Gluten-Free at Dunkin Donuts: Introducing New Gluten-Free Muffins and Donuts

Imagine leaving your house in the morning to go for your morning coffee and being able to conveniently – at any of over 10,000 locations across the country – grab a gluten-free donut or gluten-free muffin at the counter along with it. Well, for some of us, that day is here as Dunkin Donuts has released gluten-free items at a few select locations.

Last Friday, I stopped in at Dunkin Donuts in Brookline, Massachusetts (a few minutes from Fenway Park on the edge of Boston), when I noticed these donuts and muffins. I didn’t know from any ads outside the store or even inside the store.

When I got to the counter to order, there was a small basket smiling up at me clearly labeled “Gluten-Free”. I was totally in awe, so naturally I asked a lot of questions…

–

When did you start offering gluten-free muffins and donuts? Where else are they offered? Am I the first lucky customer to see these? What’s in them? What other allergies are covered?

The poor woman didn’t even have the chance to answer any of my questions before I blurted out a dozen curiosities…

However, she obliged and was pretty knowledgeable about the new offering, and I’m excited to share everything I learned with you.

Gluten-Free at Dunkin Donuts – Here’s the Scoop

Boston and Miami are now test markets for this new Dunkin Donuts gluten-free offering, but right now the Dunkin Donuts in Coolidge Corner in Brookline, Massachusetts is the ONLY location that offers them in Boston.

The donuts are cinnamon sugar (one flavor), and the muffins are blueberry (also just one flavor). And let me tell you… they are fabulous!

Most importantly, it’s clear that Dunkin Donuts has gone out of their way to make safety the #1 priority, reminiscent of how Chucky Cheese started offering gluten-free pizza earlier in 2012. Kudos to Dunkin Donuts!

The donuts and muffins are certified gluten-free by the GFCO (Gluten-Free Certification Organization). They are produced and pre-packaged off-site (not at the actual Dunkin Donuts location where you buy them) to eliminate the chance for cross-contamination.

While we showed that Domino’s gluten-free pizza is probably safe, it is a sigh of relief that a huge multinational food brand learned from the Domino’s controversy and took precautions to avoid cross-contamination at all costs.

After the gluten-free donuts and muffins are produced off-site, they are packaged and labeled with a date that is handwritten right on the package (see the picture below). This is presumably a date they need to be sold or eaten by, but it’s not clear by the labeling. I stopped in on December 28, and as you can see, Dunkin Donuts wrote on both of these “12-30” in blue pen.

Key Facts About Dunkin Donuts’ Gluten-Free Products: Pricing, Nutrition and Allergen Information

As expected, the gluten-free donuts and muffins are much more expensive. While “regular” donuts cost $1.01, the gluten-free donuts cost $1.89 (87% more). As for the muffins, the “regulars” cost $1.55 and the gluten-free muffins are $2.39 (54% more).

Are these donuts or muffins healthy? Not by any stretch of the imagination, but neither are the donuts or muffins that Dunkin Donuts has made for years (or really any other muffins or donuts for that matter). Here’s a comparison of a few key nutritional categories between the “regular” and gluten-free blueberry muffins:

In terms of other nutrition and allergen information, the donuts and muffins are also Kosher Pareve, and they both contain eggs and soy.

The good news is that the woman at the counter told me the gluten-free products are selling like crazy, which is hopefully a positive factor in how quickly and how broadly Dunkin Donuts rolls them out to other locations.

While it’s hard to tell how quickly this offering will become available across the country, we at the CeliAct Blog will certainly be on the lookout for more info. If you find anything else out or have any questions, please write us at info@celiact.com. This is an exciting development for everyone that we would love to learn more about!

Special thanks to Kendall Egan from Gluten-Free Living magazine for letting me know last week that Dunkin Donuts was testing some gluten-free items in Boston.