Updated 2021! McDonald’s menu has shifted in recent years due to normal ingredient changes and some dairy supplier contracts. They now use real butter, have several buttermilk-based products, and use dairy just a little more liberally. Some of their classic items are still dairy-free by ingredients, but the risk of potential cross contamination with dairy is a bit higher. The quick list below is for the United States. For allergen information and menus for Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Australia, see the links further down the page.
No Dairy (Milk-Based) Ingredients (see disclaimer below)
Menu Items
- Burgers (see Allergen Notes; order NO BUTTER) – Hamburger, Bic Mac (no cheese), McDouble (no cheese), Quarter Pounder (no cheese), Quarter Pounder Double (no cheese), Quarter Pounder Deluxe (no cheese), Quarter Pounder Bacon (no cheese)
- Chicken (see Allergen Notes; order NO BUTTER) – Crispy Chicken Sandwich, Spicy Crispy Chicken Sandwich, Deluxe Crispy Chicken Sandwich, McChicken Sandwich, Chicken McNuggets, Spicy Chicken McNuggets
- Sides – Apple Slices
- Dipping Sauces – Tangy Barbeque Sauce, Honey Mustard Sauce, Sweet ‘N Sour Sauce, Mighty Hot Sauce, Honey
- Specialty Drinks – Minute Maid Slushies (Blue Raspberry, Fruit Punch, Pink Lemonade)
- Dessert – Baked Apple Pie
Components to Help Customize Your Order
- Proteins – Beef Patties, McChicken Patty, Hot ‘N Spicy McChicken Patty, Spicy Crispy Chicken Fillet, Thick Cut Applewood Smoked Bacon, Sausage Patty, Canadian Bacon, Egg (not the Folded Egg), Plain Scrambled Eggs
- Breads (see Allergen Notes) – Regular Bun, Big Mac Bun, Quarter Pounder Bun, Potato Roll, English Muffin, Bagel, Flour Tortilla
- Vegetables – Shredded Lettuce, Pickles, Onions, Roma Tomato
- Condiments – Big Mac Sauce, Ketchup, Mayonnaise, Mustard, Tartar Sauce, Hotcake Syrup
- Coffee Add-Ins – French Vanilla Syrup
Other Allergen Notes
- In the United States, McDonald’s French Fries and Hash Browns CONTAIN milk, which is why they are not on the above list. In the U.K., Canada, and some other countries, their Fries and Hash Browns are dairy-free by ingredients.
- Other surprise foods at McDonald’s U.S. that contain dairy include the Fish Filet, Spicy Buffalo Sauce, Folded Eggs, Scrambled Egg Sausage and Vegetable mixture (used in breakfast burritos), and their Oatmeal, which is prepared with light cream.
- Their English Muffins, Bagels, other Breads, and some Buns are buttered. It’s also possible that some locations might automatically butter the buns on all orders. So make sure to state “No Butter” when you order any non-dairy burgers, sandwiches, or bread products.
- Because McDonald’s now uses real butter, you may need to inquire on cross-contamination issues with the grill, if concerned.
- We have read that some McDonald’s locations do use separate fryers. At the time of our review, all of their deep-fried chicken menu items were made without dairy, and might be cooked in an exclusive fryer. But it’s possible that they cook the fish filet or the fries and hash browns in the same fryer. Verify on your visit!
- McDonald’s used to use a Grill Seasoning, which was dairy-free, but now they reportedly season their patties only with salt and pepper. You can request no salt and pepper when ordering.
More Details from McDonald’s
Allergen Disclaimer from McDonald’s: As part of our commitment to you, we provide the most current ingredient information available from our food suppliers for the eight most common allergens. However, we also want you to know that despite taking precautions, normal kitchen operations may involve some shared cooking and preparation areas, equipment and utensils, and the possibility exists for your food items to come in contact with other food products, including allergens.
Restaurant Website: www.mcdonalds.com
U.S. McDonald’s Ingredient & Allergen Information: www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/full-menu.html
Canada McDonald’s Ingredient & Allergen Information: www.mcdonalds.com/ca/downloads/ingredients-list-en.pdf
U.K. McDonald’s Ingredient & Allergen Information: www.mcdonalds.com/gb/en-gb/menu.html
Ireland McDonald’s Ingredient & Allergen Information: www.mcdonalds.com/ie/en-ie/good-to-know/about-our-food.html
Australia McDonald’s Ingredient & Allergen Information: mcdonalds.com.au/maccas-food/nutrition
Last Updated: February 18, 2021
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What Others Are Saying ...
Dairy in fries
My friend has allergies to dairy and gets migraines and has been getting migraines after eating at McDonald’s and discovered there was dairy in the fries. She never had any problems in the past and is very disappointed as she won’t eat there anymore.
Response from Go Dairy Free
At U.S. locations, there has always been dairy in the fries. Please make sure your friend reads all of the information above. It is clearly outlined to help!
STILL HAS DAIRY!
I recently discovered that my lactose intolerance grew tenfold last month. After cutting it out successfully, I tried hash browns and French fries from McDonald’s. Both immediately upset my stomach to the point where I can’t trust eating here anymore.
Response from Go Dairy Free
Yes, in the U.S., this has never changed, as stated in the guide above.
Dairy
My latest trip to McDonald’s they pulled out the book. They told me that the fries and nuggets are no longer cross contaminated.
Response from Go Dairy Free
It looks like in the U.S., they are still made with milk ingredients, but I’m looking into it. I’m not sure which country your are in.
McDonalds
No soya/oat milk option to have with a black coffee – dreadful – even Greggs can manage this!
Dairy free
My grandson is highly allergic to milk. Most orders are correct but sometimes it’s not and you get home with the food and he can’t eat. It’s very important they get it right because we can end up in the ER
Cross contamination
A lot of the items are cooked in the same friers, this isn’t made easy for milk/dairy allergens. When you go there you have to look things up in a book this put people right off
Response from Go Dairy Free
I hope you find this post helpful. All of that information is noted above. I agree, McDonald’s doesn’t make it easy. That’s why we’re here to help!
Failure
This is the second time I have had an issue at the Carlisle walnut bottom location. Even ordering and double checking when give to me they still buttered the muffin.
Food Items containing milk
I’m glad to see that McDonald’s cares about people with food allergies. Many kids have them, but I recently became allergic to milk and all dairy products, eggs, and shellfish. I am 68, and I think the chemo I took for cancer messed up my immune system. Thank you McDonald’s for posting this. I remember eating at my first McDonald’s 60+ years ago!
Response from Go Dairy Free
You’re welcome! We are not actually affiliated with McDonald’s. The information above was put together by the Go Dairy Free team via research. I hope you find it very helpful!
Prefer Burger King
I have a dairy allergy and if you want to get any fried foods you would have more luck at Burger King because the dryers are cross contaminated at McDonald’s. The chicken nuggets are not safe and you have to make sure they keep the grill clean when ordering a burger.
Response from Go Dairy Free
Yes, as noted throughout the post above, shared fryers and equipment are used. But as a heads up, Burger King uses shared fryers too. Here is the information -> https://www.godairyfree.org/dining-out/fast-food-restaurants/burger-king
This helped
I have a dairy allergy and like McDonald’s, so this helped!
72 Comments
Their nutrition info says fries are “just fries” but if you go to McDonald’s site in the “how fries are made” section. They tell you that the beef flavoring has milk product in it. Their fries are hardly just fries. 🙁
Thank you for telling us where that information is on the McDonald’s site, Brittany! While it’s tricky to find, we did know that McDonald’s fries have dairy, which is why we don’t list them on our site.
Time for an update, they have some changes this past month and none of the chicken is safe anymore.
Yes, we are working on the updates now Kerrie.
Made the updates this morning, Kerrie!
You don’t have their chicken nuggets listed, but going on their web page for allergy information they do not say they contain milk. Do you know otherwise or is that just an oversight?
They cook the chicken nuggets in the same oil as the buttermilk chicken i know im allergic to milk
Hi Kim,
The Chicken McNuggets are dairy free themselves but are fried in a common fryer with Buttermilk Crispy Chicken. We have listed them with a warning.
So bummed they added that buttermilk chicken. Those nuggets worked great for my dairy allergy kid until the buttermilk chicken rolled into town. 🙁
So I am a former McDonalds employee and yes we do try to keep from cross contamination from happening but I will tell you that it doesn’t matter if you order all of your food without butter. The sausage and eggs are all cooked on the grill that butter has already been sprayed on numerous times. We do not clean the grills after cooking foods we just squeegee them. The only things you can really eat off the breakfast menu and be sure not to get sick is oatmeal no cream, english muffin no butter, or the apple slices. I’m not trying to bash on mcdonalds just trying to keep everyone from getting sick like I did.
Thanks for sharing this Amanda!
Tell me about it im allergic to milk and i just found out today they use milk in there buns y do they put milk in everything i suggest they have option wheat bread with no milk
Hi Don,
According to the nutritional information on the website, the buns are dairy free: http://nutrition.mcdonalds.com/getnutrition/ingredientslist.pdf
Every English muffin says contains milk (whey) in the grocery store. I had one yesterday after reading suggestions here and got sick…then went to store and saw enlist muffins have milk.
Hi Sherry, indeed, many brands of English muffins contain dairy, but not all do. Trader Joe’s, for example, has dairy-free English muffins. Also, Rudi’s Organic. And yes, the McDonald’s English muffins are made without dairy, per the ingredient link provided here. Perhaps the staff grilled it with butter at the location you went to?
Hi Alisa… How about the french fries? Is it because they’re cooked in oil? Thank you
Hi Alejandra, see the first paragraph of this post! We have included the information.
Oh, and if the fries aren’t listed at all, it’s because they do contain dairy themselves.
The new chicken wraps are yummy and dairy free if you say no cheese and no ranch or garlic sauce. I subbed them for mayo. Just thought I would share since they are a new product. I had to ask them to verify for me.
Thanks for sharing Marisa!
McDonald’s butters their buns. Just an FYI. I came home with a migraine after eating a quarter pounder.
The last two times that I have gotten really sick was after eating the sausage patties. I made it a habit of steering clear of the Big M. I have not eaten there since 2008 and life is good.
I just attempted to eat at McDonalds yesterday and asked about an allergen pamphlet. The manager brought me a 3 ring binder which clearly listed their french fries as having dairy. Also, every single one of their breakfast items contains dairy. It all comes pre-mixed so you can’t even ask for it to be cheese free and actually get it cheese free. We discovered this a few weeks ago while traveling. Best bet is just to steer clear of McDonalds. 🙁
They used to have biscuits made without milk. Not sure recently as the little girl is now a mother and buys her own food.At least MCD tell you may be cross contamination. Heard about a hospital that removed the berry off someone’s food and served it.
Hi I am new to dairy free and have wondered in bread products if “Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate” is something to steer clear of?
Its listed in the McDonalds buns and many breads I have looked into buying but it only lists wheat as an allergen…
See these two posts to answer your questions Mallorie:
http://www.godairyfree.org/dairy-free-information/new-to-the-dairy-free-diet-start-here
http://www.godairyfree.org/dairy-free-grocery-shopping-guide/dairy-ingredient-list-2
Can you tell me if the potatoes in the mcskillet has cheese? I’ve been ordering them without cheese but one of the workers said they did. I couldn’t see why or where the cheese would be at?
See the link provided in this post to read the ingredients at McDonald’s. This one is for the U.S. Keep in mind that ingredients and menu items vary by country.
Yes, they do. We asked to have it without cheese, and upon inspection, found cheese. The employee informed us that its all pre-packaged so they can’t remove cheese. They can only refrain from adding more cheese.
I am on antibiotics that state to stay clear of dairy products for 2 hours before and 2 hours after taking them. I love McDonald’s coffee with creamer, and i was wondering if the creamer was a dairy or non-dairy product? Please help, thanks!
“non-dairy” creamer typically contains a small amount of dairy protein (casein), unless specifically identified as dairy-free or vegan. See this page for more information: http://www.godairyfree.org/ask-alisa/ask-alisa-does-my-non-dairy-food-have-dairy-in-it
When ordering egg mcmuffins please remember to specify no butter. Normally the English muffins are brushed with butter when they come out if the bun toaster. (Same with English muffins served with the Big Breakfast) You can hold the cheese all you want and still get exposed to dairy by accident.
Hello Alisa i was wondering if you know by any chance if chicken nuggets and fries at Mcdonalds contain any type of dairy. I have looked everywhere and found websites that say they do, and say they do not. I am critical Lactose intolerant with only 6% enzymes and can be damaged if I eat any of these products. Please help! Thanks!
Michael, that is probably because they are different in the U.S. and Canada, so some will say it is dairy-free, while others will not. See the listing above if you are looking for U.S. and the link to their website for current allergy details. If looking for Canada, that is a different listing here on our site.
Alisa,
do you know if McDonalds Mighty Wings contain dairy. I cannot find this information anywhere.
What about the buns?
Please see the post above for lists and links to more information.
My friend found out that the ice cream is wheat and soy, no dairy.. her friend is able to eat it with no trouble..
I’m so sorry, but according to the company, the ice cream is most definitely dairy. Here are the ingredients from their site: Milk, sugar, cream, nonfat milk solids, corn syrup solids, mono- and diglycerides, guar gum, dextrose, sodium citrate, artificial vanilla flavor, sodium phosphate, carrageenan, disodium phosphate, cellulose gum, vitamin A palmitate. It isn’t a soy ice cream.
I too found that the McDonalds ice cream never makes me sick; even “tested” this by getting a cone every day this week 🙂 and had no intolerance or allergy symptoms.
Just in case anyone else is from the UK, avoid Chicken Products! all McD;s chicken in the UK is padded with Milk Protein.
Oh By the way here is the listed ingredients of the sausage patty
I am new to being dairy free so is there a by-prouduct i am missing or unaware of?
Sausage Patty
Pork, water, seasoning (salt, corn syrup solids, spices, dextrose, sugar, spice extractives), preservatives (BHA, citric acid and propyl gallate).
(copy & pasted from website)
Hi Jeana – Thank you for the update! The ingredient list you are looking at from McDonald’s is more recent than my last update (I put the last revision date at the bottom of each fast food listing). I’ve added the sausage patty which does appear to be made without dairy ingredients.
Keep in mind, cross-contamination in fast food restaurants is very likely. If you are sure you had a dairy reaction, it was likely due to cross-contamination with another dairy product. I’ve never seen a fast food chain where they could say there was “no way” it came in contact. I have to agree though that coffee seems unlikely.
I have a question….. on the website for McDonald’s they say that the sausage patty is dairy free, but it is not listed above as a breakfast food that is dairy free….. in my experience i tryed it in an egg & sausage mcmuffin hold the cheese (with a small black coffee) and had a reaction….so the next time all i ordered was a hamburger (have not had a reaction to the regular hamburger with extra onions and mustard) and a black coffee…. had a reaction. then one day i got just a coffee and had a reaction…..when i went back into the same location for lunch (my son had an all day state competition closest place was Mickey D’s) i asked if the creamer or anything else with dairy or dairy by-prouducts could have come in contact…. they said no there is no way.
here is my question….
has anyone had a reaction to the sausage patties or the coffee???
I’ve had a problem with the sausage patties before but the reason why i assume is that there was a slice of cheese on it then scraped off. Many times I could see where that was the case.
They butter their English muffins you have to ask not to