Fortunately, the Red Lobster gluten free menu offers tons of delicious options for anyone who needs to avoid gluten. But there are still some things to keep in mind when choosing their GF options from their menu.
Most of the seafood items on their menu are naturally gluten free. However, when dining at Red Lobster, I recommend telling your server about your dietary restrictions so you can get firsthand information if there is a risk of cross-contamination.
Some items may be marked gluten free, but cross-contamination is possible.
If you're interested in learning all there is to the Red Lobster gluten free menu, keep reading this article. I'll share all their current GF items and answer your most frequently asked questions.
🍽️ Can you eat gluten free at Red Lobster?
Yes, and better than at most chains. Grilled fish, steamed crab and lobster, steaks, baked potatoes, broccoli, and most dressings carry no wheat or gluten in Red Lobster's own allergen guide. What you have to work around is the kitchen, not the menu.
Here is the part nobody tells you. Red Lobster marks almost every hot menu item with a special cross-contamination warning, so the safe list and the actually-safe-for-celiac list are two different lists. I have separated them below.
Verified September 2026 against Red Lobster's published US Allergen Guide, the edition valid 8/17/2026.
Is Red Lobster Gluten Free?
While not all items on the Red Lobster menu are gluten free, they do offer a variety of dishes that are suitable for those avoiding gluten.
Red Lobster is committed to providing a variety of options for all its customers, including those with dietary restrictions. They have made it a point to include gluten free options on their menu, making it easier to dine out without worrying about your dietary needs.
They state on their official website that it's best to call and inquire about specific items before visiting the restaurant, and that's what I highly recommend you do!
Simply call them at 1-800-LOBSTER (800-562-7837), Monday through Friday (10:00 a.m. - 4 p.m. ET), or send them an email. They say they need at least 3 days to investigate any inquiry.
What Changed Since I Last Updated This Page
I rebuilt this guide from Red Lobster's current allergen document, and a lot has moved. If you read this page a while ago, please read this part.
⚠️ Worth knowing before you order
- The whole Today's Fresh Fish board is gone from the menu. Tilapia, tuna, halibut, walleye, rainbow trout, sole, snapper, perch, and the rest no longer appear in Red Lobster's allergen guide at all. The fish that is there now is salmon, flounder, and the daily grilled options.
- Orzo rice contains wheat. Orzo is pasta, not rice, and it is what comes with the bowls and the grilled shrimp skewer as standard.
- Both side salads contain wheat and gluten in the current guide, including the House Side Salad listed without dressing. Croutons are the likely reason, so it's worth asking about them.
- Marinara sauce and sesame dressing contain wheat. Marinara was on my old safe list. It should not have been.
- Red Lobster's allergen guide never uses the words gluten free menu. It reports which items contain gluten, and that is a different promise.
What Is Gluten Free at Red Lobster
These items contain no wheat or gluten, according to Red Lobster's allergen guide. Most of them also carry the cross-contamination marker I explained above, so treat this as the ordering list rather than a celiac-safe list.
✅ No wheat or gluten in the ingredients
Crab and lobster
- Snow crab legs, and Snow or Bairdi crab with crispy potatoes
- Live Maine lobster, steamed
- Maine lobster tail, Rock lobster tail, Petite Maine tail, Fluff Maine tail, Wishbone Maine tail grilled
- Lobster Lover's Duo
- Every Crab Your Way flavor: Cajun, Lemon Pepper, Mike's Hot Honey, OLD BAY and Butter, RL Signature, Roasted Garlic, Simply Steamed
- All four boil spice levels and the Cajun sausage add-on
Fish, shrimp and scallops
- Fresh Grilled Salmon, and Atlantic Salmon
- Salmon New Orleans, half or full
- Garlic Shrimp Scampi. It is also the one Endless Shrimp option with no wheat or gluten, so it is the pick if you are doing Endless Shrimp
- Shrimp Cocktail
- Bacon-Wrapped Sea Scallops
- Grilled Shrimp, on the kids' menu
Steak and chicken
- 7 oz. Grilled Sirloin and 6 oz. Grilled Filet Mignon
- Garlic Lover's Sirloin and Garlic Lover's Filet Mignon
- Both Surf and Turf plates, with the sirloin or the filet
- Grilled Chicken Tenders, on the kids' menu
Sides
- Baked potato, plain or loaded
- Mashed potatoes, plain or loaded
- Seasoned broccoli, and the kids' fresh broccoli
- Coleslaw
- Roasted asparagus
- Chesapeake Fries, with a caveat I explain below
Sauces, dressings and sweets
- Cocktail sauce, tartar sauce, barbecue sauce, ketchup
- Melted butter, whipped butter, sour cream
- Caesar, ranch, blue cheese, honey mustard, French, lime vinaigrette, jalapeño ranch
- Piña colada sauce
- Vanilla ice cream, Surf's Up Sundae, orange wedges
The Chesapeake Fries need a sentence of their own. Red Lobster lists no allergens for them, so the fries themselves contain no wheat. But they carry the cross-contamination marker, and they come on the plate with the fried fish and the sandwiches. If you are celiac, the fries are an ask-the-kitchen item and not a free pass.
What to Avoid at Red Lobster
These contain wheat and gluten, according to Red Lobster's current guide. Some of them genuinely surprised me.
❌ Contains wheat and gluten
The ones people get caught by
- Orzo rice. It is pasta. It comes with all the bowls and the grilled shrimp skewer
- Caesar Side Salad and House Side Salad, even without dressing
- Marinara sauce and sesame dressing
- Lobster bisque and New England clam chowder
- Crab-topped and lobster-topped potatoes, asparagus and mashed potatoes. The topping is the problem
- Crispy Brussels sprouts and Bacon Mac and Cheese
The obvious ones
- Cheddar Bay Biscuits
- Every breaded and fried shrimp: Walt's Favorite, Popcorn, Parrot Isle Coconut, Crispy Dragon, and the new Garlic Bread Crusted Shrimp
- Hand-Breaded Calamari, Mozzarella Cheesesticks, Hush Puppies, Lobster Dip, Lobster Flatbread, Seafood-Stuffed Mushrooms
- Fish and Chips, Crunch-Fried Flounder, Golden-Fried Fish, Hand-Breaded Chicken Tenders
- All four linguini pastas, and Lobster Pasta Au Gratin
- Parmesan-Crusted Chicken, the Cheeseburger, the Grilled Chicken Sandwich
- Admiral's Feast, Sailor's Platter, Ultimate Feast, Weekday Shrimp Trio, stuffed Live Maine Lobster
- Brownie Overboard, Chocolate Wave, Key Lime Pie, Strawberry Cheesecake Bliss
- Macaroni and Cheese on the kids' menu
Red Lobster Allergen Menu Chart
Here are the popular items side by side, with the other big allergens too, since a lot of us are avoiding more than one thing. CC means Red Lobster flags that item for a special risk of cross-contamination because of how it is cooked.
| Menu item | Contains gluten? | CC risk | Other allergens listed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snow Crab Legs | No | Yes | Crustacean shellfish, dairy |
| Live Maine Lobster, steamed | No | Yes | Crustacean shellfish |
| Maine Lobster Tail | No | Yes | Crustacean shellfish, dairy, soy |
| Fresh Grilled Salmon | No | Yes | Finfish, dairy, sulfites |
| Salmon New Orleans | No | Yes | Crustacean shellfish, finfish, dairy, soy, sulfites |
| 7 oz. Grilled Sirloin | No | Yes | Dairy, sulfites |
| 6 oz. Grilled Filet Mignon | No | Yes | Dairy, sulfites |
| Garlic Shrimp Scampi | No | Yes | Crustacean shellfish, dairy, soy, sulfites |
| Shrimp Cocktail | No | Yes | Crustacean shellfish |
| Bacon-Wrapped Sea Scallops | No | Yes | Molluscan shellfish, dairy, soy, sulfites |
| Baked Potato | No | No | None listed |
| Mashed Potatoes | No | No | Dairy, soy |
| Broccoli, seasoned | No | No | Dairy, soy |
| Coleslaw | No | No | Egg, sulfites |
| Chesapeake Fries | No | Yes | None listed |
| Orzo Rice | Yes | No | Wheat |
| Caesar Side Salad | Yes | Yes | Wheat, dairy, egg, finfish, sulfites |
| House Side Salad, no dressing | Yes | Yes | Wheat, dairy |
| Cheddar Bay Biscuits | Yes | Yes | Wheat, dairy, soy |
| Walt's Favorite Shrimp | Yes | Yes | Wheat, egg, dairy, crustacean shellfish, sulfites, soy |
| Popcorn Shrimp | Yes | Yes | Wheat, egg, dairy, crustacean shellfish, soy, sulfites, sesame |
| New England Clam Chowder | Yes | Yes | Wheat, dairy, molluscan shellfish, soy, finfish, sulfites |
| Lobster Bisque | Yes | Yes | Wheat, dairy, crustacean shellfish, finfish, soy, sulfites |
| Shrimp Linguini Alfredo | Yes | Yes | Wheat, dairy, egg, crustacean shellfish, soy, sulfites |
| Fish and Chips | Yes | Yes | Wheat, egg, finfish, sulfites |
| Crab-Topped Baked Potato | Yes | Yes | Wheat, dairy, crustacean shellfish, soy, sulfites |
| Marinara Sauce | Yes | No | Wheat |
| Sesame Dressing | Yes | No | Wheat, soy, sesame |
| Brownie Overboard | Yes | No | Wheat, dairy, egg, soy, tree nut |
| Macaroni & Cheese, kids | Yes | Yes | Wheat, dairy |
Cross-Contamination at Red Lobster
This is what makes Red Lobster different from most chains I have written about, and it is worth two minutes of your time.
Red Lobster puts a special marker next to menu items that carry, in their words, a special risk of cross-contamination of all allergens because of the cooking method. It is not a footnote on a couple of fried things. I counted it on 48 of the 76 items that are otherwise free of wheat and gluten. Grilled salmon has it. The steaks have it. Steamed snow crab legs and steamed Maine lobster have it. Garlic shrimp scampi has it, and so does Salmon New Orleans.
So the honest answer splits in two. If you avoid gluten for comfort or you are moderately sensitive, the list of things with no gluten in the recipe is genuinely long, and you will eat well. If you have celiac disease, that marker is the whole story, and the short list below is where I would start the conversation with your server.
⚠️ If you have celiac disease
These items carry no wheat or gluten in the ingredients and no cross-contamination marker, which makes them the shortest and safest list on the page. Note that this includes all sides, sauces, and desserts. This list has no main course, which is the honest headline for anyone with celiac disease.
- Baked potato, plain, or loaded with bacon, cheddar, and green onion
- Mashed potatoes, plain or loaded
- Seasoned broccoli
- Coleslaw
- Vanilla ice cream, and the kids' Surf's Up Sundae
- Orange wedges
- Most dressings and sauces, listed further down
Everything else on the safe list is a conversation with the kitchen rather than a no. Ask them to cook it on clean equipment and see what they say.
How to Order Gluten Free at Red Lobster
💬 What to say at the table
- Say allergy, not preference. It changes how the kitchen handles the order.
- Ask them to pull up the allergen guide. Every location has it, and it is the document this page is built from.
- Swap the orzo. Ask for a baked potato, mashed potatoes, broccoli or coleslaw instead, because orzo comes as standard with several dishes and it is wheat.
- Order it grilled or steamed, and say no seasoning blend or butter sauce if you want to keep it simple.
- Skip both side salads unless the kitchen confirms what is in them.
- Ask about the fryer and the grill. This is the one that matters most here, because of that cross-contamination marker on nearly everything hot.
- The biscuits arrive automatically. Ask them not to bring them to the table if crumbs bother you.
Tips for Ordering Gluten Free at Red Lobster
- Ask for the gluten free Menu: Most Red Lobster locations offer a separate gluten free menu. This will help you easily identify the dishes that are safe for you to eat.
- Communicate with Your Server: Tell your server about your dietary restrictions. They can guide you through the menu and may suggest modifications to make certain dishes gluten-free.
- Be Wary of Cross-Contamination: Even if a dish is gluten free, cross-contamination's always a risk in a shared kitchen. If you're highly sensitive to gluten, tell your server.
- Opt for Grilled Options: Grilled seafood is usually a safe bet, as it doesn't require flour or breadcrumbs.
- Check the Sauces and Dressings: These can often contain hidden gluten. It's always a good idea to ask about the ingredients before you order.
- Skip the Biscuits: Unfortunately, Red Lobster's famous Cheddar Bay Biscuits are not gluten free. But don't let that dampen your spirits; plenty of other delicious options are available!
- Ask About the Day's Fresh Fish: Red Lobster's fresh fish selection changes daily and is often a safe gluten free choice.
History of Red Lobster
Red Lobster was founded in 1968 when Bill Darden and Charley Woodsby opened the first Red Lobster in Lakeland, Florida.
Their mission was to bring affordable, high-quality seafood to the masses. They wanted to break the myth that seafood was only for the affluent and special occasions. The concept was a hit, and Red Lobster started expanding rapidly.
By the 1970s, the restaurant had become a national phenomenon, reaching the northern states and even Canada. In 1970, General Mills acquired Red Lobster, further fuelled its expansion, and introduced the iconic "Popcorn Shrimp" in 1974.
Today, Red Lobster has over 700 locations worldwide, including China, Japan, Thailand, Turkey, Hong Kong, and Malaysia.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Red Lobster have a dedicated gluten-free menu?
Are all Red Lobster locations gluten-free friendly?
Can I eat the Cheddar Bay Biscuits if I'm gluten-free?
Is the lobster gluten-free?
❓ More Red Lobster gluten free questions
Are Red Lobster biscuits gluten free?
No. Cheddar Bay Biscuits contain wheat, dairy and soy, and there is no gluten free version. The boxed biscuit mix you buy in the grocery store is wheat flour too, so that is not a workaround.
Are Red Lobster fries gluten free?
The Chesapeake Fries have no allergens listed, so there is no wheat in the fries. But they carry Red Lobster's cross-contamination marker, so if you are celiac, you need to ask how and where they are fried.
Is the shrimp scampi gluten free?
Garlic Shrimp Scampi contains no wheat or gluten in the current guide, which makes it one of the better hot dishes here. It does have dairy, soy, sulfites, and shellfish, and it carries the cross-contamination marker.
Where can I find the Red Lobster allergen menu?
Red Lobster publishes it as a PDF at redlobster.com/allergen_guide-USA, and that link always points to the current edition. They reissue it every couple of months, so check the date on the cover before you rely on it.
Is the pasta gluten free?
No. All four linguini dishes and the Lobster Pasta Au Gratin contain wheat, and so does the orzo rice that comes with the bowls. There is no gluten free pasta option on the menu.
Find all my Gluten Free Menus here!
More gluten free restaurant guides
- Olive Garden gluten free menu
- Texas Roadhouse gluten free menu
- Chili's gluten free menu
- Cheesecake Factory gluten free menu
- Applebee's gluten free menu
Menu information last verified September 2026 against Red Lobster's US Allergen Guide, edition valid 8/17/2026. Always confirm with your server, because restaurant recipes change.
Karen Kelly
Karen Kelly is a nationally syndicated food and travel writer, founder of Seasonal Cravings, and co-founder of The Roam Report. She develops approachable seasonal recipes and covers travel and lifestyle trends. Her work has appeared in numerous media outlets, including Yahoo, Taste of Home, Apple News, NBC, FOX, and other national and regional publications.
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