Arby’s Allergen Menu 2026: A Complete Guide for Every Diet

Eating out with a food allergy means reading every label and asking a lot of questions. Arby’s makes this slightly easier than most fast-food chains, thanks to detailed allergen and ingredient guides that break menu items into individual components. Still, the chain leans heavily on soy and wheat, which makes some allergens nearly impossible to dodge.

What allergens does Arby’s identify on its menu?

Arby’s identifies seven major allergens across its U.S. menu: egg, milk, soy, wheat, fish, tree nuts (pecans), and sesame. Soy and wheat appear in most buns, fried items, and sauces, making them the hardest to avoid. The chain also publishes a separate gluten-free guide and ingredient breakdowns for custom orders.

The Arby’s allergen matrix at a glance

Important: Arby’s fries food in a corn, soy, and canola oil blend. Fried items may share oil with products containing milk and other allergens.

Is there a gluten-free menu at Arby’s? (Wheat allergen)

Arby’s offers a published gluten-free menu guide, but options are limited because buns, fries, breading, and wraps all contain wheat. The safest gluten-free choices are meats and certain sides without breading. Fries are not gluten-free, they contain wheat and share oil with breaded items.

Lower-wheat picks (always verify):

• Roast beef or corned beef (no bun, as a protein bowl)
• Ham, turkey, brisket, salami (plain meats)
• Tree Top Applesauce
• Side salad-style toppings: red onions, pickles, jalapeños

If you have celiac disease rather than a mild sensitivity, cross-contact makes most cooked items risky. Stick to whole, unbreaded proteins and naturally gluten-free toppings.

What can you eat dairy-free at Arby’s? (Milk allergen)

Arby’s has a surprisingly large dairy-free menu. Most roast beef, ham, turkey, and burger sandwiches can be ordered milk-free by skipping cheese and choosing egg- and dairy-free sauces. The roast beef itself is dairy-free, despite online rumors, it’s just beef, water, salt, and sodium phosphates.

Dairy-free sandwich tips:

• Beef ‘N Cheddar → order “no cheese” (red ranch sauce is dairy-free)
• Classic French Dip → no cheese
• Roast Turkey & Bacon → no cheese, no ranch
• Smokehouse Brisket → no cheese, no crispy onions

Watch out, these contain milk:

• Crispy onions, jalapeño bites, gyro sauce, buffalo sauce
• Egg patty, sausage gravy, sausage patty
• Croissant, biscuit, flatbread/pita, King’s Hawaiian bun
• Pumpkin Pie Turnover and Peach Cobbler Roll (seasonal)

Heads up: Several readers report potato cakes and curly fries causing dairy reactions, likely from shared fryers with buttermilk-breaded products. Highly sensitive customers should avoid fried items.

How do you order egg-free at Arby’s?

Ordering egg-free at Arby’s is straightforward, most sandwiches can be made without egg as long as you avoid mayo-based sauces and the breakfast egg patty. The roast beef, ham, and turkey sandwiches are naturally egg-free when you skip the wrong sauces.

Sauces that contain egg:

• Mayonnaise, garlic aioli, hamburger sauce
• Honey mustard sauce, horsey sauce
• Tartar sauce, Thousand Island spread

Egg-free sauces:

• Arby’s Sauce, BBQ sauce, ketchup
• Au jus, marinara, Bronco Berry, red ranch

Why is soy the hardest allergen to avoid at Arby’s?

Soy is the toughest allergen at Arby’s because the frying oil is a corn, soy, and canola blend, and soy appears in many buns and sauces. This means nearly all fried items, fries, chicken tenders, potato cakes, carry soy risk, along with most bread products.

If you have a severe soy allergy, your safest options are plain, unfried proteins served without a bun:

• Roast beef, corned beef, ham, turkey, brisket
• Naturally soy-free toppings like red onions, pickles, jalapeños, and sauerkraut

Avoid anything fried and double-check every bun and sauce. Because soy is so widespread here, many soy-allergic diners find Arby’s difficult compared to chains that fry in pure peanut or canola oil.

What nut-free options does Arby’s offer? (Tree nuts + peanuts)

Arby’s is one of the easier chains for nut allergies. The only menu item with tree nuts is the Pecan Chicken Salad Sandwich (contains pecans). Peanuts are not a listed ingredient in standard menu items. Most roast beef, ham, turkey, and burger options are nut-free.

Safe for most nut allergies:

• Classic Roast Beef, Beef ‘N Cheddar, French Dip
• Ham and turkey sandwiches
• Curly fries, crinkle fries (note: fried in shared oil)

Always confirm there’s no shared prep with the pecan salad, and verify if you also have a peanut allergy, since cross-contact policies vary by location.

What are the fish and shellfish notes at Arby’s?

Arby’s serves a seasonal Crispy Fish Filet, which is the main fish-containing item. Shellfish is not a standard ingredient on the menu. The bigger concern for fish-allergic diners is the shared fryer, fish is cooked in the same oil as fries and other items during the seasonal period.

If you have a fish allergy:

• Avoid all fried items when the fish filet is in season
• Choose roast beef, ham, or turkey sandwiches instead
• Ask staff whether the fryer is currently used for fish

Does Arby’s label sesame as an allergen?

Yes. Following the FDA’s 2023 designation of sesame as the ninth major allergen, Arby’s now flags sesame on its allergen guide. The main source is the sesame seed bun. Sesame-allergic diners should swap to a sesame-free bread or order their sandwich bun-free.

Sesame-free bun swaps:

• Onion roll, marble rye, sub roll
• Brioche bun, slider bun, flour tortilla wrap

Because sesame seeds can transfer during prep, ask staff to use a fresh surface if your allergy is severe.

What are the vegan and vegetarian options at Arby’s?

Arby’s has limited but real plant-based options. Vegan choices center on fries, applesauce, turnovers, and certain breads with dairy-free sauces. Vegetarians have slightly more flexibility with breads and toppings, though most mains are meat-based.

Vegan picks (U.S.):

• Crinkle, curly, or homestyle fries* with Arby’s Sauce, BBQ, or ketchup
• Tree Top Applesauce
• French Toast Sticks*, Potato Cakes*
• Apple and Cherry Turnovers

Vegan-friendly breads: hearty grain wrap, marble rye, onion roll, sesame seed bun, sourdough breakfast bread, sub roll.

*Fried items share oil with animal-based products. Strict vegans concerned about cross-contact may want to skip them.

What are the cross-contact risks at Arby’s that staff won’t mention?

The biggest hidden risk at Arby’s is the shared fryer. All fried items, fries, tenders, potato cakes, fish, and turnovers, may be cooked in oil that touches milk, soy, wheat, and fish. Staff don’t always volunteer this, so ask directly if you’re highly sensitive.

Other gaps to know:

• Mislabeling: Arby’s lists Chicken Tenders as containing milk in one part of its guide but not in the ingredients list. Verify locally.
• Franchise variation: Some locations may butter buns even though it isn’t corporate practice.
• Seasonal items change: Pumpkin Pie Turnover and Peach Cobbler Roll contain milk, unlike the standard fruit turnovers.
• “Secret menu” items (Meat Mountain, Double French Dip) have no official allergen data.

How do you order safely at Arby’s with a food allergy?

To order safely, build your meal from individual components rather than trusting a single menu label. Choose a plain protein, a verified bun, and an allergen-free sauce, then ask staff about fryer cross-contact. Arby’s component-level ingredient guide makes this approach far easier than at most chains.

A simple safe-ordering checklist:

1. Pick a whole-meat protein (roast beef, ham, turkey, brisket).
2. Choose a bun verified safe for your allergen or go bun-free.
3. Select an allergen-free sauce (Arby’s Sauce, BBQ, ketchup are common safe picks).
4. Skip cheese, crispy onions, and mayo-based sauces if avoiding milk or egg.
5. Avoid fried items if cross-contact is a concern.
6. Ask the manager to confirm prep and check the latest ingredient guide.

Frequently asked questions

 How many major allergens does Arby’s identify?

Arby’s identifies seven of the nine FDA major allergens on its menu: egg, milk, soy, wheat, fish, tree nuts (pecans), and sesame. Peanuts and shellfish are not standard ingredients in its core menu items.

Are Arby’s fries gluten-free?

No. Arby’s fries contain wheat and are not gluten-free. They’re also cooked in a corn, soy, and canola oil blend shared with breaded items, adding cross-contact risk.

Which Arby’s sauces contain egg?

Seven sauces contain egg: mayonnaise, garlic aioli, hamburger sauce, honey mustard, horsey sauce, tartar sauce, and Thousand Island spread. Egg-free options include Arby’s Sauce, BBQ, ketchup, and marinara.

Why is soy so hard to avoid at Arby’s?

Soy appears in the frying oil blend, many buns, and several sauces. This makes nearly all fried and bread-based items unsafe for soy-allergic diners, who should stick to plain unfried proteins.

What’s the only Arby’s item with tree nuts?

The Pecan Chicken Salad Sandwich is the only menu item containing tree nuts (pecans). Most other sandwiches and sides are nut-free, though cross-contact can vary by location.

Does Arby’s have a sesame allergen warning?

Yes. Since the FDA named sesame a major allergen in 2023, Arby’s flags it on the allergen guide. The sesame seed bun is the primary source; choose another bun to avoid it.

Can you eat dairy-free at Arby’s?

Yes. Many roast beef, ham, turkey, and burger sandwiches can be ordered dairy-free by skipping cheese and creamy sauces. Avoid crispy onions, gyro sauce, jalapeño bites, and shakes.

Are Arby’s shakes safe with a milk allergy?

No. All Arby’s shakes, including the Jamocha Shake, contain milk and soy. They are not safe for anyone with a milk allergy and should be avoided entirely.