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  • Jefferson Adams
    Jefferson Adams

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

    Reviewed and edited by a celiac disease expert.

    By failing to mention gluten on the label or the new products on their website, Dunkin' Dounuts creates impression their new breakfast bowls might be okay for celiac sufferers. They probably aren't.

    Are Dunkin’ Donuts Breakfast Bowls Gluten-Free and Safe for People with Celiac Disease? - Image: CC--JeepersMedia
    Caption: Image: CC--JeepersMedia

    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.



    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments

    sc'Que?

    I completely get that DD doesn't want to make gluten declarations on products they make in their own store: a bakery environment has the potential for crazy amounts of airborne flour that cross-contaminates other foods. That said, their outright refusal to keep pre-packaged alternatives in stock--like their recent foray into gluten-free brownies (which were surprisingly good!) is mindboggling and, in my opinion, rude. 

    How much money can it possibly cost DD to keep a box of gluten-free brownies (with a shelf-life of several weeks) on the counter?  If they sell out, order more. It's not like they don't have trucks arriving at least once a week.  And they don't need to even label them gluten-free: because they farm out production of such things, all they need to say is that they were "manufactured in a gluten-free facility".

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    Guest Tea

    I am not sure that I would ever walk into a DD.  I never thought of them as a gluten-free option for anything. I have had bad experiences in other places that told me that they could make me a Gluten-free breakfast, then I get my plate served with Toast on top.  That was after I STRESSED, “No Toast!!!” I would go to return it for my money back, and they said, “No, just take the toast off!”

    I would have to explain to the lady that,  “it is NOT Gluten-Free, even if I take the toast off, and I do not trust that you  have a handle on what is gluten-free.”

    Even when a company does say something is Gluten-Free, I am still very wary.   

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    Guest Joe Nappi

    Posted

    Yeah, you have to be careful, a few times I ordered food off a gluten free menu and they added some bread, corn muffin of something filled with gluten. It makes you lose confidence in the restaurant. I am lucky. Although I have Celiac disease the few times I made a mistake I had no ill affects.  

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    Guest EizaRuss

    Posted

    Okay, so DD is not an option and we should “look elsewhere”... but can you recommend some ‘elsewheres’??

    Besides a Marshmallow Dream bar from Starbuck (not my of a of a meal— and I really really miss the gluten-free breakfast sandwich) is there any chain anywhere that can feed hungry celiacs while our friends nibble on muffins and bagels and donuts?

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    Guest ShonnaBoo08

    Posted

    On ‎5‎/‎15‎/‎2019 at 5:58 PM, Guest EizaRuss said:

    Okay, so DD is not an option and we should “look elsewhere”... but can you recommend some ‘elsewheres’??

    Besides a Marshmallow Dream bar from Starbuck (not my of a of a meal— and I really really miss the gluten-free breakfast sandwich) is there any chain anywhere that can feed hungry celiacs while our friends nibble on muffins and bagels and donuts?

    Not sure where you live but here in Georgia there is a breakfast/early lunch restaurant called First Watch - and you can get some very good gluten free options while watching your friends eat gorgeous blueberry pancakes. They are very conscious about your concerns when ordering gluten free.

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    Guest Sierra Lily

    Posted

    Hi! I just wanted to share a gluten free breakfast option -- Chic Fil A has their wrapped gluten free bun. You can ask for that bun and get egg (and cheese or meat if you do those)! That is what I do and haven't had problems so far. And, I have a weird taste in food, maybe, but I'll put mayo, salt, and pepper on it, and get their hash browns, and it's been a good fast-food breakfast treat :) Really wish Dunkin had a gluten-free/Dairy Free donut! :) Good luck all!

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    Guest Nutrition info available

    Posted

    This post is out of date. See Open Original Shared Link for ingredients and allergen information. 

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    Scott Adams

    We updated the article.

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  • About Me

    Jefferson Adams

    Jefferson Adams is Celiac.com's senior writer and Digital Content Director. He earned his B.A. and M.F.A. at Arizona State University. His articles, essays, poems, stories and book reviews have appeared in numerous magazines, journals, and websites, including North American Project, Antioch Review, Caliban, Mississippi Review, Slate, and more. He is the author of more than 2,500 articles on celiac disease. His university coursework includes studies in science, scientific methodology, biology, anatomy, physiology, medicine, logic, and advanced research. He previously devised health and medical content for Colgate, Dove, Pfizer, Sharecare, Walgreens, and more. Jefferson has spoken about celiac disease to the media, including an appearance on the KQED radio show Forum, and is the editor of numerous books, including "Cereal Killers" by Scott Adams and Ron Hoggan, Ed.D.

    >VIEW ALL ARTICLES BY JEFFERSON ADAMS

     


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