Updated 2020! KFC (formerly known and still referred to at times as Kentucky Fried Chicken) is the world’s second-largest restaurant chain by sales (after McDonald’s). They have nearly 20,000 locations globally. And they have a ton of menu items made without dairy! The list below is for the U.S. locations, but we have included links to allergen charts for Canada, the U.K., and Australia further down in this post.
No Dairy (Milk-Based) Ingredients (see disclaimer below)
- Chicken Pieces – Extra Crispy, Spicy Crispy, Kentucky Grilled, Nashville Hot Extra Crispy, Nashville Hot Kentucky Grilled, Nashville Hot Spicy Crispy
- Chicken Tenders – Extra Crispy, Nashville Hot Extra Crispy
- Chicken Wings – Unsauced, Buffalo, Honey BBQ, Nashville Hot
- Sandwiches – Chicken Littles, Buffalo Chicken Littles, Nashville Hot Chicken Littles, Honey BBQ Chicken Littles, Colonel’s Crispy Sandwich, Buffalo Colonel’s Crispy Sandwich, Honey BBQ Colonel’s Crispy Sandwich, Nashville Hot Colonel’s Crispy Sandwich
- Sides – Secret Recipe Fries, BBQ Baked Beans, Green Beans, Potato Wedges, Corn on the Cob, Cole Slaw, Sweet Kernel Corn, Macaroni Salad, Potato Salad, Applesauce
- Salads – House Side Salad (w/out dressing or croutons)
- Salad Dressings – Marzetti Light Italian Dressing
- Dipping Sauces – Finger Lickin’ Good, Honey Mustard, Summertime BBQ, Sweet n Tangy
- Other Condiments – Grape Jelly, Honey Sauce, Ketchup, Strawberry Jam
- Dessert – Apple Turnover
Other Allergen Notes
- It isn’t noted on their allergen chart, but we have to assume that they use a shared fryer for all of their fried chicken.
- Some variations of their fried chicken do contain dairy, including the Original Recipe and the Chicken Nuggets.
- The Mashed Potatoes and the Gravy contain dairy.
Plant-Based Chicken
KFC is test marketing Beyond Fried Chicken in 50 locations in Southern California, beginning July 2020, while supplies last. These nuggets and wings are 100% plant-based, dairy-free, and vegan by ingredients, but like their other fried items, they are prepared in their shared fryers.
In Canada, Plant-Based KFC by Lightlife is available. This is a meatless chicken sandwich that is reportedly prepared in a separate fryer from their chicken, but in the same fryer as their french fries. Lightlife meat alternatives are dairy-free and vegan.
More Details from KFC
Allergen Disclaimer from KFC: If you or a customer has a food allergy, please be aware that KFC products may have come into contact with possible allergens. KFC is a restaurant environment, serving foods that are not in sealed packages. Therefore, we unfortunately cannot guarantee a 100% allergy-free environment.
Restaurant Website: www.kfc.com
Allergen Information for the United States: www.kfc.com/nutrition/food-allergies-and-sensitivities
Allergen Information for Canada: www.kfc.ca/nutrition-and-allergy-info
Allergen Information for the United Kingdom: www.kfc.co.uk/nutrition-allergens
Allergen Information for Australia: www.kfc.com.au/media/1177066/kfcot5339_allergen_brochure_2017_a4_3dap.pdf
*The above information was supplied by the corresponding restaurant via their website, customer service, or other published nutritional information. Ingredients and menu offerings are constantly changing in the food service industry, and can be subject to interpretation. For this reason, Go Dairy Free does not guarantee nor take responsibility for the accuracy of this information. If severe allergies or intolerances are a concern, contact the restaurant directly before purchasing or consuming one of their products. Cross-contamination of potential food allergens should always be considered a possibility in a fast food restaurant.
Last Updated: January 31, 2020
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Kfc
I follow this and have never had a problem at kfc
They don't have anything dairy free
Just reviewed the allergy menu in the UK after not checking for over a year and everything now has milk in it. So can’t actually eat anything
Response from Go Dairy Free
Yes, the UK menu looks very different from the US one we’ve outlined above. Just a vegan burger and fries. They seem to use milk in the buns and batter in the UK.
Research first, don’t trust the restaurant people with your allergen information
Research first!!
I had a KFC in Florida tell me both chicken types (original and extra crispy) had milk in them—
Then a restaurant in Illinois insisted neither had dairy in them.
Correct answer? Extra Crispy has no dairy , but there is cross contamination in the fryer…
I found this out the hard way.
5 Comments
We really like KFC but we have a granddaughter that lives with us and she is severely allergic to any type of dairy. So I am guessing you are on our do not go list. Please consider having a dairy free area.
Please offer something like the original recipe that’s non dairy
Ruth
I like Popeye’s better anyway. This is another reason.
I did a similar post on my blog, its so confusing with such a mix of dairy use and non dairy use. Loads of the “creamy” products are dairy free, and I could only find reference to the fries on the UK site.
Not very impressed with their clarity
http://www.kfc.com/nutrition/pdf/kfc_allergens_aug10.pdf
your information about KFC is wrong. the original chicken has milk, so does the popcorn chicken and a few other things…