Updated January 2023! El Pollo Loco, Inc. is a fast food chain specializing in Mexican-style grilled chicken. They do not have an allergen chart, but their staff has been very helpful with our inquiries. They helped us to unearth an entire menu of dairy-free options, and even some vegan choices, too.
El Pollo Loco Dairy-Free Menu Guide with Allergen Notes & Vegan Options
This menu guide includes dairy-free menu options first, followed by extras and sauces to help with custom orders. 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.
Other Allergen & Dietary Notes: The Fire-Grilled Chicken at El Pollo Loco does not contain any of the Top 8 allergens. It is “marinated in just fruit juices, herbs, and spices,” according to their staff. But it is is prepared on a platform using soy oil. Most of their dairy-free items are soy-free, but might be prepared with soybean oil. Their gluten-free info is dated, but their chicken and most non-flour menu items are made without gluten. For vegan options, see the Vegan Menu Guide at the bottom of this post.
Chicken Meals
- Fire-Grilled Chicken Meals, all sizes, with Dairy-Free Sides (no churros)
Bowls
- Original Pollo Bowl
- Double Chicken Bowl (no cheese, no sour cream)
- Grande Avocado Chicken Bowl (no cheese, no sour cream)
Heads Up! Baja Shrimp can be substituted for the chicken, for an extra charge, and is sometimes used on their limited time bowl and salad offerings.
Burritos
- Chicken Avocado Burrito (no cheese, no dressing)
- Chicken Tinga Burrito (no cheese)
- Chipotle Chicken Avocado Burrito (no cheese, no sour cream)
- Classic Chicken Burrito (no cheese)
- Loco Fire Grilled Chicken Burrito Grillers (no cheese)
- Original BRC Burrito (no cheese)
- The World’s First Keto Burrito (no cheese, no dressing)
Heads Up! We didn’t add the Queso Blanco Burrito to the list above to avoid confusion due to the name, but it’s a good option without cheese if you want guacamole on your burrito. The Shredded Beef Birria does contain milk, so the Beef Burrito cannot be made dairy free.
Tacos
- Baja Shrimp Street Taco
- Chicken Taco al Carbon
- Chicken Avocado Street Taco (no cheese, sub vinaigrette)
Heads Up! The Shredded Beef Birria does contain milk, so the Crunchy Birria Tacos, when available, cannot be made dairy free.
Salads
- Classic Tostada Salad (no cheese, no sour cream, sub vinaigrette)
- Double Chicken Tostada Salad (no cheese, no sour cream, sub vinaigrette)
- Double Chicken Avocado Salad (no cheese, sub vinaigrette)
- Loco Salad (no cheese, sub vinaigrette)
Dairy-Free Salad Dressings: Mexican Vinaigrette
Sides
- Broccoli
- Coleslaw
- Corn
- Pinto Beans
- Rice
- Loco Side Salad (no cheese)
Heads Up! We have been told that the broccoli and corn do not contain dairy as prepared, but double check that your location doesn’t use a dairy butter on them.
Starters & Extras
- Chicken Taco al Carbon
- Chicken Taquitos (limited offer)
- Chips & Guacamole
- Classic Chicken Burrito (no cheese)
- Original BRC Burrito (no cheese)
- Tortilla Soup (no cheese)
- Tortilla Chips
- Corn Tortillas
- Flour Tortillas
Heads Up! Unfortunately, the Churros do contain dairy.
Sauces
- Avocado Salsa
- Baja Sauce
- Birria Consome Dipping Sauce (limited offer)
- Guacamole
- House Salsa
- Jalapeno Hot Sauce
- Mexican Vinaigrette
- Pico de Gallo
- Salsa Roja
Heads Up! The Creamy Cilantro Dressing does contain dairy.
El Pollo Loco Vegan Menu Guide
- Original Pollo Bowl (no chicken, can ask for extra beans and add avocado)
- Chipotle Avocado Burrito (no cheese, no sour cream, no chicken)
- Original BRC Burrito (no cheese)
- Classic Tostada Salad with Mexican Vinaigrette (no cheese, no sour cream, no chicken)
- Broccoli
- Corn
- Pinto Beans
- Rice
- Loco Side Salad (no cheese)
- Chips & Guacamole
- Corn Tortillas
- Flour Tortillas
- Avocado Salsa
- Guacamole
- House Salsa
- Jalapeno Hot Sauce
- Pico de Gallo
- Salsa Roja
Heads Up! In late 2020, El Pollo Loco released Vegan Chickenless Pollo as an option on their menu. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look to be available at this time.
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 El Pollo Loco
There are over 400 El Pollo Loco restaurants, with a heavy concentration in the Southwestern U.S. See the website below for addresses, hours, and online ordering.
Website: www.elpolloloco.com
Average Reader Review
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What Others Are Saying ...
Delicious food
We ate here for the first time yesterday. We really enjoyed the chicken tacos al carbon – so yummy. The tortillas were soft and warm. We will definitely eat here again.
Great information
Easy to read and great breakdown
New items and deleted items
New items and deleted items have made her lost its way on the menu recently. I noticed there are no longer black beans or cauliflower rice. Is this true? Also there are now options for things like birra tacos and birra burritos with consommé dipping sauce starting today for rewards members and later for non-rewards members. Wondering if this is dairy free as well.
Response from Go Dairy Free
I will look into the birra items, and update the post as soon as we know. Thanks for the heads up! But yes, the cauliflower rice and black beans are no longer on their standard menu. The keto burrito is now made with cabbage instead of cauliflower. El Pollo Loco cut their menu back a bit due to supply and cost issues.
Allergies
I called to check if their chicken, fries and cauliflower rice had eggs, dairy & soy. They confirmed those items didn’t. What a lifesaver!!😄
Pretty darn good dairy-free food
Many times, when we’ve been running about town, my husband and I have popped into El Pollo Loco (usually with coupon in hand!). I’m pretty loyal to their salads, which are always boisterous, have a generous amount of chicken and even avocado. If I get a bowl with beans and rice, I’m usually a bit too full, but my husband likes the Pollo Bowl. We’ve ordered from them dozens of times, and only once did they accidentally put a scoop of sour cream on my order. They were apologetic, and immediately started a brand new order. Their ingredients are segregated fairly well, but like with any fast food restaurant, I would be leery with a very severe milk allergy.
For More Dairy-Free Guidance, Get Go Dairy Free!
17 Comments
What items contain soy or soybean oil. I have severe allergy to soy. Bought a container of pinto beans.
Barbara Baumgarten
See our Other Allergen Notes above, and see the website listed above for further details. You might need to contact the company directly for this information.
Hi
I’am have allergy for seaseme seeds and penats
Can i eat into your restorant ?
Thnaks
Not true about the marinade. I contacted them today and they use soybean oil for frying their foods.
Hi Mayra, for frying the foods, not for the marinade. Most of their chicken is not fried.
Thanks for list. Based on my experience, the rice does have dairy in it. Made me terribly sick for a couple of days afterwards. Looking forward to going back though just without the rice
That’s not good! I recommend their salads sans dairy products and with the vinaigrette.
The rice has dairy??
I can’t fully confirm or deny this! As mentioned in the post above, they do not have an allergen chart or ingredient info available. Those are the items that I was told are dairy free, and the rice was not on the list. I’ve got another inquiry into them for an update, but no response as of yet.
Their Gluten link isn’t working! How can they not have a allergen chart these days? Most everyone does! I will have to stop eating their until they do!!!
I updated the gluten link to their new one.
Does the pre-cut corn sides have dairy at all?
I just called and was told their flame grilled chicken IS cooked in soybean oil. I pressed her on it because I was confused after reading this…and she seemed like she wasn’t 100% sure of her answer…so she may have been wrong. But anyone who is also sensitive to soy might want to call first to see if their cooking methods have changed since this post.
Thanks so much for sharing this Evann!
My nut and dairy allergic daughters eat the chicken, tortillas, chips and guacamole. One used to eat the rice until one of the managers told us they wouldn’t trust that the rice is dairy free. Thanks for posting this info!!
Their chicken soup does have some dairy in it. I found out the hard way.
Jane, we don’t have the chicken soup listed as dairy-free, so yes, I would avoid it unless verified otherwise. See the listing above!