Eating at Arby’s with celiac disease, IBS or food allergies

Some people with food restrictions do eat at Arby’s, and Arby’s publishes official guides to help. As of October 2026, its Nutrition, Allergen, Ingredients & Gluten Free page links four documents: a Nutrition & Allergen Guide, an Ingredients Guide, a Gluten Free Menu Guide and an Alliance Kitchen Nutrition & Allergen Guide. Those guides are the place to check what is in each item.

We read the first three for this guide in October 2026. Below, we describe what they said then, item by item where it helps, and quote Arby’s own warnings. We didn’t review the Alliance Kitchen guide, so if your restaurant is an Alliance Kitchen location, use that guide instead.

Arby’s own wording sets the limits. Its allergen guide says: "Arby’s Restaurant Group, Inc., its franchisees and employees do not assume responsibility for a particular allergy or sensitivity to any food provided in our restaurants." It also says: "Fried menu items are cooked in common oil, and possible contact with other major allergens is also indicated."

In the allergen guide, each item is followed by "Contains:" and its major allergens. A dagger (†) marks fried items and lists the allergens in the shared oil, and an asterisk marks items "Manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts or tree nuts." Arby’s also notes that soy oil isn’t listed as an allergen because highly refined oils are exempt from US allergen labeling, and suggests asking your doctor whether you need to avoid it.

Two things to check: the gluten guide is older than the main allergen guide (March 2025 versus September 2026), and it still refers to "8 major food allergens", from before sesame was added in the US. Where the two differ, go by the newer allergen guide and ask staff.

Arby’s gluten guide is titled "Menu Items Without Gluten" and defines that as "No Wheat, Barley (Malt), Rye, or Oats". As of October 2026 (in the version effective March 2025), it lists components rather than whole sandwiches: meats such as roast beef, corned beef, smoked brisket and roast turkey, cheeses, many sauces and dipping sauces, shakes, drinks, Crinkle Fries, Potato Cakes and applesauce. It lists no bread or bun.

That means a gluten-free order at Arby’s is built from parts, for example meat without the bun. The Ingredients Guide shows why the bun matters: Arby’s Sesame Seed Bun lists wheat flour, malted barley flour and wheat gluten.

Fries are the biggest thing to know. As of October 2026:

• Curly Fries contain wheat. The allergen guide lists "Contains: Wheat", and the ingredients guide shows enriched wheat flour in the coating.
• Crinkle Fries and Potato Cakes have no wheat in their ingredient lists, but the allergen guide marks them as cooked in the same oil as items containing egg, milk, soy, wheat and, where available, fish.
• The gluten guide says the same thing: "Arby’s Potato Cakes and Crinkle Fries may be cooked in the same oil as the following menu items, which contain a wheat allergen", and names chicken, Curly Fries, Crispy Onions, Jalapeno Bites, Mozzarella Sticks and fish.

The Celiac Disease Foundation lists fried foods cooked in oil shared with breaded products as a cross-contact risk, so shared oil matters for celiac disease, not only for a wheat allergy. Removing a bun also doesn’t undo contact with crumbs or a shared toaster, and the NIDDK advises telling your server you have celiac disease and asking about ingredients and preparation.

An item without gluten ingredients in a fast-food kitchen is not the same as celiac-safe. Whether a shared kitchen is an acceptable risk is a decision to make with your gastroenterologist or dietitian. Our guides to eating out with celiac disease and gluten-free vs celiac-safe go further.

Since 2023, sesame has been one of the nine major food allergens in the US, alongside milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat and soy, according to the FDA. Here is what Arby’s allergen guide, effective September 2026, listed for some common items:

• Sesame: besides the Sesame Seed Bun, the guide lists sesame for the cheesesteaks and several sandwiches, and "may contain sesame" for the sliders and crispy chicken sandwiches. Check each item.
• Milk: Arby’s web page describes the Classic Roast Beef bun as "buttery", but the allergen guide lists milk for it only where buttered buns are served. If you have a milk allergy, ask which bun your restaurant uses.
• Fish: many fried items are marked as sharing oil with fish "where available". Ask whether your restaurant fries fish.
• Chicken tenders: the guide listed egg, milk, soy and wheat for the 3-piece tenders but only wheat for the 5-piece and kids’ 2-piece. Treat that difference as a reason to ask, not as a sign one size is different.

The FDA notes that its allergen labeling rules don’t cover food placed in a wrapper or container after you order, which is why restaurant guides and your conversation with staff matter so much. Arby’s guide ends: "If you have a food allergy or intolerance, please notify a team member." Our food allergies guide explains the nine US allergens and the 14 EU and UK allergens.

Monash University lists onion, garlic, wheat, honey, apples, cow’s milk and high fructose corn syrup among higher-FODMAP foods. Arby’s Ingredients Guide, effective September 2026, shows where some of these appear:

• Roast Beef: listed as beef, water, salt and sodium phosphates.
• Arby’s Sauce: includes high fructose corn syrup, dehydrated garlic and dehydrated onion.
• Horsey Sauce: includes high fructose corn syrup. The ingredients guide lists no garlic or onion in it.
• Red Ranch Sauce: includes high fructose corn syrup, dehydrated onion and dehydrated garlic.
• Au Jus: includes onion powder and garlic powder.
• Curly Fries: wheat flour, onion powder and garlic powder in the coating.
• Sesame Seed Bun: wheat flour and high fructose corn syrup.
• Shakes and cheese sauce contain milk, which matters if lactose is one of your triggers.

Portion size matters with FODMAPs, so a little sauce on the side may sit differently from a full serving. Our guides to hidden garlic and onion and FODMAP portion sizes explain more. Only you and your dietitian know your own triggers, so treat this as a starting point.

1. Open Arby’s current guides before you go, from its nutrition page. Check the allergen guide, the ingredients guide and, for gluten, the gluten guide, and look at each one’s date.
2. Check which guide applies. Ask whether your restaurant is an Alliance Kitchen location, since Arby’s publishes a separate guide for those.
3. Tell the team at the start of your order about any allergy or celiac disease.
4. Ask about the fryer and the toaster or grill. Arby’s says fried items share oil, and its guide lists the allergens in that oil.
5. Keep it simple when you’re unsure. Fewer sauces and add-ons means fewer ingredients to check.
6. For online orders, you can’t ask follow-up questions in the app. If you have a serious allergy or celiac disease, ordering in person lets you talk to staff.

• "I have celiac disease. Could I have the roast beef without a bun, and is it handled away from the bread?"
• "I have a sesame allergy. Is there a bun without sesame, and is it toasted on the same equipment?"
• "Do you fry fish here, and does it share oil with the fries?"
• "I have a milk allergy. Do you use buttered buns at this restaurant?"
• "Could I have the sauce on the side, please?"

If an answer doesn’t feel certain, it’s fine to skip that item. Our guides to talking to restaurant staff about allergies and burgers and fast food with food restrictions have more ideas.