Firehouse Subs Gluten-free Menu Items

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

Note: I am a proud Amazon, Chomps, MunkPack, and Thrive Market affiliate and am happy to recommend their service and products to you. Please know that as an affiliate, I may receive a small commission on the products you purchase after clicking through my links. For more info, please see my disclosure policy here.

Firehouse Subs is a popular chain sandwich restaurant that you may have visited or are curious to visit. They’re known for their subs sandwiches and salads.

If you follow a gluten-free diet, you’ve probably heard that Firehouse Subs offers gluten-free bread. You may be curious about whether or not it’s safe to enjoy a gluten-free sandwich from this sandwich shop when there’s so much bread with gluten around.

In this post, we’re going to dive into the Firehouse Subs menu and discuss how this chain restaurant handles gluten-free orders, as well as what you need to know about their gluten-free bread.

We’ll also go over some basics on gluten, where you’ll find gluten in many different foods, and most importantly where gluten is often hidden in restaurants and other sandwich shops.

Let’s talk about Firehouse Subs!

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.

Firehouse Subs allergen statement

The allergen statement is located on their Special Diets Wizard. Here is the part in their Nutrition & Allergen Notice related to gluten and other allergens:

“Although efforts are made to avoid cross-contact of allergens, Firehouse Subs does not guarantee that cross-contact with allergens will not occur. Before placing your order, please inform your server if you or anyone in your party has a food allergy.”

You will want to review this statement if you also need to avoid soy in your diet as there is extra information about this allergen.

What you need to know about the gluten-free options at Firehouse Subs

Firehouse Subs has an interactive allergen tool. You can choose from eggs, fish, gluten, milk, MSG, nitrates, peanuts, seeds, shellfish, soy, sulfites, tree nuts, and wheat in the tool to help you make informed decisions about what menu items will work best for you and your diet.

Firehouse Subs does not offer any gluten-free bread options or guarantee that the food you order will be gluten-free due to cross contamination. They may make efforts to reduce the potential for cross contact, but they don’t guarantee it.

That said, most of the sandwich options are off the table. You may choose from a few of their Chopped Salad and Soup options. Many of the sub sandwich toppings and fillings don’t contain gluten ingredients, but as far as I can tell, there’s no way to order these without bread.

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.

Firehouse Subs Gluten-free Menu Items

The information listed here is from the Firehouse Subs Special Diets Menu and interactive tool on their website. I choose “gluten” and “wheat” as allergens to get the menu items I’ve listed here.

Chopped Salads

• Chopped Hook & Ladder Salad
• Firehouse Chopped Salad, No Meat
• Firehouse Chopped Salad with Grilled Chicken
• Firehouse Chopped Salad with Ham
• Firehouse Chopped Salad with Turkey
• Firehouse Chopped Side Salad
• Italian Chopped Salad with Grilled Chicken Salad

Salad Add-On Toppings

• Banana Peppers
• Black Olives Add-On
• Jalapeno Peppers

Salad Dressings

• Balsamic Dressing
• Honey Mustard Dressing
• Italian Dressing
• Light Italian Dressing
• Oil & Vinegar
• Peppercorn Ranch

Soups

• Broccoli & Cheese Soup
• Chili

Sides & Chips

• Chili
• Coleslaw
• Pickle Spear

Catering Salad Platters

• Catering Salad Chopped
• Catering Salad Chopped Deluxe Chicken
• Catering Salad Chopped Deluxe Ham
• Catering Salad Chopped Deluxe Tuna Salad
• Catering Salad Chopped Deluxe Turkey
• Catering Salad Platter

Sub Cheese

• Cheddar Cheese
• Feta Cheese
• Monterey Jack Cheese
• Pepper Jack Cheese
• Provolone Cheese
• Swiss Cheese

Sub Meats

• Chicken Breast
• Oven Roasted Chicken
• Pepper Bacon
• Pepperoni
• Salami
• Sauteed USDA Choice Steak
• Seared Seasoned Sliced Beef Rib
• Smoked Honey Ham
• Smoked Turkey Breast Roast
• Tuna Salad
• USDA Choice Beef Brisket
• USDA Choice Corned Beef Brisket
• USDA Choice Pastrami
• USDA Choice Roast Beef

Sub Toppings

• Au Jus Bell Peppers
• Au Jus Mushrooms
• Avocado
• Black Olives
• Caramelized Onions
• Cherry Pepper Rings
• Chopped Green Peppers
• Chopped Pickle Spear
• Coleslaw
• Cucumber
• Iceberg Lettuce
• Onion
• Pickle Spear
• Sliced Pepperoncini
• Tomato

Sub Condiments

• Balsamic Dressing
• Cajun Mayo
• Cajun Seasoning
• Captain Sorensen’s Datil Pepper Hot Sauce
• Garlic Blend
• Honey Mustard
• Italian Salad Dressing
• Italian Seasoning
• Jerk Mustard
• Light Mayonnaise
• Marinara Sauce
• Mayonnaise
• Peppercorn Ranch Dressing
• Spicy Mustard
• Sriracha Sauce
• Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce
• Sweet Mustard

Sub Add-On Toppings

• Banana Peppers
• Black Olives Add-On
• Jalapeno Peppers
• Oil and Vinegar Dressing

If you enjoy Firehouse Subs sandwiches and have been wondering if this is a place you can frequent for lunch or a quick dinner while sticking with your gluten-free diet, I hope this information has been helpful for you.

Though none of the sandwiches come on gluten-free bread, many of the fillings and toppings contain no gluten. Choose from one of their Chopped Salads or Soups that have no gluten ingredients if you plan to visit this restaurant. 

However, keep in mind that even if these dishes may not contain gluten ingredients, there is still a chance for cross contamination during the preparation of these menu items.

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!

If you loved this post, I hope that you’ll share it with your friends on Facebook and pin it for future reference on Pinterest.

More Gluten-free Restaurant Menu Items

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.

• Gluten-free Fast Food: Options from Major Chains
• Gluten and Dairy-free Diet: 4 Restaurant Tips
• Applebee’s Gluten-free Menu Items
• Arby’s Gluten-free Menu Items
• Blaze Pizza Gluten-free Menu Items
• Boston Market Gluten-free Menu Items
• Buffalo Wild Wings Gluten-free Menu Items
• Burger King Gluten-free Menu Items
• California Pizza Kitchen Gluten-free Menu Items
• Cheesecake Factory Gluten-free Menu Items
• Chick-Fil-A Gluten-free Menu Items
• Chilis Gluten-free Menu Items
• Chipotle Gluten-free Menu Items
• Cracker Barrel Gluten-free Menu Items
• Crumbl Cookies Gluten-free Menu Items
• Culver’s Gluten-free Menu Items
• Denny’s Gluten-free Menu Items
• Domino’s Gluten-free Menu Items
• Dunkin Donuts Gluten-free Menu Items
• Einstein Bros Bagels Gluten-free Menu Items
• Firehouse Subs Gluten-free Menu Items
• First Watch Gluten-free Menu Items
• Five Guys Gluten-free Menu Items
• IHOP Gluten-free Menu Items
• Jack In The Box Gluten-free Menu Items

• Jimmy John’s Gluten-free Menu Items
• KFC Gluten-free Menu Items
• Little Caesar’s Gluten-free Menu Items
• Longhorn Steakhouse Gluten-free Menu Items
• McDonald’s Gluten-free Menu Items
• MOD Pizza Gluten-free Menu Items
• Nothing Bundt Cakes Gluten-free Menu Items
• Olive Garden Gluten-free Menu Items
• Outback Steakhouse Gluten-free Menu Items
• Panda Express Gluten-free Menu Items
• Panera Gluten-free Menu Items
• Papa Johns Gluten-free Menu Items
• Papa Murphy’s Gluten-free Menu Items
• P.F. Chang’s Gluten-free Menu Items
• Pizza Hut Gluten-free Menu Items
• Qdoba Gluten-free Menu Items
• Red Lobster Gluten-free Menu Items
• Red Robin Gluten-free Menu Items
• Ruby Tuesday Gluten-free Menu Items
• Shake Shack Gluten-free Menu Items
• Smashburger Gluten-free Menu Items
• Sonic Gluten-free Menu Items
• Starbucks Gluten-free Menu Items
• Subway Gluten-free Menu Items
• Taco Bell Gluten-free Menu Items
• Texas Roadhouse Gluten-free Menu Items
• Wendy’s Gluten-free Menu Items
• Whataburger Gluten-free Menu Items
• Wingstop Gluten-free Menu Items