Are Costco Hot Dogs Gluten Free? (You´ll Be Surprised!)

Have you ever asked yourself or your friend if Costco hot dogs are gluten free? Well, you are at the perfect place to find the answer to such a question

If you have ever been inside a Costco, you have almost certainly seen them advertising their famous $1.50 hot dog combo.

It’s a deal too good to pass up! However, if you are gluten free, you may have wondered if this too-good-to-be-true deal is safe for you to consume.

So, are Costco’s famous $1.50 hot dogs gluten free? Yes, Costco hot dogs are gluten free. Costco uses Kirkland brand 100% beef hot dogs, which contain no by-products, artificial color or flavorings, or gluten ingredients. The buns, however, are not gluten free, so if you suffer from celiac disease or a gluten allergy, it is best to skip the bun.

The rest of this article will discuss everything you need to know about Costco’s famous $1.50 hot dog combo, including its ingredients, toppings, and just why it’s so cheap!

Are Costco hot dogs gluten free?

The answer to this question is a resounding YES! Costco’s hot dogs, which are Kirkland brand’s 100% beef franks, are totally gluten free.

They are also pretty healthy hot dogs, containing no by-products, corn syrup, artificial coloring or flavoring, or fillers, in addition to containing no gluten ingredients.

These hot dogs are perfectly safe for individuals who do not eat gluten to consume—just make sure you are mindful of the bun.

Have Costco hot dogs always been gluten free?

Costco has served hot dogs since the year 1984, when they began as a hot dog cart in front of their San Diego warehouse. At the time, the hot dog brand they used was Hebrew National.

However, even when they used Hebrew National hot dogs, Costco’s hot dogs were still totally free of any gluten. So, Costco hot dogs have contained no gluten since 1984!

Costco changed to using Kirkland hot dogs in 2009. These hot dogs are specifically manufactured by Costco themselves, in order to accommodate the popularity of their hot dog combo.

What ingredients are in Costco hot dogs?

Costco’s Kirkland brand hot dogs contain only a few ingredients—and of course, none of those ingredients contain gluten. A full list of all the ingredients in Kirkland hot dogs can be found below:

• Beef
• Water
• Dextrose
• Salt
• Spices
• Sodium lactate
• Garlic
• Sodium diacetate
• Sodium erythorbate
• Paprika
• Sodium nitrite

Like we said before, and as you can see from this list of ingredients, Costco hot dogs are free of any filler ingredients or artificial flavorings.

They are totally natural, and you can safely enjoy them without any risk of harmful fillers or gluten ingredients!

Read also: Are Oscar Mayer Turkey Hot Dogs Gluten Free? (Finally Answered!)

Are Costco hot dog buns gluten free?

Unfortunately, Costco hot dog buns are not gluten free. They use Engelman’s Bakery brand hot dog buns. Although Engelman’s Bakery does produce a gluten free variety of hot dog bun, this is not the bun which Costco uses for their famous hot dog combo.

So, if you are looking to have a replica of a Costco hot dog combo at home, you are free to purchase Engelman’s gluten free hot dog buns and pair them with Kirkland brand hot dogs for a totally gluten free experience!

However, if you want to eat a Costco hot dog in the store, the safest way for you to enjoy it as a gluten free consumer is to skip the bun.

Perhaps sometime in the future Costco will begin to offer gluten free options as part of their hot dog combo, but for now, their buns sadly do contain gluten.

Are Costco hot dog toppings gluten free?

You may not know this, but you can get a variety of hot dog toppings from Costco to go with your combo! You simply have to ask at the counter.

Just some of the toppings that are available include ketchup, mustard, sauerkraut, diced onions, and sweet pickle. In some stores, these toppings are still available at a self-service condiment station.

Whether all of these toppings are gluten free is another story. Ketchup and yellow mustard are both usually gluten free products. So are sauerkraut, pickles, and onions!

However, it is probably best to ask the person at the counter if you are unsure, just to be absolutely certain that all of your toppings contain no gluten.

How are Costco hot dogs only $1.50?

Not only are Costco hot dogs only $1.50—you read that right, one dollar and fifty cents!—but they have remained the same price since the combo first came into existence in 1984.

This is a crazy steal for a hot dog and soda combo, and it just keeps getting better as the years go by.

In addition, the combo has never gotten smaller over the years, despite the super cheap price staying the same. It has actually gotten BIGGER, with the size of the soda and the hot dog itself having increased!

But how is Costco able to offer such a cheap combo meal? Aren’t they losing money? Actually, yes, they are! Costco is making a financial loss every single time they sell a hot dog. However, the cheap hot dogs are more of a marketing strategy than a means of making money.

Costco knows as well as we do that there is nothing more satisfying than a cheap, delicious meal after (or during) a long and tiring shopping trip.

Some people simply stop into Costco just to go to the food court, which means even more people are purchasing Costco memberships.

So, Costco really can’t go wrong with their cheap hot dogs. Although they may be losing money on the hot dogs themselves, they are winning overall with bringing people into the store.

Read also: Are Nathan’s Hot Dogs Gluten Free? (Answered!)

Conclusion

So, are Costco hot dogs gluten free? The answer is yes! The company currently uses their own brand of Kirkland hot dogs in their food courts, which are totally gluten free.

However, their hot dogs have actually been gluten free since they first started selling them in 1984 using Hebrew National brand hot dogs.

Everything in Costco’s hot dogs are gluten free, including many of the toppings—except for the bun, which sadly contains gluten.

However, you can purchase Engelman’s gluten free hot dog buns at home to have your very own Costco food court experience!

References

https://www.mashed.com/96314/popular-items-costco-food-court-ranked/