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The Complete Sonic Gluten-Free Menu Guide For 2025

Explore the Sonic gluten-free menu! Find out what celiacs can enjoy at Sonic drive-ins across the US with our helpful guide.

Drive-ins and fast food chains like Sonic, as tempting as it might be, could be quite tricky for a celiac, even for someone like me, who’s been gluten-free for more than 30 years! 🍔🍟🍗

Moreover, being somewhat more sensitive myself when it comes to gluten, even a small bit of cross-contamination can be hazardous, which makes dining at Sonic even more challenging.

Sonic is well-known for its open-air kitchens, shared fryers, and a hearty selection of local-bakery breads, meaning you’re never far from wheat, rye, or barley.

Sounds like celiacs and those of you with gluten allergies ought to avoid Sonic completely, but don’t count them out just yet, as they do have a small variety of gluten-free menu items. 🌾

Items like their French Fries, tater tots, breakfast meats, and drinks contain no gluten by recipe or ingredients, but of course, you do have to be careful when it comes to cross-contamination.

So, with that out of the way, in our Sonic gluten-free guide, we’ll go through their entire menu to see what is and isn’t safe for celiacs, and what you should look out for! 🥪🌭🌯

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Disclaimer

Again, I should remind you that Sonic Drive-In doesn’t operate a dedicated gluten-free kitchen, so everything from burgers to milkshakes is handled on shared equipment and prep zones.

For the purposes of our Sonic gluten-free guide, you really should treat these more like gluten-friendly or even gluten-sensitive, rather than being 100% totally free of gluten. This is an important distinction if you are a celiac.✍📝

On top of that, while some of their menu items don’t list wheat or gluten ingredients, they do not test any menu items to meet the FDA’s strict <20 ppm threshold for gluten. 🌾🍞

This means that even their safest choices (for celiacs and those with gluten allergies) can still pick up trace gluten or wheat in the kitchen, either during the prep or while it’s being served.

With that in mind, if you do have celiac disease or a severe gluten or wheat allergy, I’d recommend these top tips while ordering at Sonic Drive-In (or any other eatery, in fact):

• Let your server or the kitchen staff know that you can’t consume gluten, so that they are aware when they are preparing your meal.
• You can also ask the restaurant to use fresh gloves and utensils, and maybe even clean the prep or cooking area to help minimize any cross-contact.
• Additionally, it’s not a bad idea to order simpler menu items – i.e., plain drinks, tater tots, and apple slices – to help minimize exposure to gluten even further.
• Remember to keep yourself up-to-date with Sonic’s allergen guides, so you have a better idea of what menu items do or don’t contain traces of gluten.

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Sonic Allergen Policy (Gluten-Free)

And speaking of Sonic’s nutrition and allergen guides, they have a bucket load of resources on their website that you can download and refer to, and it’s especially useful for folks like me!

First up, remember to check out Sonic’s Nutrition & Allergen Information page, where you can find one of 3 useful PDF files that you could download, in addition to a Spanish menu:

• The first link either opens up or downloads a one-page menu, where you could quickly refer to it, more like a brochure when you’re ordering. It isn’t super useful, admittedly, and particularly since, as of writing, the most up-to-date copy of this one-page menu is dated for Fall 2024!
• Now, the next link, the official Sonic Nutritional Information Guide, is way more useful, as you could find nutritional data for every single one of Sonic’s menu items, including how much fat, calories, cholesterol, carbs, fiber, sugar, proteins, and more of whatever you’re ordering.
• Aside from that, the final link leads you to the official Sonic Allergen Information Guide, which is what we’re looking for, as it gives a really detailed breakdown of every single allergen that’s present in every menu item, so if you’re allergic to anything, you can filter down their menu.
• For celiacs like us, or if you’re allergic to gluten, you could skip the other allergens here, unless you are allergic to fish, milk, nuts, soy, and so on, and focus specifically on any items that have been marked in the ‘wheat’ and ‘gluten’ columns – this is what celiacs need to look out for!

Otherwise, I do love that Sonic puts a lot of attention to detail with their Allergen Information Guide, even going as far as marking which items:

• CONTAINS said allergens
• MAY CONTAIN said allergens
• RISK of cross-contamination for allergens due to the cooking or prep method
• Available at SELECT locations only

With that out of the way, I will be using that Allergen Information Guide to great effect as I’ll break down the entire Sonic gluten-free menu, and tell you which menu items are safe!

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Burgers

Of course, we have to start off our Sonic gluten-free guide with their signature burgers, which are a pretty familiar sight to all Sonic Drive-In customers and a beloved part of their menu. 🍔

Sadly, I won’t be including them in my Sonic gluten-free menu, as every single Sonic burger is served on locally-sourced bakery buns, which contain wheat and gluten by default. 🍞🥖🥐

Sure, the beef patties themselves are 100% beef seasoned with salt and pepper, in addition to the other ingredients being mostly gluten-free by default, but the burger buns make it unsafe.

❌ Triple SONIC Smasher
❌ Double SONIC Smasher
❌ Cheesy Bacon SONIC Stack
❌ Cheesy Bacon SuperSONIC Stack
❌ Garlic Butter Bacon Cheeseburger
❌ SONIC Cheeseburger
❌ Plain SONIC Cheeseburger
❌ Quarter Pound Double Cheeseburger
❌ SuperSONIC Double Cheeseburger
❌ SuperSONIC Bacon Double Cheeseburger

So, besides the burger buns and bread, let’s break down each burger to see how they stack up in my Sonic gluten-free shortlist:

Triple SONIC Smasher: Three smashed Angus beef patties with American cheese, pickles, some onions, and their Smasher sauce on a wheat-flour potato bun.

Double SONIC Smasher: Two smashed Angus patties with the same toppings on a wheat bun, which again, makes it unsafe for celiacs.

Cheesy Bacon SONIC Stack: Single patty topped with American cheese and bacon on a wheat bun.

Cheesy Bacon SuperSONIC Stack: Double-patty version of the Cheesy Bacon Stack on a wheat bun.

Garlic Butter Bacon Cheeseburger: Beef patty, garlic-butter sauce, cheese, and bacon on a wheat bun.

SONIC Cheeseburger: Classic patty with cheese, pickles, onions, ketchup, and mustard on a wheat roll.

Plain SONIC Cheeseburger: Cheeseburger with only cheese and beef on a wheat bun (with no veggies).

Quarter Pound Double Cheeseburger: Two quarter-pound patties with cheese on a wheat bun, with no gluten-free bun option.

SuperSONIC Double Cheeseburger: It features double patties, double cheese, and SuperSONIC sauce on a wheat bun.

SuperSONIC Bacon Double Cheeseburger: It’s the same as the above, with added bacon on a wheat bun.

Alas, if you’re a celiac and you’re dining out at your local Sonic Drive-In, their burgers are a no-go, as they don’t have any gluten-free bread options, or even gluten-free substitutes like some other eateries, where they swap out burger buns for lettuce slices. 🥓🧀🥩🍅🥬

It’s also worth reminding you about the cross-contamination risks, even if we assume that you could order these burgers with gluten-free bread or substitutes. Every ingredient is cooked and prepped, then assembled on shared grills, toasters, and prep stations, too. 😷🌾

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Snacks & Sides

If you need something to complement your main dish, the Sonic gluten-free menu has a huge selection of snacks and sides, but unfortunately, almost all of these aren’t friendly to celiacs!

Sonics’ sides and snackable menu items cover everything from cheesy sticks to tots and wraps, though there are two big problems here for celiacs – the ingredients and prep. 🧀🌶️🧅

Most of the snacks and sides start with gluten-free ingredients, like potatoes, but they’re then fried, baked, or assembled with wheat and gluten-filled items, like breading or bread. 🌯🥙

Moreover, speaking of fried, all of these snacks and sides are fried in shared fryer oil, so there are pretty significant cross-contamination risks that you need to be mindful of. 🍟🌭

❌ Mozzarella Sticks
❌ Groovy Fries
⚠️ Tots
❌ Chili Cheese Tots
❌ Ched ’R’ Peppers
❌ Onion Rings
❌ Pickle Fries
⚠️ Cheese Tots
❌ Chili Cheese Groovy Fries
❌ Cheese Groovy Fries
✅ Side of Queso
❌ Corn Dog
❌ Soft Pretzel Twist
❌ Premium Chicken Bites
❌ Bacon Ranch Queso Wrap
❌ Southwest Crunch Queso Wrap
❌ FRITOS Chili Cheese Jr. Wrap
❌ FRITOS Chili Cheese Wrap
❌ FRITOS Chili Pie
❌ Medium Ched ’R’ Bites

To look at why most of these didn’t make it into the Sonic gluten-free menu, let’s take a closer look at each one:

Mozzarella Sticks: Breaded cheese sticks, coated in wheat flour batter and fried alongside other battered items, which is unsafe mainly due to all that breading.

Groovy Fries: Seasoned curly fries made from potatoes and spices only, and though there is no wheat in the recipe, they’re then fried in shared oil.

Tots: Crispy potato tots with basic seasoning, and it’s gluten-free by ingredients, though it may share fryers with battered snacks, so be cautious.

Chili Cheese Tots: Tots topped with chili (thickened with flour) and cheese sauce, but it contains gluten overall, thanks to the chili.

Ched ’R’ Peppers: Breaded cheddar cheese rounds, coated in wheat flour batter, which makes it unsafe for celiacs.

Onion Rings: Slices dipped in wheat-based batter and fried, which is, once again, unsafe.

Pickle Fries: Pickle spears breaded in wheat flour mix and fried, which contains wheat owing to the wheat flour mix.

Cheese Tots: Tots smothered in cheese sauce, and while the cheese itself is gluten-free, you will want to double-check the sauce, as it may use wheat starch.

Chili Cheese Groovy Fries: Curly fries topped with flour-thickened chili and cheese, and contain gluten, too.

Cheese Groovy Fries: Curly fries with cheese sauce, which is unsafe due to the sauce thickener, as it contains traces of wheat and gluten.

Side of Queso: The cheese dip may contain wheat starch thickeners, though for now, the up-to-date Sonic allergen guide mentions that it’s free of wheat and gluten.

Corn Dog: Hot dog battered in wheat-flour cornmeal and fried, thus making it unsafe if you are allergic to gluten or are a celiac.

Soft Pretzel Twist: Classic wheat-flour pretzel, and there’s no gluten-free substitute, which does make it unsafe for celiacs.

Premium Chicken Bites: Breaded chicken pieces coated in wheat flour, and the breading makes it a hazard for celiacs.

Bacon Ranch Queso Wrap: Flour tortilla filled with bacon, ranch-infused queso, and cheese, but it does contain wheat.

Southwest Crunch Queso Wrap: Flour tortilla with crunchy tortilla strips, queso, and chicken, so it’s totally unsafe.

FRITOS Chili Cheese Jr. Wrap: Wheat tortilla stuffed with chili (flour thickener) and cheese, with a double-whammy of gluten.

FRITOS Chili Cheese Wrap: It’s basically a larger version of the above, making it equally unsafe if you’re a celiac or if you have gluten allergies.

FRITOS Chili Pie: Chili with wheat-based thickeners served over FRITOS chips, and once again, it isn’t safe for celiacs.

Medium Ched ’R’ Bites: Breaded cheese curds in wheat batter, but sadly, owing to that wheat batter, avoid this if you’re allergic to gluten.

All in all, you should really only stick to the Tots or Cheese Tots if you want something remotely even celiac-safe and gluten-free. But even then, since they’re fried in shared fryer oil, these are unsafe unless the kitchen staff goes out of their way for you by using fresh fryer oil. 🥔🍠🧀

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Carhop Classics

As the name ‘Sonic Drive-In’ might suggest, they became famous for their drive-in staples, but unfortunately, their Carhop Classics are pretty much dangerous to any celiac! 🍔🌯🥪🥙

All cheeseburgers, hearty wraps, and melty sandwiches in our Sonic gluten-free menu rely on wheat-based bread, wraps, or batter, and they’re also prepped on shared grills and toasters. 🧀🍞

❌ Quarter Pound Double Cheeseburger
❌ FRITOS Chili Cheese Wrap
❌ Grilled Cheese Sandwich
❌ Premium Chicken Bites

For context, let’s take a closer peek at why these aren’t a part of my Sonic gluten-free shortlist:

Quarter Pound Double Cheeseburger: Two quarter-pound beef patties with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, ketchup, and mustard, all nestled in a wheat bun and toasted on shared equipment, making it completely unsafe for celiacs.

FRITOS Chili Cheese Wrap: Chili (thickened with flour), cheese, and FRITOS corn chips wrapped in a wheat tortilla, then grilled, with a double-hit of gluten.

Grilled Cheese Sandwich: Slices of cheddar and American cheese melted between two slices of wheat bread and pressed on the griddle.

Premium Chicken Bites: Bite-sized pieces of white meat chicken, breaded in wheat flour batter and fried, and it’s unsafe due to that breading.

Remember that even if some of these Carhop Classics don’t contain wheat or gluten by recipe or ingredients, they’re still not totally safe for more sensitive celiacs, owing to cross-contact in the kitchen and prep areas, which is also shared with tons of other wheat items. 👩‍🍳🌾

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Hot Dogs

Another super popular dish in the Sonic gluten-free menu is their hot dogs, but celiacs might as well not bother looking at them, since not a single hot dog here is actually gluten-free. 🌭

Their hotdog line-up features all the classic coneys, all-American hotdogs, and your usual corn dogs, but they’re then served on wheat-based buns or are battered in wheat flour. 🌾🍞

❌ Chili Cheese Coney
❌ All-American Dog
❌ Footlong Quarter Pound Coney
❌ Corn Dog

Just so we know what to look out for in the future, let’s take these dogs apart to see why they didn’t make it into our Sonic gluten-free menu:

Chili Cheese Coney: A beef hot dog nestled in a wheat bun, topped with chili (thickened with flour), shredded cheese, and diced onions, and it’s totally unsafe for celiacs.

All-American Dog: Classic beef hot dog with ketchup, mustard, chopped onions, and relish on a wheat bun, which makes it unsafe due to the bun and the shared prep.

Footlong Quarter Pound Coney: Oversized beef hot dog topped with flour-thickened chili, some shredded cheese, and onions in a familiar wheat-based bun.

Corn Dog: A beef frank dipped in a sweet wheat-flour cornmeal batter and deep-fried, with a lot of cross-contamination risks from the shared fryer oil, too.

Like every other sandwich, burger, and fried menu item that have been looked at so far, between shared fryer oils and wheat-based buns and bread, in addition to the batter and breading, you ought to avoid these hot dogs if you’re allergic to gluten or wheat! 🧀🧅🥩🍅

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Chicken

A similar story is found when you look at the poultry section of our Sonic gluten-free menu, as there’s not a single chicken-based dish here that’s NOT dangerous for celiacs. 🐔🍗🌾

Ranging from crispy tenders and sandwiches to hearty wraps and dinner platters, they are all made with wheat-based breading, buns, or tortilla wraps, which contain gluten. 🥙🍞🌯

❌ Bacon Ranch Queso Wrap
❌ Southwest Crunch Queso Wrap
❌ Premium Chicken Bites
❌ Crispy Tenders – 3 Piece
❌ Crispy Tenders – 5 Piece
❌ Crispy Chicken Sandwich
❌ Honey Chipotle Jr. Chicken Sandwich
❌ Original Jr. Chicken Sandwich
❌ Crispy Chicken Strip Wrap
❌ Chicken Club TOASTER
❌ 3 Piece Crispy Tender Dinner
❌ 5 Piece Crispy Tender Dinner

Seeing that chicken is naturally gluten-free, let’s see what these are made of that made them unqualified to fit into my Sonic gluten-free shortlist:

Bacon Ranch Queso Wrap: Flour tortilla filled with chicken, bacon, ranch-infused queso, and lettuce, but it’s unsafe due to the wheat-based flour tortilla wrap.

Southwest Crunch Queso Wrap: Wheat tortilla stuffed with crispy chicken, crunchy tortilla strips, queso, and veggies, and once again, it’s not safe thanks to the tortilla.

Premium Chicken Bites: Bite-sized white meat chunks breaded in wheat flour and fried, and unsafe for celiacs owing to the breading.

Crispy Tenders – 3 Piece / 5 Piece: Hand-breaded chicken tenders, deep-fried in shared fryers, with a double-hit of gluten from the breading and the shared fryer oil.

Crispy Chicken Sandwich: Breaded chicken filet with lettuce, tomato, and mayo on a wheat bun, which is unsafe once again, due to the breading.

Honey Chipotle Jr. Chicken Sandwich: Jr. chicken filet tossed in honey-chipotle sauce on a wheat bun, and it’s mainly unsafe thanks to the wheat bun.

Original Jr. Chicken Sandwich: Simple chicken filet with pickles on a wheat bun, and like every other sandwich or burger here, it contains gluten.

Crispy Chicken Strip Wrap: Wheat tortilla with crispy chicken strips, lettuce, and sauce, and as with the tortilla-based dishes from earlier, it’s not safe for celiacs.

Chicken Club TOASTER: Grilled chicken, bacon, cheese, and mayo on Texas toast (wheat), but you should avoid this if you’re allergic to gluten.

3 Piece Crispy Tender Dinner / 5 Piece Crispy Tender Dinner: Chicken tenders served with fries and toast, and it’s unsafe due to the breaded tenders and the wheat toast.

As you can see, it’s not just the breading, the buns, or the wraps that present a huge problem for celiacs, as all these chicken dishes are fried in shared fryer oil, which may have been used for frying other wheat or gluten-containing items, so there will be cross-contamination.

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Sandwiches

Speaking of sandwiches, there’s a big selection of them in the Sonic gluten-free menu, but not one of them is safe for celiacs to order, or are they free of wheat and gluten. 🥪🍔

Whether it’s their classic grilled cheese to hearty Philly cheesesteaks, every sandwich here is built on wheat-based breads, buns, and toasters, which adds gluten to each item. 🍗🧀🍖

❌ Grilled Cheese Sandwich
❌ Crispy Chicken Sandwich
❌ Chicken Slinger
❌ Fish Sandwich
❌ Bacon Cheeseburger TOASTER
❌ Chicken Club TOASTER
❌ BLT TOASTER
❌ Philly Cheesesteak
❌ Pork Tenderloin Sandwich
❌ Country Fried Steak Sandwich
❌ Country Fried Steak TOASTER

So we understand what celiacs ought to avoid, let’s take a closer look at each sandwich to see why they didn’t make it into my Sonic gluten-free shortlist:

Grilled Cheese Sandwich: Melted American and cheddar cheese between two slices of wheat bread, then pressed in a toaster, and it’s unsafe for celiacs.

Crispy Chicken Sandwich: Breaded chicken filet with lettuce, tomato, and mayo on a wheat bun, with a double-hit of gluten from the breading and the bun.

Chicken Slinger: Crispy chicken strips nestled in a hot dog bun with cheese sauce, and unsafe thanks to the bun and the wheat-based sauce thickener.

Fish Sandwich: Breaded fish filet with tartar sauce and lettuce on a wheat bun, and unsafe owing to the breading and the wheat-based bun.

Bacon Cheeseburger TOASTER: Beef patty, bacon, cheese, and sauce toasted in wheat Texas toast, with no gluten-free toast alternative available.

Chicken Club TOASTER: Grilled chicken, bacon, cheese, and mayo on wheat Texas toast, and just like the other TOASTER dishes here, it’s unsafe for celiacs.

BLT TOASTER: Bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayo on wheat Texas toast, which is, once again, dangerous for celiacs.

Philly Cheesesteak: Sliced beef, onions, peppers, and cheese melted on a wheat hoagie roll, but the wheat roll disqualifies it from being gluten-free.

Pork Tenderloin Sandwich: Breaded pork cutlet with lettuce and mayo on wheat bun, and sadly, Sonic doesn’t have gluten-free buns.

Country Fried Steak Sandwich: Breaded steak filet with gravy on a wheat bun, with a double-whammy of gluten and wheat.

Country Fried Steak TOASTER: It’s the same as the above, but served on toasted wheat Texas toast, and equally unsafe for celiacs.

Unfortunately, with a lack of gluten-free bread or bun substitutes or alternatives, that makes every single sandwich at Sonic Drive-In a danger for celiacs, and while those base ingredients might be free of wheat or gluten, once finished, it’s no longer a safe option for me. 🥪

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Breakfast

Celiacs might also want to consider entirely skipping the breakfast section of the Sonic gluten-free menu, and despite how massive the variety here might be, they’re not made for celiacs.

The Sonic breakfast menu is mainly built on wheat-based breads, tortillas, and batters, so you get a huge trace of wheat and gluten with each meal so look elsewhere for breakfast! 🌯🥯

❌ French Toast Sticks
❌ Bacon BREAKFAST TOASTER
❌ Sausage BREAKFAST TOASTER
❌ Bacon Breakfast Burrito
❌ Sausage Breakfast Burrito
❌ SuperSONIC Breakfast Burrito
❌ Ultimate Meat & Cheese Breakfast Burrito
❌ Jr. Bacon, Egg and Cheese Breakfast Burrito
❌ Jr. Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Breakfast Burrito
❌ Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Brioche Breakfast Sandwich
❌ Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Brioche Breakfast Sandwich
❌ Ham, Egg, and Cheese Brioche Breakfast Sandwich
❌ Bacon, Egg, and Cheese CroisSONIC
❌ Sausage, Egg and Cheese CroisSONIC
❌ Ham, Egg, and Cheese CroisSONIC
❌ Steak, Egg & Cheese Burrito
❌ Plain Bagel
❌ Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Bagel
❌ Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Bagel
❌ Ham, Egg, and Cheese Bagel
❌ Biscuit
❌ Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Biscuit
❌ Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Biscuit
❌ Ham, Egg, and Cheese Biscuit

Now, let’s break these breakfast specials down a bit more to see why they didn’t make it into our Sonic gluten-free menu:

French Toast Sticks: Wheat-flour bread dipped in egg batter, then fried, making it unsafe for the bread alone, but also due to cross-contact with the shared fryer oil.

Bacon BREAKFAST TOASTER / Sausage BREAKFAST TOASTER: Your choice of bacon or sausage with egg and cheese on Texas toast, and it’s unsafe due to the wheat toast.

Bacon / Sausage Breakfast Burritos (all varieties): Filled with egg, meat, cheese in an 8″ wheat tortilla, you sadly won’t be able to find a gluten-free tortilla.

SuperSONIC & Ultimate Meat & Cheese Burritos: Larger tortillas filled with multiple meats, eggs, and cheese, so once again, it’s not safe for celiacs.

Jr. Breakfast Burritos: Mini wheat tortillas with egg, cheese, and bacon or sausage, and it’s 100% a danger for anyone allergic to gluten.

Brioche Breakfast Sandwiches (Bacon, Sausage, Ham): Egg and cheese on a brioche bun, but unlike some of its rivals, Sonic doesn’t offer gluten-free brioche buns.

CroisSONIC Sandwiches (Bacon, Sausage, Ham): Egg and cheese on a croissant, but there are no wheat-free and gluten-free croissants here.

Steak, Egg & Cheese Burrito: Steak, egg, and cheese in a wheat tortilla, which is bad for any celiac.

Bagels (Plain & with fillings): All bagel bases contain wheat, thus disqualifying them for celiacs or anyone allergic to gluten and wheat.

Biscuits (Plain & with fillings): Buttery wheat biscuits with egg, cheese, and meat, but it’s not safe for celiacs due to the wheat-based biscuits.

Worst of all, even if there’s a slight chance that some of these didn’t contain wheat and gluten in the recipe or ingredients, there’s so much cross-contamination through shared toasters and griddles or fryers, I’d consider avoiding it entirely just from that! 🥐🍳🥓🧀🥙

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Kids Meals

Sadly, if you have kids visiting the local Sonic Drive-In, you won’t be able to find any celiac-safe options here in our Sonic gluten-free menu either, bundling main dishes, sides, drinks, and treats.

They’re perfect for kids, but alas, every single entrée relies on wheat-based bread, batter, and buns, and the sides here also share fryers (and shared fryer oil) with wheat items. 🍔🍗🌭

❌ Hamburger Wacky Pack
❌ Crispy Tenders Wacky Pack
❌ Hot Dog Wacky Pack
❌ Corn Dog Wacky Pack
❌ Grilled Cheese Wacky Pack

Let’s see why these downsized kids’ meals didn’t make it into our Sonic gluten-free menu:

Hamburger Wacky Pack: Child-sized beef hamburger on a wheat bun, served with tots or fries, a drink, and a cookie, with many celiac-unsafe items here.

Crispy Tenders Wacky Pack: Breaded chicken tenders in wheat flour batter, plus tots or fries, a drink, and a cookie, with so much gluten and wheat aplenty.

Hot Dog Wacky Pack: Beef hot dog in a wheat bun, accompanied by tots or fries, a drink, and a cookie, and once again, it’s dangerous for celiacs.

Corn Dog Wacky Pack: Classic corn dog battered in wheat-flour cornmeal, with tots or fries, a drink, and a cookie, making it unsafe for celiacs.

Grilled Cheese Wacky Pack: Melted cheese between wheat bread slices, plus tots or fries, a drink, and a cookie, but there’s way too much gluten here for celiacs.

If your children are ever stopping by any Sonic Drive-In location, you might instead want to look at the Tots from earlier in the regular, adult-sized snacks & sides menu, but even then, if they are super-sensitive to gluten, be warned that there will be a lot of cross-contact. 🍠🥔

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SONIC Blasts, Shakes & Sundaes

When it comes time for something sweet, but dangerously delicious, Sonic has many shakes, sundaes, and other frozen drinks, ice-creams, mix-ins, and drizzles to pick from. 🍪🍬🍭🍫

However, not all of them are completely safe from gluten, even though ice cream itself doesn’t have any gluten or wheat-based ingredients naturally, as do most of the ingredients. 🍦🍨🍧

However, every spoonful in our Sonic gluten-free menu is swirled and scooped with shared machines and topped with cookie pieces, candy, or sauces that include wheat or are handled alongside dough-based treats. 🍪

⚠️ Turtle Truffle Nut Blast
❌ Chocolate Chunk Brownie Blast
⚠️ SONIC Blast made with HEATH
❌ SONIC Blast made with OREO Cookie Pieces
⚠️ SONIC Blast made with REESE’S Peanut Butter Cups
⚠️ SONIC Blast made with M&M’S Chocolate Candies
❌ Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Blast
⚠️ Vanilla Classic Shake
⚠️ Banana Classic Shake
⚠️ Chocolate Classic Shake
⚠️ Caramel Classic Shake
⚠️ Strawberry Classic Shake
⚠️ Hot Fudge Classic Shake
⚠️ Peanut Butter Classic Shake
❌ OREO Peanut Butter Master Shake
❌ Strawberry Cheesecake Master Shake
❌ Cheesecake Master Shake
❌ OREO Chocolate Master Shake
❌ OREO Cheesecake Master Shake
⚠️ Hot Fudge Sundae
⚠️ Caramel Sundae
⚠️ Strawberry Sundae
⚠️ Vanilla Cup

There’s a huge asterisk attached to each of these sundaes and shakes, so let’s see how they all compare in our Sonic gluten-free guide:

Turtle Truffle Nut Blast: Ice cream blended with pecans, caramel, and chocolate, and you need to watch out for any mix-ins that have nuts and caramel sauces, which share pumps with cookie-based toppings.

Chocolate Chunk Brownie Blast: Brownie pieces contain wheat flour and are cut and dropped into the blender on shared prep surfaces, presenting many red flags for celiacs.

SONIC Blast made with HEATH: Heath toffee bits are generally gluten-free, though the SONIC Blast itself is made with common prep stations and equipment.

SONIC Blast made with OREO Cookie Pieces: OREO cookies contain wheat, and the pieces are handled together alongside other cookie mix-ins.

SONIC Blast made with REESE’S Peanut Butter Cups: The butter cups have a chocolate shell that’s gluten-free, then added through common topping bins, with some cross-contact risk.

SONIC Blast made with M&M’S Chocolate Candies: M&M’s shells are gluten-free by ingredient, but the machines here may also dispense cookie-based pieces, so do be careful!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Blast: Cookie dough pieces are wheat-based and mixed in shared blenders, so there’s no way to escape the gluten here.

Vanilla / Banana / Chocolate / Caramel / Strawberry Classic Shakes: All of them use soft-serve ice cream base (dairy, sugar) that’s blended on shared machines with flavor syrups that might carry cross-contact, but are otherwise free of gluten by recipe and ingredients.

Hot Fudge / Peanut Butter Classic Shakes: Include hot fudge or peanut butter sauce dispensers also used for cookies and brownies, so there’s a possible cross-contamination risk with gluten-based menu items.

Master Shakes (OREO Peanut Butter, Strawberry Cheesecake, Cheesecake, OREO Chocolate, OREO Cheesecake): Each of them relies on cookie or cheesecake pieces containing wheat, and the blenders and topping stations are also shared.

Hot Fudge / Caramel / Strawberry Sundaes: Soft-serve topped with sauce dispensers shared with other dessert toppings, so while it might be free of gluten, be warned of cross-contact.

Vanilla Cup: Plain soft-serve in a cup, and while it contains no gluten ingredients by recipe, it’s then dispensed from the same nozzles as all other flavors, so there’s cross-contact that you’d have to be on the lookout for.

Again, even if you look past all the wheat-based and gluten-filled mix-ins and add-ons that are added into some of these sundaes and shakes, such as the cookie or cheesecake pieces, they’re all made with shared equipment and prep stations, and some of the syrups are dubious, too.

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Drinks

On the bright side, beverages and drinks are typically a safe spot in any restaurant for celiacs, and this is the only part of our Sonic gluten-free menu that’s almost entirely green. 🥤☕🍵

All of these drinks don’t contain any wheat, barley, or rye, though, just be warned of the cross-contact risks, especially when they’re being poured, blended, or dispensed. 🍹🍸🥛

These are usually done at prep stations near their doughnut-style toppings, syrups, and frozen desserts, so it’s not hard for your drinks to be exposed to gluten in the air. 🌾🍩🍪

✅ Unicorn Dreams Slush
✅ Strawberry Shortcake Snowball Slush Float
✅ Lemonade Cream Cooler
✅ Rainbow Slush
✅ Twisted Flamingo
✅ Dirty Dr Pepper
✅ Berries and Cream
✅ Twisted Lime Recharger with Red Bull
✅ Blood Orange Recharger with Red Bull
✅ Dragon Fruit Recharger with Red Bull
✅ Cherry Limeade
✅ Diet Cherry Limeade
✅ Strawberry Limeade
✅ Cranberry Limeade
✅ Limeade
✅ Diet Limeade
✅ All Natural Lemonade
✅ Coca-Cola
✅ Diet Coke
✅ Coca-Cola Zero
✅ Dr Pepper
✅ Diet Dr Pepper
✅ Barq’s Root Beer
✅ Sprite
✅ Sprite Zero
✅ Hi-C Fruit Punch
✅ Fanta Orange
✅ Powerade Mountain Berry Blast
✅ Ocean Water
✅ Sweet Iced Tea
✅ Unsweetened Iced Tea
✅ Half Sweet Tea / Half Lemonade
✅ Half Sweet Tea / Half Unsweet Tea
✅ Half Unsweet Tea / Half Lemonade
✅ Original Cold Brew Iced Coffee
✅ French Vanilla Cold Brew Iced Coffee
✅ Coffee
✅ Red Bull Energy Drink
✅ Water
✅ Milk (1% White)
✅ Cup of Ice

Just to be extra sure, let’s take a peek at each drink to see what they’re made of, and to make double-sure that they’re a good fit for our Sonic gluten-free menu:

Unicorn Dreams Slush: A fruit-flavored slush blended with syrup and ice, and while there are no gluten ingredients, the syrup pump sits near dough-based toppings.

Strawberry Shortcake Snowball Slush Float: Slush topped with vanilla ice cream, and while the ice cream base contains no gluten, the float station shares blenders with cookie-based treats.

Lemonade Cream Cooler: Lemonade mixed with soft-serve ice cream, and ingredients are gluten-free too, but cross-contact from the ice cream nozzle is something to watch out for.

Rainbow Slush / Twisted Flamingo: Multi-flavor slushes using fruit-flavored syrups only, with no gluten ingredients in sight, but it does use shared slush machines.

Dirty Dr Pepper: Dr Pepper blended with vanilla soft-serve, and while the base soda is gluten-free, be sure to watch the soft-serve nozzle for contamination.

Berries and Cream: Fruit and cream slush, and the good news here is that the cream base is gluten-free, though it’s then served from the same soft-serve station.

Red Bull Rechargers (Twisted Lime, Blood Orange, Dragon Fruit): Carbonated energy drinks blended over ice, with no gluten ingredients here, but ensure that the ice scoop is clean.

Limeades & Lemonades (Cherry, Strawberry, Cranberry, All Natural, Diet): Fresh-made lemon or lime juice, water, and sugar, with no gluten here, too, but just watch the shared dispensers.

Standard Sodas (Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Coke Zero, Dr Pepper, Diet Dr Pepper, Barq’s Root Beer, Sprite, Sprite Zero, Fanta Orange, Hi-C Fruit Punch): Fountain sodas contain no gluten, but I’d consider double-checking that the nozzle is wiped before pouring.

Powerade Mountain Berry Blast / Ocean Water: Sports and aqua-fresca drinks with no gluten ingredients, but be careful, as the ice and cups are handled near other drink stations.

Iced Teas (Sweet, Unsweet, Half & Half combinations): Brewed tea and sweeteners only, and there’s no gluten here either, but the ice scoop and tea dispensers share space with the syrup pumps.

Cold Brew & Coffee (Original, French Vanilla, Regular): Brewed coffee and cold-steeped coffee contain no gluten, but to be extra safe, you could confirm that the brewing equipment is clean of flavor-shot residue.

Red Bull Energy Drink / Water / Milk / Cup of Ice: Bottled or boxed options and plain ice, which are gluten-free by recipe, but if you’re super-sensitive to gluten, make sure that the ice scoop is dedicated or clean.

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To Sum Up

TL;DR, if you’re a celiac or if you have severe gluten allergies, it might be worthwhile avoiding Sonic Drive-In altogether, though you’re not completely out of options, at least! 🍠🥔🥤🧊

Sure, a large chunk of their menu is a no-go zone for celiacs, but you might be safe with their Tots, and especially if you just need a refreshing drink, or maybe even consider the shakes!

Of course, do remember that each of those items comes with cross-contamination risks, and in particular, the Tots (the fryer oil), as well as their shakes, sundaes, and ice-creams. 🍦🍧🍨

Otherwise, most of their menu contains wheat and gluten aplenty, be it their burgers, chicken dishes, sandwiches, breakfast menu, hot dogs, and most of their snacks and sides menu, too.

Sadly, overall, there aren’t many celiac-friendly options at Sonic, but at least they make it easy to browse through their menu and decide it’s not worth it, rather than having to linger around!

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

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

If you’re craving other fast-food or casual dining chains and gourmet meals, do check out my other celiacs-friendly, gluten-free dining out guides to Applebee’s, Krispy Kreme, Panda Express, Taco Bell, Olive Garden, Buffalo Wild Wings, Panera Bread, Denny’s, Texas Roadhouse, Dunkin Donuts, Popeyes, Five Guys, Chipotle, Starbucks and more! 🍔🍟🍗

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

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Frequently Asked Questions

As I was working on this Sonic gluten-free guide, I found a few pretty interesting questions and queries, which I thought I might try and answer here, for even more insight:

Does Sonic Drive-In offer any gluten-free menu items?

Sonic doesn’t operate an FDA-certified gluten-free kitchen, so there is not a single menu item that carries an official ‘gluten-free’ label under the FDA. However, several items don’t feature gluten ingredients naturally, such as their Tots, so it’s at least a bit safer for celiacs.

Are Sonic’s fries and tots gluten-free?

All of Sonic Drive-In’s fries contain wheat and gluten, at least according to their allergen guides, so it’s not safe for celiacs. On the other hand, their Tots (potatoes, oil, and seasoning) don’t have gluten, but they might be fried in shared fryer oil, so cross-contact risks apply.

Does Sonic offer gluten-free buns or bread substitutions?

No. Sonic sources all their buns, biscuits, bagels, breads, and tortillas from local bakeries, and all of them contain wheat and gluten. There’s currently no gluten-free bread or bun option on the menu, as well as a lack of bread substitutes, unlike some of their rivals that I’ve covered.

Are Sonic’s drinks safe for celiacs?

Most of Sonic’s fountain sodas, iced teas, lemonades, slushes, Rechargers, Cold Brew, or plain coffee, as well as the many other drinks they offer, don’t feature gluten ingredients. However, you might want to be on the lookout for cross-contamination with wheat pastry toppings.

How can I minimize gluten cross-contact at Sonic?

Remember to always let the staff know that you have celiac disease or a severe gluten allergy, which might convince them to be extra cautious when handling your meal, and they may also want to consider changing to fresh gloves and using clean prep areas to minimize exposure.

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