Is it Cheaper to make or buy Gluten Free Bread?
If you are prone to stomach problems, you may have been told to cut gluten from your diet. A gluten free diet sounds okay until you see the price tag of common items like sandwich bread, pasta, and cereal.
After a trial of gluten free, it made me wonder if it is cheaper to make my own gluten free sandwich bread instead of buying it premade. I also wondered if I used a bread mix would it be cheaper than me buying all the ingredients.
Let’s do a cost breakdown of each option to find out which comes out cheaper!
How much does homemade gluten free bread cost?
For the cost breakdown of homemade bread, we are using a basic sandwich bread recipe from King Arthur flour. For the full recipe, click here.
| Homemade Gluten Free Bread Ingredients | Cost |
| 3 cups gluten free all purpose flour | $2.57 |
| 3 tbsp sugar | $0.02 |
| 2 tsp instant yeast (almost 1 whole packet) | $0.26 |
| 1 1/4 tsp salt | $0.01 |
| 1 1/4 tsp xanthan gum | $0.16 |
| 1 cup milk | $0.24 |
| 4 tbsp softened butter | $0.99 |
| 3 large eggs | $0.56 |
| Total Cost of Homemade Gluten Free Bread: $4.81 (16 slices total) | Cost per Serving: $0.30 |
The cost to make your own loaf of gluten free sandwich bread came out to $4.81. This means each slice costs about $0.30 each.
The costs for ingredients are based on prices at my local Walmart. So, depending on where you shop, your prices may vary.
Is it cheaper to make gluten free bread with a mix?
There are some gluten free bread mixes that you can make at home that can be made in a bread maker or just in a mixer. These mixes are hard to find for sandwich bread, and most are for desserts or muffins.
Here is the cost breakdown of using a mix:
| Gluten Free Bread Mix & Number of servings | Store & Price | Cost per Serving |
| Glutino Sandwich Bread Mix, 20 servings | Dillion’s, $5.49 | Mix: $5.49 Oil: $0.14 Eggs: $0.37 Total: $6.00 30 cents per serving |
| Pamela’s Bread Mix, 55 servings | Natural Grocers, $17.69 | Mix: $17.69 Oil: $0.53 Eggs: $1.39 Yeast: $0.95 Total: $20.56 37.3 cents per serving |
| Simple Mills Artisan Bread Mix, 12 servings | Sprouts, $8.49 | Mix: $8.49 Eggs: $0.56 Oil: $0.14 Vinegar: $0.04 Total: $9.23 76.9 cents per serving |
| Average Cost per Serving of Gluten Free Bread with a Mix: | $0.48 per serving |
Making gluten free bread with a mix came out to an average of $0.48 per serving. This was significantly higher than buying the ingredients and making the bread from scratch which cost about $0.30 per serving.
How much does store bought gluten free bread cost?
The easiest option is to go ahead and buy a loaf of gluten free bread that is already made at the grocery store. Let’s see what the average cost per serving of a premade loaf comes out to.
| Gluten Free Bread Loaf & Number of Slices | Store & Price | Cost per Slice |
| Canyon Bakehouse 18 oz loaf, 15 slices | Walmart, $6.18 | 41.2 cents |
| Schar White Bread 14.1 oz loaf, 12 slices | Publix, $7.19 | 59.9 cents |
| Little Northern Bakehouse 20 oz loaf, 16 slices | Sprouts, $7.99 | 49.9 cents |
| Schar White Bread Two 14.1 oz loaves, 28 slices | Costco, $9.44 | 33.7 cents |
| LiveGFree white 20oz loaf, 16 slices | Aldi, $6.59 | 41.1 cents |
| ODough’s white 24.7 oz loaf, 16 slices | The Fresh Market, $6.99 | 43.6 cents |
| Udi’s White 18oz loaf, 12 slices | Winn-Dixie, $9.11 | 75.9 cents |
| Average Cost per Slice of Premade Gluten Free Bread: | 49.3 cents per slice |
We looked at 7 different brands of premade Gluten Free Sandwich Bread. The average cost per slice was $0.49 each.
Buying premade bread was about the same as making a loaf using a mix ($0.48 a slice). The cheapest option is to buy the ingredients yourself and make bread, which only cost about $0.30 a slice.
Is making gluten free bread worth it?
We now know that the making gluten free bread yourself will save you a lot of money compared to using a mix or buying premade bread.
This opens up a lot of possibilities for bread at home. Most loaf bread recipes can easily be adapted to make gluten free hamburger buns and hot dog buns or hoagies as well.
With a little bit more prep by measuring out the ingredients yourself, you can live a gluten free lifestyle without the high price tag!
For more cost breakdowns on making it yourself, check out “Is it Cheaper to make or buy Mashed Potatoes?” and “Is it Cheaper to make or buy Trail Mix?“
