Ultimate Chili’s Gluten-Free Menu Guide For 2025
If you’re curious about the Chili’s gluten-free menu items, let’s explore which fajitas, burgers, steaks, salads, and sides are celiac-safe and which to avoid.
Famed for their sizzling fajitas, mouthwatering baby back ribs, and their signature margaritas, Chili’s has become a fan favorite among casual diners, but not all is safe and sound. 🔥🥩🍸
For celiacs like me, as well as for folks with gluten intolerance and non-celiac gluten sensitivity, you do have to tread very carefully if you’re looking for a safe meal over at Chili’s. 🚫🌾
Between their flour tortillas, beer-battered appetizers, shared fryers, in addition to their common grills and prep stations, the risks of cross-contact and gluten contamination are all too real. ⚠️
On the bright side, it’s not all bad news, as Chili’s does have a gluten-free menu in mind, and it comes with a decent variety of naturally gluten-free entrées, as well as sides and drinks, too.
These include grilled steaks, some tacos, as well as salads, and some of their burgers can also be ordered without the wheat-based bun, alongside quite a few more, with modifications.
That said, let us check out what the Chili’s gluten-free menu has to offer, and let us help guide you into figuring out what you could order safely, and which ones to avoid.
Table of Contents
Disclaimer
With that in mind, it’s worth reminding ourselves that Chili’s kitchens aren’t dedicated gluten-free facilities, and not a menu item is tested to the FDA’s <20 ppm gluten-free threshold. 🧪
That basically means that even the most ‘gluten-free’ items here should technically be treated more like ‘gluten-sensitive’ or ‘gluten-friendly’, rather than 100% certified ‘gluten-free’. 🚫🌾
This is partly due to the cross-contamination risks, since all of Chili’s menu items are prepared using shared equipment and utensils, such as grills, fryers, sauce stations, and prep counters.
Given that there’s such close proximity with all those wheat-based dishes, no meals here could be guaranteed ‘gluten-free’, so do approach with an abundance of caution when ordering. 🍛
So, if you do have celiac disease or a severe gluten intolerance, I’d highly suggest that you let your server and/or the Chili’s kitchen staff know about your specific dietary needs. ✋🛑🥪
In this case, they might take extra precautions when preparing your meal, such as using fresh gloves, clean utensils, and wiping surfaces, all to better minimize any cross-contamination.
Chili’s Allergen Policy (Gluten-Free)
On the flipside, and besides the dedicated Chili’s gluten-free menu, they at least make it a tad easier for you to figure out what’s safe to order, and it starts by heading over to their site. 🍔
Once you’re on the official Chili’s website, the first thing you should do is navigate to the menu page and then click on any menu item there (it doesn’t matter which one you pick for now).
After the specific menu item’s webpage loads up, scroll a bit further down to that ‘Nutritional Info’ section (in green), and you’ll now find one of 3 different, but all very useful links:
- The first one opens up the official Chili’s Nutrition Info PDF file, where you can browse through the entire Chili’s menu, with each item included, and then check out the nutritional breakdown. This ought to give you a good idea of what you’re eating, if you’re very careful about dieting.
- That second link opens up the Chili’s Allergen Info PDF file, which is what we’re looking for. On here, you could find a detailed breakdown of all the allergens included in each menu item, and for celiacs, in particular, highlight and avoid anything that contains ‘wheat’ and ‘gluten’.
- Lastly, the third link opens up the Chili’s gluten-friendly menu (notice that it’s not labeled here as ‘gluten-free’), where Chili’s has provided a handy list of all the items on their menu that can be ordered as ‘gluten-friendly’, as well as specific modifications (i.e., removing a burger bun).
Of course, either of the latter two links could be useful for people who don’t have celiac disease, too! You could filter out anything else that you’re allergic to, such as milk, peanuts, or shellfish.
Additionally, Chili’s also provided a handy little checklist to tell you if a menu item could suit a vegan or vegetarian diet, so if you’re either of the two, use this to filter out the Chili’s menu.
Ah, and remember to keep yourself up-to-date on those files, as they regularly get updates on new menu items, recipes, ingredients, or even suppliers, which happen every so often. ✍️📋
Appetizers
There’s no better place to start off ticking off the Chili’s menu than their awesomely delicious appetizers, though I do have some bad news for celiacs and anyone with gluten intolerance.
The Chili’s appetizers menu has everything from shareable wings to cheese-loaded fries and a selection of fresh dips, or even wings, though some of them aren’t safe for celiacs. 🍗🧀🍟
Sadly, most of these tasty appetizers are made with or rely on flour, batter, as well as shared fryers, so gluten-free options are quite limited, and some are even downright dangerous!
❌ Triple Dipper
⚠️ Bone‑In Wings
❌ Boneless Wings
❌ Southwestern Eggrolls
⚠️ Dip Trio
❌ Fried Mozzarella
❌ Honey‑Chipotle Mozzarella
❌ Nashville Hot Mozzarella
⚠️ Texas Cheese Fries
✅ Chips & Salsa
✅ House‑made Guacamole
❌ Skillet Beef Queso
✅ White Skillet Queso
So, let’s break down these appetizers and figure out what’s what with Chili’s menu:
Triple Dipper: Three classic appetizers on one plate (wings, fried pickles, and eggrolls), which are all breaded or fried, making this unsafe for strict gluten‑free diets and folks with celiac disease.
Bone‑In Wings: Unbreaded chicken wings tossed in your choice of sauce. The wings themselves are gluten‑free by recipe, but the shared fryers and sauce dispensers pose cross‑contact risks.
Boneless Wings: Breaded chicken bites tossed in sauce. The wheat‑flour coating makes these completely unsafe for celiacs, and there’s no modification that could make it celiac-safe.
Southwestern Eggrolls: Flour tortillas stuffed with chicken, black beans, corn, and cheese, and then fried, which naturally contains wheat flour, and it should be avoided if you’re a celiac.
Dip Trio: Salsa, queso, and guacamole served with tortilla chips. The chips and salsa, and guac are gluten‑free by ingredient, but the queso may contain wheat‑based thickener, and all share serving utensils, and some of the add-ons and dips contain wheat or gluten, as well.
Fried Mozzarella: Breaded mozzarella sticks fried in shared oil, which contains wheat flour, so this makes them unsafe for gluten‑free diets, or if you have a non-celiac gluten sensitivity.
Honey‑Chipotle Mozzarella: Breaded cheese bites tossed in honey‑chipotle glaze, which is also unsafe, as both the breading and the glaze contain wheat, so avoid this if you’re a celiac.
Nashville Hot Mozzarella: Breaded cheese sticks in spicy Nashville‑style coating, and like all the other mozzarella dishes here, this one also contains wheat, so avoid this one entirely.
Texas Cheese Fries: Seasoned fries smothered in queso and bacon. The fries share fryers with breaded items, so there is some mild cross‑contact risk, but the base ingredients themselves contain no wheat. Maybe consider asking the kitchen staff for fresh oil, just to be safe.
Chips & Salsa: House‑made tortilla chips with salsa, and both of them are naturally gluten‑free, though confirm that the chip batch hadn’t been fried alongside other battered items.
House‑made Guacamole: Fresh avocado dip with tortilla chips, which is gluten‑free by recipe, and there’s fairly minimal handling or contamination risks once it’s been made to order.
Skillet Beef Queso: Melted cheese with seasoned ground beef, peppers, and spices, though on the Chili’s allergen guide, it has been marked as containing traces of wheat and gluten.
White Skillet Queso: Creamy white queso with jalapeños, and best of all, it is gluten‑free by ingredient, though watch out for any cross‑contact, which remains possible during prep.
All in all, only a couple of these are reliably wheat-free, while a few others, such as the Texas Cheese Fries, present some cross-contamination risks, but they can still be ordered carefully. 🍟
Fajitas
It wouldn’t be a trip down to Chili’s without a sampler of their fajitas, and nothing beats Chili’s legendary sizzling skillet of marinated meats and peppers, even if some care is needed. 🌮🌯
That said, an abundance of caution is a must when you’re ordering, as all these fajita platters come by default with flour tortillas, and some seasoning blends may contain wheat. 🌾👉🌽
⚠️ The Original Trio
⚠️ Pick Any 2
⚠️ The Classics
⚠️ Fajitas for 2
Now, let’s take an even closer look at what these Chili’s fajitas are made of:
The Original Trio: A trio of grilled chicken, steak, and shrimp with peppers and onions, which is then served with flour tortillas, cheddar cheese, pico, sour cream, and rice. These proteins and veggies are gluten‑free by recipe, but make sure you swap the flour tortilla with a corn one.
Pick Any 2: Your choice of two proteins (chicken, steak, shrimp, or veggies) with all the classic fajita fixings. Once again, it could be made gluten-free by swapping to the corn tortilla, and I would also recommend double‑checking all the individual seasoning blend ingredients.
The Classics: Choose a single protein (chicken or steak) with peppers, onions, tortillas, as well as sides. The meat and veggies here are naturally wheat‑free, but like the others here, make sure you remember to replace the wheat-based flour tortilla with the corn tortilla option.
Fajitas for 2: Generous portions of two proteins plus vegetables, tortillas, cheese, and sides. If you want to keep this fajita safe for celiacs and folks with severe gluten intolerance, take care with those sides, toppings, and dips, and swap out the flour tortilla with the corn option.
If you’re ordering a fajita at Chili’s, again, remember to swap those flour tortillas with the corn alternative to cut out the wheat, and always double-check the seasonings for danger! 🌮🌽
Big Mouth Burgers
Like their fajitas, it’s hard to comprehend Chili’s without their famous Big Mouth Burgers, and their juicy, double-stacked magnificence. Better yet, they could even be made gluten-friendly!
Most (though not all) of Chili’s burgers could be modified into being GF by ordering them with no burger bun, which is wheat-based, but just be careful with the ingredients, too. 🍔🍟🧀
⚠️ Double Oldtimer w/Cheese
⚠️ Big Smasher Burger
⚠️ The Big QP Burger
⚠️ Alex’s Santa Fe Burger
⚠️ Bacon Rancher Burger
❌ Big Mouth Bites
⚠️ BBQ Brisket Burger
⚠️ Just Bacon Burger
⚠️ Mushroom Swiss Burger
⚠️ Oldtimer w/Cheese
❌ Veggie Santa Fe Burger
For comparison, let’s break apart these Big Mouth Burgers one by one:
Double Oldtimer w/Cheese: Two seasoned beef patties with American cheese, pickles, onions, and lettuce. Just remember to order this without the wheat bun to make it gluten‑friendly.
Big Smasher Burger: Triple‑stacked smashed beef patties with cheese and special sauce. The ingredients are all wheat‑free by recipe, but make sure you order it without the wheat bun.
The Big QP Burger: Double patties topped with pulled pork and melted cheese. Remove the wheat bun, and confirm the pork sauce has no hidden wheat before tucking in, as well.
Alex’s Santa Fe Burger: Seasoned patty with pepper‑jack cheese, pico de gallo, and tortilla strips. Omit the tortilla strips and remove the wheat bun to keep it celiac-friendly.
Bacon Rancher Burger: Beef patty with crispy bacon, cheddar, and ranch dressing. Remember to order it without the bun, and verify that the ranch contains no wheat‑based thickeners.
Big Mouth Bites: Mini beef patties on slider buns. Sadly, this is one of the two burgers in this list that can’t be modified to be made celiac-safe, so avoid this if you have a gluten intolerance.
BBQ Brisket Burger: Beef patty topped with smoked brisket and BBQ sauce. Order this without the wheat-based bun, and ensure that you double‑check that the BBQ sauce is gluten‑free.
Just Bacon Burger: Single beef patty piled high with applewood bacon. And, once you order it without the wheat-based burger bun, all you need to worry about now is cross-contact
Mushroom Swiss Burger: Sauteed mushrooms and Swiss cheese over a beef patty. As always, remember to order it bun-less and request a clean grill area to avoid any cross‑contact.
Oldtimer w/Cheese: Classic cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickles. To make it safe for celiacs or folks with gluten intolerance, just order this without the burger bun.
Veggie Santa Fe Burger: Black‑bean and corn patty topped with pepper‑jack and pico. Like the Big Mouth Bites from earlier, however, this one can’t be modified to be gluten-friendly.
In general, most of the burgers at Chili’s are made with gluten-free patties and toppings, but it does get mixed in with that wheat-based bun, as well as the cross-contamination, too. 🧀🥓
Chicken Crisper
Meanwhile, we then have Chili’s Chicken Crispers, which are all hand-breaded strips, though it means that the wheat flour coating makes every single Crisper here unsafe for celiacs. 🍗🌾
❌ Crispy Chicken Crispers Combo
❌ Honey‑Chipotle Chicken Crispers Combo
❌ Nashville Hot Chicken Crispers Combo
Just to make extra sure, let’s double-check what these Crispers are made of:
Crispy Chicken Crispers Combo: Breaded chicken strips served with fries and honey‑mustard sauce. The wheat‑flour breading and shared fryer oil make this completely unsuitable for a gluten‑free diet, if you’re a celiac or if you have a non-celiac gluten sensitivity.
Honey‑Chipotle Chicken Crispers Combo: Breaded strips tossed in sweet‑spicy chipotle glaze, plus fries and ranch. Between that breading, the glaze (which does contain potential wheat thickeners), and the huge fryer cross‑contact, this can’t be made celiac‑safe, either.
Nashville Hot Chicken Crispers Combo: Crispy, breaded strips coated in Nashville hot sauce, which is then served with fries and dipping sauce. That breading uses wheat flour, and the shared fryers and sauce prep areas introduce way too much cross‑contamination risk.
To keep things short, if you’re a celiac or if you have a gluten intolerance, avoid ordering Chili’s Chicken Crispers, not only for the cross-contact risks, but also for that wheat-based breading. 🌶️
Ribs
Similarly, if you’re after that fall-off-the-bone goodness, Chili’s ribs, as tempting as it may look, lathers them with their signature sauces and marinades, which might contain wheat. 🍖🥩
❌ Rib Combo Pick 3
❌ Rib Combo Pick 2
❌ Full Rack of Ribs
❌ Half Rack of Ribs
Let’s take these ribs apart and figure out specifically why they’re not celiac-friendly:
Rib Combo Pick 3: A choice of three half‑rack flavors served with two sides. However, those three sauces (Classic BBQ, Honey-Chipotle, Nashville Hot, etc.) mention wheat among their ingredients, and the ribs also share prep and saucing stations, too.
Rib Combo Pick 2: Two half‑rack flavors with one side. Like the earlier Pick 3, both the sauces contain some wheat or gluten ingredients, but cross‑contact risk remains high in the saucing process, so I’d suggest avoiding this if you’re a celiac or if you’re gluten intolerant.
Full Rack of Ribs: Ten to twelve meaty ribs slathered in Classic BBQ sauce. Now, the BBQ sauce contains wheat‑based thickeners, and the ribs are then prepped on shared equipment, so it’s best to avoid this completely if you’re after a wheat-free meal at Chili’s.
Half Rack of Ribs: Five to six ribs with Classic BBQ sauce and choice of side. The same sauce and those same prep methods apply here, rendering this very unsafe for anyone with celiac disease or a severe gluten intolerance, and there are no modifications for this, either.
Given that all of Chili’s ribs use wheat-containing sauces, not to mention being prepared using shared equipment, if you’re strictly gluten-free, it might be safer to skip the ribs entirely. 🍯
Steaks
While Chili’s superb streaks are grilled to order and, by recipe, are completely free of wheat, it does rely on shared grills and finishing sauces, so be wary of cross-contamination. 🥩🍤🍖
⚠️ Surf & Turf Ribeye
⚠️ Surf & Turf Sirloin
⚠️ Classic Ribeye
⚠️ Classic Sirloin
⚠️ Guiltless Sirloin
That said, let’s take a closer peek at Chili’s steaks and see if there’s anything to be worried about:
Surf & Turf Ribeye: Ribeye served with garlic‑herb grilled shrimp and two sides. The steak and shrimp are seasoned without wheat, though the shrimp is then basted with sauces on shared equipment, so make sure you request a clean grill, just to be extra safe against cross-contact.
Surf & Turf Sirloin: 10 oz sirloin paired with garlic‑herb grilled shrimp and two sides. As with the ribeye surf & turf, all the ingredients are gluten‑free by recipe, though grill cross‑contamination is possible, so for celiacs and those who are gluten intolerant, take care when you’re ordering.
Classic Ribeye: Ribeye seasoned and seared on the flat top, and then served with two sides. The steak seasoning contains no wheat, but shared searing surfaces may pick up trace gluten, so be sure to ask the staff for a wiped‑down station, especially if you’re highly sensitive to gluten.
Classic Sirloin: 6 or 10 oz sirloin grilled simply with salt and pepper, plus two sides. There are no gluten traces in the seasoning, though confirm that the grill has been cleaned after any sauced items to minimize cross‑contact, which could be a serious issue if you’re a celiac.
Guiltless Sirloin: 6 or 10 oz sirloin with steamed broccoli and some house salad. Just like Chili’s Classic Sirloin, all these ingredients are wheat‑free by recipe, but watch out for any dressing or prep‑area contamination, and remember to remind the staff of any specific dietary needs.
In short, Chili’s steaks themselves don’t contain any gluten ingredients, but due to shared grills and saucing stations, for my fellow celiacs, either avoid them entirely, or be extra careful. 🥩
Chicken & Seafood
On the upshot, whether you’re craving a hearty pasta and maybe a lighter protein plate, Chili’s chicken and seafood entrées span everything from creamy noodles to simply grilled fillets. 🍝
Sadly, these pastas rely on wheat, making them a no-go for celiacs, but at least all the proteins here could be ordered gluten-friendly, as long as you’re careful with contamination. 🐟🔥🍗
❌ Ultimate Cajun Pasta
❌ Cajun Pasta
⚠️ Ancho Salmon
⚠️ Chipotle Fresh Mex Bowl
⚠️ Margarita Grilled Chicken
Let’s check out Chili’s seafood and chicken dishes and take them apart:
Ultimate Cajun Pasta: Penne tossed in a Cajun cream sauce with spicy chicken and shrimp. The pasta and cream sauce both contain wheat flour, and there’s no gluten‑free substitution, so it’s pretty much unsafe for celiacs and for folks who are highly gluten intolerant.
Cajun Pasta: Linguine in Cajun cream sauce with chicken, onions, and peppers. Like the earlier Ultimate version, the wheat pasta and thickened sauce here render this entirely unsuitable for gluten‑free diets, and it’s practically hazardous if you’re highly sensitive to gluten.
Ancho Salmon: Grilled salmon glazed with ancho‑honey sauce, and served with two sides. The salmon and honey glaze contain no wheat by recipe, but it’s then basted on shared grills, so it might help to ask the staff for a clean flat top to minimize any cross‑contamination.
Chipotle Fresh Mex Bowl: Grilled chicken, rice, black beans, pico de gallo, and some avocado in a chipotle‑tomatillo sauce. All the base ingredients are wheat‑free, though the sauce station is shared, and remember to request fresh utensils and a wiped prep area, too.
Margarita Grilled Chicken: Citrus‑marinated chicken breast with rice and pico, plus two sides. The marinade and the sides contain no gluten ingredients, but double-check that the grill and the garnish stations were cleaned before service to minimize cross-contamination risks.
It’s pretty clear that Chili’s pasta dishes are unsafe for gluten-free diets and celiacs, but there’s at least some hope with their protein-based items, besides the cross-contamination risks. 🐔
Guiltless Grill
Chili’s unique Guiltless Grill offers a menu that features lighter, more calorie-conscious entrées for even cleaner eating, and best of all, most of these dishes are naturally gluten-free! 🥗🥩
⚠️ Guiltless Sirloin
⚠️ Ancho Salmon
⚠️ Santa Fe Salad
⚠️ Margarita Grilled Chicken
With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at each of these grill items, just to make extra sure:
Guiltless Sirloin: 6 or 10 oz sirloin seasoned simply and grilled, served with steamed broccoli and house salad. There’s no wheat in the sirloin seasoning or sides, but confirm the grill and steamers were wiped clean, especially against any possible risks of cross-contamination.
Ancho Salmon: Grilled salmon fillet glazed in ancho‑honey sauce, paired with rice and pico de gallo. The recipe contains no wheat, though the glaze and grill are shared, so request a freshly wiped cooking surface, particularly if you’re concerned about any cross-contact risks.
Santa Fe Salad: Mixed greens topped with grilled fajita chicken, corn, black beans, cheddar cheese, pico de gallo, and crunchy tortilla strips. The standard wheat tortilla strips could be swapped out for corn tortilla strips, thus making it a bit safer if you’re gluten intolerant.
Margarita Grilled Chicken: Citrus‑marinated chicken breast with rice, pico de gallo, and some steamed broccoli. All these components are gluten‑free by recipe, but as with the salmon, be sure that the grill and garnish stations were cleaned before assembly to minimize contact.
As with much of Chili’s menu thus far, even the safest, most wheat-free items here still pose a mild risk of cross-contamination, so request the staff for clean equipment to be safe. 🔥🥩🍖
Bowls & Quesadillas
If you’re craving a handheld quesadilla or a hearty bowl, Chili’s Tex-Mex picks deliver plenty of flavor, but sadly, the quesadillas here all use flour tortillas, making them celiac-unsafe. 🌯🥙
❌ Chicken Bacon Ranch Quesadillas
❌ Brisket Quesadillas
⚠️ Chipotle Fresh Mex Bowl
Let’s take a closer look at these Tex-Mex bowls and quesadillas, and see what they’re made of:
Chicken Bacon Ranch Quesadillas: Flour tortillas filled with grilled chicken, crispy bacon, melted cheeses, and ranch dressing. The tortillas contain wheat flour, and they can’t be replaced with the corn tortillas from earlier, thus making this entirely unsuitable for celiacs like me.
Brisket Quesadillas: Flour tortillas stuffed with smoked brisket, onions, peppers, and Chili’s famed three‑cheese blend. Again, the wheat tortillas, with no corn alternatives or substitutes, render this unsafe for gluten‑free diets, or if you have a non-celiac gluten sensitivity.
Chipotle Fresh Mex Bowl: Grilled chicken or steak served over rice with black beans, corn, pico de gallo, avocado, and chipotle‑tomatillo sauce. All the components are wheat‑free by recipe, but the bowl station and sauce ladles are shared, so be careful with cross-contamination.
With no wheat-free and gluten-friendly corn tortilla options, Chili’s quesadillas are sadly very dangerous for celiacs, but at least their bowls are safe, with a bit of caution in mind. 🥗🍅🌶️
Sandwiches
For folks who want something a bit different than Chili’s burgers, their sandwiches showcase a bold variety of flavors and textures, from super crispy chicken to zesty bacon guac. 🍔🥓🥪
However, unlike Chili’s burgers from earlier, which could be ordered bun-less and omitting the wheat-based buns, these sandwiches are all served on those wheat buns, with no alternatives.
❌ Bacon Guac Grilled Chicken Sandwich
❌ Bacon Guac Crispy Chicken Sandwich
❌ Crispy Chicken Sandwich
❌ Buffalo Chicken Ranch Sandwich
Let’s check out in more detail why these sandwiches are a bad choice for celiacs:
Bacon Guac Grilled Chicken Sandwich: Marinated, grilled chicken breast topped with crispy bacon, avocado, pepper jack cheese, lettuce, tomato, and chipotle mayo on a toasted wheat bun. Since there’s no gluten‑free bun option available, this sandwich is unsafe for celiacs.
Bacon Guac Crispy Chicken Sandwich: Hand‑breaded chicken filet tossed in spicy chipotle‑ranch sauce, finished with bacon, guacamole, lettuce, and tomato on a wheat bun, but you will find wheat in both the breading and the bun, making it off‑limits if you’re gluten intolerant.
Crispy Chicken Sandwich: Breaded and fried chicken filet served with lettuce, tomato, and mayo on a wheat bun, and since there’s no option or customization to remove the wheat beyond omitting the bun, this one’s pretty much unsafe for strict gluten‑free diets, too.
Buffalo Chicken Ranch Sandwich: Crispy chicken filet tossed in Buffalo sauce, topped with ranch dressing, lettuce, and tomato on a wheat bun. Once again, the bun and that breading both contain wheat, rendering this another no‑go for celiacs, or if you’re sensitive to gluten.
Well, that’s a pretty clear-cut conclusion… If you’re a celiac or if you’re gluten intolerant, it’s a good idea to skip Chili’s sandwiches menu, as there is wheat aplenty to be found. 🍗👉🌾
Salads & Soups
For those of you starving for something on the lighter side, I’m sad to report that Chili’s salads and soups menus are mixed in with loads of breaded proteins, tortilla strips, and gluten. 🥗
❌ Santa Fe Crispers Salad
❌ Santa Fe Salad
❌ Quesadilla Explosion Crispers Salad
❌ Quesadilla Explosion Salad
✅ Side House Salad
⚠️Soup & House Salad
⚠️Bowl of Soup
⚠️Cup of Soup
Salads are normally among the safer choices for celiacs, so let’s see why this isn’t the case here:
Santa Fe Crispers Salad: Mixed greens topped with hand‑breaded chicken crispers, corn, black beans, pico de gallo, tortilla strips, cheese, and honey‑lime dressing. This item contains wheat in both the breading and the tortilla strips, making it unsafe if you’re gluten intolerant.
Santa Fe Salad: Grilled chicken, corn, black beans, pico de gallo, cheese, tortilla strips, and a honey‑lime dressing over mixed greens. The tortilla strips contain wheat flour, and unlike the fajitas from earlier, you can’t swap them with corn tortillas, so this salad is also off‑limits.
Quesadilla Explosion Crispers Salad: Hand‑breaded chicken crispers, cheese, corn, pico de gallo, tortilla strips, and queso over greens, and once again, this is unsafe due to the breaded chicken and the wheat tortilla strips, which also lack any gluten-free alternatives and substitutes.
Quesadilla Explosion Salad: Grilled chicken, cheese, corn, pico de gallo, tortilla strips, and queso over mixed greens, but it’s the wheat tortilla strips that keep this from being celiac‑safe. Worse of all, you can’t swap it with Chili’s corn tortillas, so it can’t be modified to be made GF.
Side House Salad: Crisp lettuce with tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, and shredded cheese. It comes with no croutons or tortilla strips by default, making it gluten‑free by ingredient, but it’s still a good idea to request dressing on the side and fresh utensils for reduced cross‑contact.
Soup & House Salad: A combination of a side house salad and a cup of soup. While the salad itself is wheat‑free, some of Chili’s soups usually contain wheat or roux. So, only consider this dish if it comes with a naturally wheat-free soup, such as their Loaded Baked Potato soup.
Bowl of Soup: Chili’s soups (such as chicken enchilada, chili, or broccoli cheese) usually contain flour or roux, thus making this full‑size soup portion unsafe for celiacs. On the other hand, you could order Chili’s Loaded Baked Potato soup, which doesn’t naturally contain any wheat.
Cup of Soup: A smaller portion of the same soup dishes from earlier, and most of Chili’s soups still contain wheat‑based thickeners or roux, except the Loaded Baked Potato soup (though it might be worth double-checking with the staff), so it’s not safe for strict gluten‑free diets.
Overall, while salads are typically a safe option for celiacs, since they’re mostly just vegetables anyway, Chili’s salads are an exception to the rule, so avoid them if you’re a celiac. 🍲🥗🥣
Desserts
Wrapping up your meal, the Chili’s dessert menu offers up indulgent sweet treats, though sadly, not a single one here is safe for celiacs, with wheat in their crusts, doughs, and batter. 🍪🍰
❌ Peanut Butter Pie made with REESE’S
❌ Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie
❌ Molten Chocolate Cake
Just to make doubly sure, let’s check out what these desserts are made of:
Peanut Butter Pie made with REESE’S: Creamy peanut butter filling on a chocolate cookie crust made with wheat flour and REESE’S candy, which also contains wheat in the crust, and thus, it’s unsafe for gluten‑free diets, especially to celiacs and folks who are gluten intolerant.
Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie: A Large chocolate chip cookie baked in a skillet, and it’s made from a traditional wheat‑flour dough, which also makes this dessert entirely unsafe for celiacs.
Molten Chocolate Cake: Individual chocolate cake with a gooey center, which is prepared from wheat‑flour batter, which contains gluten and is unsuitable for a strict gluten‑free diet.
Alas, it looks like with so much wheat in abundance, celiacs and folks with a severe non-celiac gluten sensitivity might want to skip dessert entirely, if you’re dining out at Chili’s. 🍫🧁🎂🍨
Sides
Or, you might want something lightweight and simple to complement your entrées, and in this case, good news, as there’s a ton of delicious sides at Chili’s to help round out any meal. 🍟🧀
✅ Black Beans
⚠️Fries
✅ Garlic Butter Mushrooms
✅ Loaded Mashed Potatoes
✅ Loaded Mashed Potatoes w/o Bacon
✅ Mashed Potatoes Plain
✅ Mexican Rice
✅ Roasted Asparagus
✅ Roasted Street Corn
✅ Steamed Broccoli
⚠️Texas Cheese Fries
❌ Loaded White Cheddar Mac N Cheese
❌ White Cheddar Mac N Cheese
That said, let’s check out how Chili’s sides compare against the rest of their menu:
Black Beans: Seasoned black beans cooked with onions and spices, which are naturally gluten-free, but confirm they haven’t been thickened with any wheat flour or other wheat items.
Fries: Hand‑cut fries fried in shared oil, and while the ingredients are gluten‑free, the shared fryer (and fryer oil) creates some cross‑contact risk, so ask them for fresh oil if possible.
Garlic Butter Mushrooms: Sautéed mushrooms tossed in garlic butter, which also contains no wheat in the recipe, making this a reliably safe choice for celiacs and the gluten intolerant.
Loaded Mashed Potatoes: Creamy mashed potatoes with cheddar cheese, sour cream, green onions, and bacon, with no gluten ingredients by recipe, but verify that no gravy was added.
Loaded Mashed Potatoes w/o Bacon: It’s the same as the above, but without bacon, and it’s also gluten-free and a great option if you skip any gravy add-ons and other mix-ins, too.
Mashed Potatoes Plain: Traditional mashed potatoes made with butter and milk, which also contain no wheat, and it’s quite safe when it’s been prepared in a clean batch.
Mexican Rice: Fluffy rice cooked with tomato, onions, and some seasonings, and it’s naturally gluten-free, though you may ask to confirm that no stock with hidden thickeners was used.
Roasted Asparagus: Oven‑roasted asparagus spears seasoned simply with oil and spices, and best of all, it’s free of gluten, making it a crisp, safe side if you’re highly sensitive to gluten.
Roasted Street Corn: Grilled corn off the cob with cotija cheese, chili powder, and lime, and it also contains no wheat, but do watch out for shared prep surfaces and cross-contamination.
Steamed Broccoli: Lightly steamed broccoli florets, and it’s just pure gluten‑free vegetable goodness, with no wheat or gluten, but ensure that clean steamers were used instead.
Texas Cheese Fries: Fries loaded with queso and bacon, and while the queso is gluten‑free, the underlying fries may share fryers (and fryer oil) with battered items, so treat them with care.
Loaded White Cheddar Mac N Cheese: Pasta shells in cheddar sauce, which contains wheat pasta, making it unsafe for celiacs, and there are no gluten-free pastas available at Chili’s.
White Cheddar Mac N Cheese: Classic mac & cheese made with wheat pasta, and just like the earlier Mac N Cheese, it’s unsuitable for gluten‑free diets, and there are no GF substitutes.
If you’re worried about the slightly higher risk of cross-contamination with Chili’s main dishes and entrées, at least their sides are a bit safer, though you should still be careful. 🍚🥔🥓
Kids Menu
If you ever bring your kids to Chili’s, I have some bad news: if you’re thinking of ordering from their kids’ menu, as most things here use wheat-based breads, batters, or pastas. 🍔🥙🍕
❌ Pepper Pals Cheeseburger Bites
❌ Pepper Pals Burger Bites
❌ Pepper Pals Grilled Chicken Bites
❌ Pepper Pals Cheese Quesadilla
❌ Pepper Pals Crispy Crispers
❌ Pepper Pals Grilled Chicken Bites
❌ Pepper Pals Cheesy Chicken Pasta
❌ Kraft Macaroni & Cheese
❌ Pepper Pals Cheese Pizza
❌ Pepper Pals Pepperoni Pizza
❌ Mini Chocolate Molten
Let’s check out what these mini-sized meals are made of to see why they’re bad for celiacs:
Pepper Pals Cheeseburger Bites: Mini all‑beef patties topped with American cheese and served with a side of ketchup for dipping. But the bread contains wheat, thus making it unsafe.
Pepper Pals Burger Bites: Bite‑sized all‑beef patties served with ketchup, but once again, that burger bun contains wheat, and there are no gluten-free substitutes or bun alternatives.
Pepper Pals Grilled Chicken Bites: Small grilled chicken patty on a mini wheat bun with pickles, with moderate cross-contact in the grilled chicken, and it’s then topped with a wheat bun.
Pepper Pals Cheese Quesadilla: Flour tortilla filled with melted cheddar and Monterey Jack, though the tortilla contains wheat, which makes it unsafe for celiacs and gluten intolerant.
Pepper Pals Crispy Crispers: Hand‑breaded chicken tenders served with honey mustard, but the breading contains wheat flour, which makes this a no-go if you’re sensitive to gluten.
Pepper Pals Grilled Chicken Bites: Grilled chicken strips seasoned and served with BBQ dipping sauce, which is naturally gluten‑free by recipe, but with possible cross-contact at the grill.
Pepper Pals Cheesy Chicken Pasta: Macaroni and cheddar cheese sauce, then topped with diced grilled chicken, though the pasta contains wheat, with no gluten-free substitutes available.
Kraft Macaroni & Cheese: Elbow macaroni in creamy cheese sauce, and once again, the pasta contains wheat, with no GF alternatives, so avoid this if you’re on a strict gluten-free diet.
Pepper Pals Cheese Pizza: Small pizza with tomato sauce and mozzarella on a wheat crust, but the crust contains wheat, and there’s unfortunately no gluten-free crusts or other substitutes.
Pepper Pals Pepperoni Pizza: Kid‑sized pizza that’s topped with pepperoni and some cheese on a wheat crust, but like the earlier Cheese Pizza, the crust contains wheat, making it unsafe.
Mini Chocolate Molten: Warm chocolate cake with a gooey center, though the cake contains wheat flour, so avoid this if you need to stay strictly gluten‑free, or if you’re a celiac, too.
All in all, your kids aren’t going to find anything celiac-safe in the Chili’s kids’ menu, so you may want to consider taking a closer look at their sides menu for something filling, instead. 🍝🍫
Beverages
Should you be thirsty for a refresher and for something to quench your thirst, the Chili’s drinks menu is packed with fruity lemonades and iced teas, which are also free of gluten! 🥤🍹🧃
✅ Strawberry Lemonade
✅ Watermelon Lemonade
✅ Dragonfruit Lemonade
✅ Blackberry Iced Tea
✅ Mango Iced Tea
✅ Watermelon Iced Tea
✅ Dragonfruit Iced Tea
Of course, let’s make extra sure these drinks are actually celiac-safe, and take a closer look:
Strawberry Lemonade: Fresh‑made lemonade blended with real strawberry purée, with no wheat ingredients here, but request a clean spigot to minimize any cross‑contact.
Watermelon Lemonade: Lemonade stirred with watermelon syrup, which is also naturally gluten‑free, yet those shared nozzles warrant a quick wipe before pouring.
Dragonfruit Lemonade: Vibrant dragon fruit‑flavored lemonade, free of gluten by ingredient, though just confirm that the dispenser head is cleaned to minimize cross-contamination.
Blackberry Iced Tea: Brewed black tea mixed with blackberry flavor, which thankfully contains no wheat, but ask the staff to rinse the tea tap prior to serving, just to be safe.
Mango Iced Tea: Iced tea infused with mango essence, which is gluten‑free by recipe, though shared urn spigots mean you should request a fresh pour, in case of any contamination.
Watermelon Iced Tea: Crisp iced tea with watermelon notes, and once again, there are no gluten ingredients, but ensure that the dispenser spout is wiped first, too.
Dragonfruit Iced Tea: Iced tea flavored with dragon fruit, which contains no wheat, but once again, treat it like the others, and get that nozzle cleaned, just in case.
There’s a familiar pattern here… All these drinks are naturally gluten-free, but be mindful that shared dispenser nozzles might require a quick wipe to reduce cross-contact risks. 🍉🍋🍓
To Sum Up
Overall, Chili’s caters decently to celiacs and folks who are intolerant or are sensitive to gluten, but that doesn’t mean you could order everything as-is with no caution in mind. 🍔🍟
There are some menu items that you have to avoid, such as their sandwiches, Chicken Crispers, ribs, salads, a few appetizers, their entire Kids Menu, and a few other things here or there. 🍕
Whether it’s wheat-based ingredients or high doses of cross-contamination, a big chunk of the Chili’s menu is off-limits to celiacs, but with care, there are quite a few safe options, too. 🥙🍖
Their fajitas, burgers, steaks, Guiltless Grill, and most of their sides are naturally free of wheat and gluten, among a few other dishes elsewhere, though bear in mind the cross-contact risks.
If you’re okay with reminding your server and the kitchen staff every now and then about your dietary needs, such as ordering your burgers bun-less, Chili’s is a decently safe spot for celiacs.
As long as you’re ever mindful about cross-contamination and how to modify your dishes that make them celiac-safe, Chili’s offers a lot of delectable meals, without sending you to the ER!
In the meantime, if you want recommendations on other restaurants with an equally decent selection 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 celiac-friendly, gluten-free dining out guides to Five Guys, Starbucks (UK), Costa Coffee, Jack In The Box, Jersey Mike’s, Dairy Queen, Shake Shack, Cracker Barrel, Wingstop, Culver’s, PF Changs, First Watch, Potbelly and more! 🍔🍟🍗
Stay safe and gluten‑aware, my celiac friends! 💖🥗
Frequently Asked Questions
As I was working on this Chili’s gluten-free menu guide, I found a few interesting questions on social media and some community forums, so I thought I’d try and answer them here:
Does Chili’s offer gluten‑free options?
Yes! Chili’s has loads of naturally gluten‑free dishes, such as their grilled fajitas, Guiltless Grill entrees, bun-less Big Mouth Burgers, and sides like steamed broccoli and Mexican rice. Still, it wouldn’t hurt, even if you’re ordering menu items that are naturally free of wheat, to be wary of cross-contamination, especially since Chili’s relies on shared equipment and utensils.
How do I find Chili’s gluten‑free menu online?
All you need to do is head over to their website, click on the menu page, and finally click on a specific menu item. It doesn’t matter which item you choose, as scrolling down would lead you to the same footer, where you could find a link to the official Chili’s gluten-friendly menu. Note that it mentions ‘gluten-friendly’, not 100% certified ‘gluten-free’, so order with caution.
Which fajitas at Chili’s are gluten‑free?
Fajitas made on their flat‑top (The Original Trio, Pick Any 2, The Classics, and the Fajitas for 2) are gluten‑free by recipe. The protein, peppers, onions, and seasonings contain no wheat. Just remember to skip the flour tortillas and swap them out for the corn tortillas to make the fajita dishes here gluten-friendly, and as always, be careful with potential cross-contamination.
What Chili’s desserts and kids’ meals are gluten‑free?
Unfortunately, the entire Chili’s desserts and kids’ menu is completely off-limits if you’re highly intolerant or are sensitive to gluten, if you’re a celiac, or if you want to maintain a strict gluten-free diet. Every single dish here is made or is then paired with something wheat-related, and it doesn’t seem like Chili’s is planning to offer gluten-free substitutes anytime soon, either.
How can I avoid gluten cross‑contamination at Chili’s?
First and foremost, make sure you let the server or the kitchen staff know that you have celiac disease or a severe gluten intolerance. Your server might be able to help you identify the menu items that ought to be safe for you to order, and they might also remind the kitchen staff to be extra careful and use fresh gloves, clean utensils, and wipe down prep areas, too.
Photo credit
Brinker International, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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Becky Terrell ✍️
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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