Is It Possible To Eat Gluten-Free At Taco Bell?

According to a slogan Taco Bell adopted back in the 20-tweens, you can "live mas" at this fast food chain. The question is, does this restaurant also allow you to live gluten-free? Well, sort of. On the whole, Mexican restaurants tend to have several menu items that aren't made with gluten, and the Mexican-ish fast food chain is no exception. There's a reason, however, why it doesn't make a big selling point out of these gluten-free options, and it can be summed up in two words (or one hyphenated one): cross-contamination.

As Taco Bell freely admits on its website, while there are quite a few menu options that don't contain gluten, they're cooked in a kitchen where items that do have this allergen are also prepared. Anything deep-fried is particularly apt to be exposed to gluten since both flour and corn tortillas swim in the same oil. For this reason, the chain says none of its food can be considered 100% safe for someone with celiac disease. However, those who can tolerate trace amounts of gluten can find plenty to order on Taco Bell's menu.

Your first step in eating gluten-free (or gluten-lite, at any rate) at Taco Bell is to check the menu and see which items are made with flour tortillas and which with corn since the former are out. TThe crunchy taco shells, however, are made of gluten-free corn tortillas and are, therefore, okay, even the Doritos Locos ones. (Yay! Those are the best things at Taco Bell, even if the Flamin' Hot tacos weren't as incendiary as advertised.) Back when there were regular tostadas on the menu, those were okay, too, but the Big Cheez-It Tostada is a big no-no for the gluten-intolerant since Cheez-Its are made with wheat flour. Nacho may not be an option either since while the chips are gluten-free, it seems the nacho cheese sauce isn't. Sadly, this means nacho fries are a no-go, as well,

Bowls are always a good bet since these consist of meat, cheese, and vegetables on a bed of lettuce and rice. With sides, you should be safe with seasoned rice, black or refried beans, and guacamole, while all of the condiments (apart from that darn nacho sauce) are also made without gluten. One meal we'd advise skipping is breakfast, however, since your only gluten-free options then are hash browns, orange juice, and coffee. If it's any consolation, you can add flavored creamer to that coffee since this stuff doesn't contain gluten, either.

As anyone who needs to avoid even a slight trace of gluten for medical reasons is painfully aware, most fast food restaurants can't be trusted as safe dining options. Taco Bell is at least upfront in admitting that cross-contamination is not just possible but probable. At the same time, Burger King, Wendy's, and Panera also make no secret of the fact that all of their food is also at risk of gluten exposure.

Chipotle isn't such a bad pick for relatively gluten-safe dining, though, since you can have a burrito bowl assembled right in front of your eyes with minimal risk of contamination, making it not just one of the best chains for gluten-free dining but a top pick for allergy-friendly fast food. Here, too, the chips are gluten-free, as is the guac, although the latter, of course, will cost extra. The real gluten-free champion, however, appears to be Chick-fil-A since not only does the chain offer gluten-free buns for its gluten-free grilled chicken sandwiches and nuggets, but even the waffle fries are cooked in a different type (and vat) of oil than the breaded chicken.