Whenever you go out to the restaurant and order some french fries, chances are they’re gluten free.
Really, the only time they won’t be is if the restaurant shares a fryer with other glutenous food, which is a major cross contamination issue for Celiac diners.
However, there comes a time when some restaurants somehow doesn’t have gluten free french fries, despite having a separate, dedicate french fry fryer. You see, some restaurants use a special flour to coat their fries, while other’s sometimes use dust their fries in a seasoning that contains gluten.
But what about McDonalds?
And with that we’ll head straight into quite possibly the most controversial question in McDonald’s gluten free history…
…are McDonald’s French Fries Gluten Free?
No, they are not. Despite all the claims that people have been able to eat the fries without getting sick, the McDonald’s french fries technically contain gluten, according to their allergen and nutrition list. Here’s what it says…
FRENCH FRIES: Ingredients: Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (Canola Oil, Soybean Oil, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Natural Beef Flavor [Wheat and Milk Derivatives]*, Citric Acid [Preservative]), Dextrose, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate (Maintain Color), Salt. Prepared in Vegetable Oil (Canola Oil, Corn Oil, Soybean Oil, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil with TBHQ and Citric Acid added to preserve freshness), Dimethylpolysiloxane added as an antifoaming agent. * CONTAINS: WHEAT AND MILK. *Natural beef flavor contains hydrolyzed wheat and hydrolyzed milk as starting ingredients.
As you can see, the natural beef flavor in the french fries contain wheat. So the lifelong question has finally been answered.
McDonald’s golden fries are not gluten free.
But hey, that doesn’t mean that you can’t find something else to eat there!
Check out the full McDonald’s Gluten Free Menu
Be sure to check out the complete McDonald’s Gluten Free Menu by clicking here.
Thanks for reading and hopefully this has finally answered your question.
But, if you disagree or would like to share your experience with McDonald’s french fries, leave a comment below.
Thanks!
Colm Gaughan
Eat a large fries got so sick last night it ruined the entire night, slept crap last night and am still in pain the next day absolutely crippled!!! Death to McDonald’s fries why god why can we not just have potatoes why the need for all that bad stuff!!!!
Claire
I had a reaction after just a couple (I thought just a couple couldn’t hurt). That’s why I checked the internet to see why I had, a reaction. Glad I know now.
Robin
Last time I ate their French fries I didn’t even make it home before I vomited all over my Jeep. I was already sick from eating some beef jerky that at that time I was new to my allergy. I would of never thought that there would be wheat in the fries but it didn’t take me long to figure it out never ate them again because the reaction was very violent.
Shannon
Does it make a difference between Canada and the States though?
Jo
has this possibly changed in recent times? My BF is a manager at the local McDonalds and I had her send me a photo of the ingredients on the FF package and it was different than the above info. Now I’m really confused. Oh well they haven’t made me sick so I guess I’m okay at least at my McDonalds.
Alan
Saw a post somewhere that McD’s fries in England (chips I suppose) don’t have all the flavorings. So as long as it’s a dedicated fryer, the McD’s fries in England would be GF. So even they can do gluten free fries, just not here in America for some reason.
Jerry Knobbe
this is not always true the 2 McDonalds I go to have rice flour on them and they are cooked in a dedicated fryer and are there fore GLUTEN FREE and MeDonals website says they are gluten free last time I looked I do not have any trouble eating the frys in Iowa McDonalds
Anne
I feel like this info should be more readily available from McDonald’s. I grabbed a few out of my kids’ bag the other day and felt like total butt for three days. No wonder!!! Grrrrrr. How hard is it to just fry a potato? Do we really need to add wheaty beef flavoring to it? Ridiculous.
Francine
there is really no reason to add all those ingredients to French fries. Why can’t McDonald’s make a heatthier potato without those ingredients. If you can’t pronounce these ingredients you should not be eating them. They should have separate fryers for the French fries and a separate fryer for other food that has any wheat products. The fast food chains should make it easier for their customers so that they could enjoy a meal without worrying they will get sick!
Don
Thanks McDonald I ate fries there yesterday and now I am paying for it with joint pain and every part of my body thanks for letting me know about your gluten free supposedly good with trade french fries
Cameron
Is there a app for all this so we can download to our phones
Johnc950
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israel
The only time they wont be? You make it sound like thats common. Most places fry their fries with gluten containing products. Before i even knew about whther mcds fries were gluten free or not…id have a reaction from them. I just cant buy the fact they arent in some way