Making the Most of Potbelly’s Gluten Free Menu: Safe Choices and Best Practices

Potbelly gluten free menu items primarily include soups, salads, desserts and drinks but those who are determined to get a sandwich may order the ingredients on the side and BYOY, or bring their own bread.¹

But knowing how to order gluten free at Potbelly goes beyond that so we’ll also offer instructions on how to order their salads GF alongside a full list of their gluten free options to pick form.

Are There Gluten Free Options at Potbelly?

The list of Potbelly gluten-free options is quite impressive, with dozens of sandwich toppings and salad ingredients making the list.

On top of that, there are indulgent gluten free dessert options and a solid selection of GF snacks and soups. If someone knows the right way to order Potbelly without gluten, then there’s a lot to enjoy here.

Source: boblin via Canva.com²

Knowing how to order gluten free Potbelly is key because there are a few pitfalls. For instance, those gluten free desserts at Potbelly aren’t gluten free by default, but staff will prepare them in a gluten free manner on request.

Speaking of which, Potbelly policy recommends that any customers with food allergies or conditions such as celiac disease speak to the manager before making their order.³ This doesn’t just provide an on-hand resource for guidance on what’s safe to eat, but also translates into special instruction for staff.

Even if a food is gluten free, careless handling can result in cross contamination that can be harmful to a celiac.⁴

This is also why Whataburger fries aren’t gluten free; the cross-contamination is so severe that the fries have unsafe levels of gluten (although, there are other Whataburger gluten free options to consider).⁵

The manager will help ensure that staff don’t contaminate gluten-free orders with crumbs or residue from the bread and croutons, which contain gluten.

Just like many popular chains such as Waffle House, gluten free options at Potbelly don’t include any GF versions of bread and wheat-based products.

Does Potbelly Have Gluten-Free Bread?

Potbelly offers three types of bread, which are regular white bread, multigrain, and flat. All three types of bread are wheat-based and strictly off-limits to someone with celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity.⁶

This might seem like it rules out the sandwiches altogether, but that’s not quite the case.

Even without gluten free bread, there’s still a wide range of sandwich toppings that are suitable for gluten free eating…they just can’t be eaten with the bread from the restaurant.

It’s not unheard of for people who don’t eat gluten to BYOB – bring your own bread – since the sandwich toppings are mostly wheat-free. However, that’s a lot of trouble to go through to eat out at a restaurant.

A more practical alternative is to just eat bread-free at Potbelly. Much like eating gluten free White Castle, replacing the bread with a lettuce wrap may be an option to eat sandwiches.

Plus, all of the gluten-free meats and sandwich toppings are clear to eat as part of a salad. The Potbelly gluten-free menu also includes a diverse range of salad ingredients, toppings, and dressings.

Are Salads at Potbelly Gluten-Free?

While not all salads at Potbelly are gluten free, the majority of options are. The tuna salad and chicken salad are both gluten free, for instance. Custom salads come on a bed of romaine lettuce mixed with other greens, and this blend is gluten free.

From there, customers can order any combination of toppings they want to make a salad that’s gluten free, vegan, or otherwise complies with any dietary needs they have.

The gluten free salad toppings at Potbelly are quite diverse and include hummus, additional greens, candied walnuts, and more.

While the croutons are wheat-based and contain high levels of gluten, it’s simple to ask for a salad without them. Almost all salad condiments and dressings are gluten free, as well.

Is There Gluten in Potbelly Salad Dressings?

There are sixteen items on the Potbelly menu for salads and salad dressings, and only one of them contains gluten. That item is the Potbelly croutons, not any of the dressings.

There are four different vinaigrettes as well as a buttermilk ranch dressing on the Potbelly menu, and they’re all gluten free. With that many options, Potbelly is the ideal choice for a gluten free salad shop.

The Full Potbelly Gluten Free Menu

It’s ironic that Potbelly is an excellent gluten free restaurant, not for its famous sandwiches but for its salad bar. Almost everything at the restaurant is gluten free except for the bread, and while that’s a shame, it still leaves an impressive line of options for people who eat gluten free.

It’s easy to order a full gluten free meal with main dish, side, and dessert at Potbelly, and the shop also has to-go eating covered with some prepackaged, ready-to-eat gluten free items.

GF Meats & Toppings

Potbelly offers dozens of gluten free items just within its lineup of sandwich meats and toppings. The lack of gluten free bread is an obstacle, especially since Potbelly doesn’t seem to have an official policy in regards to providing lettuce wraps as an alternative to bread.

This is the typical hack to make restaurant sandwiches gluten free, but it basically comes down to the discretion of the staff.

Source: erndndr via Canva.com⁷

However, Potbelly does have other progressive policies regarding food allergens so it seems unlikely that the staff wouldn’t be accommodating. In any event, the sandwich toppings and meats that are on the gluten free menu at Potbelly are:

• Italian Meat – Mortadello
• Italian Meat – Pepperoni
• Turkey Breast
• Smoked Ham
• Grilled Chicken
• Mayo
• Mushrooms
• Tuna Salad
• Chicken Salad
• Roast Beef
• Pastrami
• Tomatoes
• Onions
• Pickle
• Oil (highly refined soybean oil)
• Roasted Red Peppers
• Mustard
• Hot Peppers
• Italian Meat – Salami
• Bacon
• Iceberg Lettuce
• Artichokes
• Avocado
• Italian Meat – Capicolla
• Hummus
• Marinara
• Peanut Butter
• Jelly
• Italian Seasonings

GF Cheese

All cheese options at Potbelly are gluten free. They’re suitable, GF choices for lettuce-wrapped sandwiches as well as salads. The five cheeses that Potbelly currently offers are:

• Swiss
• Provolone
• Cheddar
• Blue Cheese
• Feta

Salad Ingredients Without Gluten

Salads are the backbone of the gluten free options available at Potbelly. The core ingredients available offer a nice mixture of sweet and savory options that customers can use to tailor a salad to their liking.

Those who like a more classical salad can opt for cherry tomatoes and cucumber, while people like a touch of sweetness can ask for chopped apples and candied walnuts. In any course, the end result is a healthy, satisfying, gluten free meal.

• Romaine Lettuce
• Iceberg Lettuce
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Grapes
• Hard Boiled Egg
• Blue Cheese
• Hummus
• Cucumbers
• Chickpeas
• Apples
• Candied Walnuts

Condiments & Salad Dressings Without Gluten

Almost all Potbelly locations offer five dressings, and all of them are gluten free. The citrus and balsamic vinaigrette will be familiar to anyone who enjoys making their own salad, but there’s also a proprietary Potbelly Vinaigrette.

The buttermilk ranch is higher in calories, but also provides a creamy touch that many people like in their salads. Only shops in New York City lack the full range of options, as they don’t carry the Non-Fat Vinaigrette. Otherwise, the range of dressings available at Potbelly includes:

• Buttermilk Ranch
• Non-Fat Vinaigrette
• Citrus Vinaigrette
• Potbelly Vinaigrette
• Balsamic Vinaigrette

Gluten Free Sides, Salads, & Soups

Thick, tasty soups are another hallmark of Potbelly, but the majority of soups have wheat-based ingredients. This rules them out for people with celiac disease or other gluten intolerances, which only leaves three soup options.

In addition to those gluten-free soups, there are several side salads without gluten available at Potbelly. Overall, the options for gluten free sides and breakfast items consists of the following:

• Classic Tomato Soup
• Sriracha Black Bean Soup
• Garden Vegetable Soup
• Potato Salad
• Coleslaw
• Breakfast sausage

Gluten Free Fresh To Go Items

Food that’s quick and convenient can be hard to come by for a celiac or otherwise gluten intolerant person. It’s even more difficult to find food that’s healthy as well, but Potbelly largely has that base covered.

All of the Fresh to Go items at Potbelly are gluten free, except for the yogurt parfait with granola. Out of the remaining items, some are quick snacks like the hard boiled egg two pack, but there are also full meals based around the chicken and tuna salad.

Overall, there’s a good range of options for gluten intolerant people to take and eat on the go.

• Hard-boiled Egg 2 pack
• Seasonal Fruit
• Chicken Salad Square Meal
• Tuna Salad Square Meal
• Tomato Cucumber Salad
• Chicken Salad Salad

Shakes & Smoothies

On the Potbelly menu, the lineup of dessert drinks is referred to as “Shakes, Malts, and Smoothies.”

However, the malts aren’t included here because they all contain considerable amounts of gluten and are decidedly unsafe for consumption by someone with celiac disease. However, the shakes and smoothies are mostly good gluten free choices.

That said, make sure to order the shakes or smoothie without the butter cookie to keep these desserts at Potbelly gluten-free. Shakes, smoothies, and malts come with a butter cookie decorating the straw by default, and any crumbs and residue will add considerable amounts of gluten.

Asking the staff for a shake or smoothie with no butter cookie is the way to enjoy almost every flavor safely.

The one wheat-based exception is the Oreo flavor, which has unsafe levels of gluten whether it’s ordered as a shake, smoothie, or malt. That leaves the following flavors of shakes and smoothies on the Potbelly gluten-free menu:

• Avocado
• Mixed Berry
• Vanilla
• Banana
• Strawberry
• Coffee
• Chocolate

If you’re an ice cream fan, there are Dippin’ Dots gluten free options and it’s worth checking them out. Just avoid flavors with gluten add-ins and watch out for the risk of cross contamination.

Fan-Favorite GF Free Options at Potbelly + Sample Order

There are fan favorite Potbelly options across every category, from salads and shakes to soups and other side dishes. It’s a particularly good option for the lunch break, as someone can pop in and get a satisfying meal as well as a snack to take back to work.

A few examples of items that keep gluten intolerant people coming back are:

• Custom salad with gluten free toppings and buttermilk ranch dressing
• Mixed berry milkshake without butter cookie
• Sriracha black bean soup
• Chicken salad square meal

With these fan-favorites in mind, all that’s left is to know how to order gluten free Potbelly.

How To Order Potbelly Gluten Free (Precautions To Avoid Gluten Ingredients & Cross Contamination)

As mentioned above, Potbellys’ sandwiches can be eaten if you BYOB or bring your own bread, but otherwise you can choose from soups, salads, and sides. Even then, there’s some precautions you should take with each of those menu categories.

Source: urbancow via Canva.com⁸

Avoiding Cross Contamination: The first thing you want to do is request the shop manager and inform them of the a gluten intolerance or sensitivity.

While that might sound awkward at first, there’s no need to be shy as that’s the official Potbelly policy when it comes to serving customers with food allergies. After a quick conversation and some instruction to employees to avoid cross contamination, it’ll be time to order the meal.

Ordering Salads: Anything that’s gluten free above is on the table but important step for a customer to remember here is to clarify that they don’t want any croutons.

With that in mind, one example might be a salad consisting of a bed of greens, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, chickpeas, and feta. Top it off with the buttermilk ranch dressing, and there’s a tasty, gluten free salad.

Ordering Dessert: First of all, avoid the malt altogether and stick to the shakes and smoothies.

Explicitly tell the staff to hold the buttermilk cookie that typically comes as a decoration for the straw.

After that, pick any flavor except the Oreo flavor. An example of a good dessert order is a mixed berry milkshake with no butter cookie.

Ordering Sides: There are no special requests necessary to order the black bean soup or the chicken salad square meal, except that the staff generally try to avoid cross contamination.

The chicken salad square meal is particularly convenient, because it comes pre-packaged and free of gluten, so there are no special precautions to take.

In short, the essential steps to ordering Potbelly gluten-free are to inform the manager and avoid bread, croutons, malts, and butter cookies.

This is similar to eating Denny’s gluten free items, which also relies on avoiding pancakes altogether in favor of other menu items. Other options for eating gluten free include Bon Chon’s gluten free foods.

It can be difficult to find good gluten free options, but Potbelly has gluten intolerant people covered when it comes to salads, soups, and desserts.

As long as someone knows how to order Potbelly gluten free, they can feel comfortable eating out at this restaurant.