Tim Horton’s is an iconic Canadian coffee-house. Timmie’s, as it’s affectionately known, is everywhere. In fact, there are 2 locations within walking distance of my house and some of my earliest memories involve going with my dad for a hot chocolate!
Tim Horton’s has become an internationally recognized brand, and with the increase in popularity, more and more people are wondering if Tim Horton’s is a safe place to eat gluten free. Unfortunately Tim Horton’s is not a good quick service option for people who are gluten free due to the substantial risk of cross contact.
Keep reading to learn more about gluten free items at Tim Horton’s and why it is not recommended to eat here if you have a gluten allergy.
Looking for safe gluten free fast food? Here’s a guide to my top gluten free fast food recommendations.
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.
☕ Tim Horton's Gluten Free Menu Overview
While there is no dedicated gluten free menu, Tim Horton’s does offer some items that are gluten free based on their ingredients.
There are many hot and cold beverage options that do not contain gluten. There is a small list of soups and sides that are also gluten free by ingredients.
Menu Variations
When it comes to gluten free options, it is very important to note that the Tim Hortons menu has a substantial amount of variation. There are regional and national variations, as well as different allergen menus for the United States and Canada.
Tim Horton’s also regularly offers seasonal and limited time offers that may or may not contain gluten. It is very important to ensure that you are reviewing current allergen information for the exact location you wish to order from.
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🍩 Comprehensive List of Gluten-Free Items
Below is a list of items that are listed as gluten free based solely on their ingredients. The likelihood of cross contact is extremely high at Tim Horton’s and they do not recommend these items for individuals with allergies.
🍁 denotes items only available in Canada
Gluten-Free Breakfast Items
- Plain Cream Cheese
- Onion & Chive Cream Cheese
- Herb & Garlic Cream Cheese 🍁
- Strawberry Cream Cheese
- Butter Cup
- Peanut Butter Packet
- Strawberry Jam Packet
- Raspberry Jam Packet 🍁
- Honey Packet
- Hash Brown *a shared fryer could be a potential source of cross contact*
- Bacon & Cheese Omelet Bite
- Spinach & Egg White Omelette Bite
Gluten-Free Lunch and Snack Items
- Potato Bacon Chowder
- Cream of Broccoli Soup 🍁
- Tomato Parmesan Soup 🍁
- Chili
- Beef Chili 🍁
- Kettle Chips
- Mayonnaise 🍁
- Buttermilk Ranch Sauce 🍁
- Chipotle Sauce 🍁
- Creamy BBQ Sauce 🍁
- Spicy Habanero Sauce 🍁
- Cilantro Lime Sauce 🍁
Gluten-Free Beverages
- Original Blend Coffee
- Dark Roast Coffee
- Decaf Coffee
- Regular Coffee
- Double Double Coffee
- Cappuccino
- Latte
- Vanilla Latte
- Mocha Latte
- Caramel Latte
- Vanilla Almond Latte
- Caramel Macchiato
- Coffee Mocha
- French Vanilla
- Hot Chocolate
- White Hot Chocolate
- Tea Latte
- Bagged Tea
- Steeped Tea
- London Fog 🍁
- Iced Coffee
- Original Iced Coffee 🍁
- Vanilla Almond Iced Coffee
- Iced Latte
- Original Iced Latte 🍁
- Unsweetened Iced Latte 🍁
- Vanilla Iced Latte
- Mocha Iced Latte
- Caramel Iced Latte
- Vanilla Almond Iced Latte
- Original Cold Brew
- Vanilla Cream Cold Brew
- Roasted Hazelnut Cold Brew 🍁
- Mocha Cold Brew with Cold Foam
- Caramel Cold Brew with Cold Foam
- Iced Caramel Macchiato
- Original Iced Capp®
- Light Iced Capp®
- Supreme Mocha Iced Capp®
- Supreme Caramel Iced Capp®
- Frozen Hot Chocolate
- Mixed Berries Smoothie
- Frozen Lemonade
- Iced Lemonade
- Sweetened Iced Tea
- Unsweetened Iced Tea
- Blackberry Mint Refresher
- Strawberry Coconut Refresher
- Orange Tangerine Refresher
- Tropical Mango Nitro Refresher
- Orange Tangerine Nitro Refresher
- Sunrise Sunset Timsboost
- Sky's The Limit Timsboost
- Light Iced Coffee 🍁
- Classic Lemonade 🍁
- Peach Quencher 🍁
- Strawberry Watermelon Quencher 🍁
- Blackberry Yuzu Sparkling Quencher 🍁
- Wildberry Hibiscus Sparkling Quencher 🍁
- Mango Starfruit Sparkling Quencher 🍁
- Whipped Topping
- Cold Foam
- Chocolate Flavor Syrup
- Espresso Foam
- Cane Sugar Syrup
- Mocha Syrup
- Vanilla Syrup
- Caramel Syrup
- Hazelnut Flavor Syrup
- Roasted Hazelnut Flavoured Syrup 🍁
- Cookies n' Cream Flavor Syrup
- Fudge Brownie Syrup 🍁
- Sugar-Free Vanilla Flavor Shot
- Sugar-Free Hazelnut Flavor Shot
- Tiramisu Syrup 🍁
⚠️ Understanding Cross-Contamination Risks
When it comes to eating out, cross contamination risks are the biggest cause for concern. Cross contact occurs when gluten-containing food, equipment or preparation areas touch gluten-free food. This contact can result in the gluten-free food becoming unsafe for consumption.
Cross-Contamination at Tim Hortons
While this risk is always high at any restaurant that doesn’t have a dedicated gluten free kitchen, the risk of cross contamination is exceptionally high at Tim Horton’s. What makes Tim Horton’s so risky is that it is a bakery, which uses traditional wheat flour, within a restaurant.
What makes this unique is that other donut shops often have their donuts delivered from a central kitchen, or they receive them frozen and ready-to-bake rather than making them fresh onsite like Tim Hortons does.
Unfortunately flour travels airborne and can linger in the air. While it is possible to produce gluten-free products in a shared kitchen the possibility of cross contamination is very high.
Additionally, Tim Horton’s states that “...normal kitchen operations may involve shared equipment (e.g., oven, beverage machines, toaster, panini press), shared cooking and preparation areas and utensils, and the possibility exists that your food items may come in contact with other food products, including other allergens. Although we take precautions, we cannot guarantee that cross-contact of allergens will not occur…”
Tips for Minimizing Cross-Contamination
While the safest course of action would be to avoid Tim Horton’s all together, there are some ways you can minimize the risk of cross contact. Always start with informing staff of your gluten allergy before ordering.
You can request that they change gloves before preparing your food and use freshly prepared ingredients. Ordering pre-packaged gluten free foods like the kettle chips, will also help to keep you safe.
Overall Tim Horton’s is not a great option for people with gluten sensitivities. There are very limited options available and the potential for cross contact is extremely high. Be sure to pay extra attention to seasonal items and variations in the menu between locations.
If you do choose to eat there, take as many precautions as possible including informing staff and choosing items that are less likely to be subject to cross contamination.
Have you eaten gluten free at Tim Hortons? Share your experience and best tips in the comments below.
No, Tim Hortons has some menu items that are gluten free based on ingredients only.
The safest gluten-free items to order are those that are naturally gluten-free and have minimal risk of cross-contamination like coffee, tea and water. Taking them plain is also safer because they don’t require equipment like spoons to make them.
Tim Hortons is really not a good option for gluten free eaters. The training and awareness of fast-food staff regarding gluten-free preparation is not high, and the fast-paced environment of fast food is not conducive to the care & attention required for gluten free options.
There are currently no gluten-free baked goods available at Tim Hortons.
📚Other Gluten-Free Menu Guides
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