While more gluten-free products are popping up at grocery stores, some fast food restaurants still have a ways to go in making their food more accessible for people who don’t include gluten in their diet. Gluten is a collection of proteins found in rye, wheat, barley, and other grains — all common ingredients in burger buns or the wheat flour coating fried chicken nuggets and tenders. However, not all hope is lost. Some fast food restaurants offer several menu items that are gluten-free.
It’s important to note that while the menu items from fast food restaurants in this list aren’t made with gluten, that doesn’t inherently mean that they’re safe for those with Celiac disease. Cross-contamination can happen by frying gluten-free foods in the same oil as gluten foods, kitchen staff not changing gloves between handling gluten and non-gluten items, or using the same spatula between them. The chance of cross-contamination at any fast food restaurant is never zero, so take caution by letting any staff members know the severity of your health situation if necessary.
Chipotle
Chipotle has several gluten-free items, and you can enjoy many of them by ordering a bowl instead of anything that comes in a tortilla. The meat, beans, salsa, vegetables, and rice are free game. You can get a flavorful and protein-rich bowl with multiple nutrition groups, which is more than a lot of fast food restaurants can offer in gluten-free items. Chipotle recommends avoiding its tortillas and corn products if you’re highly sensitive to gluten but does claim on its website that you can request staff to change gloves to take extra care when preparing your order.
In-N-Out
In-N-Out offers Anthony Bourdain’s favorite burger, and it has the favorite burger of some gluten-free diners as well. With a very small menu consisting only of burgers, fries, and shakes, the only explicit gluten item is the burger bun. You can get all the deliciousness of a typical In-N-Out burger by asking to swap the bread bun with a lettuce bun. Another added bonus is the restaurant’s open kitchen layout, meaning you can watch your order as it’s being prepared.
Shake Shack
Shake Shack allows diners to substitute a bread bun for a gluten-free or lettuce bun on their burgers. The vegetable and mushroom burger patties contain gluten, but the regular beef patties do not. The same rules apply to the hot dogs. The hashbrowns and fries are also gluten-free but may be fried in the same oil as items made with gluten. Most of the shakes and frozen custard are gluten-free, but you’ll want to swap the cone for a cup instead. Double-check the toppings or order them plain.
Wendy’s
Wendy’s gluten-free sides are the frosty, plain baked potato, apple slices, chili (minus the saltine packet), seasoned potato wedges, and fries (that are fried in the same oil as items with gluten). Wendy’s doesn’t offer a gluten-free bun option, so you’ll have to order the burgers bun-less, but you might be able to ask for extra lettuce to put together a makeshift lettuce bun yourself. The salads can also be made gluten-free by ditching the croutons and crispy onions.
Chick-fil-A
Chick-fil-A is one of the few fast food restaurants that not only has gluten-free items but also goes out of its way to prevent cross-contamination. It depends on the dedication of management to make this happen, but several locations do use separate fryers for gluten and gluten-free items and train staff to handle these things with care. Don’t be afraid to ask!
Chick-fil-A’s waffle fries, fruit cup, grilled chicken, hash browns, applesauce, dipping sauces, and Cobb and Southwest salads are all gluten-free (they’re prepared in the same kitchen space as everything else). Gluten-free items that are packaged in a separate facility to avoid cross-contact with regular kitchen items are the Honest Kids apple juice box, milk, Simply orange juice, waffle potato chips, and a certified gluten-free chicken sandwich bun (which should only be ordered with the grilled rather than fried chicken, of course). And every beverage, including the iconic Sunjoy, is a safe bet as well. Honestly, this is one of the best fast food line-ups from a major chain that we’ve seen for gluten-free diners.
