Eating Gluten-Free at Red Lobster – What Are the Healthiest Options?

If you can’t eat gluten for some reason there are a few different options on the menu for you at Red Lobster – but, what about if you’re also hoping to stay healthy by counting calories, limited fat or watching your sodium intake – what’s the healthiest option then on the Red Lobster gluten-free menu? We found out…

Does Red Lobster Have a Gluten Free Menu?

They don’t specifically section things out in that way on their website, or on the main restaurant menu, but, if you head to the allergy information section on the site, you can use their Food Allergy Wizard which does create a clear, concise breakdown of the items on the menu that class as gluten-free.

In the restaurant, there is also an allergy brochure that you can compare to the menu.

Now as per many chain restaurants, Red Lobster class an item as gluten-free if it doesn’t include gluten as an ingredient in the recipe – but, they do warn you that there is a chance of cross contamination within the restaurant or at other areas of their supply chain.

If you’re just avoiding gluten because you find it makes you feel a bit tired or bloated this might not be as much of a concern as it will be if you, or if someone in your party, has been diagnosed with coeliac/celiac disease when even the smallest amount of gluten has the potential to make them sick.

They do not specify on the website about how items are handled in the kitchen, whether separate serving implements are used or, if a separate deep fat fryer is used so, you might need to ask your server about that – or even better, they say to contact their advice line (1-800-LOBSTER) a few days before your visit just so you know exactly what’s safe for a celiac and what’s not.

What Gluten Free Dishes Are There at Red Lobster?

Unfortunately many of the famous Red Lobster dishes aren’t on the gluten-free menu including Walt’s Famous Shrimp, Coconut Shrimp, the Stuffed Mushrooms and their Clam Chowder. However, there are enough options on the gluten-free menu to give you a decent amount of choice for dinner.

Classic Entrees

There are nine classic entrees on the list including the

Live Maine Lobster (steamed)

The Perfectly Grilled Atlantic Salmon or Rainbow Trout

Salmon New Orleans

Steaks – the 6oz Filet Mignon, the 7oz Sirloin and The 10oz NY Strip

Wild Caught Snow Crab Legs

The Surf and Turf Maine Lobster and 7oz Sirloin Combo

Gluten Free Sides

These all come with a choice of two sides and the sides on their gluten-free list include

Baked Potato

Coleslaw

Broccoli

Loaded Baked Potatoes

Mashed Potatoes

Sea Salted Fries (but do check if these are fried in a different fryer from items like the breaded shrimp)

Gluten Free Combinations

If you’re picking a combination you can include any relevant items from the above list plus the…

Wood Grilled Salmon

Atlantic Salmon – blackened, grilled or oven broiled

Bay Scallops

Garlic Shrimp Scampi

Wild Caught Broiled Flounder

Specials and Limited Items

You’ll also find limited time selections on the menu, but you’ll need to ask your server about these at the time of your visit – they do have a list in the restaurant – or, head to the Food Allergy Wizard to check which are included.

If you’re heading to Red Lobster for one of their ‘all you eat’ specials, Monday’s shrimp is a good choice – you can pick from Garlic Shrimp and Grilled Shrimp, or Steak and Lobster Wednesday is another good day to pick.

The Healthiest Options on the Red Lobster Gluten Free Menu

Most of the items without gluten on the Red Lobster menu are pretty simple, fresh, natural foods which actually means this part of the menu skews towards the lowest levels of calories, fat and sodium – but if you really want the lowest options, what should you order.

The Lowest Calorie Gluten-Free Option at Red Lobster

Apologies if you’ve gone to Red Lobster for seafood as the lowest calorie gluten-free option at Red Lobster is the 6oz Filet Mignon which has 250 calories.

This comes with two sides and if you’re looking to cut your calories here, then you’d choose the mashed potatoes and fresh broccoli which would add 340 calories.

Giving you a total meal calorie count of 590 calories.

There is the possibility of customising the House Salad by removing the croutons which would be slightly lower if you also went without dressing.

If you do want seafood though, the lowest calorie option would be the Wild Caught Snow Crab Legs which have 440 calories per portion. Serve these with the same sides and you’ll be looking at 780 calories a meal.

If other members of your party are also counting their calories – but not ordering from the gluten-free options, check out our guide to Red Lobster calories to see what’s a good idea to pick from other sections of the menu .

The Lowest Fat Gluten-Free Option at Red Lobster

Fish has a reputation of being a low-fat, super healthy food – so it might surprise you to find out that the lowest fat option on the gluten free choices at Red Lobster is that 7oz Sirloin Steak which has just 11g of total fat – and just 3g of saturated fat.

If your doctor has suggested you steer clear of red meat though, you would be best to choose the Perfectly Grilled Rainbow Trout which has 22g of fat – but, only 4g of saturated fats meaning most of the fat within it is the healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats we should be eating more of.

The lowest fat side dishes to accompany either of these would be the plain baked potato – surprisingly, the broccoli has 14g of fat and 9g of saturated fat, which leads me to believe it contains some butter.

A better option, if you can ensure it is gluten-free would be a House Salad with the croutons removed.

The Lowest Sodium Gluten-Free Option at Red Lobster

The would be the Rainbow Trout which has just 170mg of sodium.

As with the other dishes this comes with two side dishes and your lowest sodium choices would be the mashed potatoes with has 600mg of sodium and the broccoli which has 610mg

This would mean your whole meal contains 1380mg of sodium.

Can you Eat Vegetarian and Gluten Free?

The only real option would be the Caesar Salad with the croutons removed – assuming your server confirms that to be the case.

The Caesar Dressing is gluten free – as are the Blue Cheese, Ranch, Honey Mustard and French Dressings.

Red Lobster generally isn’t the best choice for veggies or vegans.

Can I Have a Starter Too?

You can. The Signature Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail is gluten-free.

Unfortunately, dessert is off the menu.

Are the Cheddar Biscuits Gluten-Free?

Unfortunately not. And, often servers will just deliver them anyway, so, you might want to remind them that you can’t have these as part of your meal so the food isn’t wasted.

Adapting The Menu

Red Lobster do say that it’s also possible to adapt some other items on the menu to make it gluten-free.

This could include steps like removing croutons from the side salads – but, it’s best to address this with your server as the information they give on the website is somewhat limited.

Unfortunately, Red Lobster don’t offer a gluten-free pasta option for the pasta dishes so these are off the menu if you’re avoiding gluten.

So, there you have our list of the best choices in Red Lobster if you’re eating gluten-free with other health needs. If you have any more questions, drop us a line in the comments.

You might also want to check out our guide to the healthiest gluten-free choices in Olive Garden too.

Images: Red Lobster Press Gallery unless otherwise stated

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