Updated 2021! 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! In fact, the majority of their fried chicken and many of their sides are made without any milk. 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 – Applesauce, BBQ Baked Beans, Cole Slaw, Corn on the Cob, Green Beans, Secret Recipe Fries, Sweet Kernel Corn, Macaroni Salad, Potato Salad
- Salads – House Side Salad (without dressing or croutons)
- Salad Dressings – Marzetti Light Italian Dressing
- Dipping Sauces – BBQ Sauce, Honey Mustard, KFC Sauce
- Other Condiments – Grape Jelly, Honey Sauce, Ketchup, Strawberry Jam
- Dessert – Apple Turnover
Other Allergen Notes
- Some variations of their fried chicken do contain dairy, including the Original Recipe and the Popcorn Nuggets.
- 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.
- The sides that contain dairy, include their Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, and Biscuits.
Plant-Based Chicken
KFC test marketed Beyond Fried Chicken in 50 locations in Southern California, in mid-2020. These nuggets and wings were 100% plant-based, dairy-free, and vegan by ingredients, but like their other fried items, they were prepared in their shared fryers. We’ve yet to hear news on if these vegan items will be returning.
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.
In Singapore, they launched a meatless, dairy-free “chicken burger” in 2021. It’s made with a vegan patty and dairy-free cheese. But to make it vegan, you have to request no mayo.
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: February 12, 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…