Big Lots is probably not the first retailer you think of when it comes to shopping for gluten-free food and groceries. But if you stop in a Big Lots store on a regular basis, it’s worth looking around.
You may be able to find some deals on gluten-free food and could just end up leaving the store with a gluten-free treasure or two.
While Big Lots will never be a top choice for people who must maintain a strict gluten-free diet (e.g., those with Celiac Disease), bargain shoppers and treasure hunters should consider the store a shopping destination for its competitive pricing and unique finds.
Reasons why you may find gluten-free food at Big Lots
There are several reasons you could find a selection of value-priced gluten-free products at Big Lots.
- Big Lots wants to offer some items that appeal to a cross-section of consumers, including those with special dietary needs
- Big Lots sells items discontinued by other retailers
- Big Lots sells liquidated merchandise from retailers that have gone out of business
- Big Lots is a good place to find “old” versions of products that are undergoing a rebrand or packaging updates
Let’s look at what we found on a recent trip to Big Lots in June 2024.
What gluten-free food did we find at Big Lots?
While Big Lots probably is not on the top of anyone’s list when shopping for gluten-free items, you may be surprised at the deals you can find.
Some Tried and True Mainstream Brands
On the day of our Big Lots store visit, we found several mainstream brands that happen to offer some gluten-free items. For example, we saw:
- Campbell’s Gluten-Free Cream of Chicken Soup
- General Mills brand Chex cereal
- KIND bars
- Krusteaz gluten-free baking mixes
- Nabisco’s Golden Gluten-Free Oreos
- Red Lobster Gluten-Free Cheddar Bay Biscuits
Some Popular Specialty and Gluten-Free Brands
Bob’s Red Mill – We were pleased to find a fairly large selection of Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free flours and baking mixes.
We were particularly excited to find Bob’s Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour at a competitive price ($9.49 for a 44-ounce bag), since it is our go-to for baking.
For anyone wondering about the expiration dates, the bag we bought is dated April 2025. I’m sure we’ll find plenty of ways to use it up in a year’s time!
Glutino – Among the types of Glutino-branded items we found were cookies, baking mixes, and crackers.
The price of Glutino chocolate chip and sandwich cookies was $2.49, which is practically unheard of at your regular grocery store. Sure, several items we checked – at least the available cookies – were close-dated, July 2, 2024. Still, I purchased a 10.5-ounce pack of chocolate vanilla cream cookies and they were fresh and tasted perfectly fine.
PRO TIP: A good use of Glutino sandwich cookies, and any other gluten-free sandwich cookies for that matter – especially when they’re close dated or getting stale – is to grind them up in a food processor to use in pie crusts or as a cheesecake base. We learned this trick by watching a baker do this at a foodservice establishment we frequent. The result is fantastic!
Worth noting is that a Big Lots staff member was working the food and grocery aisles, checking the expiration dates and removing any past-dated items. But as a precaution, we suggest you checking all product expiration dates too.
Deals on gluten-free foods at Big Lots
The retailer’s tagline is: Live Big. Save Lots. A big part of the company’s brand promise is to deliver unmatched value through surprise and delight. So, as expected, shoppers can find discounted prices on gluten-free food (and lots of other items).
The table below shows the prices we found on select gluten-free items at Big Lots compared with nearby (adjacent) grocery competitors.
What we found: Our basket of five gluten-free items found at Big Lots costs $17.25. In contrast, the same five items cost $21.75 at Meijer and $24.65 at Giant Eagle. This quick-and-dirty pricing analysis shows that you could end up paying 43% more for the same basket of gluten-free items at Giant Eagle and 26% more at Meijer versus priced you’d pay at Big Lots. That’s a substantial difference!
Gluten-Free Food Price Comparison: Big Lots vs. Grocery Competitors
| Gluten-Free Item | Big Lots | Meijer | Giant Eagle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Campbell’s Gluten-Free Cream of Chicken Soup, 10.5 oz | $1.79 | $1.89 | $2.39 |
| General Mills brand Chex cereal, 12 oz | $3.19 | $4.69 | $5.69 |
| Golden Gluten-Free Oreos, 12.08 oz | $2.99 | $5.29 | $5.49 |
| Krusteaz Gluten-Free Cinnamon Swirl Crumb Cake & Muffin Mix, 20 oz | $4.49 | $4.99 | $5.29 |
| Red Lobster Gluten-Free Cheddar Bay Biscuit mix, 11.36 oz | $4.79 | $4.89 | $5.29 |
| TOTAL BASKET OF 5 GLUTEN-FREE ITEMS | $17.25 | $21.75 | $24.65 |
Key takeaway
Big Lots is a retailer worth considering when shopping for gluten-free food.
Sure, it doesn’t have the selection of your grocery store, but the “thrill of the hunt” atmosphere might be worth checking out every now and then.
You never know when you may find some of your favorite gluten-free grocery items at bargain prices at Big Lots. It may be worth the trip.
Happy gluten-free food shopping!
Find more Gluten-Free Food Shopping Guides for other retailers below: