Everything gluten free at Burger King in the UK 🍔👑

This blog was last updated in March 2024 🍔👑

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• ❗Before we start, this is very important…

• 🍔 Flame Grilled Burgers

• 🐔 Crispy & Tender Chicken

• 🥗 Veggie & More

• 🍟 Sides

• King Jr. Meals

• 🍨 Sweet Treats

• Drinks & Coffee

• Extras

• RECAP!

❗Before we start, this is very important…

Burger King UK doesn’t advertise that they offer gluten free options and that’s likely down to the fact that, similar to most fast food restaurants, due to the size and the way they run their kitchens, even if they did have gluten free options, they just can’t rule out the chances of cross-contamination.

That’s understandable, and like I always say, I’d rather somewhere declare those risks themselves than them not be considered. However, I do wonder how their restaurants in other countries can offer gluten free when they’re probably set up in a very similar way… 🤷🏼‍♀️

Last year in Spain for example, I had a gluten free cheeseburger meal from Burger King and what a treat it was to grab some gluten free fast food on the go! So many UK gluten free foodies are begging for places like Burger King, McDonald’s etc to offer safe, gluten free meals but it doesn’t seem to be seen as a high priority change. ☹️

Before you get your hopes up, I’ll warn you now that if you have coeliac disease, it’s not good news; Burger King really doesn’t cater for those sticking to a strict gluten free diet. 🙄🙄

Ultimately, you’re the only person that can decide whether you’re happy and confident to eat at Burger King knowing the risks. We’re here to give you a breakdown of everything that is, or can be made, gluten free so that you can make an informed decision. All of the information in this blog has been taken from the official UK Burger King allergy matrix and has been split out into the following categories:

✅ Gluten free without any mention of ‘may contains’ on the Burger King allergen menu

⚠️ May contain gluten from either shared cooking equipment in the kitchens (fryers, flame grilling equipment etc) or from a supplier that has reported a real risk of cross-contact on their production line

❌ Ingredients include wheat, barley, rye, oats or spelt so not gluten free

To clarify, this is for UK Burger King only and this should be used as a guide and not an official allergen matrix because menus and ingredients change all the time. Use this link for the official UK Burger King allergen guide.

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So, let’s see if you can really ‘have it your way’ when eating at Burger King… 🤔

🍔 Flame Grilled Burgers

Unlike Burger King in countries like Spain, UK restaurants don’t offer the option of ordering any of their burgers on a gluten free bun, so as expected, all of the following beef burgers are marked on the official allergen matrix as containing gluten:

❌ Bacon Double Cheeseburger - contains wheat
❌ Bacon Double Cheese XL - contains wheat
❌ Cheeseburger - contains wheat
❌ Double Cheeseburger - contains wheat
❌ Double Whopper - contains wheat
❌ Hamburger - contains wheat
❌ Memphis BBQ King - contains wheat
❌ Memphis BBQ King Double - contains wheat
❌ Peppercorn Angus - contains wheat
❌ Steakhouse Angus - contains wheat
❌ Whopper - contains wheat

However, what about ordering the burger without the bun so those gluten free can enjoy a bun-less burger or take their own gluten free bun to substitute? The important thing to note here is that not all burgers would be gluten free even without the bun because of sauces and toppings so always check each ingredient. Furthermore, Burger King mark their beef patties as a ‘may contain’ for gluten due to the potential of cross-contamination from shared equipment like the grill and some of their sauces like ketchup are marked as ‘may contain’ from the supplier so not recommended for those with coeliac disease.

You’ll also need to bear in mind that human error is possible from time to time and if, for example, you decided to opt for a cheeseburger without the bun (to make it gluten free*), someone could put the patty on the bun, realise it’s supposed to be bun-less so then takes it back off, but at that point it’s contaminated with gluten. 😰

The following burgers would be gluten free* when ordered without the bun but again, remember that the patties are a may contain and some sauces are too:

⚠️ Bacon Double Cheeseburger - patty is a may contain
⚠️ Bacon Double Cheese XL - patty is a may contain
⚠️ Cheeseburger - patty is a may contain as well as the ketchup
⚠️ Double Cheeseburger - patty is a may contain as well as the ketchup
⚠️ Double Whopper - patty is a may contain as well as the ketchup
⚠️ Hamburger - patty is a may contain as well as the ketchup
⚠️ Whopper - patty is a may contain as well as the ketchup

The following burgers cannot be gluten free even when ordered without the bun because they contain other ingredients that contain gluten.

❌ Memphis BBQ King - onion rings contain wheat
❌ Memphis BBQ King Double - onion rings contain wheat
❌ Peppercorn Angus - peppercorn mayo contains wheat
❌ Steakhouse Angus - crispy onions contain wheat

⚠️ Coeliacs need to consider several cross-contamination risks when ordering a burger without the bun - the burger, the sauces and the general cross-contamination. Is it worth it?

‘Gluten free*’ refers to an item which has no gluten containing ingredients but may contain gluten from cross-contamination in the kitchens and/or from the suppliers.

🐔 Crispy & Tender Chicken

Look away now gluten free peeps because all of the chicken options at Burger King contain gluten. In addition to the seeded buns containing wheat, the chicken patties and nuggets are all coated in a gluten batter so even if you remove the bun, they are still not safe.

❌Chicken Nuggets - contain wheat
❌ Chicken Royale - contains wheat
❌ Chicken Royale Bacon & Cheese - contains wheat
❌ Doritos Tangy Cheese Chicken Fries - contain wheat & barley
❌ Memphis BBQ King Chicken - contains wheat
❌ Peppercorn Crispy Chicken - contains wheat
❌ Steakhouse Crispy Chicken - contains wheat

🥗 Veggie & More

Unfortunately, if you’re looking for a gluten free vegetarian or vegan option at Burger King, you’ll be disappointed. Yes they do have the Bean Burgers, the Vegan Royale and the Vegan Nuggets, but like the chicken options, they all contain gluten even when you order without the bun.

❌ The Ultimate Bean Burger (Vegetarian) - contains wheat, barley, rye, oats & spelt
❌ The Ultimate Bean Burger (Vegan) - contains wheat, barley, rye, oats & spelt
❌ Vegan Royale - contains wheat & oats
❌ Vegan Nuggets - contains wheat & oats

🍟 Sides

Unlike McDonald’s UK, who state that they have a dedicated fryer for their fries which are gluten free (depending on whether the branch use re-filtered oil), Burger King make everyone aware that although they have separate fryer vats for different products, they share an oil filtration system which creates a risk of cross- contact when the oil passes through the filter.

This means that although the Fries and Loaded King Fries don’t actually contain any gluten ingredients, they’re coming into contact with gluten via the shared oil and therefore not safe for anyone with coeliac disease. For those who avoid gluten for other reasons, the fries could be an option for you at Burger King as long as you’re okay with the cross-contamination risk.

Aside from the fries, all of the other side dishes contain gluten.

⚠️ Fries - may contain gluten via shared equipment
⚠️ Loaded King Fries - may contain gluten via shared equipment
⚠️ Loaded King Fries with Bacon - may contain gluten via shared equipment
❌ Chicken Nuggets - contain wheat
❌ Chilli Cheese Bites - contain wheat
❌ Doritos Tangy Cheese Chicken Fries - contain wheat & barley
❌ Onion Rings - contain wheat
❌ Peppercorn Loaded King Fries - contain wheat
❌ Sharer Box - contains wheat & barley
❌ Vegan Nuggets - contain wheat & oats

👶🏼 King Jr. Meals

So similar to what we’ve already seen with the adult sized options, none of the kids meals are gluten free. Like we explained in the burger section, the kids Cheeseburger Meal and Hamburger Meal could potentially be made gluten free* when ordered without the bun but remember that there are still equipment and supplier cross-contamination risks that come with it. The Chicken Nuggets and Vegan Nuggets both have a gluten coating so these are definitely not gluten free.

❌ Kids Cheeseburger Meal
❌ Kids Chicken Nugget Meal
❌ Kids Hamburger Meal
❌ Kids Vegan Nugget Meal

‘Gluten free*’ refers to an item which has no gluten containing ingredients but may contain gluten from cross-contamination in the kitchens and/or from the suppliers.

🍨 Sweet Treats

Finally, something for coeliacs! But probably not what you’d be going to Burger King for. The Caramel Chew Chew flavour of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream is gluten free without any ‘may contain’ warnings but watch out, because the other flavours aren’t. The standard Burger King milkshakes are also gluten free and not marked with any cross-contamination warnings on the Burger King allergen matrix.

✅ Ben & Jerry’s Caramel Chew Chew
✅ Chocolate Milkshake
✅ Strawberry Milkshake
✅ Vanilla Milkshake
❌ Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Fudge Brownie - contains wheat & barley
❌ Ben & Jerry’s Cookie Dough - contains wheat
❌ Oreo Fusion - contains wheat

☕ Drinks & Coffee

Now this one really got me. You’d think that if all else fails you could treat yourself to a hot drink at a Burger King but no no no. Yes, the soft drinks are gluten free but the hot drinks have either a ‘may contain’ supplier warning or they actually contain gluten! The Hot Chocolate and Mocha are the hot drinks that contain gluten so not suitable for anyone on a gluten free diet.

✅ Bottled Water
✅ Coca-Cola
✅ Fanta
✅Frozen Fanta Lemon
✅Frozen Strawberry Fanta
✅ Semi-skimmed Milk
✅ Sprite Zero
⚠️ Americano - may contain gluten from supplier
⚠️ Cappuccino - may contain gluten from supplier
⚠️ Espresso - may contain gluten from supplier
⚠️ Flat White - may contain gluten from supplier
⚠️ Latte - may contain gluten from supplier
⚠️ Tea - may contain gluten from supplier
❌ Hot Chocolate - contains gluten
❌ Mocha - contains gluten

🥫🧀🥓🧅 Extras 🥬🥒🍅🥖

Finally, here’s a list of the sauces, extras, salads, patties & buns and whether they are gluten free, may contain or contain wheat, barley, rye or oats and therefore not suitable for anyone gluten free. You’ll find this useful if you want to order a beef burger without the bun, but need to check the other fillings to make sure they don’t contain any gluten.

Sauces

✅ Cheddar Cheese Sauce
✅ Chimichurri Sauce
✅ Mayonnaise
✅ Mustard
⚠️ BBQ Dip Pot - may contain gluten from supplier
⚠️ Ketchup - may contain gluten from supplier
⚠️ Smokey BBQ Sauce - may contain gluten from supplier
❌ Hot Chilli Sauce - contains wheat
❌ Peppercorn Mayo - contains wheat

Extras

✅ American Cheese Slice
✅ Back Bacon
✅ Diced Bacon
✅ Oak Smoked Cheese Slice
✅ Streaky Bacon
✅ Sweet Caramelised Onions
❌ Onion Rings - contain wheat

Salad

✅ Lettuce
✅ Onion Slice
✅ Pickles
✅ Rocket Leaves
✅ Tomato Slice
❌ Crispy Onions - contain wheat

Patties

⚠️ Angus Beef Patty - may contain gluten via shared equipment
⚠️ Hamburger Patty - may contain gluten via shared equipment
⚠️ Whopper Patty - may contain gluten via shared equipment
❌ Bean Patty - contains wheat, barley, rye, oats & spelt
❌ Chicken Melts Patty - contains wheat & barley
❌ Chicken Royale Patty - contains wheat
❌ Crispy Chicken Patty - contains wheat
❌ Plant Based Whopper Patty - contains wheat & oats
❌ Vegan Royale Patty - contains wheat & oats

Buns

❌ Sesame Seed Buns - contain wheat
❌ Vegan Brioche Style Bun - contain wheat

RECAP!

So, if you’re coeliac or someone with a gluten intolerance who doesn’t risk ‘may contain’, then you’re best giving Burger King a miss and going somewhere else. Don’t give Burger King your custom when all you can walk out with is a soft drink and some ice cream! But if you are gluten intolerant and okay with cross-contamination, then maybe you’ll try it for yourself. Ultimately, it’s a decision you’ll need to make as to whether you feel comfortable eating from Burger King considering the risks.

Here are the main points to recap:

⚠️ Pretty much everything on the menu contains gluten or has cross-contamination warnings for gluten - even the ketchup!
⚠️ Some beef burgers can be ordered without the bun to be gluten free* but still have risks of cross-contamination
⚠️ Burger King have separate fryers but they share the same oil filtration system so avoiding cross-contamination isn’t possible for fried food
⚠️ Always make your server aware of your intolerance/allergy when ordering so that they can put extra measures in place if possible, when preparing your food

‘Gluten free*’ refers to an item which has no gluten containing ingredients but may contain gluten from cross-contamination in the kitchens and/or from the suppliers.

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❗This was last updated in March 2024 - please note that the Burger King menu and allergen information can change at any time so use this as a guide but always double check the official UK Burger King allergen guide. ❗

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