Can You Eat Gluten-Free At McDonalds?

These days we're all more aware of dietary restrictions, to the point that some churches may even offer gluten-free communion wafers. Even so, it's still pretty tough to find gluten-free fast food. Chick-fil-A is one of the very few restaurants offering a gluten-free bun, while Taco Bell admits that it can't guarantee the gluten-free status of corn tortillas and rice bowls since these may be at risk of cross-contamination. Cross-contamination is also a reason given by McDonald's for why it has no gluten-free menu and does not offer gluten-free buns for its burgers.

While the McDonald's U.K. website helpfully lists a small selection of gluten-free items — it suggests ordering a burger sans bun, along with fries and hash browns — the U.S. website leaves the legwork up to the customer. The only advice it offers is that we check the menu ourselves. (Thanks a bunch, guys.) Even worse, the hash browns and fries at U.S. McDonald's restaurants aren't gluten-free, since they're seasoned with a beef flavoring that includes wheat among its ingredients.

For anyone who needs a strict gluten-free diet for medical reasons, the entire McDonald's menu is probably off-limits due to the cross-contamination risk that the company is pretty straightforward about disclosing. That being said, there are a few items you can order if you want to minimize your gluten intake but are not at immediate risk from consuming trace quantities of the stuff. For a main dish, your best bet is a bun-free burger, since all of the chicken sandwiches as well as the Filet-O-Fish contain wheat. The breakfast menu, too, is largely off-limits, apart from the fruit and maple oatmeal (unless you want to order a sausage biscuit minus the biscuit).

As for the sides, you're pretty much restricted to apple slices. (Sadly, the McDonald's menu has been salad-free since the pandemic.) Should you desire a dipping sauce to go with your meal, you can opt for honey mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, ranch dressing, or spicy buffalo, but not barbecue, sweet and sour, or Big Mac sauce, since these three all contain gluten. If you want dessert, the shakes and sundaes should be gluten-free (barring any seasonal or limited-time additions to the menu), while the M&M McFlurry (but not the Oreo one) is also okay. The beverages are also made without gluten, and this includes everything on the McCafe menu.