If you’ve got a gluten allergy, deciphering what does and doesn’t have gluten in it is extremely important. Some surprising things can contain gluten, and that includes many different chili pepper products.
So is chili powder gluten-free? Not always.
Like with many other powdered spices, vendors sometimes cut the pure chili powder with wheat flour. They use it to keep clumping down to a minimum. In fact, many popular brands use this technique.
You need to check the label of any chili powder you are considering. If you don’t see “gluten-free” or “no gluten”, assume it contains some sort of flour even if the label says “organic”. If you’re still unsure, do some online research on the brand you are considering. There’s a lot of information out there in regard to specific products and their gluten levels.
One thing to be extra careful about is bulk purchasing where you scoop spices yourself. Even the most diligent seller will have problems keeping cross-contamination of spices to a minimum. That gluten-free paprika you may be buying could actually be contaminated with another spice mix that contains gluten. If gluten-free chili powder is a must, then you are much better off buying a product in a fully sealed package.