Ultimate IHOP Gluten-Free Menu Guide For 2025

Q: Are IHOP’s gluten-friendly pancakes truly gluten-free?

They’re made without gluten ingredients and arrive individually packaged, though IHOP labels them as 'gluten-friendly' (not 'gluten-free') because they're prepared in shared kitchens.

Q: Can I get eggs or omelets without gluten?

Sadly, IHOP’s omelets and scrambled eggs contain gluten, likely from batter or cross-contact, as well as the other items that come alongside them. So, they’re not recommended for celiacs.

Q: How can I minimize cross-contact at IHOP?

Plan ahead! Make sure you use the IHOP nutrition calculator online to filter out allergens, and call during off-peak hours, as well as inform the staff of your celiac disease, in addition to requesting fresh gloves and utensils, and open packaged items only at your table.

Q: Are IHOP waffles gluten-friendly, too?

No, all of IHOP's waffles are made from enriched wheat flour batter, making them a no-go for celiacs.

Q: Does IHOP update its gluten-friendly menu?

IHOP refreshes its online nutrition calculator and filter regularly, as it continues to add new items to the menu. Be sure to always check the page from time to time before ordering.

Published by Becky | Last updated 2nd May, 2025

Explore IHOP’s gluten-free menu: safe pancakes, waffles, sides, and beverages with tips to avoid gluten and cross-contamination risks.

Eating out anywhere as a celiac can sometimes feel like peeking through the cracks of an open kitchen door… Tempting, but fraught with hidden dangers!

As someone who’s had to deal with being a celiac for more than 30 years, I know just how to spot all those landmines buried under the sand, and the same goes when I’m planning on dining out at IHOP! 🧇🥞

ihop gluten free

It’s not just sticking to menu items that are made without flour and wheat either, as there are also the risks that come with cross-contamination.

On the one hand, it’s not something you’re going to have to worry about too much here, as the IHOP gluten-free menu doesn’t have very many celiac-safe dishes, be it their pancakes and waffles, and select sides and proteins! 🍳🥓

Granted, you still have to be cautious, as all food is cooked and prepared in shared kitchens, as well as using common fryers, grills, and utensils.

So, for all you super-sensitive celiacs out there, you still have to be a bit concerned and paranoid about cross-contact. But, hey, that’s why we’re going to go through the IHOP gluten-free menu and see just how few options you have! 🚫

Table of Contents

Disclaimer

Now, it’s worth bearing in mind that while the IHOP gluten-free menu was designed “without gluten-containing ingredients” based on their supplier’s formulations, it doesn’t carry an FDA-approved ‘gluten-free’ claim, as IHOP can’t guarantee compliance with the FDA’s ‘gluten-free’ threshold of <20 ppm.

Technically, then, IHOP’s menu is actually ‘gluten-friendly’. 📝🤔

Therefore, you do have to be a bit careful when it comes to cross-contact, as IHOP has shared kitchens, where gluten-free and non-gluten-free items and ingredients may come into contact with each other.

So, if you’re a super-sensitive celiac like me, it’s worth being a bit careful! It’s also worth mentioning that in 2019, IHOP first introduced its gluten-free pancakes. 🥞

For all you celiacs and waffle lovers alike, they’ve since expanded the IHOP gluten-free menus to include celiac-friendly waffles, too! They all come individually packaged to minimize contact, but once opened, they’re handled alongside traditional menu items in common fryers, griddles, cutting boards, and utensils.

So, if you’re a celiac, here are some of my top tips:

Make sure to notify the server of your celiac disease or a severe gluten allergy, and stress that they pass that information along to the kitchen staff. This ought to make sure that they’ll prep your food a bit more carefully, preventing potential landmines like cross-contamination.
Speak up, you could also ask the kitchen staff and the servers to use fresh gloves and ask them to use clean utensils for prepping, plating, and service. Remember, being safe while eating out as a celiac isn’t just about avoiding wheat and gluten, but also about cross-contact.
Besides that, I’d highly recommend checking out IHOP’s Nutrition & Allergen Information page on their website. This includes their pretty cool interactive nutrition information, calculator, as well as an allergen data interactive tool. You could even use this tool to filter out gluten!

IHOP Allergen Policy (Gluten-Free)

On the subject of IHOP’s Nutrition & Allergen Information page, you can check out their superb interactive calculator tool here. All you need to do is flick the ‘Lifestyle & Allergen Filter’ to ‘On’, and then use the search bar to the right of it to select allergens that you want to avoid.

That’ll include ‘Gluten’ and ‘Wheat’ for celiacs like you and me, but there are other allergens, too!

Doing this will filter down the IHOP gluten-free menu to only those items that don’t have those allergens (gluten and wheat). This should give you a clear enough idea of what is or isn’t safe to consume if you’re a celiac.

If I were you, I’d also consider bookmarking that interactive tool on my phone, just in case I need to quickly check out what I can or can’t eat. 📑

Oh, and there are a few other cool and handy resources that you could find on IHOP’s website, which might come in handy:

IHOP’s Ingredient Statement Search page is a huge page that lists out their entire menu and then lists out every single ingredient per item. It’s actually a very comprehensive list of each and every ingredient used, which includes stuff that celiacs like us need to avoid, like wheat.
Aside from that, IHOP also has a PDF menu guide for vegetarians and vegans. This may not be massively helpful for celiacs, but if you or someone you know happens to be a vegetarian or a vegan, this ought to give you an idea of what you’d have to avoid to suit your dietary needs.
Last but not least, if you are not entirely sure about all these different interactive tools, pages, and nutritional guides, or how they all work, IHOP has a special FAQs PDF file. This would also give you a disclaimer on what IHOP defines as ‘gluten-free’ or ‘gluten-friendly’.

Ah, and before I forget, remember to keep checking in to IHOP’s Nutrition and Allergen pages every now and then, as it’ll keep getting updated and changed as IHOP’s menu keeps growing.

But whatever you do, remember to be careful when it comes to cross-contamination, even for those IHOP gluten-free menu items and dishes that we’re going to cover in more detail! ✍

Anytime Tacos & Burrito

First up, let’s take a closer look at one of the more underrated sections of the IHOP gluten-free menu, their Anytime Tacos & Burrito. Of course, IHOP is more well-known for its awesomely delicious pancakes and waffles, but these warm tortillas served with a side of salsa are perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!

Unfortunately, none of them are gluten-free. 🌮🙁

❌ Bacon, Egg & Cheese Anytime Tacos
❌ Chicken Fajita Anytime Tacos
❌ Spicy Shredded Beef Anytime Tacos
❌ Big Breakfast Burrito

So, let’s break down each one to see why they didn’t make it into the IHOP gluten-free menu:

Bacon, Egg & Cheese Anytime Tacos: Two warm flour tortillas filled with scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, and melted cheese. As those tortillas contain enriched wheat flour (gluten), they are not for celiacs.

Chicken Fajita Anytime Tacos: Grilled chicken strips, sautéed peppers & onions, and cheese in a bed of flour tortillas. Once again, those are wheat-based tortillas, rendering them off-limits for a gluten-free diet.

Spicy Shredded Beef Anytime Tacos: Tender, seasoned shredded beef with lettuce, pico de gallo, as well as cheese in flour tortillas. Again, flour tortillas contain gluten, so avoid them entirely if you’re a celiac.

Big Breakfast Burrito: A large flour tortilla stuffed with scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, cheese, and salsa. Just like the tortillas, the burrito wrap is made with wheat flour, so they’re not safe for celiacs or gluten-intolerant diners.

In short, there’s not a single IHOP tortilla or burrito that’s safe for celiac and gluten-free diners, so you should look elsewhere. It is a shame that there’s not at least the option for a gluten-free substitute, but alas, that is just one of the inconveniences that celiacs like us have to deal with.

Anyway, let’s see if the rest of the IHOP gluten-free menu has anything else to offer. 🌮⛔

Biscuits

Ah, and if you need some warm, flaky comfort, the IHOP gluten-free menu also has a selection of biscuits. Unfortunately, just like their tacos and burritos, IHOP’s biscuits contain gluten, so it is a no-go for celiacs.

Every biscuit here relies on enriched wheat flour in the buttermilk biscuits and gravy, making none of them safe for a strict gluten-free diet.🌾🥖🍞

❌ Chicken Biscuit Sandwich
❌ Breakfast Biscuit Sandwich
❌ Buttermilk Biscuit
❌ Buttermilk Biscuit & Gravy

So, let’s break down these biscuits to see why they won’t be making it into my IHOP gluten-free list:

Chicken Biscuit Sandwich: A seasoned chicken breast fillet served on a warm buttermilk biscuit. However, the biscuit itself is made with enriched wheat flour, so it contains gluten and will not be safe for celiacs.

Breakfast Biscuit Sandwich: Flaky buttermilk biscuit with folded eggs, melted cheese, and your choice of bacon or sausage. Once again, the biscuits contain wheat flour, rendering this unsafe for celiacs.

Buttermilk Biscuit: Classic southern-style biscuits that are made from buttermilk and enriched wheat flour. As with the other biscuits here, it contains gluten as it’s baked with wheat-based ingredients.

Buttermilk Biscuit & Gravy: A buttermilk biscuit smothered in creamy sausage gravy (thickened with wheat flour). As such, since the biscuit and the gravy contain gluten, this is off-limits for a celiac like me.

Another bitter disappointment for a celiac like me, who is drooling to no end looking at IHOP’s biscuits menu. Then again, it shouldn’t come as a surprise, as most biscuits elsewhere, outside of IHOP, are rarely ever gluten-free or safe for celiacs.

Still, I have hope that other parts of the IHOP gluten-free menu might feature something safe for us! 😔🥞🧇

Eggs Benedict

Okay, maybe we’re not there yet, as we come across even more dishes that are not part of the IHOP gluten-free menu. Their otherwise delicious Eggs Benedict selection is each built on top of a toasted English muffin with hollandaise sauce, poached eggs, and savoury toppings.

As the English muffin contains enriched wheat flour, none of these are celiac-safe. 🍳🥚🌾

❌ Bacon Avocado Eggs Benedict
❌ Spicy Poblano Eggs Benedict
❌ Classic Eggs Benedict

Now, let’s crack these Eggs Benedict dishes apart to see why they’re also not part of the IHOP gluten-free menu:

Bacon Avocado Eggs Benedict: Hickory-smoked bacon strips, fresh avocado slices, and poached eggs, with some hollandaise on a toasted English muffin. As I mentioned earlier, IHOP’s English muffins are made with enriched wheat flour, rendering them unsafe for celiacs.

Spicy Poblano Eggs Benedict: Fire-roasted poblano & red bell peppers, onions, shredded beef, chopped serrano peppers, poached eggs, and poblano hollandaise on a toasted English muffin. That wheat-based English muffin makes this another no-go for celiacs like me.

Classic Eggs Benedict: Black forest ham, poached eggs, and classic hollandaise on their toasted English muffins. Just like their other Eggs Benedict dishes here, the base English muffin includes wheat flour, making it unsafe for celiacs.

Right now, there are sadly no gluten-free and celiac-safe substitutes for the offending English muffins, which is why these mostly egg-based menu items didn’t make it into the IHOP gluten-free menu.

Plus, even if they are somehow gluten-free, the cross-contamination risks with the rest of the kitchen alone aren’t worth it, especially if you’re a sensitive celiac. 🍞🍳❌

Combos

Another bit of bad news… IHOP’s gluten-free menu also excludes their combos. They bring a vast selection of hearty breakfasts – pancakes, eggs, meats, and more – bundled together for a satisfying meal, down to nothing if you’re a celiac.

Each combo includes wheat-based pancakes, toast, tortillas, or biscuits, so pretty much all of them are a no-go for celiacs. 🥞🍳🥓

❌ Breakfast Sampler
❌ Country Fried Steak & Eggs
❌ 2 x 2 x 2
❌ Split Decision Breakfast
❌ T-Bone Steak & Eggs
❌ Sirloin Steak Tips & Eggs
❌ Quick 2-Egg Breakfast
❌ Chicken & Pancakes
❌ Impossible Plant-Based Sausage Power Combo
❌ Avocado Toast
❌ Smokehouse Combo
❌ Buttermilk Biscuit & Gravy Combo

Let’s break these down even further to see just why so many of their menu items aren’t making it into my IHOP gluten-free list:

Breakfast Sampler: Includes two buttermilk pancakes, two eggs of any style, two bacon strips, two pork sausage links, and hash browns. They are all made with wheat-based pancakes and bread products, making them not gluten-free.

Country Fried Steak & Eggs: Hand-battered country-style steak with white gravy, two eggs of any style, hash browns, and your choice of bread. The gravy and breading both contain wheat flour, making them unsafe for celiacs.

2 x 2 x 2: Two eggs of any style, two bacon strips or sausage links, and two of their buttermilk pancakes. Since the pancakes are made from wheat flour, they contain gluten.

Split Decision Breakfast: Two pancakes, French toast, two eggs of any style, and two bacon strips or sausage links. The French toast and pancakes both use wheat-based batter.

T-Bone Steak & Eggs: Chargrilled T-bone steak with two eggs of any style, hash browns, and choice of bread. Again, the bread contains wheat, and there are no substitutes.

Sirloin Steak Tips & Eggs: Marinated sirloin steak tips with two eggs of any style, hash browns, and choice of bread. The bread is wheat-based, so celiacs like us ought to avoid it.

Quick 2-Egg Breakfast: Two eggs of any style, hash browns, and a choice of bread. Just like the earlier dishes, this standard bread contains gluten, with no celiac-safe alternatives.

Chicken & Pancakes: Hand-breaded chicken strips with three buttermilk pancakes. Both the chicken batter and pancakes contain wheat flour, and aren’t safe for celiacs.

Impossible Plant-Based Sausage Power Combo: Plant-based sausage patties (gluten-free by ingredient) served with two eggs of any style, hash browns, and pancakes. Again, pancakes contain wheat, so the overall combo is not safe for celiacs.

Avocado Toast: Toasted artisan bread topped with avocado puree and seasonings. Sadly, the artisan bread contains enriched wheat flour.

Smokehouse Combo: Two eggs of any style, two bacon strips, two pork sausage links, some of their hash browns, and your choice of bread. The bread and sausage gravy contain wheat.

Buttermilk Biscuit & Gravy Combo: One buttermilk biscuit with sausage gravy (thickened with wheat flour), served with two eggs, and hash browns.

So far, the IHOP gluten-free menu almost seems like a myth, with none of the menu items that we’ve looked at thus far being safe for celiacs. The same goes for their Combos menu, because some of the included items bundled in contain wheat or gluten.

With that in mind, be sure that you avoid this part of their menu if you’re a fellow celiac. 🥞🍞🌾

Omelettes

Next up, we have the eggy delights of the IHOP gluten-free menu, of which there are, sadly, no celiac-safe options, except for just one. IHOP’s omelets are fluffy, flavor-packed delights, but it is a shame that all of them contain wheat-based binders and traces of gluten.

So, here is what you have to look out for if you’re looking at IHOP’s omelets: 🍳🥚

❌ Spicy Poblano Omelette
❌ Big Steak Omelette
❌ Chicken Fajita Omelette
❌ Colorado Omelette
❌ Bacon Temptation Omelette
❌ Spinach & Mushroom Omelette
✅ Veggie Egg White Omelette
❌ Build Your Own Omelette+
❌ Country Omelette

With that out of the way, let’s break down why these delectable eggs won’t make it into my personal IHOP gluten-free menu:

Spicy Poblano Omelette: Fire-roasted poblano & red bell peppers, onions, shredded beef, Jack & cheddar blend, avocado, poblano cream, and serrano peppers. Despite the fresh ingredients, this omelet is marked as containing gluten in IHOP’s allergen chart.

Big Steak Omelette: Chopped steak, mushrooms, onions, cheddar, and Jack cheeses folded into some eggs. According to IHOP’s allergen chart, gluten is present in the egg mixture and binding agents, making it unsafe for celiacs.

Chicken Fajita Omelette: Grilled chicken, peppers, onions, and cheese blend. Allergen data flags it for gluten, which is likely coming from a flour-based seasoning or the shared prep space.

Colorado Omelette: Sausage, ham, onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, and cheese. It also contains gluten per IHOP’s allergen chart, which is a reminder why you ought to keep yourself updated.

Bacon Temptation Omelette: Hickory-smoked bacon and melted cheese create a savory classic. IHOP lists gluten as present, which, once again, likely comes from binding or shared surfaces.

Spinach & Mushroom Omelette: Sautéed spinach, mushrooms, and cheese. Yet, IHOP continues to mark this as containing gluten, so avoid it if you’re a celiac.

Veggie Egg White Omelette: Cage-free egg whites with spinach, tomatoes, onions, and cheese blend. According to IHOP’s allergen chart, mysteriously, this is the only omelet dish that doesn’t contain any traces of wheat or gluten.

Build Your Own Omelette+: Choose your own meats, cheeses, and veggies. However, even the “create your own” DIY-style option is flagged for gluten in the base mix, as per IHOP’s allergen chart.

Country Omelette: Ham, bacon, sausage, hash browns, onions, and cheese. IHOP allergen data lists gluten, likely from the hash brown mix or the seasoning.

It’s worth bearing in mind that even if you’re ordering the Veggie Egg White Omelette, pretty much the only omelet dish here that doesn’t contain gluten, you have to be careful with cross-contact and contamination.

Within IHOP’s busy kitchens, their fryers, griddles, and prep areas handle wheat-based items alongside the omelet, so there’s still a risk of gluten exposure! ⚠️

World-Famous Buttermilk Pancakes

As much as I’d love to devour IHOP’s signature World-Famous Buttermilk Pancakes, with their mouth-watering variety, from the classic buttermilk to cheesecake-infused and fruity options, every single one is made with enriched wheat flour.

In other words, they contain gluten, and it can’t be safe for us celiacs, disqualifying them from the IHOP gluten-free menu. 🥞🧈🥛

❌ World-Famous Pancake Combo
❌ New York Cheesecake Pancakes
❌ New York Cheesecake Pancakes – Short Stack
❌ Bananas Foster Pancakes
❌ Original Buttermilk Pancakes – Full Stack
❌ Original Buttermilk Pancakes – Short Stack
❌ Cinn-A-Stack Pancakes
❌ Double Blueberry Pancakes
❌ Mexican Tres Leches Pancakes
❌ Strawberry Banana Pancakes
❌ Protein Power Pancakes
❌ Chocolate Chocolate Chip Pancakes
❌ Buttermilk Chocolate Chip Pancakes
❌ Snickerdoodle Pancakes
❌ Cupcake Pancakes
❌ OREO Cheesecake Pancakes

With that disappointing list out of the way, let’s take a closer peek at each one to see why they aren’t included in the IHOP gluten-free menu:

World-Famous Pancake Combo: A stack of three classic buttermilk pancakes served with two eggs of any style and your choice of bacon or sausage. All these pancakes use IHOP’s standard enriched wheat flour batter, so they contain gluten.

New York Cheesecake Pancakes & Short Stack: Pancakes swirled with some New York-style cheesecake pieces and topped with cheesecake icing. Both the full and short stacks are made from wheat flour batter, like the other pancakes here.

Bananas Foster Pancakes: Topped with caramelized bananas and toffee pieces, these pancakes still use wheat-based batter, making them unsafe for celiacs.

Original Buttermilk Pancakes: IHOP’s classic fluffy pancakes are made from enriched wheat flour and buttermilk, for both the short and full stack varieties.

Cinn-A-Stack Pancakes: Cinnamon swirl pancakes dusted with cinnamon sugar, but the base pancake batter is, once again, wheat-based.

Double Blueberry Pancakes: Pancakes loaded with blueberries in both batter and topping, yet it’s still crafted from wheat flour, and there are no substitutes.

Mexican Tres Leches Pancakes: Soaked in Tres Leches sauce and topped with sweet cream, though the wheat flour remains the base.

Strawberry Banana Pancakes: Fresh strawberries and banana slices atop that same wheat-based pancake batter.

Protein Power Pancakes: Made with a special protein pancake mix (including wheat protein isolate), but it still contains gluten.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip & Buttermilk Chocolate Chip Pancakes: Either a chocolate batter studded with chips or traditional batter with chips, both versions still use wheat flour.

Snickerdoodle Pancakes: Cinnamon sugar-dusted pancakes made from enriched wheat flour, making it unsafe for celiacs like you and me.

Cupcake Pancakes: Pancakes speckled with rainbow sprinkles in a wheat-based batter, so it remains not gluten-free and not safe for celiacs.

OREO Cheesecake Pancakes: Pancakes with OREO cookie bits and cheesecake pieces in the batter, though the wheat flour remains the base.

It’s a shame that IHOP’s specialty, their buttermilk pancakes, aren’t gluten-free, nor are there any celiac-safe alternatives or substitutes that you could order as an option. This makes it way out of reach for celiacs like us.

Besides, even if they’re somehow gluten-free, all pancakes are usually prepped in shared griddles, unless specified otherwise, if you’re a celiac. 🥞🚫

Sweet & Savory Crepes

Oh, and if you thought you and your gang of celiacs were finally going to find something safely edible in IHOP’s crepes menu, look again!

Made from traditional wheat-based crepe batter as well as being prepped in shared kitchens, no matter which way you cut it, there is not a single crepe here that fits within the IHOP gluten-free menu, nor is it safe for celiacs. 💔

❌ Crepe Combo
❌ Bananas Foster Crepes
❌ Chicken Florentine Crepes
❌ Breakfast Crepes
❌ Cinnamon Bun Crepes
❌ Fresh Berry Crepes

Now, let’s see why these sweet and savory crepes wouldn’t be making it into my list of IHOP gluten-free menu items:

Crepe Combo: A trio of thin French-style crepes served with your choice of breakfast side. All crepes use IHOP’s standard enriched wheat flour batter.

Bananas Foster Crepes: Crepes filled with caramelized bananas and toffee pieces. The crepe shell itself contains wheat flour, making it unsafe for celiacs.

Chicken Florentine Crepes: Savory crepes stuffed with grilled chicken, spinach, mushrooms, and cheese. Despite the protein filling, the crepe wraps contain gluten.

Breakfast Crepes: Crepes filled with scrambled eggs, cheese, bacon, and sausage. That egg mixture is folded into a wheat-based crepe.

Cinnamon Bun Crepes: Crepes swirled with cinnamon sugar and topped with sweet icing. Once again, the crepe uses wheat flour, so it’s not safe for celiacs.

Fresh Berry Crepes: Crepes filled with strawberries, blueberries, and sweet cream. All crepes share the same wheat flour batter as the other crepes here.

This shows once again that despite IHOP’s strides to be more inclusive towards folks living with celiac disease (among other allergies), they have a very long way to go.

All of their crepes use wheat-based batter and don’t offer gluten-free substitutes or alternatives, making another huge chunk of IHOP’s menu basically inaccessible for fellow celiacs. 🙁

Thick ‘N Fluffy French Toast

The same disappointment continues when you move on to the next bit of the IHOP gluten-free menu, their seemingly mouth-watering selection of French toast! They’re all crafted from very thick slices of artisan bread, which is then dipped in a vanilla-cinnamon batter and griddled to perfection.

Since it uses wheat-based bread, none of these are celiac-safe, either! 🍞🍓

❌ Thick ‘N Fluffy French Toast Combo
❌ Bananas Foster French Toast
❌ Thick ‘N Fluffy Classic French Toast
❌ Thick ‘N Fluffy Strawberry Banana French Toast

So, let’s dive even deeper to figure out more about why these French toasts aren’t a part of the IHOP gluten-free menu:

Thick ‘N Fluffy French Toast Combo: A hearty breakfast platter featuring two slices of Thick ‘N Fluffy French Toast paired with eggs, hash browns, and a choice of breakfast meat. The French toast is made with wheat-based bread, making it unsuitable for gluten-free diets.

Bananas Foster French Toast: Two slices of their Thick ‘N Fluffy French Toast topped with some caramelized bananas and a rich, buttery sauce. The bread, once again, contains gluten, posing a risk for those with gluten sensitivities, or celiacs like you and me.

Thick ‘N Fluffy Classic French Toast: Traditional French toast made with thick slices of bread dipped in a vanilla-cinnamon batter, griddled, and topped with whipped butter and powdered sugar. The wheat-based bread makes this dish another no-go for celiacs.

Thick ‘N Fluffy Strawberry Banana French Toast: Two slices of Thick ‘N Fluffy French Toast, topped with glazed strawberries, fresh banana slices, and powdered sugar. As with the other French toasts here, the use of wheat-based bread renders it unsafe for celiacs.

While some of its rivals, and even smaller family restaurants, have introduced the concept of gluten-free French toast, IHOP is still a bit behind the curve on this one.

It’d be awesome for us celiacs if IHOP began offering more gluten-free options, but I guess for now, you’re likely better off dining somewhere else, just to be safe. 🍞🍳🍯

House-Made Belgian Waffles

At this point, it’s probably not a surprise anymore, but the IHOP gluten-free menu continues to shrink even further, with their legendary waffles being a no-go for celiacs.

For all their talk of sweet indulgence – crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside – all their waffles are made out of enriched wheat flour batter, making them not gluten-free. 🧇🌾

❌ Waffle Combo
❌ Strawberry Cheesecake Waffle
❌ Oreo Cookie Crumble Waffle
❌ Chicken & Waffles
❌ Belgian Waffle

Besides the wheat-based flour batter, is there anything else about these waffles that made them unfit to go into our IHOP gluten-free list? Well, here’s a breakdown:

Waffle Combo: A full Belgian waffle served with two eggs of any style, as well as your choice of bacon or sausage. The waffle batter contains enriched wheat flour.

Strawberry Cheesecake Waffle: A Belgian waffle topped with cheesecake pieces, strawberries, and icing. The waffle base remains a wheat flour batter, making it unsafe for celiacs.

Oreo Cookie Crumble Waffle: Waffle studded with OREO cookie pieces and topped with cookie crumble and icing. Made from the same enriched wheat flour batter as earlier.

Chicken & Waffles: Crispy chicken strips paired with a Belgian waffle and some honey. Both the waffle itself and the chicken coating contain wheat, making them not gluten-free.

Belgian Waffle: IHOP’s classic standalone waffle dish. They’re superbly light, golden, and made from that same traditional wheat flour batter, which, unfortunately, contains gluten.

In short, all of IHOP’s waffles use the same enriched wheat-based flour batter, without a single gluten-free and celiac-safe substitute or alternative available at this time.

It’s a shame, as I did plan on munching down on those hugely appetizing waffles, but given how sensitive my celiac is, it’s definitely not worth risking a trip to the hospital! 🧇👉🏥

Sides

Finally, some great news! Taking a closer look at the next part of the IHOP gluten-free menu, I can at last share some dishes and menu items that are safe for celiacs!

Of course, you ought to be cautious with cross-contamination, and these sides are hardly as filling on their own, but I’d be happy enough to order some of these gluten-free sides from IHOP. 🍟🧅🥔🥓

⚠️ Pork Sausage Patties (2)
⚠️ Smoked Sausage Links (2)
❌ Buttermilk Biscuit
❌ Buttermilk Biscuit & Gravy
⚠️ Hickory-Smoked Bacon Strips
⚠️ Pork Sausage Links
⚠️ Slice of Ham
⚠️ Turkey Bacon Strips
⚠️ Impossible Sausage Patties from Plants (2)
✅ 2 Eggs
✅ Seasonal Fresh Fruit
❌ Buttered English Muffin
❌ Buttered Toast
✅ Hash Browns
✅ Crispy Breakfast Potatoes
✅ French Fries
❌ Onion Rings

As you can see, there’s a healthy mixture of IHOP gluten-free menu items here as sides, but it’s accompanied by many other dishes that do carry some cross-contact risk, so here’s what you’d be able to safely order as a celiac:

Pork Sausage Patties: Pure pork patties with seasoning. There’s no wheat in the ingredients, but it is cooked on shared griddles and shared oil, so be careful with cross-contact.

Smoked Sausage Links: Smoked pork sausage links without gluten ingredients, yet there’s that cross-contact risk once again, mainly during the prep and cooking phase.

Buttermilk Biscuit: A classic southern-style biscuit made with enriched wheat flour, though it contains wheat and gluten, making it unsafe for celiacs.

Buttermilk Biscuit & Gravy: The biscuit plus sausage gravy is thickened with wheat flour, though both components contain gluten, as well.

Hickory-Smoked Bacon Strips: Naturally gluten-free bacon strips by ingredient, but prepared in shared kitchens and shared prep areas, so be careful with contamination.

Pork Sausage Links: Similar to smoked links, where they’re gluten-free by ingredients, but with shared prep areas, cross-contamination is something you have to consider.

Slice of Ham: No gluten in cured ham, though cut and heated alongside other items that might introduce traces of gluten, so order this with an abundance of caution.

Turkey Bacon Strips: Turkey bacon contains no wheat, but shared surfaces pose cross-contact risks with gluten-containing menu items or ingredients.

Impossible Sausage Patties from Plants: Plant-based patty made without gluten ingredients. However, they’re still cooked in shared oil and later prepped on shared surfaces.

2 Eggs: Simply cracked eggs cooked to order, with no gluten ingredients, and so long as the kitchen staff are wary of cross-contamination, it ought to be fairly safe!

Seasonal Fresh Fruit: Fresh-cut fruit cup, and they’re naturally gluten-free and are sealed until they’re being served to you.

Buttered English Muffin: English muffin with added butter, but as we’ve looked at earlier, the wheat-based bread contains gluten.

Buttered Toast: White or whole wheat toast, and of course, the bread contains gluten, with no gluten-free and celiac-safe alternatives available.

Hash Browns: Shredded potatoes are cooked separately from breaded items, and they’re even gluten-free!

Crispy Breakfast Potatoes: Seasoned diced potatoes are made gluten-free, and you can even find them on the official IHOP gluten-free menu.

French Fries: Classic fries are gluten-free by ingredients, although you might want to double-check that they’re not being fried with non-gluten-free dishes in the same fryer.

Onion Rings: Beer-battered or flour-coated onion slices and the batter contains traces of wheat flour.

As always, do remember that even those sides that you can find in the IHOP gluten-free menu aren’t always 100% safe, especially if you’re super-sensitive to gluten. IHOP’s kitchens will use a common fryer oil, griddles, and prep zones for gluten-containing and gluten-friendly items.

As such, be wary of cross-contamination, and make sure to let the staff know! 👩‍🍳🍽🍟

Appetizers

Okay, back to reality now, as we’re once again looking at a fairly sizeable part of IHOP’s menu that is completely unfriendly to any celiac.

You’re not going to find any appetizers in our IHOP gluten-free menu, be it their quesadillas, sampler plates, or soups, as they all contain at least some wheat, either through tortillas, breading, thickened bases, batters, roux, etc. 🍤🍅🧅

❌ Chicken Quesadilla
❌ Appetizer Sampler
❌ Crispy Shrimp
⚠️ Tomato Basil Soup
❌ Onion Rings

So, let’s take a closer look at why these appetizers haven’t made it into our IHOP gluten-free list:

Chicken Quesadilla: Grilled chicken and melted three-cheese blend folded inside warm flour tortillas. These tortillas are made with enriched wheat flour, so the dish is not safe for celiacs.

Appetizer Sampler: A medley of mozzarella sticks, chicken strips, and onion rings all coated in wheat-based batters. Again, this sampler contains multiple different gluten sources.

Crispy Shrimp: Ten crispy, battered shrimp cooked in shared oil. However, the breading itself contains wheat flour, and the shrimp are cooked alongside other glutenous items.

Tomato Basil Soup: Creamy tomato soup that’s traditionally thickened with a wheat-based roux. While some sources claim that they don’t contain any wheat or gluten, I’d recommend double-checking this if you’re planning on ordering it.

Onion Rings: Beer-battered or flour-coated rings of sweet onions. The batter uses enriched wheat flour, making it off-limits for gluten-free diners.

With so many appetizers that contain heavy traces of gluten or wheat-based ingredients, it’s worth avoiding the appetizers section of the IHOP gluten-free menu entirely.

The only caveat would be that Tomato Basil Soup, where IHOP’s allergen chart mentions that it’s gluten-free, but some sources mention that it contains wheat-based roux, so approach with caution. 🍅

Ultimate Steakburgers

Continuing with the IHOP gluten-free menu being ever farther from becoming something I can reliably rely on, IHOP’s Ultimate Steakburgers, stacked with melty cheese, crispy toppings, and signature sauces, are served on a toasted brioche bun.

As the bun contains some enriched wheat flour, this essentially makes all of IHOP’s burgers not safe for celiacs. 🍔🍞🌾

❌ Bacon Avocado Ranch
❌ The Classic
❌ The Classic with Bacon
❌ Big Brunch
❌ Cowboy BBQ
❌ Jalapeño Kick

With that in mind, let’s break down these steakburgers to learn more about why they’re not in my IHOP gluten-free list:

Bacon Avocado Ranch: Four-cheese blend, crispy bacon, avocado, and some buttermilk ranch dressing on a brioche bun. All these ingredients, except the beef patty, contain gluten via that brioche bun.

The Classic: American cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickles & IHOP sauce on a brioche bun. The bun contains enriched wheat flour, making it unsafe for celiacs.

The Classic with Bacon: Everything in The Classic plus hickory-smoked bacon, and served on that same wheat-based brioche bun. As such, it’s another no-go for celiacs.

Big Brunch: Topped with bacon, sausage, hash browns, scrambled eggs, and American cheese on a brioche bun. Once again, all the breaded bits will contain gluten.

Cowboy BBQ: Hat-trick of crispy onion rings, hickory-smoked bacon, Cheddar cheese, and BBQ sauce on a toasted, wheat-flour brioche bun.

Jalapeño Kick: Jalapeños, pepper jack, bacon, lettuce, tomato & chipotle mayo on a brioche bun. That bun, as well as any other breaded jalapeño toppings, will contain gluten.

Unfortunately, unlike some of IHOP’s rivals, which offer the option of swapping out their usual wheat-based burger buns for gluten-free and celiac-safe substitutes, IHOP’s steakburgers can’t do that.

So, you’re either stuck with gluten-containing and wheat-based buns, or just having to skip this part of the menu if you’re a celiac like me. 🍞🍔🌾

Hand-Crafted Sandwiches & Salad

It’s time to move on to the next section of the IHOP gluten-free menu, their not-technically-a-burger selections, aka a sandwich! Unfortunately, as IHOP’s sandwiches are piled pretty high on toasted, wheat-based breads or rolls, they’re definitely not safe for anyone who’s sensitive to gluten.

By contrast, you might find something more suitable among their salads. 🥪🥗

❌ Classic Chicken Sandwich
❌ Cali Roasted Turkey Melt
❌ Philly Cheese Steak Stacker
✅ Fresh Berry Salad
⚠️ Chopped Chicken Salad

So, let’s break these down even more to see how they stack up in our IHOP gluten-free menu:

Classic Chicken Sandwich: A crispy or grilled chicken filet topped with pickles on a toasted bun. The brioche-style bun contains enriched wheat flour in every bite, making it unsafe for celiacs.

Cali Roasted Turkey Melt: Sliced roasted turkey, bacon, four-cheese blend, and roasted cherry tomatoes, avocado & mayo on grilled multigrain bread. That bread is wheat-based, so it’s off-limits for celiacs like me.

Philly Cheese Steak Stacker: Grilled sirloin steak & onions with melted American cheese served on a soft, grilled roll. The roll is made from wheat flour, making this sandwich unsafe if you’re sticking with a no-gluten diet!

Fresh Berry Salad: A bed of mixed greens topped with fresh strawberries and blueberries. No gluten-containing ingredients are included in the salad itself, so it’s naturally gluten-free. Be sure to watch out for any dressings or add-ons that might carry cross-contact risks, but once you do, it should be quite safe!

Chopped Chicken Salad: Lettuce, cherry tomatoes, four-cheese blend, fresh avocado, and your choice of grilled (gluten-free) or crispy chicken (battered). Although their main ingredients are free of wheat, the salad is assembled on shared prep surfaces, and those default dressings (e.g., Balsamic Vinaigrette) may contain trace gluten. As such, you should proceed with caution and consider asking for a separate prep area.

Just like the rest of this IHOP gluten-free menu, even those items that don’t technically contain any wheat or gluten might still be at risk of cross-contamination, exposed to ingredients that will contain at least some traces of gluten.

So, even if you’re ordering a seemingly safe salad, it is a good idea to just be extra cautious with how it’s being prepared. 🥗👩‍🍳🍴

Platters

If you need something a bit more filling than a sandwich or salad, you might want to consider this next section in our IHOP gluten-free menu, with a choice of protein-brimmed platters!

On top of the crispy batter and a side of French fries, you also get a huge variety of dipping sauce options. It’s just a shame that these dishes all rely on wheat-based batters or breading. 🍤🍗

❌ Crispy Shrimp & Fries Platter
❌ Crispy Fish & Fries Platter
❌ Fisherman’s Platter
❌ Buttermilk Crispy Chicken Strips & Fries

That said, let’s analyze each platter to get a better understanding of why these didn’t make it into our IHOP gluten-free list:

Crispy Shrimp & Fries Platter: Ten golden, crispy battered shrimp served with French fries, and cocktail sauce, tartar sauce, and a lemon wedge. The shrimp batter is made with enriched wheat flour, and the French fries, even though they’re gluten-free by ingredient, are cooked alongside other wheat-containing breaded or battered items.

Crispy Fish & Fries Platter: Ten crispy battered fish fillets paired with French fries, and cocktail sauce, tartar sauce, and some lemon. The fish coating contains wheat flour, which makes this entire platter unsafe for anyone with celiac disease.

Fisherman’s Platter: A hearty mix of two crispy battered fish fillets and five crispy shrimp, plus French fries, cocktail and tartar sauces, and a lemon wedge. Both the fish and shrimp are first coated in a wheat-based batter, so this one’s another no-go for me.

Buttermilk Crispy Chicken Strips & Fries: Five buttermilk-marinated, crispy chicken strips served with some French fries. The chicken strips use a wheat-flour breading, so they’re not safe for a gluten-free diet, and to my fellow celiacs out there.

In short, none of IHOP’s platters are safe and friendly to celiacs, all due to the batters and the breading that IHOP uses. With so much wheat and other gluten-containing ingredients, you’d be better off avoiding this with a 10-foot pole.

Even the French fries, which contain no gluten, are fried in shared fryer oil and have a high risk of cross-contamination! 🍟🥔

Entrées

For a more balanced diet, the IHOP gluten-free menu also has a handful of entrees that you’re able to pick and choose from, and some of these are even gluten-free and celiac-safe!

You can find a wide range of comfort foods, from steaks to grilled proteins, though a couple of them are not safe for celiacs like you and me, not to mention the cross-contact risks. 🥩🔥🍤

❌ Country Fried Steak
✅ T-Bone Steak Dinner
⚠️ Atlantic Salmon
✅ Sirloin Steak Tips
✅ Grilled Chicken
❌ Sirloin Steak Tips & Crispy Shrimp

Here’s a closer look at why some of these won’t be making it into our IHOP gluten-free list of safe dishes:

Country Fried Steak: Country Fried Steak is hand-battered and served with country or sausage gravy. The flour batter and gravy contain wheat flour, so this dish is unsafe for celiac diners.

T-Bone Steak Dinner: A chargrilled T-Bone steak with your choice of two sides. Neither the steak nor the ingredients contain any wheat or gluten, but make sure you watch out for any cross-contamination on shared grills.

Atlantic Salmon: Grilled Atlantic Salmon filet served with two sides. The protein is naturally gluten-free, but cross-contact risks during the cooking and prepping phase should be noted, especially if you’re super-sensitive to gluten.

Sirloin Steak Tips: Marinated sirloin tips grilled to order, plus two sides. IHOP’s allergen chart mentions that it contains milk and soy allergens, but no wheat! As a result, this now makes it gluten-free and safe for celiacs.

Grilled Chicken: Seasoned grilled chicken breast with two sides. There’s no wheat-based batter or breading used, so it should be free of gluten and safe for celiacs.

Sirloin Steak Tips & Crispy Shrimp: Combines gluten-free sirloin tips with ten crispy battered shrimp. The shrimp batter contains wheat flour, so the overall dish is not safe.

Remember, even those dishes that are made without gluten can still pick up traces of gluten in IHOP’s kitchen during the cooking, prepping, and serving. That includes IHOP using shared and common fryers, grills, and prep stations.

To make sure you reduce the risk of contamination as much as possible, you could always inform your server of your celiac disease. ✍📝

Gluten-Friendly

Finally, we get to the one part of the IHOP menu that guarantees to be as gluten-free as you’d be able to make it! While most of IHOP’s menu so far is downright dangerous for celiacs, I can at least appreciate the fact that IHOP has a dedicated gluten-friendly menu that you’d be able to order from.

So, here’s what you get, including IHOP’s famed pancakes! 🥞🥔🍟🌭

✅ Original Gluten-Friendly Pancake Combo
✅ Original Gluten-Friendly Pancakes – (Full Stack)
✅ Original Gluten-Friendly Pancakes – (Short Stack)
✅ Hash Browns
✅ Crispy Breakfast Potatoes
✅ Hickory-Smoked Bacon Strips
✅ Pork Sausage Links
✅ Slice of Ham
✅ Seasonal Fresh Fruit
✅ French Fries

That said, here’s a quick peek at how these IHOP gluten-free dishes fare, and whether they are truly safe for celiacs:

Original Gluten-Friendly Pancake Combo: Made with four individually packaged, gluten-free pancakes and served with eggs, bacon, or sausage. Unlike IHOP’s regular pancakes, these do not contain any gluten ingredients in the batter.

Original Gluten-Friendly Pancakes (Full Stack & Short Stack): Two or four fluffy, gluten-free pancakes prepared without any wheat in the flour or batter, making them a safe choice for celiacs, so long as they’re prepared safely, without cross-contamination.

Hash Browns: Shredded potatoes cooked separately from breaded items, but they might be prepped on shared equipment, so be careful; however, the ingredients are otherwise gluten-free.

Crispy Breakfast Potatoes: Diced potatoes seasoned and griddled, with no gluten ingredients, but cross-contact risks are something that you need to be on the lookout for.

Hickory-Smoked Bacon Strips: Naturally gluten-free by recipe, though they might be prepared alongside other meats on shared surfaces, with cross-contact risks in mind.

Pork Sausage Links: They contain no wheat ingredients, but they might end up being cooked on shared griddles with gluten-containing items, so I’d recommend some caution.

Slice of Ham: Cured ham without gluten ingredients. However, cross-contact can occur during slicing and plating, though you could always remind the staff of your celiac disease.

Seasonal Fresh Fruit: Fresh-cut fruit in a bowl, with no gluten ingredients, but handling in the shared kitchen carries slight risks of cross-contamination for you.

French Fries: Classic fries that are made from regular potatoes, though they might be fried in shared fryer oil with other breaded or gluten-containing items.

Naturally, even if you’re ordering from IHOP’s gluten-friendly menu, cross-contamination will always be a problem that any celiac ought to worry about. Even IHOP itself can’t 100% guarantee gluten-free, but you can do a lot to reduce being exposed to cross-contact.

First up, I’d start by letting the staff know that I have celiac disease and a severe gluten allergy. 👩‍🍳

55+ Menu

Among the more unique parts of the IHOP gluten-free menu is their 55+ Menu, offering people over 55+ value-focused, more health-conscious, and reduced-portion meals.

Sadly, if you know any seniors who have celiac disease, they’re going to have to avoid IHOP’s 55+ Menu, as nearly all of the menu items here contain wheat-based ingredients, and thus, traces of gluten. 🥪

❌ 55+ Breakfast Sampler
❌ 55+ 2 x 2 x 2
⚠️ 55+ Rise ‘N Shine
❌ 55+ Thick ‘N Fluffy French Toast
❌ 55+ BLT
❌ 55+ Crispy Shrimp
❌ 55+ Crispy Fish

Let’s take apart this menu bit by bit to see why these won’t be making it into my IHOP gluten-free list:

55+ Breakfast Sampler: Includes one buttermilk pancake, two eggs of any style, two bacon strips, and hash browns. The pancake uses wheat flour, so it’s not celiac-safe.

55+ 2 × 2 × 2: Two pancakes, two eggs of any style, and two bacon strips or sausage links. However, be warned that those pancakes contain enriched wheat flour.

55+ Rise ’N Shine: Two eggs of any style, your choice of bacon or sausage, plus hash browns. Aside from the cross-contact risks, this is the only 55+ menu item here that does not contain wheat or gluten.

55+ Thick ’N Fluffy French Toast: Two thick-sliced artisan bread pieces dipped in vanilla-cinnamon batter. Both the bread and batter contain wheat, making them unsafe for celiacs.

55+ BLT: Bacon, lettuce, and tomato on toasted wheat bread with mayo, although the bread does contain gluten.

55+ Crispy Shrimp: Five golden, battered shrimp served with fries and cocktail sauce. Sadly, that batter contains enriched wheat flour.

55+ Crispy Fish: Two crispy battered fish fillets with fries and tartar sauce. However, the fish coating uses wheat flour, so it’s a no-go for celiacs.

As much as I like the idea of having a menu specific to cater to senior diners and their dietary needs, it is unfortunate that, here at IHOP, there are no gluten-free dishes along their senior-specific menu.

In other words, you’re going to have to look elsewhere in the IHOP gluten-free menu, though their gluten-friendly options might give you a better selection. 🍤🐟

House Faves

Another noteworthy part of the IHOP gluten-free menu (or perhaps lack thereof) is their house favorites, from omelets to French toast.

The catch is that out of the four items in IHOP’s House Faves menu right now, only one of them is marked as celiac-safe and gluten-free on their own allergen chart, while the others use wheat-based batters, breads, and mixes. 🌾🍞

❌ Breakfast Faves Combo
❌ Ham & Cheese Omelette
❌ French Toast Breakfast
⚠️ House Scramble

Now, with that out of the way, let’s see why only one of these is making it into my IHOP gluten-free list of safe dishes to eat:

Breakfast Faves Combo: Includes two original buttermilk pancakes, two eggs of any style, and your choice of bacon or sausage, with a side of hash browns. Those pancakes are made out of IHOP’s enriched wheat-flour batter, which contains gluten.

Ham & Cheese Omelette: A three-egg omelet folded with diced ham and melted cheese, served with hash browns and toast. Since the omelet fillings are served with toasted bread and cooked on shared grills, it’s certainly something any celiac should avoid.

French Toast Breakfast: Three slices of Thick ’N Fluffy French Toast, two eggs of any style, and your choice of bacon or sausage. The French toast is made out of wheat-based artisan bread, which is then dipped in batter that contains wheat flour.

House Scramble: Scrambled eggs mixed with diced ham, onions, tomatoes, green peppers, mushrooms, and cheddar cheese, served with hash browns and toast. Interestingly, over at IHOP, they actually classify this as safe for celiacs, which I have to imagine can be done if you omit the wheat-based toast.

After having gone through much of IHOP’s menu thus far, including the IHOP gluten-free menu, it’s not a surprise that most of their House Faves contain some wheat or gluten.

The exception to the rule would be the House Scramble, and even then, you would need to modify your order to omit the wheat bread and prevent any cross-contamination. 🍞🌾🥪

Kids Menu

Nevertheless, if you’re thinking your celiac kids are going to have a better time eating out at a local IHOP, unfortunately, their gluten-free menu won’t have much to offer them, either.

All of the IHOP Kids Menu dishes either contain gluten, either through wheat-based batters, breads, or pasta, and even egg or meat-based dishes still contain wheat in the base or bun. 🥞🧇🍔

❌ Happy Face Pancake
❌ French Toast Sticks
❌ Jr. Waffle
❌ Jr. Cheeseburger
❌ Jr. Chicken Strips
❌ Jr. Breakfast Quesadilla
❌ Jr. Protein Pancake
❌ Jr. Cinnamon Dippers
❌ Jr. Cupcake Pancake
❌ Kraft Mac & Cheese
❌ Silver 5

With wheat-based pancakes, waffles, biscuits, pasta, or tortillas, let’s do a bit of a post-mortem to see just how much of these kids’ dishes won’t be making it into my IHOP gluten-free list:

Happy Face Pancake: A single pancake shaped like a smiley face, made from IHOP’s standard enriched wheat-flour batter, making it unsafe for celiacs.

French Toast Sticks: Thick strips of artisan bread dipped in vanilla-cinnamon batter and then griddled. Both the bread and the batter contain wheat flour.

Jr. Waffle: A smaller Belgian waffle, but still crafted from enriched wheat-flour batter.

Jr. Cheeseburger: Beef patty on a toasted wheat bun with cheese, but the burger bun contains enriched wheat flour.

Jr. Chicken Strips: Breaded chicken strips using wheat-based breading, cooked in shared oil.

Jr. Breakfast Quesadilla: Scrambled eggs and cheese in a flour tortilla. Sadly, that tortilla contains wheat flour.

Jr. Protein Pancake: Pancake made with a protein-enriched batter that still includes wheat protein isolate.

Jr. Cinnamon Dippers: Small cinnamon-sugar coated breadsticks, made from wheat-based dough.

Jr. Cupcake Pancake: Pancake batter with rainbow sprinkles, made from enriched wheat-flour batter.

Kraft Mac & Cheese: Elbow macaroni (wheat) in a cheese sauce, which, of course, contains gluten in the ingredients.

Silver 5: Two scrambled eggs, hash browns, choice of bacon or sausage, and a slice of toast. The toast contains wheat flour.

In all, if you’re bringing your celiac kids down to IHOP, you’re better off ordering from their new gluten-friendly menu, rather than the Kids Menu. At least you do have a decent number of safe options, though bear in mind the cross-contamination risks, particularly if your children are pretty sensitive to gluten.

Otherwise, IHOP doesn’t have much to offer for celiacs. 💢

Milkshakes, Dessert, & Beverages

Just for completion’s sake, I thought we’d look over their desserts, milkshakes, and beverages menu, too! The good news here is that most of them are safe for celiacs and are gluten-free at IHOP.

As always, just make sure you remember that there will always be a risk of cross-contact with gluten-containing items, as well as the use of shared prep areas.

⚠️ House-Made Milkshakes
❌ Cinnamon Dippers
✅ Coffee & Hot Chocolate
✅ Tea & Lemonade
✅ Fruit Juices
✅ Milk & Chocolate Milk
✅ Fountain Drinks
✅ Splashers
✅ Breakfast Beverage Bundle
✅ Fountain Drinks
✅ Lunch/Dinner Beverage Bundle

Let’s now break down each of these one by one to see what does or doesn’t make them fit our IHOP gluten-free menu:

House-Made Milkshakes: Made from IHOP Icedream vanilla soft-serve blended with syrups and toppings (e.g., chocolate, strawberry, or Oreo). There are no gluten-containing ingredients in the base recipe, but shakes share mixers and blenders with gluten-dusted desserts.

Cinnamon Dippers: Strips of sweet, enriched wheat dough coated in cinnamon sugar and then served with icing. The dough contains wheat flour, making it unsafe for celiacs.

Coffee & Hot Chocolate: Fresh-brewed drip coffee, espresso, and hot chocolate made from cocoa powder and milk. There are no gluten ingredients, but cross-contact can occur at the beverage station.

Tea & Lemonade: Freshly-brewed iced tea (sweet & unsweetened), hot tea bags, and lemonade (regular & diet). All of them are gluten-free by recipe and ingredients.

Fruit Juices: Bottled or fountain-served 100% juices (orange, apple, cranberry, grapefruit). No gluten ingredients are included, so you should be good to order this.

Milk & Chocolate Milk: 1% white or chocolate milk cartons. Once again, there’s no gluten in it, which ought to be safe for celiacs, barring any cross-contamination.

Fountain Drinks: A huge selection of Coca-Cola, Dr Pepper, Sprite, and more. All of them are gluten-free.

Splashers: Half-and-half mixes of iced tea or lemonade with fruit flavors (e.g., peach, or maybe even strawberry). The base ingredients contain no gluten.

Breakfast Beverage Bundle: Bundle of coffee or tea plus juice. All the individual components are gluten-free, too!

Lunch/Dinner Beverage Bundle: Bundle of fountain drink, iced tea, or lemonade with optional bottled water. As with the earlier drink options, this one too is gluten-free.

To Sum Up

Whew, that’s a long one! Yet, despite how huge the IHOP menu is, relatively few of the dishes that you could order are actually ‘gluten-friendly’, let alone properly gluten-free.

Most of their menu is hazardous if you’re a celiac, with only their rather small selection of sides and entrees, and most notably, IHOP’s somewhat limited gluten-friendly menu being safe. 🥞🥔🍟

And even then, IHOP doesn’t operate separate kitchens, so you’ll need to be on the lookout for cross-contamination, with shared prep zones, shared utensils, and other kitchen equipment.

To try and reduce your risk of being exposed to hidden traces of gluten, you could always ask your server and communicate with them about your celiac disease and severe gluten allergy.

With luck, they might even let the kitchen staff know to be extra careful when cooking and prepping your meals. I’d also suggest bookmarking IHOP’s interactive nutrition calculator, too, as it’ll let you easily filter out allergens like wheat and gluten.

It’s a pretty nice webpage for you to know what you can or can’t eat, but it also highlights just how celiac-unsafe IHOP’s menu can be.

Just be sure to, in the meantime, stay tuned to us here at Great Without Gluten for even more celiac-friendly dining guides! Some of these eating out guides should showcase that you have way more celiac-safe and gluten-free options out there than just IHOP! 🔥🍔🍟🍗

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 celiac-friendly, gluten-free guides to Jimmy John’s, McDonald’s, Burger King, Firehouse Subs, Waffle House, Outback Steakhouse, Red Robin, The Cheesecake Factory, Chick-fil-A, Krispy Kreme, Taco Bell, Panera Bread, Olive Garden, Denny’s, Sonic, Popeyes, Dunkin Donuts, Five Guys, Chipotle, Starbucks and more! 🍔🍟

Stay safe and gluten‑aware, my celiac friends! 💖🥗

Frequently Asked Questions

While doing some research into the IHOP gluten-free menu, I’ve found some pressing questions other folks have been asking around, so I thought I’d try to answer them here:

Are IHOP’s gluten-friendly pancakes truly gluten-free?

They’re made without gluten ingredients and arrive individually packaged, though IHOP labels them as ‘gluten-friendly’ (not ‘gluten-free’) because they’re prepared in shared kitchens.

Can I get eggs or omelets without gluten?