Updated January 2023! This American chain started at a Pennsylvania farmer’s market in 1988, but they since expanded to over 1800 locations worldwide. You can now find Auntie Anne’s in nearly every mall, and sometimes in other retail locations. Many of the big, soft, doughy, twisted pretzels at Auntie Anne’s are dairy-free and vegan when ordered without butter. They’re great for noshing while shopping or running errands. But they also have a range of Pretzel Bites and Dogs that are perfect for snack time, parties, and celebrations. Auntie Anne’s also offers online ordering and catering.
Auntie Anne’s Dairy-Free Menu Guide with Allergen Notes & Vegan Options
Butter Note: As clearly stated, dairy butter is used to coat the pretzels at Auntie Anne’s. In most cases, they make it easy to order without butter. But make sure your order is indeed, sans butter, and find out their protocols for allergen orders if concerned about potential cross contamination.
Other Allergen & Dietary Notes: All Auntie Anne’s Pretzels contain wheat and soy. But the non-dairy items listed below are made without egg, peanuts, and tree nuts, unless otherwise noted in the name or in parentheses. For vegan options, see the Vegan Menu Guide at the bottom of this post.
Pretzels
- Original (no butter)
- Cinnamon Sugar (no butter; ask for spray – see note below)
- Sweet Almond (no butter)
- Raisin (no butter)
- Jalapeno (no butter)
- Original Nuggets (no butter)
- Cinnamon Sugar Nuggets (no butter; ask for spray)
Heads Up! For the Cinnamon Sugar varieties, butter helps the cinnamon sugar coating stick. They have a non-dairy oil spray (used on the dough surfaces and for cooking) that they can use instead of the butter if you order in person. This was shared with us by corporate, and several readers have had success ordering this at Auntie Anne’s kiosks. However, at some locations, the staff argues that it won’t work or they “can’t.” Online, their sour cream and onion, parmesan, and pepperoni pretzels say that they are vegan and don’t contain milk if you order them without butter. This is incorrect – they all contain milk in either the seasoning or the cheese!
Grocery Products: Like their kiosk pretzels, Auntie Anne’s frozen Soft Pretzels and frozen Pretzel Bites (sold at mainstream grocers like Target) are made without milk, but they include dairy butter packets with them.
Pretzel Dogs
- Original (no butter)
- Original Minis (no butter)
Dips
- Honey Mustard (contains egg)
- Marinara
- Sweet Glaze
Heads Up! The Caramel and all of the Cheesy Dips at Auntie Anne’s contain milk. The “Sweet” Mustard they had prior did contain milk. Make sure your Auntie Anne’s location serves the “Honey” Mustard without milk before ordering.
Specialty Drinks
- Frozen Lemonade
- Frozen Lemonade Mixers
Heads Up! Whip isn’t standard anymore on the Frozen Lemonade at Auntie Anne’s, but it doesn’t hurt to make sure there is no whip on your order.
Auntie Anne’s Vegan Menu Guide
See the notes above regarding butter at Auntie Anne’s and ordering tips.
Vegan Pretzels
- Original (no butter)
- Cinnamon Sugar (no butter; ask for spray – see note below)
- Sweet Almond (no butter)
- Raisin (no butter)
- Jalapeno (no butter)
- Original Nuggets (no butter)
- Cinnamon Sugar Nuggets (no butter; ask for spray)
Vegan Dips
- Marinara
- Sweet Glaze
Vegan Specialty Drinks
- Frozen Lemonade
- Frozen Lemonade Mixers
This Post is for Informational Purposes Only
Menus, ingredients, kitchen procedures, management, food sourcing, and restaurant protocols are subject to change at any time. Always read the menu and discuss your dietary needs with the staff before ordering. Make sure they can accommodate your situation. This post is for informational purposes only, and should not be construed as advice.
There is always a risk for potential cross-contamination of allergens in any commercial kitchen. If cross-contamination is an issue for you, always speak with the manager to ensure that your meal can be safely prepared. Listings here do not guarantee that a restaurant is safe enough for your individual needs. Only you can make that decision.
Each location of a chain restaurant has different management and staff, and some might have different owners. This means differences in processes, ingredients used, menu options, and food sourcing can occur. Always verify the safety of your order for your needs at your current location.
Where to Find Auntie Anne’s
They have over 1200 Auntie Anne’s in the U.S. and hundreds more around the world. See the website below for addresses, hours, and online ordering.
Website: www.auntieannes.com
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What Others Are Saying ...
Sweet mustard looks dairy free?
Ken’s honey mustard was the sweet mustard dipping sauce. It looks dairy free unless I misread the label.
Response from Go Dairy Free
Thank you for the heads up on the change Christie! It was “sweet mustard” before, which did contain dairy. It looks like they’ve changed sources, and now have a “honey mustard” instead, which is dairy free. We’ve done a full update on the allergen chart.
Cinnamon sugar bites
I ordered the cinnamon sugar bites dairy free (no butter) and they did mention that the butter helps it to stick to the pretzel so I mentioned again that I can’t have dairy and their solution was to give me my plain pretzel bites and an entire cup of cinnamon and sugar to dip. So yes I was pleased 😀
Butter everywhere
Cross contamination keeps me far away. Just like at most fast food and snack places.
Corporate has no idea what goes on.
Response from Go Dairy Free
Corporate sets policies. As noted clearly above, locations can take liberties in how things are managed. That’s why you must speak with the staff. We have come across Auntie Anne’s with great allergen protocols and awareness, and some with poor awareness. But that does not change the information above, which clearly states there are risks.
Can't get cinnamon sugar without butter
They told me it wouldn’t work to get the cinnamon sugar to stick without the butter at the location I visited and they couldn’t make it for for. Regular pretzel only.
Response from Go Dairy Free
That’s odd. At the corporate level, they confirmed that they all knew the protocol for using the spray instead of butter. It sounds like either a poorly trained staff, or ones who just don’t think the works well enough. I’ve received several reports of people getting the cinnamon sugar alternative without a problem.
Got my order made just for me!
My wife and I went to a kiosk Auntie Anne’s in Sawgrass mall Florida. We asked the kind lady to make the pretzels without the butter and she told me that they have an oil spray she use to stick the cinnamon and salt. We did just that and she made a fresh batch just for us and maaaaaan it was delicious!
For More Dairy-Free Guidance, Get Go Dairy Free!
2 Comments
There is no butter in the dough but they use butter in the bowl to prevent sticking when mixing and also on the counter before cutting the dough.
Did you get this information from their corporate or see it happening at a particular location? They do not disclose this at all on their allergen chart or even suggest that it is occurring anywhere that I could find on their website.