McDonald’s Gluten-Free Menu – Compare 33 Restaurants [2023]

Have you seen McDonald’s gluten-free menu? Technically, no, they don’t have one.  However, they recognize that many people today suffer from celiac disease and cannot eat foods that are contaminated with wheat flour. Therefore, they and other fast-food chain restaurants in the United States have begun to promote or produce gluten-free diet alternatives.  

We have been on the road, traveling a lot. Essentially, as half-time digital nomads. When traveling we like to eat at nice restaurants. Please see our Best Restaurants Post for more details about our 50 favorite restaurants. Also please see our posts about Restaurants near Houston Street in NYC and The Ten Most Romantic Restaurants in Los Cabos Mexico.

Nevertheless, we often find that when we are on the road or waiting in an airport we end up looking for someplace where we can quickly get a gluten-free menu item at a fast-food restaurant.  However, not knowing who might have something we could eat makes us very reluctant to try anything. Therefore, we decided to do some research.

Survey of 33 Fast-Food Restaurant Chains

We have surveyed and ranked 33 fast-food restaurants on how well they are attempting to offer gluten-free alternatives. However, everyone of the 33 restaurants warns that despite their attempts to offer gluten-free menu items, they can’t guaranty that the food will be gluten-free. In fact, our #1 recommended restaurant, Chipotle with practically 100% gluten-free ingredients has this warning on their web site:

“If you avoid gluten, don’t eat our flour tortillas. If you are highly sensitive to gluten and would like us to change our gloves, just let us know at the start of your order. You should be aware items containing corn, including corn tortillas (chips and crispy corn tortillas) and corn salsa, may have trace amounts of gluten from potentially co-mingling with gluten-containing grains in the field”.

Ranking System

Here is our ranking system from low to high:

• 1 – Worst:  None or very few gluten-free items.
• 2 – Improving:   Some gluten-free options and customer information.
• 3 – Better: Clearly working to have a gluten-free menu with many items.
• 4 – Best: Broadly advertising a gluten-free menu and highlighting that the products are gluten-free.

A key factor in determining the rankings is if the company is offering anything gluten-free with their core products. Having salad options is good, but having a gluten-free alternative for the core burger, chicken or cold-cut products is more important.

Restaurant Categories

We recognize that certain types of restaurants will have an easier way to offer gluten-free menu items.. Therefore, we have grouped the 33 fast food chains by the type of food they are known for.  Specifically, our categories are:

• Burgers (11 Restaurants)
• Chicken (5 Restaurants)
• Subs/Sandwiches (4 Restaurants)
• Mexican (3 Restaurants)
• Casual, Sit-Down (5 Restaurants)
• Coffee/Donuts (3 Restaurants)
• Other (2 Restaurants)

Gluten-Free Menus – Fast Food Burger Restaurants

Restaurants that primarily serve burgers and fries are usually categorized as fast food or casual dining restaurants. They offer quick and convenient meals that are often high in calories, fat, and sodium. Some of these restaurants are trying to be more gluten-free friendly by offering options such as lettuce-wrapped burgers, gluten-free buns, or fries cooked in a dedicated fryer. However, not all of them can guarantee that their food is free from cross-contamination or gluten ingredients, so people with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity should always check with the restaurant staff before ordering.

Here are four restaurants that offer gluten-free French fries and burgers and as such get our 3 ranking as being better than the others:

• In-N-Out Burger: This popular west coast chain offers gluten-free French fries cooked in a dedicated fryer using sunflower oil. They also have protein style burgers, which are wrapped in lettuce instead of a bun.
• Five Guys: This chain cooks their hand-cut fries in a dedicated French fry fryer in peanut oil. They also have bun-less burgers, which are served in a foil wrap or a bow.
• Red Robin: This chain will cook their famous steak fries in a dedicated gluten-free fryer by request. They also have gluten-free buns available for their burgers.
• Smashburger: This chain offers Udi’s gluten-free buns with their burgers and sandwiches at locations. Most of their toppings are gluten-free. They also have smash fries, which are flavored with rosemary and garlic.

McDonald’s Gluten Free Menu

McDonald’s, which is the largest of the fast-food restaurant chains, by revenue, is improving (#2 ranking) but still has some work to go to meet the gluten-free standards of the previously mentioned first four fast-food chains. McDonald’s does not have a specific gluten-free menu, but some of its products are free from ingredients containing gluten.

Some of the gluten-free menu items from McDonald’s are:

• French Fries (Questionable- see below), Hash Browns, and Fruit Bags
• Shaker Side Salad with Balsamic Dressing and Carrot Sticks
• Some McFlurry desserts, such as the Crunchie and Dairy Milk McFlurry
• Any burger without the bun and no Big Mac Sauce (the beef patty is gluten-free)
• Hot Fudge or Caramel Sundaes Ice Cream
• Caramel, Chocolate Chip, or Mocha Frappe
• Coffee and Smoothies
• Salads without croutons or crispy chicken

We used to love to have McDonald’s Breakfast Items that were served on an English muffin.  But if they can’t offer a gluten-free muffin, how can they expect anyone who has a gluten allergy to buy their breakfast sandwiches?

McDonald’s French Fry Controversy

Also, there is a controversy around McDonald’s fries and hash browns. While McDonald’s claims that they are gluten-free, not all of McDonald’s locations will necessarily fry them in a dedicated fryer.  Thus, it is hard to trust that they will be gluten-free.  This is a problem faced by many of the Fast food chains.

On the other hand, McDonald’s burgers use no wheat ingredients. And they will offer you a bun-less quarter pounder in a lettuce wrap that should be gluten-free.  However, don’t get the Big Mac as it contains a Big Mac sauce with wheat ingredients. 

Also, all fast food restaurants will tell you that because they work with so many gluten foods, they can’t guarantee that anything will be gluten-free.  Certainly this means a legal disclosure. But in the fast food world given the relative speed at which everyone is working, a gluten-free meal simply cannot be guaranteed. 

McDonald’s Gluten-Free Menu Main Competitor: Burger King

Okay, let’s move on to McDonald’s biggest competitors.  

Yes, Burger King has a gluten-free menu that includes the following items:

• BK Veggie Burger
• BK Veggie Sandwich
• BK Veggie Tenders
• Whopper Jr. without a bun
• Burgers without buns
• Salads with no croutons
• Hash browns
• Apple slices
• Fries
• Soft vanilla ice cream
• Drinks, sauce, and condiments

Unlike McDonald’s, they have started to offer a gluten-free bun.   Thus, they could be ranked at the same level (#3- Better) as the first four chains.  However, please note that Burger King does not guarantee that their food is completely gluten-free, as there may be some cross-contamination or traces of gluten in their kitchen. Therefore, we will only rank them at the #2 level, like McDonald’s.

Other McDonald’s Gluten-Free Menu Burger Competitors

We looked at five other fast-food chains in the burger category.:

Wendy’s offers a variety of options for those looking for gluten-free choices such as salads, baked potatoes, chili, and more.  Although Wendy’s does not have gluten-free buns, you can order a “no bun” or lettuce wrap for their sandwiches. We rank Wendy’s 2- Improving, similar to their main competitors McDonald’s and Burger King. 

Shake Shack does not have an “official” gluten-free menu, but they have many options that are free from gluten ingredients.  You can enjoy their burgers with a gluten-free bun. However, please note that their fries are not gluten-free due to cross-contamination. Shake Shack has Gluten-free buns and some good alternatives, so we will give them a 3-better ranking.

Jack in the Box does not have an official gluten-free menu, but they do have some gluten-free options available. They publish an allergen menu that highlights the items that contain wheat. They don’t have a dedicated fryer, so beware of cross-contamination when it comes to things like fries. Therefore, with very limited options, mainly salads, we rank then a 1- worst gluten-free menu.

Burgerfi is an American fast-casual chain that focuses on quality; trying to create a better burger. They believe that a better burger needs the proper bun to complete the flavor sensation. So, unfortunately, they don’t offer a gluten-free bun. You can get a burger and hot dogs wrapped in lettuce. The lack of gluten-free buns leaves them in the #2 improving category. 

Fuddruckers offers a variety of gluten-free options on their menu. They make all their buns fresh every day. For a small $2 surcharge, you can replace any bun with their gluten-free bun. Consequently, we will rank Fuddruckers as a 3-Better ranking.  

McDonald’s Gluten-Free Menu Chicken Competitors

Fast Food Chicken Restaurants have been competing with McDonald’s for a long time.  They forced McDonald’s many years ago to increase its menu to include chicken sandwiches.  Let’s see how they are doing in competing for the gluten intolerant customer. We looked at five fast-food chains in this category:

KFC

KFC offers a few gluten-free options, but none of their chicken products are gluten-free. However, you can still enjoy some of their side dishes and salads. Consequently, we are ranking KFC as very weak and giving them a 1 ranking, worst gluten-free menu.

Chick-fil-A

Chick-fil-A offers several gluten-free menu items, including:

• Grilled Chicken Sandwich (order gluten-free bun)
• Grilled Nuggets
• Entree Salads: Market Salad (without toppings), Cobb Salad w/ Grilled Nuggets, Grilled Filet (without toppings), Spicy Southwest Salad w/ Grilled Nuggets, Grilled Fillet (without toppings).

We have given them a 3-better ranking.

Popeye’s

Popeye’s does not have an official gluten-free menu, but they have some limited gluten-free options available, mostly rice items. They indicate that they have a chicken option, but it is subject to cross-contamination. Given the limited menu and their contamination warning, we are ranking them as a 1-worst gluten-free menu.

Bojangles

Bojangles does not have many gluten-free options, but here are a few:

• Salads: Garden Salad, Grilled Chicken Salad
• Chicken: Roasted Chicken Bites
• Sides: Bo-Tato Rounds, Bojangles Cajun Pintos, Cole Slaw, Grits, Seasoned Fries.

We are not sure about the fries, but it is a similar problem to other companies. Consequently, we are ranking Bojangles as improving giving them a 2 ranking.

Buffalo Wild Wings

Buffalo Wild Wings offers a variety of gluten-free options, including appetizers like chili con queso with chips, chips & salsa, Dirty dubs tots, and ultimate nachos. For entrees, you can enjoy naked tenders with gluten-free condiments. However, please note that Buffalo Wild Wings does not guarantee that any item is free of allergens, including gluten. We rank Buffalo Wild Wings as a 2 – improving, mainly because of the appetizers.  

McDonald’s Gluten-Free Menu Mexican Competitors

Here are the gluten-free options available at some popular Mexican fast-food chains:

Taco Bell offers several gluten-free options, including:

• Power Menu Bowl (Chicken, Steak, or Veggie)
• Black Beans and Rice
• Crunchy Taco
• Crunchy Taco Supreme
• Nacho Cheese Doritos Locos Tacos

However, they don’t specifically claim that they are gluten-free. In fact, they don’t recommend their food for people with celiac disease, This may be because they use oats in their ground beef.  Unfortunately, while oats should be gluten-free, sometimes oats can have barley or other gluten ingredients mixed in. However, given their lack of commitment to having a true gluten-free diet, we will only give them a 2 rating-improving.  It would be better if they had more disclosure. 

Chipotle does not have a specific gluten-free menu, but most items at Chipotle are inherently gluten-free.  They have the biggest list of gluten-free menu items of any of the competitors. You can also set your nutrition preferences within the app to easily see which items to avoid. Because Chipotle has the most gluten – free items we rank them as a 4-best.

Chili’s has a gluten-friendly menu that consists of items prepared without gluten-containing ingredients based on information from their approved suppliers. However, Chili’s makes no claim that these items meet the definition of gluten-free, defined as containing less than 20 ppm of gluten per FDA standards. Because they have multiple sources of gluten in their kitchen, there is a risk that gluten cross-contact may occur during the preparation and cooking of these items. We have ranked them as a 2-improving.  

McDonald’s Gluten-Free Menu Sub/Sandwich Competitors

We are looking at four companies: Subway, Arby’s, Jimmy John’s, and Firehouse Sub.  Interestingly, Subway has the most stores of any fast-food chain and produces twice the revenue of its competitor Arby’s. However, it only produces one-fifth of the system-wide revenue of McDonald’s. Now, let’s look at how they are doing with Gluten.  

 Subway offers a variety of options for those looking for gluten-free choices. They have a range of items such as salads, baked potatoes, chili, and more. Although Subway does not have gluten-free buns, you can order a “no bun” or lettuce wrap for their sandwiches. Based on these offerings we would put subway equal to McDonald’s and others at 2-improving.

Arby’s does not have an official gluten-free menu, but they do have some gluten-free options available, such as their meats. They publish an allergen menu that highlights the items that contain wheat. However, given that Arby’s is a sandwich shop and they don’t offer a gluten-free menu or bun, we must rank them as a 1- worst gluten-free menu.

Jimmy John’s offers a variety of gluten-free options, including lettuce wraps called Unwiches. You can also choose from a variety of gluten-free toppings. The idea of an Unwich doesn’t do much for me, but given that they are at least trying to offer a core gluten-free alternative we will rank them 2-improving. 

Firehouse Subs does not have an official gluten-free menu, and they don’t offer a gluten-free bun. But they offer some salads as a gluten-free option. Given the limited choices, and not offering anything for their core products, Firehouse is ranked as a 1-worst gluten-free menu.

McDonald’s Gluten-Free Menu Casual/Sit-Down Competitors

The casual, sit-down restaurants have an advantage since they can offer more gluten-free options by serving on a plate, etc. Let’s see if they take advantage of this benefit:

Applebee’s

Applebee’s offers a gluten-free menu that includes a variety of options such as appetizers, salads, soups, steaks, chicken, seafood, pasta, and more. Applebee’s has one of the most extensive gluten-free menus including for their pasta products. They do warn that while these items are made without gluten-containing ingredients, cross-contact and traces of gluten are possible due to shared cooking and preparation areas. They do say that it’s always a good idea to inform the staff about your dietary needs, and ask about their specific recommendations. Because Applebee’s has a fairly extensive gluten-free menu we will give them a 3-better ranking. 

Texas Roadhouse

Texas Roadhouse offers several gluten-free menu items, including salads and sides. However, we were surprised that the were not offering anything for their core products. We think this is because they use seasonings for their meats that contain gluten. Since Texas Roadhouse is a sit-down casual restaurant and has a number of gluten-free options we will give them a rating of 2-improving. But, we are disappointed as we love a good steak.

Culver’s

Culver’s has a gluten-sensitive menu with various options. Some of the gluten-free items include:

• ButterBurgers: You can order ButterBurgers with gluten-free buns.
• Salads: The Caesar Salad without croutons is gluten-free.
• Sides: Green Beans, Mashed Potatoes without gravy, Applesauce, and Coleslaw are gluten-free.

To be perfectly honest, we have never eaten at Culvers, but they appear to be expanding rapidly.  Given the fact that they offer a gluten-free bun with their burger we will give them a 3- better rating as they are doing more than most other fast-food restaurants. 

Zaxby’s

Zaxby’s does not have a specific gluten-free menu, but they offer some options that do not contain wheat or gluten. These include Chicken Wings, Salads, and Sides like Cole Slaw and Celery. We will give Zaxby’s a rating of 2-improving.  However, the menu is limited.

Olive Garden

Olive Garden has a gluten-sensitive menu with various options. Some of the gluten-free items include:

• Salads: House Salad without croutons is gluten-free.
• Entrees: Grilled Chicken Parmigiana, Herb-Grilled Salmon, 6 oz Sirloin are gluten-free.
• Sides: Rotini Pasta with Marinara and Rotini Pasta with Meat Sauce are gluten-free.

Glad to see that they are offering some gluten-free pasta options.   However, the number of alternatives are limited, so we can only give them a 2 – improving rating.

McDonald’s Gluten-Free Menu Coffee/Donuts Competitors

Here are the gluten-free options available at some popular coffee/donuts fast-food chains:

• Krispy Kreme does not have any gluten-free donut options, but they do offer a variety of coffee and other drinks that should be alright for those who are looking to avoid gluten.
• Dunkin’ Donuts does not have a specific gluten-free menu, but all of their beverages are gluten-free. They also offer almond milk, coconut milk, and soy milk at most locations.
• Starbucks offers a variety of gluten-free beverages, including coffee, espresso, lattes, teas, and more. They also offer a very good oatmeal menu item which is gluten-free.

Essentially, there is consistency that all three do not have a gluten-free menu.  But, their coffee drinks are generally gluten-free. Starbucks with their oatmeal menu item is the one exception.   I guess a gluten-free donut would not be a big hit.  So we will rank the two donut companies as 1-worst gluten-free menu and Starbucks as 2-Improving.

McDonald’s Gluten-Free Menu Other Fast-Food Competitors

Panda Express does not have a specific gluten-free menu. However, they offer some options that do not contain wheat or gluten. These include Chicken Wings, Salads, Sauces, and Beverages like Coca-Cola and Sprite.  This is a very limited list, so we will place Panda Express at the 1-worst gluten -free menu.

Panera Bread – We left the most interesting for last.  You would think a bread company would only be ranked 1, what could they offer?  So we checked their website.  They offer a limited gluten-free menu:

• 1 oatmeal meal
• 1 yogurt meal
• 2 Mexican bowls
• 2 Mediterranean bowls
• plus an equal number of smoothies.

I used to love to go there for their bagels, but now that I am worried about gluten intolerance, they have less interest in me.  They also are very cautious about people with Celiac, similar to Taco Bell.  So, we will give them the same rating 2-improving, but we will need more disclosure and would love to see some gluten-free bread breads, particularly bagels,  In the meantime we will shop at Trader Joe’s who has some great gluten-free bread products.  

Summary Rankings:

Here is a complete list of how we ranked each of the companies: