
Turkey

All are gluten-free and also are free of monosodium glutamate (MSG), according to the company.

Butterball

Most varieties are gluten-free. Butterball, best known for its turkeys, also offers chicken and turkey deli meat for slicing at the deli counter. Out of the 17 varieties of deli meat, all but one (the turkey ham) are labeled gluten-free by the company:

40% Less Sodium Turkey Breast
Buffalo Style Chicken Breast
Cajun Turkey Breast
Cracked Pepper Turkey Breast
Deep-Fried Turkey Breast
Deep-Fried Honey Turkey Breast
Garlic and Herb Rotisserie-Style Chicken
Golden Brown Turkey Breast
Golden Brown Turkey Breast
Honey Roasted Turkey Breast
Mesquite Smoked Turkey Breast
Naturally Roasted Thanksgiving Turkey Breast
Oven Roasted Chicken
Oven Roasted Turkey Breast
Smoked Turkey Breast
Thanksgiving Roasted Turkey Breast
Turkey Pastrami

All but one of Butterball's deli meats are labeled as gluten-free. Avoid the turkey ham if you need to stay gluten-free.

Dietz & Watson

Almost all certified gluten-free. Dietz & Watson's gluten-free deli meats are widely available at stores like Food Lion and The Fresh Market. Gluten-free deli counter sliced meats include:

All Natural Applewood Smoked Turkey Breast
All Natural Uncured Classic Dinner Ham
Bacon Lovers Turkey Breast
Beef Bologna
Black Forest German Brand Bologna
Black Forest Honey Ham
Black Forest Smoked Ham
Black Forest Smoked Ham
Black Pepper Homestyle Turkey Breast
Bologna
Breast of Turkey Chipotle Pepper
Brown Sugar & Molasses Ham
Cajun Style Breast of Turkey
Carving Ready Turkey Breast
Chicken Breast Buffalo Style
Chicken Breast Honey Barbecue
Chicken Breast Sriracha
Chicken Breast Teriyaki
Classic Branded Cooked Ham
Classic Trimmed & Tied Ham
Corned Beef Extra Lean
First Cut New York Brand Corned Beef Brisket
Glazed Honey Cured Turkey Breast
Golden Recipe Oven Roasted Roast Beef
Gourmet Breast of Chicken
Gourmet Lite Cooked Ham
Gourmet Lite No Salt Added Turkey Breast
Gourmet Lite Turkey Breast
Gourmet Lite Virginia Brand Ham with Pineapple
Imported Tavern Ham
Italian Style Classic Tomato & Basil Ham
Italian Style Roast Pork
Italian Style Turkey Breast
Lower Sodium Oven Roasted Turkey Breast
Maple & Honey Coated Turkey Breast

Maple & Honey Ham
Momma Dietz Original Recipe Roast Chicken
Mortadella
NAE Pepper Choice Eye Roast Beef
Originals Applewood Smoked Turkey Breast
Originals Chicken Breast Harissa
Originals Natural Angus Roast Beef
Originals Organic Chicken Breast
Originals Oven Roasted Chicken Breast
Originals Uncured Cotto Ham
Oven Classic Turkey Breast
Oven Roasted All Natural Roast Beef
Oven Roasted Homestyle Turkey Breast
Oven Roasted Turkey Breast
Pastrami
Peppered Ham
Ring Bologna
Roast Beef Italian Style
Roast Pork, Our Cuban Brand
Rosemary Seasoned Ham
Rotisserie Breast of Chicken
Santa Fe Brand Turkey Breast
Smoked Peppercorn Turkey Breast
Southern Fried Breast of Chicken
Top Round London Broil Roast Beef
Top Round Roast Beef
Traditional Corned Beef
Turkey Breast Hatch Green Chile
Turkey Breast Mesquite Smoked
USDA Choice Roast Beef
Virginia Brand Ham

Gluten-free pre-packaged options include:

Angus Roast Beef
Applewood Smoked Turkey Breast
Genoa Salami Medallions
Herbed Turkey Breast
Organic Chicken Breast
Organic Turkey Breast
Oven Roasted Turkey Breast
Oven-Roasted Chicken Breast
Pre-Sliced Sopressata
Sliced Turkey Pepperoni
Truffle Salami Medallions
Uncured Applewood Smoked Ham
Uncured Black Forest Ham
Uncured Maple & Honey Ham

Dietz & Watson is certified gluten-free by the National Celiac Association, which requires products to meet the strict standard of less than 5 parts per million of gluten.

According to the company's gluten-free statement on its website, only two of its deli meats contain gluten: Dietz & Watson Scrapple and Bockwurst.

All of Dietz & Watson's artisan cheeses and condiments are also 100% gluten-free.

Gallo Salame

Gluten-free. Gallo, which distributes its products to the western one-third of the U.S. (Galileo distributes to the rest), makes gluten-free pre-packaged sliced salame in five different varieties:

All-Natural Uncured Salame
Dry Salame - 60% Less Sodium
Italian Dry Salame
Light Italian Dry Salame
Peppered Salame

All five of its pre-packaged salames are gluten-free, according to Gallo Salame's frequently asked questions page.

Jennie-O

Almost all gluten-free. Jennie-O makes nearly 40 chicken and turkey deli meats for sale at deli counters. Almost all of them are listed as gluten-free, including:

All-Natural Oven Browned Turkey Breast
Applewood Smoked Chicken
Applewood Smoked Turkey Breast
Buffalo Style Chicken Breast
Cajun Style Turkey Breast
Cracked Pepper Turkey Breast
Cracked Pepper Turkey Breast
Deli Favorites Oven Roasted Reduced Sodium Turkey Breast
Deli Favorites Oven Roasted Turkey Breast
Deli Favorites Tender Browned Turkey Breast
Extra Lean Turkey Ham
Grand Champion Oven Roasted Turkey Breast
Grand Champion Reduced Sodium Oven Roasted Turkey Breast
Herb Roasted Turkey Breast
Hickory Smoked Honey Turkey Breast
Hickory Smoked Honey Turkey Breast
Hickory Smoked Honey Turkey Breast
Hickory Smoked Slicing and Shaving Turkey Breast
Honey BBQ Seasoned Chicken Breast
Honey Roasted Turkey Breast
Honey Roasted Turkey Breast
Mesquite Smoked Turkey Breast
Original Oven Roasted Turkey Breast
Original Reduced Sodium Oven Roasted Turkey Breast
Oven Browned Turkey Breast
Oven Roasted Chicken Breast
Reduced Sodium Turkey Breast
Sun-Dried Tomato Turkey Breast
Tender Browned Shaving Turkey Breast

Four Jennie-O deli counter products that are not listed as gluten-free:

Breast Turkey Pastrami
Hickory Smoked Cajun Style Turkey
Premium Fresh Turkey Breast Roast
Premium Portions Oven Roasted Turkey Breast

Land O'Frost

Gluten-free. Land O'Frost, a family-owned company based in Illinois, offers three different lines of pre-packaged deli meat: Premium, BistroFavorites, and Deli Shaved. According to the company's website, all the meats are gluten-free.

Applewood Smoked Turkey Breast
Applewood Smoked Uncured Ham
Black Forest Canadian Bacon
Black Forest Ham
Black Forest Turkey Breast
Black Forest Uncured Ham
Black Peppered Uncured Beef
Brown Sugar Ham
Hickory Smoked Canadian Bacon
Hickory Smoked Turkey Breast
Honey Glazed Turkey Breast
Honey Glazed Uncured Ham
Honey Ham
Honey Smoked Turkey Breast
Natural Hickory Smoked Ham
Natural Roast Beef
Old-Fashioned Cooked Ham
Oven Roasted Turkey Breast
Oven-Roasted Chicken Breast
Roast Beef
Rotisserie Seasoned Turkey Breast
Sliced Hard Salami
Thick Sliced Canadian Bacon Natural Hickory
Thick Sliced Canadian Bacon Sweet Country Maple
Uncured Corned Beef

Land O'Frost also offers five gluten-free Premium Sub Kits (which includes only the meat, not the bread):

Black Forest Ham and Turkey
Classic Italian-Style
Honey Ham and Turkey
Primo Italiano-Style
Smoked Ham and Oven Roasted Turkey

Land O'Frost's frequently asked questions page states that all the company's products are gluten-free. Products are available at many grocery store chains.

Gluten-Free Vegetarian Deli Meat

Making a deli-style sandwich is tricky when you're both gluten-free and vegetarian. Popular veggie-meat brands Tofurky and Yves Veggie Deli each contain vital wheat gluten as a primary ingredient, making them unsuitable for gluten-free diets.

Vegetarian Substitutes

It can be tricky to eat enough protein when you're gluten-free and vegetarian or vegan. If you want a sandwich instead of yet another gluten-free veggie burger, you can try using:

Beyond Meat Chicken Strips (gluten-free "chicken" strips made with soy and pea protein)
Gardein Chick'n Scallopini (gluten-free "chicken" cutlets made with soy protein)
Quorn Meatless Vegetarian Turkey Roast (gluten-free turkey substitute made with mycoprotein and egg whites)

None are necessarily true deli meat substitutes, but Quorn's turkey roast cuts come close because they're already pre-sliced on the thicker side. You can also slice the others to fit on gluten-free sandwich bread.

Non-Gluten-Free Deli Meat Brands

These brands generally do not label any of their deli meats "gluten-free," although some state that the foods have no gluten ingredients.

Hillshire Farm

May contain gluten. Hillshire Farms, a subsidiary of Tyson Foods, offers deli meat in 29 varieties, including:

All-Natural Hardwood Smoked Turkey Breast
Black Forest Ham
Chipotle Chicken Breast

Hillshire Farm does not label any foods gluten-free for the consumer market except for the Smoked Rope gluten-free sausage.

Hormel

No gluten ingredients. Hormel does not label its meat products "gluten-free." Instead, it provides a list of products that do not include ingredients derived from wheat, rye, barley, and oats.

Pre-packaged lunch meat products on Hormel's "no gluten ingredients" list include:

Canadian Bacon
Cooked Deli Ham
Cubed Ham
Grilled Chicken Strips
Ham Steaks
Hard Salami (uncured)
Honey Deli Ham
Honey Deli Turkey
Hormel Black Label Brand Chopped Ham
Hormel brand Diced Ham
Hormel Natural Choice Brand Brown Sugar Deli Ham
Mesquite Turkey
Oven Roasted Chicken Strips
Oven Roasted Deli Turkey
Pepperoni (uncured)
Roast Beef
Rotisserie-Style Deli Chicken Breast
Smoked Deli Ham
Smoked Deli Turkey
Uncured Bacon

Hormel urges consumers to always read product labels to check ingredients since those ingredients can change without notice.

Oscar Mayer

No gluten ingredients. Oscar Mayer makes pre-packaged bologna, turkey, chicken, ham, salami, and ham and cheese loaf in more than 100 varieties. None have any gluten ingredients listed.

Oscar Mayer is a subsidiary of Kraft Foods, which has a policy of clearly disclosing any gluten-containing ingredients on products' ingredients labels. However, the labels won't necessarily disclose any risk of gluten cross-contamination.

Oscar Mayer did have some products it considered gluten-free, but those are no longer available.

Russer

May contain gluten. Russer, which makes cold cuts for sale at deli counters and in packages, is another Tyson Foods subsidiary. This brand does not label products "gluten-free" in the consumer market.

Sara Lee Deli

May contain gluten. Sara Lee, best known for its pies, also makes multiple deli meat for sale in packages and at the deli counter. Like Hillshire Farms and Russer, Sara Lee Deli is a subsidiary of Tyson Foods, which does not maintain a list of gluten-free products.

A Sara Lee Deli customer service spokesperson says that any gluten-free products will be labeled gluten-free, such as the Oven Roasted Turkey Breast. If a product does not carry that designation, it's best to avoid it.

Weaver, Wilson, and Wunderbar

May contain gluten. These three smaller brands are subsidiaries of Tyson Foods and don't label anything gluten-free so be sure to read the label carefully for any gluten ingredients.

A Word From Verywell

Although most deli meats don't contain gluten ingredients, a few of them do. Unfortunately, deli workers use the same slicing machines for everything, which raises your risk of gluten cross-contamination significantly.

The best way to eliminate this risk is to buy pre-packaged gluten-free lunch meat. If you can't find the same variety of flavors in the pre-packaged refrigerator section of your favorite grocery store, you might want to try the deli counter.

To lessen your risk of gluten cross-contamination when ordering at the deli counter:

Arrive at the store at opening time. Being the first in line at the deli will ensure a freshly cleaned slicing machine.
Purchase a chunk of the gluten-free product. Slice it yourself at home (make sure to ask the deli staff to use a clean knife and cutting board).

These measures won't eliminate your risk of gluten cross-contamination, but they can lessen it—especially at delis that offer gluten-containing sliced-to-order products and those that make sandwiches to order in the same area as sliced-to-order products.

If you're still concerned, make sure to talk with the deli staff or manager, who may have additional ideas on how to make sure your deli meat is safely gluten-free.

When building your gluten-free deli sandwich at home, make sure to use the best gluten-free bread, gluten-free cheese, gluten-free pickles, gluten-free relish, and gluten-free mayonnaise you can find.

4 Sources

Verywell Fit uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Applegate Natural & Organic Meat. Deli Meats.
Bar-S. FAQ.
Carl Buddig and Company. All Products.
Land O'Frost. Frequently Asked Questions.

Additional Reading

Celiac Disease Foundation. Gluten-Free Foods.

By Jane Anderson
Jane Anderson is a medical journalist and an expert in celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, and the gluten-free diet.

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