French fries can be made at home simply by cutting up potatoes into a match stick shapes and then frying them in oil. In other words, milk or other dairy isn’t a necessary component of French fries.
But, does McDonald’s use dairy in its French fries for taste or texture purposes? Here is what you need to know about dairy in McDonald’s French fries…
Is There Dairy In McDonald’s Fries?
Yes, McDonald’s French fries have dairy. According to the ingredients listed by the company, the dairy is in the “Natural Beef Flavor”. Specifically, it contains hydrolyzed milk as a starting ingredient for the natural beef flavor. This type of milk is often given to infants that are allergic to traditional cow’s milk protein since its smaller protein compound fragments make it less challenging for the body to absorb.
The full ingredients for McDonald’s French fries are as follows:
Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (canola Oil, Corn Oil, Soybean Oil, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Natural Beef Flavor [wheat And Milk Derivatives]*), Dextrose, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate (maintain Color), Salt. *natural Beef Flavor Contains Hydrolyzed Wheat And Hydrolyzed Milk As Starting Ingredients. Contains: Wheat, Milk.
In case you were wondering, the supplier of McDonald’s French fries partially fries the fries in a mix of oil and beef flavoring. The beef flavoring that contains the dairy helps give McDonald’s fries their classic taste.
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Do Other Fast Food Fries Have Dairy?
Given McDonald’s fries contain milk, we decided to see if other fast food/fast casual fries have dairy. The table below shows that dairy (milk) is not a common ingredient in fast food/fast casual fries.
However, many restaurant fries are cooked in the same oil as other menu items that contain milk and/or other food allergens. This is a potential issue for people following strict dairy-free diets due to veganism, allergies, and various other reasons.
| French Fries | Dairy Ingredients |
|---|---|
| Burger King | No |
| Wendy’s | No |
| Arby’s – Crinkle Fries | No |
| White Castle | No |
| Culver’s – Crinkle Cut Fries | No |
| KFC – Secret Recipe Fries | No |
| Popeyes Cajun Fries | No |
| Sonic | No |
| In-N-Out | No |
| DQ | No |
| Shake Shack Regular Fried | No |
| Five Guys | No |
Keep in mind that ingredients can change at any time. Be sure to check the restaurants’ ingredient and allergen information before you dine if avoiding dairy or other allergens is a concern for you. The restaurant itself will be ultimate source for determining the ingredients of a particular food at the time of dining.
The above information is for general informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as the final word for allergens in the foods discussed.
If avoiding dairy is a desire for you, you may wish to avoid fast food even though some foods may not have dairy given the possibility for cross-contamination to exist.