If you’re avoiding gluten, you may think that Culver’s menu is off-limits. Most of their food items come with a bun, so you might feel discouraged about dining in. But don’t worry! Culvers offers a wide variety of gluten-free items, such as shakes, meals, sides, and even burgers! In this article, we will go through Culver’s gluten-free options and how to order them.
Culver’s is a famous privately owned fast food chain in the United States. The company is known for fried items, butter burger, grilled chicken sandwich, salads, cheese curds, and french fries. For dessert, the restaurant offers varieties of shakes, fresh frozen custard, ice cream, and more! Those food items surely make you hungry, but are they gluten-free?
With a few modifications, almost anything on their menu can be gluten-free. So, in this article, we will go through Culvers’ gluten-free items and how to order them.
What is Gluten?
Before we go on the list of gluten-free options, let’s understand first why gluten should be avoided.
Gluten is a protein that is found in wheat, rye, and barley. It is what helps make bread dough elastic or chewy. Gluten can also be used as an additive to many different food products to give them the desired consistency or flavor.
The problem is gluten is hard to digest because the human body lacks enzymes that can break down proteins into amino acids that are small enough to be absorbed by our body. If our body can’t absorb it causes inflammation and damage to the surrounding tissue. The symptoms include diarrhea, bloating, fatigue, joint pain, brain fog, or headaches.
Due to these health implications, more and more people are turning to a healthier lifestyle and being more conscious of what they eat, especially in fast food restaurants.
Culvers Gluten-Free Options
Avoiding gluten doesn’t mean giving up your fast-food cravings, that’s why we’ve compiled a list of food items that are safe at Culver’s. This list is based on Culver’s nutrient and allergen guide and other articles.
Here is a list of gluten-free items that you can order:
Gluten-Free Buns
The gluten-free buns at Culver’s are what really set them apart from the competition. These kinds of buns aren’t frequently offered by the majority of American fast-food restaurants. Culver’s gluten-free buns are available in all locations upon request. Are they immune to cross-contamination, though? Not to worry! These buns are made separately from other gluten-containing goods.
Burgers
The best thing about Culver’s is that they offer gluten-free buns! That’s really good news because most fast-food chains don’t really offer it, this means that Culver’s really make effort in catering to its customers with gluten intolerance. All of their butter burgers can be made with gluten-free buns.
Meat Options
Here are the gluten-free meat options that can be a great addition to your meal.
- Bacon
- Beef Pot Roast
- ButterBurger® Patty
- Corned Beef
- Grilled Chicken
Grilled Chicken Sandwich
Breaded chicken items are always full of gluten, fortunately, Culver’s offers grilled chicken for their chicken sandwiches which also come with fresh lettuce, red onion, tomato, and cheese. They also have gluten-free bread that is made of white rice flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, and xanthan gum.
Salads
Culver’s salad is another great option. Their salad is made fresh everyday like the Cranberry Bacon Bleu salad. They usually come with croutons, that you have to omit. It also comes with grilled chicken that they also use for their chicken sandwich. Their gluten-free salad dressings that you can pair it with include bleu cheese, honey mustard, french, ranch, and raspberry vinaigrette.
- Chicken Cashew with Grilled Chicken
- Cranberry Bacon Bleu with Grilled Chicken
- Garden Fresco with Grilled Chicken
Soups
Not many fast-food chain offer soup. However, it’s a great option if you’re feeling cold right now. And it’s also a great gluten free option if you’re gluten-intolerant. Culver’s offers a variety of soups that are made with gluten-free ingredients, these soups include Potato Au Gratin, Georges Chili, Broccoli Cheese, and Baja Chicken Enchilada.
Sides
It’s unfortunate that their French fries and onion rings cannot be made gluten-free. They are fried in the same fryer that they use to fry other items that a glutenous. However, there are gluten-free sides that you can still order, which include:
- Applesauce
- Coleslaw
- Mashed Potatoes (no gravy)
- Steamed Broccoli
- Side Salad
Frozen Custard
Culver’s Frozen Custard is one of our customer favorites, alongside our Cheese Curds and Butter Burger. This sweet treat makes the drive to Culver’s worth it. I strongly recommend their frozen custard, it’s a must try!
All of the Frozen Custard flavors like Chocolate Concrete Mixer are gluten-free, so you don’t have to worry! Most of their toppings and mix-in are also gluten free. However, you have to avoid their cookie dough and brownie bites, I know it’s a bit tempting, but those items contain gluten.
You can also try these gluten-free classic sundaes:
- Classic Sundaes
- Banana Split
- Caramel Cashew
- Turtle
Culver’s Gluten-Free Options FAQs
Are Culver’s French fries gluten-free?
Culver’s fries are gluten-free by default. However, they are at a high risk of cross-contamination for they are fried in the same fryer with other glutenous food items.
What are Culver’s gluten free bun made of?
According to their gluten allergy guide their gluten-free buns are made of water, brown rice flour, tapioca starch, egg whites, non-GMO canola oil, cane syrup, resistant corn starch, tapioca maltodextrin, dried cane syrup, potato flour, tapioca syrup, salt, yeast, sugarcane fiber, xanthan gum, citric acid, enzymes, and cultured corn syrup.
Does culver’s offer gluten-free drinks?
Culver’s offers a variety of gluten-free drinks. All of their cold drinks, such as lemonade and iced tea, canned sodas, fountain drinks, and hot drinks like coffee and hot chocolate are gluten-free.
Final Thoughts
Overall, Culver’s menu offers a lot of gluten-free items. It’s unfortunate that they don’t have a dedicated fryer for their french fries but no one knows maybe they’ll provide one in the future. But anyway, I can still say that Culver’s is one the best chain in providing its customers with dietary restrictions. So if you’re planning in eating out be sure to check Culver’s out!
If you’re on a keto, vegan, or gluten-free lifestyle, we also have a list of restaurants that offer keto, gluten-free, and vegan options. Be sure to check them out! I hope you find this article helpful. Thanks for reading!
Gluten Free Buns (Fast Food Edition) - Fast Menu
Wednesday 18th of January 2023
[…] Culver’s […]
Rebecca Cook
Thursday 13th of October 2022
I had no idea they had a bun without gluten! I rarely visit Culver's because I believe there are no reliable gluten-free options there. Now I'm excited to go to one.
Fast Menu Chief Editor
Sunday 16th of October 2022
That's fantastic! I'm glad this article was useful in finding gluten-free options at Culver's. :)