Updated 2021! Whataburger is a fast food hamburger chain that can be found throughout the Southeastern and Southwestern United States. They have a traditional indulgent menu with several dairy-free burger, sandwich, and French fry options.
Whataburger offers quite a few options for dairy-free diners, but please take note of their inconsistencies below. I’ve followed up with their staff on issues with labeling, but they don’t always get fixed.
No Dairy (Milk-Based) Ingredients (see disclaimer below)
Menu Items
- Burgers (see Allergen Note below) – Whataburger, Double Meat Whataburger, Triple Meat Whataburger, Whataburger Jr., Double Meat Whataburger Jr., Justaburger Kids, Jalapeno Whataburger (no cheese), Bacon Whataburger (no cheese), Green Chile Double (no cheese)
- Chicken – Grilled Chicken Sandwich (see Allergen Notes), Chicken Fajita Taco, Honey BBQ Chicken Strip Sandwich (see Allergen Notes), Whatachick’n Chicken Strips (see Allergen Notes), Grilled Chicken Melt (no cheese)
- Fish (see Allergen Notes) – Whatacatch Sandwich, Whatacatch Dinner
- Salads – Apple & Cranberry Chicken Salad (no cheese), Garden Salad (no cheese)
- Salad Dressings & Dipping Sauces – Balsamic Vinaigrette, Herb Vinaigrette, Honey Pepper Vinaigrette, Thousand Island, Honey Mustard, Jalapeno Ranch, Honey BBQ
- Breakfast – Breakast on a Bun (no cheese), Egg Sandwich (no cheese), Egg (not Scrambled), Potatoes, Sausage, Bacon, Hash Brown Sticks (see Allergen Notes)
- Sides – French Fries (see Allergen Notes), Apple Slices
- Desserts – Fruit Chews
Components to Help Customize Your Order
- Bread Products (see Allergen Notes) – Large White Bun, Small White Bun, Brioche Bun, Texas Toast, Flour Tortilla
- Meats – Beef Patty, Grilled Chicken Fillet, Whatacatch Fish Filet (see Allergen Notes), Pork Sausage Patty, Pork Sausage Crumbles, Bacon
- Toppings – Bacon, Jalapenos, Avocado, Fire Roasted Mushroom, Grilled Peppers & Onions, Fire Roasted Vegetable Blend, Green Chiles, Diced Onions, Tomatoes, Lettuce, Pickles
- Condiments – Whatasauce, Whataburger Savory Sauce, BBQ Sauce, Honey BBQ Sauce, Tartar Sauce, Picante Sauce, Mustard, Ketchup, Mayonnaise, Pancake Syrup
- Cooking Seasonings – Bun Oil, Liquid Margarine, Special Seasoning, Fry Salt
Other Allergen Notes
- Fried items are cooked in a shared fryer, where cross-contamination with dairy and other allergens may occur. The Whatachicken and Spicy Whatachicken Filets do contain milk.
- Please note that the Chicken “Strips” are made without dairy, but the Chicken “Bites” do contain dairy.
- Whataburger buns are made without dairy, eggs, and tree nuts (they do contain wheat and soy), but the white buns are manufactured in a facility that uses all of these top allergens.
- Their Whatacatch Fish Filet is made without dairy ingredients (confirmed by their staff). At the time of review, they had a “milk” label on that menu item, but they told us it was an error and they would remove it. A year later, that same error is still there, along with a “milk” label on the Grilled Chicken Sandwich, which is also made without any dairy. We’re following up again.
- Wheat, soy, and egg are commonly used in their recipes. We didn’t note any nut- or peanut-containing items, but confirm with the company on potential cross-contamination issues, if needed. They do have some “made in a facility with nuts” items.
- Their Hot Apple & Lemon Pies don’t appear to contain any milk ingredients, but they do have a “contains milk” statement. We’re following up to find out if this is an error, too!
More Details from Whataburger
Allergen Disclaimer: We didn’t note a special disclaimer from the company, but as with all restaurants, cross-contamination of allergens is a possibility. Check at the restaurant on ingredients and preparation if concerned.
Restaurant Website: whataburger.com
Allergen Information: They no longer have a nutrition section online, but you can look at ingredients and allergen info for each menu item on their website.
*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 20, 2021
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What Others Are Saying ...
CROSS CONTAMINATION RISK
I have not had a consistent response from the cashiers at three locations I go to. I was told that bun oil contained butter; but an ingredient list was not offered. Aside from this I do not see that they have cross contamination procedures in place for patties / cheese slices to be isolated on the grill.
Response from Go Dairy Free
As noted above from Whataburger corporate, the bun oil does not contain any dairy, and neither does their liquid margarine. Both are simply oil-based. They do not use real butter for cooking.
Here are the Bun Oil Ingredients: Liquid and hydrogenated soybean oil, soy lecithin, natural & artificial flavor, beta-carotene (color), TBHQ and citric acid added to protect flavor, dimethylpolysiloxane, an anti-foaming agent added.
Whataburger over other burgers
I prefer whataburger over other burger places knowing that I can send pretty much anyone to get food here for me and be safe! Large menu with a lot of options.
Whataburger Buns
Their buns are coated in bun oil which contains butter. Make sure to ask for no bun oil.
Response from Go Dairy Free
As noted in the post above, the bun oil is made without dairy, according to the company. We even checked via inquiry previously. The ingredients are: Liquid and hydrogenated soybean oil, soy lecithin, natural & artificial flavor, beta-carotene (color), TBHQ and citric acid added to protect flavor, dimethylpolysiloxane, an anti-foaming agent added.
More expensive
Have not tasted anything from Whataburger that is better than anyone else except for their ketchup.
5 Comments
I have found very few breads that are dairy free. Is whataburger claiming that their buns are dairy free then?
The buns used on the listed burgers are stated as dairy free. You can use the link I’ve included here to verify and view ingredients.
Their site has an allergen list for each item.
Their hamburgers do not list dairy as one of the them.
Hey, Alisa! My name is also Alisa 🙂 there aren’t too many of us. Thank you so much for the website, it has been a lifesaver for me while ting to navigate food with a casein allergy. I use it on the daily!
I love it! Yes, there are very few of us 🙂 I’m so happy that my website is helpful for you!