The Complete In-N-Out Gluten-Free Menu Guide For 2025
In-N-Out gluten-free guide 2025: How to order Protein-Style burgers, avoid cross-contact, and tips for safe fries, shakes, and drinks.
Most restaurants and fast-food chains that we’ve looked at in the past have gigantic menus filled with all sorts of different burgers, sandwiches, fried chicken, fries, tenders, shakes, and sides to help fill your belly six ways to Sunday, and beyond! 🍔🍟
As a result, it can be hard to figure out what to order, especially if you’re a celiac who’s trying very hard to avoid munching on wheat-filled burger buns or severely glutenous breading and batter that could send you straight to the emergency room! 😱
However, In-N-Out defies convention with their super-small and really simple menu, stripped down straight to the basics of fast-food: burgers, fries, shakes, and perhaps a soda. That also applies to their top-secret menu, only for those who are in the know!
Thanks to this, In-N-Out is actually one of the easier fast-food stops for anyone trying to skip gluten in their diet, and with such a tiny menu, it’s way easier to spot the wheat-containing items, mainly the burger buns, and special orders are easier to make. 🥪
Loads of people have spoken highly about being able to order their burgers “Protein-Style”, where you’d get a lettuce-wrapped burger, with plain patties and some fries, and if you’re curious, our In-N-Out gluten-free menu guide is here to help you out! 🔥🥩
Table of Contents
Disclaimer
With that said, it’s very important to bear in mind that In-N-Out doesn’t operate a dedicated gluten-free kitchen, so cross-contamination can be a real hazard that you need to be wary of, even if you are able to order your burgers “bun-less”. 👉🚫🌾
Without a specialized, dedicated gluten-free kitchen to work with, trace gluten exposure and cross-contact through the use of shared utensils and other cookware, such as ovens, toasters, slicers, fryers, and more, could expose you to unwanted allergens.
In other words, even if a particular menu item or an ingredient doesn’t technically contain a single wheat or gluten-based component, such as malt, barley, rye, or oat, it’s pretty easy to become glutenous when prepared next to wheat-containing items.
Given that there’s a moderate to high risk of cross-contamination, it’s not a bad idea to treat even the safest, most “gluten-friendly” item on In-N-Out’s menu more like “gluten-sensitive”, rather than being 100% certified “gluten-free”. 🍔🥪🍟
It also doesn’t help that In-N-Out, like most restaurants, doesn’t test its menu items to meet the FDA’s super strict <20 ppm threshold for foods and drinks to be labeled “gluten-free”, so that makes it a bit harder to analyze and filter their menu.
So, remember to inform your server about any dietary restrictions, and ask the staff for extra precautionary measures, like using fresh gloves, clean utensils, and a wiped-down prep area. Even In-N-Out reminds you of this, in case you’re not yet convinced:
We will make a reasonable effort to accommodate your allergy requests, but we cannot guarantee that your food will not be exposed to an allergen… Please be advised that our food is prepared in kitchen spaces where cross-contact with allergens may occur. Additionally, ingredients may vary based on regional availability, seasonal changes, or supplier substitutions.
In-N-Out Allergen Policy (Gluten-Free)
On that note, at least In-N-Out makes it really easy for you to filter out their menu and try to figure out what you can’t eat, or what you’d need to avoid, and this starts by heading over to the official In-N-Out website, and staying on the homepage. 🌐
Navigate your way to the top-most navigation bar, and click on that giant “Menu” symbol to load up In-N-Out’s online menu, which, as I mentioned earlier, is pretty tiny in comparison to most other fast-food chains and rival restaurants. ✍️📝
Then, on the Menu page, scroll down and click or tap on the “Nutrition Info” button that you see there on the left-hand navigation bar, and doing this will load up the Nutrition Info page, which is where you’ll find a breakdown of every single menu item.
This detailed summary of In-N-Out’s back-to-basics foods and drinks, after you click or tap on the little downwards chevron to pop open a drop-down description, has some fascinating bits of facts and figures that you might want to check out, including:
- Nutrition Data – You can get a good look at the nutritional breakdown for every single menu item at In-N-Out, which is handy if you’re super-conscious about your dietary intake, with a look at how many calories, cholesterol, fat, carbs, fiber, sugars, and more are in each item.
- Ingredients List – This description also provides you with a complete list of ingredients used in each menu item, and it’s a good way to filter out the menu for anything you can’t eat, and for celiacs, avoid items with ingredients like enriched wheat flour, malted barley flour, etc.
- Allergens List – Within that ingredients list, I also like that In-N-Out directly lists what sort of allergens are included in every single item on their menu, such as milk, soy, eggs, sesame, as well as many others. For celiacs, you should keep an eye out for wheat and gluten allergens.
In addition to all the handy info on this page, if you scroll further down, In-N-Out also offers you the ability to download both the nutrition info and the allergen info to your device, and save these as PDF files for easier reference, especially when you’re offline. 📩
Burger & Fries
With such a tiny and predictable menu, In-N-Out’s modest selection of burgers and fries does help with easing the decision-making process, and for celiacs, all you need to do is order their burgers Protein-Style (lettuce-wrapped) to get rid of the bun. 🍔🍟
⚠️ Double-Double
⚠️ Cheeseburger
⚠️ Hamburger
⚠️ French Fries
Let’s take a closer look at what these burgers are made of, and how to make them celiac-safe:
Double-Double: Two beef patties with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onions, and sauce on a wheat bun by default. Order it Protein-Style (lettuce wrapped) to remove the wheat-based bun, and ask for fresh gloves, a clean plate, and no shared toasting.
Cheeseburger: Single beef patty with melted cheese and classic toppings on a wheat bun. Request the Protein-Style option to swap out the wheat bun for lettuce, confirm separate handling at the assembly station, and ask the staff to use clean utensils.
Hamburger: Plain single patty with toppings on a wheat bun. It’s the simplest candidate for a Protein-Style order without the bun, though request fresh gloves and ask for separate plating, and tell staff you have a medical gluten concern so they take extra care.
French Fries: Fresh-cut potato fries that are wheat-free by ingredient, but may be subject to fryer or oil cross-contact depending on the location. So, ask whether the fryers are dedicated to the French Fries, and ask for fries in a clean container to minimize cross-contact.
While In-N-Out’s Protein-Style burgers and plain fries are relatively celiac-safe, with far lower risks than most other fast-food places, always remember to be careful when it comes to cross-contamination when you’re ordering. 🥩🧀🍅🥬🧅
Not So Secret Menu
Probably one of the most unique elements of In-N-Out is their secret menus, which they’ve been teasing customers with as not being so secret anymore, with custom builds inspired by their burgers, be it extra patties, grilled cheese, or Animal Style. 🥪
⚠️ Double Meat
⚠️ 3×3
⚠️ 4×4
⚠️ Grilled Cheese
⚠️ Animal Style
Just like In-N-Out’s regular burgers, these could be made Protein-Style to remove the bun:
Double Meat: A double-patty option stacked on the standard bun by default. Ask for the Protein-Style option to remove the bun and request fresh gloves, a clean plate, and separate utensils so the extra patties aren’t plated where bread crumbs typically live.
3×3: Triple-patty, triple-cheese powerhouse served on a wheat bun by default. Ordering them Protein-Style replaces the wheat-based bun with lettuce, but still confirms that the patties are handled and plated separately from bun-topped orders to lower cross-contact risk.
4×4: Four patties and four slices of cheese on a regular bun. It’s a heavy, grill-hot order, and request the Protein-Style option to remove the bun, while also asking staff to use a clean spatula or plate, and avoid shared toasters or prep surfaces that touch breaded items.
Grilled Cheese: Melted cheese, lettuce, tomato, and spread on a toasted bun by default. You can request it Protein-Style (lettuce in place of bread), but be aware that the toaster/griddle is shared, so ask for separate plating and clean handling to reduce contamination.
Animal Style: Mustard-grilled patties topped with extra spread and grilled onions, served on a bun by default. Order it Protein-Style to omit the bun, and tell staff you need extra precautions (new gloves and a fresh plate) because the patty and onions are cooked on shared surfaces.
Once again, simplicity wins the day at In-N-Out, and as with their signature burgers, all these (not so) secret menu items can be made safe simply by ordering them Protein Style to remove the wheat bun and swap it out for lettuce instead. 🥯👉🥬
Shakes
In-N-Out’s shakes are simple, dairy-forward blends that are not just delicious and refreshing, but they’re also wheat-free by default, and while cross-contact risks do exist, they’re a pretty reliable option for celiacs to fall back on. 🍫🥤🍦
✅ Chocolate Shake
✅ Vanilla Shake
✅ Strawberry Shake
For comparison, let’s take a deeper dive and see what these tasty shakes are made out of:
Chocolate Shake: Made from chocolate-flavoured shake mix or syrup blended with soft-serve ice cream and milk. The recipe contains no wheat, but blenders and scoops are shared, so ask for a freshly cleaned blender and no cookie/brownie mix-ins to avoid trace contamination.
Vanilla Shake: Classic vanilla soft-serve blended with milk for a creamy treat. By ingredient, it’s wheat-free, but confirm the blender is cleaned between uses and ask for no mix-ins or shared spoons. Otherwise, a fresh blender eliminates most of the cross-contact possibilities.
Strawberry Shake: Fruit or strawberry syrup blended into the vanilla shake base for a fruity finish. The syrup and ice cream contain no wheat ingredients, yet shared blending equipment and topping utensils can introduce crumbs, so ask for a clean blender and no extra mix-ins.
As expected, with no malt or barley ingredients unlike some other shakes that you could find elsewhere, In-N-Out’s milkshakes are generally pretty safe by recipe and ingredient, and they make a good dessert choice for many celiacs. 🍧🍦🍓
Beverages
Like most restaurants, In-N-Out’s beverages, including a hearty selection of sodas, iced teas, lemonades, milk, and coffee, ought to be pretty safe for celiacs, but it’s not a bad idea to be sure that there’s no cross-contamination, either. 🍋🍵☕️
✅ Coca-Cola
✅ Diet Coca-Cola
✅ Cherry Coke
✅ Barq’s Root Beer
✅ 7-Up
✅ Dr. Pepper
✅ Signature Pink Lemonade
✅ Lite Pink Lemonade
✅ Sweet Iced Tea
✅ Unsweetened Iced Tea
✅ Milk
✅ Hot Cocoa
✅ Coffee
✅ Decaf Coffee
Nevertheless, let’s break these drinks apart and see what they’re made of, just to be sure:
Coca-Cola: Classic cola made from syrup and carbonation. The syrup contains no wheat by ingredient, though for minimal cross-contact, choose a sealed bottle or ask staff to wipe the fountain nozzle before pouring if you’re extremely sensitive.
Diet Coca-Cola: Zero-calorie cola using diet syrup. Diet Coke is wheat-free by recipe, though sealed cans or bottles are the lowest-risk option yet, and a fresh pour from a cleaned nozzle reduces any small dispenser cross-contact concerns.
Cherry Coke: Cola blended with cherry flavoring syrup. The base ingredients are typically wheat-free, but check that any cherry syrup or flavoring has no hidden wheat additives, and consider the bottled options for the least cross-contact risk.
Barq’s Root Beer: Root beer syrup mixed with carbonation. Root beer is normally wheat-free by ingredient, though choose factory-sealed bottles or request a wiped fountain nozzle to avoid any trace contamination from shared dispensers.
7-Up: Lemon-lime soda made from flavor syrup and carbonation. 7-Up contains no wheat ingredients and is a low-risk choice, though the bottled or canned options remove dispenser concerns entirely for highly sensitive diners.
Dr. Pepper: Spiced cola-style soda without wheat in its standard formulation. As with all the other fountain drinks here, sealed bottles are the safest option. Otherwise, ask for a fresh pour from a cleaned nozzle to reduce cross-contact risk.
Signature Pink Lemonade: House lemonade made from lemon and syrup. Lemonade is wheat-free by recipe, but ask for a fresh pour and confirm any fruit syrups used at your location don’t include wheat-based additives.
Lite Pink Lemonade: Lower-calorie version of the pink lemonade. The ingredients here are typically wheat-free, but check the sweetener and syrup formulations, and opt for a fresh pour if you want to minimize any dispenser or pump cross-contact.
Sweet Iced Tea: Brewed sweetened tea served chilled. Tea leaves don’t contain gluten, but confirm no shared syrup pumps or pastry garnishes were used. It might also help to request a fresh pour and a clean cup to further lower cross-contamination chances.
Unsweetened Iced Tea: Plain brewed tea without added syrups. Unsweetened tea is a very low-risk option by ingredient, but avoid flavored add-ins unless you’ve checked their mixture and asked the staff to use clean dispensers.
Milk: Plain chilled milk available in small cartons or as a poured serving. Milk is naturally gluten-free by ingredient, but the sealed cartons are the lowest-risk choice for highly sensitive celiac diners.
Hot Cocoa: A Warm chocolate drink made from cocoa mix and steamed milk. Hot cocoa mixes are usually wheat-free, but confirm the mix and any toppings (marshmallows) for any hidden wheat, and ask that the steaming pitcher be clean before use.
Coffee: Brewed hot coffee made from roasted beans. Coffee is naturally gluten-free by ingredient. However, if you order flavor shots or syrups, double-check those ingredients and request clean pumps or sealed containers.
Decaf Coffee: Decaffeinated brewed coffee with the same low ingredient risk as regular coffee. As always, order it away from pastry stations and confirm any added flavorings are gluten-free to avoid trace contamination.
While these drinks might be wheat-free by recipe and ingredient, cross-contact is a huge risk that you have to be wary of, so double-check that any flavored syrups, creamers, and shared fountains or drink nozzles are free from contamination. 🧃🥃🥤
To Sum Up
We seldom find fast-food places that are this gluten-friendly, and while there are certainly quite a few asterisks attached to dining out at In-N-Out, it’s a lot easier to recommend ordering from them or dining out there compared to most other places. 🍔
For starters, the simplicity of their menu makes it super easy for you to figure stuff out, while you’re creating a list of which items are safe to order and which ones you should avoid. Plus, In-N-Out’s focus on customizability is another factor, too. 🍟
While their burgers are finished with wheat-based buns as standard, most In-N-Out locations happily support the hugely popular Protein-Style variety, which swaps out the very glutenous burger buns for a naturally wheat-free lettuce wrap instead. 🍗
The same goes for their secret menu items, too. Sure, simply replacing the wheat buns with a lettuce wrap isn’t going to make their burgers gluten-free, but it’s definitely way safer than a lot of their rivals, as long as you’re wary about cross-contact. 🥩
In the meantime, if you want recommendations on other restaurants with plenty of gluten-free items, make sure to stay tuned to us here at Great Without Gluten for even more celiac-friendly and gluten-free eating out guides! ✍📝
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 celiacs-friendly, gluten-free dining out guides to Yard House, LongHorn, Pei Wei, Wendy’s, Cheddar’s, Bob Evans, BJ’s, Maggiano’s, Carrabba’s, MOD Pizza, Little Caesars, Qdoba, Whataburger, Tim Hortons, Arby’s, and more! 🍔🍟🍗
Stay safe and gluten‑aware, my celiac friends! 💖🥗
Frequently Asked Questions
While working on this In-N-Out gluten-free menu guide, I came across a few very interesting questions floating around social media and community forums, so here’s what I think:
Is In-N-Out gluten-free?
No. In-N-Out is not a certified gluten-free restaurant. Their burger buns are made with wheat, so order them as the Protein-Style option to swap the wheat bun with lettuce, but kitchens use shared grills and prep surfaces, so treat meals as gluten-sensitive, not guaranteed gluten-free.
What In-N-Out menu items are safest for celiacs?
By ingredient, the lowest-risk choices are their Protein-Style burgers (lettuce-wrapped patties), plain patties, fresh-cut fries, shakes (only if a clean blender is used), and sealed drinks. Always remember to double-check the prep and handling to keep an eye out for cross-contact risks.
Are In-N-Out fries gluten-free?
In-N-Out’s fries are made with potatoes (no wheat in the recipe), so they’re generally wheat-free by ingredient. However, the fryer and oil practices vary, so ask whether these fryers are shared with wheat items, and ask for the fries in a clean container to reduce cross-contact.
How should I order at In-N-Out if I have celiac disease?
Tell the cashier that you have celiac disease, ask for the Protein-Style burgers to omit wheat-based buns, request fresh gloves or new utensils and a clean plate, and ask the staff to avoid toasting or plating your food where buns/crumbs are present. Additionally, consider ordering sealed or bottled drinks, and ask for a freshly cleaned blender for shakes.
Does In-N-Out publish allergen or gluten information?
Yes! You can easily find allergen and nutrition information on In-N-Out’s online menu, and it covers every single item on their menu, which includes a detailed breakdown of what sort of allergens might be present, as well as an in-depth list of every ingredient used in that item.
Photo Credit
Julianibarra, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Becky ✍️
Hi, I am Becky. I am a passionate recipe maker and having been a coeliac (celiac) for 30+ years I focus on gluten-free recipes. My blog is my online cookbook of gluten-free tasty recipes. You can follow me on X: @beckygwg
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