In this article we answer all of your questions about sopes and gluten. Are sopes gluten free? Are restaurant sopes gluten free? What are sopes even made from? We provide advice for people who avoid gluten as a dietary preference as well as people who avoid gluten due to an allergy or celiac disease.
If you want to make sopes at home and you are looking for a high quality brand of masa harina that is gluten free then we recommend this Maseca brand masa harina. We recommend buying masa harina online because it is often stored next to wheat-based flour on grocery store shelves.
What are sopes made of?
What are sopes made of? Sopes are made of a corn-based flour called masa harina. Masa harina is made by soaking corn in an alkaline solution to break down the parts of corn that are difficult to digest. The corn is then dried and ground up into a fine powder. In general, pure masa harina should not contain any gluten or be made from any gluten containing grains.
As always, there may be brands out there that do use trace amounts of gluten or produce their masa harina on equipment that is also used to process gluten containing grains. You should always check the packaging of your masa harina or contact the manufacturer if you have any questions about the gluten content.
Are sopes gluten free?
Are sopes gluten free? Yes, sopes are made from masa harina which is a corn based flour that generally does not contain any grains other than corn. Sopes are gluten free as long as they are made with pure masa harina that is not cross contaminated with gluten. Most of the popular masa harina brands, such as Maseca, mark their masa harina products as gluten free.
Are restaurant sopes gluten free?
Are restaurant sopes gluten free? This is a trickier question and the short answer is it depends on the restaurant and you should ask the chef.
In general, sopes that are made at restaurants are made with pure masa harina just like homemade sopes. If you avoid gluten because of a dietary preference then most restaurant sopes should be a safe bet for you. If you avoid gluten because of a food allergy or celiac disease you need to be more careful. Even if a sope does not contain gluten, that does not mean it was not cooked on a shared surface with other foods that do contain gluten.
Gluten free sope recipes
If you are looking for a recipe for sopes that are vegetarian friendly then you should check out our recipe for vegetarian sopes with refried beans. These tasty sopes are topped with refried beans, onions, Mexican crema, and crumbled queso fresco.
How about sopes that are dairy free and vegan friendly? We’ve got a recipe for that too! Check out this recipe for vegan sopes with black beans, grilled vegetables, avocado, and green onions!
