Updated February 2023! Dairy Queen is most known for ice cream, but they also offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner fare. In the past, their dairy-free menu items were limited, but now they have quite a few options for non-dairy diners of all ages. In fact, they even have dairy-free ice cream bars! Their non-dairy Dilly Bars are made with vegan chocolate and coconut ice cream. We have the ingredients below, as well as a dairy-free guide to DQ’s entire menu.
Dairy Queen (DQ) Dairy-Free Menu Guide with Vegan Options
Be aware of special order requirements in parentheses () next to the menu items, and see the Heads Up notes to help fill in the blanks. Please note that this guide is for the U.S. locations. Options may vary in other countries.
Fryer Note: Dairy Queen uses vegetable oil for frying, which “may contain one or more of the following: canola oil, sunflower oil, cottonseed oil, palm oil, corn oil, soybean oil).” All fried items (like the fries and chicken strips) might be cooked in shared fryers with items that contain milk. Be sure to verify at your location.
Butter Note: Dairy Queen uses a buttery oil on their toast, which we’ve been told contains milk in the natural flavors. It is not standard practice for them to use the buttery oil on buns, but franchise owners and local managers can take liberties. Make sure no buttery oil is used on your order and inquire if potential cross contamination on the grill is a concern for you.
Other Allergen & Dietary Notes: All of the listed non-dairy items are made without peanut or tree nuts unless specified. Most of the following items are egg-free or can be ordered without eggs if you omit mayo or any mayo-based sauce or dressing. Dairy Queen does not currently offer any vegan burgers or sandwiches. For vegan options, see the Vegan Menu Guide at the bottom of this post.
Frozen Treats
- Misty Slush
- Starkiss Popsicles
- Non-Dairy Dilly Bars (available as singles or by the box; see below for ingredients)
DQ Non-Dairy Dilly Bar Ingredients: Frozen dessert (water, sugar, corn syrup, maltodextrin, coconut oil, coconut cream, contains 2% or less of vanilla extract, xanthan gum, guar gum, carrageenan, carob bean gum, mono & diglycerides); Coating (coconut oil, sugar, cocoa processed with alkali, corn starch, soy lecithin, salt, natural flavors).
Heads Up! The Mistry Freezes and all Dairy Queen smoothies do contain milk.
Sweet Toppings
- Banana
- Brownie Pieces (not Triple Chocolate Brownies)
- Cherry Topping
- Chocolate Topping (not Fudge)
- Marshmallow Topping
- OREO Cookie Pieces
- Peanut Butter Topping
- Pineapple Topping
- Strawberry Topping
- Vanilla Syrup (for coffee)
Heads Up! Some of these toppings are for the sundaes, while some (like brownie pieces) are added to the Blizzards. Unfortunately, Dairy Queen does not yet offer any dairy-free ice cream.
Burgers (see Allergen Notes)
- Hamburger
- Original Signature Stackburger (no cheese)
- Deluxe Signature Stackburger (no cheese)
- Bacon Deluxe Signature Stackburger (no cheese)
- Flamethrower Deluxe Signature Stackburger (no cheese)
- Loaded A1 Deluxe Signature Stackburger (no cheese, no onion rings)
Chicken
- Chicken Strip Basket (no buttery oil on toast, choose dairy-free dipping sauce)
- Honey BBQ Sauced Chicken Strip Basket (no buttery oil on toast, choose dairy-free dipping sauce)
- Original Chicken Strip Sandwich
- Spicy Chicken Strip Sandwich
- Rotisserie Style Chicken Bites (choose dairy-free dipping sauce)
- Rotisserie Style Chicken Bites Basket (no buttery oil on toast, choose dairy-free dipping sauce)
Heads Up! Dairy Queen customer service let us know that the Texas Toast could be made dairy-free without the “butter.” But it would be a special request and up to the location if they could accommodate. Some locations do source buns locally. Be sure to verify the ingredients before ordering.
Hot Dogs
- Hot Dog, Beef
- Chili Dog (no cheese)
Other Favorites
- BBQ Sandwich (regional)
- Popcorn Shrimp Basket (seasonal)
- Wild Alaskan Fish Sandwich (regional)
Salads
- Rotisserie-Style Chicken Bites Salad Bowl (no cheese; see Chicken Note below)
- Crispy Chicken Strips Salad (no cheese)
- Side Salad
Dairy-Free Salad Dressings (all Marzetti brand): Balsamic Vinaigrette, Dijon Honey Mustard, Fat Free California French Style, Honey French, Light Italian, Thousand Island
Chicken Note: The ingredients appear to be the same, and prior allergen guides show the Rotisserie Chicken as being free of both milk and wheat. But online, despite ingredients that show neither milk nor wheat, it states milk and wheat in the allergens. We are still waiting for a corporate response on the discrepancy.
Kids’ Meals
- Chicken Strips
- Hamburger
- Hot Dog
- Kids’ Fries
- Applesauce
- Banana
Sides
- Fries
- Lays Potato Chips in Original or BBQ
- Oven Baked Lays Original Potato Crisps
- Pretzel Rods (no queso, no buttery oil)
- Side Salad
Heads Up! The Onion Rings at Dairy Queen do contain milk. Dairy Queen customer service said the buttery oil used on the Pretzel Rods does contain milk, but some locations might be willing to accommodate requests for “no buttery oil.”
Dipping Sauces
- BBQ
- Honey Mustard
- Ketchup
- Wild Buffalo
Heads Up! Ranch, which contains milk, is the default dipping sauce at Dairy Queen. Be sure to request a dairy-free dipping sauce when ordering.
Breakfast Items (select locations)
- Bacon
- Chicken Strips
- Ham
- Hashbrowns
- Sausages
- Steak Fingers
Dairy Queen Vegan Menu Guide
- Non-Dairy Dilly Bars
- Misty Slush
- Starkiss Popsicles
- Cherry Topping
- Chocolate Topping (not Fudge)
- OREO Cookie Pieces
- Peanut Butter Topping
- Pineapple Topping
- Strawberry Topping
- Vanilla Syrup (for coffee)
- Hashbrowns
- Fries
- Pretzel Rods (no queso, no buttery oil)
- BBQ Dipping Sauce
- Wild Buffalo Dipping Sauce
- Side Salad
- Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Fat Free California French Style Dressing
- Light Italian Dressing
- Lays Potato Chips in Original or BBQ
- Oven Baked Lays Original Potato Crisps
- Applesauce
- Banana
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 Dairy Queen (DQ)
There are around 6000 DQ locations worldwide, and around 4500 in the U.S. alone. See their website below for addresses and hours. Online ordering works best via their app.
Website: www.dairyqueen.com
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What Others Are Saying ...
Vegan Gluten-Free Dilly Bar YUM!
I crave DQ’s dairy free dilly bar. It’s so delicious!!!
Great Resource!
Thank you for this article, it is such a great resource to have on hand! I had no idea there were so many options, and I appreciate the extensive information you have given. Really takes out the guesswork!
Response from Go Dairy Free
Happy to help!
Dairy free dilly bar
Looking forward to more dairy free ice cream choices.
Dairy free
LOVE the Dairy Free Dilly Bars!! Hoping there will be dairy free blizzards soon!!
I can have dessert with my family again!
Since I found out I was lactose intolerant a few years ago, I have been leaving Dairy Queen with only dessert for my family. But now, with these new Dairy Free Dilly Bars, I can enjoy a sweet treat as well! They are really good, too! My only caution for others is that they melt faster than their dairy full counterparts, so have the napkins ready! Thank you so much for adding these to your menu.
Non Dairy Dilly Bars
Thank you so much for offering the NonDairy Vegan Dilly Bar. Tried it for the first time, as I did not know you had it. Very good. Thank you. Looking forward to more gluten free soy free vegan non dairy selections. Please continue your healthy offerings.
Dairy Queen
I love Dairy Queen! The bbq pork sandwich is the best.
Not available
Been to 3 Dairy Queen’s in El Paso. Today (May 28, 2020) the girl hands me a normal dilly bar and tells me “it doesn’t say on the package, but it’s dairy free”. Horrible job lol. It clearly says he ingredients in the back. None the less, excited for when they do get in the non dairy version.
A treat the whole family can enjoy
One of my six kids is allergic to milk. We try really hard not to leave him out when we have treats but sometimes it is hard. It was so fun to go today and all order a summer treat that everyone could enjoy!
Ingredients not good
At first i was so excited but after reading the ingredients….. no way. There is a lot of sugar and carrageenan which is bad for you.
For More Dairy-Free Guidance, Get Go Dairy Free!
32 Comments
Are any breakfast items gluten free?
See the link provided above to check for other allergens.
Does the Ice cream contain eggs? I am allergic to eggs.
I don’t know – we don’t dig further on products that contain dairy, and this ice cream is dairy-based.
Hi…my 92 year old father is lactose intolerant. My granddaughter works at a Dairy Queen and made him an ice cream cone and he gobbled it down! He must have had a craving for something sweet! Well, he never got sick and didn’t have stomach pains after eating.
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I went to dairy queen this morning to order eggs. They cook their eggs in butter. So technically not dairy free.
Does Dairy Queen have non dairy ice cream…what can I order in non dairy ice cream…my teenager is going there with a group of friend and doesn’t want to get embarrassed…please help.any smoothie, ice cream just trying to help my teenager…please name the items she can order..
I don’t believe they do Mary.
For health reasons, I am wanting to know if the chocolate in the soft-serve ice cream is real or artificial and does the artificial have caffeine in it.
Hi Rosemarie, you’d need to contact Dairy Queen directly with this inquiry.
Curious why hamburgers (minus cheese) aren’t listed as ok. The children’s hamburger is listed. Is it because of the buns? Thanks
I’d assume it is the buns. It looks like they use different buns on the “grown up” one.
The breaded mushrooms aren’t dairy free/vegan They contain milk.
Hot dogs are on the dairy free list. So they don’t have whey in them?
Yes they do have milk in them an whey i have an foster son an i have been looking at every thing
why don’t they use lactaid milk for there shakes more people could drink shakes and other products?
Lactaid is real milk, which means it has dairy. Those with a dairy allergy cannot have it. All it is is cows milk with the lactose (milk sugar) removed.
According to the current chart the 3 chicken strips are dairy free. So plain chicken strips are safe taking into account cross-contamination.
Vanilla Milk Shake…….Lactose-Free ?
I would doubt it. It’s definitely not dairy-free!
Does that mean the buns are also dairy free?
Their starkiss popsicles are also dairy free.
Does Dairy Queen ice cream contain regular dairy reduced fat and nonfat milk or coconut milk ?
I was under the impression that coconut milk was used in all their ice cream. I have had gut problems recently and was wondering if Dairy Queen changed their recipe to dairy milk.
To the best of my knowledge Michael, Dairy Queen has always been dairy-based ice cream. I’ve not heard of them using coconut milk.
So the cheese on the Flamethrower Chicken sandwich does not contain dairy?
Alice, see the allergen chart referenced via the link. According to DQ, the Flamethrower Chicken sandwich does not contain dairy/cheese, but this is a “may contain” by location.
I am vegan and I came here looking to see if I can get anything anything at dairy queen like I can get daiquiri sorbet at baskin and robbins.I saw on PETA’s website that the StarKiss Bars are supposed to be vegan too yet when I visited the Dairy Queen website and looked at the allergy information for treats (m) for milk is now listed on both of the starkiss bars. I guess maybe now they add milk to them? unless it is a mistake on the allergy information? so be careful with those.Dairy Queen allergy info-http://www.dairyqueen.com/PageFiles/5144/US%20Treat%202013%20Q2.pdf
Hi Kelley, see our post above, which states that they “may contain” milk due to cross-contamination, but do not have milk in the ingredients. The (M) on the allergen chart is a “may contain” warning not an actual “contains”. You can see an explanation on the allergen chart that you have also linked to, but which can be accessed via our links above.
I just went to dairy queen and the starkiss bars allergy label says contains milk
DQ has recently changed their frozen drink menu. They now carry light smoothies which are dairy free and come in about twelve diferent flavors.
That’s great! Thanks for the update Kimberly.