Does Subway Have Gluten-Free Bread or Gluten-Free Menu?

Does Subway offer gluten-free bread and other gluten-free menu options? This article is for informational purposes, and readers should do their own due diligence to decide if Subway restaurants are safe for their dietary needs. THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN UPDATED AS OF NOVEMBER 2023. Please see my disclosures.

The moment my doctor called me to diagnose me with celiac disease, I was in the middle of eating a six-inch Subway sandwich and sipping on a Diet Coke.

I was mid-bite into my sandwich when my doctor told me that my blood test revealed I had celiac disease.

I immediately stopped eating my sandwich and tossed it in the trash. It remains the last piece of gluten I’ve ever had (at least knowingly).

If you can’t eat gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, barley, and sometimes oats, due to celiac disease, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, or gluten intolerance, you might wonder if you can still enjoy a meal at Subway.

Does Subway offer gluten-free bread? Is the food prepared safely for people with celiac disease? And is it even worth the trouble – risk – to eat at the famous sandwich chain these days?

Is It Safe to Eat at Subway on a Gluten-Free Diet?

While it’s up to each person to decide if they feel safe eating at a specific restaurant, if you ask my opinion on the matter, I would tell you that if you can’t eat gluten for medical or health reasons, you should not, in good faith, eat at Subway.

However, if you’re avoiding gluten because you’re trying to lose weight or for another non-medical reason, then yes, you can find gluten-free options at Subway. I detail such options below.

Remember, there’s nothing special about Subway that you can’t easily recreate at home. You can make your own gluten-free subway sandwich using gluten-free sub rolls from Schar or Canyon Bakehouse and gluten-free deli meats and vegetables.

You could also go to Jersey Mike’s instead if you’re hankering for a gluten-free subway sandwich. The sandwich chain offers gluten-free bread at all locations, and it has trained its staff to handle gluten-free orders.

I’ve eaten at Jersey Mike’s (read about my experience) and can attest that the restaurant poses little risk for those on a strict gluten-free diet.

Does Subway Have Gluten-Free Bread? (U.S.)

I get a lot of questions about whether or not Subway offers gluten-free bread. At one point, select Subway restaurants in the U.S. carried gluten-free bread. It was made and packaged in a gluten-free facility and then sent to Subway restaurants securely wrapped. It came in a six-inch option only. The bread was NOT baked inside the restaurant like Subway’s signature breads.

As of 2023, however, Subway discontinued its gluten-free bread option. It’s no longer available at any U.S. location. The online menu no longer shows gluten-free bread as an option either.

While I don’t know why Subway discontinued its gluten-free bread, I can tell you that Subway first offered gluten-free bread and brownies at select locations in Texas in 2011 as part of a pilot program, then expanded the program to other cities.

However, today, Subway no longer offers gluten-free bread at any U.S. restaurant.

Does Subway Offer Gluten-Free Bread Outside of the U.S.?

All Subway Canada restaurants offered gluten-free bread until February 2018, then it was left it up to individual franchisees to decide whether to continue offering it.

Subway said in a 2017 Tweet, “Our gluten-free bread is available at a vast majority of restaurants in Canada. Ask your Sandwich Artist for availability before ordering!”

A member of the Gluten-Free Diet Support Group on Facebook from British Columbia, Canada, confirmed in September 2021 that the Subway near her had gluten-free bread.

All Subway restaurants in the UK offer gluten-free bread, too. In a Tweet from June 2022, Subway UK confirmed that gluten-free bread is part of its “core menu.”

In March 2023, Subway tweeted that it would no longer offer gluten-free bread in the UK; but then it reversed this decision shortly thereafter.

To be honest, I can’t say for sure which UK locations offer gluten-free bread because Subway can’t seem to make up!

Gluten-Free Menu Options at Subway (U.S.)

While Subway does NOT have a gluten-free menu, it still offers a variety of foods that can be made without gluten.

(1) Sandwich Meats

Most of its sandwich meats do not contain gluten, although the restaurant chain says its “meats” and sandwich ingredients are prepared on shared equipment. This means they cannot guarantee any menu item is 100% gluten-free as-is.

Please refer to Subway’s Allergen chart for the latest ingredient information, and be sure to inquire within, as menu items and ingredients can change.

As of November 2023, sandwich “meats” that do not contain gluten ingredients (but may be subject to cross-contamination) include:

• Bacon strips
• Oven-roasted chicken patty
• Grilled chicken
• Cold-cut combo meats
• Egg omelet patty
• Egg white omelet patty
• Genoa salami
• Ham (Black Forest)
• Italian BMT Meats (ham, pepperoni, salami)
• Pepperoni
• Rotisserie-style chicken
• Spicy Italian meats
• Steak
• Tuna salad
• Turkey breast, oven roasted
• Chicken, grilled with buffalo sauce
• Pastrami
• Veggie Patty

Please note that the Grilled Chicken with Teriyaki Sauce and the Meatballs and Marinara contain gluten.

(2) Cheese and Condiments

All cheeses, condiments, vegetable toppings, and dressings are made without gluten. The only sauce that contains gluten is the Sweet Onion Teriyaki Sauce.

(3) No Bready Bowls & Salads

If you must eat at Subway, again, knowing there’s a high risk of gluten cross-contamination, I recommend ordering either a No-Bready Bowl (formerly known as Protein Bowls) or salad.

No-Bready Bowls launched in January 2021 and are basically footlong sandwiches without the bread. The following No-Bready Bowls appear to contain no gluten. Again, avoid the Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki and Meatball Marinara protein bowls.)

• Black Forest Ham
• Buffalo Chicken
• B.L.T.
• Cold Cut Combo
• Grilled Chicken
• Italian B.M.T.
• Oven Roasted Turkey
• Oven Roasted Turkey & Ham
• Pizza Sub
• Roast Beef
• Rotisserie-Style Chicken
• Spicy Italian
• Steak & Cheese
• Tuna

The following salads can also be made without gluten, and you should request extra fresh veggies and maybe even double protein to ensure a filling meal:

• Grilled Chicken
• Italian B.M.T.
• Oven Roasted Turkey
• Oven Roasted Turkey & Ham
• Pizza Sub
• Roast Beef
• Rotisserie-Style Chicken (pictured below)
• Spicy Italian
• Steak & Cheese
• Tuna
• Veggie Delight

Again, avoid the Meatball Marinara and Sweet Onion & Teriyaki salads; both contain gluten.

What to Avoid at Subway

Avoid the following gluten-containing items at Subway:

• Bread
• Flatbreads
• Wraps
• Cookies
• Grilled Chicken with Teriyaki Sauce
• Meatball Marinara
• Sweet Onion & Teriyaki
• Beef Chili with Beans
• Chicken Noodle
• Broccoli and Cheddar soup
• Loaded Baked Potato at Subway

At one time, some Subway locations carried wrapped, pre-packaged, certified gluten-free brownies by Rich’s. I no longer see this option on Subway’s website.

How to Order Gluten-Free at Subway

If you’re avoiding gluten but do not have celiac disease, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, gluten intolerance, or other food allergies and still feel comfortable eating at the fast-food chain, you can order a No-Bready Bowl or salad without much fuss.

If you have a medical condition or food allergy treated by a gluten-free diet, I suggest avoiding Subway altogether due to the high risk of cross-contamination.

However, if you must eat at the popular sandwich shop and there are no other options, these are my suggestions for ordering your meal:

• Express the seriousness of your gluten-free diet. Use words like “allergy” even though you may not technically have a wheat allergy or gluten allergy, per se. Allergy is a word the restaurant industry understands.
• Ask the staff to change his or her gloves when handling your sandwich.
• Ask the staff to wipe down the prep surface AND use a fresh wrapper to protect your sandwich or salad from touching the shared surfaces.
• If possible, ask the staff if there are fresh, non-contaminated ingredients from another source (perhaps a fridge in the back?) that he or she can use to prepare your sandwich. If not, assess the situation at the prep station and order wisely.
• Ask the Subway employee to use a clean knife to cut your sandwich or request it not be cut.
• Watch the staff handle your order with an eagle eye. If something doesn’t look or feel right, say something.
• [Optional] If you feel comfortable doing so, ask for the manager to prepare your sandwich.

And here’s what not to do:

• Don’t go to your local Subway restaurant without calling to find out if it carries gluten-free bread. Only select locations have it; you don’t want to get the run-around when you get there. (UPDATE: U.S. Subway locations discontinued gluten-free bread.)
• Don’t go to Subway during the busy lunch rush. Instead, visit during non-peak hours. This will ensure the staff has time to wash hands and attend to your needs without worry of holding up a big line.
• Don’t order Subway for pick-up or delivery. You need to be there, in person, to communicate your needs and watch the staff prepare your food.
• Don’t be mean to the staff. The staff is not trained to handle “allergy” orders, and some may not understand gluten-free like you do.

I will update this article as more information becomes available.

Suggested Additional Reading

For more information on eating out safely gluten-free, download The Ultimate Guide to Eating Out Gluten Free, or purchase my award-winning book, Dear Gluten, It’s Not Me, It’s You.

Also, read the following articles to learn how to eat safely at your favorite restaurants:

• What’s on Jersey Mike’s Gluten-Free Menu?
• Is the Panera Gluten-Free Menu Really Gluten-Free?
• Why McDonald’s Doesn’t Offer a Gluten-Free Menu
• Putting Wendy’s Gluten-Free Menu to the Test
• Eating Gluten-Free at Sonic Drive-In
• What’s Gluten-Free at California Pizza Kitchen
• Restaurants that Offer Gluten-Free French Fries and a List of Gluten-Free French Fry Brands