The 3 Fast Food Chains That Serve Gluten-Free Fries

When you are on a gluten-free diet, it can be extremely difficult to still eat the foods you love while also accommodating your health. This can be even harder when wanting fast food, as you can't personally make the food yourself and be sure there will be no cross-contamination. But when it comes to enjoying crisp, hot fries, you can be sure that there are at least three fast food restaurants that serve gluten-free fries: Chick-fil-A, Five Guys, and In-N-Out Burger.

In theory, french fries should be gluten-free since they are made of simply potatoes, oil, and salt. However, there is always the chance that your fries won't be 100% gluten-free due to the inclusion of wheat in most fast food burgers and sandwiches, often cooked in shared fryers. These fryers may contain other gluten additives as well due to cross-contamination. However, if a fast food joint is dedicated to completely gluten-free fryers, then you can safely order and enjoy. These are the precautions that Chick-fil-A, Five Guys, and In-N-Out all take.

While the fries are not necessarily promoted or marketed as gluten-free (there is always potential for human error), looking at the respective allergen guides reveals that none of them contain gluten. In-N-Out's website states that its strangely controversial fries are cooked in 100% sunflower oil, while Five Guys' website notes that its fries are cooked in "refined peanut oil using fryers that cook absolutely nothing else." Similarly, Chick-fil-A's website expresses that the chain cooks its fries in canola oil, also using separate fryers.

Unfortunately for McDonald's or Burger King fans, the fries at these chains are cooked in shared fryers, so they would be unsafe for gluten-free goers. Burger King shares the fryers with its breaded onion rings and chicken nuggets. Additionally, McDonald's famously uses a "natural beef flavoring" to enhance its fries, which, according to the chain's website, contains "wheat and milk derivatives".

As far as other fast food restaurants go, Shake Shack tries its best to accommodate a gluten-free diet but also claims that there is a high chance for cross-contamination as the fries share the same fryer as gluten items, such as the Chicken Shack and its Shroom Burgers. If you are craving fast food fries from places that do not utilize separate fryers, you can always make them at home with the various copycat recipes out there. One of the basics of making these addictive fast food fries is to follow McDonald's footsteps by using various types of potatoes.

Of course, Chick-fil-A, In-N-Out, and Five Guys can provide more than enough enjoyment for those who need to stay strict in their gluten-free diet. Chick-fil-A fries include a pea starch coating that helps them retain their crispiness, though some customers want it out of the waffle fries altogether. Additionally, In-N-Out's iconic animal-style fries are gluten-free, though be sure to double-check that the onions aren't cooked on a contaminated griddle. Over at Five Guys, gluten-free fries are always in abundance at the bottom of the bag, like a gift that keeps on giving.