• Home
• Eating Out Guides

The Complete Denny’s Gluten-Free Menu Guide For 2025

With its hearty selection of 24-hour classic diner and breakfast specials, our Denny’s gluten-free menu uncovers which dishes are and aren’t safe for celiacs.

Eating out at any classic diner often feels like walking into a gluten minefield if you have celiac disease, with wheat pancakes and waffles just ready and waiting to ambush you! 🥞🧇🍳

However, if you’re hungry for some very early morning skillets, burgers, and even some sweet treats on the side, you actually might find some celiac-safe options over at Denny’s. 🍔

Over the past few years alone, Denny’s has been expanding their menu to accommodate folks like me, trying to avoid wheat and gluten, and they have a decent-sized gluten-free menu.

Granted, the Denny’s gluten-free menu isn’t huge, but here and there, you might find a few of their specially-crafted omelets, skillets, steaks, and nachos, among a few other safe options!

So, with that out of the way, let’s take a closer look at the Denny’s gluten-free menu and see which dishes are and aren’t safe for celiacs like us! 🥩🥚🧀

---

Disclaimer

Still, one very important thing to bear in mind is that even Denny’s themselves will admit that celiacs should still be extremely careful and be mindful when dining out at Denny’s. 👩‍🍳🌾

Denny’s kitchens handle wheat, barley, and rye in shared fryers, grills, ovens, and prep areas, so there’s not a single menu item that’s guaranteed 100% free from cross-contamination. 😷

There are some menu items at Denny’s that are marked as ‘gluten-free’ and they do meet the FDA’s <20 ppm gluten limit, but Denny’s doesn’t operate a dedicated gluten-free kitchen.

This means that even those menu items that don’t technically contain any wheat or gluten in the ingredients could still pick up trace gluten and wheat in the kitchen, so be wary. ❗❗❗

Plus, I’ve learned that their gravies, sauces, and sautés often use meat drippings or even roux that contains wheat, so always double-check the ingredients list and their allergen guide.

Depending on how sensitive you are as a celiac or your gluten allergies, I’d recommend going to your local Denny’s and ordering with an abundance of caution, just to be safe. ✍📝

---

Denny’s Allergen Policy (Gluten-Free)

Ah, and speaking of, Denny’s has a couple of handy resources on their website for celiacs like me to read up and figure out what I could or couldn’t safely eat, without a trip to the ER:

• For starters, they have a pretty detailed Nutrition Guide PDF file, where you can find specifics like how many calories, fat, cholesterol, carbs, protein, and other nutritional data are in each menu item. This won’t help us as celiacs, but it might help you plan your meals ahead.
• Other than that, you can also find their Allergen Guide PDF file, where they’ve listed each and every single allergen contained in each menu item, such as egg, fish, milk, nuts, and more. On this page, for celiacs, what you need to look out for are the ‘wheat’ and ‘gluten’ columns.

You could then use this to filter out what you can or can’t safely eat, if you’re a celiac or if you have severe gluten allergies (or if you’re allergic to anything else, too). ✅⚠️ ❌

I should mention that the Denny’s gluten-free allergen guide marks it as ‘X’ if it’s confirmed to contain wheat or gluten, or ‘◊’ if it may contain them or has a high cross-contact risk.

And hey, while you are on their website, you could also check out their ‘Gluten-Free Breakfast Options‘ blog post as an official guide on how to stay safe while ordering as a celiac.

I also like the fact that when you browse through the Denny’s online menu, you can even filter out menu items and dishes that are marked as ‘gluten-free friendly’.

With that out of the way, let’s start off our Denny’s gluten-free guide and menu with what I’m sure is no doubt their signature menu item – their Classic Slams!

---

Classic Slams

Now, there’s not a huge amount of celiac-safe menu items here in the Classic Slams section of our Denny’s gluten-free menu, as most of them have pancakes, waffles, or French Toast.

According to the official Denny’s gluten-free allergen guide, their pancakes, waffles, and their iconic French Toast all contain gluten and wheat, leaving you with few choices. 🥞🧇🍞

❌ Salted Caramel Banana Pancake Slam
❌ Salted Caramel Banana Stuffed French Toast Slam
❌ Salted Caramel Banana Waffle Slam
❌ Berry Waffle Slam
❌ Waffle Slam
❌ Berry Stuffed French Toast Slam
❌ French Toast Slam
❌ Lumberjack Slam
❌ All-American Slam
❌ Original Grand Slam
⚠️ Build Your Own Grand Slam
❌ Super Slam
❌ Everyday Value Slam
⚠️ Fit Slam

So, with that in mind, let’s break down these Classic Slams to see how each one stacks up in my personal Denny’s gluten-free shortlist:

Salted Caramel Banana Pancake Slam: It contains two buttermilk pancakes (wheat flour) plus eggs, bacon, and banana, making it unsafe for celiacs.

Salted Caramel Banana Stuffed French Toast Slam: It features some French toast slices (wheat bread) stuffed with bananas, which is also unsafe.

Salted Caramel Banana Waffle Slam: It includes a waffle (wheat flour) alongside eggs and bacon, so it’s another unsafe choice for celiacs, thanks to that waffle.

Berry Waffle Slam: Waffle (wheat) topped with berries plus eggs and sausage, and once again, the waffle is not gluten-free and not safe for celiacs.

Waffle Slam: Plain waffle (wheat) with eggs, bacon & sausage, and unfortunately, there’s no celiac-safe and gluten-free waffle substitute.

Berry Stuffed French Toast Slam: French toast (wheat bread) stuffed with fruit, and like all the other French Toast dishes here, it’s not safe for celiacs.

French Toast Slam: Two slices of French toast (wheat) with eggs and meat, though the French Toast makes it not gluten-free.

Lumberjack Slam: Pancakes, French toast, eggs, sausage, bacon, plus hash browns, and there are multiple wheat components, making it unsafe.

All-American Slam: Eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, and your choice of bread. Sadly, last I checked, Denny’s no longer offers gluten-free or gluten-friendly bread versions, now making it unsafe for celiacs.

Original Grand Slam: Three buttermilk pancakes + eggs + bacon + sausage, though it’s unsafe due to the pancakes.

Build Your Own Grand Slam: Mix-and-match elements, so if you choose the eggs, bacon, or sausage, hash browns, and other gluten-free or gluten-friendly items, you can make it a bit safer for celiacs, but cross-contamination remains quite severe.

Super Slam: Pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, ham, hash browns, though it’s not safe for any celiacs out there, as their pancakes contain wheat and gluten.

Everyday Value Slam: Two eggs, two bacon or sausage, hash browns, your choice of bread. It might be possible to opt for gluten-free or gluten-friendly bread in the past, but as of today, I can’t find celiac-safe versions for this anymore.

Fit Slam: Two scrambled egg whites, a fresh fruit cup, turkey bacon, and an English Muffin, which also avoids wheat in the eggs and bacon, but the English Muffin has wheat and gluten when looking at the official Denny’s allergen guide, so see if you could omit them.

All in all, the only Classic Slams that qualify for the Denny’s gluten-free menu are their Build Your Own Grand Slam and the Fit Slam, but with so much cross-contact, I would be extremely cautious when ordering, likely even hesitant, especially as a celiac. 🥓🍳🌭

---

Specialty Pancakes & Crepes

On that note, as a celiac, you aren’t going to find anything safe in this next part of our Denny’s gluten-free guide, either, with their pretty tasty-looking Specialty Pancakes & Crepes. 🥞🍓

Just like their waffles and French Toasts from earlier, Denny’s pancakes and crepes are all built with classic wheat-flour batters and fillings, making all of them unsafe for celiacs. 🍯

❌ Cinnamon Roll Pancake Slam
❌ Choconana Pancake Slam
❌ Double Berry Banana Pancake Slam
❌ Berry Vanilla Crepe Breakfast
❌ Maple Stuffed Donut Holes
❌ Stack of Salted Caramel Banana Pancakes
❌ Stack of Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
❌ Stack of Choconana Pancakes
❌ Stack of Double Berry Banana Strawberry Pancakes
❌ Hearty 9-Grain Pancake Slam

To see why these didn’t make it into our Denny’s gluten-free menu, let’s take a closer look at what each of these Specialty Pancakes & Crepes is made of:

Cinnamon Roll Pancake Slam: Cinnamon-roll flavored pancakes made with wheat flour batter, topped with icing swirl, so it’s not safe for celiacs.

Choconana Pancake Slam: Chocolate-banana pancakes (wheat flour) served with eggs and bacon, which is also unsafe thanks to that pancake.

Double Berry Banana Pancake Slam: Pancakes studded with berries and banana, all wheat-based, and as with any pancake-based meal, it contains gluten.

Berry Vanilla Crepe Breakfast: Delicate crepes (wheat flour) filled with berries and vanilla cream, though unfortunately, Denny’s crepes all contain gluten.

Maple Stuffed Donut Holes: Bite-sized doughnut holes made out of wheat flour, filled with maple cream, which is sadly not safe for celiacs.

Stack of Salted Caramel Banana Pancakes: Three pancakes (wheat) topped with caramel and banana, and like all the other pancake dishes here, it’s not safe.

Stack of Cinnamon Roll Pancakes: Pancakes swirled with cinnamon sugar and icing, and it’s unsafe for celiacs, like the other pancakes here, too.

Stack of Choconana Pancakes: Pancakes blended with chocolate and banana, and once again, it’s not safe for celiacs, owing to that wheat-filled pancake.

Stack of Double Berry Banana Strawberry Pancakes: Pancakes loaded with berries and banana, which, again, is not safe for celiacs.

Hearty 9-Grain Pancake Slam: Three hearty 9-grain pancakes made using a multigrain flour blend, served with eggs and bacon, and it contains wheat grains, so it’s unsafe for celiacs.

Overall, with a combination of wheat-flour-based pancakes or crepes, as well as those donuts, in addition to cross-contamination risks on top of that, this is a no-go for celiacs. 🍩🌾

---

Signature Breakfasts

Finally, if you’re a celiac, you may actually be able to find something relatively safe in this next bit of our Denny’s gluten-free menu, their hearty Signature Breakfasts section. 🥩🍳🥓

❌ Country Fried Steak & Eggs
❌ T-Bone Steak & Eggs
❌ Grand Slamwich
❌ Moons Over My Hammy
❌ Grand Slam Burrito
❌ Sirloin Steak & Eggs
⚠️ Ultimate Omelette
⚠️ Philly Cheesesteak Omelette
❌ Mile High Denver Omelette
⚠️ Moons Over My Hammy Omelette
⚠️ Santa Fe Skillet
❌ Southwestern Benny Breakfast
❌ Classic Benny Breakfast
⚠️ Loaded Veggie Omelette
❌ Build Your Own Omelette

To be clear, while some of these menu items might omit wheat and gluten, sensitive celiacs should still be cautious, so here’s how they stack up in our Denny’s gluten-free shortlist:

Country Fried Steak & Eggs: The breaded country-fried steak uses wheat flour in the coating, making it unsafe for celiacs.

T-Bone Steak & Eggs: The grilled T-bone steak is technically wheat-free, but it is then served with hash browns and toast, with no gluten-free sides as a substitute.

Grand Slamwich: Eggs, bacon, sausage, ham, and cheese layered on potato bread, which also contains wheat and gluten, sadly.

Moons Over My Hammy: Ham and scrambled egg sandwich on grilled sourdough, but it does contain wheat and gluten.

Grand Slam Burrito: Scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, cheese, and potatoes wrapped in a flour tortilla, which does contain wheat.

Sirloin Steak & Eggs: The grilled sirloin steak is gluten-free by recipe, but it’s then served with bread, effectively making it unsafe for celiacs.

Ultimate Omelette: Three-egg omelette with sausage, bacon, peppers, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, and Cheddar, with no wheat ingredients, but there is a risk of cross-contact.

Philly Cheesesteak Omelette: Three-egg omelette filled with grilled prime rib, bell peppers, as well as onions, mushrooms, and Swiss, with no wheat, but be wary of cross-contamination.

Mile High Denver Omelette: Ham, onions, peppers, and Cheddar inside a three-egg omelette, served with a side of hash browns, though it’s then served with your choice of wheat bread.

Moons Over My Hammy Omelette: Three-egg omelette with ham, Swiss, and American cheese, served with hash browns and white toast, but omit the latter, and it’s a tad safer for celiacs.

Santa Fe Skillet: Chorizo sausage, fire-roasted bell peppers & onions, mushrooms, and seasoned red-skinned potatoes, then topped with Cheddar cheese and eggs, which contain no wheat.

Southwestern Benny Breakfast: Toasted English muffin topped with chorizo, over-medium eggs, and Hollandaise sauce, then drizzled with five pepper sauce and topped with pico de gallo, with a side of hash browns, though Denny’s doesn’t list it as gluten-free.

Classic Benny Breakfast: Two eggs & some Canadian bacon on English muffin halves with some Hollandaise, though there is wheat in the muffin & roux-thickened sauce.

Loaded Veggie Omelette: Three-egg omelette with fresh mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes, some onions, peppers & melted Swiss cheese, which Denny’s lists as containing no wheat or gluten.

Build Your Own Omelette: Pick any three fillings (meats, cheeses, veggies) inside of a three-egg omelette, and while the recipe omits wheat, there’s a pretty significant cross-contact risk.

So, while celiacs might be able to find breakfast dishes here that don’t technically contain any wheat and gluten, I’d be supremely hesitant to order any of these as a sensitive celiac, except maybe the Santa Fe Skillet, owing to pretty significant cross-contamination. 🥔🍳🍟🌭

---

Breakfast Sides

On the subject of being a bit safe for celiacs, the Breakfast Sides portion of the Denny’s gluten-free menu has a handful more gluten-free and gluten-friendly options, too! 🥓

They range from sweet indulgences to fairly simple staples, though most of their pancakes and waffles, as well as the French Toast, contain wheat and gluten. 🥞🧇🍞

However, basic proteins and veggie sides are naturally gluten-free, though you should be a bit careful with cross-contamination to prevent being exposed to wheat and gluten. 🌾

❌ Salted Caramel Banana Stuffed French Toast
❌ Salted Caramel Waffles
❌ Berry Waffles
❌ Berry Stuffed French Toast
❌ Waffle
❌ Stack of Pancakes
❌ French Toast
⚠️ Hash Browns
⚠️ Sausage
⚠️ Bacon
⚠️ Grilled Ham Slice
⚠️ Egg
❌ Biscuit and Gravy
❌ Slices of Toast
❌ Buttermilk Biscuits
❌ English Muffin
⚠️ Seasoned Red-Skinned Potatoes
⚠️ Fresh Seasonal Fruit
❌ Sausage Gravy

Now, to see what these Breakfast Sides are made of and why they are or aren’t great fits for our Denny’s gluten-free menu, here’s a closer peek at each one:

Salted Caramel Banana Stuffed French Toast: Four brioche slices (wheat) stuffed with cream filling and topped with caramel, making it unsafe for celiacs.

Salted Caramel Waffles: Two Liege-style wheat waffles with pearl sugar and caramel, and like the waffles from earlier, they’re not gluten-free or wheat-free.

Berry Waffles: Two wheat-flour Liege waffles topped with seasonal berries, but those waffles make it unsafe for any celiac.

Berry Stuffed French Toast: Four wheat brioche slices with cream cheese and some strawberry sauce, but once again, that French Toast is a no-go for celiacs.

Waffle: Single Liege-style wheat waffle, which, of course, is something you ought to avoid as a celiac.

Stack of Pancakes: Two buttermilk wheat pancakes, and like all other pancakes before it, this isn’t safe for celiacs.

French Toast: Two slices of wheat brioche French Toast, but since Denny’s uses wheat bread, this makes it a hazard for anyone with a gluten allergy.

Hash Browns: Classic shredded potato side, with no wheat ingredients, and Denny’s also lists this as being ‘gluten-free friendly’.

Sausage: Pork sausage links with no wheat fillers, and Denny’s also considers this gluten-free friendly, as well.

Bacon: Four strips of pork bacon (or turkey bacon) with no wheat, and it’s included in Denny’s allergen guide as ‘gluten-free friendly’.

Grilled Ham Slice: Single slice of seasoned ham, which is also marked as ‘gluten-free friendly’, though, like the other menu items here, just make sure you’re careful with cross-contact.

Egg: One egg cooked to order, and it’s gluten-free friendly, too! However, as always, there are pretty severe cross-contamination risks, so be careful when ordering.

Biscuit and Gravy: Wheat-flour biscuit topped with sausage gravy that is made with wheat thickeners, so it’s completely unsafe.

Slices of Toast: Two slices of classic wheat toast, which is simply unsafe for celiacs.

Buttermilk Biscuits: Two wheat-flour biscuits, so like the toast, it’s 100% unsafe.

English Muffin: Single wheat English muffin, which isn’t safe for celiacs, either.

Seasoned Red-Skinned Potatoes: Diced potatoes seasoned with herbs and oil, though while it contains no wheat ingredients, Denny’s makes it clear that it might be exposed to gluten with cross-contamination.

Fresh Seasonal Fruit: Assorted chopped fruit, with no wheat ingredients, and it’s marked as ‘gluten-free friendly’.

Sausage Gravy: Side of gravy made with wheat-flour roux, which is unsafe for celiacs as it contains gluten.

The good news here is that celiacs like you and me could actually find gluten-free and gluten-free-friendly menu items here, and in decent abundance. The bad news is that for a sensitive celiac, cross-contamination can be quite prominent at Denny’s, so be extremely cautious. ❗

---

Starters

Unfortunately, there’s no hope here for celiacs, as there’s only a single properly safe dish here in the Starters part of our Denny’s gluten-free menu. 🌮🌶🧀🍲

❌ Classic Sampler
❌ Boneless Chicken Wings
❌ Mozzarella Cheese Sticks
❌ Premium Chicken Tenders
⚠️ Zesty Nachos

To see why these fried and fresh Starters didn’t make it fully into my Denny’s gluten-free menu, let’s break them apart one by one:

Classic Sampler: Boneless wings, beer-battered onion rings, mozzarella sticks, and fries, but all these items contain wheat flour batters or share fryer oil, so it’s unsafe for celiacs.

Boneless Chicken Wings: Lightly breaded all-white-meat wings in choice of sauce, though that coating contains wheat flour, and as such, contains gluten.

Mozzarella Cheese Sticks: Breaded cheese sticks served with dip, but as with most other fried items here, the breading contains wheat, so it’s a no-go for celiacs.

Premium Chicken Tenders: Hand-breaded tenderloins, and once again, the coating is wheat-based and unsafe for celiacs.

Zesty Nachos: Tortilla chips topped with queso, cheddar, seasoned beef, and pico, and though the chips and toppings are wheat-free by recipe, they are made on shared prep areas, so you ought to be careful with cross-contamination.

As you can see, most of these Starters rely on wheat batters or shared fryer oil, and only those nachos are gluten-free by recipe and ingredients, but be careful with cross-contamination. 🌾

---

Salads

Meanwhile, our Denny’s gluten-free menu has a small but meaningful salad selection, from their crispy-crouton classics to protein-packed Cobb creations, and more. 🥗🥖🍗

However, only a couple of them were marked as ‘gluten-free friendly’ in Denny’s menu, which could be made without wheat ingredients, while the others have croutons or breaded chicken.

❌ Mama’s Fried Chicken House Salad
⚠️ Let’s Cobb About It Prime Rib Cobb Salad
⚠️ Egg-Cellent Grilled Chicken Cobb Salad
❌ Salmon Salad Your Way

So, let’s see why a couple of these Salads didn’t make it into our Denny’s gluten-free menu:

Mama’s Fried Chicken House Salad: The fried chicken tenders are breaded with wheat flour, plus their iceberg mix, cucumbers, tomatoes, cheddar, and croutons, so you do get a double-whammy of gluten.

Let’s Cobb About It Prime Rib Cobb Salad: Tender slices of prime rib, crispy bacon, avocado, tomatoes, cheddar, hard-boiled egg, and potato sticks over greens, with no wheat in sight.

Egg-Cellent Grilled Chicken Cobb Salad: Grilled chicken breast, bacon, avocado, tomatoes, cheddar, egg, and potato sticks over greens, and once again, there’s no wheat included.

Salmon Salad Your Way: Grilled Alaska salmon atop iceberg mix with cucumbers, tomatoes, cheddar, and croutons, though their croutons have gluten, so it’s unsafe unless omitted (but the salad assembly still shares bowls, and comes with a risk of cross-contamination).

While salads and veggies are naturally wheat-free and gluten-free, even if you get those two ‘gluten-free friendly’ options, bear in mind that Denny’s doesn’t have a dedicated gluten-free kitchen and prep zone, so cross-contamination might be worth considering. 🌾👩‍🍳🥗

---

Burgers

I’ve got some bad news… All the Burgers in our Denny’s gluten-free menu are served on their brioche bun, which is made from wheat flour, so it’s not safe for celiacs. 🍔💔🌾

❌ Slamburger
❌ Bacon Avocado Cheeseburger
❌ Bourbon Bacon Burger
❌ Flamin’ 5-Pepper Burger
❌ Double Cheeseburger
❌ Single Cheeseburger
❌ Triple Juicy Burger

Besides the burger buns, though, let’s dive even deeper and see what about these Burgers in our Denny’s gluten-free menu makes it unsafe for celiacs:

Slamburger: Hash browns, egg, bacon, and American cheese on a wheat-flour brioche bun, so it’s not safe for celiacs, unfortunately.

Bacon Avocado Cheeseburger: Bacon, avocado, white cheddar, mayo, and veggies on that brioche bun, and sadly, there’s no gluten-free substitute.

Bourbon Bacon Burger: White cheddar, bacon, mushrooms, peppers, bourbon sauce, and veggies on a brioche bun, which is made from wheat.

Flamin’ 5-Pepper Burger: White cheddar, bacon, jalapeños, 5-pepper sauce, and veggies on a brioche bun, and once again, it’s not safe for celiacs.

Double Cheeseburger: Two patties with your choice of cheese and toppings on a brioche bun, so it’s another dangerous choice for celiacs.

Single Cheeseburger: One patty with cheese and veggies on a brioche bun, and while it’s a pretty simple recipe, the brioche bun makes it a bad pick for celiacs.

Triple Juicy Burger: Three patties, bacon, provolone, Q-sauce, and veggies on a brioche bun, which isn’t safe for celiacs, as well.

If you are looking for gluten-free and celiac-safe burgers, there are burger joints and eateries that might have some tasty options for you, though you aren’t going to find them here, as the Denny’s gluten-free menu doesn’t have a single burger in it. 🍔🥓🧀🥔🍳

---

Melts & Handhelds

Just like their Burgers, the Melts & Handhelds part of our Denny’s gluten-free menu isn’t about to offer anything friendlier and safer to celiacs either, as there’s wheat and gluten aplenty!

All of them are either served on wheat-based buns and grilled breads, and some of the sauces also contain traces of wheat and gluten, so everything here is unsafe. 🥪🧀🥓🍗

❌ BBQ Bacon Chicken Sandwich
❌ Smokehouse Melt
❌ Pot Roast Melt
❌ Cali Club Sandwich
❌ Super Bird
❌ Crispy Bacon Ranch Sandwich

For the sake of completeness, let’s break these Melts & Handhelds apart and see how they’d rank in my Denny’s gluten-free shortlist:

BBQ Bacon Chicken Sandwich: Grilled chicken breast tossed in BBQ sauce (contains wheat), topped with bacon, white cheddar, lettuce, tomato, onions, and pickles on a brioche bun.

Smokehouse Melt: Slow-cooked brisket burnt ends and diced bacon with two eggs, white cheddar, and Diner Q sauce (it also contains wheat) on grilled artisan bread.

Pot Roast Melt: Slow-roasted beef and caramelized onions with sharp white cheddar on grilled artisan bread, and like the others here, the bread contains wheat, making it unsafe.

Cali Club Sandwich: Turkey, ham, bacon, Swiss cheese, avocado, and sun-dried tomato mayo on toasted 7-grain wheat bread, so it’s also not safe for celiacs.

Super Bird: Turkey breast, Swiss cheese, bacon, and tomato on grilled artisan wheat bread, though sadly, Denny’s doesn’t offer a gluten-free and wheat-free substitute.

Crispy Bacon Ranch Sandwich: Fried chicken breast coated in wheat flour, topped with white cheddar, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and ranch (which contains wheat thickeners) on the grilled artisan bread, which is doubly unsafe for celiacs.

Suffice it to say, if you’re a celiac, avoid these Melts & Handhelds like the plague, as there isn’t a single menu item here that’s free of gluten and wheat, not to mention the cross-contact. 🧀

---

Sides

In addition to all those breakfast sides from earlier, you can also find a few other sides in our Denny’s gluten-free menu, and some of them are even somewhat safe for celiacs! 🥗

Some are naturally gluten-free by recipe and ingredients, though remember that all the fried dishes will share common fryers and fryer oil, so it might be worth being careful. 🥔🍟🧅

❌ Seasoned Fries
⚠️ Wavy Cut French Fries
❌ Beer-Battered Onion Rings
⚠️ Garden Side Salad
✅ Broccoli
⚠️ Sauces & Dressings

So, let’s break these down and see why some of them did not make it into our Denny’s gluten-free menu:

Seasoned Fries: Crispy fries tossed in seasoned salt blend, and while they contain no wheat ingredients by recipe, they do share fryers with battered items, making them unsafe for strict celiacs.

Wavy Cut French Fries: Spiral-cut fries cooked in the same oil as onion rings and tenders, so while it’s naturally gluten-free, there are pretty high cross-contact risks involved. I’d say you’d want to avoid these as a strict celiac.

Beer-Battered Onion Rings: Thick-cut onions dipped in beer batter (wheat flour) and then fried, and since it contains gluten, avoid this completely.

Garden Side Salad: Mixed greens with tomatoes, cucumbers, and carrots, and while there are no wheat ingredients, the dressings and croutons (if added) must be omitted, and prep bowls are shared, so be careful of cross-contamination.

Broccoli: Steamed broccoli florets seasoned with salt, and it contains no gluten and is one of the safest side options here, as far as strict celiacs like me are concerned.

Sauces & Dressings: A variety of dips and dressings (ranch, honey mustard, barbecue, etc.), though the individual recipes vary. Most of them omit wheat, but they’re handled in shared squeeze bottles and scooping stations, creating a lot of cross-contact risk.

Compared to Denny’s other menu sections, their Sides at least have some items that could be somewhat safe for celiacs, though I’d advise an abundance of caution when it comes to cross-contamination. 🍲🥣🥗

---

$2/4/6/8 Value Menu

For value-conscious diners, you can find a lot of options in their $2/4/6/8 Value Menu, but for celiacs like us, is there anything here that’s remotely even safe? Sadly, no. 🥞🧇🥪

Nearly every option here relies on wheat-based breads, batters, or batters and gravies, so it’s entirely unsafe for strict celiacs, which leaves me wishing I could dine elsewhere. 💔

❌ Everyday Value Slam
❌ Mama’s Fried Chicken House Salad
❌ Chicken Tenders & Fries
❌ Loaded Breakfast Sandwich
❌ Classic Burger with Fries
❌ Super Slam
❌ Grilled Cheese & Bowl of Soup or Side Salad
❌ Add a Stack of Choconana Pancakes
❌ Add New York Style Cheesecake
❌ Add French Toast
❌ Add a Stack of Pancakes

Just so we know what to look out for as celiacs, let’s break down this otherwise hazardous and dangerous No Man’s Land in our Denny’s gluten-free menu:

Everyday Value Slam: Your choice of two pancakes, two French-toast slices, or biscuit & gravy (all wheat-based), plus eggs and bacon or sausage, so overall, it’s unsafe for celiacs.

Mama’s Fried Chicken House Salad: Breaded chicken tenders and croutons atop greens, and it is unsafe for celiacs due to the tender breading and those croutons.

Chicken Tenders & Fries: Five breaded tenders (wheat coating) with fries, and the tenders are completely unsafe. The fries alone are gluten-free, but with a huge amount of cross-contamination.

Loaded Breakfast Sandwich: Sausage patty, egg, bacon, white cheddar & American cheese on brioche, so it’s not safe for celiacs.

Classic Burger with Fries: Beef patty with veggies on a brioche bun, with no gluten-free or wheat-free substitute available. Again, the fries alone are gluten-free, but they are then cooked with batter items.

Super Slam: Two pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage & hash browns, but it’s wholly unsafe due to those wheat-based pancakes.

Grilled Cheese & Bowl of Soup or Side Salad: Cheese on grilled artisan bread and soup (likely wheat-thickened) or salad with potential croutons, making it a double-whammy of gluten.

Add a Stack of Choconana Pancakes: Two wheat pancakes with chocolate chips and banana, and as with every other pancake here, it’s not safe for celiacs.

Add New York Style Cheesecake: Cheesecake on wheat-flour crust, which is a shame, because there’s no gluten-free or wheat-free alternative available.

Add French Toast: Two brioche French toast slices, and since Denny’s uses wheat bread for its French Toasts, it’s a no-go for celiacs.

Add a Stack of Pancakes: Two buttermilk wheat pancakes, and until Denny’s adds gluten-free or wheat-free pancake alternatives, we won’t be dining on this, either.

Now, remember that even naturally gluten-free and wheat-free items like French Fries can still pick up wheat and gluten through common fryers and shared fryer oil. 🍠🍟🥔

---

Kids

For the young ones among you suffering from celiac disease, you’re not going to find anything here that’s going to be safe, as the Denny’s gluten-free Kids’ menu is quite sparse. 🥞🍪🍔

Their Kids’ menu items skew more toward wheat-based options, though there are a few treats and drinks here that are gluten-free, with some caution when it comes to contamination. 🧀

❌ Build Your Own Jr. Grand Slam
❌ Jr. Chocolate Chip Pancakes
❌ Jr. Cheeseburger
❌ Mac & Cheese
❌ Jr. Premium Chicken Tenders
✅ Jr. Milk Shake
✅ Jr. Ice Cream
✅ Kids Beverage

So, let’s see why most of these didn’t make the cut in my personal Denny’s gluten-free shortlist:

Build Your Own Jr. Grand Slam: Only the eggs, bacon, sausage links, hash browns, or fruit cups are gluten-free by recipe, but when mixed with the pancakes, tenders, and toast options, they all contain wheat.

Jr. Chocolate Chip Pancakes: Silver-dollar buttermilk pancakes studded with chocolate chips, and they’re made with wheat flour, so it’s unsafe for celiacs.

Jr. Cheeseburger: Beef patty and American cheese on a brioche bun, but since the Brioche bun contains wheat, it’s a no-go for celiacs.

Mac & Cheese: Classic elbow pasta in cheese sauce, though the pasta contains wheat, and there is no gluten-free substitute or alternative available.

Jr. Premium Chicken Tenders: Two hand-breaded tenders, and the coating contains wheat flour, so it’s another unsafe pick for celiacs.

Jr. Milk Shake: Strawberry, chocolate, or vanilla shake made from ice cream and milk, and it doesn’t naturally contain any wheat ingredients, but since it’s made on shared equipment, it might be a good idea to be careful with cross-contamination.

Jr. Ice Cream: Single scoop of vanilla ice cream, and while it has no wheat ingredients, they’re scooped in an otherwise glutenous kitchen, with shared utensils, so be careful with any cross-contact risks.

Kids Beverage: Choice of fountain soda, juice, or milk, and they’re free of wheat or gluten by default, though the glassware and ice may see cross-contact with wheat or gluten.

Now, depending on how sensitive your kid is as a celiac, all of these might be worth avoiding entirely, though the Kids’ milkshake, ice cream, and beverages are relatively safe. 🥛🍨🍦

---

55+

Our Denny’s gluten-free 55+ menu offers smaller portions, though most of them still include wheat-based sides, with only the core egg and potato bits being gluten-free. 🍳🥔

❌ 55+ Scrambled Eggs & Cheddar Breakfast
⚠️ 55+ Omelette
⚠️ 55+ Starter

So, let’s take a closer look at why most of these aren’t completely safe for celiacs, compared to some of the other stuff here in our Denny’s gluten-free menu:

55+ Scrambled Eggs & Cheddar Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with Cheddar, two bacon strips, two sausage links, and buttermilk pancakes, though it’s not safe thanks to the wheat pancakes.

55+ Omelette: Two-egg omelette with caramelized onions, bacon, tomatoes, and Cheddar served with hash browns and choice of bread. To make it safe for celiacs, you can omit the bread, but there’s a lot more cross-contamination here than I’d like.

55+ Starter: One egg with a bacon strip or sausage link, plus hash browns and your choice of bread. The eggs, meat, and potatoes are naturally gluten-free, but once again, you’d have to omit the bread to make it somewhat safe for celiacs.

It’s worth bearing in mind that even though two of these menu items are technically wheat-free and gluten-free with some modifications, with so much cross-contamination that you’ll find in Denny’s kitchens and prep areas, I’d probably avoid them, as a strict celiac. 🥓🍅🌭

---

Desserts

While the Denny’s gluten-free dessert line-up is all about indulgence, every single option here relies on wheat-based doughs, batters, or cookie crumbs, making it unsafe for celiacs. 🍪🧀

❌ New York Style Cheesecake
❌ Lava Cookie Skillet
❌ Cheesecake Pack
❌ Brownie Sundae with Oreo Pieces

Out of curiosity, let’s see why these didn’t make it into our Denny’s gluten-free shortlist, and why their desserts are hazardous for celiacs:

New York Style Cheesecake: Classic cream cheese cheesecake on a wheat-flour graham-cracker crust, often served with whipped cream or strawberry topping, which contains wheat.

Lava Cookie Skillet: Warm chocolate-chip cookie baked in a skillet until molten, topped with vanilla ice cream and salted caramel, though the cookie base contains wheat flour.

Cheesecake Pack: Four slices of New York-style cheesecake, each on a wheat-flour crust, plus a side of strawberry topping, and like the singular slice option, it contains wheat, too.

Brownie Sundae with Oreo Pieces: Warm chocolate brownie (wheat flour) topped with ice cream, crushed Oreo cookies, and chocolate drizzle, though the brownie and cookie pieces contain wheat.

Sadly, then, if you are craving something sweet and savory, you are going to have to make do without their desserts, as all of them contain wheat and gluten. 🍰🎂🍮

---

Milk Shakes

However, unlike their Desserts menu, the Denny’s gluten-free Milk Shakes selection does have a good number of gluten-free and celiac-safe options. 🥛🍫🍪🍓

✅ Milk Shakes
❌ Oreo Shake Pack
✅ Strawberry Shake Pack

Let’s break these milkshakes down to see how they’d stack up in our Denny’s gluten-free list:

Milk Shakes: Classic vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry shakes made from premium ice cream and topped with whipped cream. There are no wheat ingredients, but with shared blending equipment, you do have to be careful with cross-contamination.

Oreo Shake Pack: Two shakes blended with crushed Oreo cookies (which contain wheat) plus whipped cream, so it naturally contains gluten and it’s not safe for celiacs.

Strawberry Shake Pack: Two strawberry shakes made from ice cream and fresh strawberries, topped with whipped cream, and while there are no wheat ingredients, with shared prep and equipment, it might be worth being cautious about cross-contact.

So, lesson learned: while two of these milkshakes don’t naturally feature wheat ingredients and don’t come with gluten, you still have to be careful about cross-contamination. 🥛

---

Beverages

As with most restaurants, at least, the Beverages section of our Denny’s gluten-free menu is a goldmine for celiacs, as not a single drink here contains wheat or gluten. 🥤

✅ Slammin’ Soda made with Dr Pepper
✅ Slammin’ Soda made with Coca-Cola
✅ Slammin’ Soda made with Sprite & Strawberry
✅ Soft Drinks (22 oz.)
✅ Signature Diner Blend Coffee
✅ Sweet Cream Cold Brew
✅ Minute Maid Juice
✅ Minute Maid Smoothies
✅ Fresh Brewed Iced Tea
✅ Minute Maid Lemonade
✅ Milk
✅ Hot Chocolate
✅ Hot Tea

Just to be extra safe, though, let’s take a closer peek at these Beverages to be sure they truly belong in our Denny’s gluten-free menu:

Slammin’ Soda made with Dr Pepper: Dr Pepper soda blended with sweet cream and lime, with no wheat ingredients in sight.

Slammin’ Soda made with Coca-Cola: Coca-Cola mixed with sweet cream and lime, and it’s also naturally gluten-free.

Slammin’ Soda made with Sprite & Strawberry: Sprite, strawberry puree, sweet cream, and a slice of lime, with no wheat ingredients.

Soft Drinks (22 oz.): Fountain sodas (Coke, Diet Coke, etc.), though while there is no gluten, there is a risk of cross-contact at the soda fountain.

Signature Diner Blend Coffee: 100% Arabica drip coffee, which is naturally gluten-free, but be sure that they’re using a fresh carafe and clean equipment.

Sweet Cream Cold Brew: Cold-brewed coffee topped with sweet cream, without any gluten ingredients, but they’re made in the same shakers as other cream-based drinks.

Minute Maid Juice: Sealed bottled orange or apple juice, and it’s also gluten-free with fairly minimal cross-contact risk.

Minute Maid Smoothies: Blended fruit and nonfat vanilla yogurt, and while there’s no wheat here, the shared blenders might be worth being careful about.

Fresh Brewed Iced Tea: Unsweetened or sweet tea brewed fresh, which is also wheat-free and gluten-free.

Minute Maid Lemonade: Real-lemon lemonade, with no gluten ingredients and no wheat to be concerned about.

Milk: Glass of white or chocolate milk, and while they arrive in sealed cartons that are gluten-free, they’re then poured into shared glasses, so there’s a tiny risk of cross-contamination.

Hot Chocolate: Cocoa mix with steamed milk, and while there are no wheat ingredients, they are then prepared with shared steam wands.

Hot Tea: Lipton black tea bags steeped in water, which is gluten-free, but the infusers and cups may see cross-contact.

Now, while these beverages are largely gluten-free and wheat-free, with Denny’s using shared ice bins, coffee machines, and beverage stations, you might still want to be a bit careful about cross-contamination. ☕🍵

---

To Sum Up

Overall, the Denny’s gluten-free menu is a bit of a mixed bag, with a huge chunk of their menu completely unsafe for celiacs, and I personally wouldn’t touch it with a ten-foot pole! 🥞🧇🍞

Even though there are a couple of breakfast items and sides that don’t technically contain any wheat or gluten in them, there’s a whack ton of cross-contamination to be worried about. 🚩

Depending on how sensitive your celiac’s or gluten allergy is, you might be able to safely make do, but for me, personally, I’d stay far away, just to be extra safe. 🌾

If you aren’t too sensitive or just following the diet, however, you certainly have some choices here, and with a bit of modification to swap out wheat or gluten items with celiac-safe ones, it might be worth it!

Otherwise, though, I’m going to give Denny’s a pass for now until they add more 100% gluten-free menu items or feature kitchen environments that could reduce cross-contamination. 👩‍🍳

In the meantime, though, make sure to stay tuned to us here at Great Without Gluten for even more celiac-friendly and gluten-free eating out guides! ✍📝

And hey, we’ve covered plenty of other casual dining eateries and fast food chains that actually have a generous amount of gluten-free and celiac-safe options, with more celiac-safe choices than our Denny’s gluten-free menu! 🥞🧇🥪

And, while you’re here, you might also want to check out my other eating out guides and some tasty gluten‑free recipes!

If you’re craving other fast-food or casual dining chains and gourmet meals, do check out my other celiac-friendly, gluten-free dining out guides to The Cheesecake Factory, Chick-fil-A, IHOP, Applebee’s, Krispy Kreme, Panda Express, Taco Bell, Olive Garden, Buffalo Wild Wings, Panera Bread, Sonic, Popeyes, Dunkin Donuts, Texas Roadhouse, Five Guys, Chipotle, Starbucks, Jersey Mikes Subs, Jack In The Box, Diary Queen and more! 🍔🍟🍗

---

Frequently Asked Questions

While writing up our Denny’s gluten-free guide here, I found some rather interesting questions and queries that I thought I might try to answer here:

Does Denny’s offer any gluten-free menu items?

Somewhat. Denny’s menu flags certain items as ‘gluten-free friendly’, which naturally contains no wheat or gluten, but since all the cooking areas are shared, Denny’s cannot guarantee zero gluten cross-contact or contamination with other wheat or gluten-filled menu items.

Which Denny’s dishes are truly gluten-free by recipe?

By ingredient, the gluten-free friendly items include the Ultimate Omelette, Philly Cheesesteak Omelette, Moons Over My Hammy Omelette, Prime Rib Cobb Salad, and Grilled Chicken Cobb Salad, as well as various sides (including their hash browns, fresh fruit, and broccoli).

How serious is the risk of gluten cross-contamination at Denny’s?

All gluten-free items at Denny’s are prepared in kitchens that also handle wheat, barley, and rye. Shared fryers, grills, ovens, and prep surfaces also introduce significant cross-contact risk, especially for highly sensitive celiacs, so I’d recommend an abundance of caution.

Does Denny’s use separate fryers or preparation areas for gluten-free items?

No. Denny’s doesn’t maintain dedicated gluten-free fryers or prep stations. So, even naturally wheat-free and gluten-free sides, like fries, are fried in the same oil that is used for battered items, and their omelettes also share grill space with pancakes, waffles, and French Toast.

What should I tell my server to minimize the risks of cross-contamination?

Always mention your celiac disease and gluten allergy to the server when ordering. Ask them to change gloves, use clean utensils, and you could also request sauces be delivered in a to-go cup to avoid shared ladles, and make sure they don’t include any croutons or wheat sides.

Photo credit

CK Golf from Vancouver, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

---

Share the love!

Related recipes 🔗

No comments yet.