Denny's Gluten-free Menu Items - Rachael Roehmholdt

Find out what menu items from Denny’s do not contain gluten and what you need to know about their gluten-free options.

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Denny’s is a popular diner that has restaurants in so many locations, making it easy to find one wherever you find yourself in the U.S. while looking for a meal for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Many are even open 24 hours a day!

If you have wondered if this restaurant has gluten-free options, you’re in the right place. In this post, we’re going to dig into the menu from Denny’s and get a line-by-line item of what you can order from this diner restaurant.

Plus, we’ll talk about how Denny’s handles allergens in their kitchens and what you need to know about their allergen statement. We’ll also talk about the basics of gluten in restaurants and where you need to be careful if you are Celiac or have a gluten sensitivity.

What is gluten?

Gluten is a protein found in most wheat products, and acts as the “glue” that helps to hold wheat, barley, kamut, spelt, farro, durum, bulgur, rye, and semolina together to maintain their shape.

Gluten is naturally occurring, and therefore is impossible to strip away from the grain. If a grain naturally has gluten in it, there’s no way to make that food gluten-free.

Where can you find gluten in food?

Gluten can be found in the form of wheat and grain products, like bread or flour in the more obvious places.

You can also find gluten as a binding ingredient, an ingredient added for texture like to make a food more crispy, or as a thickening agent.

Where can you find gluten in restaurants?

Depending on the restaurant you’re visiting, you may find gluten in a variety of places.

At fast food restaurants, there will be gluten in hamburger buns, the breading of crispy chicken sandwiches or chicken nuggets, some French fries, salad dressings, croutons on salad, and chili or soup options.

At other restaurants, you’ll find gluten in flour in sauces, in pizza or other pastry dough, pasta, and as a thickener in some soups.

Where gluten is found in the menu items will vary from restaurant to restaurant. That’s why it’s always a good idea to review menus from home, and see if you can find any allergen information before you get to the restaurant itself.

Being able to review nutritional information and allergen statements before visiting a fast food restaurant can be the difference between ordering something that you think is safe for your gluten-free diet and getting sick.

Being knowledgeable about what specific menu items you’ll be able to eat without any worries of later reactions is crucial to sticking with your gluten-free diet.

Denny’s allergen statement

Denny’s shares how they handle allergens in their kitchens on their FAQ page of their website. This is what they say in response to the question “Does Denny’s have Gluten Free Items?”

“GF indicated food options that are Gluten Free on our menu. Items marked as GF meet the FDA specified definition of less than 20 parts per million for a gluten free claim.

Please note that our restaurants are not set up as a strictly gluten free environment. Due to shared preparation and cooking areas in our kitchens and the risk of cross-contact, we cannot guarantee that any item is free of any allergen.”

This note is also on all their menus, so you can be on the lookout for this if you find yourself in this restaurant.

What you need to know about the gluten-free menu items at Denny’s

There are few options at Denny’s that are considered to have no gluten ingredients, and none are considered to be truly “gluten-free.” There is a high risk of cross contamination and they make this clear on their website and all their menus.

Though there is this risk, Denny’s calls out the options that they know don’t have gluten-containing ingredients on their menus with a “GF” next to the menu item. You can look for this on their menus in the restaurant, website, or in the list here in this blog post.

What to know about cross contamination at restaurants

Most fast food and carryout restaurants are not considered gluten-free establishments so it’s useful to keep this in mind when making decisions about where to go and what to order.

It’s important to know that even if a fast food restaurant claims that their menu items do not contain gluten, that the possibility and probability of gluten in their products is going to be high if there is even one menu item with gluten available.

Depending on your level of sensitivity to gluten, this can be make or break information for you.

If you are Celiac and are allergic to trace amounts of gluten, you’ll likely want to avoid most fast food restaurants that offer any bread products or French fries that are cooked in a shared fryer with other gluten-containing ingredients.

If you are not sensitive to gluten at the trace level and have adverse reactions to gluten due to a food intolerance, you may decide that these trace amounts of gluten from cross contamination are worth risking for a quick, easy, and convenient food option.

Being aware of how you have reacted to gluten in your diet in the past and how much gluten it takes for your body to react is useful knowledge when it comes to situations like these.

Use your best judgment about what you know about your body, how you react to gluten, and what the risks are for you specifically.

Denny’s Gluten-free Menu Items

The information listed here are the menu items that are not necessarily gluten-free, as Denny’s makes it clear that there is a risk of cross contamination in their kitchens.

That said, their menu item calls out “GF” options that do not have gluten-containing ingredients for folks like us who need to avoid gluten.

Keep in mind if you are Celiac or extremely sensitive to gluten and cannot tolerate any amounts from cross contamination, that you should avoid this restaurant.

Beverages

Soft Drinks
Signature Diner Blend Coffee
Hot Tea
Hot Chocolate
Fresh Brewed Iced Tea
Minute Maid Lemonade
Smoothies
Juice
Milk

Burgers

None of the Burgers from Denny’s are considered safe for a gluten-free diet.

Classic Breakfasts

None of the Classic Breakfast menu options from Denny’s are considered safe for a gluten-free diet.

Classic Dinners

Crazy Spicy Bowl

Desserts

None of the Dessert menu options from Denny’s are considered safe for a gluten-free diet.

All Day Diner Deals

None of the All Day Diner Deals menu options from Denny’s are considered safe for a gluten-free diet.

Family Packs

None of the Family Packs menu options from Denny’s are considered safe for a gluten-free diet.

Kids

Jr. Milk Shake

Melts & Handhelds

None of the Melts & Handhelds menu options from Denny’s are considered safe for a gluten-free diet.

Omelettes

None of the Omelettes menu options from Denny’s are considered safe for a gluten-free diet.

Pancakes & Crepes

None of the Pancakes & Crepes menu options from Denny’s are considered safe for a gluten-free diet.

Salads

Cobb Salad

Slams

None of the Slams menu options from Denny’s are considered safe for a gluten-free diet.

Starters

Zesty Nachos

Sides

Seasonal Fruit
Egg
Bacon
Sausage
Grilled Ham Slice
Wavy Cut French Fries

55+

None of the 55+ menu options from Denny’s are considered safe for a gluten-free diet.

Milk Shakes

Milk Shakes

If you find yourself considering eating at a Denny’s and wondering if there are any options for you and your gluten-free diet, I hope this information has helped clarify if this is going to be a good choice for you.

Remember that none of the menu items from Denny’s are truly gluten-free and there is always a risk of gluten cross contact in the kitchens during preparation.

Looking for more information on gluten-free restaurants?

Be sure to check out my Gluten-free Restaurants post or get all the information in one place with my Gluten-free Restaurant Guide!

Make dining out easier with the Gluten-free Restaurant Guide

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More Gluten-free Restaurant Menu Items

Gluten-free menu items from popular restaurants

If you’re looking at other popular restaurants and wondering what gluten-free menu items they offer, be sure to check out my Gluten-free Restaurant Guide. I’ve outlined all the gluten-free options from 45+ popular restaurants and fast food chains.

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