Eating at Five Guys with celiac disease, IBS or food allergies

It depends on what you need to avoid. Five Guys builds each burger to order and publishes an allergen chart and full ingredient list. As of October 2026, its US Nutrition & Allergen Guide (dated September 2026) shows which of the nine major US allergens it knows or reasonably should know are used in each item. It also says the food is made to order by hand in kitchens that handle the noted allergens, so there is always a risk of cross-contact between ingredients.

The guide adds that supplier ingredients can change and that changes may not always be reflected immediately. So the chart tells you what is in each item, not that your meal is free from traces of anything else. This guide summarizes what Five Guys itself says and what to ask.

This is the first thing to know if you have a peanut allergy. On its FAQ page, Five Guys says it uses 100 percent refined peanut oil to cook its fries, and that the fries are the only item prepared with it. Its allergen guide labels the fries section "Cooked in 100% peanut oil".

Five Guys also says that because peanuts and peanut oil play a large role in its brand and cooking, it is unable to ensure no cross-contamination, and it encourages guests with concerns to talk to their physician. Its nutrition and allergy page says peanuts are served in all Five Guys restaurants, and its allergen guide lists bulk peanuts and Cajun peanuts.

You may notice that the allergen chart doesn’t mark peanuts for the fries. That fits US labeling rules: the FDA lists highly refined oils as exempt from allergen labeling. Whether refined peanut oil, and a restaurant with open peanuts, is acceptable for you is a question for your allergist, not a menu.

On tree nuts, Five Guys says none of its menu items contain them and they aren’t used in cooking, while adding that there is always a risk of cross-contamination. Note that its chart marks the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup shake mix-in for tree nuts, and its ingredient list says that mix-in may contain tree nuts.

These are examples from the US guide when we checked it in October 2026. They describe what Five Guys lists. They are not recommendations, and they can change.

Toppings such as lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, jalapeños, green peppers, relish, ketchup, mustard, A.1. sauce, BBQ sauce and hot sauce had no allergen marks on the chart. That means Five Guys doesn’t list them as containing the nine major allergens, not that they’re free from cross-contact.

Five Guys shakes start with a vanilla shake base, which its US guide lists as containing milk, and the whipped cream is listed as milk too. The mix-ins are listed separately, so a shake’s allergens depend on what you add. As of October 2026:

• Peanut butter: peanuts.
• Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup: milk, peanuts and soy, and may contain tree nuts.
• Oreo cookie pieces: wheat and soy; the Oreo crème is listed for soy.
• Chocolate and salted caramel: milk, and may contain soy.
• Coffee: no major allergens marked; the ingredient list shows caramel color that contains sulfites.
• Strawberry, blackberry, banana and bacon: no major allergens marked.

Shakes are made by hand in a kitchen that handles peanuts and the other listed allergens, so ask how the shake equipment is handled between orders if you have an allergy. For IBS, Monash lists cow’s milk and ice cream among foods higher in lactose, and the banana mix-in lists fructose among its ingredients. Smaller sizes exist; Five Guys lists mini milkshakes alongside regular ones.

Five Guys is unusually specific here. On its nutrition and allergy page, it says the only US products it offers that contain gluten are its buns and the malt vinegar condiment for fries. It says its burger patty is 80/20 beef with no breadcrumbs, flour, soy sauce or spices, and that all its sandwiches, including burgers, hot dogs and the veggie sandwich, are available without a bun as a wrap or bowl.

It also says its fries contain no gluten and are fried only in refined peanut oil in fryers that cook nothing else. But it is clear about the limits: its bread contains gluten, so there is always a risk of cross-contamination, and it cannot guarantee no cross-contamination for the patties either. If you tell the cashier you have a gluten allergy, Five Guys says its team will take extra care by changing gloves more frequently.

Two things to watch: the malt vinegar, which the Celiac Disease Foundation lists among sources of gluten, and the buns, which are handled in the same kitchen. Whether that level of shared handling works for you is a decision to make with your care team. Our guides to eating out with celiac disease and what a gluten-free label does and doesn’t tell you can help.

Monash University lists onion, garlic, high fructose corn syrup, honey, wheat bread and cow’s milk among higher-FODMAP foods, and potato and lettuce among lower-FODMAP ones. Based on Five Guys’ US ingredient list as of October 2026:

• Onion: raw and grilled onions; onion powder in ketchup, BBQ sauce and fry sauce; dried onions in A.1. sauce; onion in the Cajun seasoning.
• Garlic: in the Cajun seasoning (on Cajun fries and in Five Guys Sauce), and garlic powder in BBQ sauce, hot sauce and mustard.
• High fructose corn syrup: in ketchup, BBQ sauce, relish and mayonnaise.
• Wheat: in the buns.
• Lactose: in the milkshake base, whipped cream and milk drinks.

Because every burger is built to order, you choose each topping. Some people with IBS start with a bunless burger or a lettuce wrap with toppings they know they tolerate, and plain fries rather than Cajun. Portion matters with FODMAPs, and fries come in several sizes. Our guides to hidden garlic and onion and eating out with IBS have more ideas.

1. Check the current US allergen guide linked from Five Guys’ nutrition and allergy page.
2. Tell the cashier about any allergy or celiac disease when you order. Five Guys says this prompts more frequent glove changes.
3. Order bunless from the start, as a wrap or bowl, if you avoid wheat, milk, egg or sesame from the bun.
4. Choose toppings one by one, using the ingredient list for sauces.
5. Watch your food being made. Five Guys says its restaurants have open kitchens so you can see your food prepared.
6. If you’re unsure, skip it. It’s fine to eat elsewhere.

Phrases you could use:

• "I have celiac disease. Could I have a bunless burger in a bowl, and could you change gloves?"
• "I have a milk allergy. Could you make this with no cheese from the start, on a fresh part of the grill?"
• "I have a peanut allergy. Can you tell me where the peanuts and fryers are, and what you can do to help?"
• "Could I have no onion, and the sauce on the side?"

FARE explains that removing cheese from a burger is direct cross-contact, and that a spatula used for a cheeseburger can carry milk to a hamburger. For more, see burgers and fast food with food restrictions and talking to restaurant staff about allergies.