McDonald’s is one of the most popular world-wide fast food chains. In fact, it’s so readily available that some people make McDonald’s a point-of-interest wherever they travel. Whether you’re looking to eat McDonald’s at home or abroad, if you follow a gluten free diet you’re probably wondering if there's a McDonald’s gluten free menu or at least gluten free items.
This post is going to cover everything you need to know about being gluten free and eating at McDonald’s. Since it depends first and foremost on the location of the McDonald’s, this post is separated into countries to keep things simple.
You can continue reading to learn about all McDonald’s or use the table of contents to jump straight to the United States, Canada or Around the World.
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The gluten-free guide below is based on personal experience and research. Always be sure to discuss any medical changes with your doctor for your personal medical needs. Additionally, this post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. My full disclosure isn’t that interesting, but you can find it here.
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Is Anything Gluten-Free at McDonald’s?
Before we jump into which items, if any, are gluten free at McDonald’s we first need to cover something really important, which is the possibility of cross contact.
Cross contact occurs when something that is gluten free comes into contact with something that is not gluten free. This can happen with kitchen tools that have been used for gluten containing foods, or even from crumbs of gluten containing ingredients coming into contact with gluten free foods.
For example, if a knife is used to cut a gluten containing bun and later that same knife is used to cut a gluten free bun, cross contact can occur. The probability of cross contact in restaurants, especially at a fast food chain like McDonald’s, is extremely high.
In fact, on the McDonald’s website it says “However, despite taking precautions, normal kitchen operations may involve some shared cooking and preparation areas, equipment and utensils, and the possibility exists for your food items to come in contact with other food products, including some that may contain gluten.”
Now, in terms of whether McDonald’s has any gluten free menu items, it really varies by country just as it does for regular menu items. For example, in Canada and the United Kingdom the french fries are gluten free, while in the US they are not. In many places throughout Europe it’s common to be able to get a gluten free bun for your McDonald’s burger, something that we don’t have in North America.
In order to determine which, if any, menu items are gluten free you’re going to have to find out at the exact McDonald’s location you plan to order from.
United States McDonald’s Gluten Free Menu
Unfortunately, McDonald’s in the United States is not very friendly to gluten free eaters. They don’t have a gluten free menu in the United States, and they don’t certify any of their items to be gluten free.
When trying to eat gluten free at McDonald’s in the USA, the best you can do is customize some of the regular menu items to create a gluten free option.
What’s Gluten Free at McDonald’s in the United States?
Beverages
- Apple Juice
- Chocolate Shake
- Coca Cola
- Diet Coke
- Dr. Pepper
- Fanta Orange
- Hi-C Orange Lavaburst
- Milk / Chocolate Milk
- Minute Maid Pink Lemonade Slushie
- Minute Maid Premium Orange Juice
- Minute Maid Strawberry Watermelon Slushie
- Sprite
- Strawberry Shake
- Sweet/Unsweet Tea
- Vanilla Shake
McCafe and Bakery
- Americano
- Cappuccino
- Caramel Cappuccino
- Caramel Frappe
- Caramel Latte
- Caramel Macchiato
- Classic Strawberry Banana Smoothie
- Famous Premium Roast Coffee
- French Vanilla Cappuccino
- French Vanilla Latte
- Hot Chocolate
- Iced Caramel Coffee
- Iced Caramel Latte
- Iced Caramel Macchiato
- Iced Coffee
- Iced French Vanilla Latte
- Iced Latte
- Iced Mocha
- Latte
- Mango Pineapple Smoothie
- Mocha
- Mocha Frappe
Snacks & Sides
- Apple Slices
- Hot Caramel Sundae
- Hot Fudge Sundae
Burgers
The burgers at McDonald’s in the United States are gluten free as is the special sauce for a Big Mac. If you’re comfortable eating the other gluten free ingredients, you can always ask for the following items without the bun:
- Hamburger
- Cheeseburger
- Quarter Pounder
- Big Mac
Other
Other Items that can be custom ordered:
- Grilled Chicken Sandwich WITHOUT the bun - Grilled ONLY (NOTE: The Crispy option is NOT GF)
- Southwest Grilled Chicken Salad WITHOUT Tortilla Strips
- Egg McMuffin WITHOUT English Muffin
- Fruit N’ Yogurt Parfait WITHOUT Granola
Are McDonald’s Fries Gluten Free in the US?
No! In the United States, McDonald’s fries contain hydrolyzed wheat and are not gluten free.
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Canada McDonald’s Gluten Free Menu
McDonald’s Canada actually offers a variety of gluten free foods. Keeping in mind that cross contact is still a significant concern, McDonald’s Canada has put together a list of allergen information, which you can check out here.
Since McDonald’s doesn’t certify any of their menu items as gluten free, we can only look at the ingredients list to determine the gluten free status. Anything that does not contain wheat, rye or barley should, in theory, be gluten free at McDonalds Canada.
What’s Gluten Free at McDonalds in Canada?
Breakfast
- Hash Browns
Beverages
- Barq’s Root Beer
- Coca-Cola
- Coca-Cola Zero
- Diet Coke
- Fruitopia Orange Groove
- Fruitopia Strawberry Passion Awareness
- Hot Chocolate
- Lemon Fruit Splash
- Minute Maid Apple Juice
- Minute Maid Orange Juice
- Nestea Iced Tea
- Peach Mango Fruit Splash
- Sprite
- Strawberry Passionfruit Fruit Splash
- 1% Partly Skimmed Chocolate Milk
- 1% Partly Skimmed Milk
Desserts & Shakes
- Caramel Popcorn McFlurry
- Chocolate Triple Thick Milkshake
- Hot Caramel Sundae
- Hot Fudge Sunday
- Shamrock Shake
- Skor McFlurry
- Strawberry Triple Thick Milkshake
McCafe and Bakery
- Americano Coffee
- Blueberry Pomegranate Real Fruit Smoothie
- Cappuccino with 2% Milk
- Caramel Iced Coffee
- Caramel Latte with 2% Milk
- Coffee Iced Frappe
- Deluxe Hot Chocolate
- Double Espresso
- Espresso
- French Vanilla Iced Coffee
- French Vanilla Latte with 2% Milk
- Iced Coffee with Sugar Free Syrup
- Kiwi Pineapple Banana Real Fruit Smoothie
- Latte with 2% Milk
- Latte with Sugar Free Syrup with 2% Milk
- Mango Pineapple Real Fruit Smoothie
- McCafe Vanilla Chai Iced Frappe
- Mocha with 2% Milk
- Premium Roast Brewed Coffee
- Premium Roast Brewed Iced Coffee
- Premium Tea
- Strawberry Banana Real Fruit Smoothie
- Vanilla Chai Iced Frappe
Snacks & Sides
- Apple Slices
- Poutine
- Spicy Buffalo Chicken Poutine - Grilled ONLY (NOTE: The Crispy option is NOT GF)
Other
- Strawberry Yogurt Tube
Gluten Free Offerings at McDonalds Around the World:
United Kingdom
View the Full UK Allergen Leaflet here.
- French Fries
- Hash Browns
- Fruit Bags
- Carrot Sticks
- Shaker Salad with Balsamic Dressing
- Some McFlurry Desserts including Crunchie and Dairy Milk
Countries with Gluten Free Bun Options
- Austria
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Finland
- Hungary
- Italy
- The Netherlands
- Norway
- Portugal
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
Nutrition Information Booklets for Other Countries:
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Frequently Asked Questions about McDonalds and Gluten:
Does McDonald’s have Gluten Free Buns?
Some McDonald’s locations around the world have gluten free buns. Currently, McDonald’s located in the United States and Canada do not offer gluten free buns at McDonald’s.
Are McDonald’s Nuggets Gluten-Free?
No. McDonald’s chicken nuggets contain wheat and are not gluten free.
Are McDonald’s Fries Gluten-Free?
Whether or not McDonald’s fries are gluten free depends entirely on where you get them. In the United States McDonald’s french fries are not gluten free, while in other countries like Canada and the United Kingdom they are gluten free.
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Jill
Wow, it is so interesting that the fries are gluten-free at some McDonald's and not at others. I'll send this article on to a friend who has a gluten free granddaughter. It can be confusing when you are not used to living with a gluten-free person. Thanks for sharing!
Sharon McCaskill
It's definitely confusing, I wish that we could have the same options in the US as they have in other countries!
Alisone
Thank you so much for sharing this information.