When you follow a gluten free diet, eating out at fast food restaurants like Sonic Drive In becomes much more complicated. Before you hit the take out window, you need to know everything you can about the Sonic Gluten Free Menu.
While Sonic does have a few menu items that do not contain gluten, it is not what I would consider a safe fast food option for someone with Celiac disease. Cross contact is a big concern with this restaurant, which may be highly problematic.
This article breaks down the Sonic Gluten Free Menu items, but you’ll have to assess your risk tolerance based on the information provided in this guide. Keep reading the full guide or use the table of contents to jump to a specific menu item.
Jump to:
- Does Sonic have a GF Menu?
- Does Sonic have a dedicated fryer for fries?
- Gluten Free Sonic Menu Items:
- Ice Cream Options
- Drinks
- Grill Items
- Sides
- Condiments
- Breakfast
- Frequently Asked Questions about Sonic Drive In
- Did you find this article on eating gluten-free at Sonic Drive In helpful?
- More Gluten Free Fast Food Menus:
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.
Does Sonic have a GF Menu?
Sonic does not have a separate gluten free menu, but they do have several menu items that are listed in their allergen guide as not containing gluten. The problem however, is that Sonic uses shared areas for food preparation.
Cross contact is what happens when a gluten free food comes into contact with cooking equipment that was used to prepare gluten containing food. In many fast food restaurants, like Sonic, the same surfaces are used to prepare gluten free and gluten containing foods.
These shared preparation areas make it unsafe for someone with a gluten intolerance to eat that food as they can end up very sick, even when choosing menu items that are supposed to be gluten free.
Eating out at a fast food restaurant can be very tricky for people with a gluten allergy, and as a general rule I do not recommend eating at many take out restaurants. I don’t find that the risk necessarily outweighs the reward in this case.
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Does Sonic have a dedicated fryer for fries?
No, Sonic uses the same fryer for all of their food. Unfortunately, this creates another place where cross contact occurs. Even though french fries are naturally gluten free, this cross contact makes it unsafe to eat fries from Sonic.
Gluten Free Sonic Menu Items:
Before we jump into the Sonic Gluten Free Menu items, it’s important to note that this is based on information Sonic provides publicly at the time of writing this article, ingredients may change without warning and may not be available at all locations. Please use an abundance of caution if you choose to eat gluten free at Sonic.
Ice Cream Options
Also known as the Frozen Zone at Sonic, there are a few gluten free ice cream toppings available. Keep in mind that equipment like spoons used to scoop mix-ins into your ice cream may have also been used on other gluten containing ingredients.
- Vanilla Soft Serve
- Chocolate Fudge Topping
- Lemon
- Lime
- M&M’S Minis Chocolate Candies
- Maraschino Cherries
- Peanut Butter Sauce
- Real Banana
- REESE’S Peanut Butter Cups
- Strawberry Topping
- Whipped Topping
Drinks
The good news is that there are plenty of gluten free drinks available at Sonic, so if you’re thirsty they’ve got something you can enjoy.
- 1% Milk
- Red Bull
- SONIC Wave Bottled Water
Sodas
- Barq’s Root Beer
- BIG RED
- Canada Dry Ginger Ale
- Coca-Cola
- Coca-Cola Zero Sugar
- Diet Coke
- DIET DR PEPPER
- DR PEPPER
- Fanta Orange
- Mello Yello
- SUN DROP
Juice
- Hi-C Fruit Punch
- Lemonade
- Minute Maid Apple Juice Box
- Minute Maid Orange Juice
- Powerade
- Sprite
- Sprite Zero
Slushes
- Lemonade Slush
- Limeade Slush
- Plain Slush Base
Coffee and Tea
- Cold Brew Iced Coffee
- Fresh Brewed Sweet Tea
- Fresh Brewed Unsweet Tea
- Hot Coffee
- Hot Chocolate (16 oz.)
Add-ins
- Blackberry Sugar-Free Syrup
- Blue Coconut Syrup
- Blue Raspberry Syrup
- Cherry Syrup
- Diet Cherry Sugar-Free Syrup
- French Vanilla Syrup
- Grape Syrup
- Mango Sugar-Free Syrup
- Peach Sugar-Free Syrup
- Raspberry Sugar-Free Syrup
- Sweet Cream
Grill Items
Sonic does not offer a gluten free bun or any other gluten free bread options. If you are choosing a gluten free grill item, be sure to have it made without any bread products.
- Halal Hot Dog
- Hot Dog (All Beef)
- 12" Hot Dog (Pork and Beef)
- Grilled Onions
- Halal Hamburger Patty (2 oz.)
- Halal Hamburger Patty (4 oz.)
- Hamburger Patty (2 oz.)
- Hamburger Patty (4 oz.)
- Philly Steak
Sides
Sides that are cooked at Sonic are all made in the same deep fryer, so while the side itself does not contain gluten, there is a substantial risk of cross contact with these foods. Sticking to foods that are prepackaged is a much safer choice.
- French fries
- Tots
- FRITOS Corn Chips
- Mint
- Tree Top® Apple Sauce
Condiments
- Celery Salt
- Hickory BBQ
- Ketchup
- Mayonnaise
- Mustard
- Salt/Pepper Blend
Condiment Packets
- Buffalo
- Coffee Creamer
- Grape Jelly
- Honey BBQ
- Honey Mustard
- Ketchup
- Lemon Juice
- Light Mayonnaise
- Marinara
- Mustard
- Pepper
- Ranch
- Salsa de SONIC®
- Salt
- Signature Cheese
- Signature
- Strawberry Jam
- Sugar
- Sugar Substitute
- Sweet and Sour
- Sweet Relish
- Syrup
Cheese
- American Cheese (Sliced)
- Cheddar Cheese (Shredded)
- Cheddar Cheese Sauce
- White American Cheese (Shredded)
- Zesty Cheese Sauce
Sandwich Toppings
- Dill Pickle Chips
- Dill Pickle Spears
- Hatch Green Chiles
- Jalapeños
- Lettuce
- Diced Onion
- Sauerkraut
- Sport Peppers
- Sweet Pickle Relish
- Tomato
Breakfast
Sonic does offer gluten free breakfast foods, however since they prep all food on shared surfaces, there is a high risk of cross contact with their breakfast items.
- Bacon
- Breakfast Sausage Crumbles
- Breakfast Sausage Patty
- Egg
- Sliced Ham
Frequently Asked Questions about Sonic Drive In
Is Sonic chili gluten-free?
No, Sonic chili contains gluten according to their allergen statement.
Is there a Sonic gluten-free bun?
No, Sonic does not offer a gluten free bun or any other gluten free bread options.
Are Sonic tots gluten-free?
Yes, Sonic tots are made with gluten free ingredients, however they are fried in the same deep fryer as the gluten containing foods making them a significant risk for cross contact and no longer safe on a gluten free diet.
Are Sonic corn dogs gluten-free?
No, Sonic corn dogs contain wheat and are not gluten free.
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More Gluten Free Fast Food Menus:
- The McDonald’s Gluten Free Menu
- Gluten Free Subway
- Gluten Free Chipotle
- Chick-Fil-A Gluten Free Menu
- Wendy’s Gluten Free Menu
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