Wendy’s Dairy-Free Menu Guide with Allergen Notes & Vegan Options

Last Update in September 2021! Wendy’s is one of the largest burger chains in North America. Consequently, millions of loyal customers have eagerly awaited their new Hot & Crispy French Fries. And we have good news. The new recipe appears to be dairy-free, just like the old one! We’ve updated our dairy-free menu guide below with more allergen information and the latest menu.

Wendy’s Dairy-Free Menu Guide with Allergen Notes & Vegan Options

Unfortunately, Wendy’s is a bit of a hot mess with their allergen information, particularly for dairy-free customers. In trying to be overly cautious, they mislead and confuse consumers. They label some items that don’t contain milk (i.e. Chili, Grilled Chicken, and Egg) as containing milk due to potential cross-contamination on the grill. But then other items made on those same grills (i.e. Hamburger and Sausage Patties) just have cross-contamination warnings, and do not state contains milk. We’ve done our best to organize it! The specifics listed are from the United States allergen details, and might be slightly different in Canada and other countries.

More Allergen Notes: All items listed below are also made without peanuts, tree nuts, and eggs, unless otherwise noted. Wendy’s uses vegetable oil (soybean, canola, and/or cottonseed oils) for their fryer. Some items are listed as not contains soy at Wendy’s, but most of their menu items contain refined soybean oil.

Burgers

• Dave’s Single (no cheese)
• Dave’s Double (no cheese)
• Dave’s Triple (no cheese)
• Baconator (no cheese)
• Son of Baconator (no cheese)
• Big Bacon Classic (no cheese)
• Big Bacon Classic Double (no cheese)
• Big Bacon Classic Triple (no cheese)
• Bacon Double Stack (no cheese)
• Jr. Hamburger
• Jr. Bacon Burger (no cheese)
• Jr. Deluxe Burger (no cheese)
• Kids Hamburger

Heads Up! As with most fast food burger restaurants, the burger patties are cooked on a shared grill, and may come in contact with milk-containing items (like cheese on cheeseburgers). All buns are toasted in a common toaster, and they do have buns and breads that contain milk (see list below).

Chicken

• Crispy Chicken Nuggets
• Spicy Chicken Nuggets
• Crispy Chicken Sandwich
• Spicy Chicken Sandwich
• Classic Chicken Sandwich
• Crispy Chicken BLT (no cheese)

Grilled Chicken Sandwich: Wendy’s Grilled Chicken Sandwich does not contain dairy by ingredients (according to the company). But it’s labeled with “contains milk” due to the potential cross-contamination with milk on the grill.

Heads Up! All of the above listed sandwiches are made with fried chicken fillets. They are cooked in a shared fryer with their Crispy Onions (formerly Onion Tanglers), which contain milk. All buns are toasted in a common toaster, and they do have buns and breads that contain milk (see list below).

Breakfast Sandwiches

Heads Up! Technically, the Breakfast Baconator ordered with no cheese is made without dairy. Wendy’s Egg patty contains just egg, soy lecithin (pan spray), and salt. But they label it as “contains milk” due to potential cross-contamination on the grill. The Scrambled Egg used in their Breakfast Burrito is made with milk.

Salads

Heads Up! Their base Salad Blends contains cheese, and their Candied and Roasted Nuts contain milk. So it’s tricky to order a dairy-free salad from Wendy’s. If you must, use their Apple Pecan Salad Blend as the base (the base blend doesn’t contain pecans), and build from there using the toppings listed above.

Salad Dressings: Champagne Vinaigrette, Pomegranate Vinaigrette.

Sides

• French Fries (old and new recipe)
• Plain Baked Potato
• Seasoned Potatoes (breakfast menu)
• Apple Bites
• Strawberries

Chili: According to Wendy’s representatives, their Chili does NOT contain milk in the ingredients. They label it as “contains milk” due to the potential cross-contamination of the burger patties on the grill. Cheese is also used on the grill, and the patties are chopped and added to the chili.

New Fry Recipe: Wendy’s new “Hot & Crispy” French Fries have a slightly different cut, a better frying technique (according to the company), and a “whisper” of coating. Based on the box ingredients we viewed, the updated coating has just two additional ingredients: xanthan gum and dextrose.

Heads Up! The French Fries and Seasoned Potatoes are cooked in a shared fryer with the Crispy Onions (formerly Onion Tanglers), which contain milk.

Dipping Sauces

• BBQ
• Creamy Sriracha (contains egg)
• Honey Mustard (contains egg)
• Side of S’Awesome (contains egg)
• Sweet & Sour

Breads

Heads Up! All buns are toasted in a common toaster at Wendy’s, and their cheddar buns, croissants, breakfast rolls, and biscuits all contain milk. Untoasted buns are available on request, but they still use common cutting boards.

Sandwich, Salad, and Potato Toppings

• Applewood Smoked Bacon
• Avocado
• Bacon Jam
• Chives
• Crinkle Cut Pickles
• Jalapeno Slices
• Lettuce
• Sweet Onion
• Taco Chips
• Tomato

Heads Up! The Crispy Onions do contain milk.

Condiments

• Bourbon Bacon Sauce
• Smoky Honey Mustard (contains egg)
• Ketchup
• Mayonnaise (contains egg)
• Mustard
• Signature Salsa

Vegan Options at Wendy’s

The menu is sparse for vegans at Wendy’s. The sides and all bread, dipping sauce, non-meat toppings, and condiments listed above that do not contain egg are vegan-friendly.

This Post is for Informational Purposes Only

Menus, ingredients, kitchen procedures, management, food sourcing, and restaurant protocols are subject to change at any time. Always read the menu and discuss your dietary needs with the staff before ordering. Make sure they can accommodate your situation. This post is for informational purposes only, and should not be construed as advice.

There is always a risk for potential cross-contamination of allergens in any commercial kitchen. If cross-contamination is an issue for you, always speak with the manager to ensure that your meal can be safely prepared. Listings here do not guarantee that a restaurant is safe enough for your individual needs. Only you can make that decision.

Each location of a chain restaurant has different management and staff, and some might have different owners. This means differences in processes, ingredients used, menu options, and food sourcing can occur. Always verify the safety of your order for your needs at your current location.

Where to Find Wendy’s

They have over 6700 locations worldwide, with the majority in the United States. The list above covers the U.S. Some items and ingredients might vary in other countries. See their website below for addresses, hours, and ordering.

Website: www.wendys.com

Average Reader Review

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What Others Are Saying …

Plain baked potato

February 13, 2021

My daughter got me a plain baked potato. Not sure if she said dairy-free. Received buttery spread & sour cream. Sour cream shows milk. Spread ingredients too small to read.

Pam

Response from Go Dairy Free

It sounds like they gave you the sour cream potato. The Plain Baked Potato is literally just a potato -> https://order.wendys.com/product/30469/plain-baked-potato?referrer=category%2F103%2Ffries-sides – she shouldn’t have had to say dairy-free. Their Buttery Spread does contain milk.
It is helpful if you let the manager at the location know of the error, so they pay better attention to orders.

For real?

April 30, 2020

So Wendy’s chicken nuggets has no milk in its batter? That’s a true blessing if it’s true, Wendy’s will be my first choice in fast food from now if confirmed . Please follow up.

Karen

Response from Go Dairy Free

Please see the post above, and last update date, which was recent. You can use the link provided to confirm if you are concerned.

Bread has dairy

February 12, 2020

I was at the drive-thru in California and asked whether the burger bun has dairy and they told me that it does.

Kay

Response from Go Dairy Free

Please read the full post above, including the allergen notes. This information is current, and explains why some staff may say that or be required to say that. The bun itself does not contain dairy according to the company’s current allergen and ingredient information. But there is a potential cross-contamination issue.

The missing link to all menus

January 22, 2020

Ever have to deal with a dairy allergy? I have a Very severe allergy and I trust the content of this service with helping me navigate nearly all restaurant menus. I’d pay for an app. like this. How can I help fund this work?

Jose

Response from Go Dairy Free

You are welcome to reach out to us via our contact us page Jose -> https://www.godairyfree.org/contact-us

For More Dairy-Free Guidance, Get Go Dairy Free!