Are Dunkin’ Donuts Breakfast Bowls Gluten-Free and Safe for People with Celiac Disease?

Celiac.com 05/08/2019 - As Dunkin' looks to rebrand itself as a destination for more than just donuts, it has begun to offer breakfast foods, like the Power Breakfast Sandwich that launched earlier this year. Starting today at participating restaurants nationwide, Dunkin' is offering two new breakfast bowls, the Egg White Bowl and the Sausage Scramble Bowl. 

And one question we've seen a lot, one thing many gluten-free eaters want to know is: Are Dunkin' Donuts Breakfast Bowls gluten-free and safe for people with celiac disease?

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First, let's take a quick look at the products and their ingredients. The Egg White Bowl is made with egg whites, spinach, roasted potatoes, cheddar cheese and caramelized onions and delivers 14 grams of lean protein and 250 calories.

The Sausage Scramble Bowl is made with scrambled eggs, sausage, melted cheddar jack cheese, peppers and onions, with 21 grams of protein and 450 calories.

On the surface, these products list no gluten ingredients, so are they gluten-free and safe for people with celiac disease?

The answer is likely no. The first clue is the absence of any clear claim by Dunkin' about these products being gluten-free. No gluten-free label, then they're likely not gluten-free.

So, are they gluten-safe, that is, are they products made with no gluten ingredients that might be safe for some people with celiac disease?

The Dunkin' Donuts website makes no mention of gluten at all. Nor does the site mention the new breakfast bowls. The best a curious person can do is to try to find specific menu items, and look for the allergen information for each product.

To do that, a user must click on Food & Drinks, then click Sandwiches & Wraps, then click any given menu item, then click on Customization & Nutrition for find allergen information. Here's a shortcut link to Dunkin' Donuts breakfast sandwiches. Even for items like breakfast sandwiches that clearly come on a bagel, or croissant, or an English Muffin, Dunkin' Donuts makes no mention of gluten. The simply stick with their standard disclaimer:  

• "Please be advised that any of our products may contain, or may have come in contact with, allergens including Eggs, Fish, Milk, Peanuts, Shellfish, Soy, Tree nuts, and Wheat. Before placing your order, please inform your server if a person in your party has a food allergy."

They use the same disclaimer even for products like has browns, that officially contain no allergens. Moreover, the site makes no mention of their breakfast bowls, and appears to have no allergen information on those items.

The breakfast sandwiches are clearly not gluten-free and not safe for celiac sufferers. Even in the absence of clear allergen information, or gluten-free labels, it is reasonable to assume that the new breakfast bowls are not gluten-free, and not safe for people with celiac disease.

Dunkin’ Bowls are available now at participating Dunkin’ restaurants nationwide for a limited time only. However, if you're looking for a gluten-free guarantee, or if you have celiac disease, you'll probably want to look elsewhere for breakfast. 

Article Update 03/07/2020

According to an ingredient list published on their Web site, wheat is not listed as an ingredient in either breakfast bowl:

• Egg White Bowl: Scrambled Egg Whites (Egg Whites, Milk, Corn Starch, Sea Salt, Pepper), Roasted Russet Potatoes (Russet Potatoes, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate for Color Retention), Spinach, Cheddar Cheese [Pasteurized Milk, Cheese Culture, Salt, Enzymes, Annatto (Color)], Caramelized Onions (Yellow Onion, Sugar, Apple Juice Concentrate), Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Contains 2% or less of: Maltodextrin, Cultured Dextrose, Sodium Diacetate, Salt, Egg White Lysozyme, Nisin (Preservative), Natural Flavors, Canola Oil, Salted Butter, Gum Arabic, DATEM, Enzyme Modified Cheddar Cheese (Cultured Milk, Salt and Enzymes), Spices. ALLREGENS: Eggs, Milk.
• Sausage Scramble Bowl: Scrambled Whole Eggs [Whole Eggs, Nonfat Milk, Soybean Oil, Modified Food Starch, Salt, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid, Butter Flavor (Maltodextrin, Natural Flavor, Annatto and Turmeric added for Color), Pepper], Pork Crumbles (Pork, Water, Salt, Sugar, Spices, Natural Flavors), Cheddar and Monterey Jack Cheese Blend {Cheddar Cheese [Pasteurized Milk, Cheese Culture, Salt, Enzymes, Annatto (Color)], Monterey Jack Cheese (Pasteurized Milk, Cheese Culture, Salt, Enzymes)}, Red and Green Bell Peppers, Caramelized Onions (Yellow Onion, Sugar, Apple Juice Concentrate), Contains 2% or less of: Maltodextrin, Cultured Dextrose, Sodium Diacetate, Salt, Egg White Lysozyme, Nisin (Preservative), Natural Flavors, Canola Oil, Salted Butter, Gum Arabic, DATEM, Enzyme Modified Cheddar Cheese (Cultured Milk, Salt, Enzymes), Spices. ALLREGENS: Eggs, Milk, Soy.

According to the ingredients listed these items may be gluten-free, although Dunkin' does not label them as such. In this case we still advise celiacs to proceed with caution.