Best and Safest Gluten Free Fast Food

Your Gluten Free Fast Food On-The-Go Guide

This is your one stop spot for the info on gluten free fast food and gluten free fast casual menu items. I’ve squinted at all the allergen menus, I’ve read 100s of reviews on FindMeGlutenFree, I’ve tried…most of it! This post involved quite a lot of research, but think this will be really helpful for people. Especially people who want more gluten free fast food options for quick bites on the go. Or when traveling! I wish someone would have made a gluten free restaurant guide like this for me ages ago. 

I decided to include fast casual in addition to gluten free fast food, as we really do deserve more gluten free options than what fast food has to offer and gluten free fast casual is WHERE IT’S AT. Nowadays fast casual is just as prevalent and sometimes as even quicker than fast food.

Most of these restaurants also have crowd pleasing gluten free catering options. See my post on gluten free catering for more information on that. 

But be assured that I’ve looked at the allergen menus for all of these places and uncovered the best of the best gluten free fast food and gluten free fast casual.

And Spring Break is right around the corner! Get the route to your destination mapped out and see which gluten free choices can be found on the way that work for you!

I do want you to be very aware that while all of the items on this list are “naturally” gluten free, there is still some level of risk for cross contamination at each of these restaurants (except Bibibop).   

Of course, eat fast and fast casual food at your own risk. Only you know the amount of cross contamination you can handle and the risks you are willing to take.  These are chains, so safety and the level of training will undoubtedly vary from location to location.

Always be sure to let the employee know when ordering that you need your meal to be gluten free. Tell them its a “gluten allergy” or “celiacs” or whatever gluten free medical term applies, and their reaction should be enough to give you a good idea about how safe it is going to be.

Unfortunately sometimes the only way to know if a restaurant is gluten free safe is to try it.  Some locations within the same chain will undoubtedly be better trained and better at handling gluten free than others. I’m looking at you Chipotle.

So let’s dig in! 

Gluten Free Menu Items from 14 Fast Food and Fast Casual Restaurants

What’s Gluten Free at Bibibop?

Best Overall and Safest Glute Free Fast Food

Everything is gluten free at Bibibop! This place is a celiac’s dream. It’s such a relief not to have to worry about getting glutened. What’s even better is that the food is healthy and delicious. We’ve gotten in the habit of eating it at least once a week. My gluten-eating husband even likes it. 

Bibibop Highlights

• Bibibop gets the gold star x100 as the ENTIRE RESTAURANT IS GLUTEN FREE. 
• Some of my favorite bases/toppings include purple rice, sweet potato noodles, tofu, sesame kale, pickled cabbage, potatoes, cheese…it’s hard to go wrong. 
• They even have cookies!!! GLUTEN FREE COOKIES! I could probably marry the snickerdoodle. I can’t think of a better gluten free cookie texture. 
• The sauces!!! I’m partial to the Yum Yum sauce, but others include Teriyaki, Gochujang, Spicy Sriracha, Sesame Ginger, and Sesame Oil. 

What to Beware of at Bibibop

– Of nothing, relax. There’s nothing to worry about, it’s all gluten free! 

What’s Gluten Free at Chick-fil-A?

Best Gluten Free Chicken Sandwich, Fries, and Sauce

Chick-fil-A is one of our “go-to” fast food restaurants when on the road. It also may well be one of the safer fast food options as it has an average of 4 stars on FindMeGlutenFree. Chick-fil-A also scores big points for having both gluten free fries and a gluten free bun.

Chick-fil-A Highlights

• This is where you can get fries, waffle fries! 
• Chick-fil-A has gluten free buns, so you can get a grilled chicken sandwich. The grilled chicken club is my favorite. 
• Hash browns!!! These are like traveling back to another place in time when you can eat whatever you want. 
• Sauces – Chick-fil-A has some yummy sauces. Here is a list of all the sauces that are gluten free – BBQ Sauce, Chick-fil-A Sauce, Honey Mustard Sauce, Honey Roasted BBQ Sauce, Polynesian Sauce, Zesty Buffalo Sauce, Avocado Lime Ranch Dress, Creaming Salsa Dressing, Fat Free Honey Mustard Dressing, Garden Herb Ranch Dressing, Light Balsamic, Light Italian, Zesty Apple Cider Vinaigrette.

What to Beware of at Chick-fil-A

• The gluten free buns always come in a separate, sealed plastic bag and you have to put your sandwich together yourself. If your sandwich comes with the bun already on it, beware! It’s probably not gluten free and you should double check with the restaurant. This happened to me once on a road trip and I investigated instead of just biting in, thank goodness.  

What’s Gluten Free at Firehouse Subs?

Best Gluten Free Sub

The best gluten free subs around. They have so many different types of specialty subs and nearly all of them are gluten free!

Firehouse Sub Highlights

• High quality gluten free bread upon request and rarely does it fall apart. They use Schar rolls—delicious and great texture.
• So many options to choose from. On the current menu as of Feb 2024, the only gluten containing sandwich ingredients are meatballs and garlic mayonnaise.
• Gluten free sandwich ingredients include the following-
  • Cheese – cheddar, feta, Monterey Jack, pepper jack, provolone, and swiss
  • Meats – chicken breast, oven roasted chicken, pepper bacon, pepperoni, salami, steak, sliced beef rib, smoked honey ham, smoked turkey breast, tuna salad, beef brisket, corned beef brisket, pastrami, and roast beef.
  • Sub Toppings – Au jus bell peppers, au jus mushrooms, avocado, black olives, caramelized onions, cherry pepper rings, chopped green peppers, chopped pickle spear, coleslaw, creamy slaw, cucumber, iceberg lettuce, onion, pickle spear, sliced pepperoncini, tomato
  • Sub Condiments – Balsamic dressing, cajun mayo, cajun seasoning, Captain Sorenson’s Dario Pepper Hot Sauce, garlic blend, honey mustard, Italian salad dressing, Italian seasoning, jerk mustard, light mayonnaise, marinara sauce, mayonnaise, peppercorn ranch dressing, spicy mustard, sriracha sauce, Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce, and sweet mustard.
• Some of my favorite gluten free specialty subs are the Turkey Bacon Ranch, Italian, Cajun Chicken, and Hook and Ladder. 
• They have Gluten free chili!

What to Beware of at Firehouse Subs

• Firehouse Subs is a sandwich shop, so of course the possibility of cross contamination is present. With that being said, I’ve had Firehouse many times and as a celiac have never had issues. But, try at your own risk of course. 
• Avoid the garlic mayonnaise (all other condiments are GF), avoid the meatballs (all other meat is ok), all other toppings are ok as of nutrition menu Feb 2024.

What’s Gluten Free at Chipotle?

Best “Mexican-Inspired” Bowl

I don’t have quite the love affair with the Chipotle that I used to, but it’s still a great gluten free option. There seem to be so many out there now. My biggest complaint about Chipotle is the differing amount of friendliness and knowledge about serving gluten free customers at different locations. Just be very clear about the precautions you’d like them to take, such as changing gloves, and taking ingredients out of new containers, particular for ingredients that are touched with gloves.  

Chipotle Highlights

• Nearly Chipotle’s whole menu is gluten free with the exception of menu items made with flour tortillas. 
• You can get a burrito bowl, salad, hard corn tacos, or chips and salsa/guacamole. 

What to Beware of at Chipotle

• Ask them to change gloves and ask for fresh ingredients for food items that are touched with gloves—namely cheese and lettuce. You may also ask for fresh rice as the rice spoon may touch the flour tortillas and then be placed back into the rice. 

What’s Gluten Free at McAlisters

Best Gluten Free Nachos, Arguably Best Gluten Free Variety

There’s a lot to choose from at McAlister’s. You could order from here quite often and not get bored. Some big favorites of mine are the Ultimate Nacho, BLT with avocado on Udi’s bread, and Veggie Spud.

McAlister’s Highlights

• Nachos – I first fell in love with McAlisters for their Ultimate Nachos. Nachos might be my favorite food and I feel like they are typically so hard to find gluten free anywhere since they chips are usually fried with gluten. What’s nice about getting the nachos to-go is that they package the ingredients separately so you don’t have soggy nachos by the time they reach you. These nachos include veggie chili, cheese dip, cheddar-jack, tomato, black olives, jalapeños, green onion, avocado and sour cream on tortilla chips.  ***Just make sure you substitute the regular chili for veggie chili, as the regular is not gluten free.

• Sandwiches – McAlister’s will use Udi’s gluten free bread upon request. Gluten free sandwich ingredients include the following:
  • Cheese – American, cheddar, Parmesan, pepper jack, provolone, Swiss
  • Meat – Apple wood smoked bacon, black angus roast beef, Black Forest ham, corned beef, grilled chicken breast, oven roasted turkey, pastrami, salami
  • Toppings – Avocado, black olives, cucumbers, green peppers, green onions, jalapeños, jalapeño chips, roasted corn & black bean relish, roasted tri-color peppers, romaine, salad mix, sauerkraut, sliced red onions, sliced tomatoes, spring mix
  • Condiments – Buttermilk ranch, Caesar dressing, chipotle ranch, fat-free raspberry pecan vinaigrette, herb mayo, horseradish Dijon, mayo, McAlister’s honey mustard, olive oil, olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette, orange cranberry sauce, poblano mayo, spicy brown mustard, sweet & Smokey BBQ sauce, and thousand island. 
• Giant Spuds – I always want to order these as a side to something else, but most of the Giant Spuds really are quite large and a meal in itself. Types of gluten free “Spuds” include the following:
  • Chipotle Chicken and Bacon – grilled chicken, bacon, cheddar-jack, chipotle ranch, and green onions
  • Justaspud – sour cream on the side, add bacon or cheddar
  • Spud Max – ham, turkey, bacon, cheddar-jack, green onions, black olives, and sour cream
  • Veggie Spud – spinach, broccoli, red onions, house-roasted multicolored peppers, and cheese dip
  • Salads –
    • Pecanberry Salad, Savannah Chopped Salad, Southwest Chicken & Avocado Salad

What to Beware of at McAlisters

• This is a sandwich place so the potential for cross contamination is definitely present. McAlister’s states on their website that “despite using best practices, we cannot guarantee products will be free from allergens through cross-contamination.” 
• When getting the nachos, make sure you get veggie chili instead of meat chili!

What About Eating Gluten Free at McDonald’s, Zaxby’s, Wendy’s, Penn Station, Culver’s, Panera, Arby’s, Chicken Salad Chick, and Taco Bell?

None of these options earn superlatives, but there a few good and safe options here and there depending on what you’re hungry for. Most options are random side items that could hit the spot if you just want a snack or treat.  

McDonalds

• Move on, there’s really nothing gluten free and safe from cross contamination except for beverages. 

Zaxby’s

• I’ve never had Zaxby’s but it seems like some people on FindMeGlutenFree have been able to find select locations that have gluten free fryers for their wings and fries. It may be worth looking into if you have one close to you, but it seems that their wings and fries are normally fried with gluten items, so it would normally not be safe to eat.     

Wendy’s

• Reviews of Wendy’s seem to be all over the place. It seems that some even have a gluten free fryer for fries, but this definitely doesn’t seem to be the norm. A lot of people really seem to enjoy their burger wrapped and lettuce and do fine with it. There is always a baked potato and Frosty’s are gluten free! I’ve done worse than a baked potato and Frosty meal on the road. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. Update! Wendy’s chili is gluten free too!

Penn Station

• It’s hard to discern what exactly is gluten free here apart from the fries. I know they don’t have gluten free buns, but it seems as if some of the salads must be gluten free as well. I’ve tried to find an allergen menu and have emailed them to no avail. One time I did request that they make me a mushroom and Swiss in a bowl without the bread, and I basically had a bowl of cheesey mushrooms and it was dang delicious. I need to try this again. They do have fantastic fries and lemonade. These may be my favorite fries ever, though there are contenders out there. 

Culver’s

• I thought I could maybe recommend Culver’s burger, but it turns out that all the meat is cooked on the grill in the same space as gluten ingredients. I will recommend going for dessert. Their chocolate custard is really just to die for. Many of their toppings are gluten free, but getting them mixed in with my custard makes me too nervous as you know those blenders have to be cross contaminated like crazy. 

Panera

• Not a lot of options, just salads, smoothies, and a seasonal soup here and there. I do really love their Green Passion Smoothie though. I’ll go to the drive thru to get a round a smoothies frequently, it’s just so good. Gluten free meals on Panera’s “Gluten Conscious Menu” include the Green Goddess Cobb Salad with Chicken, Fuji Apple Salad with Chicken, Greek Salad, Baja Bowl with Chicken, and Mediterranean Bowl.  

Arby’s

• Many of their meats, cheeses, and sauces are gluten free. They don’t have any sort of bread, but I have heard of people bringing their own gluten free bread or buns on road trips and getting the rest at Arby’s. Just don’t eat the fries as they are fried with gluten containing items.

Chicken Salad Chick

• My husband looooooves this place. I unfortunately ate a lot of chicken salad during my first pregnancy and can’t really look at it anymore. You can get the scoops of chicken salad, which are currently all gluten free, with a salad. I’m still checking on the pimento cheese, I heard the new recipe may not be GF. Also, due to the moist texture of chicken salad, those chicken salad bins are bound to pick up some gluten particles from utensils dipping in and then touching sandwich bread. Ask for your chicken salad out of a fresh container to be on the safe side! 

Taco Bell

• I honestly haven’t eaten Taco Bell in about 20 years, so can’t speak to its safety, but Taco Bell has more gluten free options than I thought they would. Taco Bell’s ”Avoiding Gluten” page is a little misleading though as it lists Crunchy Tacos and Doritos Locos Tacos to be gluten free, but the “seasoned beef” actually contains oats. So you would need to order either the Crunchy Tacos or Doritos Locos Tacos with chicken (NOT BEEF), for them to be gluten free. The Power Menu Bowl, Black Beans and Rice, and Hashbrowns*** are also listed on their Avoiding Gluten page. I’ve seen mixed things about the Hashbrowns being fried in a gluten free fryer, so ASK. 

Post in the comments and tell me about YOUR favorite gluten free fast food.

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I hope you ate something great today, see ya next time!