Is Five Guys Gluten Free?
✅ Yes — One of the Better Fast Food GF Options
Five Guys fries are cooked in 100% peanut oil in dedicated fryers — nothing with gluten touches that oil. No GF buns available, but a bunless burger loaded with toppings plus fries is genuinely one of the safer fast food GF meals you can get. The main caveat: peanut allergy + gluten allergy = not the place for you.
🍔 The Best GF Order at Five Guys
Bunless burger (or little burger) with any toppings you want — lettuce, tomato, grilled onions, mushrooms, jalapeños, all the sauces — wrapped in foil or in a bowl. Add a regular or large fries (pure peanut oil, zero GF cross-contamination). Ask staff to change gloves if you're highly sensitive. That's it — one of the cleanest GF fast food meals available.
Why the Fries Stand Out
Most fast food fries are a gamble for gluten-free eaters — shared fryers with breaded chicken, hidden wheat in seasoning blends (looking at you, McDonald's), or both. Five Guys is different for a specific reason: they only fry one thing — potatoes.
The fryer oil is 100% peanut oil, and the only items that go in those fryers are fresh-cut fries (and Cajun fries). No breaded chicken. No fish fillets. No onion rings. No cross-contamination from gluten-containing items. The fries are just potatoes, peanut oil, and salt.
This makes Five Guys fries one of the few genuinely low-risk fast food fry options for people avoiding gluten.
🥜 The Peanut Oil Tradeoff
Five Guys' peanut oil is what makes the fries GF-friendly — but it's also why Five Guys is completely off-limits if you have a peanut allergy. This is a hard no, not a "ask them to use different oil" situation. Peanut oil is company-wide policy. If you need both gluten-free AND peanut-free, Five Guys is not your place — check out P.F. Chang's or Hopdoddy instead.
What's Gluten-Free at Five Guys
✅ Generally Safe
- Bunless burger (any style)
- Bunless little burger
- Bunless hot dog
- Regular fries
- Cajun fries
- All standard toppings
- Milkshakes (base flavors)
❌ Avoid
- Regular bun (wheat)
- Sesame seed bun (wheat)
- Hot dog bun (wheat)
- Milkshakes with cookie mix-ins (Oreo, etc.)
- Anything if you have a peanut allergy
The Cross-Contamination Situation
The fries are clean. The burger side is more nuanced.
Five Guys kitchens handle buns constantly — they're toasted on the same area staff use to prep burgers. Staff typically wear gloves, but those same gloves may have touched buns. The grill itself is shared (though buns aren't typically grilled — they're toasted separately). For gluten sensitivity, this is usually fine. For celiac disease, it's an informed risk.
The practical ask: request that staff change gloves before assembling your bunless burger. Most Five Guys staff will do this without pushback. That step significantly reduces the contact risk.
Five Guys vs. Other Fast Food for GF Eating
| Chain | GF Fries? | GF Buns? | Overall GF Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Five Guys | ✅ Dedicated peanut oil | ❌ No | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very Good |
| Hopdoddy | ✅ Separate fryer | ✅ Yes (GF bun available) | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Best in Austin |
| P. Terry's | ✅ Separate fryer | ✅ GF bun available | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Best in Austin |
| McDonald's | ❌ Wheat in fry oil flavoring | ❌ No | ⭐⭐ Poor |
| Whataburger | ⚠️ Shared fryer | ❌ No | ⭐⭐ Poor |
Better Austin Burger Options
If you're in Austin and want a GF burger experience that goes further than bunless-in-a-bowl, these are worth the detour:
- Hopdoddy Burger Bar — dedicated GF buns, separate fryer for GF fries, full GF protocol. Multiple Austin locations. Best GF burger in the city.
- P. Terry's Burger Stand — Austin-born chain, GF buns available, separate frying. Local and legit.
- Cosmic Coffee + Beer Garden — has GF options, excellent for a more relaxed setting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Five Guys fries gluten free?
Yes. Five Guys fries are cooked in 100% peanut oil in dedicated fryers that don't cook any gluten-containing items. The fries themselves are potatoes, peanut oil, and salt — no hidden gluten. This is a genuine differentiator from most fast food chains.
Does Five Guys have gluten-free buns?
No. Five Guys does not offer gluten-free buns at any location. Order any burger bunless — they'll wrap it in foil or put it in a bowl. With 15+ free topping options, a bunless Five Guys burger is still a great meal.
Can I eat at Five Guys with celiac disease?
The fries are low-risk. The burger assembly carries more cross-contamination risk since buns are handled in the same kitchen. Ask for gloves to be changed before they handle your bunless burger. Many celiacs eat at Five Guys without issue, but individual sensitivity varies.
Why does Five Guys use peanut oil?
Five Guys has used peanut oil since they opened — it was a founding choice for flavor and consistency. It's 100% peanut oil, company-wide. This is why the fries are GF-safe (no shared gluten items in the fryer) but also why Five Guys is completely unsafe for peanut allergies.
Are Five Guys milkshakes gluten free?
The base milkshake flavors (chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, banana, peanut butter, salted caramel) are gluten-free. Avoid mix-ins that contain cookies (Oreo, etc.). Stick to the standard flavors and you're fine.
Is the Cajun style seasoning at Five Guys gluten free?
Yes, Five Guys' Cajun fry seasoning is gluten-free. Both regular fries and Cajun fries are safe.
What GF toppings can I get at Five Guys?
Nearly everything: mayo, mustard, ketchup, relish, hot sauce, A1 sauce, BBQ sauce, Worcestershire, steak sauce, lettuce, tomato, grilled/raw onion, jalapeños, green peppers, mushrooms, pickles, bacon, cheese. All gluten-free. Load up.
The Bottom Line
Five Guys is one of the better fast food GF options, especially for the fries. Dedicated peanut oil fryers with no gluten items = genuinely low cross-contamination risk on fries. Bunless burger with any toppings rounds it out. Ask for a glove change on the burger side if you're sensitive.
The one absolute caveat: peanut allergy + gluten-free = find another place. These two things can't coexist at Five Guys.
More fast food GF guides: McDonald's • Taco Bell • P.F. Chang's • Whataburger