EVERYTHING Gluten-Free at Perkins in 2023

Perkins is famous for its pies. It started as a pancake house, and now along with baked goods, it also serves American staples like burgers, soups, salads, and more. But does Perkins serve anything gluten-free?

Perkins provides a dedicated gluten-free menu which is available upon request as well as online. The menu has a decent selection of gluten-free items that can be arranged into a satisfying meal. 

Perkins, however, warns people with celiac against the risk of cross-contamination.

But if you are mildly sensitive to gluten or avoid it for other reasons, you can eat here after taking some precautions. Here are some tips and gluten-free options you can order at Perkins.

Gluten-free options on Perkins’s menu

Perkins was first a bakery with dozens of waffles and pancake options on its menu. Even today, it serves a wide selection of fruit, cream, and dreamy pies, along with cookies and its signature Mammoth Muffins. 

Now Perkins’s dine-in restaurant chain serves a wide variety of breakfast, lunch, or dinner items that cater to the taste palette of people of all ages.

You can either order from their pre-arranged list of dishes or customize your plate with items of your choice. Often, the problem with a gluten-free menu is that it doesn’t have enough options to curate a proper meal.

So, you either have to walk out of the store or remain hungry even after a meal. But the gluten-free menu at Perkins has enough items suitable to include in a proper meal. And more to order on the side. 

For instance, for a lunch, you can order a plate of top sirloin steak, along with hash browns and asparagus on the side. However, these items may or may not be available at each Perkins.

You’ll have to check the establishment near you about what items they’ve got if they got it.

Following are all the items from Perkins’s gluten-free menu:

Hearty Extra’s

#1. Hash browns

Nutritional Information

• Calories: 210 kcal
• Fats: 13 g
• Carbs: 22 g
• Proteins: 3 g 

#2. Bacon 4 slices

Nutritional Information

• Calories:  100 kcal
• Fats: 6 g
• Carbs: 0 g
• Proteins: 8 g

#3. Ham slice

Nutritional Information

• Calories: 140 kcal
• Fats: 5 g
• Carbs: 4 g
• Proteins: 15 g

#4. Pork sausage (links & patties)

Nutritional Information

• Calories: 240 kcal
• Fats: 24 g
• Carbs: 1 g
• Proteins: 6 g

#5. Turkey Sausage Patty-2

Nutritional Information

• Calories: 210 kcal
• Fats: 16 g
• Carbs: 2 g
• Proteins: 12 g

#6. Smoked Sausage

Nutritional Information

• Calories: 380 kcal
• Fats: 34 g
• Carbs: 8 g
• Proteins: 12 g

#7. Fresh Fruits

Nutritional Information

• Calories: 70 kcal
• Fats: 0 g
• Carbs: 19 g
• Proteins: 1 g

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Farm Fresh Omelets

These omelets must be ordered without Pancakes, Mammoth Muffins, Toast, Biscuits, Tots, or Homestyle Potatoes.

#8. Granny’s country omelet

This omelet consists of cheese sauce, diced Ham, Egg-large, hash brown, onions, and shredded American cheese.

It’s served with a choice of three buttermilk pancakes, toast, or Mammoth Muffin, and a choice of hash browns or breakfast potatoes. Avoid the pancake and Mammoth Muffins since they aren’t gluten-free.

Nutritional Information

• Calories: 640 kcal
• Fats: 41 g
• Carbs: 34 g
• Proteins: 36 g

#9. The everything omelet

This omelet is made with large eggs, green bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, diced ham, and shredded American cheese.

It’s also served with a choice of three buttermilk pancakes, toast, or Mammoth Muffin, and a choice of hash browns or breakfast potatoes. Stay away from pancakes, toasts, and muffins.

Nutritional Information

• Calories: 550 kcal
• Fats: 40 g
• Carbs: 14 g
• Proteins: 37 g

Fresh-Cracked Classics

These items must be ordered without Pancakes, Mammoth Muffins, Toast, Biscuits, Tots, or Homestyle Potatoes.

#10. Hearty Man’s Combo

In this combo, you get bacon, egg, pork sausage link, and smoked sausage. Avoid the muffins and pancakes served with it.

Nutritional Information

• Calories: 800 kcal
• Fats: 69 g
• Carbs: 11 g
• Proteins: 34 g

#11. Top Sirloin Steak and Eggs

This dish consists of sirloin beef steak, Montreal beef seasoning, garlic butter, and egg. 

Nutritional Information

• Calories: 480 kcal
• Fats: 31 g
• Carbs: 3 g
• Proteins: 41 g

#12. Grilled Pork Chop ( without apple sauce)

Nutritional Information

• Calories: 560 kcal
• Fats: 32 g
• Carbs: 8 g
• Proteins: 58 g

Soup

#13. Tomato Basil Soup

Order the Tomato Basil soup without saltine crackers.

Nutritional Information

• Calories:  840 kcal
• Fats: 48 g
• Carbs: 35 g
• Proteins: 62 g

Salad

These salads must be ordered without Croutons.

#14. Garden Side Salad

Nutritional Information

• Calories: 50 kcal
• Fats: 2.5 g 
• Carbs: 5 g
• Proteins: 3 g

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Salad Dressings 

• Ranch, 
• Vinaigrette, 
• Blue Cheese, 
• White Balsamic,

• Thousand Island,
• French, Honey Mustard, 
• Fat-Free Italian or Ranch.

Comfort Classics

Items from this section must be ordered without side choices of Rice, French Fries, Tots, or Homestyle Potatoes.

#15. Grilled Salmon

The salmon is served with a lemon wedge.

Nutritional Information

• Calories: 480 kcal
• Fats: 31 g
• Carbs: 7 g
• Proteins: 43 g

#16. Grilled Tilapia

The Grilled Tilapia is served with a lemon wedge and tartar sauce.

Nutritional Information

• Calories: 307 kcal
• Fats: 18 g
• Carbs: 9 g
• Proteins: 12 g

Sides 

• Baked Potato
• Buttered Corn
• Fresh Broccoli
• Fresh Spinach

• Asparagus Spears
• Green Beans with Bacon
• Mashed Potato (no gravy)

Tips for ordering gluten-free at Perkins

Avoid these items.

Items like pies, cookies, and muffins are made of wheat so they aren’t gluten-free. But if you aren’t lactose intolerant, you can try their shakes and smoothies. They don’t contain wheat, however, they aren’t part of the gluten-free menu either. 

Shakes: Vanilla, Strawberry, Chocolate

Smoothies: Strawberry, Pomegranate, Mango.

Almost all of their beverages are gluten-free.

Customize your plate.

You’ll have more options if you build your plate rather than order a pre-arranged dish. This way, you can add only those items to your dish that you like. 

Avoid busy hours.

During rush hours, the kitchen tends to be messy and the staff too busy. They may not bother to change gloves, clean the whole kitchen, or do any other special arrangements. The server may also not take your requests seriously. 

So, pay a visit in an hour when they can tend to your needs like later lunch hours. 

Let your concerns be known.

Tell your server that gluten is harmful to you because sometimes they take it as just a dietary preference. Politely ask them to repeat your order so that you know they understood your requirements.

If they don’t understand gluten,  then name allergic ingredients such as wheat,  soy, etc. Or consult with the manager. 

Cross-contamination risk at Perkins

Perkins gets their gluten-free items from facilities that qualify the criteria of having less than 20ppm gluten in their products. However, these gluten-free dishes are prepared in the same area as the items with gluten.

So, even the items on Perkins’s gluten-free menu may contain traces of gluten due to cross-contamination.

Furthermore, Perkins is not a dedicated gluten-free restaurant. So, there are no strict rules or training in place to prevent cross-contamination. People with celiac should avoid eating here.

And people with mild gluten sensitivity should inform the server or the manager about their food allergies.

What people say about Perkins

This is what people with celiac and non-celiac gluten sensitivity said about gluten-free options at Perkins. This part is gathered from around the net to help you make better decisions when ordering gluten-free at Perkins.

People who ate at Perkins said, “there is a gluten-free menu available upon request”. The number of gluten-free options varied based on location. 

The staff’s knowledge about gluten sensitivity and how they accommodated such people also depended on location. 

Staff at some locations were better at handling gluten-free requirements while, at some locations, they didn’t cater to gluten-sensitive customers at all. 

Many people weren’t confident about cross-contamination prevention practices at Perkins. 

Following are the items people with gluten sensitivity ate/recommended at Perkins:

• Eggs
• Fruits 
• Bacon
• Frittata

• Omelet
• Salmon
• Asparagus
• Tomato soup

• Hash browns
• Top sirloin steak
• Salad (without croutons)
• Hamburger (without bun)

Gluten-free Alternatives to Perkins

IHOP

IHOP, International House of Pancakes, specializes in breakfast food. It has an extensive menu with items such as pancakes, waffles, omelets, burgers, salads, and more. Gluten-free items are marked as such on their main menu.

You can also search their online menu with a “gluten” filter on. It will show you all of the gluten-free items such as gluten-free pancakes, waffles, omelets, salad, burgers without buns, and more. 

IHOP, however,  warns against the risk of cross-contamination since they use the same fryer for everything. But their employees are knowledgeable about the subject and can accommodate your needs.

Denny’s

Denny’s is a diner-style restaurant chain that serves classic American cuisine for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Its menu has a wide selection of items such as burgers, sandwiches, pancakes, slams, omelets, and more.

Denny’s doesn’t have a dedicated gluten-free menu, however, gluten-free items are marked as such on their main menu. Their gluten-free options are limited but you can modify various dishes on their menu to fit your needs.

Some gluten-free items at Denny’s are gluten-free English muffins, lettuce-wrapped burgers, Omelets, and more. Cross-contamination is a risk here since it’s not a dedicated gluten-free restaurant. So, communicate your needs with the server.

Chik-fil-A

Chik-fil-A is the largest American fast-food restaurant chain specializing in chicken sandwiches. Their menu consists of sandwiches, burgers, soups, breakfast items, and more.

Chik-fil-A doesn’t have a gluten-free menu but they do have gluten-free options. Some of those options are grilled-chicken nuggets, gluten-free buns, eggs without biscuits, and fries at some locations.

However, they do warn people with celiac against the risk of cross-contamination. Generally, the staff at Chik-fil-A are knowledgeable about gluten sensitivity and how to handle it.

But this may not be the case in all locations. So, always inform the cashier about your food sensitivity before placing your order.