Gluten is a protein found in grains like wheat, rye, and barley. When sticking to a gluten-free diet, some of the foods you have to avoid are obvious, like bread and pasta, while others can be unexpected. Grain-based additives are present in many foods that you wouldn’t think contain gluten, and your morning cup of Joe might not even be safe. Flavored drinks could contain some of these additives, so it’s important to read the ingredient list before ordering at your favorite cafe. One such example is the Chocolate Cream Cold Brew from Starbucks, which is not gluten-free due to the addition of natural malt flavor from barley.
Malt flavor is a sweetener made from barley that has a nutty and toasted flavor with notes of caramel. This ingredient is included in the chocolate malt powder that Starbucks uses in the Chocolate Cream Cold Brew — sorry GF chocolate lovers. Luckily, there are a handful of Starbucks cold brew drinks with no gluten-containing ingredients; try the Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew, Pistachio Cream Cold Brew, Salted Caramel Cream Cold Brew, Irish Cream Cold Brew, or the plain Cold Brew Coffee. But, keep in mind that Starbucks doesn’t explicitly certify these drinks as gluten-free, as there is a risk of cross-contamination during preparation.
Make your gluten-free coffee dreams come true at home
You’ll have to skip the drive-through if you were specifically craving the creamy chocolate cold brew bev, but you can easily make something similar at home. Start with a store-bought cold brew (we ranked Bizzy Cold Brew as the best brand), and then grab the ingredients for the chocolate cream: 2 tablespoons heavy cream, 1 teaspoon cocoa powder, and 1 teaspoon vanilla syrup, or a combo of vanilla extract and your sweetener of choice. Use a handheld frother, the kitchen tool you need to thicken your homemade coffee creamer, to whisk the ingredients together until it becomes light and frothy. Pour the cold brew over ice in a cup, top with the chocolate cream, and sip away.
You can use this same method to add any flavor to your homemade coffee creamer, so you can attempt to recreate virtually any coffee shop drink that’s not gluten-free. The best part is you have more control over things like sweetness level and quality of ingredients when you make your drinks at home. Plus, you’ll save some cash.
