Wingstop is a chain of aviation-themed restaurants specializing in chicken wings with over 1,000 locations all over the world. They may be one of the highest selling restaurants in the fast casual category, but how do the gluten free options at Wingstop stack up to other celiac-friendly chains?
After analyzing all the information on their website and doing our own research, we found there are as many as 17 gluten free options on Wingstop’s menu, depending on your level of gluten sensitivity.
The most important thing to note is that Wingstop does not claim that any of their products are gluten free because they fry all their food in the same oil which can lead to accidental cross contamination. Technically their Jumbo bone-in wings are gluten free but unfortunately they’re typically fried in the same oil as the breaded tenders and boneless wings. This can cause huge contamination issues for celiacs and people with higher gluten sensitivity, so we recommend asking for your bone-in wings to be baked instead of fried.
Another potential workaround is ordering earlier in the day. Since the oil is filtered at least once a day, by ordering early you reduce the chances of contamination as less breaded items have been cooked in the oil compared to the end of the day.
This should remove a lot of the risk but it is still a shared kitchen so it’s important to understand the risk and tread carefully. Wingstop also offers fries which are the same situation; they don’t contain gluten but are fried in the same oil as breaded items. Use your own judgement about your level of gluten sensitivity. If you’re allergic or celiac, stay far away from the fries!
Most of the sauces at Wingstop are gluten free with the exception of the Hawaiian, Teriyaki and Mango Habanero which are thickened with flour and should be avoided. Other items to avoid here are the baked rolls and bleu cheese dipping sauce, so stick to Ranch for those veggie dipping sticks!
